The Collector Series: Mr. Dex

The plane landed at Hilo, Hawaii Airport and Dex could see his Grandfather's Lincoln parked at the gate to the private plane terminal. Jenkins was standing beside the automobile, waiting for Dex to disembark. He told the plane crew to secure the plane and send his luggage up to the house. He ran for the gate, Jenkins was waiting, tears flowing down his old face. Dex knew immediately that he was too late. Jenkins, his Grandfather's butler, friend and confident for as long as he could remember, known only as Jenkins, reached out to hug Dex, both men crying their anguish. Jenkins cried, "He's gone Dex, he's gone."

Jenkins had been as a second father to Dexter, he hugged him back and said, "Let's go home, I'll drive this time."

Jenkins replied, "Oh no, sir, I..."

Dexter cut him off, "Jenkins, you are in no condition to drive, let me do this for you, just this once!" He climbed in behind the steering wheel before Jenkins could stop him. Dexter drove the big car out of the airport and got on the Puna Highway. The drive, once a favorite of Dexter's, seemed endless, finally, they arrived at Tramaine House in the little village of Puna. It had been in the family since the days of the Hawaiian Monarchy, a rambling, huge structure on 4,000 acres, once planted in sugar cane.

Mrs. A'hainu, his Grandfather's cook and housekeeper, met them at the door, her face showing the tears she had hastily wiped from her face, "Oh, Master Dexter, ..." She couldn't continue.

Dex hugged her until she regained control, then he asked, "Where is he?" She could only point to the stairs that led to his Grandfather's bedroom. Dexter slowly mounted the stairs, not really wanting to go there, but knowing he must. He entered the room, his Grandfather was laid out on the bed, his arms crossed on his chest, looking as if he was just sleeping. Dex knelt beside the bed, putting his hand on his Grandfather's, "Grandpa, I'm sorry, I couldn't get here any faster." He broke down, sobbing for the man who had done so much for him.

Dr. Phillips, the Family Physician, walked in and stood beside Dexter, "Son, he knew you were coming, he is at peace now and has thrown you the reins to carry on."

Dexter stood and replied to the elderly Physician, "I suppose I must, I cannot let those ghouls snatch at what Grandpa has built!" He meant his cousins, the grandchildren of his Grandfather's brother, Dean Tramaine. They had forever harped on how his Grandfather "owed them"! Dexter straightened, knowing he had much to do and little time to do it. He first made a telephone call to Alexander McLaughlin, his Grandfather's attorney. Alex, Jr. answered the call, "Ah, Alex, I am glad it was you who answered, I would hate for it to be me that had to tell your Dad that Grandpa was gone." Alex, Sr. had been his Father's closest friend, they had been like brothers and when his Father had been murdered, his Grandfather and Alex, Sr. had become like Fathers in raising him. Alex, Jr. and he had grown up like the brothers their Fathers had been.

Alex said, "Dex, is there anything we can do?"

Dexter replied, "Yes, you know that Jerry and Alicia Tramaine will be after Grandpa's money like hounds after a rabbit. Let's plan on reading the will right after the funeral."

Alex asked, "When will that be?"

He replied, "I hope to have the funeral the day after tomorrow."

Alex said, "Dad and I will be standing by for you. We will answer no questions until that time. If you need any assistance before then you KNOW Dad and I are there for you."

The funeral was a gruesome affair, politicians and hangers-on in their droves made it a point to "comfort" Dexter, his cousins, Jerry and Alicia Tramaine were so syrupy sweet, he nearly gagged. His only comfort was that both Jenkins and Mrs. A'hainu were sitting beside him. The cousins had sniffed their noses and sat elsewhere, they were not going to sit with servants. Both McLaughlins, Alex, Sr. and Alex, Jr. guarded him as they left the graveyard where Grandpa Tramaine was buried, fending off demands by the cousins for information about the will.

Back home, Mrs. A'hainu had to shut the door in their faces, saying, "Mr. Dexter is not receiving guests today!"

The next morning, as he had promised, Dex appeared at the Law Offices of McLaughlin & Son. The cousins were already seated in Alex, Sr.'s office, waiting impatiently for him to arrive.

Alicia snapped, "The least you could be is on time!"

Dexter smiled sweetly at her and asked, "Oh, are you expecting something from Grandpa's will?" She looked at him like he was a bug on her dinner plate, she just sniffed and turned away from him.

The attorney asked for their attention and said as he opened the documents before him, "Mr. Tramaine has left the entirety of his estate to his only Grandson, Dexter Robert Tramaine. He specified that no other bequeaths or dispositions of property or other valuables will be given and that Dexter Robert Tramaine was to be the sole owner of all properties, belongings, patents, corporate shares and all other valuables belonging to or under contract to Dexter Alexander Tramaine, PhD."

Jerry and Alicia Tramaine jumped up and shouted, "That crazy old coot can't do that!"

Alex, Sr. smiled and said, "Yes, he can and he did just that. The will has already been probated by the courts, it is a done deal!"

Jerry Tramaine screamed, "I'll see you all in court!"

Alexander McLaughlin, Sr., stood and replied, "What court is that? His Honor, Judge Akai of the Superior Court has already made his ruling! Now, this meeting is adjourned, I suggest you leave now."

For the first time in this awful event, Dexter smiled, saying, "Uncle Alex. I don't know what I would do without you guys."

Alex, Sr. replied, "Dex, you are like a son to me, no way would I let those vultures pick you clean! When you are ready, come on down and we will get all the papers signed. You are a very wealthy young man, somewhere in the neighborhood of $800,000,000, after taxes!"

Dexter looked at him, "What? How Much?"

Alex, Jr. spoke up, "Hey, Bro, got a match?"

Dexter sat down, trembling, "I had no idea Grandpa was that well off."

Alex, Sr., said, "He had no intention of you knowing, either. You know how he was, no airs, no pretensions and no pretended humility, he just was what he was!"

Dex took the long way back home, he needed to think and the best place for that was up in the National Park, overlooking the smoking caldera of the volcano. He sat there watching the steam arise from the hot crater, wondering what he should do. He knew that his Grandfather would want him to put that wealth to use. It was getting dark when Dex restarted the car and began his return to Puna.

Dexter drove carefully down the winding road from the National Park, it was getting dark and the road was narrow. As he crossed a small bridge over a creek, he thought he saw a flash of something running across the road. He jammed on the brakes and got out, fearing he had hit an animal. He looked all around and could see nothing. As he was about to get back in the car, he heard a little cry, like a child sobbing. Seeing nothing in the ditch alongside the road, he crawled down to look under the bridge. There he saw a bundle of what looked like old rags. He was about to get up when the bundle moved. He quickly crawled under the bridge and found a small boy, wrapped in old clothes and rags, crying. He said, "Son, what is the matter, why are you out here and under this bridge?"

He wrapped his arms around the child, who began to scream, "Don't hit me, don't hurt me, I will go away, PLEASE don't hurt me!"

By now, Dex was nearly in tears himself, he picked up the child and carried him to the car. Turning on the dome light, he saw a young boy, maybe 10 years old. His face was covered with blood and the rags were soaked in blood. He grabbed at his cell phone, but there was no signal. He placed the boy on the car seat, making sure he was buckled in securely and took off down the mountain as fast as he dared. The nearest hospital was in Hilo so, instead, he rushed home to Tramaine House and carried the boy inside.

Mrs. A'hainu heard him come in the door. She came out of the kitchen and saw what Dex had in his arms. She screamed and called Jenkins, who came out of the kitchen running, she told him to go get washcloths and towels, then call Dr. Phillips. She had Dex carry the boy into the kitchen and she started washing the blood off his tiny body. Dex was holding the boy while Mrs. A'hainu cleaned him.

He asked the boy where his parents were and the child looked down at the floor and said, "They don't want me." The boy began to sob and she wrapped towels around his small body, hugging him.

She handed the boy to Dex and went looking for some of his old clothes in the store room. Jenkins let the Dr. in the front door and rushed him to the kitchen. Dexter explained all that they knew about the boy and the old doctor took the child from Dex and set him on the table, saying, "OK son, let me take a look at you."

The child shivered and replied, "You're not gonna hurt me?"

The kindly old physician shook his head, "No son, why would I do that?" The doctor unwrapped the towels from the child's shivering body and looked up at Dex, fire in his eyes! He said, "Look, look at this child's back and legs!"

Dex looked, they looked like raw meat, he has been beaten! Dex ran for the telephone, dialing 911, "I have a child here at Tramaine House, the boy has been beaten terribly. Yes, Dexter Tramaine, no that was my Grandfather, he passed away, I am now the owner. Yes, we will wait for an officer, Dr. Phillips is attending the child now." He then called Alex McLaughlin, Jr., "Alex, Bro, I need help, can you come right now, it's an emergency! Thanx."

