The Stolen Dozen

Dear friends and reader: Yes, I'm still aboveground, although only She knows why. I am no longer giving to society, all I'm doing is taking from it, and it annoys me. This next story is not, not my usual fare. It is taken from the news and back dated to protect the guilty from the innocent and vice versa. Areas of the country have been moved around, but if you have listened to the news, and have been as disgusted as I have been, you can put two and two together and come out with the appropriate answers. Murder is murder and nothing less. Rape is rape and definitely not illegal touching of a minor. This is a work of fiction, please remember that although much of it is gleaned from the world around us, in this country and the supposed other countries like us. May She help us all!

Chapter 1 --

IN THE BEGINNING

We met for the first time in 1957, when we both moved into the 'projects' on White Plains Rd., in the Bronx, New York as nine-year-olds. We lived on the 12

th

floor of the same building, and became fast friends. We walked to the same Catholic school every day, and we were in the same fourth grade class. Times were lean for both our families, but we never failed to eat or have food on the table each night. After school, she played with the girls and I played with the boys. However, as we grew older, we were always together, until high school, and that is when our first trauma hit. She went to an all-girls Catholic high school and I went to an all-boys Catholic high school. For the next four years our only contact was on the weekends, and I made sure to make each moment count, because I was not going to allow her to get away from me. I was in love, and I knew it. When I was a senior in high school, I purchased a small birthstone ring for her, with money I saved from my Christmas and birthday gifts. We were both born in September, and it was red like a Ruby.

During our Christmas break, in the middle of the light snow flurries, I stood before her and in a broken voice I said, "Carolyn, I know you know I have loved you since the day we met. You have made me the happiest man on the face of this earth, and I never want you to leave me. Will you please do me the honor and privilege of marrying me?"

Her face went white. She was already a porcelain doll because of her Scandinavian ancestry, but every ounce of her blood in her body drained to her feet. She never saw anything like this coming out of my mouth at this time, especially because of our ages. Her face was a picture frozen in time.

I tapped her chin and asked, "Carolyn, Carolyn say something please. Say no. Say yes. Say Bob, you are out of your mind, but say something please."

Finally, she spoke. "How about, Robert, I love you too, but you are out of your fucking mind. My father will kill both of us before he gives us permission to marry."

"Was that a no, yes, or maybe?"

"It all depends on if we are alive after we talked to him."

"I won't talk to him until you answer me, I'm not that stupid."

"Robert, you are a pain in my behind. How's this for an answer."

She stood on her tiptoes, grabbed my ears and pulled me down for a long-determined kiss.

"I want to hear the words from your lips, Carolyn."

"Yes Robert, I will marry you, you pain in the ass."

"Carolyn, you cursed. You have to go to confession Saturday."

"My mother will drag me there anyhow, just for kissing you."

"You better marry me, if you can't tell her, I'm am not such a bad influence on you."

"You know my father is going to ask you if I'm pregnant."

"Well, we both know the answer to that one, don't we?"

"Unless you can get me pregnant by kissing me, we sure do."

"I checked my biology book, and even amphibians can't get pregnant by kissing."

"Make sure to make that point to my dad when he's finished asking."

"Let's go, there's no sense putting off the inevitable. There are two sets of parents that are going to love getting a piece of us."

Building 2 Apartment 12 G

"Hi mom, where is dad?"

"He's in the living room doing push-ups."

"We'll come back another time."

A loud baritone voice yelled, "Get in here this minute, Missy!"

"Yes dad, I'm coming."

"I know he's there, bring him with you."

"His name is Robert, dad, can't you remember that name?"

"Don't you dare get snippy with me young woman."

He waited for us, wearing shorts and a white T-shirt, that was plastered to his chest with sweat. Standing 6'3" tall, weighing 210 pounds, without an ounce of fat on him, and he hadn't lost any of the muscle he had when he left the Marine corp. as a captain. The only thing that changed was the amount of hair on his head, and not by much.

His wife stood to the right and behind him by 2 feet, like an adjutant. He said, "I can tell you two are up to no good. Spit it out and don't beat around the bush."

