Aaron knocked and entered to find Father Abel with a very grim look on his face.
"I see you have already amassed quite a fearsome reputation. That little stunt you pulled in the parking lot has had all the students terrified of you," said Father Abel grimly
"I intended no harm. I merely wished to either scare her or attract campus security," answered Aaron.
Father Abel pulled out his phone, and showed Aaron a video of the incident.
From the angle the shot was taken, it looked like the BMW was revving, getting ready to slam into Mamba and her car.
Mamba herself had an expression of abject terror and was frozen in place.
"I believe my father and campus security can testify that there was no danger to Ms. Mamba. I only wished to prevent her from vandalizing the car with her baseball bat," said Aaron.
Father Abel sighed wearily. "We know that, which is why you are not in trouble. However, it has made your ability to socialize much more difficult," he said.
Aaron raised an eyebrow. "If my peers don't have the intelligence to understand the context of my actions, then I'd rather not associate with them," he replied, eliciting a wry chuckle from Father Abel which he quickly suppressed with a shake of his head.
"Onto another matter, I've had the most disturbing phone calls from Mei and Kate," said Father Abel grimly. His eyes boring into Aaron.
Aaron regarded Father Abel coldly. "What are you talking about?" he asked quietly.
Father Abel rubbed his temples. "Did you notice that they were calling you 'Master Aaron' and obeyed your commands despite them being much older than you?" he asked.
"Well yes. I'll admit that I liked it, even if they were just humoring me," said Aaron.
"They weren't humoring you. They actually enjoyed the control you had over them. Heck, Mei even told me she felt submissive in your presence!" growled Father Abel.
"I'm thirteen years old. They're both adults, they can date any man they want, so why are they acting like that around me, except to humor me on my birthday?" asked Aaron, genuinely confused.
"You may be thirteen, but you have a presence about you that makes girls like them feel submissive, obedient and eager to please you. I don't think you fully understand what is happening here," said Father Abel gravely.
Aaron's demeanor cracked. "I don't understand either Father Abel. Please explain," he asked softly, looking for once, like the confused boy he was supposed to be.
Father Abel sighed, "What you are feeling is not uncommon, but it is something that needs to be addressed.
You have a strong desire to control your environment and the people in it.
This can manifest in many ways, including the way you interact, and the way others respond to you," he said gently.
Realization dawned in Aaron's eyes. "So what I'm feeling is normal?" he whispered. His Stoic mask crumbled, and Father Abel saw the vulnerable side of Aaron for the first time.
Father Abel felt a wrench in his gut. He realized that Aaron's stoicism and extreme self-control were the result of him attempting to suppress these urges. "When did you start to feel these desires?" he asked gently.
"Three years ago," replied Aaron. He then poured out to Father Abel exactly what had happened:
Three years ago, when Aaron was 10, Ivan had taken him to a BMW dealership to take delivery of the new BMW M5 Ivan had bought. Aaron, who had seen his father work long and hard on extra projects - including the St. Ignatius ID system, was thrilled and proud of his father for being able to buy such a beautiful and powerful car.
That night though, he witnessed a vicious and violent argument between Annette and Ivan.
Believing that he was asleep, Annette had confronted Ivan about his purchase of the BMW M5, she could not believe that he was actually serious about owning it and had taken on extra work to earn enough money to afford it. She was simply furious and screamed all sorts of things like 'toxic male', 'brute' and had even tried to slap Ivan. He had caught and twisted her arm, threatening her in a low voice, before releasing her. The argument continued, with Ivan calmly but firmly standing his ground on his purchase decision while Annette was hysterical.
Finally, Annette had screamed that he could keep his stupid car, but it would be the last time he ever pulled something like this, or she would leave him and take Aaron with her. Aaron had felt fear for being separated from his father, and was confused why Annette was so angry about the car.
