Ordeal by Cheque The life of Jr Essay Example For Students

Ordeal by Cheque: The life of Jr Essay John McElyeaAugust 24, 2003TLCCheckbook Final DraftOrdeal by Cheque: The life of JrTony turned the corner at a dangerous speed, trying to go even faster, but the sirens behind him did not get any softer. This was all the kids fault. That stupid kid. Tony sped up, dodging traffic as he had so many times before, except this time it was different. The kid. Tony thought back, remembering everything he could, all the way to the very beginning. Lawrence Exeter Junior had been born in the heat of the day on September 2, 1903. He was different from the day he was born. His rich parents sensed something was wrong, for parents usually can sense things about their child. Therefore, the day after he was born, Marie and Lawrence Exeter took the newborn to Dr. David McCoy for a check-up. The doctor said that the baby was as healthy as a horse, and there was nothing to worry about. Still, the parents worried, because parents can tell. Jr, as everyone called him, was very quiet as a baby and never had big reactions to things. Everyone said he was just quiet. His parent brought him gifts from California Toyland, but they soon figured out that he was happy with just staring at something or handling a small object. When he reached 6, his father enrolled him in Palisades School for boys. Jr excelled in all of his classes except art and handwriting. Jrs 3rd report card showed that he had improved his handwriting, so Lawrence Sr brought Jr a bicycle. Jr was immediately fascinated with it. Within a week, Jr had mastered training wheels, and exactly sixteen days after he had mastered training wheels, Jr was riding it without the training wheels. Jr rode his bicycle everywhere. He even started waking up earlier in the morning so he and his dad could bike down to Palisades, which was nine miles away. His bicycle became his treasure. All of his artwork in art class now somehow revolved around a bicycle. On July 24, 1915, the real trouble with Jr started that would ruin many lives, including Tony Spagonis. Jr was out riding his bicycle, when a man by the name of Steve Matterson came around a corner too fast, tried to slam on brakes, but ended up hitting both Jr and his bike. Because Steve had put on his brakes, Jr only suffered scrapes and bruises. His bike however, was a mess. Jr cried for hours that day, his parents comforting him and telling him they would buy him a new one the next day. They never did. They never pressed charges out of courtesy, for they knew it was an accident that anyone would have made. That night, before Jrs parents put him to bed, he said to them:Im sorryWhat are you sorry for, honey? his mom asked. Youll know, he said, rolling over and pretending to go to sleep. Later, when Jr was sure his parents were asleep, he got up, and wrote a simple letter that read:im sorry He put the letter in an envelope, sealed it, and somehow correctly addressed it to Steve Matterson. Three days later, right before Mrs. Exeter was about to take her son to the toyshop to buy a new bike, she picked up the paper and a certain article caught her eye. It said: Man MurderedSteve Matterson was found chokedto death in his house. Officials say Later in the story it mentioned that a letter was found in his house that said im sorry. This was enough for Marie. She knew how to put two and two together. What did you do to Steve, she asked Jr. Im sorry, he said casually. Well, you cant get a new bike until I know what happened. He glared at her for a moment, then said, I made him sorry, too.Of course, you can guess that didnt go over well. The Exeter family never discussed it outside the immediate family. There was much discussion between Mr. and Mrs. Exeter, though. They decided to straighten him out. They knew that he was directly linked to Mattersons death, but they didnt have a clue as to what had happened. So, on August 31, Jr, now 12 years old, stepped on to the campus of Columbia Military Academy. He was a good student, made good grades, fit in, and his only behavioral problem was his reluctance to talk to his teachers and drill sergeants. When he graduated, his father brought him a brand new Cadillac. It was a beautiful car. It ran as sooth as any, and it was from the nicest dealer in town. Not four days after Jr had received his new car, he ran a red light and smashed into the side of a Ford, crushing the hood of the Cadillac. You Freak! he yelled at the person. YOULL BE SO SORRY YOU EVER THOUGHT YOU COULD MESS UP MY HOOD!The other person came out of the ford, and gave Jr a dark look. You stupid kid, he said dangerously, You are an idiot for thinking that you will ever do anything to me. You caused the accident. Goodbye. The man got back in his car and without another word drove off, leaving Jr standing in the street, furious. Jrs dad sympathized with Jrs tale of a man who had cut across traffic, so the father got the