Alex, Jr. arrived in minutes, he lived just down the road from Tramaine House. Dex filled Alex in on all they knew, then he said, "Alex, I know what I want to do and it starts with that boy! I don't care who or what you have to do, that boy stays with me!"

Alex replied, "Dex, are you sure you want this battle?"

Dex said, "What good is all that money sitting in a bank, I want something nice to happen for that boy. God, I don't even know his name!" Dex ran back into the kitchen and knelt down next to the child, "Son, will you tell me your name?"

The boy again looked down at the floor and mumbled, "Kelly, sir, Kelly Masters," and he began to cry again.

Dex gingerly picked him up, even as the doctor was applying ointment to his wounds, and gently said to the hurt child, "Kelly, nobody is going to hurt you again, I promise you!" He gently cradled the boy in his arms and sat in a chair, waiting for the police to arrive.

There was a knock on the door and Jenkins admitted two police officers, a burly sergeant and a woman. They came into the kitchen, the sergeant said, "Good God, Dex, what have you gotten into this time?"

Dexter looked up and smiled, "Gene, it is good to see you, I just got home the day before yesterday."

The sergeant replied, "Yeah, I know, Mamie and I were at the funeral, but I guess we missed you." He continued, "Now, what about this boy?" Dex related all they had learned about the child.

The woman police officer spoke up, "He must be part of that family we had to run out of the old sugar mill. They were squatting up there, you know how dangerous that place is!"

Dexter looked at her, "Yeah, OK, but who beat him?"

She replied, "I heard that all their kids were beat regularly, been lots of complaints about them."

Alex stepped into the room, "Well, they aren't going to beat this one again, here is the order number, Judge Akai just assigned temporary custody of this child to Mr. Dexter Tramaine!

Dexter gently rocked the small boy, "Did ya' hear that, you are my boy now!" The boy began to sob, Dex rocked him gently until he fell asleep.

Mrs. A'hainu took him saying, "I'll put him in the small bed in your room Master Dex. She smiled and sang to the boy as she carried him up the stairs, "Auntie Mary is gonna watch over you!"

The police officers filled out their paperwork and carefully put the Judge's order number in their report before departing.

As the adrenaline wore off, exhaustion set in on Dexter, he still had not fully recovered from his airplane marathon. He started yawning and finally told Jenkins and Mrs. A'hainu that he was going to bed. He headed up the stairs as Mary A'hainu said to Peter Jenkins, Pete, we gotta get that boy on a first-name basis pretty quick! Jenkins looked at her and said, "Yes, Dear"

Dex quietly undressed and pulled his covers back ready to jump into bed. He looked over at the sleeping boy, he thought to himself, "A little sleeping angel!" He went over and kissed the child's cheek and murmured, "Good night, Son." As he slipped into bed, he failed to see the smile on the little boy's face.

That night, Dex had a vivid dream, he dreamt of a whole house full of boys, boys everywhere, boys playing ball, boys swimming, boys riding horses, and boys laughing. He woke with a start, there was a boy curled up next to him, with his small arms wrapped around his arm! When Dex tried to unwind himself, the little boy murmured, "Daddy." Dex laid back down, no way was he going to disturb that little angel!

It was past 9 am when they finally awoke. The little boy raced around, "Where is the potty, QUICK!" Dex opened the door to the bathroom and the boy zoomed in to relieve himself. After they both had taken care of their morning needs and gotten dressed, Dex carried the boy downstairs, where Mrs. A'hainu had a hot breakfast waiting for them.

While the boy was eating almost everything in sight, Mrs. A'hainu took Dex aside, "FIRST, it is NOT Mrs. A'hainu, call me Mary or else," as she waved a frying pan in his direction! She continued, "SECOND, you take Kelly into Hilo and go to JC Penny's. He needs shoes, socks, underwear, trousers, shirts, play clothes and anything else he would like!"

Dexter chuckled, "Yes M'am!"

She retorted, "Don't come home without it!"

Dex went over and sat down, "Well, Kelly, I guess you and I have our orders, huh?" He continued, "How about you and me, we take the MG?"

The little boy looked at Dex with a "what's that" look.

They started to head for the garage when a voice hollered out, "Wash Your Hands!"

Dex thought, "HOO BOY........" They both washed their hands.

He helped Kelly into a Bright Red MG Roadster, the boy's eyes got big, "eeerr, Mister, can you drive this thing?"

Dex laughed, "Yeah, watch me. Uh, Kelly, call me Dexter or Brother or even Brother Dexter. Mister was my Grandpa."

Kelly shook his head and said, "OK."

Dex gave the boy a thrill, taking the corners at high speed, squealing the tires and rapping the engine. They got into Hilo and went directly to the Mall.

The boy got very quiet, "I never bought new clothes before, we always went to the salvage shop for my clothes."

Dex cringed, "This boy is going to get everything!" He said, "Come on, let's get some clothes, shall we?" Dexter walked in with Kelly and went directly to the Manager's office. He told the Manager who he was and that he wanted his SON fitted out with all the clothes he would need. Kelly's chest swelled out and his smile nearly split his head in half!

The Manager took one look at Dexter's Black American Express card and went to serve the boy himself! After they had picked out a pair of jeans, the boy was ready to go, thinking that was all he was going to be allowed to buy. Dexter said, "Where ya' going Son, we got lots more to get here!" When they had completed their purchases, Kelly's eyes were swimming! He saw the register read $1650! Dexter said to the Manager, "Please have these clothes delivered to Tramaine House in Puna this afternoon."

The manager never blinked, "Yes sir."

Dex was just getting started, "What about lunch, Kelly?"

Kelly squirmed and said, "I'll just have a grilled cheese sandwich at Burger Shop and a glass of water." Dex just smiled and took Kelly by the hand, leading him into Kim's, a high-end restaurant at the edge of the Mall. The boy was looking all around, "I can't go in there!" Again, Dexter just smiled and told the Greeter, a table for my son and myself, please.

The young man replied, "Yes sir, this way" and he led them to a table overlooking a pool filled with Koi fish. Kelly was fascinated watching the colorful Koi swimming around, so Dex ordered for the two of them. When the waiter brought their lunches, Kelly's eyes nearly popped out of his head, grilled tuna, fresh salad, wild rice with baby carrots and onions! Suddenly, he was hungry and ate every scrap! Dex asked him if he wanted dessert?

Kelly said, "HUH?" Dexter ordered a piece of dark chocolate cake with TWO scoops of vanilla ice cream for Kelly and coffee for himself.

As they were leaving, Kelly groaned, "Oh, I am so full!"

Dexter asked him, "Too full for the new Star Wars movie?"

An excited little boy said, "Where, when, NOW? Let's GO!"

Halfway through the movie, the day's excitement caught up to the boy and he curled up in Dex's lap and was soon sound asleep. After the movie, Dex carried him out to the car and they headed back to Puna. He was still asleep when they arrived at Tramaine House, so Dex picked him up and carried him into the house, laying him gently on his bed and pulled a coverlet over him. Dexter went back downstairs and asked Jenkins and Mary to come into the kitchen with him to talk.

As they sat down, Jenkins said, "Dexter, you need to know something. Mary and I are Mr. and Mrs. If you will please stop calling me Jenkins, my name is Peter, we are just Peter and Mary Jenkins."

Dexter hugged them both and said, "My dear friends, why didn't you tell me?"

Peter got a sheepish look on his face, "We weren't sure you would approve."

Dexter said, "Just remember, my name is DEX!" He smiled and continued, "I want to build a home for children like Kelly, boys and girls. I know there are lots of kids right here on Hawaii that are neglected or even homeless. Even more on the other islands! Mary, I want you to be House Mother for the girls and you, Peter, House Dad for the boys. What do you say?"

The two looked like they had been pole-axed. Then Peter smiled and looked at Mary, "Let's do it!"

Mary shook her head in agreement so Dex went and called his friend, Alex, Jr., "Hey, Alex, can you come over, yeah I'll talk Mary into feeding ya'. You know, MARY, as in Mrs. A'hainu!" He laughed and continued, "I'll explain when you get here!"

Alex arrived within a few minutes, he was curious about Dex's use of Mrs. A'hainu's given name and why did he want an after-hours meeting. While he and Dex had always been very close, Dex had spent the last several years in London as European Manager for Tramaine Industries. He knew how Dexter had taken in an abused boy, their mutual high school buddy Gene Akahu had told him about the little boy's past at the lunch counter at noon. He was always good for one of Mrs. A'hainu's meals, not being married, a home-cooked meal was worth a lot! He had always had a special affection for Dex, maybe there was some hope that they could become close friends again. He showed up promptly at 6:00 pm, hoping he didn't look too needy or starved.

Dex invited him in and asked him if he wanted a drink, he said that he would so Dex fixed them both a Mai Tai and Dex called upstairs for Kelly to come down and meet Mr. McLaughlin. A very small 10-year-old boy came shyly into the room and held onto Dex's hand. Dex said, "Kelly, this is Mr. McLaughlin, a very old friend of mine."

