Chapter 2: John Starts Taking on Family!

Peter and Patty sat back down with their backs to the breakfast bar. Patty still had her coat on her shoulders. Patty kissed Peter and then wrapped her arms around him and promptly fell asleep, feeling safe and warm. Peter eased his cell phone out of his pocket and set the alarm for midnight. His dad worked from noon to midnight and as he put his phone into his shirt pocket, he too followed Patty into slumberland.

When Peter pulled his buzzing cell phone out of his pocket, it took him a few minutes to figure out where he was and who this warm body in his arms was. He looked at the display on his phone, 12:01 May 21, 2018. His second thought was strange. ‘Wasn’t the world supposed to have ended on May 21, 2011?’ Or better yet, December 21, 2012?’ Still here, I guess I’ll go talk with Dad. He eased out of the hold Patty had on him and gently laid her down giving her Peter Bear and covered her with the little blanket that she had brought. He bent down from his kneeling position and kissed Patty on the cheek, “Everything is going to be all right! I promise.” With the promise, he got up to go get his dad’s snack ready.

As soon as Peter opened the door to their unit #605, he knew something wasn’t as it was supposed to be. As he walked down the hallway, he realized his dad was home, “Hi dad. Why are you home, are you all right?”

“Yeah, we finished the ship we were working on at 10:30 and next ship won’t be tied up and ready for unloading for another hour,” Samuel Adams shared with his son, “Nobody is in a hurry anymore. They posted June’s arrival schedules this week, pretty dim, only two thirds what we had for this month.” Sam was eating his snack, “Where have you been?”

“I guess I got a girlfriend.” Peter smiled. He was sitting next to his dad at the breakfast bar.

“Well, tell me!” Sam asked his son.

“Remember when mom was sick, and you made me promise not to tell anybody what you told me, and we shook on it?” Peter was looking at his dad in the eye as his dad looked down and nodded. Peter held out his right hand, “I need a promise dad, that what I tell you ... well, you have to keep it a secret.”

Samuel Adams looked to his son and wondered what on earth had been thrown at his son that required secrets. He’s willing to tell me, okay, Sam grasped Peter’s hand, “I swear to you that I will not share what I hear from you with anybody else.”

Peter did not tell his dad where Patty was, but he told him everything else. Including the meeting Father John three times and the messages from his mother. When Peter had run out of things, Sam put his hand over Peters and leaned back, speaking aloud, “Mandy are you there?”

“Yes, Sam!”

“Mom?” Peter jumped up and then sat back down when he realized he needed to hold his dad’s hand to make sure he could also hear.

“I’m here son.”

“Is Patty my ... ah ... wife from a past life?” Peter asked.

“Yes, she was Perpetua, St. Peter’s wife, your wife. She opposed you’re going with Jesus up to the end when both of you died. In the end, she understood and asked your forgiveness and prayed to come back and help you in your future life. This is that lifetime son. Listen to her son, she will not guide you wrong. You are attracting the strong forces that will be with you for the rest of your life. Your dad and I have gotten you to this point. We will continue to work with you from this place.”

“But mom, people do bad things to those who try to change things.” Peter almost cried in frustration.

“Have courage son, you are remembering that past lifetime, only your fear will attract it to you again. It is not in the planning this lifetime unless you bring it on.”

Peter’s ten years of training kicked in, “Oh, okay, thank you mom, now it makes sense.” Peter looked at his dad and was shocked. His dad was crying with his head in his right hand.

“Tell him Sam.” And then she was gone.

“Tell me what dad?” Peter asked.

Sam was holding his head with both hands now, “I didn’t know if it was real or not, I thought I was making it all up. I wanted it to be real and when you told me of the message from that man and the date and time of your mom’s passing ... Oh God, thank you.” Sam hugged his son for what seemed a long time. “Son, get a grip, ... I ... I’m ... I am about to join your mother soon.”

“I know ... I got a hint from what mom said ... Also, I can’t tell you how just I know dad. Just a lot of little things keep adding up to only one thing. How much time?” Peter was now looking at his dad’s face.

Sam got up and went to the kitchen sink and washed his face and then wiped it with a paper towel, “You do a much better job keeping this household going than I ever could.” Sam pointed at the towel roll. It didn’t matter how many times Sam went to the store for five items, he would often bring back everything but the things on the original list. “The doctors and your mom both say it looks like two or three months.”

