War-room Planning (Cumberland Saga)

That evening, only the men met on Sig’s patio: Sig, Roger, Walter, Gregor and Blain.

Each man described, in turn, what he believed had happened.

Sig had to work over-time to control his temper. He had never had an “easy” relationship with his older brother Walter. Walter's swooning-catch-me routine had pushed a lot of buttons. That was counter-balanced by Jesus's parable about leaving the 99 lambs and searching for the lost one.

Roger had Alice’s first-hand testimony which he repeated back with surprising fidelity. But then, this is not a culture that added extra notes to songs or to “make stories their own” by tweaking details. What was indisputable was that Evan had done something that brought Copperhead Cove to the attention of law enforcement. The first rule of being invisible is to not attract attention. Evan had violated that rule.

Walter was at his wit’s end. Everything had seemed normal until his health tanked. And then his kids starting acting up. They sought the best counseling available but the advice they received only seemed to make things worse.

Walter was also averse to attention from law enforcement, primarily from a cultural standpoint. The problem with seeking professional advice is that it created documentation trails and open-loops. But what had been done could not be changed.

Gregor’s take on the situation was that Evan and Abe needed their asses kicked on a regular basis until they straightened out. While that view got a lot of sympathy, the men doubted that the women would stand for the idea and it could backfire if Evan went to the cops and claimed abuse.

Blain mostly kept his mouth shut. He was reminded of the story of the blind men and the elephant. 

After forty-five minutes and a thorough rehashing of what had already been discussed, Blain spoke up. "Let me recap what I think I heard."

“Something has to be done or Walter and his family will have to move out of Copperhead Cove.”

Walter looked around the group of men. He could see their faces in the light of the kerosene lantern. They were nodding their heads in agreement. Sig and and Gregor were nodding without reservation, the possibility that Evan could vandalize the tractor on Gregor's truck was totally unacceptable. Roger was reluctantly nodding. Walter felt trapped.

“Sig, you have too much on your plate to take Evan in hand. And even if you had the time, you have too much history” Blain said.

Both Walter and Sig nodded in agreement.

“Roger, please don’t hear this as criticism, but you are old and whoever rides-herd on Evan has to be able to work him into the ground. Your heart is in the right place but you just have too many miles on the odometer” Blain said.

Roger unhappily agreed. Sig was looking at Blain thoughtfully.

“Gregor, you are the Swiss Army Knife of Copperhead Cove. You can do everything. It would be a shame to pin you down with trying to rehabilitate Evan...and Abe if it comes to that. Push is coming to shove and we need to keep you flexible.”

Gregor could not disagree. Gregor’s arrival had been a huge boost to the productivity of Copperhead Cove. Not just because he was young, strong and skilled, but because he had a truck and contacts on the outside.

Looking directly at Walter, Blain said "You had your swing at the pinata. Evan knows how to manipulate you and his mother. He can read you like a book. It is time for you and Evan's mom need to pull-back. Let him know that you love him...and at the same time he needs tough-love. It is time for him to grow-up and not hide behind Mommy and Daddy."

Looking around at the men, Blain said “And that leaves me.”

None of the men would have thought to involve Blain. It was a family matter. But the way Blain sketched it out, it was the only way forward that made any sense. And, even though he had not been married to Sarah for very long, it did, technically, make him family.

Blain looked around at the circle of men, men he had come to trust with his life. It was time to share some history.

“Fifteen years ago I wasn’t that different from Evan. My parents were struggling to control me and put me in counseling, so I have some idea of what Evan has been through” Blain said. Then, looking at Walter, "And what he is putting you and Amira through."

“I think I can make a difference, but there are a few things that I need. Not just “want”...but need. If you can’t agree to help me then we might as well tell Walter to pack-up and leave tomorrow morning.”

Sig spoke up first. “What do you need?”

Sig resented his older brother. Sig found everything about Walter’s wife, Amira, irritating. He had a hundred different reasons to send Walter packing.

But family trumped all and as much as it galled him...there was that parable about lambs.