The little boy said, "Hi," and then hid his face in Dex's lap.

Dex said, "He is still a little shy around strangers, but he will warm up to you after a while."

Just then, Peter Jenkins announced supper and they all trooped into the dining room. Mary had laid out a real feast, broiled mahi-mahi, grilled fresh pineapple slices, wild rice and pecan-stuffed shrimp. A lime gelatin salad with papaya slices sat at each place.

Kelly looked at the meal and said, "WOW!"

Alex thought to himself, "The kid knows what he is talking about!"

After the meal was completed, Dex took Kelly into the den and turned the television on to a cartoon station. He said, "Son, I will be in the dining room talking to Mr. McLaughlin."

The boy, engrossed in the cartoons, said, "OK"

Dexter returned to the dining room and asked Mary and Peter to join them. He started by saying, "I want to build on the property where the old bagasse house used to be. I want two hotel-like buildings put up, housing 150 children in each, two people to a room, one hotel for boys and one hotel for girls. I want a gym, a swimming pool, a baseball field and basketball courts."

Alex asked, "What are you doing here, a children's home?"

Dex replied, "Exactly, what good is all that money if I don't do something good with it?"

Peter asked, "When do you want to start this?"

Dex replied, "YESTERDAY!" Continuing, he said, "I have already called Dillingsworth/Tramaine Construction Company to start drawing up the plans. Guys, I want this to happen, there are NOT going to be any more Kellys if I can do anything about it!"

While they were talking, Mary heard a scratching on the back door of the kitchen. Thinking it was a stray dog, she went to shoo it away. When she opened the door, there stood 4 little grimy ragamuffin boys, "Please, Missus, is our brother Kelly here?"

Mary screamed, "Mister Dexter come QUICK!"

Dex ran into the kitchen with Alex and Peter tailing him, he knelt down and wrapped his arms around the 4 little boys, "Boys, what do you need?"

The oldest boy said, "Please Mister, we just want to tell our brother, Kelly, goodbye. We are running away, we can't take this anymore." At that, the boy lifted his shirt, there were welts and bruises and bleeding sores all over his chest and back.

Dex pulled the boys into the kitchen and said, over his shoulder, "Alex, get Kelly!" Dex then said, "Boys come on in, let Miss Mary get some food in you and then we can talk, OK?"

The boy said, "You ain't gonna hurt us are you?"

Just then Kelly came into the room, he screamed, "Jerry, Tommy, Billy, Garth, what are you doing here?"

The 4 boys ran to Kelly, crying, "Kelly, we can't take anymore, I think they killed Gary, so we are running away!"

Dex held Jerry and asked him, "Who is Gary and what happened to him?"

Jerry sniffled and said, "Pa beat him, he is our older brother. We last saw him laying on the floor up at that old sugar mill on the hill. Ma and Pa left for town, they had some money and were headed to a bar."

Dex stood up, "Mary, would you care for these boys, Alex, come with me. Peter, please call Gene Akahu at the Police Station and have him meet us at the old mill!"

Dex and Alex ran out the door and jumped in the plantation jeep. They raced up the old road towards the abandoned sugar mill, fearing what they might find there. Dex skidded the jeep to a stop and they both jumped out, grabbing flashlights. They searched the mill floor and then went into the old boiling house. Standing still, they both heard a faint groan. Sweeping flashlights around, they spotted a body laying next to an old evaporator. They rushed over and found a young teen boy, covered in blood and his leg obviously broken. Dex handed his cell phone to Alex and told him to get Doc Phillips up here pronto!

Just then, a police car pulled up and Gene Akahu ran into the building with Grace Mathews on his tail. Dexter explained to the two police officers what they had discovered, Grace said that she was a certified Paramedic, so she knelt down and examined the young teen.

She asked, "Did anyone call Dr. Phillips?"

Just then, Alex returned, "Yes, he is on his way."

Dex took Alex aside, "You know..." Alex interrupted him, "Yeah, I already called Judge Akai and you have 5 John Doe Temporary Custody Orders!"

Gene overheard Alex's statement, he laughed, "Dex, what are you doing, starting a Boy's Home?"

Dex replied simply, "YEAH!"

Gene Akahu just shook his head, "Crazy Haoles"

Dr. Phillips drove up, "Good Grief, Dex, I'm getting too old for all this excitement!" There were some portable battery flood lights in the police car, Grace brought them inside so the Doctor could examine the boy. He said, "I think it is just a simple fracture, the other wounds are nasty, but not life-threatening. Let's take him down to the Clinic and get an x-ray of that leg, then we can decide how to proceed."

Dexter picked up the teen gently, the boy looked at him and said, "Please, don't hurt me!"

Dex, tears gathering in his eyes, said, "Son, I couldn't hurt you, but I AM going to take you home!"

The boy replied, "I don't have a home, I don't have anything anymore."

By now, everyone was fighting back tears, Dex said quietly to the boy, "Son, yes you have a home, and you have brothers there waiting for you." At that, the boy let out a wail and began to sob uncontrollably.

They got the boy onto the back seat of the police car, Dex handed the jeep keys to Alex, telling him to meet him at the Clinic. He sat beside the boy to keep him from falling as Gene drove into Puna to Dr. Phillip's Clinic. After the x-rays were taken, Dr. Phillips decided that it was a simple fracture and he could put it in a cast without dragging the boy all the way into the hospital in Hilo.

The boy was so dirty and filthy, Dex and the Dr. had to bathe him before they could cast his leg. Gene Akahu got all the information from Gary and radioed in to have the parents found and arrested. Alex gave him the Custody Order numbers for his report and then he and Dex took the boy home.

As Alex drove the jeep up to Tramaine House, Gary's eyes went wide, he turned to Dex and said, "You, you... You live HERE?"

Dexter smiled and said, "Yes, and so do you."

Gary broke down completely, his wails could be heard inside the house. Kelly came running out, he spotted his Big Brother and went to him, "Don't cry Gary, our new DADDY will help us."

Gary looked at Dexter, "Sir..."

Dex stopped him, "Gary, call me Dex, Dexter, Dad or even Brother. Sir was my Grandfather."

Gary tried again, "Mr. Dexter, uuuh, Dexter, are all my brothers here?"

Dex replied, "Yep, inside with Miss Mary getting a hot meal, want one?"

Gary cried, "Dexter, we haven't eaten in nearly a week, God yes, I would do anything for a hot meal!"

Dexter, taken aback at that statement, said, "Son, all you have to do is to eat it, there is NO price to be paid!" He turned to Gene Akahu, "You find those people and jail them before I do!"

Dex carried Gary into the kitchen and sat him on a chair with a pillow under him. Mary set a plate of freshly made hot bread, butter and jam in front of him, along with a tall glass of milk. The boy just stared at it for a few moments, then with tears in his eyes said, "Miss Mary, you are an angel from heaven!"

Mary replied, "Son, I don't know about that, but let me get you the rest of your supper." She brought grilled ham and pineapple slices, green beans and carrots, rice and gravy to the boy. He dug in and used a piece of the fresh bread to wipe his plate clean. When she put a huge piece of pecan pie with vanilla ice cream in front of him, he lost his composure again.

He wailed, "I have never eaten that kind of pie in my life. Oh Miss Mary, you truly are an angel from heaven!"

Just then, Kelly led his 4 other brothers into the kitchen, all bathed and wrapped in clean towels. They had a hug fest with their older Brother, he asked them, "Did you guys get to eat this stuff for supper too?" They all shook their heads yes.

Little Jerry said, "I even had seconds of that pie!"

Gary looked hopefully at Mary, she said, "Sure, here, more ice cream too?" Gary was sure he had died and gone to heaven.

Dex and Peter went upstairs and opened two more bedrooms. Dex said, "I guess I had better make a JC Penny's run again tomorrow!"

The next morning, all the boys were snuggled under the soft covers, Kelly was in his usual place, wrapped around Dex's arm and the 4 young boys had migrated to their older brother, Gary's bed, all hugging each other. Gary asked, "That man, Dexter, he didn't ask any of you to do anything for him, anything nasty?"

Tommy spoke up, "No Gary, all he did was help us bathe and then found some old clothes from when he was a little boy and helped us get dressed. He promised to take us into Hilo today and get us some new clothes. Kelly said that he got BRAND NEW CLOTHES from a store called Penny's!"

The little boys all got up and did their necessary morning ablutions before heading down to the kitchen, they already could smell good things being cooked! Gary laid back against the pillows, crying. Kelly heard him and pulled Dexter into the room, "Daddy, fix Gary, he is crying!"

Dex sat on the side of the bed, holding Kelly in his lap. He put one arm around the sobbing Gary, "Son, your old life is done with! We are going to get you and your brothers all fixed up with new clothes and get you all registered to go to school."

Gary said through his tears, "Mister Dex, we haven't been to school in two years!"

