Influence of a King

CHAPTER 3

Shortly after Yom Kippur, Chad arrived home from school and heard his parents engaged in a heated argument. Uneasy, he climbed up the stairs quite disconcerted with the loud exchange.

Just as he reached the landing, the door to his parents' bedroom was thrown open.

"For goodness sake, woman, what do you take me for? There is no way I will allow you to take my son away from me."

His mother was about to respond when they noticed him. "Chad, please go to your room." His father evaded his eyes.

Chad dashed into his room, shutting his bedroom door, but he could still hear his parents' heated voices. His father sounded so angry. What did he mean by taking his son away from him?

"Stop being stubborn, Oliver," his mother yelled. "Chad is just going to live with his extended family in America. Europe is not safe for any of us now, especially for our children. They are our only hope for the future."

"What future are you talking about? Your argument may have some credibility, but I sense there's more behind your insane desire to send our son away. England is safe."

"How can you not want him to live in America? I don't understand you anymore." His mother's voice rose several pitches higher.

"Your father only wants to punish me because I lost money in the stock market. Tell me I'm wrong. Your father only wants to punish me by taking away my son."

"Oliver, I would advise you to refrain from bringing my father into this conversation. This has nothing to do with your loss in the stock

market. Yes, my father advised that we use my trust fund in some form of commerce or trade, but you sought the easy way out."

"Now, it is your trust fund? What about all the money I saved from horse racing these many years? That is not important anymore? The emphasis is now on your funds? How was I to know that the econ- omy would slump in such a fashion? Millions of people the world over invested at the time."

"But of those millions, how many were Jews?" his mother asked angrily. "We know what works for us. Jewish society understands the dynamics of economic success. Our flexibility for survival does not extend itself to hot and indiscriminate pursuits such as the stock mar- ket boom. My father warned you!"

Chad cringed. He was anxious for the argument to end. Though he could not make much sense of what they were arguing about, he knew that it was related to the furor generated from the collapse of the stock market.

"Don't change the subject. It is always about your family," his father shouted.

Chad rushed to open the windows. Upset, he needed fresh air. "You were the first to bring my father into this conversation.

Besides, if we have someone as wise as my father to guide us in our personal affairs, then we should count ourselves fortunate. That you know him on a personal level does not mean he should diminish in value. He serves on several government committees where he offers sound advice. He is well respected among Britain's elite and royalty."

Chad's heart beat double time in his chest. He had never heard his parents argue this way. It scared him.

"Chad!" his mother called out, her voice furious. "Throw on your coat and let's go to Grandpa's immediately."

Overjoyed at a chance to escape the tension and see his grandfa- ther, Chad made a beeline for his coat, ran down the hallway, and slid down the stair rail to wait at the front door. His mother, her face tinged with red, walked down the stairs, grabbed her coat from the closet, and slipped it on quickly.