Please remember to donate to Nifty, it gives so much to all of us.
Any amount, large or small, is welcome in order to keep this free site available.
Thank you, donations to the address below. http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html
Life's Illusions - Book Four - Chapter 27
Jezz had been with them for a little more than eight weeks when Frazer announced he had a court date three weeks away, for Jezz's adoption hearing, and surprise, surprise, it was before The Honourable Judge Warwick.
He'd also told Milo he wanted to dispose of the apartment he'd originally purchased for Vinny, Baz, Pil's and Gracie, plus he'd like to pass the executor duties for the children's trust to Milo and Piers.
Milo had said no to both ideas, and although the first was not his decision to make, he felt before Fraser put the request to the children, they should have some counselling, and he intended to administer that, in as impartial a way as he could.
After speaking with Piers, they'd arranged to have both Fraser and Bill Warwick attend a Sunday afternoon cookout.
The night before the cookout, Milo, with Piers approval, sat the children down after Gracie had gone to bed.
Jezz was included, even though most of what was to be discussed didn't involve him, he'd tried to object, until Vinny had put it rather succinctly.
"Sit down and listen, if it's family business, it involves you, if you want to chip in, go for it, we're all family".
Milo led off.
Fraser told me three things a couple of days ago, the first was your court date Jezz, for the adoption process to be finalised, so it's crunch time, remember a few weeks ago I told you, when we came to this point you would need to decide, if you really want us, it's not the other way around, this time it's your decision, I'm not going to say any more, except, if you are at all uncertain, say no, nothing will change, you will still continue to be our foster charge, you will continue to receive the love and protection we hope you feel now, and on that note, it's over to you".
Jezz looked decidedly terrified, but he spoke, holding Baz's hand for moral support.
"I want to be adopted, I really want to be adopted, please let me be adopted".
Milo almost cried listening to the pleading.
"Don't get upset Jezz, we want to adopt you, nothing will give us greater pleasure, but for fairness, we had to give you the chance to stop the process if you didn't want it, so that's settled, we're going ahead, the hearing is in just over two weeks".
Milo paused, then went on, this time he was looking at Vinny, Baz, and Pil.
"The second thing Fraser told me was that he wanted to sell the apartment he bought for you, I asked him to delay that decision until I'd had a chance to talk with you, I believe he's wrong, the market is in a depressed state right now, it would be prudent financially to keep it for around four, maybe five years, until the market recovers.
When he paused he could see all three boys were hanging on his words.
Jacqueline Montclair-Thorn set up a property management company, which Carry now controls, initially it's purpose was to gain income back from the huge portfolio of properties owned by the Thorn family, it became a financial success, and she enlarged it into a rental property company, Thorn Leasing, I believe handing the property to Thorn Leasing would secure you a nice little income, whilst retaining the original property until the market recovers, but of course, the decision rests with you guys, so think it over, ask if there's anything you don't understand".
This time he seemed to be deep in thought before he spoke, and he reached for Piers hand.
"Piers and I are extremely wealthy, Piers much more so than I, in fact, he makes me look like a pauper if we look at the bottom line figure, but I think you all understand, we hardly ever draw on that wealth, it's income is used mostly to support charities".
Piers was smiling at him, and squeezing his hand.
"So, the third thing that Fraser asked was for Piers and I to take over as executors of your Trust Fund, I said no, I didn't consult Piers before making that decision, but I'm pleased to say he agrees with me, and so I'm still saying no, it doesn't sit right with us that we might, sometime in the future, have a tool to use as a control over you, don't ask us to explain our reasoning, because neither of us are capable of putting it into words, the answer is simply no, so we need to find an alternative, someone that you can trust, and we, Piers and I, feel is beyond reproach, any ideas would be welcome".
Surprising everyone it was Pil who answered.
"Bill, he's done so much for us, do you think he would want to do it?".
Vinny and Baz almost overlapped each other.
"That's a great idea".
Milo summed it up for them.
"That would be someone Piers and I would definitely approve, so I'd suggest you talk about it tonight, if you're agreed, either your Poppa Piers or I will set you up tomorrow to discuss both subjects with Fraser and with Bill".