Dex thought for bit and then said, "OK, let's drop the Mister. I will look into getting a tutor to help you catch up!"

Gary looked at him, "You would do THAT, we are just trash, no goods..."

Dexter said sternly, "THAT is enough of that kind of talk! You are as good as anybody else and you DESERVE to go to school and learn, you DESERVE good food and a clean place to live and you DESERVE nice clothes. Now no more of this trash and no good talk, OK?"

Gary smiled and said, "Yes, Sir."

Dex let the "Sir" go and carried Kelly down for his breakfast. Mary brought a bed tray and a heaping meal up to Gary, hot waffles and REAL maple syrup, sausages, fried potato patties and a large glass of fresh milk.

He asked her, "Is this a special meal?"

Mary replied, "Nope, you can have seconds if you want!"

He did.

Dex loaded up the Lincoln with the 4 boys and headed for Hilo. They were wild about the "fancy car" and when they arrived at J C Penny's, they were goggle-eyed, "A REAL STORE that sells NEW CLOTHES!", they all exclaimed. Dex walked in with the four and headed for the Manager's office.

The manager laughed, "Are you running a Home for Boys?"

Dex merely said, "Yes," and the Manager was stunned.

He said, "Sir, are you aware that Penny's give a 50% discount for places like Boy's Homes?"

Dex replied, "Well, we are just getting started."

The manager told him that he would get the discount from here on out! Even with the discount, the boys were shocked when the bill came to $2,250! The manager said that the clothes would be delivered to Tramaine House that afternoon.

He then took them to Kim's for lunch, it was almost too much for the boys. They had never even heard of some of the foods, much less ever tasted them! Billy asked, "What about Gary and Kelly?"

Dex was delighted to hear them be concerned about their brothers, he said, "Miss Mary will have them stuffed like sausages for lunch!"

After lunch, they all went to a movie, but like little puppies with full tummies, they slept through most of the movie. They returned to Tramaine House, the car was full of sleeping boys. Dex and Peter carried them upstairs and put them all down for a nap!

Dex noticed that Gary was very restless, he sat on the bed and asked him, "You ready to get out of this jail?"

Gary smiled a shy smile and said, "I always thought beds were soft, this one is getting harder by the minute!" Dex laughed and picked the teen up. He carried him downstairs and put him in the den with the television remote. Gary asked, "I can watch anything I want?"

Dex replied, "Sure, just no porn, ok?" When he looked around, the teen was busy watching a baseball game.

Dex placed a telephone call to the offices of Dillingsworth/Tramaine Construction Company and asked for the General Manager. The person on the other end of the line said, "Mr. Dillingsworth does NOT take calls."

Dex said, "Ok, may I have your name so I can call back?"

She said, "It's none of your business, but it's Mable Reed!" and she slammed the receiver down.

Dex very calmly called Alex, Sr. and said, "Let's take a trip down to the corporate offices of Dillingsworth/Tramaine Construction. It won't take long."

Alex, Sr. said, "Sure." After hanging up he thought, "Oh, Oh trouble!" He drove over to Tramaine House and picked up Dex, he had changed into a business suit, complete with a London-style hat! Right away, Alex knew what the trouble was, he had heard complaints about the construction company before. He thought it was going to be an interesting afternoon!

They walked into the reception office and asked for Mable Reed. The Receptionist went to Miss Reed's office and told her there were two businessmen to see her, then she decided to make herself scarce in the Ladies' Room! Mable Reed went to Reception and spotted Alex, Sr., "Well, hello Mr. Mc Laughlin, how are you?"

Alex Sr. replied, "Miss Reed I would like you to meet Mr. Tramaine, the new owner of Dillingsworth/Tramaine Construction Company."

Dexter Tramaine smiled his sweetest smile and said, "Why, Miss Reed, it is so nice to meet you, YOU'RE FIRED!" He then walked into Mr. Dillingsworth's office and introduced himself saying, "Mr. Dillingsworth, it is so nice to have met you, YOU'RE FIRED!" He walked back out and saw Miss Reed emptying her desk, he stopped her saying, "Oh, no, we will send you your personal belongings, you will remove nothing from this office! GO!" He escorted her to the front door.

Mr. Dillingsworth came charging out of his office yelling, "Who is that idiot who tried to fire me?"

Dex stood up and said, "I am that idiot, Dexter Robert Tramaine, sole owner of Dillingsworth/Tramaine Construction Company. Please do not ask for references when you are looking for a new job."

He then walked into the Construction Manager's Office, the man stood up and said, "Yes Sir, may I help you?"

Dex said, "Yes, come with me." He walked out of the office and went to The General Manager's Office, Mr. Dillingsworth was cleaning out his desk. Dexter said, "Oh, no, we will send you your personal items, leave now." He turned to the Construction Manager and said, "This is your office now. I would like to talk about a large construction job up at Tramaine House.

The Construction Manager, Bob Gilman, had heard they had a new owner and this must be him! He said, "Yes Sir, what would you like us to do?"

Dex came away well pleased, the land clearing would begin immediately and the drafting department would have preliminary drawings the next week for approvals. Alex Sr. looked at Dex, "What did you need me for, you did quite well all on your own!"

Dex replied, "For moral support!" On the way back to Alex Sr.'s office, Dex said, "Let's stop at your office, I want to talk to Jr. and then I can bribe him with Mary's dinner to take me home."

As soon as they got to the Law Office, Dex disappeared into Jr.'s private office, He sat down, Jr., looked at him expectantly, so Dex started off, "Alex, I want to adopt ALL the Masters Brothers, I want them to be the Tramaine Brothers. I really don't care how much it costs and, if I have to, I can play dirty, but I don't want to do that!"

Alex said, "I will tell you true, Bro, it's gonna be hard, the courts don't like single men adopting kids."

Dex said, "Well I can always move Tramaine Industries to Alabama, lock stock and barrel!"

Alex laughed, "You may just have to threaten that before it is over with!"

Dex, chuckled, "That's why we pay YOU the big bucks! How about coming for dinner tonight? AND, giving me a ride home?"

As they were driving up the drive to Tramaine House, a small body zipped across the drive in front of the car. Alex jammed on the brakes and Dex jumped out and started chasing the small figure. He finally caught the boy, he looked about Kelly's age. Dex carried the small boy back to the car, the little boy was crying in fright. Dex said, "Son, what are you doing out here?"

The boy said, "Loo ... Loo... Looking for Mr. Dex, sir."

Dex replied, "I am Dex, what is it you need?"

The boy started bawling, his sides shaking in great heaves, "I was told I would be safe if I could get to Mr. Dex, that's what the boys at the old sugar mill told me. Please sir, help me?"

Dex looked at Alex and shrugged his shoulders. Dex said to the boy, "Let's get you some food and cleaned up, then we can talk, ok?"

The boy, still crying said, "Will you help me, make them not hurt me?"

Dex asked, "Whatever do you mean?"

The boy cried out, "My Daddy sold me to that bad man and he was going to hurt me!"

Alex tromped the accelerator pedal and raced the car up the drive. He jumped out of the car and was on his cell phone calling the local Police Station. Dex carried the boy into the house and Peter saw him. He lifted the boy out of Dex's arms and said, "Come little one, let Uncle Peter take care of you."

Dex said, "It's OK, Uncle Pete is a good guy, too"

The little boy said, "Thank you, sir," and snuggled into Peter's arms.

Dex turned to Alex, "We need to get up to the sugar mill right now, come on!" He ran for the plantation jeep and started it up, disregarding his fancy clothes and the two men headed up the hill to the old abandoned sugar mill. Dex motioned Alex to stay in the jeep, he walked towards the doors of the old building, holding his hands out in front of him to show they were empty. He stopped at the door and called out, "I am Mr. Dex, would you boys come out and talk with me? I promise it is just to talk."

A voice from inside the building called back, "Who is that in the jeep?"

Dex said, "That is Alex McLaughlin, my old childhood friend. He is also my lawyer and he helps me help boys."

The voice said, "Do you promise this is just to talk, there are no cops hiding in the bushes?"

Dex replied, "Nope, just me and Alex." He motioned Alex to come forward like he did. Alex walked slowly, holding both hands out in front of him, empty. A very thin teen boy, about 15 led 6 smaller boys out of the building. They were all filthy and looked like they hadn't had a decent meal in months. Dex looked them over, trying very hard not to cry on their behalf. He said, "Boys, if you will come with us, I promise you will be fed and have a clean bed to sleep in. You can't stay here, there is no food or anything here. Besides, this old mill is dangerous!"

The leader asked, "Did little Kenny get to you?"

Dex replied, "I don't know what his name is yet, but yes, a little boy got to us just a few minutes ago. Boys, whatever is going on, between me and Alex here, we can keep you safe."

The lead boy turned and looked at his following, "I dunno guys, he sounds ok, but..."

A little boy spoke up, "Allie, we gotta take a chance, we're gonna die if we don't get some help and food!"

