Chapter One

David was an artist. He was unlike his father in that, and also in that he was a ladies' man. His dad was not able to communicate with women, at least not easily enough for them to be eager to be close to him. In fact, he suspected that this fairly status-less bank employee that was his official father, wasn't that in reality. But his father was after all a father in the sense that he could be of help now and then, he thought.

David was twenty-two and had managed to start his own business, using a loan from the bank were his father worked. With it, he had bought an small decaying building, which he fairly easily had been able to renovate well enough for it to be used as a workshop and an artist lounge with a gallery and boutique in them, and sort of almost an office, even. It could to some extent also be used to sleep in, but only if the outdoor temperature wasn't very low.

His parents' apartment was fairly large. There he lived, together with them and his five years younger sister. At this night's dinner table, he was telling for his father about some potentially extremely precarious, but rich, probable costumers.

ـِـ So,dad, he asked, what do you think? How am I supposed to handle them?

ـِـ It's all about strategy, his father answered. As soon as you feel ready for it, he continued, you should start trying to find out what they're about!

ـِـ Dad, I already know what they're into. I mean their business seems to be about hide and seek in the first place, and I know a whole lot about their strategies for it!

ـِـ Then why in the world are you trying to avoid getting into business with them?!

ـِـ I'm not quite trying to avoid that! It's just that I have to be careful to take care of the other costumers I'll be dealing with, since their sly and potentially dangerous tactics might, perhaps at least, frighten them. If the word gets around that I'm dealing with them, possibly even all of the others will be having second thoughts about me and my gallery.

David's young sister Deborah smiled scornfully about that David had not gone to college, but tried a career as an artist instead.

ـِـ Why did you think you were such a role model in the first place?

David looked chocked.

ـِـ Deborah, I wasn't trying to be that! I was trying to be the fellow that should be into taking things the way they should be taken! It's only mom, and perhaps you dad, who told you ـِـ or didn't you,dad? Mom? ـِـ to view me as it!

His dad cleared his throat, but said nothing. His mother thought for a while before saying:

ـِـ I suppose there is not any reason to believe he's such a winner after all then, at least not so that we can be sure of it! ... But dear, don't pretend it's not about smartness that he even is getting started with business due to his art!

Deborah smiled smugly.

ـِـ It's not about art, she retorted. It's about the gangster friends he's been into! It's about that art business being a cover for their crimes! ... Oh, I can find him a role model alright! A role model for faking care for everybody, for being into covering up for the real bastards! But actually, that is what you keep on saying that I should always avoid being into!

David looked at his sister.

ـِـ Debbie, how about that you don't know how to handle them in the first place? I'm not asking to be your sole model, but heck you're staying on may tail about it still, occasionally.

She shuddered.

ـِـ In a sense there's not any way to avoid them. You're right about that!

Their mother looked at her and said in a serious tone of voice:

ـِـ No, and do you know what?! Not even the head teacher of you class is much else than a gangster! Or at least he's a wife beater and a guy who ...

She stopped her self and giggled.

ـِـ Who did what?
Deborah looked sternly at her when asking.

She hesitated before answering:

ـِـ I've been speaking to his wife, the head teachers wife. She has told me that he always refuses to put on any underwear when going to work. He has told her to say to herself that it's just the natural self of him that is under his pants, and that he's into the adventure of seeing himself as the presentable fellow he “really is,” she told me. ... Now, don't you tell anybody that I told you so, but that's what he is!

Chapter Two

David stood in his art studio pondering on which pattern of design he should use to paint a certain motorcycle, which a customer had left with him. After a while he decided on how to paint it.

While he was at it, the phone rang. During a signal and a half, he kept on painting, in order not to loose control of it. Then he put down his tools and went to the small corner room where he had put that phone.

ـِـ Yeah, Dave's studio, he said.

It was his father calling.

ـِـ Sonny, you have to forgive me! I have a problem with your mother!

ـِـ Why call me about it?

ـِـ Because I know you know women well enough from the other perspective. I know you have them all the time! I know they don't even complain about you having had them doing it with the STD:s even. I guess they don't want to believe it's yours they were to begin with? 