“That’s why you made me independent legally and then had me sign the power of attorney, so you could do things in my name?” Peter asked.

“Yeah. This building is yours. Well, all but five of the condos.” Sam looked around, “Even this one is yours. The ten other condos that are finished are rentals and between them and the 4 commercial rents, it covers the costs and returns a positive cash flow of a thousand or so every month. I have enough saved up to finish the fourth floor and then it will tip the cash flow up significantly when the units are rented out.

When I die, there will be enough money from insurance policies to finish the entire building and pay off the $429,000 mortgage. You should be starting college about the time it is finished and filled up. When the economy turns around it will be worth six to seven million dollars.” Sam sat down again, “It feels like I’m sitting on a hand grenade. They think I’ll only be able to work another month or so.”

“Dad, can’t they do anything, the doctors...” Peter stopped when his dad shook his head no.

“Prostate cancer 900 times out of a thousand is a slow growth cancer, I guess I break the sure thing. It’s everywhere, son. I’ve been on some medication for a while, it seems to help.” Sam looked drained. I hope to get the fourth floor finished before you need to worry about things. Oh, look at this, a voice mail from Roger, Patty’s dad.” Sam put the phone on speaker and then opened the voice mail. It was announced that there were two unheard voice mails received today.

When Sam put the first message on the speaker, a voice filled the air. “Hi Sam, this is Roger. Sorry again about Mandy. I was hoping to talk with you, we are in a bit of financial straits here and I was wondering if you have seen Patty ... then a woman’s voice from the background, “Don’t tell him that.” Then the message ended.

The second message said, “Hi Sam this is Roger again, we had Patty runoff.” The woman’s voice sounded again, “Tell him about Jenny too.” Oh, yeah, Jenny ran off too. If you or Peter see one or both, please give us a call, we need to know where she is as soon as possible. The woman’s voice started up again and the message ended.

“That Irene, she’s no good.” Sam looked down at his phone, and Peter wasn’t sure if he was lost in thought or maybe if his fatigue catching up to him.

“Dad, do you really think they could have sold Jenny for money?”

“No, except ... the name Rasmussen makes it so.” Sam thought for a second, “Those two messages sure add to it. You’ve taken on the mob, son. They will send hired killers and if they have paid Roger and Irene, then their lives will be forfeit along with anybody that happens to be in their way.” Samuel looked at his son with concern.

“Dad, tomorrow I’m supposed to be tested for my black belt. Master Sun asked that you be there.” Peter looked hopeful. “What time?” Samuel knew how very important this was for his son.

Peter smiled, “10:00 am?”

“I’ll be there, son.” Samuel started to get off the stool.

“Dad, do you still remember where it is?” Peter said jokingly, “It’s been a while.”

“Yeah, it has been a while.” Samuel winced at the realization that the last time he had set foot into Master Sun’s dojo was many months before the passing of Peter’s mother. Sam hugged his son, “I’ll be there.” Sam turned towards his bedroom, “Good night son, see you in the morning.” Sam stopped, “Peter, where is Patty?”

“I have her tucked away in one of the empty apartments.” Peter expected his dad to chew him out at that information, but instead, Samuel said, “She’s got to be scared out of her wits. She’s your responsibility son. I trust you to do right.” Sam gave his son a very tired smile, “Give her our love. Keep your cell phone close in case I need you, okay?”

“I will. Good night dad.” Peter smiled back at his dad as he closed his door to his bedroom. Peter then went about gathering some pillows and two sleeping bags and another blanket and towels and made his way back down to the unit above Dr. Rollins’ office.

Morning of May 21, 2018

Peter made his way down to 45th St and caught the bus that took him towards the rising sun. He arrived there at 7:30 am and started making sure the dojo was ready for the typical Saturday. Dan came in at 7:35 and the two of them bowed to each other and worked quickly and quietly. This was time to focus and prepare one’s mind and body for the day ahead. Master Sun came in at 7:45 and he too bowed to his two students and went about his morning rituals. At 7:50 Master Sun was standing before Peter and Dan, “What is your wish, Peter?”