The boy, Allie, turned back to Dex and Alex, "Do you promise that no harm will come to these little guys?"

Dex said, "What about you, Allie?"

He held out his arms to the boy and Allie let out a cry and ran to Dex, "Oh Mr. Dex, I am so hungry and I just can't take care of these little ones anymore."

Dex said, "Allie, let me help you caring for them, let's go to my house, OK?" He continued, "There might be a policeman there, he is Gene Akahu, he and I are old school mates and he won't hurt you either. He is a good guy, I promise." That made the boys stop, Dex said, "I promise, if you do not like it at my house, you can leave immediately, I PROMISE!"

The boy said, "Well, ok," and they all jumped into the jeep.

Alex drove slowly so as to not frighten the boys. There was no police car in the drive, so everyone came in with Dex. Standing in the kitchen was Gene Akahu in jeans and a tee shirt. He put his fingers to his lips to warn Dex not to say anything.

Mary took one look at the dirty little waifs, she started cutting chunks of fresh bread and slathering butter on them, she handed each boy a piece and a glass of milk, saying, "That should hold you until I can get dinner cooked." She looked at Dex and Gene, "You boys go get these kids bathed, there are clean towels in the closet. Now shoooo, I got work to do." She looked at Alex and said, "You go get Dr. Phillips."

Dex and Gene took the boys upstairs and started the shower and the tub running. Kelly came in and saw all the boys, "Daddy, did you get me some more Brothers?" He giggled and went on, "Kenny is asleep on my bed, Uncle Pete and I got him all cleaned up, Auntie Mary fed him stuff and he got tired."

Allie looked up and asked, "Will she feed us too?"

Dex told him, "She sure will, look out, she will stuff you like a sausage!"

Kelly giggled and brought an armload of towels for the boys. They had to bathe the boys three times before the water came clean, Dex took one look at their clothes and tossed them in the trash, they would not stand going through the washing machine!

After their bath, the 7 boys, wrapped in clean towels, headed for the kitchen where 'Auntie Mary' had promised them food! After they left, Dex looked at Gene and asked, "Did Kenny tell you about being sold by his father?"

Gene replied, "Yeah and much more, they have already called in the State CID to investigate!"

Dex said, "These new boys tell about the same story, God, I gotta get that Boy's Home built pronto!"

Gene replied, "Dex, I heard about that and I want to be part of it. I am thinking of leaving the Police Department, what would you think of me working with these kids?"

Dex looked surprised, "Gene, I would hire you instantly, you come see me when you make your decision and I will make a place for you!"

The two men went downstairs to the kitchen where Mary was proving that food could disappear like magic! Allie got up and went to Dex, hugging him for all the boy was worth, "Mr. Dex, we know that Mr. Akahu is a policeman, but he has always treated us boys fair. Can we stay here with you, we will do anything you want us to do if you will only let us live here."

The boy's statement brought tears to Dex's eyes, "Allie, you boys don't have to do anything to be able to stay here except just be boys. You will need to go to school and eat regularly and play outdoors in the sunshine, oh, I forgot to mention, you will have to have new clothes, too!" He tugged the boy's towel and then tickled his ribs to get a giggle out of him.

Kelly spoke up, "Daddy says that he is going to get a tooter for us!"

Dex laughed, "I think Kelly means a tutor, a school teacher to help you all get caught up." Gene was sitting on a chair holding a small boy as he ate baked chicken and mashed potatoes and a huge green salad.

He looked up at Dex and said, "Dex, I have decided, when do I start?"

Dex laughed, "How about now?"

The next day, Gene Akahu resigned from the Police Department and showed up at Tramaine House in time to help Dex ferry boys to the J C Penny's store in Hilo for new clothes and a lunch at Kim's.

Mary told Dex they were running out of bedroom space and she was going to open up the old guest cottage for more rooms. She also wanted permission to hire two women to assist in cooking and cleaning.

Dex said, "Mary, you run this place, you hire whomever and however you think best. You cannot do it all by yourself!" Dex then got on the phone and called Dillingsworth/Tramaine Construction Company and spoke with Bob Gilman, the new General Manager, asking him to put a rush on the Boy's Home project. He then called the local High School and spoke to the Principal, Mr. John Bates. He asked if he could recommend a tutor, that he had some boys who had been out of school for a while and needed catching up.

Mr. Bates asked, "Are you the man who has been rounding up the wild boys?

Dex laughed, "I don't know how wild they are but, yeah, I have 20 of them right now living with me!"

John Bates replied, "Yea Gods, man, you are braver than I! I think maybe you ought to have two tutors, men would be best as the boys would relate to them better. How about I send two of our college interns to see you, this is part of the school system's responsibility and also good training for students who want to be school teachers." He laughed, "A kind of trial by fire!"

Dex chuckled, "Sure, send them by any time." After he got off the phone, Allie was standing there, he had been listening as Dex spoke to the Principal. Allie started crying and Dex picked him up and carried him over to the couch. He sat Allie on his lap and asked, "Allie, what's the problem, why are you upset?"

The boy looked at Dex, tears running down his face, "Mr. Dex, you really did mean that you were going to help us, didn't you! You bought us clothes, have been feeding us and now you are getting teachers for us!" He hugged Dex and soaked his shirt before Dex could get him calmed down. They sat there for a long while, Dex just holding Allie, making sure the boy knew that he was loved. After Allie had cried himself out and dried his tears, he said, "Mr. Dex, there are a lot more boys who need your help, are you gonna help them too?"

Dex replied, "Allie, I want to help every boy who needs our assistance. If we run out of room, I will build more rooms." He pointed to the open fields outside the window, "Allie, that is where a New Boy's Home is going to be built and a Girl's Home too, if we need it."

Allie replied, "Do you need more boys now, I know where they are?"

Dex looked at Allie, "You do? How about we go get then right now?"

Dex shouted for Gene and headed for the jeep, leading Allie by the hand. Gene hopped in the driver's side of the jeep and looked at Allie, "Where to, Boss?"

Allie puffed out his thin chest and said, "Drive up through the Gap and I will show you where to go." They took off, the Gap was quite a ways away. About an hour later, they were driving down a dirt road.

Gene remarked, "I didn't even know this road was here!"

Allie giggled, "You're not a kid, either!" They arrived at a cliff, overlooking the coast. Allie said, "You guys wait here." And he took off through the bushes. Before long they heard Allie calling, "Mr. Dex, Mr. Gene, we need some help!"

The two men went charging through the bushes in the direction they had seen Allie disappear, they came to a clearing that had obviously been used as a camp for some time. Allie was holding his arms around some boys and there was one boy laying on a dirty blanket spread out on the ground. Allie said, "Ray has a broken leg, I think, and these boys need help like I did!" Allie turned to the boys he was holding, "Guys, this is Mr. Dex and Mr. Gene, just like I told ya', they won't hurt ya' and they will take care of all of you!"

Dex looked at the boys, "I am just Dex, will you let me look at the boy who is hurt?"

The boy on the ground said, "Please Mister, will you help me, it hurts so bad!"

Dex dropped to his knees and held the boy's hands, "Son, will you come home with us, we can help you and all these other boys, food, a bath, a clean bed to sleep in and new clothes."

The boy replied, "What do we have to do in return for all these things?"

Dex stood and looked at all the boys, "You don't have to do anything, I want you all just to come and live with me and be safe, there is no payment, well except maybe you will have to let Miss Mary stuff your tummies with food!" Dex suddenly had 6 boys hugging him and Gene was gently picking up the hurt boy from his blanket. They led the boys back to the jeep, Dex was thanking his Grandfather that it was a station wagon model! After they got everyone loaded, they headed back to Tramaine House.

As they drove up to the house, the boys were goggle-eyed. They looked at Allie, "You mean you live HERE?"

Allie laughed, "Yup and wait 'till you see what Miss Mary puts on your plates!"

Mary stood at the door pointing to the upstairs bathroom, "Clean first, THEN eat!"

Dex asked Peter to call Dr. Phillips and tell him he has a patient at Tramaine House. Then it struck him, they needed a First Aid room to be part of the New Boy's Home! Kelly started ferrying clean towels to the bathroom, Gene and Dex cleaned the hurt boy, they learned his name was Ray, as best they could without hurting him further.

When all the newest boys had gotten cleaned up and were sitting at the table, Mary began serving up her beef stew! Some of the boys ate three bowls before they quit! Dr. Phillips took Ray over to the Clinic for an x-ray, sure enough, they had another broken leg. Dr. Phillips said, "Maybe I need to set up an office here if you are going to bring me all this business."

Dex replied, "Yes, I was just thinking that, I will have the designers talk with you for a First Aid and Emergency Medical Room!"

The Doctor sighed, "And here I thought I was going to retire!"

