A New Arrival For Auntie [Private for me and Miss Manners]

[PaddedPrinceling Joey]

Yet another fiasco for the teen named Joe. There he was, sitting off to the side, out of sight of the immediate doorway, yet still within plain view for the officer. He'd been dealing with a couple of idiots, who'd sat beside him for a little bit, giving him the third degree. Family? He didn't really partake in an active little family, that much was certain. Neither of his parents were sure to pass for being fit parents, not that his mom was around. He listened to the officer, dialing for the closest kind.

"Hello, miss Julie? This is Officer Robert Fairsworth," the man began, leaning back behind the desk, clearly keeping an eye on the boy, considering the slight hint of whiskey on the boy's breath, "Today we've pulled aside your nephew, Joseph, for the third time, in the last few months, and he we can't really say he's shown things to be a real positive turn around the last couple o' times his pa came. Considering his actions, we've decided to call a social worker in on his father, and for the time, there's some discussion on where this boy should go. If you'll come down to the station, I'm sure you'll be a help in sorting this out."

All in all, one look at the seventeen year old male would tell all. He was quite clearly agitated.

[Miss Manners]

Ms Julie had been home for her weekend after putting in a grueling week at her brokerage firm. she sighed as usual thinking of how her time at home was so empty and unfulfilled. she had made many visits to various orphanages entertaining the idea of adoption and the other option left her cold, the option of going to a clinic. those cold stirrups and speculums were such turn- offs for her. she was 29 going on 30 soon, never finding any appropriate suitors either at work or at her church to be considered life-time spouses much less good parents. most of the men seemed so lame and shallow. often at work she'd encountered the usual male come-ons that suggested she should compromise her feminine virtue and integrity. yet she yearned for a deep meaningful relationship of trust, love and respect. society was so bereft of that. little did she know her entire life would change and her dreams would be fulfilled in the most unsuspecting surprising way.

she was rearranging freshly cut flowers in pretty vases for her living room and dining room table when the phone suddenly rang.

"yes officer Fairsworth! you say my nephew Joe has been detained by your law enforcement team? oh please don't call those social worker people. you know how that will result. he'll be committed to one of those human warehouses to live out his days meaninglessly without any gentleness of loving care, but only by those who punch a time clock and see him through the lens of dollar signs and a pay check. you know how i feel about that, as we've discussed this before. they are revolving doors that depend on recidivism resulting in endlessly furthering it's financial coffers. the losers are the little souls who senselessly are committed in there like fodder. i'll be right down to do what i can. please don't let him stray too far. i've always wanted to take responsibility for that child and never was allowed to by his parents."

she hurried to prepare. changing her casual at home attire to a more proper one for meeting her errant nephew at the police station. a pair of casual slacks and a button up blouse not that revealing of any cleavage. it was a mile or so away since she lived near the business district and everything was in convenient driving distance.

[PaddedPrinceling Joey]

Joe had been attempting to relax, but the entire situation with the officer over there nodding his head simply, with the occasional 'mhm' slipping through his sealed lips, scribbling away on a sheet of paper. There didn't seem to be much else that Joe had to offer, aside from his notion of scoffing at social workers. He wasn't quite fond of the fact that the man had called his aunt Julie, someone who seemed all too cheery for her own good, being alone and whatnot. So he was going to be relocated into his aunt's custody until they figure out what foster home had enough security to hold him for the next nine months? It was all so pointless at this point. He knew Julie wouldn't be taking too long to arrive here yet.

[Miss Manners]

upon arriving in the police parking lot, she suddenly had an ominous feeling seeing a Sheriff's bus transporting another load of convicted felons to the court house for arraignment. she thought to herself that bus one day could be transporting her nephew! a nervous chill ran up her spine and she turned away from the disparaging view. those men in that bus were the human refuse of society, the unloved dregs, the flotsam and jetsam of human sewage. what a horrible thought. doesn't society care for others aside and apart from themselves? crime statistics reflected that and the answer was supposed to be "more guns" what was the human race coming to?

as she walked to the entrance of the police station and entered their "revolving door" she passed through a metal detector that was usually found in most public buildings that day. "so many weapons!" she thought to herself. despite the dismaying visage of the transport bus, she determined to herself she'd walk in with a smile and a positive attitude to greet the officer and her nephew Joe.

upon confronting various people, some slumped in benches looking dejected, she spied the desk officer and a young teen sitting in a corner off to the side looking quite unkempt and in dire need of a thorough bath, clean clothes and a proper hair cut.

"good morning officer Fairsworth! i arrived as quickly as i could. i do hope i didn't keep you waiting as i know you've a multitude of current responsibilities and hope you weren't inconvenienced." she extended her hand offering him a friendly hand shake.

[PaddedPrinceling Joey]

Joe watched as the the officer rose, the voice of his aunt seemingly ripe with worry and cheer, and odd combination to be sure. Either way, the man took the woman's hand firmly, setting the clipboard he'd been scribbling upon onto the top of the desk, into view of the woman.

"It's not a problem, Miss Julie. He was pretty quiet," officer Fairsworth answered with a grin upon his face, his left had settling a pen upon the clipboard as well, "he's free to go with you again once you've signed here, and sadly, there's a bit of a fee as well. After having his car impounded though, I wouldn't be surprised to see that collect rust while you send him off to some military school! Straightened my boy right now."

An odd thing to say. As a temporary guardian, Joe didn't think his aunt would have the power to do that, unless this was some other sort of transaction going on? Shaking his head slightly, he rose to his feet, towering at about six feet, the shaggy brown hair hanging about his shoulders. He wasn't very happy with this, and the aspect of a military school didn't help. He worked, hiking his jeans back up, awaiting the motion to move.