His confusion about Annette's anger over the car only grew and came to a climax the day after the delivery of the car when she had screamed in terror when Ivan had pushed the car to its full acceleration on the highway. At that moment, he felt pleasure over Annette's fear and happiness that Ivan was enjoying himself. He also felt guilt since it was his mother who he was happy to see scared, but he realized that this was something deep within him. Ever since that day, he had been trying to control and suppress his desire to see girls and women in fear. Drawing from his knowledge of movies and TV shows, he adopted a persona to hide his emotions. As he practiced his stoicism, he came to realize that he liked the way it made others feel uncomfortable around him, and he liked the feeling of control his ability to hide his emotions gave him.
After he had finished speaking, Aaron felt as if a massive weight had been lifted of his shoulders. Father Abel, came around his desk and laid a gentle, comforting hand on Aaron.
"I am sorry that you had to witness that fight Aaron. But do not worry. You are not alone. There are lots of people who have the same tendencies as you." he said gently.
"Thank you, Father Abel" sniffled Aaron, drying his tears. With several deep breaths, he stopped crying and returned to his Stoic self.
"Your use of stoicism to control those tendencies do you great credit. Another person would have resorted to thuggery or bullying to satiate those desires." said Father Abel, admiration clear in his voice.
"I don't look for trouble, but I won't back down from it either," said Aaron.
Father Abel sighed in relief.
"All right, now on to our current situation. Both Mei Ling and Kate have agreed to minimize their interactions with you, friendship is not off the table, but no more flirting or any other behavior that could be construed as romantic," he said, his tone serious.
Aaron nodded, "I understand Father Abel. I will respect their wishes," he said.
"Another word of caution Aaron. This sort of thing is not widely understood or accepted, and can be horribly misinterpreted. I urge you to not openly discuss this with anyone," said Father Abel as a final warning.
"I understand Father Abel. I'll keep it to myself" said Aaron as he stood to leave.
----
Ivan sat nervously in Father Abel's office. Father Abel was not his usual friendly, welcoming self, but looked at Ivan sternly.
"It appears that young Aaron witnessed a very serious altercation between you and Mrs. Zakhrov three years ago regarding the purchase of your car. I want to hear your side of the story" said Father Abel, his eyes cold and hard.
Ivan swallowed nervously and began:
"It all started around 5 years ago when Aaron was 8. We had discovered his aptitude for programming and his high intelligence and decided to homeschool him. During one of his sessions with me, Aaron asked me why we didn't have a car and took Uber everywhere. I told him that I was saving up for a car that I always wanted - a BMW M5, and he offered to work on code projects for me so that I could get it quickly. That offer, while sweet, also made me sick to my stomach. I explained to him that him working for us to afford something is against the law, and that we grown-ups will take care of it. He still insisted on working on actual projects, so I told him that he could, but only for two to four hours a day, and for himself - not for us. At first, I thought that that would be the end of it, but the next day, Annette confronted me about telling Aaron that I always wanted a BMW M5 and was saving for it. She was quite upset that Aaron had changed his computer wallpaper to a picture of a Jaguar XJ220. She had forced him to delete it and sternly told me that big, loud and fast cars were impractical, expensive, synonymous with toxic masculinity, and that if I really wanted a car, to buy something more ecologically sound and practical like a Tesla or a Prius."
Ivan paused, took a deep shuddering breath and continued:
"Annette's statements and actions greatly offended me. I assured Aaron that it was alright to like fast cars and that Annette is wrong about them. He again offered to help me afford it, and that it would be his car too, I refused, and told him that I can do it myself, and he could do the same for his car for when he turned 16. It took two years of overtime, but that was totally worth it. I told Aaron to keep what we were doing a secret from Annette, and that the car will be a surprise for her, wrongly believing that she would warm to it. After all, it looks like a normal sedan. Once I confirmed the purchase and delivery, I took Aaron to the dealership. He was thrilled! He loved the sound of the engine, the whistle of the turbochargers, the sleek black look. We were both super excited to go home and see the look on Annette's face."