car fixed. Jr wrote a letter that would bring an end to the dark man in the Ford and filled out the envelope. On the way to the mailbox, he had looked down and saw that he had written a letter to a man named Tony Spagoni. Later that year, after many letters to Tony Spagoni (Jr searched the whole paper every day, but couldnt find Tonys name anywhere.), Jrs father had enrolled Jr into Stanford University. After two semesters, Jr was doing real well with his studies, so his father decided to let him have the French vacation that Jr had always wanted. When Jr went to see his parents over the summer, he was surprised by the round trip ticket to France his father gave him. He told them while he was there that a lifeguard named Miss Daisy Windson had saved his life. He told his parents to send her a check for twenty five thousand dollars. They did, and two weeks later, Tony was in France. While he was enjoying France, he met a woman, Miss Ellie Stinson, who was also from the US and touring France. She was from Nevada, he found out. They spent a month together in France. When they got back to the United States, they moved into an apartment together in California. He continued to go out with her, buying her hu ge arrangements of flowers every now and then. Then, Jrs dad brought a huge house and had it furnished and decorated with the most expensive furniture. Before the house was finished, Jr went to Beverly Diamond Gift Shoppe and got a ring that sparkled so much you could see it across the room. He asked Ellie to marry him, she said yes, and the next day Jr got his dad to buy them two tickets for a Hawaii cruise ship. The got married privately on the ship, no one else in the room except Lawrence Exeter Jr, Ellie Exeter, and the minister. When they got back from the cruise, Jrs father gave Jr two hundred thousand dollars as a wedding gift. The couple took their honeymoon in Turkey. They stayed at the Ambassador Hotel in Istanbul. They were there for two weeks, and had the time of their lives. When they got back, their house was finished, so they moved in. Their marriage stayed strong, and Jr still gave her flowers and sweets. Mr Exeter Sr gave Jr his checkbook, because he thought that it was time for Jr to have it. Everything was going great until Jr received the letter in the mail. The letter had no return address, and all it said was: If you wish to live, go to the Parisian Gown Shoppe. Jr did not share this note with his wife, because he thought it might upset her. The next day, he went to the small, shabby shop. He stepped inside and was greeted by a group of men wearing black suits. One of them with dark features Jr recognized as Tony Spagoni. You should be dead, Jr said, pointing at Tony. Atomic Bomb EssayInstead of this apartment, why dont you come stay at my house? he said. Jr agreed instantly. He had grown fond of Tony, and he especially liked writing notes now. Tony only asked for $100 dollars, and Jr, of course, gave it to him. Jr liked Tonys apartment, and that night Jr asked Tony why Tony hadnt died. Tony told him that other people had opened the note, and the note wasnt meant for them, so they hadnt died. Tony had always kept the first note, folded, so he couldnt read it. That was how they discovered he had the ability. The next morning, Tony wanted $100, so Tony got $100. Then, Tony left. While he was gone, Jr got the mail, and saw it was time to write another letter. Jr opened a desk drawer in search of a pen, and found a note from Tony to The Bootery. From the letter, Jr realized that The Bootery was just a family in the mob. This family always had money when they needed it, and whenever there was a threat to the family, all the people involved either die d or got seriously injured. A detective named Peter Ventizzi had just been assigned to bring down The Bootery, and Tony was asking the godfather of The Bootery if he could use Jr to kill Ventizzi. Jr wrote a note to Ventizzi, that had a check for $25, told Peter where he was, gave him Tonys name, and told him not to open any letters. Jr filled out the address (somehow knowing where Ventizzi lived), and mailed it. Then he went back into the house, dialed 911, said that he was at a murderers house, and then sat back. Tony arrived before the police. He saw the note in Jrs hand, immediately understood, pulled out his gun, and fired, then turned and ran to his car as the faint sound of sirens filled the air. Luckily, an ambulance had also been dispatched. Jr spent the next ten days in the hospital, then he had died of internal bleeding. Dr. McCoy, the same guy that delivered him, had treated him. Tony, as he turned another corner at break-neck speed, could remember the last two weeks that he had spent hiding, but he had been found by Ventizzi in the end. He knew that if they captured him, they would be able to get names out of him. He opened his glove compartment, pulled out a note, unfolded it, and read the two words written on it.