Lottery
Chapter 19
By Mark J. Silva Jr
“Good morning, Madam. I am Officer Mayweather from the Male Child Protection Agency, the MCPA? I'm here to check on Mark Howland,” the officer at the door said to Di, nearly at the crack of dawn, the next morning.
“I'm sorry, Officer, but Mark isn't a minor, he is nineteen years old,” Di stated.
“Mom, just let her in,” Olive said as she entered the room from the kitchen.
“Yes, I know he's not a minor, Ms. Bradly, but Mark is a disabled adult and as such, he falls under our auspices,” Officer Mayweather replied as Di allowed her inside.
“I forget, at times, that he's disabled. Mark is such a smart boy,” Di said as she returned to her seat.
The officer took an offered chair and sat down, then she pulled out her tablet from her pants leg pocket. “Most savants are. Now I would like to understand his living arrangements, and also see his contract.”
“Well, my dear, he lives here and has his own room. I don't understand, why you are here?” asked Di as Olive brought her a cup of hot tea.
“Ms. Bradly, your daughter… a Ms. Riley Bradly… has made a complaint stating you are denying her daughter and herself access to Mark, who's ownership is claimed to have been transferred to Lily Bradly,” the officer said.
“Officer, Ms. Riley was arrested, yesterday, for attacking Mark, and breaking his arm. Lily has full access to Mark. He is living here, for now, because he's having trouble with the loss of Lisa. Changes don’t come easily to him,” Olive said as she sat down with her own cup of tea.
“I see. But who has legal ownership of him?” the officer asked.
“Lily does, but I have a lend/lease contract. Olive, dear, could you please get the contract form?” Di paused for a moment, “From your mom's office?” Di asked with a tear in her eye. The office mentioned was Lisa's.
Olive got up and headed down a hall.
“Is Mark currently here?” The officer asked.
Di looked down the all at Mark's room door where Sasha had been standing and waiting.
“Yes, he's still asleep in his room.”
“Isn't it a tad late in the morning for him to be sleeping?”
“Officer, Mark had a rough day, yesterday. First it was seeing Lisa's funeral. Then getting a broken arm which kept him up most of the night in pain…” Di said as she watched Olive return from the office.
Olive stopped at the officer's seat and passed her a freshly printed copy of the Lend/lease contract. The officer read the contract and made a few notes.
“So, this contract is in force until you are deemed unfit to care for him, or voluntary surrender Mark back to Lily.”
“Yes. The plan is, that over time, Mark will come to trust and believe in Lily's ability to watch out for him. Mark has always had a caretaker, in some form. He complains that he doesn't need a 'babysitter' as he says; but if you could have seen the look in his eyes the first time he was left to his own devices, you would have seen his fear. Mark is dependent on others to make sure he takes care of himself,” Di explained.
“I see. His file says that he is a high functioning savant, but lacks in maturity and self control. His doctor back on Earth stated that Mark had the emotional mindset of someone around thirteen years old, but his intelligence testing has him off the scale. Do you think he would be able to come to a hearing and testify on his own behalf?”
“I don't even think he knows how to lie. He would testify truthfully, but as to handling being in a courtroom and having to face Riley after her breaking his arm? I would say it would be very hard on him,” answered Di,
“You said he has his own room?”
“Oh, yes! Mark has his own room, and also owns two pets and one domestic servant,” Di said as she watched Tina enter the room and head over to the kitchen.
“Can I see his room?” the officer asked.
“One moment… Tina, dear?” Di said.
Tina stopped and turned to face Di and the officer, “Yes, Mistress?”
“Is Mark awake, yet?” Di asked.
“Yes, Mistress. Mark is currently using his holoband,” Tina said.
“Holoband?” the officer questioned.
“We got Mark a holoband, as he has no wetware. It allows…” Olive said as she got up from her seat.
“I know what a holoband does, but I thought they'd be too small for him?”
“I made him a custom set,” Olive said.
Officer Mayweather looked over at Olive.
“I work for Graystone Enterprises as a field tech, so I know they're legit and safe for him to use,” Olive said.
“I see,” Mayweather said as she stepped in front of the door leading into Mark's room.
Di opened the door and entered, followed by Officer Mayweather. They stepped into the room and found Mark laying on his bed, with a Holoband on his face.
What caused Officer Mayweather to step back, quickly; was the snarling wolfgirl, on all fours, standing over Mark.