Milo and Piers had thought that would be an end to what they needed to discuss, but Vinny asked if they could discuss something else.
Piers and Milo were surprised, and baffled, but they encouraged Vinny to continue.
"We, that's Baz, Pil, and me, and believe it or not, Gracie, we know she doesn't quite understand some things, but when it's a family matter, we try to include her, anyway, we've been talking, and we knew Fraser wanted to get rid of managing our trust, but we thought it would be you guys who took over, now it's going to be so much harder".
Piers almost giggled, but Milo was getting exasperated.
"Vinny, you're not making any sense".
Vinny realised, he'd been waffling, but before he properly explained, he looked at Jezz, saying.
"Don't flip out, think why we want to do it, promise?".
Jezz was confused, but he nodded, so Vinny continued.
"We want to include Jezz in our trust, he'll be our brother in less than two weeks, we want him to have what we have".
Piers, being the one who dealt with financial matters, answered Vinny.
"That could be difficult as the trust stands, but Your Poppa Milo and I could make a donation equivalent to your individual shares to ensure it happens".
Both Piers and Milo were surprised by the response.
"No ........., we want our new brother to share what we have, we don't want you to be putting money in to make it work, that's not fair".
The reply had come from Baz, not, as they'd expected Vinny.
Milo responded this time.
"Okay, don't bust a gut, let's get the initial trust handover settled first, then we'll work on how to achieve what you want to do about Jezz being included, but if push comes to shove, if whomever the Executor is rules against your request, then at least you know there is a backup plan, are you okay with that?".
Baz, Pil, and Vinny nodded agreement, Jezz just looked confused.
On the following day, Vinny had been in cahoots with Mrs Finlay, their housekeeper, the food available was on a parr with a gourmet restaurant, Vinny was grilling as usual, Baz, Pil and Jezz were on delivery duty, with Mrs Finlay flitting in and out to ensure everything went according to plan.
After they'd eaten, the normal grill clean down didn't happen, the boys stayed close to Fraser and Bill.
Milo and Piers knew what they wanted.
Milo surprised both Fraser and Bill by saying.
"The boys want to talk to you guys, we would prefer not to be privy to what is discussed, so we're going to leave you, if the boys feel they need us, they'll call us back in, but somehow, I don't think that's going to be necessary".
At that, Milo and Piers left them, but not before Milo had given Vinny a look, and a wink of the eye that said, it's your show now son.
When they were left alone Vinny felt terrified, but he knew his Poppas had confidence he could do this, so he started speaking.
"Fraser, you told Poppa you wanted to sell the apartment, we disagree, we want to keep it, we have plans for what to do with it, and you also said you don't want to continue to be Executor of our trust, so we were wondering if you Bill, would take that on?, we know it's a big ask, but we need someone we can trust, if it's not Fraser, and the Poppas refuse to take it on, then we can only see one other person we trust completely, that's you Bill".
Bill was completely taken by surprise, and it showed, but he recovered quickly enough.
"I'd be honoured to do that for you guys, if your Poppas agreed".
Pil answered him.
"The Poppas said if it wasn't Fraser, you were the only other person they could trust completely, they'll be pleased, but we have another request, which is a bit complicated, we wanted to include Jezz in our trust after he becomes our brother, do you think we could do that?".
Bill looked seriously saddened, because he knew his answer was not going to be what they wanted to hear.
"There's no way of dressing this up, the answer is a flat out no, I've ruled against such proposals in my own court, the law is very clear on the matter, until all of the beneficiaries gain legal adult status, the terms of the trust cannot be changed or amended, I'm sorry, I know you wanted me to say yes, but it can't be done".
Vinny now asked if they could ask their Poppas to rejoin them, both Bill and Fraser nodded their approval.
Baz went to get Piers and Milo, when they were back and seated, Bill explained.
"Piers, Milo, I've agreed to be the executor of the children's trust fund, they tell me you're good with that situation, is that right?".
Piers replied.
"You bet we're good with it, and thank you Bill".