“I wish to be tested for my black belt.” Peter stated, “My father will be here at 10:00 AM.”

Master Sun looked to Dan, “Is Wendell coming in this morning?”

“Yes, Master Sun!” Dan smiled, “Newbies class starts at 8:30, The Beginners class at 9:00, Peter’s test is at 10:00 and the Intermediary class is at 11:00. The adult men intermediary is at 1:00 and the adult women come in at 3:00. Our projected attendance is 117.” Dan could remember when he started as the number one grasshopper, thinking 50 or 60 on a Saturday was busy. Now they had 8 teachers and two support staff and a total of over 500 students coming through the facility every week.

“We are going to need a bigger facility soon.” Master Sun bowed to Dan. He then turned to Peter, “We may need another part-timer for our support. Starting in June, the dojo will also be opened Sundays from 1:00 to 5:00 pm for Mastery classes and something else.” Master Sun paused, “Dan and Mia have agreed, and I make the offer to you Peter...”

Before any more discussion could take place, a man and woman with three children came through the door. Along with them was another couple with two boys. The children were well behaved except the youngest, who slipped out of her shoes and then marched out onto the practice floor and took up a stance as bold as any martial arts master would if facing a worthy adversary.

“Yes, Master Sun!” Peter said as he bowed.

Master Sun returned the bow and then turned to meet the group and welcomed Officer McCormick and his partner. Both Dan and Peter assisted taking all five children to where the uniforms were. Once they found appropriate sizes, they asked for the help of the two moms and soon the children were returning to the practice mats to begin their training.

As he started the beginners off with some fun exercises to loosen them up, Peter thought about how much he loved this. Dan got the parents some refreshments of green tea and biscuits. Dan then sat with the parents and answered questions as they came up. Peter paired the four older children together and paired Crystal (who, according to her mother, was three going on 33) with Harpo the clown. Harpo was a three-foot-tall heavy vinyl balloon with a weighted bottom. It took about a 10-pound blow within the big target on his belly to lay Harpo out.

The only problem was to then duck because Harpo rolled back to a standing position with that same 10-pound energy and if one was standing too close, he/she would get smacked back. Crystal’s first smack wasn’t strong enough and Harpo came back and just barely touched her. Harpo took a real beating and after an hour and a half, Crystal was ready to take on the world, after a nice nap. Crystal found out that if she hit Harpo in the center of the bull’s eye with just the right amount of force, Harpo would lay down. Peter showed Crystal if she ducked to the right or left then Harpo would miss.

One-time Crystal tried bending forward and ended up on her butt. She got up and tackled Harpo. When Harpo hit the floor, Crystal slid off and Harpo stood up again. Master Sun intervened by getting down on his knees and with hands put together, he bowed to Crystal. Peter had done a great job of teaching calming and to everyone’s amazement, Crystal stood, put her hands together, and bowed to Master Sun.

Once Crystal was calm and breathing, Master Sun backed out and said: “Begin!” Crystal hit the bullseye and then ducked to the right when Harpo came flying back in her direction. The parents had not laughed so much in their lives. By the time 9:40 had arrived, a total of 29 students and 50 or so parents were having a wonderful outing and sold on what they had witnessed.

Master Sun’s daughter Mia, a black belt in her own right had brought in more of the biscuits along with coffee. Tea is okay, but this was, after all, the home of Starbucks. For the beginning students, she had apple, grape, and orange juice to choose from and a high protein breakfast bar for a snack. The students lined up and proceeded through the line in an orderly fashion. The parents could see a change in their children, a very nice change. Many of the moms and dads passed unsaid messages with their eyes with smiles on their faces and their heads nodding.

As you can imagine, Peter had been very busy. Even with the help of Mia, Dan, and Master Sun, this class was the most important. This was the beginning of many of the other classes. Peter had not noticed an older gentleman come through the door a little after nine, but Master Sun acknowledged him and suggested he have a seat with the parents. Peter was still running at 110% working with the first-time students when, at 9:35, Samuel Adams and a young lady entered the dojo.

Master Sun again acknowledged the two like old friends and had them sit next to the older gentleman because they were all here to watch Peter’s challenge for his black belt. At 9:55 the class came to attention, one last time, and Peter bowed to the class until the last student caught on and made the bow. Peter then stood tall and dismissed the class.

