Quinn's Bluster

By Ena Kosmo

Quinn’s desire in life is to someday be a scientist to help push society forward. As a young child, Quinn’s physical attributes subject him physical and verbal abuse not only by his peers but also by those in authority who owe a duty of care to all. This abuse pushes Quinn into a negative metal state which impedes self-discovery, self-growth, and any opportunity to reach full cognitive potential.

Quinn is raised by a loving, courageous, and self-sacrificing single parent, a parent who offers nothing but unconditional love and encouragement for all of his endeavors.

During Quinn’s harrowing journey, he is unwillingly thrust into a world of mysticism; then an unforgivable act of betrayal sets into motion a series of events that drastically affects his life and the lives of those around him.

Will Quinn ever find himself or uncover who he truly is destined to become? Will he ever become the person that he is destined to be?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Newman Springs Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 31, 2020
• ISBN: 9781645313717

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Quinn's Bluster

Ena Kosmo

Copyright © 2019 Ena Kosmo

All rights reserved

First Edition

NEWMAN SPRINGS PUBLISHING

320 Broad Street

Red Bank, NJ 07701

First originally published by Newman Springs Publishing 2019

ISBN 978-1-64531-369-4 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64531-371-7 (Digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

This book is respectfully dedicated to each and every single parent worldwide. Their unrelenting self-sacrifice is a pillar of strength for the next generation.

Chapter 1

Quinn, the Beginning

It is a balmy summer day in 1980, and a beautiful twenty-one-year-old woman named Olivia is relaxing in her backyard hammock, enjoying the warm breeze on her face while listening to Queen’s Crazy Little Thing Called Love on the boom box. Her husband, Cameron, just twenty feet away, is sweating profusely while cooking hamburgers and hotdogs on their traditional coal-fired barbeque grill. Even though Cameron is cooking for two, he is making enough food to feed a small hungry army. This is almost a perfect summer day, with the happy couple enjoying the outdoors while passing loving glances at each other. Then Olivia let out a scream. Cameron, our little girl wants to come out. It’s time.

The ultrasound two weeks prior showed an active baby girl a little larger than average but appeared healthy with an estimated due date approximately two weeks from today. Cameron is a soon-to-be first-time father. When his wife calls out, he immediately springs into action. He shuts down the barbeque grill and runs upstairs to grab the bags along with any items on the predetermined to-go list. He calls her doctor, carefully helps his beautiful wife to the car, and loads all of the stuff with care. He enters the vehicle and drives with purpose to the hospital where Olivia’s doctor is already waiting for her. As soon as they arrive, they are whisked to their semiprivate room at the hospital. Olivia spends nine hours in labor, the most excruciating pain of her life so far; however, it’s worth it to bring a new life into this world. Cameron is with her through the entire process, comforting her and trying to keep her distracted from the excruciating pain. Ostensibly, he is the perfect husband to Oliva, and she feels very lucky to have him.

Due to the physical size of the baby, it appears that a natural childbirth will not be possible, because it’s extremely dangerous for both mother and baby. Therefore, her doctor decides to perform an emergency C-section. Olivia is whisked to the nearest operating room while Cameron is told that he cannot follow and will have to wait for her in the room. The emergency C-section is performed with Olivia awake so she can see and hear her baby being born. This is the happiest day in her life, the day that her daughter is born. She is thinking about the future, how she will be the most important influence in this girl’s life and how she wants to make sure that she doesn’t make her mother’s mistakes. Olivia thought, I am going to be a cool mom.

Upon its birth, Olivia briefly held her newborn in her arms, but then it’s whisked away to be cleaned up and checked out. Olivia is taken back to her room, and it’s at this moment that Cameron is finally reunited with his beloved wife. Shortly thereafter, Olivia’s doctor came into the room, and almost simultaneously, the nurse wheeled in the baby. The doctor says, Your baby appears to be healthy, weighing twenty pounds and twelve ounces.

The doctor further noted, It appears that we misinterpreted the baby’s gender during the ultrasound. You actually have a baby boy.

Cameron, with frustration in his voice, asks, How could you make such a huge mistake, Doctor? We spent money on a girl’s room, girl’s toys, and girl’s clothes. How did you get this so wrong?

