THE LAST FINAL SOLUTION
Stephen James Martin

MONTREAL

2098

I never forgot the great heated final row with my mother Mary and I, the maid bailed out of the room because of the shouting match and left us, with my wealthy, always silent Step Father Ken, who as usual, had his mouth shut as soon as his wife raised her voice

It was either a time for him to sit out on the verandah of the Villa in Montreal or sit inside trying in vain to read one of his Dental Surgeon bulletins, which he frequently read out to his colleagues And as for Mum, when inside, all she did was prattle on about her Charities but showed no such charity, spiritual or otherwise, towards her children.

It must have been his escape because he wasn’t silent at those conferences and was the life of the party; afterwards slyly walking away to an upstairs bedroom where soon the sounds of Oh God Oh God drifted down the staircase with any pretty aspiring medical student, hoping for a pass mark, by using the casting couch.: the time honored selection process..

Indeed I saw him kissing a young man once and thought then -Ah a bi sexual as well. I used to think serves you right mum for the hasty deserting of my Dad in the hour of his need. Did she know about Ken and his sexual life, maybe she did because I once saw a photo of a young nude girl around thirteen years old fall out of his dog eared wallet, which he caught, seconds before it hit the floor. Good reactions -I thought- but I knew then that he was a great, and famous Tennis player ,which I supposed that mum, the irrepressible name dropper would have loved.

And it didn’t get better between Mum and me and Susan who was bound to be the first to escape from the clutches of our controlling mother; our Mommy Dearest, as played years ago by Joan Crawford Mary grew to hate others with much fury, and unfounded assumptions about any woman in her group who achieved more prizes in the Quilt making sessions than her.. Ever since then I have hated quilts because they represent to me a lost childhood between mother and son.

Susan saw an opening in the cracks and ran away to Tasmania with her Aussie Husband Frederick. It is great green place where they make beautiful wine, grow beautiful herbs and are involved as activists in that country. She is in fact a Greens Senator and she makes no bones about her views when I catch her on World TV.

She has got it right all along about Climate change ,which was of course, laughed at by our party switching mother who went from a loud Democrat in New York City to a greedy Conservative ,whose party had no intention of giving any land back to the Native Indian people. I am married to one of those indigenous people. Lillie is my second wife, since the woman selected by my mother, and steered into my path, turned out to be a model of mother.

Bloody hell what a joke but I saw the psychic splinters, unlike Ken., I did, and I escaped from a model of Mum’s second marriage. No kids, though I still have a delightful step daughter who is also now a Doctor in the top North of this Country. She is as well, a Pilot, a Flying Doctor, which is needed to get around to all of the clinics which she has established.—

Scary stuff in fact, flying in a blizzard, in a small light plane is courting death and because of that fear Lillie and I shut our ears when we hear about the weather reports when she is flying at times and when she is amongst the people in the snow bound communities who love her.

She is in a same sex relationship, which never bothered me, but when Mary got to hear about it you could hear the hollering above the sound of the Niagara Falls. She is such a bigot. And lost in her past which was pretty boring anyway.

If Mum ever said she loved me at any stage I can’t remember it, even when I search back to a date, like a birthday. I doubt it .I used to listen at the keyhole of their bedroom (I was a nosy kid) to hear if they had sex but I heard nothing.Occasionaly Ken would whisper.-.do you love me- which was greeted with silence and he must have known then and whispered to himself

-I bet In the future to right this balance whenever and whatever comes my way in sex, I’ll grab it-. He surely did because he was a great shagger, from all accounts, and mum must have known, but I guessed it suited her with her candlelight. Suppers. Dad you didn’t miss much even though it sent you into a tailspin and onto the streets, we later heard, with some of mum’s jibes like –I told you so.

She always had to be right and I now think, after studying Maslow’s theory of hierarchy needs, that recognition was her favorite thing. My how she craved it and as kids we were at the bottom of the box when recognition was called for.:

Susan wrote a great essay which received praise from the Headmaster at her high school yet mum in a rage about something or another chucked it in the fire.—Susan retaliated with her own built up rages yelling.” You bloody rotten old bag.” And quickly ducked out of the way of a broom handle. She was sent to bed without any food until Ken, always the peacemaker, snucked up with a bowl of soup. I too encountered her psychotic jealousy.

fter I won a trophy for Lacrosse which she promptly threw in the outside bin. I brought it in and in her unguarded moment I hit her over the head with it, which drew blood.

She would never go to the Doctor in fear that it might be her who would be assessed as nuts I still have the trophy with the dent in it, and the brown blood smear, at my home, hundreds of miles away from her. It reminds me how I hit back at her once, and how it was a turning moment. One of my many pivotal moments. .