But Bill wasn't finished.
"They also ran the idea of merging Jezz into their trust unfortunately, I've had to veto that idea, it can't be done, trusts set up by the court, as this one was, are ironclad these days, to ensure they can't be tampered with, the original terms can't be altered or amended until all of the beneficiaries become legal age adults, in effect that means, not until Gracie becomes a legal adult".
Piers wasn't fazed.
"It doesn't matter, we've already given them an alternative, if they want to do it we'll provide the capital injection of funds to match their individual stakes, Pete can set up an identical trust to run in parallel, if we did that, would you be okay with being executor of both trusts?".
Bill nodded.
"Yes, of course I would, I'm already executor of five trusts, why not a couple more?".
They all laughed, it seemed they weren't the only ones who deemed Bill to be a most trustworthy individual.
The afternoon and evening had been a really fun time, Vinny had cried off to study around seven o'clock, he had a series of mock exams all week, he needn't have bothered, by the following weekend, he was sharing his results, and he'd aced every subject".
Milo had promised him an apprenticeship when he completed school, and he was eager to get started, but he had an inbred need to get the best results he possibly could at the end of term awards.
They'd endured another day in family court whilst Jezz's adoption was finalised, only this time Fraser had come prepared with the right paperwork.
Judge Warwick had stopped the proceedings exactly as they'd expected when it came to the family name Jezz would be known by.
"I believe we have been here before, do I need to explain the importance of heritage again, or am I missing something?".
This time Jezz stood up, trembling, but with one hand in Baz's, and the other held by Vinny, who stood up with him.
"Your Honour, I don't like my real parents, and they hate me, they always have, I understand about heritage, but that family name, it's a bad memory for me, I want to be part of a family where I feel I'm really wanted, and I want to share their name, I want to choose my own heritage, and I choose to be Jessie Grant-Alonso-Bowles-Cruz, with three brothers, a beautiful sister, and two loving Poppas, sir".
Judge Warwick was stunned, but he ruled.
"I must admit, there is a proclivity surrounding loss of heritage, I try to retain its retention wherever possible however, in this case, the subject has been extensively counselled on losing his heritage, and he is adamant, he doesn't want to bear his birth name, he has expressed a desire, backed up with sound reasoning, to take the family name of his adoptive family, and I'm inclined to agree with his request, therefore, I rule he will be granted his wish, the subject will be known as Jessie Grant-Alonso-Bowles-Cruz".
With Jezz's adoption complete, the following day they'd sat together quietly as a family at Vinny's school award ceremony day, until, right at the end, Vinny's name was called, and then they were clapping and whistling.
The Headmaster didn't follow form with Vinny, he made a clearly nervous Vinny wait whilst he addressed the assembled audience of proud families, and friends.
"I hope you'll indulge me here because you see, I can't just give this young man his graduation papers and say well done, it wouldn't be right, the young man standing before us is Vincent Grant-Alonso-Bowles-Cruz, and he has achieved something quite remarkable, he's achieved the highest academic score that this school has ever seen, he has broken absolutely every record ever held, we have never seen an achievement of this magnitude before, so you'll appreciate, we need to do something a little special".
He paused to look at Vinny.
"You've always been a joy to teach"
"That's a statement that comes right from my heart, but more importantly, it's the very same statement that came from every one of your subject teachers, without any one of them knowing what the others had said, and when we saw your collective achievement, your subject teachers asked, no, let me correct that statement, they demanded, to be allowed to present you with an individual graduation certificate from every one of your chosen subjects, so come here my boy, because I want to be the first, this certificate, its the master copy, and it's yours, it outranks by a mile any previous certificate of achievement this school has ever known, cherish it, a copy of it will take pride of place on our academic wall of fame, and thank you for allowing me the very humble privilege of teaching you".
The hall was in uproar, and it continued for nearly a half hour more as each of his subject teachers presented him with a personalised graduation scroll, and gave him a genuinely meant hug.
They'd gone out to dinner that evening as a celebration, and fizzies were allowed.