I stand at 6'1" tall and 178 pounds of high school boy. I am no match for this mountain of a man, but I did not back down. I did what he said and I spit it out straight forward.

"Carolyn and I are getting married in September, when we are both 18 years old. We can do it, with or without your permission, but we would rather get it, sir. It is very important to Carolyn, but I don't give a shit, because I love her so much. I have been in love with her since the day I met her eight years ago and it has only grown since then. I believe you and your wife have known that because of the way you've seen me treat her and grown up around her. She is the only girl I have ever dated, and the only woman I will ever love."

He nearly breathed fire at me. "You want to take my baby girl out of my home, away from my protection to live with you? Are you out of your mind? It will never happen while I have breath in my lungs. She stays with me and my wife. You have no chance in this life to have her. Is that understood young man?"

"Sir, on the day Carolyn turns 18 years old, a police officer will serve you with a warrant ordering you to release Carolyn from these premises. I have checked the law, because on that date she becomes a free person, and is no longer under your control. When I graduate in May, I have a job lined up that will pay me a living wage. I will be saving my money and in September I will have an apartment for Carolyn and I to live in, with furniture and all the appliances we need. If you are not careful, you will not know the address of that apartment, and you'll never see your daughter again."

Systene, Carolyn's mother, smacked her husband on the shoulder, and shouted, "You will say yes, and you will say it now. I will not lose my daughter."

Robert Riefsynder stood ramrod straight, looked at his wife and then looked evilly at me and said, "Not one day before her 18

th

birthday, and she better not be pregnant before you to get married. If she is, she will never be pregnant,

by you

,

again."

"Your message is received loud and clear, sir. On my honor, sir, Carolyn will not be pregnant before our wedding day. We are both saving ourselves for that day."

With the hostilities over, Carolyn and her mother hugged and cried on each other's shoulders. I did not dare extend my hand to her father for fear of what he might do to it. I did say, "Sir, I now have to walk down the hall to talk to my dad, would you care to accompany Carolyn and I to see how he reacts to this news?"

"Now why would I deprive you two of the joy of going through this process one more time. You've gone through the Marine, going through the Navy should be a piece of cake."

"Sir, considering how my father talks about Marines, I sincerely doubt that is true."

"Oh really, one day I'm going to have to discuss that with him, on a one to one basis."

"If you would, sir, make sure both families are in other states, because they would be safer there."

Carolyn smacked me. "Robert, you are stirring up trouble between our fathers."

I smiled at her. "I am, aren't I."

She smacked me again, and then again. Then she smiled as we walked down the hall, turned left and went to apartment 12 A to see my parents.

My mom opened the door, looked at us and said, "Oh Crap, she's pregnant!"

Carolyn smacked me again. I was getting tired of getting hit by the woman I loved.

"Why is that the first thing parents always think about their children."

"I think it's because they are all thinking like sexual deviants," I replied.

My mom shouted, "I am not a sexual deviant."

"What are you two doing here?"

"First of all, mother, I live here. Second, I came to talk to you and my father about something of importance. Do you mind if we come in?"

"Of course not, come in. Hello Carolyn."

Carolyn probably shocked her when she said, "Hello mom."

We walked into the living room, where my father was seated in his chair reading the paper. He looked up and asked, "What's up kid?"

I did it the same way I did with Carolyn's dad. There was no sense doing it any other way.

"Carolyn and I are getting married in September, after our birthdays when we are 18 years old. I have spoken to her father and mother and they have said okay. I have a job lined up that will pay me a living wage after I get out of school. I will save my money to rent an apartment and buy what we need to live there. Carolyn will do the same. We would like your blessing but it is not required. No, Carolyn is not pregnant, before you ask. You people are unbelievable. I don't know what went on in your day and age, but we have more restraint than that. We are saving ourselves for after the wedding. Do you have any questions?"

"Where are you going on your honeymoon?"

"Considering our money situation, we weren't planning on one."

