Finding Jaime

Chapter 38

"I didn't do anything," he said.

"No. You just ran lookout so your so-called friends could commit a crime."

"They took two hubcaps. What's the big deal?"

"Jaime - it's a crime to steal other people's stuff!" I cried. "You know, crime? With courts and judges and jail."

"The cop said he was just giving me a warning. So what's the big deal?!"

"Jaime Clarke! The big deal is you could have been charged with a crime. You could have been sent to a juvenile detention centre. What do you need hubcaps for?"

"I don't need them. Frank gets them and sells them to collectors."

"That's not better!" I yelled. Jaime was taken aback.

"I didn't do anything!" He insisted. "I didn't know that's what Frank was doing!"

"Really Jaime?  Really?  Because you just told me Frank sells them to collectors. What did you think he was doing? Watering a garden?!"

"You don't understand," Jaime mumbled.

"No. You're right. I don't. I don't understand why a kid like you would put himself in a situation that could go so very badly."

"What's the worst that happened? I got a warning and you had to come pick me up early."

"Jaime - your life isn't the same as it was with your mom anymore. You have to be more careful." I said. "You're not as anonymous as you think you are."

"Wait," Jaime said. "Are you upset because of how this might look on you!?"

"No!" I exclaimed. "But it is a reality that you need to consider!"

"Sorry! Your screw up of a son fucked up and you're worried about your image?!"

"No, Jaime. I'm worried about you. I don't want you getting into trouble because that can affect your future. It can affect whether you get into colleges, whether you can hold down a job or even get one. It could affect travel."

"You're worried more about you and how this is going to look on you!" Jaime challenged. I sighed. He wasn't entirely wrong. But he was far from right.

"You're grounded," I said. "Two weeks. School and home. Meagan or I will pick you up and drop you off. No Xbox, no friends over. No going out on the weekend. You are on permanent babysitting duty while you're grounded."

"That's not fair!" Jaime cried.

"It isn't? You'd rather they'd pressed charges and maybe let you sit in a cell overnight?"

That shut him up.

"You suck," Jaime fumed.

"You're not my favourite person right now either," I shot back.

We pulled into the driveway and Jaime got out of the car.

We walked in the house and Jaime slammed it behind me.

"Hey! Watch your attitude!" I said. "You don't get to be mad!"

"Why not? You're grounding me when I didn't do anything!"

"You abetted the commission of a crime!"

Jaime rolled his eyes.

"Go to your room," I said.

"What?" Jaime asked.

"I said 'go to your room'. I don't want to see you right now. Go do your homework and think about what you did."

"You suck!" Jaime yelled, heading to the stairs. "I hate you!"

"Like I said before, you're not my favourite person right now either. Go," I pointed up the stairs. He turned around and with a huff, went upstairs. I heard him slam his door. Meagan came out of the living room. 

"What was that?" She asked.

"That was my son, learning that there are boundaries in this house and this family and that committing a crime isn't going to be tolerated."

"Crime? What did they charge him with?"

"They let him off with a warning because he didn't actually do anything," I said.

"Then why are you so mad?"

"Because he was the lookout so his little buddy could steal some hubcaps. They ran when the owner came out but obviously Jaime isn't as fast and the owner caught him. He couldn't actually prove Jaime was involved so he couldn't press charges, but the police made it sound like he could have been charged."

Meagan sighed.

"I hope you weren't too harsh with him. I hope you listened to him."

"He didn't say much except that he didn't do anything and that I don't understand. He's grounded for two weeks. School, home and babysitting duties. No Xbox," I said.

"That's not too harsh. I thought you'd be looking up military schools by now."

"Don't tempt me," I said, getting a beer from the fridge and heading outside. I needed to calm down and relax as well.