[Miss Manners]

"well i dare say Officer Fairsworth! military school may have worked wonders for your boy however, i personally feel quite differently about that matter. young people today, especially those who have run-ins with the law need to be disciplined in a different way. my conscience tells me they need to be scrubbed thoroughly, not only of the filth a delinquent life brings with it, but scrubbed and cleansed on the inside of the anger and rebelliousness they defiantly cling to. that way they are made compliantly cleansed, gentled and freed from their inner anger and resentment making them perfect little candidates to be brought up, trained and guided in the gentleness of Christian ways. they need to learn we must love our neighbors and be cheerfully at their service and be forgiving when each of us inadvertently falls and make mistakes. loving gentleness, proper nutrition, daily baths, clean clothes, neatness in personal hygiene and grooming are the pinnacles of leading a good life...and i aim to see that will be done to him!!" she firmly stated with a voice of self confidence.

"he won't be needing his wrecked car. that would be a mistake anyway since i'm sure he'll seek out other ner-do-wells who will only get him in more trouble! instead, i'm going to pay the impound fee and have it sent to a wrecking yard for recycled parts." she said. adamantly.

handing him a check for the amount she owed for the impounded car, she requested the officer to kindly lead her to her nephew.

"please accept my check to cover the fees you mentioned officer. now would you please lead me to the young man?" she said anxiously anticipating the teen boy she viewed sitting quietly off to the side.

[PaddedPrinceling Joey]

The officer merely nodded. He'd clearly just learned how avid his aunt was when it came to Christianity. That much Joe did know about his aunt. It seemed that they were making small talk, small talk which the boy was clearly not too fond of, for Joe heard every word exchanged. His car was going to be scrapped! Behind the shades of the sunglasses, he could feel his eye lid twitching in irritation.

"Well, that's how it goes," the officer laughed, "That's quite generous of you, though." Officer Fairsworth didn't really have anything else to say about it, as he tucked the check away with a variety of many other multicolored checks. He waved over to the young man, and Joe sighed merely.

"Hey aunt Julie," the young man mumbled as he approached the man and his aunt. He could only figure he'd be subjected to being prim and proper before he would get back to his dad and the small home.

[Miss Manners]

"why hello Joe!" his auntie greeted him cheerfully, extending her hand in the same gracious manner she had extended to Officer Fairsworth.

"Oh my! i've seen you've grown to be quite tall indeed! goodness gracious! now you may be taller than i am, but don't let that cause you to think i don't have something to do about it. i plan to provide you a decent loving home. and you're never too tall to deserve at least that much. you're going to enjoy life in a proper way for a change, but be prepared i do expect cleanliness, obedience, and personal neatness at all times; and we need to do something about those atrocious clothes of yours as well as a decent hair cut!" she blurted it out confidently with a cheerful smile expecting the young man to say politely "yes ma'am."

she immediately took him firmly by the hand leading him out of the police station to the parking lot to her car.

[PaddedPrinceling Joey]

The young man merely scowled, as the woman began to go into detail about expectations while he was staying with her. His hand rose, but not to actually grasp her hand, as officer Fairsworth had done, rather it was positioned slightly above his chest, as if to say stop. The boy wasn't quite fond of the personal space invasion of greetings like that, especially when it came to people he hardly knew.

"Demanding, aren't you?" Joe answered bluntly, as the woman had finally finished her expectations. Obedient? Cleanly? Essentially, she wanted a pet that she could manage. That wasn't going to be Joe, and he knew that much, though by the time his thought process had finished, the boy already realized that she was pulling him out by the hand.

"Hey! Hey! I'm not some stupid little kid, dammit," Joe snapped, pulling his hand free at once, before following after, a few feet in tow of the lady.

[Miss Manners]

"oooohhhh," she silently thought to her self, this boy has the makings of a foul mouth with his curse words! had she had not taken into consideration the potential goodness of her nephew's heart, she would have immediately reacted with the disgust of a woman who would march him back to the washroom of the police station and wash his mouth out with an entire bar of soap. and not by marching him back with a firm grip on his hand, but rather with a firm grip on his ear where he'd have to obediently follow or else suffer the pain of his balking.

the major difference from that was that Julie wasn't a woman to impetuously react with harsh discipline, anymore than she would counter-react to any element of violence with violence. she was a pacifist, one who consigned to the teachings of her church to love one's neighbor and even to go as far as to love one's enemies, not pursue them with guns or weapons of violence.

her definition of leadership was never by use of coercion nor the regimented discipline found in a military academy, as Officer Fairsworth had suggested. he said that would be a sure cure for remediation of his own son's rebellious predicament. leadership to her was simply "bringing the best out of others," and putting that goodness in the mainstream of the lives of others who did exactly the same by networking it. Julie would use a loving approach which came quite naturally to her. she was determined to love Joe to his freedom, not cage him like a pet.

"Joe, i must insist that you stop behaving like a spoiled brat! i have no room in either my life nor my home for silliness like that...and have you been drinking? i have a keen sense of smell. whenever i pass by a bar or cocktail lounge the foul odor of liquor permeates so offensively and my instincts tell me this sudden act of defiance to follow my ground rules is attributed to that! and i never thought of you as a 'stupid little kid!'" she retorted feeling emotionally hurt by that sudden remark.

Julie was close to the brink of tears, but she wasn't going to let up on him. she was determined to relentlessly love him and draw out the very best person she could from this tall teen age unwashed boy.