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Bonds of Trust -- Part XIII As Nora is straightening up in the living room, she grabs a stack of papers from the coffee table. On top is a copy of Matt’s school newspaper. She sits on the couch, flipping through the pages. She stops when she sees Kallie’s byline and reads her article on domestic abuse. She is just finishing the paper when Matt comes through the door. “Hey, Mom.”   “Hi, sweetie. How was practice?”   Matt shrugs. “The usual. How come you didn’t pick me up after school?”   “I had a client at the center and my meeting ran long. I asked your father to pick you up. Didn’t he show?” Matt shakes his head, taking a seat beside her on the couch.   “Then how did you get there?”   “Rex gave me a lift. And Stevie’s mom dropped me off here.”   “I’m sorry. I thought Bo had it covered. You should have called if you were stranded.”   “I wasn’t. Rex took me to the ballpark and told me to call him if I needed a ride home but Stevie’s mom was there. No big deal.”   Nora smiles. “I’ll call and thank her later.” She holds up his newspaper. “Kallie wrote a great article for the school paper.”   “So you read it?”   Nora nods. “I wasn’t snooping, Matthew. The paper was sitting here and I was flipping through it when I saw her name. Very impressive story.”   Matt shakes his head. “I don’t mind that you read it. Do you think it’s accurate?”   “In what way?”   “I mean how many people she says are being abused, maybe right here in Llanview and how it can even happen with teens?”   Nora nods. “I’m sure that’s true. It appears Kallie did extensive research. The numbers are alarming but I don’t doubt their accuracy.”   “But the stuff about kids being taken away and parents going to jail. Is that true?”   She sighs. “Yes, it is. In most cases, that’s what’s best for all involved. Getting out of an abusive situation isn’t always easy but it is the right move.”   “But do they always go to jail?”   “Unfortunately, no. In a lot of cases, the victim doesn’t want to press charges. Sometimes out of fear but also out of misplaced loyalty to the abuser. I see these kinds of cases at the Community Center sometimes. It’s very sad.”   “Do you think it could happen to someone we know?”   Nora shrugs. “It’s possible. You never know what triggers this type of thing.”   “What do you mean? Like when people just argue and then one day it turns into a real fight?”   Nora looks at him oddly. “Why are you so curious about this?”   Matt looks away. “No reason.”   Nora watches him as he continues to avoid eye contact with her. Finally, it hits her. “Matthew, is this why you were so upset when your father and I had that argument last week?” He just shrugs. She puts her hand under his chin, turning him to face her. “Did you think your father might hit me if we were arguing?”   “You said yourself, it’s possible,” he says quietly. She takes a deep breath, shaking her head. “Sweetie, we were having a simple disagreement. It wasn’t even an argument really, I was upset about something completely unrelated to you or Rex. I used it as an excuse to yell at your dad. It wasn’t his fault. But I can assure you, it would not have escalated into Bo hitting me.”   “How can you be so sure?”   Nora gives him a small smile. “Because I know your father. In all the years I’ve known him and all the arguments we’ve had – and there’ve been some doozies – I have never once felt physically threatened by him. Never, Matthew. Your father is not the kind of man who would ever strike a woman.”   “That’s what Grandpa said – Buchanan men don’t hit women.”   “Well, for once, I would encourage you to believe your grandpa. I know you are very protective of me, but in this case, you have nothing to worry about.”   “So how do you know who would and who wouldn’t?” Nora sighs. “That’s a tough question. I guess you have to know how they handle stress and how they deal with someone who doesn’t share their perspective. Your father and I have had many instances where we strongly disagree on things. Our way of handling it is to yell a lot and sometimes just walk away, then calm down and see each other’s point of view. But everyone doesn’t handle things the same way.”   “Wouldn’t it be easier just to not argue in the first place?”   She smiles. “Of course, but that’s not realistic. Any time people are involved in a relationship, they’re going to disagree and it usually leads to an argument. It’s not about not arguing, it’s how you handle the disagreement.”   Matt nods. “Kallie and I had an argument after school.”   “I see. And how did you handle it?”   He grins. “Well, Kallie told me that if she didn’t believe in not hitting boys, she would have socked me in the gut.”   Nora can’t help but smile. “Well, it’s a good thing you were both taught not to hit. What was the argument about? Or am I not allowed to ask?”   “We were actually discussing her article. She’s very passionate about it and she thought I was trying to make excuses for abuse. It was a misunderstanding.”   “That’s how a lot of arguments get started. That’s why it helps to take a deep breath and calm down so you can resolve it.” Matt nods. “So did you?”   “Did I what?”   “Resolve the disagreement? Are you still going to the dance?”   Matt grins. “Yeah. Kallie is really excited about her dress.”   “Good. Well, we still have some shopping to do for you, young man. Did you find out what color Kallie’s dress is so we can match your tie and get the corsage…” She stops as Matt shakes his head. “What?”   “You women are all the same. Matching colors and flowers? Guys don’t care about stuff like that.”   Bo comes through the door. “Guys don’t care about what?”   Matt stands. “Mom’s all worried about my tie matching Kallie’s dress.”   Bo grins. “That’s a female thing, son. You’ll get used to it.”   Matt rolls his eyes. “If you say so. I have to finish my homework. Let me know when dinner is here.” He starts to leave the room.   “Hey, Matthew.” He turns to face his mother. “Remember what I said, okay?”   “I will. Thanks, Mom.”   He jogs up the stairs as Bo walks over and gives Nora a kiss. “How was your day?”   “Enlightening. Where have you been? I thought you were picking up Matt?”   “I had a meeting so I asked Rex to get him. Did he forget?”   “No, but I thought you had it covered. Who were you meeting with?”   He takes a seat beside her. “I went to see John about the Turner case.”   “You’re still working that?” Bo nods. “Is it serious?” He nods again. “What happened?”   “I can’t go into details just yet, but I’ll fill you in soon.” She nods. “I know you’ve been worried about something and now I know it’s a case.”   “It’s coming down to crunch time, that’s all.”   “Okay. Just answer me this, is it dangerous?”   He puts his arm around her, pulling her close. “No, it’s not like that. Promise.”   She leans her head on his shoulder. “That’s a relief.”   “So, what caused your enlightening?”   Nora sighs, lifting her head off his shoulder and glancing at the stairs. “I had an interesting conversation with Matthew.”   “Besides the matching tie?”   She nods. “It was serious.”   “Something wrong?”   “Remember how upset he was when we had that argument last week?” Bo nods. “I know why.”   She picks up the newspaper, turning to Kallie’s article and handing it to Bo. He scans the article and looks at her questioningly. “What does this have to do with Matthew being upset?” Nora nods at him as he finally gets it. “He thought I would hit you because we were arguing? Come on, honey. He knows better than that.”   “He’s a teenager, Bo. Who really knows how his mind works? And you know how protective he is of me.” “Yeah, but this?”   “I think he’s been reading Kallie’s research and letting his imagination run wild. I assured him that in all the time I’ve known you, I’ve never felt threatened by you during an argument.”   He kisses her. “Thank you for that. I’ll have a talk with him, too. Just so he hears it from me too and it sinks in.”   “I think that would be good.”   He gives her a quick kiss and gets up from the couch. “There’s something else I want to discuss with him anyway.”   “I’ll order dinner.”   “Thanks.” Bo makes his way upstairs and knocks on Matt’s door, pushing it open. “Can I talk to you a minute?”   Matt looks up from his book. “Hey, Dad. What’s up?”   Bo sits on the bed opposite him. “I talked to your mom…”   “And she told you about me asking if you’ve ever hit her during an argument.”   “Yeah, she did. Why would you think something like that?”   Matt shrugs. “I just read Kallie’s article and it seems it could happen to anyone.”   “But I’ve told you I would never hurt your mother. You didn’t believe me?”   Matt looks away. “It’s not that. I guess I just wanted to be sure.”   “Well, let me put your mind at ease. I adore your mother and I admire the fact that she stands up for what she believes in – even with me. I would never try to intimidate her to keep her from speaking her mind – especially not with physical violence. It’s not right, son. It’s not what a real man does, understand?” Matt nods. “So, next time you hear us arguing, you don’t have to be afraid, okay?”   “That’s what Mom said.”   “Your mother is a very wise woman.”   Matt smiles. “I think so too.”   “So, are we clear on this now? No more doubts?” Matt shakes his head. “Good. There’s something else I wanted to ask you about.”   “Okay.”   “Have you noticed anything unusual at Stevie’s house lately?”   Matt begins to squirm. “Unusual how?”   “You tell me. Your mom said Brenda came by her office wanting to know why you haven’t been at their house.”   Matt shrugs. “I told Mom, I just haven’t had time with school and baseball. Besides, Stevie has been coming over here to practice.”   “That’s all there is to it?”   Matt looks away. “Yes.”   Bo watches his son’s body language, not quite believing him. “Has Stevie said anything to you about his dad?” “What about his dad?”   “Matthew, please don’t answer my question with a question. Is there anything different going on at Stevie’s house these days? Something I should know about?”   Matt shakes his head slowly. “Not that I know of… Why are you asking this stuff? Is Stevie in trouble? Or his dad?”   Bo looks at him closely. “I can’t go into it right now, Matt. You’ll tell me if you do notice something?” “Sure, Dad.”   Bo gets up and walks to the door. He turns to his son. “Remember what I said about Mom, okay?”   “I will.”   “I’ll let you know when dinner gets here.” Bo closes the door, heading back downstairs, more convinced than ever that his son knows something about what is going on in the Taylor household.   TBC