ـِـ Dad, first of all I don't often get into venereal diseased in the first place! Secondly, I don't think they don't catch them from anyone else! Thirdly, we're all trying to avoid them, both them and I. Fourthly, I don't have to argue about them, they are the natural obstacle, which we have to be avoiding, which both them and I have to be about to never be about. So don't you ever say that to me again!

His father looked at him looked at him, amazed at how his son seemed to have this kind of sense of being proudly rude about his 'innocence', something that the felt was fake, but which seemed to help him score on very very many females! After thinking for a while he said:

ـِـ But what there is to me and that mother of yours is different! You gotta see, sonny, that you and I have much the same; even though they complain about the smartness of a man kind, sort of, they still find themselves so needed to be around that there is no alibis for pretending as if something about them easily enough to say something about myself with them. Do you follow me now son?



 OK, dad, tell me what it is with mom, then, and I'll try to see what I can do to fill you in on my perspective on things!

ـِـ Well you see, son, when one gets to know what there is in them, one wishes very much one hadn't trusted them ever. It's about that they, most of them, she very much included gets turned on about seeming to be immature for sex, and ... I ... I just found her being infidel with a man at just about your age, I think.

ـِـ Do you mean women all are into being innocent because they're horny?

He almost giggled.

ـِـ Yes, sort of that. Or actually very many, at least, of em.

ـِـ What do you mean I should be taking that kind of thing for granted?!

ـِـ You've got to, son!

ـِـ I'm not sure about that, not yet, at lest, dad.

The old man sighed.

ـِـ Well, at least your mother does that!

Now the son of him sighed.

ـِـ Are you positive, daddy?

ـِـ Yeah, I'm sure. Son, try to recall when she tried to have you seem innocent as well! Don't you remember? She had you feel totally silly, or at lest so you told us all!

ـِـ Yeah, wow. ... Oh, well. Then it seems likely, at least, dad.

ـِـ What I want to feel safe about is that you take this into you, both so that you don't make the same mistakes as me, but even to feel safe that I can trust at least someone to be talking about it to. Do you get my point?

ـِـ I'm not sure yet!

ـِـ My mistake was to trust in your mother, as I told you, sonny! Therefore I think you should try to study her, and then perhaps your sister too, before trying to comprehend the other women you might be dealing with! And do keep in mind that I can be the only guide for this as of now! It's not a small error if you actually make it!

ـِـ I'll try to do that dad!

ـِـ Great, sonny!

They hung up and David went back to his art.

Chapter Three

The mother of the family stood at home doing the dishes when her son arrived. At first he seemed unusually polite. He asked her how her day had been, but then also if she was into anything adventurous.

She said she had nothing to do with being adventurous. She was just the house wife whom that man could have, indicating her husband. Then her son asked:

ـِـ Why, then Charlotte, did you triumph over me with saying that I should be looking like a good enough fellow to never have had sex, when I was going out with that eighteen-year-old the last week?
He was faking that he felt very much like his father seemed to do over these things.

His mother asked back:

ـِـ What's that got to do with it?!

ـِـ I mean don't you yourself take things the way that you advised me to be taking them?

She looked up at him.

ـِـ Sonny, don't you ever speak to your mother like that!

Her voice indicated the anger of someone who had been mutilated.

Unwillingly, David felt guilty. Thereby he felt that he could pretend that he could be as guilty as he felt that she and that husband of hers seemingly wanted him to feel. Still faking that he was very much like this old dad he kept interrogating his wife:

ـِـ Do you really mean that we all have to believe that facade of always being totally innocent?!

She looked slightly shocked.

ـِـ I'm angry, not innocent looking! Don't you dare ever have the guts to insinuate that kind of stuff again!!

David started thinking. He concluded that she was actually not being feminine, but rather simply angry, which he found to be a masculine, if gender-dependent at all, trait. ... Dad was into, he thought, that she was being feminine, but that was not certain, he felt.

ـِـ How come then your trying to act like my father when I interrogate you?! Your being angry instead of trying to be sincere!

ـِـ Oh, honey, she said to her son. It's not all about honesty, you know, this thing with a relationship. You're needing to learn how to be discrete enough not to do any harm to those unknowing.

ـِـ As I said mommy, you seem to be as superficial as hell itself!

She stared at him.

ـِـ Sonny, don't speak to me like that! And for that father of yours – who has put you up to this (right?) – I can only say that he's an idiot in that he pokes into other people's business.