Ivan paused again, his face a mask of pain. He took a deep breath and resumed:
"As soon as we pulled into the driveway I knew that I had made a terrible mistake. Annette was very quiet during dinner, drinking wine straight out of a bottle. Fearing that Aaron would come under her fury, I sent him to bed early. I had no idea he hadn't fallen asleep. The argument was intense. Annette accused me of toxic male behavior. She couldn't believe that I had the gall to go behind her back and buy a sports car. I tried to explain that the BMW M5 was a car that I always wanted, that a sports car is not a symbol of toxic masculinity and that the BMW M5 was very safe and practical as a family car. She demanded that I either return or sell the car. I refused and told her that I had worked extremely hard to get it and I deserve it. And that Aaron has already seen the car, loves it, and understands how hard I worked to be able to get it. To sell it or trade it in now will set a very bad example for him. She became hysterical and said that I was normalizing a self-centered and environmentally irresponsible attitude in Aaron, she got physical and tried to slap me. I restrained her and told her in anger to never dare try to hit me again. She again demanded that I either sell the car or she would leave and take Aaron with her. I was shocked and angry that she would destroy our family like this over a car. I agreed, but told her in no uncertain terms that she was no longer my wife, and that I am staying only for Aaron's sake and that I don't love her anymore. Hearing that, she relented and said the car could stay, but this was the last time she would tolerate toxic male behavior"
Ivan stopped speaking, tears in his eyes.
Father Abel placed a gentle, comforting hand on his. "What happened next?" he asked.
"The next day, Annette was hungover and claimed to have no recollection of the previous night's fight. I decided that we should all go for a drive. Annette was disapproving and cold as we started, but she screamed in terror when we accelerated on the highway. I took a little pleasure in that to be honest." replied Ivan.
Father Abel sighed wearily. "Have you and Annette discussed your ideological differences?" he asked Ivan
"Yes, there are things we don't see eye to eye on. Cars for one, along with high heels, dress codes, and more risqué outfits. Annette is a woman of strong convictions. They've gotten even stronger now that they've introduced Diversity Equity and Inclusion training into her school curriculum." replied Ivan with a sigh.
"Alright, those are Annette's beliefs according to you. What about your convictions." asked Father Abel.
"I'm a simple man Father Abel. I believe in God and the Bible. I love my wife and son, and will do anything to keep them happy and safe, I'll admit that I've become more wary and weary with Annette though, I feel her brand of feminism is skewed towards a non-binary and potentially unhealthy perspective" said Ivan
"I see. It appears that underestimating each other's convictions is what lead to this argument, and Aaron was caught in the crossfire." said Father Abel.
"What do we do now Father?" asked Ivan
"Well for now, young Aaron has internalized that argument, and is using that stoicism of his to suppress his desires. That is not healthy in the long run, however recent events seem to have had a positive effect on him. I don't foresee any lasting consequences," said Father Abel as Ivan breathed a sigh of relief.
----
Annette found herself in Father Abel's office the day after Ivan's appointment with him. Unlike Ivan who was nervous, Annette was cool and collected.
She looked at Father Abel with none of the warmth or concern that she had when he first met her.
Father Abel for his part, retained his stern demeanor.
"Has Mr. Zakhrov told you why I asked to meet with you separately Mrs. Zakhrov?" he asked her
"He did. Something about Aaron witnessing a fight between us when he was 10" said Annette.
"More specifically, he witnessed the argument about the BMW M5," said Father Abel
"Oh," said Annette, unsure of herself.
"What can you tell me about the altercation?" asked Father Abel
"Um, I don't remember much of it. I had drunk quite a bit of wine, and I woke up the next morning with a splitting headache," said Annette.
Father Abel frowned at her, clearly not believing her story.
"What? It's true! I don't remember much of the argument!" snapped Annette defensively.
"Alright Annette, tell me what you do remember," said Father Abel.