"You have five uncles, and they own a cabin in the Poconos which you can use free of charge. All you will need is food and probably some firewood for the wood stove while you're up there. It is a few hundred yards away from a lake and it is very beautiful up there. I will make the arrangements for you both with them."

To say I was stunned at this largess would be putting it mildly, because he never even mentioned this cabin to me, during all the years we lived in the Bronx. I didn't know if it was something new or if he was never invited along, because he was not part owner. Carolyn and I thanked him for the offer. There was only one other thing we needed, a car to get to the Poconos. I knew I wasn't going to be in a position to buy one, but I guess my dad was going to do something about it before the time came.

School resumed in January, and Carolyn and I hated every day of it, because we were away from one another. It got to the point that Carolyn's mom a taped a sign on their front door that said, "NO ROBERT'S UNDER 18 ALLOWED BETWEEN MONDAY AND THURSDAY."

Our neighbors laughed their asses off, however I didn't, because I missed her every day.

Once Friday evening came, you could fit a piece of paper between us. We would walk to the Bronx zoo, walk along the Bronx River, walk everywhere, and it was freezing outside most of the time, but we didn't care, because we kept each other warm. The amazing thing is we didn't make grandiose plans, because we knew better. We knew what the times were like. The minimum wage was a $1.60 an hour and you had to be lucky to earn that amount.

All the kids at school knew we were getting married, and told us we were nuts for doing it so young. We had not lived yet, we had not seen anything yet, we had not gone anywhere yet, we had not done anything yet, we had not gone out with anyone else yet. How could we possibly know we wanted to spend our lives with one another without knowing any of the other variables.

Each of us told our friends we just knew what we wanted in our hearts and we weren't going to change our minds for them.

They finally let us be happy for each other.

Finally, Easter came in April, and the count down to the end of the school year started. On May 7, Father Philip announce the schedule for finals. I looked at it in horror. I would have my chemistry and calculus finals on the same day and it would be the last day of testing; wasn't I lucky?

Monday

American history -- English 401 -- French 401.

Tuesday

Social Science 326 -- English Literature 401

Wednesday

American Government 407 -- Athletic Training (Gym)

Thursday

Chemistry 403 -- Calculus 502

A typical rigorous Catholic High School education.

Carolyn's finals were similar but she took Latin as a language, because her parents were preparing her to be a nun. She knew this, but she did not go along with that program.

Students were off Friday, for a teacher workday, and reported back on Monday to receive their report cards and requirements for graduation.

Robert missed the honor roll, because of his French grade, which was 78%. He didn't plan on speaking French, so he was not too disappointed.

Carolyn made the honor roll and missed being valedictorian by three points.

Robert went to work as planned after graduation. He worked 8 1/2 hours every day. He was such an eager and productive employee that he was moved from position to position rapidly, learning new and harder skills quickly. With each of these skills came a small increase in pay, which he thanked his employer for each time. Then came his biggest test and before he was moved, he was asked if he was ready for it.

He said to his employer, "The only way I will find out if I am ready is if I fail, and if I do, I will learn how to do it and I will pass, and make you proud."

During the first week of September Robert was given a totally disassembled transmission of a Plymouth Fury 3 and told to assemble it, without an instruction manual. He did it in 3 1/2 days, and it worked flawlessly. His trainer, manager, and employer were thrilled with his work, and he was promoted again, with a nice raise. He was now making $2.04 an hour at the Plymouth dealership.

Carolyn found work as a secretary at a hospital, where the pay scale was considerably lower. She was making a $1.37 an hour, but she did not spend one penny of it.

As the day of their wedding approached the couple got together with their parents to allocate the money for the upcoming expenditures. Tony and Lenore were sitting with Robert and Sistine in their apartment as Robert and Carolyn came in. They sat down at the kitchen table. Carolyn sat by her mother, and pulled out the list they made, down to the last penny, from her hand bag.

Sistine grabbed it from her, tore it up, and threw it away.

Carolyn screamed, "

MOM!"

Sistine replied, "My daughter expects to pay for her own wedding? Her father would have fallen down 12 floors, without the use of an elevator, before that would have happened."

