Rules of Escape

Chapter 37 - Jesse

"What do you mean he's raising money to buy the property?" Jesse asks. He turns up the volume on his car speakers so he can hear Ro better. She is speaking so softly, it is difficult to hear her even with the windows closed.

"He's joined groups online and told people he wants to preserve the environment and stop large scale building projects. He has followers and supporters of his cause. The money just keeps coming in. I don't want to discourage him, but I feel like I should put a stop to it. It's deceitful. He'll never raise enough even assuming the property owner will sell."

"How much has he raised?"

"This morning, he was just over $26,000. I mean, at this rate, maybe it is possible."

"Shit. That is a lot. Why are people sending him money?"

"I guess they just like him."

"People don't send other people money just because they like someone. What's his story? What's he telling people?" Jesse pulls over to the side of the road and parks. He feels furious and he's not exactly sure why. He tries to relax and forces himself to listen to Ro rather than say the horrible things he's thinking about her.

"I'm not sure. On one site he was discussing chickens."

"Chickens? Chickens!? Ro, listen to yourself. You have to take this seriously. What's he doing online? What's his story?" Jesse takes several deep breaths. The rage just won't leave him. What the hell is the matter with him?

"I checked a few times. It looked innocent. He's not pretending to be a dying kid or anything if that's what you're worried about."

"You're guessing and hoping that's not the case! You have to monitor Evan and his friends. You have to know what they're doing to keep them safe! That's your job. Your one job!"

"I understand you're frustrated, but I was trying to give him some privacy and space. I want them to trust me. The home has only been running for three months and it's Kazuki we're talking about. Kazuki! He's the easy one: sweet, polite, gentle. He's just a real social butterfly and has developed a knack for making friends on the internet."

Jesse takes another deep breath. "You have to know who his friends are. Have you even discussed internet safety with him?"

"Well no, I guess I overlooked that. I just thought... anyway, I wanted to give him privacy, to show I respect him and his research. It started out as research you know. He's much smarter than people thought and I wanted to give him tools and space to grow on his own. I just discovered the chat groups and everything else he's been doing, yesterday morning. Jeez, give me a break, will you?"

"Well you have to know what he's writing about. Set up another computer so that you can monitor his actions discretely if you want, but monitor them! He could be telling all kinds of stories. Shit!" Jesse slams his palms into his steering wheel, his heart threatening to explode in his chest. This is insane, how out of control he feels. He has to relax. Nothing has happened to warrant such a reaction. 

"Why are you so upset, Jesse? I don't get it. The reason why I'm telling you this is because he's collecting money to buy the property and I wanted you to look into whether or not buying the property is even a possibility. If it isn't, I'll tell him and it will be easy to end his fundraising."

"Fine," Jesse sighs. "I'll check, but please find out what Kazuki's really doing online. There's all kinds of weirdos out there." Weirdos - people who will take advantage of Evan and create chaos, just because they can. There's something about Evan and his friends that is really odd, Jesse thinks, beyond the differences caused by their disabilities. He can't put his finger on what the oddness is, but it's there and if he can feel it, others will too.

"You're right. I'll see you at dinner tonight and we can talk then."

Jesse ends the phone call and the car fills with silence. It is amazing how much Evan and his friends have changed in such a short amount of time. In some ways they were all still like little children, needing constant reminders to brush their teeth and not talk with food in their mouths. But in other ways, they were mastering skills like social media and farming at an incredible rate. They even got the windmill working and creating energy, to Grandpa's utter amazement. And Eliza's singing continues to captivate anyone who hears her. Maybe they just don't care about the little things.

Jesse pulls up in front of the house he is showing today. The exterior of the house is a mixture of grey steel and cherry wood paneling. A few round bushes, surrounded by cedar shavings, planted three feet apart, line the driveway. The rest of the small front yard consists of a small patch of newly laid, dark green grass. Most of the front yard is taken up by the large stamped concrete driveway. Jesse smiles to himself; a finished, easy-care yard will make the house much easier to sell.

Jesse takes a long sip of his coffee. He needs to get into selling mode and he can't let Ro's problems distract him. He can't wonder if it is just a matter of time before Evan and his friends and their bizarre talents are discovered. The harder he tries to focus on his job, the more he thinks about Ro. Maybe he should confide in Ro, tell her about his concerns, get her feedback. 

Something nags at Jesse, like a lie that someone has told him, that he knows has been told, but can't, for the life of him, imagine the origin of. It is strange how unconcerned Ro is about what Kazuki is doing on the computer. Until now, Ro had made it her job to try and understand everything about each resident. Why is she now, suddenly giving Kazuki so much space? All along, he has wanted to protect the home that Ro has set up, and now he feels cheated and deceived and he has no idea why. 

Jesse takes another sip of coffee. The house in front of him reveals nothing. Brand new, it is a blank slate waiting for people to give it stories to tell – another good feature. People viewing the house will subconsciously fill in the blanks, create their own stories, and give the house an imagined character that suits their desires perfectly.

This house is the polar opposite of his grandfather's home which brims with almost 50 years of stories, and new stories being added daily by Evan and the other residents. Old homes hold stories that evoke mysteries that either intrigue or deter potential buyers and it's the mysteries that make older homes harder to sell.

Focus on this house, Jesse thinks to himself. There's no mystery here, it's an easy sell. He pounds an "Open House" sign into the ground and realizes with a start that it's the feeling that he's been lied to that is making him feel angry. He feels shut out, like there is a barrier separating him from the home Ro has set up and from Ro herself. He wants to talk about the weirdness of his brother and the people he lives with. He wants them to be discovered and the mystery unraveled.