He sighed.

ـِـ Yeah mom, he put me up to it! ... Why do you think you aught to be accepted by him being the real filth underneath that nice and innocent face, though, mom?!

She began crying.

He spoke very firmly now:ـِـ Why do you think you're anything but a slut underneath, when all that you try to do is hide that your horny!? Why don't you come out with it, be like other women, those in the movies, the porn movies I mean?!

ـِـ What?!

ـِـ Mom ,you really have to learn to take care of the attitudes men like, to be of the right and the honest type! It's not about fine surface, it's about knowing right away, and then enjoying each other for it! Then you have what there is to be said about male kind!

His mother swallowed.

ـِـ Why don't you think he would think there would be even more underneath all that?!

He thought for a while.

ـِـ Perhaps because there's not any room for that kind of pretension if you give yourself away immediately!

ـِـ Immediately?!

ـِـ Immediately, mom.

With that he left her and went up to his room.

Chapter Four

A few weeks later, Deborah spoke to her mother about some kids in her school. She mentioned one girl, especially, Sylvia, who seemed to get every boys attention:

ـِـ She always, almost, wears high-heel shoes, with high-cut dresses or shirts. If she doesn't stop soon, I think I'm going to do the same thing! Because she always gets the boys attention!

Her mother smiled a bit smugly.

ـِـ Oh, she's that kind of a girl!

ـِـ What are you smiling about?!

ـِـ Sorry, dear! ... I was smiling about something that your brother said to me last month!

ـِـ What?!

ـِـ Oh, I don't know how to put this. ... I feel that you should know that he – and your god damned dad too – feels that girls should be into showing off their sexuality! I just came to the conclusion that perhaps all men feel like that!

ـِـ Why, mom?

ـِـ Oh, hun. It's embarrassing to say this, but as there was an affair that I had, your father spied on me! It seems he found out that I had a very young man to be romancing sexually with. ... Now it seems to me that he could have accepted that part if I had only been into sexuality to begin with, at least if there had been other women allowed!

ـِـ I see.

ـِـ Therefore, you probably have to be really extravagant if you want to catch them, and perhaps lesbian too.

Deborah looked thoughtful. Then she smiled.

ـِـ Yeah, I might try that, mom!

Her mother giggled.

ـِـ Do you know what? I also was thinking like that until I reached the conclusion that they should be that way themselves. As it is they tend to seem only to want to make us into their sex objects. You know, that's sort of what I've always said, but now I feel it's even more so than I thought then!

ـِـ But do you know mom: If we really had that sex appeal, then they wouldn't be having to complain about what we seem to them to be hiding, right?!

ـِـ So what?!

ـِـ Don't you see, mom? It's they who should get the blame to be reckoned with as leading to that they're even worth at the hiding part! That way we can go back to our own competences of keeping things sane and smart, as long as the show of extravagance really can be there for them at times.

Her mother drew a very deep sigh at this.ـِـ Why do you believe that they wouldn't expose that thing as if you were only an incompetent slut, who weren't into sex for anything but their business?!

ـِـ Because there isn't anything but fancy they should have to be dealt with as if having, for the sake of them being the bastards of ... well, cowardness!

Her mother sighed again, before saying:

ـِـ OK. ... But do know what, I and even you will eventually grow too old for that!

ـِـ No, mom! There really isn't any too old for that extravagance!

ـِـ What!?

Deborah hissed a sigh when saying:

ـِـ I mean there's no torment good enough to be reckoned with as the mediocre stuff as long as they take for granted you're more sexual than they are!

ـِـ How can you be so sure?!?

She looked a bit chocked when saying it.

ـِـ It's not about knowing! It's much about what I've seen in school already, with Sylvia turning them on for like no other reason, and what I've seen on daddy's porn videos. There really are, you know, the older women doing the weird stuff they don't - and that's why they like to watch it!

ـِـ Look, Deborah! It's not to be seen as anything but an excuse for him to say that's what we would be like if we really should what we wanted! Your father really has been pretending so and I sometimes don't know what to say to him except exactly that there is not any reason to believe that is for real apart from the money they make, or something else that is there due to male manipulation! ... I can't believe there would be anything but a stupid brainwashed you in that movie if you'd be doing it!