“Easy, Penny. Officer Mayweather is not here to harm Mark,” Di said.
But Penny was having none of it. She stood above Mark and snarled until the door closed with all of them were back out into the hallway.
“A little over-protective, isn't she?” Mayweather said.
“I'm sorry about that. When she was changed, she was imbued with a high level of protection for Mark. With him coming home hurt last night, she's been on guard even more. Let me see if I can get her to calm down a bit,” Di said as she opened the door once more.
A few minutes later Di came back out of the room with a tired look on her face, “She is not going to stand down, as long as you are armed.”
Officer Mayweather was not going to give up her weapon, no matter the reason.
“I need to visit with Mark and check out his room, why don't you remove the Holoband and have him order her to stand down?”
Di entered the room and Penny was still standing over Mark but this time her tail was waggling. Di sat on the edge of the bed. She could just remove the holoband, but that would be rude, and could leave Mark in a poor mood. Instead, Di closed her eyes and used her wetware to enter Mark's VR world. Moments later, she found herself in a thick forest. As she stood there, she could hear birds chattering and water running. A creek, or a small river, Di thought. In her vision was an HUD icon, pointing towards Mark.
It took only a few moments for Di to find Mark as she watched a bear in the river fishing for trout.
“Are you having fun, Mark?”
Mark/Bear stood up and smiled at Di.
“It's amazing, This is supposed to be as close to real as possible. The info file says that bears use to roam all over the Northern Grand States and hunt like this all the time.”
Di could see Mark was excited and having fun, even in this education type world, “That's great. Dear, I need you to remove your holoband for a few minutes. There is an MCPA officer at home, waiting to talk to you.”
Mark gave Di a pouty face and whined, “Do I have to?”
“Yes. You can come out yourself, or I will have to take the holoband off myself, Mark.”
Di watched as Mark raised his hand and motioned to remove his holoband. When she opened her own eyes, Di watched the holoband slip off. Mark blinked his eyes a few times.
She felt sad seeing the cast over his wrist to his elbow. “You need to have Penny wait in the yard, Mark. She was threatening the Officer.”
Mark looked over at Penny where she now stood beside the bed, “Penny, please go into the yard and wait.”
Penny gave Mark a worried look, but she did as told. She walked out into the yard, stood just outside the slider and waited.
Di looked at Mark and smiled. Mark sat there in the middle of the bed with a simple black nightie on that didn't leave much to anyone's imagination.
“Okay Mark, I will get the Officer now.”
Di walked over to the door, opened it back up and said, “You can now come in, now, Officer Mayweather.”
Officer Mayweather entered the room, and made a few quick mental notes. Mark room was large, clean and clearly his. He sat in the middle of the bed and looked both well-groomed and clean.
“Hello, Mark. I am Officer Mayweather from MCPA.”
“Hello,” Mark responded.
The Officer took the chair Tina dragged over and sat down, “I have a few questions I need to ask you.”
Mark folded his legs under himself and adjusted his blankets in his lap. “Okay.”
Looking over at Di and Olive, she said, “Could you please wait in the front room? I have to ask him in private.”
“Can't they stay?” Mark asked.
“Sorry, Mark, but I have to speak with you in private…or I can bring you down to my office, and talk to you there.”
“It will be okay, Mark. Penny is just outside the door, and Olive and I will be in the front room,” Di said.
Di and Olive left the room, but the door was left open, making Mark feel a little more relaxed.
The officer typed in a few things into her tablet, then said, “Okay. Now, Mark, I need you to understand that I am here because someone made a complaint about your care. They said that you have been held against your will from your legal owner. And yes, I am aware of the lend/lease contract. But since you where hurt, I have to make sure you are still safe here.”
“I don't understand why the MCPA is looking into me? I'm nineteen,” Mark asked.
“Mark, you do understand that you have a mental disability, one that impairs you in making proper adult decisions,” the officer said.
“I'm not stupid. I know I'm a savant and that my thinking isn't like everyone’s else, but that doesn't make me stupid. I am an adult,” answered Mark.
"No, I know your far from stupid. But as a savant you are considered disabled. As far as the law is concerned, you will always and forever be a minor. It is up to us to make sure you are in a safe place and that you are not abused.”
“Di would never abuse me,” Mark blurted out.
“I tend to believe that, Mark. I am here because someone else said she has abused you, as in yesterdays event, when your arm was broken. Can you tell me who broke your arm?”