Gene said, "Dex, I'm going to give Judge Akai a call, we need to get him onboard with all this!" He went over to the telephone and gave the Judge a call, what he didn't know was that several boys were eavesdropping! "Your Honor, Gene Akahu here... Yes, I am working with Dexter Tramaine and the boys now. Look, your Honor, we have a bunch of new boys that Dex has rescued, could you come over and see to it we are all up to date on our paperwork? Thanks, Sir, I'll tell Miss Mary to have some of her lemon pie out, just for you."

Within a few minutes, all the boys knew that Dex was making them all legal and that nobody could ever take them away. Dex had sat down for a few minutes, suddenly he was covered with boys, all wanting to hug and kiss him.

Judge Akai knocked on the door and let himself in, he could see Dex was unable to get up, being covered by about 20 boys, all hugging some part of him! The elderly Judge chuckled and said, "Dexter Tramaine, didn't your Granddaddy ever tell you not to roughhouse in the living room?" Judge Akai and Gene got all the paperwork signed, making the boys all legal with the CPS. Judge Akai asked Dex, "How soon is the new Boy's Home going to be built?"

Dex replied, "They will start grading the land next week and as soon as the Building Commission approves the drawings, construction will start. Bob Gilman, down at Dillingsworth/Tramaine says the building can be up in about 6 weeks!"

The Judge laughed, "Yeah, I heard about THAT, too! Now, where is that lemon pie that Gene the Pirate promised me?"

The next day, Gene and Dex ferried 10 boys to town for a clothes expedition. The Manager at Penny's suggested that they buy a selection of clothes in various sizes and stock them at Tramaine House so they could bring Boys down to the store without embarrassing them! Dex thought it was a good idea, so he told the Manager to make a selection and include them with the clothes they just bought and deliver them all to Tramaine House.

The next week, tractors and bulldozers from Dillingsworth/Tramaine showed up and started grading the land for Tramaine Boy's Home. All the boys stood around watching the machinery work, like small boys everywhere. Aunt Mary called everyone in for supper, she stood at the door and pointed to the washroom. She inspected hands before any boy sat at HER TABLE! Dex had just started eating when there was a knock on the back door. Thinking it was one of the contractor people, he got up and answered the door. Standing there was a teen, about 15 or 16 holding a tiny baby.

The boy said, "Are you Mr. Dex?" Dexter said he was and asked the boy in. The boy said, "Sir, do you have a place here for Junior?" He held the baby out to Dex.

Dex said, "Yes we do, for both you and your brother we have a place."

The boy replied, "Oh, no Sir, Junior is my son, I will go to work to pay for his keep."

Tears started gathering in Dex's eyes, "Son, there is a place for BOTH you and your baby son, come in and have some supper with us." He reached out and held both the boy and his son, "You don't have to work for your OR your son's keep. What are your names?"

The boy said, "Carl, sir, Carl Bayliss and this is my son, Carl, Jr. I got a girl in trouble and she was going to give my baby boy away to somebody else. I couldn't let that happen, so I ran away from the group home and got my baby away from her." He held out some papers, "See, where it says FATHER, that is me! THIS IS MY SON!" The teen broke down in tears, Mary took the child from him and Dex picked the boy up and carried him into the living room.

He cuddled the man/boy on his lap and said, "Carl, we have a place here for both of you, will you please stay with us?"

Carl replied, "I don't want us to be a burden, Sir."

Dex laughed, "Carl, look around you, do you think that you and a tiny baby would be a burden?" He picked Carl up and took him back to the kitchen, "Look, do you think you have a chance in getting Carl, Jr. away from Miss Mary?" Mary looked up and bared her teeth and growled! She then smiled and tickled the baby under his chin as he cooed at her. Two more boys were added to the "herd"!

Baby Carl soon became a favorite of all the boys, even to arguments over who was going to babysit! Ray became a favorite of the baby, he would coo and wave his tiny hands whenever he saw Ray. It was a protectorship that Ray would carry into adulthood, protecting Carl, Jr.!

The days grew into weeks and soon lumber started to be nailed up into the air. Dex had a few arguments with the Building Commission and the State CPS, but Tramaine was the biggest employer in the state and Dex carried a lot of weight with the state legislators. For his boys, he was not afraid to use that influence. The architects had revised the drawings several times, just to insure there would be rooms available on opening day.

It was a steady stream, 2 or 3 boys a day arriving at Tramaine House looking for Mr. Dex! One boy had even stowed away on an inter-island air flight trying to get to Mr. Dex. Dex went down to the Hilo Office of both Aloha Airlines and Hawaiian Air and made arrangement to pay any charges for boys that inventive! Gene had to go rescue several boys who had stowed away on the tanker bringing fuel to the island from the refinery on Oahu!

On opening day, Tramaine Home for Boys had 193 residents! The ribbon was cut by the youngest boy, Carl Jr., with help from his Dad! Classrooms had been added to the design as well as an infirmary, complete with a surgical suite and a 6 bed recovery ward! Dr. Phillips had retired from his regular practice and now spent all his time caring for knocked fingers and scraped knees on boys. Dex was in a quandary about the Girl's Home, he hadn't seen a great need for it.

A couple of days after the Home for Boy's opened, Dex was in the kitchen with Peter and Gene discussing the matter of boys stowing away on the fuel tanker when a light knock came on the back door. Dex went to the door, expecting to see one of the boys, he looked down and there was a teen girl, about 15 years old, holding the hands of two little girls who looked like twins. Dex knelt down and asked, "Are you girls lost, do you need something?"

The teen said, "Are you Mr. Dex?" Dex replied that he was and the girl began to cry.

"Oh, it is true, Sir, do you have room for me and my baby sisters?"

He gathered the girls in his arms and, calling for Mary, brought them into the kitchen. He sat the twin girls on his lap and asked the teen, "What are your names and how did you come here?"

She told him that they had met some boys living in the forest on the other side of Hilo and they had told her if she could get to Mr. Dex, they would be safe. She said, "Our Daddy wanted to do nasty things to me, so I grabbed my sisters and ran!"

Dex was stunned, Gene was behind him and snarled, "I'm on it Boss!" Dex told the girls to sit at the table and that he would get them something to eat.

Just then Mary rushed into the room, Gene had told her the story. She took over caring for the girls. After she had gotten some food in the girls, they had not eaten for several days, she asked Peter to drive them into Hilo, she was going to get clothes for them at Penny's. Dex handed her his Black American Express card and told her to get everything the girls would need.

He then called Bill Gilman at Dillingswood/Tramaine and told him to start work on the Home for Girls. His next call was to Judge Akai to get case numbers and Temporary Custody Orders for the three girls. Dex had decided that he needed some office help, so he cornered Mamie Akahu, Gene's wife, and convinced her she would be a great Administrator! That was her first day, a trial by fire! By the time they got the Home for Girls constructed, they were "storing" 21 girls in the house!

The boys had been complaining that "someone" was snooping around the building at night. Dex had hired House Mentors for each group of 20 rooms. They were mostly Young Men taking Sociology Courses at the University Hilo Campus. They were all fit young men, but they were never able to catch anyone.

One morning they noticed that Kenny was not at breakfast, so his Mentor called the house to see if the boy was there. They searched the grounds, still no Kenny. Gary came to Dex, "I think maybe our Daddy stole Kenny. He sold him to a gang man in Hilo and he drank up the money. Dex was cursing under his breath, he called Gene and told him the story.

Gene called the State CID and all his ex-buddies that he used to work with at the Police Department. Gene had some cousins that were somewhat less than sterling citizens, he called them and asked. He said, "Yeah, there is one guy who would be into that sort of thing."

Gene demanded, "WHO?"

The cousin reluctantly gave Gene a name, "Alonzo Freheida."

Gene called in every favor he had garnered after 20 years as a Policeman, he rounded up friends, relatives, and anyone else he could and headed into Hilo, ready to do major hurt on Alonzo Freheida! They surrounded the man's home. Gene didn't even slow down at the front door, he had already heard Kenny screaming in the house! He kicked the door in and started swinging, he drove through the gangster's bullies like wind through chaff. Gene was a big Hawaiian Man, 300 pounds and 6' 6" tall, all muscle. He came to a door where he could hear Kenny screaming, he kicked it in, sending it flying off its hinges and across the room! Without slowing down, he leaped across the room and grabbed Alonzo by the neck, snarling, 'Where's the boy?" Alonzo was hanging in Gene's hands, his feet dangling off the floor.

Gene shook the man like a cat shaking a rat, Gene heard, "Uncle Gene, Uncle Gene, in here!" Gene tossed the man aside like so much garbage and lunged through the door into a second bedroom. He found Kenny tied to a bed, naked and bleeding. Gene snatched the bindings off the boy and cuddled him in his arms. Kenny was crying, "He raped me, he raped me."

Holding Kenney in his arms, he stomped Alonzo Freheida until Gene's friends pulled the huge man off, he would have killed the gangster! Gene ran out to his car and drove the boy to Hilo General Hospital. The look on the man's face was enough to dispense with filling out forms! As they were checking Kenny, Dex ran in and authorized unlimited treatment for the boy.

