THE HONOURABLE MAN

Episode 62

A few days after Courtney left and the family got back to their normal peaceful state. Bryce notices there is something on Sam's mind but he doesn't question him about it. He conceives it's best to give him time and space and when he is ready he will share his troubles with him.

One weekend after dinner, they sit down to play a fun board game right after Bryan and baby Kiandra are tucked in bed.

Sam is unable to focus on the game, his mind wanders far away and his conscience seems to trouble him deeply.

"It's your turn Sam," Kiana expectantly peers at him but he doesn't seem to notice or hear anything.

She and Bryce share a concerned look.

"Hey....are you alright?" Bryce waves his hand at him.

"Huh?" he responds by staring blankly at him.

"Ever since Courtney moved out you have been acting different," Bryce comments.

"Different how?" He anxiously taps the floor with his feet, his stomach knotting with guilt.

"It's like there is something eating you up...Sam we care about you... you can tell us anything...you should know that you can trust us," Kiana says while taking his hand into hers and reassuringly patting it.

Sam's tilts his head up to peer at the both of them, he observes the kindness, warmth and genuine love and concern showing in their eyes.

He takes a deep breath, a rush of guilt washing over him.

"I'm the reason why aunt Courtney left," he regretfully announces.

Bryce and his wife share a stunned look before flickering their gaze back to Sam.

"Sam...why would you think that?"

"Because it's true...at first I thought I would be happy once she is out of the house but now that she is gone I can't help feeling like a horrible child. After everything you have done for me I feel like an ungrateful and undeserving child," he woefully utters with his eyes sparkling with tears.

Bryce and his wife have no idea what Sam is talking about but it has become obvious that he believes he did something bad to drive Courtney away and they cannot let him keep on beating himself up and carrying on that guilt.

"Sam... you are not the reason she left..." Bryce murmurs before he is cut off by Sam.

"Yes I am...I stole her money and that's what caused the verbal fight between the three of you leading to her leaving the house just as I had hoped," he blurts out his confession.

Kiana rises to her feet and gapes at him with disappointment, bewilderment and shock visible in her expression.

"You did what!? So my sister wasn't just looking to start trouble when she accused you of stealing her money?" She scowls at Sam who is frantically on the verge of tears.

Observing Sam's frightened reaction and the tears welling up in his eyes, Bryce jumps to his feet and tries to calm down his wife. "Sweetheart...you need to take it easy on the kid," he whispers while gently grabbing her arm.

She shakes his hand off of her, "Don't you dare tell me to calm down...I trusted Sam how could he do that...how could he be so calculative and manipulative?" She spits.

"I'm sorry aunt Kiana...I was just desperate to get your sister out of the house but I swear I did return her money... I slipped it into the front pocket of her suitcase the day she left." He sincerely apologizes.

"That doesn't change the damage that has already been done," she huffs.

"I know and I'm sorry...I feel terrible and I can call aunt Courtney to apologize if that will help," he offers.

She takes a moment to consider his words but before she can make a decision her husband takes advantage of her silence to give his unrequested opinion.

"I think that would only make her more furious than she already is. If she did find the money where you say you left it then my guess is she believed she was the one who had placed it there and forgot," he states.

"You say that as if you know my sister at all. Courtney doesn't easily get confused or forgetful, besides how does one misplace money but putting it in their suitcase when they aren't travelling. I think its quite obvious to her that someone else slipped it in there the day she left." She rolls her eyes.

She locks eyes with Sam, warm tears have begun to streak down his cheeks. She feels a pang in her heart watching him like that.

"I will go and pack my bags and leave," he sniffles.

Bryce stares at his wife and gives her an encouraging nod. He wants her to be the one to reassure Sam that he is still a part of their family regardless of his wrong doing.

"Sam...," she calls out softly,

"Yes mam," he responds with uncertainty.

She plops herself down on a chair and beckons him over to take a seat next to hers. He obediently paces across and plops himself down.

"First of all I need you to know that you are not the reason Courtney left,"

"I'm not?" His eyes widen with bewilderment.

"No...you are not, she had only asked to stay with us just for a couple of days and so it was now time for her to leave," she pauses and then the expression on her face hardens.

"However what you did, deliberately starting a fight between adults was very bad and I hope nothing like that will ever happen again," she sternly points her finger up.

"It won't...I promise," he nods his head.

"And Sam...we are now your family, you should know that things won't always be smooth and easy. There will be plenty of times were we will step on each other's toes but that doesn't mean we have to stop being a family or one of us has to pack his bags and leave," she continues.

"I'm sorry mam...I just thought I should leave just as Courtney did," he keeps his eyes at his feet, refusing to look up at her.

***

"Never compare yourself to Courtney, she is an adult and she has her parents. You are a child and we are your parents, it doesn't matter that you are not our biological son or that we are not blood related. That can never stop us from loving you and considering you our son," she declares.