“That bitch Riley did! She grabbed my arm and yanked on me, even after I told her she was hurting me, she twisted hard, and yanked me from my seat.”
The officer made a few more notes, “Was Diana or anyone else holding on to you?”
Mark thought about it, then said, “Di grabbed me after Riley broke my arm, one of the other ladies shoved Riley away and Doctor Angie came right over and checked my arm out.”
Mark watched as the officer made a few more notes.
“Okay, then. Now, do you feel safe in this home?” The officer asked.
“Yes. I feel safe, and I have my Penny and Tina to protect me,” answered Mark as he look out the slider.
Penny was bouncing on her feet.
“Very good. Now, I have reviewed your personal finances. Are you aware that you could buy out your contract?”
Mark smiled and batted his eyes as he said, “Yes, I know I can; but, would I be safe, alone?”
“There are state homes for people just like you Mark, homes that you could live and be happy in.”
Mark knew of 'state homes', and wanted nothing to do with them at all.
“But, as I was asking, Mark; has anyone refused you the chance of buying out your contract? Has anyone threatened you in any way, if you did try to buy out your contract?”
“No. I have talked about buying my contract out, once before, with Lisa. She took the time to point out a few things to me, and allowed me to make my own choice in the matter,” Mark said.
“Okay, then. Do you know who is your current owner and have you been allowed to see her?”
Several minutes later, the officer stepped out of Mark's room and rejoined Di and Olive in the front room.
“Well, he is very bright. I think I have everything I need for now, Ms. Bradly.”
“What will happen next?” Di asked.
“Well, Ms. Bradly, I have spoken with Mark. I can clearly see he well taken care of, here. I will be entering in the file that Ms. Riley Bradly's complaint is unfounded. After speaking with Mark, it is very clear that it was the direct actions of Ms. Riley Bradly, that caused his injuries.”
“So it's over, then,” Olive said.
“Sadly, no. I will be doing follow up visits. Mark is healthy and happy, but I am required to do follow up checks in his case, due to the fact he will never mature enough to care properly for himself. I will also have to do a follow up with Lily, to make sure she understands what Mark needs of her.”
“All this headache because of my damn brat of a sister! What's going to happen to her?” Olive asked.
“I don't know, but I am recommending that Lily Bradly be removed from the household to further protect Mark from Riley's influences.”
“Poor Lily. She does love her mother,” Di said.
“I'm sorry, Officer, but Mark isn't a minor, he is nineteen years old,” Di stated.
“Mom, just let her in,” Olive said as she entered the room from the kitchen.
“Yes, I know he's not a minor, Ms. Bradly, but Mark is a disabled adult and as such, he falls under our auspices,” Officer Mayweather replied as Di allowed her inside.
“I forget, at times, that he's disabled. Mark is such a smart boy,” Di said as she returned to her seat.
The officer took an offered chair and sat down, then she pulled out her tablet from her pants leg pocket. “Most savants are. Now I would like to understand his living arrangements, and also see his contract.”
“Well, my dear, he lives here and has his own room. I don't understand, why you are here?” asked Di as Olive brought her a cup of hot tea.
“Ms. Bradly, your daughter… a Ms. Riley Bradly… has made a complaint stating you are denying her daughter and herself access to Mark, who's ownership is claimed to have been transferred to Lily Bradly,” the officer said.
“Officer, Ms. Riley was arrested, yesterday, for attacking Mark, and breaking his arm. Lily has full access to Mark. He is living here, for now, because he's having trouble with the loss of Lisa. Changes don’t come easily to him,” Olive said as she sat down with her own cup of tea.
“I see. But who has legal ownership of him?” the officer asked.
“Lily does, but I have a lend/lease contract. Olive, dear, could you please get the contract form?” Di paused for a moment, “From your mom's office?” Di asked with a tear in her eye. The office mentioned was Lisa's.
Olive got up and headed down a hall.
“Is Mark currently here?” The officer asked.
Di looked down the all at Mark's room door where Sasha had been standing and waiting.
“Yes, he's still asleep in his room.”
“Isn't it a tad late in the morning for him to be sleeping?”
“Officer, Mark had a rough day, yesterday. First it was seeing Lisa's funeral. Then getting a broken arm which kept him up most of the night in pain…” Di said as she watched Olive return from the office.
Olive stopped at the officer's seat and passed her a freshly printed copy of the Lend/lease contract. The officer read the contract and made a few notes.
