Chapter 15;It Wouldn't matter

There was an edge of panic to his voice, and it caught me by surprise. I immediately

dropped my guard. He knew me inside and out, and he was going after the area of my

greatest vulnerability, family and children.

―I told you last week, everything we have is in that damn warehouse; our furniture, our

clothes, the household things and the storage unit full of stuff we need desperately.

Everything we have in the world is in there; baby pictures, wedding pictures, the kids'

books and playthings, everything that you would have in a home. The kids are

devastated. Even all that merchandise I purchased to get us a start, a way of building a

new life where I could give my family everything they needed in the world to make them

happy. It is all locked inside of that warehouse. Now, they have nothing, Amelia,

nothing!‖

I was conscious of the sadness and compassion I felt for Adam and the children. I had to

stick to my guns, or the feelings were going to overwhelm me. I remember focusing on

my 56breathing as I fought for control and the strength not to cave in.

―Jack is making inquiries with a law firm to see how realistic it would be to even fight

this, or maybe set up a payment so you can get your stuff out.‖

He lost it. ―I need that money, Amelia! I need it now, and I want it now!‖ he screamed.

He couldn't contain himself. The demonic Adam emerged, and he became his belligerent,

nasty and thoroughly rude personae. Strangely, he didn't frighten me this time. In fact, I

was suddenly empowered. I think I was so outraged by the ferocity and vitriol of his

attack and demands that it really stirred up the anger I had been suppressing.

―Shut up, Adam! Who do you think you are talking to? You just assume that we should

help, don't you? No, worse! You somehow in your twisted thinking believe you are

entitled to our help. My God! We gave you $6,000 and hundreds of other dollars here and

there. None of it has been paid back. No acknowledgements of gratitude. You have no

shame. And, here we are giving it another shot, still backing you, trying to work

something out. If you would just for once take responsibility for your circumstances,

Adam, there would be no need for us to be screaming at each other.‖

―Yeah, well while you're thinking about working something out just keep in mind that

mostly everything we own is in that warehouse.‖

―Hey, that's entirely your fault. I'm not going to take any blame; try being responsible for

once in your life.‖

―You don't trust me!‖

―Oh, that's a news flash. Get real, Adam, you don't have any bridges left to burn. Take it

or leave it, that's it.‖

There was a long pause. I said nothing and waited in the deafening silence.

―What you are proposing won't work.‖ The tone in Adam's voice was suddenly

conciliatory. Just like that, it changed from belligerent and nasty to the opposite,

charming and respectful in a few seconds. Well, I think there was a hint of panic in there,

too. ―Amelia, please. Will you talk it over with Jack one more time? Think of the

children, please?‖ I heard a couple of muffled sobsOh, I was a sucker every time he trotted out that act from his vast repertoire. He was the

master. I'm almost too embarrassed to write what happened next.

―Adam, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry about what's happening to the children, but this is

your entire fault, yours and Susan's, accept that.‖

―I'm sorry, too, Amelia. If it was just me, it wouldn't matter, but...the kids...it's just the

kids are having such a hard time, and Susan is struggling to...‖

―Adam, stop it. I don't give a damn about Susan, I never have.‖ I paused and let out a

deep breath. ―I'll talk to Jack.‖

I put the phone down. What had I done? I felt sick to my stomach. Once I had bought into

the children and the family strategy dished up from Adam's playbook along with a few

tears thrown in to maximize the effect, it was over. I was powerless.

I wasn't looking forward to telling Jack I'd been suckered again. I need not have worried.

He smiled, told me I had a beautiful heart, and asked me how I wanted to handle it.

Eventually, we gave him $800.00. They were able to get most of what they had in the

warehouse and storage units. It turned out that they had two units stacked full of personal

belongings, clothing and furniture that they accumulated from their constant changes of

address between all the places they lived.

Adam was out of work. Well, he had the boxes of merchandise to start his business, but I

think he even knew that was going nowhere. They had four children, plus one on the way

and no place to live. They were desperate. For a second time, they went to live with

Susan's parents. It was inevitable that these arrangements couldn't last.

Ron and Louise had a nice house and property with an in-law unit they had built for

Louise's mother, Susan's grandmother. When she died it became available. Perfect for

Adam and Susan, and you guessed it, Adam had no problem taking advantage of the

situation when it suited him.

The family would move in, but it would be Ron and Louise who would move out into the

in-law unit. Adam, Susan and the children would take over main part of the house. This

was the arrangement on three of their occupancies. I say occupancies in the sense of an

army taking over another country. Ron and Louise found that they were living under

rules laid down by their son-in-law. It was the usual Adam control freak mentality. You

might ask why people would put up with it at all. Adam has an extremely powerful

personality. You really have to experience his presence to get it.

Poor Ron and Louise were at their wits end by the time the third occupancy was under

way. They hated Adam. They were beginning to despise Susan, their own daughter. I

mean, that's how bad Adam's tyranny was getting to them.

They reached the stage where they didn't want anything to do with their grandchildren.

Adam shut them out of the children's lives just as he shut them out to a greater or lesser

degree with all of us. Domination and control, the central themes of his way of being,

have already been well documented in the story, and I am yet to get to the worst of the

consequences, horrific consequences.