Page 2 of Cade

“One last question, boys. Would you rather live with your father or your grandparents?”

“My dad,” said Cade right away. “He’s my dad. I’m ‘spose to live with him.”

“Me, too,” said Bodhi. “I love grandma and grandpa, but she yells, and she spanks. I don’t like being there for a long time. I think she gets tired of us.”

The judge could hear the murmurs of anger coming from Henry Zuker as Patricia blushed with embarrassment.

“Children need to be disciplined,” she said with a haughty air.

“Children need to be loved,” said Sven. “I was wrong to allow you to have the boys so much. It led you to believe they were yours, but they’re not. They’re my sons. Mine and Karen’s. I hate that she’s gone. There’s a pit in my stomach every morning and every night, but our sons will continue to live in the home they love with their surviving parent.”

“I’ll take them!” screamed Patricia Zuker.

The judge banged the gavel, the boys jumped and ran to their father, clinging to his legs. He knelt and hugged them both, lifting them in his arms.

“Mrs. Zuker, I warned you, and I am done warning. Custody remains with the father. Full-time, one hundred percent custody. At this point in time, you will not be given visitation rights unless Mr. Norgenson generously offers. If you attempt to go near the boys without his knowledge, I will throw you in jail.”

“Tell them!” she yelled. “Tell them!”

“Patricia!” screamed Henry.

“Your mother didn’t die of breast cancer. They wanted to tell you that. She killed herself! She killed herself because she couldn’t stand to live with him!” She pointed at their father, and the boys began crying, huddling closer.

“How dare you,” said Sven, staring over his sons’ heads. His voice was low and soft, but there was an undeniable, unmistakable tone of anger. “How dare you do this to my children. I would have told them when they were old enough. You had no right to do this to them.”

“She killed herself because of you!”

“Mrs. Zuker, you are out of line. In fact, you are nowhere near the line,” said the judge, banging his gavel once again. “Bailiff, please take Mrs. Zuker into custody. I’ll name a charge later.”

“D-daddy,” sniffed Cade.

“Oh, buddy, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to lie to you. Your mommy was sick. That’s the truth. But she was sick up here,” he said, tapping his head. “She was sad all the time, and no matter what the doctors did or how much she talked about it, she couldn’t stop being sad. The only time she wasn’t sad was when she was looking at the two of you.”

“Mr. Norgenson, you and the boys should go on home,” said the judge with compassion. “In fact, I might suggest a fresh start somewhere other than Oregon.”

“Thank you, sir.” He set the boys down, kissing their tear-streaked faces, and turned to leave. Harry Zuker’s face was filled with pain as he looked down at his grandsons, knowing that this could very well be the last time he would see them.

“I’m sorry, Sven. Really, I am. I had no idea that she would go to such lengths or that she’d been spanking the boys. I’m so damn sorry.”

“I know, Harry. Maybe. Maybe one day things will be different.”

“You boys be good for your dad, okay?” They both nodded, smiling up at their grandfather. “Send me a note at the office, Sven. I can at least stay in touch and send the boys birthday and holiday gifts. I won’t tell Patricia, I promise.”

Sven said nothing as he left the courthouse with his sons. Three days later, their home was emptied of its contents, and the moving van took off toward Minnesota. His cousin, Christoffer, owned several businesses, and he was making a place for him. He even had a large cabin that they could rent until they were ready for something of their own.

It would be ten years later that Cade asked his father what really happened with his mother. Depressed, bipolar, and often in a manic state, she’d been battling the disease since she was twelve. Telling Sven that she wanted a night to pamper herself, he took the boys for pizza, and when they returned, he found her in the tub. She’d consumed an entire bottle of wine, a half a bottle of pain killers, and enough anxiety medication to kill a horse.

He tried to shield his children from the truth, but Patricia ruined that for him. Now, they were grown men, larger than him. Both had joined the Army, both highly intelligent, and both always attuned to the moods of those around them.

“Watch out for your brother, Bodhi,” said Sven, hugging his son.

“Don’t I always,” smirked the big man. His father laughed, nodding.

“I’m right here, you know,” said Cade. “Just because I’m more adventurous, not afraid of my own shadow, doesn’t mean I need my brother to be my keeper.”

“Actually,” grinned Sven, “that’s exactly what it means. Stay out of trouble, Cade. Follow the rules, and do what you’re told. The military is a great career and will give you the opportunity to earn your college degree.”

“We know, Dad. It’s why we enlisted. We’ll be home after basic.” Sven nodded again, feeling the emotions swell in his chest. They could tell that he had something else he wanted to say, but he was biting his tongue. “We’re not her, Dad. Bodhi and I don’t feel the things that Mom did. We’re okay.”

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