ـِـ Why mom?!

ـِـ Why!?

ـِـ Yeah, why mom?

ـِـ Because that would seem to be you really did want that kind of stuff! That's why!

Deborah sighed.

ـِـ So what?! Those who seem to want it are getting all for nothing for it!

Her mother looked depressed, but said nothing. Deborah left her sitting there, went to her room and did her homework.

Chapter Five

The next day, Deborah sat in class figuring on a prank against her head teacher, the one she had heard from her mother that he was a both a wife beater and a man who was so proud of his stinking penis that he refused to put on underwear when going to work. She got excited thinking about it, although he was about fifty. But she hated his guts for beating his wife and for seducing his class, or wanting to, and somehow doing it now that she knew about it, she felt.

Later that day, she was showering after gym, when Sylvia entered the under the next shower. Sylvia looked at Deborah's breasts and giggled.

Deborah said:

ـِـ I don't feel like showering right beside you!

Sylvia looked scornful.

ـِـ Why not, bitch?!

Deborah hesitated before answering:

ـِـ Because I don't feel like having you beside me that's what!

Sylvia giggled at this. Then she started watching her even more. She even started masturbating while doing it.

Deborah looked frightened.

ـِـ Why do you touch your cunt that way!?

ـِـ Hell, I'm only washing! ... And when I'm finished I'd like to wash yours as well!

Now Deborah screamed, or shrieked you could call it. The few other girls that were in the shower room turned around.

ـِـ What the hell's the matter, bitch?!

Sylvia voice was scornful.

The girls around them started talking to each other, in low voices, almost whispers.

Sylvia looked around.

ـِـ This prejudice bitch, she said loudly, is really imagining that I fancy her!

A few girls giggled. Then one of them came up to the two of them.

ـِـ Hey Deborah, how about you and I have a friendship against her kind.

ـِـ Great!

The new girl held out her hand.

ـِـ Sofia.

ـِـ Deborah.

She shook Sofia's hand.

Sylvia looked at the two of them.

ـِـ Oh, they're gonna have a prejudice pact!

Sofia then struck her face, hard, so that she fell to the floor. Deborah looked in amazement. At last she said:

ـِـ Thanks.

Meanwhile, Sylvia was getting up. Sofia then took a look at her and asked:

ـِـ You want some more, bitch?

Sylvia said nothing. But she turned around and left.

Chapter Six

When home Deborah told her mother about it.

ـِـ Then, mom, the gym teacher came in. He had us dress very quickly and took us all to the principle's office.

ـِـ Oh my!

ـِـ I tried to tell the principle how really was, but both Sylvia and Sofia told him their versions of it. So then he decided to suspend the three of us!

ـِـ Goch! How am I gonna tell your father?!

ـِـ You mean because you're quarrelling?

ـِـ Yeah, of course. ... I have to say that I still feel he's someone that could be caring about it, Debbie, and that now that I've ... Deborah, I've just told your father that I am divorcing him!

Deborah stared at her. Then she cried.

ـِـ Why now mom.

Her mother suddenly looked a bit haughty.

ـِـ Why!? ... You know why!

ـِـ Not quite, mom!

Her mom looked chocked now. Then she said a bit scornfully:

ـِـ As if you didn't know he had faked that I was into young men only!

Deborah felt disgusted. She stared at her for a while, before saying:

ـِـ Mom, I don't want to talk to you alone! I'll break it to the men of the family. Now, I'm going going outdoors for a while. OK, mom.

ـِـ OK.

Later, at the dinner table, Deborah spoke up:

ـِـ Dad, David, I've got something to say!

Her father looked thoughtfully at her.

ـِـ Speak up, child.

Deborah hesitated, while her mother gave a deep sigh. David spoke up:

ـِـ It's all about that I shouldn't be proud again, isn't it!?

ـِـ Now it's not that!

Deborah looked at him resentfully when saying it.

ـِـ Instead I've got bad news about my school. There was a fight, and I was sort of uninvolved, but I sort of got to be seen as involved by the principle.

Her father looked chocked.

ـِـ What fucken bloke were you teaming up with!?

ـِـ Dad, I – ...

She hesitated for a moment. Then she spoke again.