Dan and Mia set the mats in a 24’ x 24’ square with the bare floor outside of that area as a fault zone. The crowd had thinned out. Most of the first-class had left except Officer Bill McCormick and his wife Nancy. Their three kids had left with Bill’s partner and wife to visit the Seattle Zoo. Bill and his partner traded with each other at least a part of a weekend each month without the kids. Their three would be back home for dinner on Sunday. Bill had found out Peter was going for his black belt this morning and wanted to watch. The three men were sitting together with Bill’s wife sitting to the right of Bill and Patty was sitting to her right.

In the morning, Samuel Adams asked his late wife, “Where is Patty?” and was led to the apartment. Samuel knew his son’s special knock. Five knocks, then pause, then two more knocks. Patty yelled for Peter to come in. She was concerned when Peter’s father stepped into the apartment.

“Patty, it’s okay, I’m going to go watch Peter this morning and felt that it’s important for you to be there.” Samuel smiled.

“I can’t go back ... No one is supposed to know I’m here.” Patty cried.

“Patty, it’s okay, no one is sending you back.” Samuel took a deep breath, “My wife wants to know, “Do you want to see another miracle?” Sam took another breath, “Your count is up to six or seven?”

So that was how Patty ended up at Peter’s dojo, in disguise. Sam had fitted her with the wig they had bought for Peter’s mom that she never wore. Patty’s black curly locks were covered with a shoulder-length dishwater blond wavy do and a smartly tailored jacket and no one recognized her, not even Officer McCormick. She passed herself off as Peter’s cousin and was having a grand time watching Crystal and chatting with Nancy.

Finally, it was 10:00 am at the dojo, and Mia hit the gong, sending a vibration through every bone in the building.

Peter was lined up on the far left. Mia was next, then Wendell, then Dan and finally Master Sun. Wendell had only been at the dojo for a short time. He had gotten his black belt at another establishment and had been hired by Master Sun when the student ratio to teachers became too high.

Master Sun liked his teachers that were homegrown and fully trained by his methods. Master Sun told those assembled what they were about to see. Peter going for his black belt and Wendell was here to challenge his right to wear that ranking. The trial would end when one of the opponents had scored three points or two points more than his opponent. Any fouls committed would also count as a lost point by the one committing the foul.

Peter peeked when he lined up and smiled internally when he spotted his dad. Dan would act as the referee and with Peter in one corner and Wendell in the opposite corner, Mia hit the Gong again. Master Sun had taken a seat next to Peter’s dad. Peter and Wendell danced, feeling each other out, throwing and deflecting several blows. Peter’s peripheral vision picked up Patty’s face and for a second, it distracted his concentration.

Wendell saw his opening and faked a move to Peter’s right while bringing his leg up to hit Peter just under his arm in the ribs, right where Peter’s heart was. Peter reacted by grasping Wendell’s right leg and twisting to come down on top of Wendell in a takedown and pin. The damage had been done. Those in the know realized that what they saw could have killed Peter. Dan looked over to Master Sun and saw a slight nod to confirm Dan’s yell of “FOUL”.

Wendell had lost his challenge. The takedown and pin were one point and the potential harming strike was the second. The five-lined up again, this time Peter was no longer on the end, but in the middle of the row of five. Master Sun knew Peter was in trouble even though Peter’s expression had not changed. He removed one of his three black belts and tied it around Peter’s waist. The Master nodded to Mia his daughter and she moved over to the shield and hit it to signal the end of the match. Peter looked to his dad and then Patty and melted to the mat.

Several things happened at the same time. Patty and Sam rushed to Peter. Master Sun looked to the older gentleman and got a nod. Master Sun then looked to Dan catching his eye and then turning to Wendell. The older gentleman moved to Peter and laid his left hand over Peter’s chest and then moved it down to cover the ribs closest to the heart. Dan and Mia bracketed Wendell and had him sit on the mat, informing him he was not going anywhere without a major battle.

Peter inhaled first a shallow breath and then a deep breath, he looked at Patty’s worried face and then to the old man with white circles around his eyes, “Father John?”

“Shh, give me another minute, you have three cracked ribs and your heart has gone into a spasm,” the old man shared. He looked to Patty, “If you love this man, then hold his right hand and send him your love.”