"Well, I remember that Ivan had gone to work with Aaron, he had told me that he was going to show Aaron around at MIT. I had gotten back from work, and was getting dinner ready, when I heard this incredibly loud rumbling and whistling noise. I thought someone was joyriding outside on the street, so I opened the front door to tell them to scram. Instead, I find this massive, black monstrosity rumbling in the driveway with Ivan and Aaron happily waving to me from the inside! I was furious! When did Ivan get the money to afford that symbol of toxic masculinity? And how dare he take Aaron for a joyride in it! It was totally unacceptable that Ivan would spend all that money on some flashy sports car instead of putting it away for Aaron or even better, save it for old age! Anyway, I finished cooking dinner, cracked open my favorite wine and then confronted Ivan about it. I vaguely remember him saying that it was his car and he can do whatever he wants with it and that he'd hit me if I say anything else" finished Annette
"I see" said Father Abel flipping through his notes. "'You can keep this excuse for toxic masculinity that you call a car, but I am leaving you, and taking Aaron and everything you have. Is that clear in that thick skull of yours you pathetic excuse for a man?' Does that ring any bells?" he asked her.
Annette squirmed uncomfortably in her chair. "I-I may have said something to that effect" she mumbled unable to meet Father Abel's eyes.
"Alright, tell me why you were so opposed to the car that you threatened divorce?" asked Father Abel. He was growing less sympathetic to Annette by the minute.
Fire lit up in Annette's eyes
"It is big and loud! A clear representation of toxic masculinity! I almost die of embarrassment every time Ivan starts that horrible thing with its rumbling and whistling! It goes way too fast for me to ever be comfortable in it. I hate it! I hate it with every fiber of my being! If only Ivan would sell it without making a fuss!" she ranted.
"I see, do you remember what convinced you to stay with him then?" asked Father Abel.
"Well I think he did say he would sell it and cried that I was cruel for using Aaron against him, I suppose that made me feel a bit guilty," said Annette.
"'Fine. I will sell the car, but know this. You will no longer be my wife. I will be staying, only because of Aaron. You are nothing and nobody to me anymore. You dared to use our own son, our flesh and blood as a bargaining chip. I hate you with every fiber of my being. Enjoy the new status quo Ms. Petra' Petra is your maiden name correct?" asked Father Abel.
"Yes," said Annette, bewildered that Father Abel had such a detailed account of an argument that happened 3 years ago.
"Do you remember what you responded to that?" asked Father Abel.
"I think I said Ivan could keep it?" ventured Annette.
"'Alright fine, you can keep that monstrosity but if I find out that you have gone behind my back and done something like this again, then we are done. And I don't care if you hate me or not, you will set a good example for Aaron by doing whatever I say. Is that clear Ivan Zakhrov?' I believe that was what closed out the argument," said Father Abel looking sternly at Annette.
"What?" asked Annette defensively.
"Drop the amnesia act Annette! I know you remember everything from that night!" growled Father Abel.
"I don't have to explain myself to you!" snapped Annette.
"Do you know or even care that Aaron witnessed that fight of yours? That it affected him so deeply that he still remembers it in vivid detail? Oh, and this is even better. He actually recorded most of it on his phone!" thundered Father Abel.
"He did what? How dare he! I raised him better than to record people's private conversations!" shouted Annette, unfazed by Father Abel's thunder.
Father Abel sighed and rubbed his temples. "Last question Annette, what are your views on feminism and men?" he asked wearily.
"Feminism is essential to modern society! I believe men have been able to get away and oppress women for far too long! In fact, I wanted a wife-led-marriage, but Ivan refused saying he wanted a degree of autonomy. And my misogynistic parents and in-laws refused to let me hyphenate! I should have dumped him then, but he was the best person I had met, and I had met a lot! Even still, I made it clear to him that I had the final say in everything. Oh, how I hate it when he defies me! He should know his place and just accept that women know better!" ranted Annette, confirming Father Abel's suspicion that Annette had much stronger convictions than Ivan had alluded to.
"Alright Annette, you can leave now. I think I have enough information to come up with a plan for Aaron to properly socialize," sighed Father Abel as Annette got up to leave.