ـِـ Dad, I only had to team up with someone. Because the filthiest girl in school was coming on to me!

He looked at her.

ـِـ Why?

She sighed.

ـِـ I really don't know how come, but she was coming on to me in the shower, until I screamed. After that she kept calling me bitch and said that she wasn't doing it!

Her father muttered:

ـِـ Oh, that kind.

He looked her mother with a tease.

ـِـ Oh we know all about that kind! .. Oh, I wish I could just have screamed, and that then some guys would save me from that brother of mine!

Deborah looked down while saying:

ـِـ There was only one girl that tried to help. ...

Her brother broke in:

ـِـ Only one! ... OK.

Deborah tried to smile:

ـِـ Yeah, only one bro. And that's she and that other bitch who both lied to the principle so that I (as well as they) got suspended!

ـِـ Suspended!

Her father looked chocked when saying it.

ـِـ Yeah, suspended, he told me he wold be at least.

ـِـ But he can't!

It was her mother who finally spoke up.

ـِـ It's not allowed for them to just suspend without knowing about it!

ـِـ It's not!?

Deborah looked thoughtful.

ـِـ No, I can't believe it could be!

ـِـ OK, then, mom.

She swallowed.

ـِـ Well I guess then I'll have to go up and take care of my homework.

Her brother looked solemnly at her but said nothing. Her mother sat silently, as in prayer. Her father looked at her, then down at his plate. The whole family just ate. Deborah left without a word, went to her room and struggled for two hours with her school work. Then watched TV for an hour and a half, before going to bed, where she slept, though with a horrible nightmare that woke her up at five. This was almost not important for her. She left a bit early for school in order to say to the principle that he wasn't allowed to suspend her just like that, which he resentfully agreed with. After that she went through an almost ordinary school day, though she pondered about the two other suspended (or not) girls, but not seeing either of them, mostly feeling hopeful that she'd never see either of them again, or at least not Sylvia.

Chapter Seven

In his workshop, David was doing some accounting. His business was going fairly well, and he was satisfied. In through the door came a lady of about thirty and asked if he could be into doing a job on her whole house.

ـِـ Well, yeah, I guess. ... Do you mean on the outside or indoors – or both?

David looked at her, and she looked back. He noticed that she was wearing a thin silk-like dress, which made him content, in that it was see-through, or at least sort of, actually. She seemed to notice his liking and smiled.

He smiled back and she began answering (still smiling):

ـِـ Oh, I'm not really sure yet! My husband and I have already furnished the indoors, but if you're ready to take a look in there, I show you some places that you might be able to decorate.

ـِـ Great ... I guess. That is if you mean that it's the outside that there really is to be doing?

She smiled again.

ـِـ Yes it is!

ـِـ What do you and your husband think would be a good outside decoration, then? Is it that you've seen the work I've done on Cindy's and Carl's house?

ـِـ Yes! ... Or that is my husband thought so, after seeing it!

He smiled and offered her a price for the outside decoration alone. She thought for a while, then agreed to sign the contract, which was to be readily made right away. After doing so she sat down in his studio, saying to him that he was seemingly a very talented man. David thanked her by sitting right beside her, and then they began fondling each other. They kissed each other. Fairly soon the two went in to another room where he had a bed ready for this kind of occasion. They screwed and fondled each other thoroughly for about half an hour. Then he showed her his shower, where she thoroughly washed herself, before putting on her almost see-through dress again. While passing him on her way out, she noticed him being busy. But he looked up and then she threw him a kiss, before leaving. David smiled back at her, waited till she had left, and then turned back to his accounting. He sat for ten more minutes with it.

After finishing, he pondered for a while about the couple with this new assignment for next Wednesday. He had asked her for a picture on the house, which she said she would come back with. It occurred to him now that he couldn't be certain about that it wasn't a fairly huge villa or something! ... Perhaps, then, he figured, he could get paid by showing them what assume he could do, providing he had the time for it! It did not say in his contract that he had to finish at a certain time, but it did say what final pay day they had. So there he could be stalling things forever if he needed to. ... That way he could also keep her wanting him to be coming back, and be there for her and then that settled the house being finished eventually!