“So, this contract is in force until you are deemed unfit to care for him, or voluntary surrender Mark back to Lily.”
“Yes. The plan is, that over time, Mark will come to trust and believe in Lily's ability to watch out for him. Mark has always had a caretaker, in some form. He complains that he doesn't need a 'babysitter' as he says; but if you could have seen the look in his eyes the first time he was left to his own devices, you would have seen his fear. Mark is dependent on others to make sure he takes care of himself,” Di explained.
“I see. His file says that he is a high functioning savant, but lacks in maturity and self control. His doctor back on Earth stated that Mark had the emotional mindset of someone around thirteen years old, but his intelligence testing has him off the scale. Do you think he would be able to come to a hearing and testify on his own behalf?”
“I don't even think he knows how to lie. He would testify truthfully, but as to handling being in a courtroom and having to face Riley after her breaking his arm? I would say it would be very hard on him,” answered Di,
“You said he has his own room?”
“Oh, yes! Mark has his own room, and also owns two pets and one domestic servant,” Di said as she watched Tina enter the room and head over to the kitchen.
“Can I see his room?” the officer asked.
“One moment… Tina, dear?” Di said.
Tina stopped and turned to face Di and the officer, “Yes, Mistress?”
“Is Mark awake, yet?” Di asked.
“Yes, Mistress. Mark is currently using his holoband,” Tina said.
“Holoband?” the officer questioned.
“We got Mark a holoband, as he has no wetware. It allows…” Olive said as she got up from her seat.
“I know what a holoband does, but I thought they'd be too small for him?”
“I made him a custom set,” Olive said.
Officer Mayweather looked over at Olive.
“I work for Graystone Enterprises as a field tech, so I know they're legit and safe for him to use,” Olive said.
“I see,” Mayweather said as she stepped in front of the door leading into Mark's room.
Di opened the door and entered, followed by Officer Mayweather. They stepped into the room and found Mark laying on his bed, with a Holoband on his face.
What caused Officer Mayweather to step back, quickly; was the snarling wolfgirl, on all fours, standing over Mark.
“Easy, Penny. Officer Mayweather is not here to harm Mark,” Di said.
But Penny was having none of it. She stood above Mark and snarled until the door closed with all of them were back out into the hallway.
“A little over-protective, isn't she?” Mayweather said.
“I'm sorry about that. When she was changed, she was imbued with a high level of protection for Mark. With him coming home hurt last night, she's been on guard even more. Let me see if I can get her to calm down a bit,” Di said as she opened the door once more.
A few minutes later Di came back out of the room with a tired look on her face, “She is not going to stand down, as long as you are armed.”
Officer Mayweather was not going to give up her weapon, no matter the reason.
“I need to visit with Mark and check out his room, why don't you remove the Holoband and have him order her to stand down?”
Di entered the room and Penny was still standing over Mark but this time her tail was waggling. Di sat on the edge of the bed. She could just remove the holoband, but that would be rude, and could leave Mark in a poor mood. Instead, Di closed her eyes and used her wetware to enter Mark's VR world. Moments later, she found herself in a thick forest. As she stood there, she could hear birds chattering and water running. A creek, or a small river, Di thought. In her vision was an HUD icon, pointing towards Mark.
It took only a few moments for Di to find Mark as she watched a bear in the river fishing for trout.
“Are you having fun, Mark?”
Mark/Bear stood up and smiled at Di.
“It's amazing, This is supposed to be as close to real as possible. The info file says that bears use to roam all over the Northern Grand States and hunt like this all the time.”
Di could see Mark was excited and having fun, even in this education type world, “That's great. Dear, I need you to remove your holoband for a few minutes. There is an MCPA officer at home, waiting to talk to you.”
Mark gave Di a pouty face and whined, “Do I have to?”
“Yes. You can come out yourself, or I will have to take the holoband off myself, Mark.”
Di watched as Mark raised his hand and motioned to remove his holoband. When she opened her own eyes, Di watched the holoband slip off. Mark blinked his eyes a few times.
She felt sad seeing the cast over his wrist to his elbow. “You need to have Penny wait in the yard, Mark. She was threatening the Officer.”
Mark looked over at Penny where she now stood beside the bed, “Penny, please go into the yard and wait.”
Penny gave Mark a worried look, but she did as told. She walked out into the yard, stood just outside the slider and waited.
Di looked at Mark and smiled. Mark sat there in the middle of the bed with a simple black nightie on that didn't leave much to anyone's imagination.