Carolyn looked forlornly at her father and asked, "Really dad?"

"If I ever wanted to have sex again, yes, I'm paying for your entire wedding."

Carolyn asked, with a stunned look on her face, "Is sex really that important?"

The three men in the room immediately shouted,

"

YES!"

Carolyn turned and hit me. "How would you know?"

"My love, I read a lot."

My father patted me on my shoulder and said, "Good answer."

Carolyn said, "That better be all."

I pulled my future wife to me and said to her, "I spend every second I can with you, so you know it's true. Stop being jealous." Then I kissed her.

She said okay, turned to her mother and asked, "What happens now, mom?"

"Your wedding will take place in church, on September 17

th

at 11 AM. We have rented Central Hall, for the afternoon, between 12 and 5 PM. The caterer will provide the food for the affair. They will set up the chairs and tables before everyone arrives. There will be between 60 and 80 people there, mostly family, but some of your high school friends will attend also. You have to tell us who your maid of honor, and your best man will be. We will get you a dress and Robert will wear a new black suit. We've asked Father Pat to say the mass, and he has agreed, since he baptized both of yo

u. No,

he did not ask that question."

Carolyn sighed, "Thank goodness someone has common sense."

After the wedding, we will go to the hall and have your party. Your gifts will be put into a white cloth bag, which we will keep for you, unopened, until you get home from the Poconos.

Robert, your uncles have arranged to have the cabin fully stocked with everything you will need for the two weeks you will be there. We know you only anticipated being there for one week, but we wanted you two to have a longer time alone together. We arranged with your bosses to give you the extra week off. You will have a car to drive, from here to the Poconos, and return, with directions and maps to get you there safely. The cabin is located in a state park, so you will have to check in when you arrive. It is the beginning of hunting season, so if you hear guns going off don't panic, just be careful. If you decide to go out for a nature walk in the woods, wear bright colors so you can be seen. Your uncles have requested one thing from you, "Please don't burn down the cabin!" Instead of using candles for mood lighting, use the hurricane lamps and the fireplace. Are there any questions?"

Robert asked, "Is dinner ready?"

He ducked his head as he got hit again, and again, and again, but this time by three different women.

His father said, "Son, it may be a man's world, but we wind up walking around with all the bruises, because our women hit hard."

"I know dad, Carolyn hits very hard, and I am not married yet."

"How can that little slip of a girl hit hard, Robert? She can't weigh 100 pounds."

"In that case dad, it's all in her left arm, because she is as strong as an ox."

"Have you ever thought about staying on her right side?"

"Yes, I have, but she kicks too."

"Son, you are in trouble."

"Did grandpa tell you the same thing before you married mom?"

"I can't tell you all the things he warned me about before I married your mother. Her mouth was one thing, but the others would make you as bald as I am."

My mother yelled out, "There is an Arctic front moving into my bedroom."

My father replied, "What, another one?"

Mom screamed, "Anthony!"

"Dad according to everything I've read, and everything I've learned in school so far, regardless of what we men do, we are never going to win, ever. If we hit them, they cry and we can't stand it, so we stop hitting them, and buy them whatever they want. So, they stop crying and they win. If you want a green car, and she wants a blue car, guess what color car you are going to buy? You're going to buy the blue car or for the next five or six years, you're going to have a very unhappy wife. Dad, an unhappy wife equals an unhappy life, and you don't want an unhappy life so you are going to buy a blue car. My boss told me so. It's a fact of life, so he keeps more blue cars in stock then green cars, because women like blue better than green."

"Robert, I don't like you. I think you just ruined the rest of my life because of what you just told me."

Lenore yelled from the kitchen, "No he didn't, Anthony, he just smacked you upside the head and cleared the cobwebs out of your brain. Now you know everything I've been doing to you for the last 23 years of our marriage. While you thought you were driving the car, I was steering it."

Anthony yelled, "I don't like you either, Lenore."

"I know, you love me, and you can't live without me. You can't find your socks, you don't know where your shorts are, and God forbid you try to find an aspirin in the morning."