Out but never totally out

"We have to be very careful how we handle this." Said Alistair.

"Yes, love. He is our son." She mused, "You know, he reminds me of you when we first met." Cindra's mind wandered briefly to the memory but she quickly had to tuck it away when she felt her body's response.

There was no way their son was going to get completely out of their lives. They just had to figure out how, when and where. Firstly, the driver they hired for him would of course be reporting back to them as to the whereabouts when Mark went anywhere.

When Mark was ready to leave the house, Alistair took him into his office for one last conversation.

"Son, we are doing as you asked. Please remember you are our son. We have loved and cared for you since birth. Yes, your mother and I have made mistakes but we tried to protect you from our outside activities and shelter you. We didn't know how poorly it would affect you. All I ask is that you consider coming around for holidays and special days. It would seem odd that our son isn't around for those things and you know how these things look to others." Alistair feigned affection; he didn't do it very well. It was obvious to Mark it was again all about appearances.

It was apparent to Mark that his father didn't know about the morgue incident or even the fact that Bo was black. He contemplated telling Alistair but thought better of it. He would comply to his fathers' wishes. But on his own schedule, he could leave whenever he wanted to. After all, you should always have at least one Ace up your sleeve.

The Conner's had already decided what they would say in society. Why their 15-year-old son was out of the house. When it came to the Dokken's they simply told them that Mark wasn't returning to his job at the funeral home because of his education. This was an important time. Mark being very intelligent he was going to graduate early and as a result he needed all of his time spent in study.

With time they would make sure that the people that would be around Mark would also be cultivated and introduced on a predetermined schedule. Marks teachers, his peers, sports groups etc. Offers and acceptances by the influence of Mr. and Mrs. Conners.

The house they purchased for Mark needed tending. The set up a careful schedule of groundskeepers and housekeeping. Once a month a maintenance person would come and fix anything that needed repair. Of course, all of these persons were hired by the Conners'. A careful team of retained professionals who knew who paid them and who to report to.

Alistair worked hard and created a political career. His confidence and serious nature made the public trust in him. He hired only the best to guide his new venture and they were paid accordingly. At the very next election Alistair was the new mayor. This of course had its perks. He had more influence on the cities people than ever before.

The Conners were buying businesses and investing in real estate. Their wealth was accumulating quickly and so was their influence. They opened a numbered company out of California to diversify some of their portfolio and in some ways to sequester some investments away from watchful eyes. They were able to purchase a hotel chain as well as a group of medical clinics under this numbered company. They made donations to certain universities and private schools. In effect the Conners bought respect.

An opportunity came to Cindra. A scholarship programme for foreign students. It seemed that a vacation to Argentina was in order. There were several students that were in queue for a scholarship and Cindra wanted to make sure that the student that received this boon would be 'close' to her son. She was gone 2 weeks.

Cindra met with several impressive young men and women. Some from middle- and higher-class neighborhoods. But one particular student caught her attention. Manuel Arellano. Manuel was from Villa Misria or The Miserable Village but the locals just called it The Village. It was rare for the poor of this area to ever get out. Opportunities were desperately needed and this boy was no exception. He clawed and scratched his way through school. He worked hard to help provide for his family and schooled in between. He graduated later than some students but he achieved in the top 1% of his class and his science teacher recommended him for a scholarship. Manuel wanted to go to medical school.

Cindra was definitely not comfortable while she carefully walked in Manuels' neighborhood. She brought along a driver and a personal protection group. It made her feel slightly safer and also made her feel important. After all she is Mrs. Conners from America.

She was escorted inside a tin roofed dirt floor one room shack. Sitting at the table were careworn parents and a bundle of children. Neither parent spoke English so one of her entourage translated.

Cindra would make sure this family was taken care of, their son Manuel would come to America and get his education fully sponsored by The Conners' Benefit Fund. The parents were offered a job through the hotel chain the Conners owned, that had several hotels located in Buenos Ares. The children that were still at home would attend private school, see doctors and no longer would have to work to help support the family. This was a godsend to the Arellano family. In exchange Cindra would take their eldest son.

In America, Manuel would befriend Mark, find things that he liked to do and join in. He would report back to the Conners on any activities that they needed to know about. He would influence Mark towards things that the Conners wanted. Manuel would have an apartment, a car, a generous allowance and a full education.

Soon enough Mark was accepted into university. He received letter after letter, curious how the one who offered a complete scholarship was the school right in Bozeman, Montana. Mark really wanted to attend an Ivy league school but somehow, he didn't get any acceptance letters to those schools. Mark just buckled down. He knew the sooner he finished his schooling the sooner he could be completely free of his parents.

On his first day at university, he met Manuel. It was a good thing they liked each other. Otherwise, this task set out by the Conners was going to be hard. They truly became best friends. Manuel was feeling guilty about reporting to the Conners but his hands were irrevocably tied. He could not risk having his family back home affected. So, he made his regular vigils to them to report on Marks life.

Mark kept parts of his life very personal. Particularly the company he kept. He dated in private and soon fell in love. She was a girl of difficult circumstance and Mark felt protective of her. She had a past that she struggled to get beyond. She was 16 years old when she got pregnant and had a secret illegal abortion. Mark knew and didn't hold it against her. She worked at a pub as a waitress but wanted more from life, but life just wasn't giving it to her. She was a stunning red head Irish girl with a temper to match. Whenever she lost her temper Mark found it amusing and he had a knack for calming her down. They usually ended up laughing about it later on in the day.

One day Mark introduced her to Manuel. Manuel took a liking to the girl as well. He understood how life's circumstances dictated your past and could influence your future. However, he had to report to the Connors. Two weeks later, she disappeared.

Mark was heartbroken and hyper focused on his studies. He worked harder than he ever had before in his life. He vowed that no woman ever again would hold his heart like that.
One night Mark and Manuel went out to a bar.