“Okay Mark, I will get the Officer now.”
Di walked over to the door, opened it back up and said, “You can now come in, now, Officer Mayweather.”
Officer Mayweather entered the room, and made a few quick mental notes. Mark room was large, clean and clearly his. He sat in the middle of the bed and looked both well-groomed and clean.
“Hello, Mark. I am Officer Mayweather from MCPA.”
“Hello,” Mark responded.
The Officer took the chair Tina dragged over and sat down, “I have a few questions I need to ask you.”
Mark folded his legs under himself and adjusted his blankets in his lap. “Okay.”
Looking over at Di and Olive, she said, “Could you please wait in the front room? I have to ask him in private.”
“Can't they stay?” Mark asked.
“Sorry, Mark, but I have to speak with you in private…or I can bring you down to my office, and talk to you there.”
“It will be okay, Mark. Penny is just outside the door, and Olive and I will be in the front room,” Di said.
Di and Olive left the room, but the door was left open, making Mark feel a little more relaxed.
The officer typed in a few things into her tablet, then said, “Okay. Now, Mark, I need you to understand that I am here because someone made a complaint about your care. They said that you have been held against your will from your legal owner. And yes, I am aware of the lend/lease contract. But since you where hurt, I have to make sure you are still safe here.”
“I don't understand why the MCPA is looking into me? I'm nineteen,” Mark asked.
“Mark, you do understand that you have a mental disability, one that impairs you in making proper adult decisions,” the officer said.
“I'm not stupid. I know I'm a savant and that my thinking isn't like everyone’s else, but that doesn't make me stupid. I am an adult,” answered Mark.
"No, I know your far from stupid. But as a savant you are considered disabled. As far as the law is concerned, you will always and forever be a minor. It is up to us to make sure you are in a safe place and that you are not abused.”
“Di would never abuse me,” Mark blurted out.
“I tend to believe that, Mark. I am here because someone else said she has abused you, as in yesterdays event, when your arm was broken. Can you tell me who broke your arm?”
“That bitch Riley did! She grabbed my arm and yanked on me, even after I told her she was hurting me, she twisted hard, and yanked me from my seat.”
The officer made a few more notes, “Was Diana or anyone else holding on to you?”
Mark thought about it, then said, “Di grabbed me after Riley broke my arm, one of the other ladies shoved Riley away and Doctor Angie came right over and checked my arm out.”
Mark watched as the officer made a few more notes.
“Okay, then. Now, do you feel safe in this home?” The officer asked.
“Yes. I feel safe, and I have my Penny and Tina to protect me,” answered Mark as he look out the slider.
Penny was bouncing on her feet.
“Very good. Now, I have reviewed your personal finances. Are you aware that you could buy out your contract?”
Mark smiled and batted his eyes as he said, “Yes, I know I can; but, would I be safe, alone?”
“There are state homes for people just like you Mark, homes that you could live and be happy in.”
Mark knew of 'state homes', and wanted nothing to do with them at all.
“But, as I was asking, Mark; has anyone refused you the chance of buying out your contract? Has anyone threatened you in any way, if you did try to buy out your contract?”
“No. I have talked about buying my contract out, once before, with Lisa. She took the time to point out a few things to me, and allowed me to make my own choice in the matter,” Mark said.
“Okay, then. Do you know who is your current owner and have you been allowed to see her?”
Several minutes later, the officer stepped out of Mark's room and rejoined Di and Olive in the front room.
“Well, he is very bright. I think I have everything I need for now, Ms. Bradly.”
“What will happen next?” Di asked.
“Well, Ms. Bradly, I have spoken with Mark. I can clearly see he well taken care of, here. I will be entering in the file that Ms. Riley Bradly's complaint is unfounded. After speaking with Mark, it is very clear that it was the direct actions of Ms. Riley Bradly, that caused his injuries.”
“So it's over, then,” Olive said.
“Sadly, no. I will be doing follow up visits. Mark is healthy and happy, but I am required to do follow up checks in his case, due to the fact he will never mature enough to care properly for himself. I will also have to do a follow up with Lily, to make sure she understands what Mark needs of her.”
“All this headache because of my damn brat of a sister! What's going to happen to her?” Olive asked.
“I don't know, but I am recommending that Lily Bradly be removed from the household to further protect Mark from Riley's influences.”
“Poor Lily. She does love her mother,” Di said.