“Peter, you have had my heart for at least 2,000 years.” Patty grasped Peter’s hand looking into his eyes.

“Master Sun, what did we just see here?” Officer Bill asked. He was holding his wife’s hand.

“Wendell has a cousin, named Max, who we met yesterday. He has been using the dojo after hours to teach his cousin martial arts. I also discovered while questioning Wendell’s past employment that Wendell had been released from his employment because there was a death. Another student who was much better than Wendell had been kicked in the ribs by Wendell and died.

It was defined as an accident.” With that, everyone turned to look at Wendell. Master Sun continued, “Wendell was the kicker on his high school football team and lettered in soccer for three years. Wendell probably hit Peter’s chest with several hundred pounds of force. Enough to crack three ribs and bruise the heart muscle and certainly sufficient to kill.”

“Master Sun, what do you want me to do?” Officer Bill asked.

“I would like to finish this match. I do not accept the foul.” Peter sat up, shaking his head to help clear the cobwebs.

Wendell looked at the mat with a smile on his face.

All eyes looked to Peter. Peter looked only to Master Sun.

“Wendell, do you agree?” Master Sun asked.

“Yes.” Wendell stood, “I fight for my cousin.”

“The neighborhood bully,” Peter spat as he rubbed his newly healed ribs, “How dare you teach him here after he was determined unfit for training.”

“Quiet. Are you ready?” Master Sun moved over and was standing next to the bleachers. Both Peter and Wendell brought their hands together and bowed. Wendell made a fake to the right and then flew by Peter on his left. Wendell planned to place a tripping leg in front of Peter and an arm behind him, forcing him down.

Peter had seen this same move done poorly by Max. Although Wendell’s was many magnitudes better than Max, Peter simply turned halfway around and presented Wendell’s solar plexus with his right elbow. Wendell bounced hard on the mat and did not move.

“Wow.” Officer Bill McCormick looked at his wife’s smiling face.

Mia waved smelling salts under Wendell’s nose.

“Will he live?” Patty asked.

“Oh yes, your Peter already has the mind of a master.” Mia looked to Peter as Master Sun tightened the belt around Peter’s waist.

“No, I meant Wendell, will he live?” Patty asked.

“Who cares, I’m just making it so he can walk out of here.” Mia giggled, “His stuff is already outside the door.”

“What happened?” Moaning, Wendell had his left hand on his solar plexus and was waving his right hand to push the smelling salts away.

“You lost.” Mia laughed.

“That can’t be.” Wendell grimaced with each breath he took.

“Yeah, right!” Mia giggled again, “I told you your shock and awe was going to get you hurt. Serves you right. Can you walk?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“Good, because dad has written you a nice termination letter with your final check once you turn in your keys.” Mia shook her head as she mumbled, ‘Shock and awe? More like kamikaze 101.’

Later after that day, Peter was coming home after closing the dojo. He was pleased with himself. The dojo was doing great business. A lot had happened in the three days since he found Patty. Father John had agreed to take on the project of finishing the building and was now sleeping in what used to be Peter’s bed. Peter was firmly on the second floor with Patty. It was a win/win all the way around. Father John was a carpenter with an accounting degree. Retired, but as an assistant to dad, he could fill in the gaps that were appearing because of his dad’s cancer and his lack of experience.

Peter had his hands full of groceries. As he went to put the key into the electric switch that opened the back door, he realized the door had been blocked open. This would happen sometimes when they were moving sheetrock or carpet into the building. Peter looked up and realized someone had broken the locked box that held the emergency key firemen used to enter. He moved inside as carefully as possible, not making any sound.

He set the groceries in the corner and took off his backpack. He heard Father John’s voice and then another man’s. He could not quite make out what was being said, although it did not sound friendly. Peter moved up the steps to the second-floor landing. That door had also been wedged open a few inches. As Peter reached the landing, the fire door was pushed open. Peter realized this was the confrontation that Father John had warned him about.

Patty was there, and Father John was following along behind. He was too close to the lead man when he started to level his silenced pistol at him. Peter grabbed the wrist of the hand that held the silenced pistol. Once he had the man off balance and on his back, Peter pulled the two of them towards the railing. Peter was able to stop himself against the railing, but the man continued over, falling the twenty or so feet onto the concrete floor, hitting nothing soft or easy on the way down.