I was born Stephen James Martin in New York City in 2040 after a hasty marriage to my father the NYPD Cop, Mary who she saw him coming might have thought he would end up as Police Commissioner, with her grandiose designs

I was forever reminded how much pain she had when they removed my large feet from her womb. Just like your father—she used to quip and she added as well a bit of spite. Pity his dick wasn’t as big.

My father had been a USA Ranger for a few years which is something he never mentioned and nor did she His nemesis came, when in protection of his mother, he bashed the old nasty cop father and put him into a coma. No charges were pressed but it was the end of his career and he hit the bottle so hard that he went decadent .

Mum moved away. She set her cap for her Dentist Ken and off we went ,along with hushed about memories, to a new life in Canada without any waves back from the taxi window and you can guess that Susan and I were traumatized by the break from our home and our father, and have been ever since. In fact we thought he had died on the streets, but that was wrong, another lie by her

She got her comeuppance later when Ken died of an aid which was splashed across the tabloids. No more Quilt people. No more names dropping and no more Candlelight suppers. Just alone and soon to swallow a lot of pills...

I found the hidden cards with some money from our Grandmother hidden in a bottom drawer which told us that Dad was living in Rio in Brazil. She had kept those cards from us .Susan shot through straight away when I told her, and I did not take too long after that

As I said I married unsuccessfully and tried to bury my memories by working through the United States I was in the Army for ten years and that tended to clear my sinuses. The army also gave me access to Military records because I was checking out a soldier who was in hospital for wounds,

His name was Martin. I scrolled down, passing my name but then on impulse went back to James Martin and there it was. US Ranger served at the Embassy in Rio. Bronze Star, Mentioned in dispatches, Purple Heart. A diver and a Parachutist involved in many insertions with Army Intelligence.

I stared at the photo which stared back and it was almost my twin. There was a distinguishing feature. Size 18 feet. I was staggered. I wondered if they called him big foot which is my nick name. I vowed when the time came that I would try to contact him but Rio is a big place and he may have gone into hiding just like us, to escape his past

I was wrong on that score when I read one of those monthly new age magazines which are in Lilies shop. She is also a maker and seller of herbs and a great masseur. I couldn’t wait to tell Lillie and showed her the article which gave out details about James Martin. Yet I also felt great sorrow that I could not contact him in this life.

James Martin died in a Rio Hospital aged 78 years. His widow Mary is a well known healer whose credentials are astounding. He had served with the US Rangers at the United States Embassy and had made many insertions by parachute during his service.

He became an NYPD Cop after his service but nothing was heard from him for about five years until he was on the team of the World Government and was the principal person who persuaded the then Board to stop logging.

He believed in climate change and joined in many rallies with his wife, which was against the right wing Government of the day. Brazil owes a big debt to one of their Countries Heroes--.I gaped at the information and started to sob.

The tears coursed down my cheeks. Tears of pride. Tears for his courage and tears for his new life. And as well I have a step brother who helps run the clinic and is also a Doctor.

He was also an activist and I could not wait to phone Susan who broke down in tears and had to stop to recover: she told me she would write me a letter. once she got over the shock She vowed as well, to travel with me to Brazil Lillie was tearful and would have wished to travel as well however there was a shop to run and animals to be fed...

BRAZIL TWO MONTHS LATER

Mary was busy in her clinic with her son James when she heard the sound of the bell at the front desk. She walked out and stared into the face of her husband and another woman lookalike. She sat down and then looked up. The man with the same voice as James spoke and she saw his great feet once he moved away from the counter.

‘You may have guessed I am Stephen the son of James your husband and this woman is Susan my sister.’ Everyone cried. James came out as well He hugged his new step brother and looked down at his feet. They both had very large feet and both of them laughed.

‘What do they call you Stephen’ said James.?′ Big Foot.′ And the group agreed that it was not very original Mary chipped in quickly and added the nick name which her husband had all of his life.

‘Flipper. He beat everyone at swimming. Didn’t they call Thorpe Flipper?’

The reunion was a brief seven days for all of them but much of the past gaps were filled in, mainly by Mary with photos, medals, service history and a video taken when he was playing with his son. She switched if off when the tears came into Stephen’s eyes.

‘Sorry guys. Thinking about what we missed with our Dad. I feel like poisoning my mother Still she did it herself a while back. After Ken died of Aids. Giving back much of the poison she fostered on us. But it’s too late.’ Susan spoke with a cracked voice.

’We are really still very exposed fragile people in spite of our successes. I escaped first. Did a social work degree. Met an Aussie and we live in Tasmania. I grow herbs and sell them and I am into reiki and also a Greens Senator in our Government. We all share much in common and from what Stephen has said so was Dad or rather became one under your tuition. And of course your Dad as well.”