Chapter Eight

It was Wednesday. As usual, Charlotte was doing the dishes after herself Deborah, David and her husband. She new she had to take care of them at least once a week. As usual, they had piled up during the week, so that she had to fill and refill the sink about eight times when doing it. She stood there thinking about the young boy who's eye she had been caught having an affair with a few months ago, asking herself why that boy didn't ever see in himself that he was into something he shouldn't be.

She on her hand, had it in her to feel that it wasn't for everyone to see as the good thing they would like to be having, something they shouldn't represent themselves as, because she and she had thought he too, were actually better than that such a relationship was there in being oneself. But the boy had started to brag, or at least sort of, about her 'eagerness' about him, which she had put on for a show of that she was happy; but decadence wasn't her thing to be called “eager” about! Her happiness was not deep, since she appreciated the life of fidelity, and therefore the love story shouldn't have been talked about, she thought.

She felt that perhaps she should be scolding him by saying that she faked it all, saying that her pretension was total apart from the weakness in her – from being left alone so much in her apartment – and that this pretension had been used by that horny slut of a man who was he in order to pretend she was a bit like him, even. On the other hand, she had enjoyed herself with him, and therefore wanted to show that she could appreciate the sort of friendship he had offered. She wished for a while that she could be like the men around her, unappreciative of discretion, or what to call it.

It came to her how her daughter had been into thinking such a way for a day or so, after she had told her about her father's and brother's words about infidelity and such. She wondered to what extend, and if so how, that could lead her daughter to be assaulted by that lesbian in school, that very next day. ... I wonder, she thought, if thoughts about being filthy sends out vibes, or whatever, that they (the sexual predators) can sense, somehow.

She decided to try to ask Deborah herself what she thought about that. She would usually be home two hours earlier than her father, which was a few hours away, so she expected to have finished her dishes, at least, by then. In that she got to work a little bit harder.

As she had expected, her daughter arrived at three thirty. She had just eaten a very late lunch, and felt relieved that the timing seemed perfect. Therefore she called out:

ـِـ Debbie!

ـِـ Yes mom?

ـِـ I need to talk to you.

ـِـ Something the matter, mother?

ـِـ Eh, ehm. Debbie, I want to ask you something. ... It's about that girl, the filthy one, that you talked to me about ... Was she about being filthy all the time or sometimes?

ـِـ Usually, mom. Why do you ask that?

ـِـ I mean did you admire her for being filthy? Or was that just for catching the boys attention that you did admire her?

ـِـ Always for the boys attention, only, mom!

ـِـ So there was nothing like that you want to seem to be like that bitch?

ـِـ No, of course there isn't!

ـِـ I wonder then, are you really into boys that much, or are you just fantasizing that there are good boys to be had if you were?

ـِـ I'm into boys, but I'm also fantasizing, mom, to the extent, at least, so that they can seem to be what there is for there to be taken as what I want to have!

ـِـ What do you mean by that?

ـِـ I mean I don't know what I want from them, so until I find out I really want to imagine they are what I dream of them as!

ـِـ Are you completely sure about this?!

ـِـ Positive, mom!

ـِـ Then why do you seem to be into caring about really taking them for granted as the ones that you really do appreciate?

Deborah hesitated.

ـِـ I think it's because I want them to be worthy of me once I get there, so that we can be together, one of them and I, or so.

ـِـ Or so?!

Her daughter giggled.

ـِـ Yes, or so, because I feel that I don't know if they care about me otherwise. ...

ـِـ Sure? I feel that you should be very unsure even so!

She giggled again.

ـِـ No, I disagree!

Her mother sighed before interrogating her further:

ـِـ But where you or weren't you trying to seduce the blokes around you before that Sylvia hit on you?

Deborah both sighed and giggled when saying:

ـِـ Mom, I was, ... I was figuring on a prank on that teacher, to make that filthy dick of his stand up in those no-underwear pants of his. Somehow it occurred to me, but that was two days later, strangely, that Sylvia could have been of use for this prank! But then she was already the one that I resented so much that I forgot about the idea of the prank. ...

ـِـ OK, her mother said. I'll settle for that!

Chapter Nine

At his job in the bank, Charlotte's husband Richard was sweeping floors. This was his usual evening job there and had been since he was sixteen, for two thirds of his life.