The man landed on his head and it didn’t appear he was going to get up again. Peter heard a muffled shot and Patty screamed and then the second man cried out. Peter turned and saw Father John on the floor with a red spot on his shoulder. Patty was just releasing the wrist of the second man as he was grimacing from a severe biting. Peter realized he had a second, took it, and grabbed the second man’s wrist.

This second man was smaller than the first, but he moved more like Master Sun. This man was, as Father John had forewarned, more than Peter’s equal. Peter was able to slam him into the door frame, causing his adversary to drop his pistol. The man was still pushing Peter towards the railing and Peter assisted by pulling as the two moved towards it.

Peter was able to lower his body and as the man moved over Peter, he was able to lift using all his strength and fall as he hit the railing hard, keeping on the landing, just barely. As he fell, the man tried to twist like a cat, but the only thing to break his fall was the body of the first man. The man landed hard. Later, Peter learned that his shoulder was severely damaged, and he probably had a major concussion. He moved as if in a slow-motion movie.

He picked up the first man’s pistol and with pain-filled eyes looked up to Peter and Patty. Patty picked up the second pistol and handed it to Peter. Peter used the railing once more as he braced his arms and with both hands on the pistol, fired twice into the man’s chest, ending the threat. Peter watched the man as he dropped the gun and laid back at an odd angle.

As Peter turned, he pulled out his phone and dialed 911. Father John was sitting on the floor, using the wall as a backrest and holding his right shoulder with his left hand. He had a big smile on his face. No doubt he still had a great bit of pain. He was dealing with nothing new. He’d been shot during his tour of Vietnam long ago while in the Marine Corp, but nobody was supposed to know that. Wrong place, wrong time.

Patty went to Father John and he started schooling Patty on being a healer. The two said the Lord’s Prayer and then John had Patty visualize the hands of Christ over her hands as she covered the wound front and back.

Peter called his dad, letting him know what happened.

Peter’s third call was to Officer McCormick. He arrived within three minutes and came in through the back door, gun drawn. Peter had gone to retrieve the pistol of the first man and had both laying on the floor of the second-floor landing. The next ten minutes became a beehive of activity as ten of Seattle’s finest, two FBI agents, a coroner’s team, medics from the Seattle Fire Department along with Officer McCormick’s partner and Peter’s dad, Sam Adams, all arrived.

Father John refused to go to the hospital. There was no question that he had been shot, but the holes where the bullet had entered and exited his body were newly healed. They found the bullet and John had lost a pint of blood from the two wounds and was drinking from a bottle of water to replace his fluids.

The site commander was one of the captains for the Seattle Police and told everyone to back off and leave Father John alone. He then came over and got Father John to agree to show up at the downtown police station to give a class on how the healing was done.

The Captain looked around at the zoo in Peter’s apartment building. Pictures were being taken and the coroner’s team was waiting in the hallway until it was their turn for action to haul the two bodies out. A locksmith had been called to repair the locking box for the back door and was complaining because everyone kept going in and out through the door. Two officers were making measurements of the height of the second-floor landing. The medics were still checking out Father John. Patty and Peter were being questioned by the FBI team. Peter’s dad was with the two youngsters. “Father John, please call me Frank.” The captain got John to nod. “Unemployment is the highest since the depression eighty years ago and crime is on the rise and people are becoming desperate and angry.” Captain Frank took a deep breath, “If I can keep one officer alive, it will save the city hundreds of thousands of dollars.” The captain took another breath as he realized the walls of bureaucracy he was going to have to break through, “Is there a way to set up a class or training to learn what you know?” He turned to Officer McCormick, “If he can work it out, can you escort Father John to and from our Monday Morning Briefing?”

Officer McCormick smiled, “Yes sir!”

“On Monday, I will have an answer for you.” Father John smiled. When Father John brought it up to Master Sun on Saturday, they shared a good laugh over Master Sun’s answer, “I wondered what that second class was going to be on Sunday. Well, there it is!” Master Sun thought for a moment then said, “We will need a space bigger than the dojo, so perhaps we can move into the nearby school auditorium that is currently not being used.”