‘Dad loved him it was mutual Your Dad was a kind man who really understood what I stand for. He came to believe in re incarnation and that we were together at least in one past life, as Mongolian tribes’ people on horses.’

A lull came into the conversation and James stood and asked his new brother to come out with him a light the barbecue. Mary closed the shop and the two women sat chatting and drinking till the men served up a meal.

‘James had a big black hole in his heart about you two kids. He spoke to Ted a lot about it, rather than worry me. Yet even though he is gone, but not too far away he would be thrilled that there is a closure and about the love which you two missed out on’.

‘Say a prayer for him tonight and later on in the week I will bring in a great medium, I am one, but it does’ work when I try to read my loved ones. Is that OK?’ Susan sat forward and patted her step mother’s shoulder.

‘I can’t wait.’

The medium rushed in the next day and felt something about James but was not sure, though she said he liked the smell of smoky whisky but vowed not to drink it. Did they remember their birthday when he gave them two old gold coins found by his forebears in California? They were believed to be Spanish, either left over by Pirates or from the time when Spain had the Colony under its strong control. ‘Of course. But we reckon Mum sold them straight away – before she got rich.’

Mary suddenly had a bad thought which she could not suppress. What a bloody horrible woman. She is so lucky that her kids turned out to be nice. Mary was disappointed that James had not come through but she explained that it is not always successful.

The time came soon to go back to their homes and a tearful exchange was held. They did not hear from Mary for two years until a telegram came to Stephen. ‘Mum passed away last night and is in spirit hopefully with Dad, though it does not always work like that. She is to be cremated as is her wish and I will send you copies of any Testimonials. Love James’.

They did not attend again at Brazil as it was a part of their life which was over yet they asked James to visit if he could. He replied per letter and stated that it would be difficult because he was busy with his normal practice and the clinic would have to go because there was no one capable of grabbing the reigns from the brilliant Mary until another applicant bobbed up.

James was closing down for the day after he had rushed from one clinic to another. He sat feeling his blood pressure thumping at his temple so he checked it .It was high. 170 over 99 and he started to worry which pushed it up a bit further until he heard the bell at the front door ring. Twice.

A stocky man with the wisp of a scoots accent stood there on the doorstep and he delivered his words after the initial-- can I come in.

‘My Dad was here once; your father, your mother and your Grandfather .Indeed Mary, healed him once when he worked here as a surgeon. He never forgot her.’ James was quick in reply.

′

Your Brian’s son. They told me about Brian. Is he still alive?′

Sadly no but on his dying breath he asked me to come here and help with the Clinic but I see from the sign that you are closing.′

‘Not yet it seems. I welcome your honest enquiry. Are you a Doctor?’

‘Yes. I am and I have the same views as your Dad and my Dad so when can I start?’

‘Anytime have you any ties in the US?’

It was a personal request but James had to know before he committed to staying a bit longer if the man wished to take over the reigns in time. He was assured that there were no blips on the horizon and he could start straight away. The two men became sound friends and within time Brian Junior took over the business and employed a few more local healers.

They both knew that Mary, James or God had a hand in keeping a very good business together and so it remained in that fashion and within a short space of time the business grew and was involved in the process of manufacture of quality tinned food for deprived nations where the food was constantly in short supply.

Stephen and Susan were informed of the success and promoted the business through electronic media as much as possible. It helped when a current affair type program did a documentary.

Mary, Edward and James lived on in spirit in the thriving business when a newly elected Government, elected by the people, for their benevolent style, placed many grants in the way of students, seeking to enter the field of natural medicine, There were large partitions set aside for reiki, tarot reading, acupuncture, and a naturopath who sold goods on the premises.

Many members of the Government used the services of the newly built rooms. And the patronage continued; many letters from high ranking people were displayed as testimonials on the walls of the partitions and as well, the fees never rose.

hey were in accord on most subjects and the main one was about religion. However it was not discussed openly with their clients as many of them held strict views on the Catholic tenets towards contraception, abortion and the total absence of sexual relations for the Priests. In the light of the many case of sexual abuse the two partners were horrified but kept their counsel.

Brian Junior knew about his father’s opinion of formal religion. He quoted it to his friend.--- The pages of history are littered with the violence perpetrated. In the name of God, or rather religion. It is no wonder history students pick up on an Atheist view---. Maybe the path to God (if there is one) is simple.

Just pray-be great full, do good as much as possible. A kind word may be all that is needed, rather than banging on doors at evening meal times and leaving junk mail about. .

.

“It is not a matter of will: not everything is a choice: choose wisdom.” Ed Hillenbrand