Chapter 8

Christy got off the plane in Seattle, got her bags from Baggage Claim and walked outside. Sweet smelling air and a drizzle of rain that is said to be a constant thing in this area greeted her. A pretty, young woman came up to her and asked "Miss, are you Christina McAlester, by any chance?" Christy said "Yes, I am, do I know you?" The woman said, "No, you don't, my name is Angela, I am under contract with Mr. Sternberg. I am to be your personal driver for the next week. Here are my credentials." She handed Christy some papers with her picture ID on them all, along with a type written note from Franklin.

"Dear Christy,

This woman, Angela, is someone you can trust. I have her drive all my clients around town when they call on me. I'm sorry for deceiving you, but I had to be sure you were coming before I told you everything.

So, here goes. You see I'm a computer genius with an I.Q. of about 265 —270. I have recently (within the last year) become a very wealthy man. I had an invention of mine purchased by Microsoft for a huge sum of money, because of it's potential to drastically change the way humans interact with computers. I designed it with only disabled people who couldn't type in mind. But, the potential is much, much greater. So far, 240,000 of them have sold.

I'm so sorry if this turns you off, and you would be well within your right to just get back on the plane and fly back to L.A. But if you trust me, give me a chance, please? In case you don't, there's a plane ticket back to LAX in that envelop for you, first class. I feel bad for doing it this way. Please forgive me. I should have been honest with you from the beginning.

Love,

Franklin"

Christy smiled as she finished reading the note. She thought, "No, I'm not leaving. I made my mind up and I'm sticking with it. He's got cold feet, that's all. He's trying to drive me away, to test my resolve, to challenge me to stay. Well, by the Gods, I accept the challenge." She then took the ticket out of the envelope, and tore it into pieces, throwing the pieces into the nearest garbage can. With that, Angela smiled, walked Christy to the limousine and opened the back door for her. As Christy was getting in the car, Angela gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek, and said, "He was right about you, you know, you are a wonderful woman."

"You mean he told you about me?" Christy asked.

"Of course he did, I'm his half-sister. My mother is his mother. He never speaks to her though; all she wants is his money. I don't care; I just want to help him. I'm not nearly strong enough to lift him, so I help him by driving him, his friends or his clients anywhere they wish to go. He pays me very well for doing it, plus he pays my tuition at the Cornish Institute, where I'm studying to become a singer. Now, please, just call me Angie, all my friends do, and I now consider you one them, Christina."

"Alright, Angie, you can call me Christy. Tell me more about Franklin, would you?"

"Sure, Christy, what would you like to know?"

"Everything"

"Well, I can tell you what I know, but I don't know that much about his early years. He's much older that me, about 12 years older. Ok, here goes. My other brother Rick, his older full brother can fill you in later on his early years. Anyway, from what I know of it, our mother was feeding him something weird when he was about 6 months old. He got deathly ill from that, and became massively dehydrated with a very high fever. Apparently this caused brain damage that resulted in his CP. About 9 years later, our mother realized she couldn't handle the emotional part of raising a disabled child or the physical lifting part, so she gave him to the State of Washington, which put him into foster care. Over the next 5 years or so, he went from foster home to foster home, some of which were abusive to him. That's why he didn't tell you any of this before. He didn't want to scare you off. This stuff has lasting effects on people. Anyway, after he came home from Minnesota, where they tried to put him, he met George Sternberg, a retired bank executive, who wanted to take care of him for as long as he could. He was an odd guy, but very nice and very loving to my brother. We all loved George for how much he loved Franklin. George was 76 when he got colon cancer that spread rapidly, and died about 6 months later. This crushed Franklin. All of us gave him our support, accept my mother, Gods damn her anyway. As I told you, all she ever wanted was his money. She is so pathetic. Mike, his best friend, agreed to be his temporary aid, so that took some of the pressure off, but he has to leave for Europe to go to chef's school to become a master chef in a month. After his invention took off, and was bought by Microsoft, he suddenly became rich beyond his wildest dreams, but George taught him how to handle being rich, and not letting it change who he is inside."

After Angie finished, Christy said, "That poor man, all that pain and anguish. Deep inside, he must be in such pain, not physical pain, emotional pain. It's my job in life to be with him, to love him, to help him heal. All I need to do now is do THE EYE TEST."

Perplexed, Angie asked "The eye test, what's that, Christy?"

"Well, Angie, I've been hurt by guys before. Several times, so I've learned that the eyes are the windows to the soul. When I actually meet a guy, I look directly into his eyes. If there's anything dark or bad about him, his eyes will show it. And, if that that happens, I back off immediately. That's the eye test."

"Christy, I think we should come to an understanding right here and now. I love my brother very much, and if you EVER hurt him, in any way, there won't be anyplace on earth that you can hide from me. I'll find you and hurt you worse if you hurt my brother, I swear it."

"I know, I know. I can see that in your eyes too. That's good. I like that; it shows strength of character. But do realize that I've been burned before, badly, so I take no chances. I truly think he's an honest soul, with no axes to grind, but I've got to be sure. You understand, Angie?"

'Yeah, I getcha. I would be wary too, if I were you. I won't tell him about your 'EYE TEST'. Just promise that, if you find him lacking, and you want out, let him down as easy as you can. He's very fragile emotionally; it will crush his spirits if you don't be gentle about it. Ok?"