Gene then went to the Hilo Police Station and turned himself in. The Hilo Police claimed they had never heard of Alonzo Feheida and, unless Gene could produce him, there was no way they could charge Gene with any crime. Alonzo Freheida was never seen again.

It took several weeks for Kenny's body to heal and much more for his mind, Kenny would never again feel safe. He spent the remainder of his life working with abused boys at Tramaine Home for Boys.

The population in both The Home for Boys and The Home for Girls continued to increase and, after the tragic episode with Kenny, Dex was determined to protect his kids even better. After talking with Gene, he proposed the hiring of security guards. They began recruiting retired police officers, and Military MPs, and, finally, he discovered The Navy/Marine Reserve Center.

He gave them a call to see if there were any Marine Reservists who were looking for a job. The young Navy Yeoman who answered the telephone said to him, "Mr. Tramaine, you are a Godsend! We have Marines and Sailors back from active duty and there is just no work available for them!" He promised to send 10 men out that day for interviews.

Dex and Gene interviewed them and hired all 10 on the spot. One of the young Marines, Joey Allen, spoke to Dex, "Sir, I grew up in an orphanage, not near as nice as your place. Could I rent a room here and live, I would love to be of some help to these boys and the girls too, if you will let me."

Dex replied, "Joey, first thing, it is Dex or Dexter, NOT Sir!" He continued, "We have some old cottages up behind the Boy's Home that were used for workers during the plantation days. If we fix one of those up, would you like to live there rent-free?"

Joey replied, "You also interviewed my best friend from the Service, Ed Mailer, could we both live in that cottage? We would be willing to do the work ourselves on it!"

Dex agreed to supply all the materials and the two men worked during their time off refurbishing the cottage. Two other new security employees, Jeff Costas and Orin Kaluha also jumped at the chance and began work refurbishing a cottage for them. Dex bought uniforms for the Security Department, since all the applicants had been Marines, he felt justified in fitting them out in Marine Tropical Cammies! Very soon, they became known unofficially as the Tramaine Marine Corps!

Dex got to thinking, they were putting a terrible load on Dr. Phillips, maybe that Reserve Center has some Navy Medics who needed a job? He gave that same Yeoman a call and was told that they had three, including a Chief Petty Officer! Dex hired all three and they went to work immediately. Two of the medics, actually Hospital Corpsmen, were close friends and they, also, asked if they could refurbish a cottage and live on the grounds!

Soon, all the boys AND the girls were up to date on their annual physicals, shots and medical histories! Dex had been having difficulty in hiring women mentors for The Home for Girls, so he took a chance and again called the Reserve Center Yeoman. The Yeoman told him they had several female Corpsmen and Yeomen that would love a chance, then he said, "Mr. Tramaine, I get off active duty in 30 days, I have an AA Degree in Office Management, is there anything I could do at your place?"

Dex replied, "Wow, is there ever, when they release you, you head up here to Puna right away!" Dex hired the two Female Corpsmen and one Female Yeoman to work as Mentors for the Girl's Home. They now had over 280 boys and 65 girls in residence, it took 4 buses each morning to take the school kids to classes.

The Lead Tramaine Marine, Reserve Gunnery Sergeant Cal Mathis came to talk with Dex, "Dex, it doesn't make sense to ship our kids all the way to Hilo and back to go to school and I know about what happened to Kenny. If that happens to another of our kids, it would kill a lot of us, myself included! Why can't we build our own school and keep our kids safe right here on the property?"

Dex thought that over and replied, "Darn Gunney, why not?" Before the day was out, Dillingsworth/Tramaine had a contract to design two schools, Grade and High School.

Dex scheduled a meeting with the School Board and they were in favor of the project and would supply teachers for all grades. With the backing of the School Board assured, the Building Commission readily approved the plans and construction was begun. Navy Yeoman First Class Joshua Peters came out to interview for the position of Office Manager as he had asked Dex a month earlier.

They were sitting in Dex's office and Joshua said, "Sir, I have to tell you that I am gay, will that affect me being hired?"

Dex asked, "Are you a child predator?"

Joshua replied, "Absolutely not! I had to hide it while I was on Active Duty, but I am in a long-term relationship with another man and have no interest in children except to see them safe!" He continued, "We have a home right here in Puna, Cale is a Policeman, Cale Johnston."

Dex replied, "Then it is nobody's business, when do you want to start?"

Later, Dex asked Gene if he knew Cale Johnston, Gene said, "Good Grief, that man is even bigger than me! He must be nearly 6' 9"! He is HUGE." Dex just smiled and said no more about it.

About a month later, Dex and Gene were at a School Board meeting, the board was having financial problems, a sign of the times. Dex told them that Tramaine would pay the salaries of the Principal and the Athletic Department. That was agreeable to the board and the meeting was adjourned at 10:30 at night. They had brought the Lincoln because Gene's car had a flat tire, they were looking forward to getting home, it had been a very long day.

The two men had stopped at a fast food restaurant for a cup of coffee before heading up Puna Highway. As they returned to the car, Gene was sure he heard someone crying. He waved at Dex to follow him and they went around the side of the building to investigate. Next to the garbage dumpster, they spotted two little boys huddled together. Dex knelt down to speak to them and they both screamed in fright, "No mister, please don't hit us again, we didn't take anything, just an old sandwich."

Fighting back his own tears, Dex put his arms around the tiny boys, they couldn't have been more than 5 or 6 years old, "Boys, will you come with me, I can get you food. You can't stay here in this awful place!"

One boy cried and said, "We can't go back to town, he will find us!" Dex just picked the two up and took them to his car. Gene sat on the back seat of the big car and Dex placed the two little boys on his lap.

They smelled to high heaven but Gene wasn't about to let either boy go. Gene said soothingly to them, "Mr. Dex will take us to his house, you will be safe there, I promise!"

One little boy said, "If our Daddy finds us, he will give us to that bad man." The two boys scrunched down to hide under Gene's arms.

Gene said to Dex, "Make tracks for home, we gotta help these boys!"

Dex created a new speed record back to Tramaine House and they carried the two little boys in the front door. Mary and Peter were in the kitchen and heard the two men enter the front door. When Mary saw the two little tykes, she sent Peter upstairs to start the bath water. She then cut off two slabs of fresh bread, spread butter and strawberry jam on it, then gave each boy a piece, along with a glass of cold milk. She said, "Ok boys, that will hold you for a few minutes, Mr. Dex and Mr. Gene will get you cleaned up while I fix you a real meal, ok?"

The two boys said shyly, "Yes M'am."

Their clothes were so dirty, Dex decided that they weren't worth saving. He had a supply of clothing like the Manager down at Penny's had suggested, so he could find something that wouldn't be too big on them. As they were undressing the little boys, Dex spotted fresh blood in both boy's dirty underwear, he whispered to Gene, "Call the Duty Corpsman, we have problems here!"

Gene called Corpsman Henry Fallsworth and asked him to come over to Tramaine House right away. Within minutes the Corpsman was knocking at the kitchen door, Mary let him in and pointed to the stairs. He took the stairs at a run, and came into the bathroom where the boys were getting cleaned up. Dex told the Corpsman what he suspected in a low voice.

The Corpsman knelt down next to the bathtub and hugged both boys, "Guys, I'm the Medic, can I look you over, make sure you got no cooties or anything?"

The little boys giggled and said, "What are cooties?"

Henry tickled their ribs and said, "Little Tickle Buggies." He picked each boy up and pretended to inspect their feet, under their arms and their backs before he sat them back down in the warm bath water. He turned to Dex and whispered, "Both those boys have been raped!" His eyes were blazing and he could hardly contain his anger! He went and called Dr. Phillips and told him what they had discovered.

The elderly Doctor rushed out to Tramaine House to examine the boys. He decided that surgery was not needed, but he prescribed ointments and soothing creams to be applied every 4 hours. He said to Dex, "You find out who those boys are and who did this, I have to report it to the State!"

Dex and Gene took the two boys back down to the kitchen where Mary had laid out a feast for them, baked chicken, rice, green beans and strawberry pie with whipped cream! The boys attacked the food like an army going to war! They learned they were Casper and Dean Baxter and their stepfather was Andrew Meacham.

Gene contacted the Police and gave them all the details, a Patrolman came out with a warrant that Gene signed for the arrest of Andrew Meacham on charges of child abuse, sexual misconduct with minors and child abandonment.

The little boys, Casper and Dean, soon became favorites of just about everyone. They were as inquisitive as a pair of little monkeys, no one could bring themselves to scold them, no matter what they did. They were placed in Kindergarten at school, but soon were changed to the First Grade, they were smart, too!

The new schools were opened with much fanfare because local children around Puna were also invited to attend their classes there. Many of the new teachers had begun their careers as Mentors in The Boy's or The Girl's Homes. The Hilo Campus of the University was now offering a course in its School Of Social Sciences that included on-site training at either The Boy's Home or The Girl's Home for credit.

