Continued Childhood

After the events with my father, I quickly resumed my life as a first grader. It was a fun year and it was a great year for my parents. They seemed so happy and that made me happy in spite of what I witnessed. My Aunt Katherine was nowhere to be seen at the family home and I didn't see her until Independence Day that summer and the whole encounter was awkward.

It was simple enough, my mother's parents had a barbecue at their house. The whole family, including my cousin Charles, was there and it was a good time until Katherine lured my father into one of the guest rooms upstairs. No one but me seemed to notice they were missing and I was too afraid to ask. After a couple hours they returned and the party continued as normal. The only reason I say that this party was awkward is that even at that young age, I knew that my mother would have been devastated if she had witnessed my father and aunt's behavior. Towards the end of the party, my father could tell I was disturbed by something.

"Son, what's wrong"?
"Where did you and Aunt Katherine go"? I asked.
"Are you still upset about that? Conrad, It's nothing and you'd do well to forget about it's very existence."
"Daddy, it's hurting Mommy!" I exclaimed.
"Mommy doesn't know and she never will. What she doesn't know won't hurt her any at all."

Even at my young age I knew it was just... so wrong...
Then, at the age of seven, I raised a hand and slapped my father across the face and he put me over his knee and gave me a spanking like no other.
By now, family members were noticing the commotion.
"James, what are you doing? What did Conrad do?" Grandma Shirley asked.
"He slapped me!" My father replied.
"Conrad James Thompson!" My mother shouted and it was at that moment she grabbed me by the ear and the three of us went home. I don't think I had ever seen my mother that angry. I could tell she was embarrassed. Her fair skin had a red hue in the cheeks and there seemed to be a fire in her emerald green eyes.
"Conrad, why would you slap your father like that?" She asked.
"Well Mommy I was mad." I replied, a little nervous.
"Honey, why were you so mad? Whatever it is you can talk to me about it."
I stepped back, unsure of how to proceed. I weighed the options, telling my mother why I was really upset and seeing that anger directed in the right direction or lie and protect my parents' marriage and spare my mother's feelings. For a seven year old, I was making a large decision.
"I SAW DADDY IN YOUR BED WITH AUNT KATHERINE!" I screamed so loud my voice echoed throughout our house. I was so relieved I remember sweating feeling like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders and this secret had finally been lifted.
I waited for a reply from my mother, but there wasn't one she simply sat on the floor paralyzed with shock, fear, and betrayal. Her only response was after a time to grab me and some extra clothes for the two of us and put it all in the car. She walked out of the house and when she came out she had a black eye and my father stood in the front yard with a clear red mark in the shape of my mother's palm. We drove away while my mother wept. I felt like it was all my fault and I too began to sob.
"Conrad, none of this is your fault and you did the right thing and I'm proud of you. Honesty will take you far in this world while deception only gives you things to be taken away later. Always be honest and your life will be rich and full.I love you so much baby boy." Her voice trailed off and she continued to weep.

Conrad's Childhood

I was born in a hospital like most people. I was born in the city of Seattle, WA on September 8th 1964 to Susan and James Thompson. My parents were teachers at a local elementary school, we weren't poor, but we weren't rich either and I remember few luxuries growing up. My parents worked hard for what little we had but I was always proud and grateful that they worked so hard to provide for me in my formative years. As a toddler, my mother said I was very precocious and curious about the world around me. I explored frequently and my parents did their best to keep up with me. My mother was a slender, short woman with emerald green eyes and strawberry blonde hair that was always up in a bun. My father was 6 feet tall with chiseled All American good looks and charm. He had rich and full dark brown hair that was always tousled perfectly, even after a 4 mile run. My parents looked good together and I wasn't so bad myself. I had my mother's eyes and my father's hair.

However, I wasn't a toddler for long and before long I was a 1st grader at the school my parents taught at. I frequently walked home with my cousin Charles. He was 4 years older than me but we were very close since we were both only children. He was the son of my mother's sister Katherine and her husband Richard. Charles had inherited my aunt's bright red hair and my uncle's blue eyes and was a little overweight. We walked home in suburban Washington State and looked amazed at the forests and beauty of the place. He was like my older brother and I always trusted him.

One day, I arrived home after walking home with Charles and discovered that my father was home from work early and my mother was grading some papers at the library. My mother loved the library but I always found the silence there deafening. I looked all over the house for my father and I soon discovered that he was in the master bedroom with none other than my aunt Katherine! She was on top of him under the covers. I screamed loudly and ran from the house. "Son, It's not as bad as it would seem!" my father called out. He was soon outside in his plaid swimming trunks and ushered me in the living room. At that age I wasn't ready for the secrets and horrors that ruined my parents. My father promised me a new bicycle in exchange for my silence and I agreed and never spoke of it to anyone other than my father.

But it was then that my childlike innocence was gone and it was never coming back.

Prologue - Conrad Muses

December 23rd 2101

 

   After I died, I had plenty of time to both reflect on the events of my own life, and watch the events that took place in the lives of my descendants. I knew during the twilight of my life that times were changing and that in the future there would be different standards for everything, what I wasn't prepared for is the failure of my own descendants in their life. However, such is life I suppose. Death is both a blessing and a curse. After I died, I was no longer plagued by my many frailties but it was lonely in the afterlife.

  My name is Conrad Thompson and I died on October 14th, 2054 at the ripe old age of 90. I lived almost a full century and that never ceases to amaze me. My life is humble to start with, I had a normal, run of the mill childhood in the 1960's and 70's, come to think of it, most of my life was pretty normal. I went to school, graduated, and worked for 58 years in my own business but we'll get to that. I want to tell you my story and the story of my descendants. It will both amaze and astound you, I promise!