Wide eyed, Sam looks up at her to search for sincerity in her eyes and when he finds it his eyes light up with relief and pure joy.

Tears of happiness trickle down his cheeks, he can't believe how blessed he is to have people who care about him so much.

Bryce who had been standing out of sight but listening in, walks in and sits next to his wife.

"Can I call you mom and dad?" He eagerly requests while hopefully peering at them.

Bryce and Kiana drop their jaws and look at each other with stunned expressions. Bryce would love nothing more, he has loved Sam from the day he was born and now to have him calling him "dad" again will feel like a breath of fresh air. Although he wants Sam to call him "dad" he can't accept that without his wife's approval. He needs to be sure that she is hundred percent fine with it.

He gives Sam a hopeful smile before glancing at his wife, silently requesting for her opinion.

"Sam...we would like that very much...I'm sure calling us aunt and uncle is a bit much and it would probably confuse Bryan and Kiandra with time," she positively agrees.

"Are you sure?" Bryce widens his eyes. He is delighted but he doesn't want her to agree to something she is not comfortable with just for his sake.

"Yes...like I said...Sam is our son," she flashes the both of them a reassuring smile.

Sam leaps out of his chair and excitedly throws his arms around them. "I love you guys," he screams at the top of his lungs causing his parents to laugh giddily.

They break the embrace after a long moment and Bryce clears his throat, "Well then Sam...I mean son," he smiles sheepishly.

Kiana and Sam attentively peer at him, waiting for him to speak.

"As your father...I will not allow mischief or lies in my house. It will be my duty to make sure you grow up to be a decent, honest and responsible man. If you misbehave I will not hesitate to punish you, be warned," he huskily states.

Sam bites his lower lip before responding, "I hear you father," he nods.

"One last thing...we don't want any secrets in this house...so if you have something to tell us that we should know about...now is the time," he says with a very serious tone.

Sam anxiously gulps, guilt knotting in his chest. He recites his mother's words the day he visited her in prison. "You can't tell anyone!"

"Sam...I know there is something you have been withholding ever since you moved in here and my guess is it has something to do with your biological mother. Your chest is overburdened, once you offload whatever you are keeping in there you will feel better I promise. You can trust us...let us help you son," he implores.

He reaches for his arm and reassuringly squeezes it.

Sam takes a long moment staring into the distance, obviously contemplating whether it would be wise of him to confide in them and what would his mother say if he found out he betrayed her trust.

He acknowledges that telling someone the secret he has held for such a long time will help set him free from the guilt and burden of keeping the secret to himself.

He has been with the Adams family long enough to acknowledge their pure hearts and good morals. How then can he call them "mom and dad" yet keeping something big from them?

"It's about my father...how he died," he sighs as he begins to disclose the truth.

"Janet said he overdosed on drugs," Bryce says.

"I can't really say I knew my father very well but my mother told me he was a bad man who physically and emotionally abused her and forced her to do things she wasn't comfortable with. There are times I would walk in on my mother smearing heavy make up on her face to cover the bruises my father inflicted on her." He pauses to wipe the tears on his cheek using his thumb.

Sam contemplates his next action, he leaps to his feet and takes off his t shirt and turns around to show them his scarred back.

Bryce and Kiana gasp with shock and horror, tears well up in their eyes at the sight of the hideous marks on Sam's back.

"Sam...did your father do this to you?" Bryce squints his eyes with anger wishing Sam's father was still alive so he could kill him with his own bare hands.

"Yes...every time I would try and stop him from making a punching bag out of my mother he would turn to me and whip me hard with a cable," his body shakes as he bursts into tears.

Bryce pulls him into a tight embrace and sympathetically rubs his back.

"Why didn't your mother do anything about this, she could had gone to the police...how could she let him get away with doing this to you?" Kiana groans, her eyes burning with pain and anger.

"I think my dad had a high rank police officer as his ally so reporting him to the police was useless and mom says he threatened to kill us if we ever dared to leave him.... one evening he got home high and drunk from a party and mother instructed me to go to my room and I did so. I was later awoken by the sound of the ambulance sirens. I dashed out of my room fast enough to watch the paramedics carry my dad into the ambulance and that was the last time I ever saw him alive."

"What happened after that?" Kiana impatiently questions.

"I was later told that my father has died and I didn't know how to feel about it. A part of me was sad because he was my father but a big part of me was relieved neither me nor my mom would have to endure his abuse ever again." He admits.

"I hear what you are saying Sam but I'm still not sure why you would feel the need to keep that from us. You didn't do anything wrong neither did your mother," Bryce assures him.

Sam hesitates to respond for a brief moment, he then contemplatively peers at the both of them. He sighs and rubs his eyes,

"I wasn't finished with my story.....The next morning I accidentally found a syringe in between the sofa cushions and I hurried to my mother's bedroom to ask her what she was using it for. Her door was slightly open and she was having an intense conversation with someone on the phone. I didn't want to disturb her so I just waited by the door way and listened." He pauses to scratch his scalp.