In the beginning, it was the only thing he did for them. Nowadays, he also managed some business deals. Because this was a small bank and it's owner, who had gotten to know him, really learned to trust him after about four years. Before that, he had talked to the bank's chief clerk and its owner about that he knew much about some of the banks consumers, and said that he would perhaps be better at handling them than the others on the staff, eventually pointing to that his father and his older brother were doing much business with them. These clients were mostly parts of some fairly criminal networks that were pretty much appreciated in the area. Upon this the manager himself checked this out and he concluded that he was especially wise at treating certain criminals in very suitable way for the bank. They therefore taught him some basic skills of accounting and had him work as a clerk sometimes.

The criminal networks that Richard had been used to dealing with due to his older brother's business were a bit different from those of his father's. Richard had learned to deal with either of them in a their-kind-of-polite manners. It was a mixture of criminal-appreciative and chauvinist attitude that, not too surprisingly, turned out to be fairly easy to adapt to other new types of criminals as well.

He therefore eventually was given very low rents on some bank loans, one for a car and for a summer house. This he was able to use to present himself while trying to finally get a wife, when he was twenty-four. This was Charlotte, who who had then just barely turned nineteen. The troubles with her had not begun until long after their two children were born.

Today Richard had been managing some business with a fairly rich female criminal, which was almost not unusual for him. As usual with females, he mostly tried to treat her like one of the guys in her business, which usually worked fairly well.

She had turned out to be very secretive of what she was up to. It had taken all week to get her to really appreciate his bank's type of money laundering, but today he was finally done. She had viewed him in the eye and signed a contract on a loan that would make her not seem rich without reason. For this she had paid them under the counter almost half of the money that the loan was on.

So, quite satisfied with his efforts, Richard rather happily finished this days work. He was sure to get the extra money under the table that he usually got after this type of a deal. This he planned to use for having a friend of his family renovate their summer house, probably.

As he drove home he suddenly came to think of his wife's infidelity and wondered if he should be into that she didn't deserve that the money went to both of them. ... In this he resented that their children in that case would also be depraved of his help if he saw to it that his wife was. Feeling that this was a rather difficult dilemma, he decided to discuss this issue with his son.

He parked his car in his usual slot, a few blocks away from his home. He had a free parking slot there, which was almost protected from rain by some big brashes of a tree that stood there. He was aloud to park there because a Mr. Lacrazzi, who owned a fairly empty yard where these trees stood, was appreciative of his and his banks business with him and his coworkers.

He walked home and took the elevator to third floor where he and his family lived. Entering the door to his apartment, he called out his son's name. No one answered.

Then, as he hung up his coat, he called his daughter's name. While he was untying his shoes, she came out of her room and asked:

ـِـ What, dad?

ـِـ Do you know where your brother is?

ـِـ No, why should I?

He sighed.

ـِـ No. I didn't mean that.

ـِـ Why do you want to talk to him?

ـِـ Oh, it's just this little business of mine, something that he and I should be talking about, something that I don't want your mother to get into! And probably not even you! That is if you can't keep a secret from her!

ـِـ Oh, I can be secretive.

He looked at her.

ـِـ How can I be sure about that?!

ـِـ I'm not sure, dad. Wouldn't it depend on what secret it is?

ـِـ Of course, he said.

Then he sighed and added:

ـِـ It's about how to build a house well!

She thought for a while.

ـِـ What? As a present for her?

He looked nonplussed, sighed again and said:

ـِـ No, by all means no! I want to keep it a secret from her, because feel like there shouldn't be interference of someone who goes that much behind my back!

ـِـ Oh, OK!

ـِـ you know what I'm talking about?

ـِـ I think so. It's that infidelity thing again, right?

He sighed once more.

ـِـ It's worse than that, Debbie.

ـِـ I'm sorry, dad.

ـِـ It's sort of about that I want to make our summerhouse look good in a way that would be a payback for me, and at best you two as well, I mean you and your brother! ... But not for her!

She looked intriguingly at her father.

ـِـ OK, dad.

ـِـ For me, it would be good if you appreciated that you and other women could be there, but not she, so she could be envious and hopefully even jealous of them! ... I mean envious of you and them and jealous of them is what I'm hoping for! ...

She looked at him. At length she said:

ـِـ Yeah, dad! I think I can see now!