During dinner Milo had told them, they were going on something of a vacation, to visit family around the world, and they were leaving in one week, heading for Montclair, Piers childhood home, and the home of their grandparents.
Fizzies, exited children, and junk food led to some seriously upset stomachs that night, but nothing could dampen their enthusiasm, though Jezz was subdued and still complaining of stomach pains a good twenty four hours later.
The following morning when they'd sat down to breakfast, the excitement from everyone around the table in the outside room was easily seen, by everyone except Vinny who couldn't understand what was going on, he put it down to what they'd learnt the previous evening about the planned trip to visit family.
That was until, after they'd all finished eating, which was still something of a lengthy process for these kids, who took eating to a whole new level of seriousness.
Mrs Findlay came out from the house struggling to carry a huge celebration cake, and saying.
"I'm hoping you're not too full to enjoy some of this graduation cake".
Her cakes were a favourite with all of them, at any time of day, because she always hid surprises in them.
She'd proceeded to cut slices for everyone, serving Vinny last, but when she dropped his slice onto a plate it landed with an audible thud, much too hard and loud to be just cake.
Vinny just stared at his plate, there was a box, about two inches square poking out of the slice of cake.
Mrs Findlay had said.
"Well would you believe it, seems you got the lucky slice, so come on child, let's see what you got".
Picking the box out from the cake, he'd wiped it with his napkin, to remove the frosting cream, then gingerly opened it, gasping at first sight of the contents, then quickly lifting them out of the box.
In his hands he held a set of keys, and a note, looking around the table the identical grins told him they were all in on this.
Piers said.
"What does the note say son?".
He read it aloud.
"Happy Graduation from your loving family, but why are you still sitting there when I'm waiting for you in the driveway?".
And he was off, almost running, with all of them following.
When he stepped out of the gate into the driveway he'd stopped dead.
There in front of him, with a huge blue ribbon and bow wrapped around it, was a shiny new car, his shiny new car.
He'd spun around and grabbed his Poppas.
"Thank you, thank you, I don't know what else to say".
They were all grinning as Milo said.
"Well go on, you know you're itching to investigate".
He and his brothers, along with Gracie spent the next hour fawning over his new car, until Piers insisted they get showered and dressed.
"I want you all ready for clothes shopping in one hour, we'll need extra jeans,Tshirts, and a few sweaters, Europe will be well into Fall, or Autumn as they call it, by the time we return from Chicago, it's about on par with Sydney right now, but it'll be a lot cooler than here in a few weeks".
They planned to visit Montclair for a week, then onto Torremolinas for a week with their Spanish family, before a quick trip to London for a few days, then over to Rome to spend a few days at Gregous with Reece and Van, then they would be heading for Chicago, Philadelphia and New York in the US, after which they'd head back to Montclair for their last week with their grandparents, before returning to Sydney via Dubai, on their return they only intended stopping in Dubai for refuelling.
Six days later they were heading to the airport.
Milo had chartered a larger aircraft which would give them much more room on the long legs of their journey, it had three bedrooms and plenty of lounge space.
They would be stopping off for two days in Dubai, where Milo had a treat in store for the boys, something Piers had said no to doing, but they both knew the boys would love it.
Mrs Findlay was leaving the same day they did, to visit her sister in Perth Western Australia, so, Milo said it made sense that she should ride with them to the airport.
She'd thought Milo and Piers had bought her a ticket on a commercial flight as a present, until they all arrived at the FBO Offices, where she clearly looked puzzled, until Piers explained.
"Milo's plane was just going to be sitting here, so you're going to impress the hell out of your family, the pilots will set you up with a contact number for when you're ready to come home, try to give them two days notice, and above all enjoy your vacation and know we'll be missing you".
They'd seen her onboard with genuine hugs and kisses before boarding their own plane, and soon enough they were all airborne heading out of Sydney.
Jezz had never flown before, whereas Vinny, Baz, Pil and Gracie had traveled several times to Christchurch NZ with Milo in his plane, so Jezz's stomach cramps didn't ring any alarm bells, everyone put it down to nerves.