"I heard her say she took care of my dad and made it look like an accidental drug overdose and she doesn't expect any investigations to be made especially because my dad was well known for being a drug abuser," he adds.

"Oh my god!" Kiana gasps, she is appalled and struck with disgust.

"I confronted my mother about what I heard and she didn't even try to deny it. She told me she did the right thing for the both us and I should never tell anyone about it...My mother...my mother is a murderer and my father was an evil abusive man...what does...what does that say...about me?" He stammers as he breaks down into tears.

Bryce finds himself at a loss for words, he is motionless and feels weak in his knees. A part of him regrets asking Sam to disclose his secret because now he doesn't know what to do with the revelation. He is not an emotionally strong person and that's what landed him in rehab and so how is he going to be able to give Sam the emotional support he needs?

The thought of poor young Sam having to live with such a grave secret from such a tender young age. He can't begin to imagine the mental burden and the guilt he has endured.

Kiana has never liked Janet ever since she heard all about her when she reunited with Bryce but surprisingly she finds herself battling with mixed feelings. She questions herself if she would had done the same thing had it been her walking in Janet's shoes? The answer is no! She would had packed her bags and left with her child because unlike Janet she does not need to stay with a man for financial support.

"Sam...who your parents are or the mistakes they have done say absolutely nothing about you...do you hear me? You are your own person and you choose your own path and who you want to be...always remember that," she says with determination in her eyes.

"I'm a bad person...because even though I know what my mother did, I still love her and I'm not ashamed of her....that makes me a bad person doesn't it?" He sniffles.

Bryce quietly disappears from the room leaving Kiana to deal with Sam's emotions on her own. He feels bad for it but he just can't bear to watch him cry. He is not strong enough.

"Aww Sam...you have been carrying all these ugly feelings and beating yourself up for too long. I'm glad you have opened up because I'm not going to let you despise yourself any longer...you are a strong person if you are able to unconditionally love any human being because most people fail to do that."

Kiana spends over an hour counselling Sam, letting him know what a strong and loving child he is. She knows the right words to soothe, console and strengthen him. She carries on until he peacefully falls asleep in her arms.

***

Kiana and Bryce argue over what to do regarding Sam's confession. Bryce thinks its best to keep quiet and not have Sam questioned by the police and compelled to testify against his own mother but his wife argues that keeping quiet will only be teaching Sam a wrong thing. He needs to learn that wrongdoers must face the wrath of the law regardless of their reasons why they committed the crimes.

She is worried that one day they may find themselves facing charges for perverting the course of justice, especially because they do not know who Janet told about her crime. If that person one day decides to snitch on Janet it would bring the police knocking on their door and Sam may not be able to convince the police that his foster parents had no knowledge of his mother's crime.

After deliberating on the subject for a few days, they decide to speak to Sam and hear what he has to say. Although he loves his mother he willingly accepts that she has to be prosecuted for murdering his father regardless of who he was.

He considers the fact that his mother may never forgive him for snitching on him but he wants to be free and have a clean conscience. He can only hope that maybe one day she will understand and forgive him.

Bryce calls his lawyer, one of the best in town. The lawyer advises him on what course to take and informs him that the trial will be emotionally challenging for Sam and he has to be prepared for it. He also promises to try his best to prove that Sam's father was an abusive man and Janet was not in her right state of mind when she killed him, this way she can have better chances of getting a lesser sentence.

A few weeks later the trial begins and it takes three days for the judge to deliver his verdict. Janet Jules is sentenced to eight years in prison for manslaughter and she is to carry out her sentence at a maximum security prison.

Following Janet's trial and keeping in mind that she will rot in prison for a total of ten years including the two year sentence for drug distribution. They realize that by the time she gets released Sam would be a twenty year old adult.

In complete unison they make the decision to legally adopt Sam and to their surprise Janet co operates and signs away her parental rights over to Bryce and Kiana.

Sam proudly takes Bryce's surname and becomes known as "Sam Adams"

Although he is happy and content with his new name and his legal parents and siblings he still keeps in touch with his biological mother because Kiana and Bryce encouraged him to do so as they believed it would be mentally good for both him and Janet to stay in each other's lives.

With no more unpleasant guests or grave secrets between them, the Adams family grows stronger and inseparable.

***

Kiana and Bryce are later blessed with another baby girl whom they name "Grace." With Bryan already having a big brother to play soccer with Kiana is delighted to give her daughter Kiandra a sister to share her life with and grow up to do girl stuff together.

As they celebrate Grace's first birthday, Kiana adoringly and contentedly stares at her family that's wearing beaming smiles on their faces. Her eyes dart to her beautiful bubbly children one by one and then they linger for a while on her husband as she remembers all they have been through together.

She can't admire him enough for being an honorable man and the most loving, caring, selfless and generous person she has ever met. She silently prays to God thanking heavens for the wonderful family that they have built together.