Gunny Cale Mathis came to Dex with an idea, "Let's offer Marine JROTC in the High School?"

Dex thought about the Gunnery Sergeant's suggestion and decided to talk with the new Principal at the High School, Preston Jarvis. Preston liked the idea so Dex went down to the Marine-Navy Reserve Center and spoke with the Commanding Officer, Commander Jim Wilson. He explained to Dex what had to be done and gave him an armload of paperwork to fill out.

As Dex was walking out, the Commander laughed and said, "Give all that stuff to Josh Peters, he is a WizBang at that paperwork!"

Dex returned to Puna and walked into the Business Office carrying the armload of papers. Joshua looked at him and groaned, "Commander Wilson?"

Dex said, "Yep, we are gonna start a JROTC Unit!"

Joshua said, "I think I hear my Mother calling me, maybe I had better go?" Dex laughed and told him to hire some help if he needed to.

Joshua put a notice up on the Bulletin Board in The Boy's Home announcing sign-ups for Marine JROTC. Within minutes there was a delegation of angry girls demanding they get a chance to sign up too! By the time the dust had settled, 130 boys and 22 girls had signed up for the JROTC! Dex had to quickly find an Instructor, he had no idea it would be that popular! Gunny Mathis was assigned as Assistant Instructor and several Tramaine Marines signed up to help.

A squad of girls challenged the boys to Drill Team Competition and for the next 2 months, the "HOO-HAWS from the basketball court began at 6 AM! Some of the kids even put up their weekly allowance as bets on who was going to win! The competition was fierce, almost WARFARE! Dex made himself a promise that he would be in town when the competition was to be judged!

Some of the boys had spotted the old stables up on the hill above the house and they met with Dex, asking if there "maybe" could be some horses bought? They even volunteered to clean the stalls and feed the animals. Dex thought about it and, well, why not? A week later six-horse trailers showed up, each carrying 3 horses! When they started unloading the horses, the Principal just gave up and let school out 3 hours early! Dex did hire a stable manager and 2 helpers, but the stalls were kept clean by volunteer labor! A riding club was started, with a waiting list several yards long. They would take day-long group rides through the surrounding hills.

Gordon Tully, one of the Tramaine Marines, was leading a group of boy and girl riders up through the hills one Saturday when they smelled smoke. Afraid it might be a fire, he fanned his riders out to try and find the source before it became a serious problem. Each rider had been issued a whistle just for such occurrences.

About 20 minutes into the search, he heard the frantic blowing of several whistles. He called the riders nearest him and rushed in the direction of the sounds. As he broke into a clearing, he found his riders dismounted and comforting a group of young boys. One girl was holding a small boy to her as she rocked him back and forth, rubbing his back gently. There was a group of 10 boys camped there.

Gordon jumped off his horse to investigate, an older boy, about 16 years old came forward and explained that all the boys were hiding out there from abuse or just abandoned! Gordon said, "What about yourself?"

The boy hung his head and said, "Yeah, me too."

The boys were dirty and looked in need of food, he asked them if they had ever heard of Mr. Dex and the older boy said, "Yeah, but not how to find him."

One of the girls shouted, "We know where he is, we live with him! Come on, we'll show you!"

The boy began to cry, "Is this true, you guys are living with Mr. Dex?"

They all shouted, "YES!"

Gordon got all the boys onto horses, behind other riders and they headed for home. It would be the last time a group of Tramaine Riders rode without a radio! They got back and Gordon told one of the girls to run in and get Mr. Dex, pronto! He began helping boys off the horses and the Home Kids started comforting the newcomers. Dex and Gene came running up, some of the new boys cringed and started to back away.

The Home Kids held onto their hands and led them up to Dex and Gene, "This is Mr. Dex and Mr. Gene," they said.

One little boy ran up to Dex and hugged him crying, "I didn't know how to find you," he wailed. Dex picked up the little guy and held him, suddenly he and Gene were mobbed by crying and wailing boys.

They took the new boys into the dining hall, where Mary was showing the new cooks how to fix some of her special dishes. She said, "Come on, I'll show you how to serve them!" as she started filling bowls with stew. She lined up 10 bowls of stew and put her hands on her hips, "Well, are you hungry or not?" The 10 boys stampeded the table and wolfed down the stew, asking if they could have more!

One of the new cooks said, "They are like vacuum cleaners!"

Mary merely said, "GOOD!"

The Corpsman, Henry Fallsworth was manning the Medical Room again that afternoon, he called in the other 2 Corpsmen and they started processing all the boys. None of the new boys had anything seriously wrong with them, a variety of bug bites, scratches and skinned knees was all. Some of the older boys came down and helped the new kids get showered and cleaned up, Joshua Peters opened up the clothing locker and got new clothes and shoes for all the boys, one little boy was walking around holding his new shoes, he said they were too shiny to wear! Josh got all their names and particulars so they could get Custody Orders from Judge Akai.

Dex got to counting vacant rooms and decided he needed to call Gil at Dillingsworth/Tramaine and get started on another new building for the boys. For a while, every Saturday when there was a horse riding group out, they would bring back at least 2 or 3, sometimes even more, boys and an occasional girl needing a home. Tramaine Schools were gaining a reputation of excellence that parents were enrolling their children from as far away as Hilo and driving them to Puna every school day!

The criminal element of the state had other opinions of Tramaine Home for Boys and Home for Girls, it was drying up the stock for a lucrative part of their business, CHILD SEX!

Warning of an attack came nearly too late, the gang members were trying to get in the doors before they were discovered. JROTC Cadet Lieutenant Jeremy Collins spotted them first and gave the alarm. He rushed for the ROTC room, since he was the Armory Officer, he had the keys to the training weapons. He started passing out rifles and ammunition. The cadets waited in the lobby, just inside the main doors. The weapons were only .22 caliber target rifles, but the boys let off a barrage of 20 rifles, then, just as they had studied, they dropped back to the next branch corridor and waited. They let off another barrage of bullets, twice more they did this before the gangsters caught on.

As the gang members turned around to get back to the main staircase where they could grab children, the Stable Master and his two assistants, armed with 20 gauge shotguns, that they used for killing rats, let loose with a blast of shot pellets. That was more than the criminals could take and they began to run outside to get in their cars and leave, only to be met with a solid line of armed and very angry Police Officers, each hoping that a gangster would move!

Not a single boy was hurt, but 15 criminals required medical attention!

Jeremy was the HERO of the DAY! He was an outstanding student, ROTC Cadet and a Leader among the boys. The staff had been considering several cadets as Cadet Officer, Commanding. Needless to say, Cadet Lt. Colonel Jeremy Collins was selected!

When he was notified of his promotion and selection as Commanding Officer he began to shake and said, "But, I, I, I, I, I am not worthy, I am just a thrown away kid!"

Dex said, "Jeremy, most Great Men feel they are not worthy, that is one of the things that make them great! Believe me, you ARE VERY WORTHY!"

The criminal gangs tried other things against the Homes, but never again did they attempt an outright frontal assault!

When Jeremy graduated from High School, he won, by competitive examination, an appointment to West Point Military Academy. Graduating the Academy as number one in his class, he went on to an illustrious military career and would retire as Lt. General, United States Army!

Graduates of Tramaine Homes were entering all walks of life, several took positions within Tramaine Industries and when Dex decided to retire as President of Tramaine Industries, it was a Graduate of Tramaine Home for Boys, Tramaine High School and the University of Hawaii who replaced him, none other than Dr. Kelly Masters Tramaine, Ph.D.!

When Dex retired, Alex Mc Laughlin, Jr. moved in with him and they spent the rest of their days watching the boys and girl flower into well-balanced, productive and happy adults. Jerry and Garth Masters entered politics and Garth would become the Governor of the State of Hawaii. Jerry would serve 9 terms in the United States Senate. Carl Bayliss would be succeeded by his son, Carl Bayliss, Jr. as the editor of the largest newspaper in the state. Dr. Mary Gorman, MD would become the Medical Director of the United States Public Health Service and Dr. Helena May, RN, Ph.D. would become the Director of Nursing at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Allie Phelps would retire as Associate Director, United States Federal Bureau of Investigation. Kent Broadman would be killed in a plane accident as Chief Test Pilot, United States Air Force. There are so many others that Mr. Dex set upon the road of life, that otherwise would have ended as road trash.

At his funeral, Kelly gave his Dad's Eulogy, in it he said, "If not for Mr. Dex, how many of us would have survived to be adults? How many of us would have survived at all? In all our lives, one man stands out above all others, Dexter Robert Tramaine is THAT man. Each day I thank God that he was born and each night I thank God again for having put him in my life. He is gone from us now, but his spirit, his work and his goals remain with us. Let each and every one of us resolve to help a child today and tomorrow and the next until it becomes habit that our children are worth our care, our love and our work."

The End.