{"id":110,"date":"2019-09-17T17:48:49","date_gmt":"2019-09-17T17:48:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thenickwarnerchronicles.com\/?page_id=110"},"modified":"2019-09-17T17:48:49","modified_gmt":"2019-09-17T17:48:49","slug":"the-second-chapter-premonition","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/thenickwarnerchronicles.com\/index.php\/the-second-chapter-premonition\/","title":{"rendered":"The Second Chapter: Premonition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Once my upcoming existence was a fact, there was no way but forward. George set Newport\u2019s wedding machinery in motion and planned for a social event of unprecedented magnitude. He had to act quickly, because April\u2019s pregnancy couldn\u2019t show at the wedding. Only a man of his stature was able to get a wedding of this proportion organized in two months. Also as fast as he could, he needed to turn Robert into a suitable groom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            George carefully weaved a web of disinformation around my father\u2019s origin. He was appalled when he heard that Louise was a nurse and her late husband a civil engineer in the local administration. George set to work and hired a public relations agent. The wedding ad in the The New York Times <\/em>turned Robert into a rising business star with a family tree reaching back to the days of Charlemagne. The ad made Robert\u2019s day and he kept it in his wallet for many years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Louise was not aware of the public relations lies that George had woven around her and Robert. She didn\u2019t need the extra burden on her trip to the United States. She was already travelling with a heavy heart and the premonition that not all was well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

            When the Warners\u2019 chauffeur drove up the long driveway to the mansion, her mind filled with foreboding. As soon as the limousine came to a stop, a butler and two other liveries hurried out to meet her. One of them took her small tattered leather bag from the trunk with an ill-concealed look of contempt. She had learnt to ignore the judgment of others a long time ago but she feared for my well-being and wondered if anyone in the Warner household would be able to provide the compassion and guidance I was going to need. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Louise\u2019s spirit lifted for a brief moment when she sensed April\u2019s love for her unborn child. She saw how April was going to give her best to take well care of me. Then she registered the glass of red wine in April\u2019s hand and feared that April\u2019s best was going to be limited by her own problems. Exploring the mansion with its abundance of things and lack of warmth Louise knew I would need more than April\u2019s tenuous love. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She played her part in the preparations and never once protested. She smiled, she conversed and sat patiently through rehearsals and fittings. Her only subtle protest was wishing her husband Emil were there. Under no circumstances would he have played along. Alas, he was dead and beyond making trouble. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

            She didn\u2019t shed a tear in the church when April and Robert said I do<\/em>. She almost missed their wedding vows because her mind had drifted away hatching a plan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the young couple had left for their honeymoon in the Caribbean, Louise walked into George\u2019s study and was overwhelmed by dozens of pictures showing him shake hands with presidents and celebrities from the media and finance. Fighting a spell of self-doubt she realized the room had been designed to intimidate and took a deep breath to work up her courage. She sat down in the guest chair in front of his walnut desk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            George sized her up and recognized an equal. She might lack his shrewdness but he saw the intelligence, resilience and patience in her eyes that made her worthy of his attention. He leaned back hiding his curiosity behind a well-practiced meaningless smile. His guess was she wanted money.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo, what can I do for you, Louise?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe baby needs someone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes. We have plenty of family and staff to provide for him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow do you know it\u2019s a boy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI just do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \u201cAha. Whatever it will be, I\u2019ve decided to stay and take care of the baby. The hospital made me an offer for early retirement and I\u2019m going to take it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat if we think, you\u2019re not needed here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m here to convince you that I am.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            George thought about it. It was clear to him that April would need assistance. He had thought of hiring a nanny. A grandmother was even better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo you want money?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, of course not. I only need a place to stay.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can have a room in the mansion or the cottage at the gate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe gate house.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She decided against thanking him. For her, the conversation was over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo you want me to hire an English teacher for you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLet\u2019s wait and see. Maybe I will talk German to the child.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a good idea. He will be bilingual. That\u2019s always a plus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGood. I am going to bring my affairs in order back in Germany and will return in four months\u2019 time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Louise got up and left. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

George remained at his desk and thought about their meeting. He had not expected Robert to have such a mother and couldn\u2019t make up his mind if she was as selfless as she appeared to be or if she was an excellent con artist who would work her way into his confidence and then extort a bigger amount of money later. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Upon her return April learnt about the addition to their family, and was unsure at first. She feared more control over her life. Once Louise had moved into the gatehouse, she quickly learnt how Louise was in fact her savior. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Everybody was happy except Robert. He had hoped to be rid of the thorn in his flesh. He wanted to embrace his new life of wealth and power without his mother nagging him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

End of Chapter 2<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what happens in chapter 3:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

3. AN APPLE, A COW, A SHEEP AND A TREE  <\/strong>       <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nick is unhappy. He refuses to walk or speak to anyone but Louise. Robert thinks his son is a retard, April stumbles over herself to make him feel better but doesn\u2019t know how, and George thinks he is a genius and takes him to a child psychiatrist in California to have him tested. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

TNWC@gmx.com<\/p>\n\n\n\n

thenickwarnerchronicles.com<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Nick Warner Chronicles, Volume One \u00a9by Ines Strohschein * TNWC@gmx.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Once my upcoming existence was a fact, there was no way but forward. George set Newport\u2019s wedding machinery in motion and planned for a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenickwarnerchronicles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/110"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenickwarnerchronicles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenickwarnerchronicles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenickwarnerchronicles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenickwarnerchronicles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thenickwarnerchronicles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/110\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":112,"href":"https:\/\/thenickwarnerchronicles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/110\/revisions\/112"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenickwarnerchronicles.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}