By the time they arrived in Dubai, they were all tired, because only Gracie had made use of a bedroom, the boys being far too excited to contemplate missing anything.
Piers had arranged for them to spend their few days in Dubai at the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah Hotel in a three bedroom suite, where their butler had received instructions to have a meal ready for one hour after their arrival in the dining room of their suite, they would then chill for a while before crashing out in comfortable beds.
Once they'd completed customs at the FBO Offices, they were escorted to a helicopter and whisked to the hotel, landing on the rooftop helipad, once inside out of the blistering heat, even for Milo and Piers, its opulence took their breath away.
Unseen by the boys, as they were completing the formalities at the Premier Guest Desk, Milo was speaking with the concierge, and being assured everything was arranged for eleven o'clock the following morning.
That evening after dinner everyone was really quiet before five exhausted children disappeared off to bed.
Next morning they were up at the crack of dawn, batteries fully recharged, watching as the sun arose over the desert.
Breakfast was served in the suite at nine o'clock, and as they finished Milo told the boys they needed to be ready to leave at ten forty five, if they wanted to share in a very special experience he had arranged for them.
They were badgering him for information but he told them all would be revealed at eleven o'clock.
Without fail the boys were ready and waiting in the lounge of the suite well before ten forty five.
At exactly ten forty five their butler led a large, at least six foot four Arab man into the lounge, and much to Milo's amusement he asked the four boys.
"I hear you guys are up for an adventure, so who fancies sand surfing in a 4x4 out in the desert?".
The boys went wild, drawing a throaty laugh from their Arab visitor.
"I'm guessing that's a yes, so let's get going".
Piers and Gracie spent the morning shopping, with Piers buying her several new dresses, before they went to the spa and were pampered for nearly two hours.
Milo and the boys didn't get back until almost five in the evening, and the boys were completely hyper as they described their experience to Piers, though Vinny admitted, there were times even he was bricking it, convinced the 4x4 was going to roll over.
They ate that evening in the hotels Italian restaurant, and looking at the almost pleading faces Piers announced.
"If it's on the menu, it's fair game".
Which translated to, sensible diet is suspended, order whatever you like, and they were as predictable as ever, except now it was four pizzas to share, and Gracie wanting chicken nuggets, which their waiter assured them happily, he would procure by hook or by crook, even if he had to strong arm the chefs into making them.
But Piers in particular noticed Jezz was hardly eating.
Drawing him aside he asked.
"Are you feeling okay son, you didn't eat much at dinner?".
Jezz waffled, not wanting to upset anything, and thinking it was a combination of excitement and rubbish food, so he'd be fine tomorrow, except he wasn't.
The following morning they were up early for breakfast and on the way to the airport by ten thirty.
When they landed in Nice, the boys and Gracie were practically hyper.
After clearing customs the first person Piers laid eyes on was his Poppa Aly, then behind him he spotted his Poppa Bo, and Junior, Daniel, Juan, Berto, Maria, Roslyn, and Cecile, half the Montclair family had turned out to welcome them.
It turned into the usual family hug fest, with tears all round.
They were stopping with their grandparents at The Inn, but over the next week would visit everyone, and unbeknown to either Piers or Milo, the large function room at The Inn would host a family dinner on the night before they flew on to Torremolinas.
It was a doubly emotional greeting, because none of the family had met Jezz, who appeared terrified, until Aly scooped him into a hug and whispered.
"Relax little fella, I'm your Gramps Aly, and I know I'm a bit biased, but you have the two most wonderful Poppas in the world, now enjoy all these people who've come to welcome you, because all they want to do is give you a hug and welcome you into the family".
Aly stayed close to Jezz after that telling him who everyone was.
It was nearly an hour before they were able to get in the cars and start the journey to Montclair.
But Jezz was getting greener by the minute, the pain wasn't receding as he'd expected, it was getting worse, and he was having trouble hiding it.
In the reception of The Inn, the pain became too much, Jezz cried out, and collapsed, he was on the floor writhing in agony.
TBC Allan
Comments are welcome to cfgw2000@aol.com.
Thank you for giving me your time, enjoy.