The doctor responds in the most respectful tone possible, Sir, your baby’s manhood was hidden in one of the baby’s fat folds. I am very sorry for the inconvenience this has caused.

Inconvenience? You overeducated blathering idiot, you cost me thousands of dollars, responds Cameron.

"Stop it. Stop it now, screams Olivia. I am very sorry for my inconsiderate and insensitive husband. Thank you for all that you have done for me and our family."

Would you like to hold your baby now? intervenes the nurse.

I would love to hold my baby, Olivia responds.

The nurse carefully takes the baby to Olivia with Cameron still brooding over his exchange with the doctor. The doctor says to the nurse, Let’s leave them alone to get acquainted with their son. Before leaving the room, the nurse noted that their son will need medium to large diapers when they go shopping for diapers.

Cameron slowly makes his way to his new family once the nurse and the doctor have left the room. The baby is swaddled and sleeping very peacefully in his mother’s arms. Olivia, still upset over Cameron’s sophomoric interaction with a well-respected medical professional, tries to enjoy the moment and brushes it off as an irrational reaction to stress. Olivia says to Cameron, You realize that we need to come up with a name for our son.

How about Cameron Jr.? says Cameron.

"How about no?" replies Olivia.

"No works. Hello, No," says Cameron.

Funny Guy, how about we call him Quinn? says Olivia.

Quinn Fintrom—that is a cool name. Let’s go with that, says Cameron.

Okay, Quinn it is, Olivia confirms. Olivia is looking at Quinn and thinking how perfect her little boy is and what joy the future will hold for her new family—first Christmas, first steps, so many firsts with so much to look forward to.

When Cameron holds Quinn for the first time, he thinks, What an overweight baby. Am I really the father? I mean he is really ugly. His manhood was hidden by a skinfold. Am I really this kid’s father?

Then Olivia says, You’re going to have to go buy new diapers and see if we can return the ones that we purchased, to which an annoyed Cameron responds, What is wrong with the one hundred dollars in diapers that we just purchased?

Those are for newborns— Olivia is interrupted.

Quinn is a newborn, Cameron explains.

Look, the newborn size will be too small for Quinn. We need to return them and get the larger size, Olivia retorts.

Fine, Cameron pouts.

Cameron hands Quinn back to Olivia and storms out of the room to return the diapers and buy the larger size. While he is storming out of the room, Olivia yells, Don’t forget to exchange the clothes too.

Unfortunately, he has already left the room, and there was no way to contact him until he either returns to the hospital or calls in to see how she was doing.

Forty-eight hours have passed since Quinn made his debut into the world, and he finally gets to see his new home. Quinn’s parents were expecting a girl, and therefore decorated his room accordingly. Quinn is too young to understand, let alone even care if his room is pink or blue. Quinn does what children his age do best—sleep, cry, eat, and make a mess. Four weeks pass, and Cameron’s disenchantment is becoming extremely self-evident and foreboding. Cameron’s attitude is becoming a festering cancer in what should be a happy home that was recently blessed with new life, and therefore new beginnings. Olivia is becoming frustrated that her husband’s attitude has changed so drastically. She feels like she is losing touch with him, almost like a negative chain reaction of events was triggered, leading to the loss of his feelings of respect, love, and attraction for her. This negative energy is manifesting into arguments, purposeful avoidance of parental/marital duties, and a general heaviness in the atmosphere of the entire household. Olivia has had enough; she confronts Cameron and demands that he, in no uncertain terms, reveal the source of his miserable disposition and downward spiral into the abyss. Cameron looks her directly in the eyes and says, Honey, I love you more than life itself, and that will never change till the day that I die. Notwithstanding my feelings for you, that fat hideous monster can’t possibly be mine, and the very sight of him repulses me down to my very core while bringing shame to my very soul. The very thought of him makes me want jump out a window and run into oncoming traffic.

Olivia says nothing and rushes out of the room in utter disbelief to what has just transpired. She runs outside, jumps onto her backyard hammock, then cries uncontrollably for almost an hour. Simultaneously, Cameron is grabbing clothes along with other belongings as quickly as possible, then putting them in the car while Olivia is distracted during her dismal emotional state. When Cameron finished packing the car, he just left, never saying goodbye and never looking back, leaving Olivia still crying in the backyard. Olivia, with tears in her eyes, composed herself the best she could, mustering every ounce of self-control and self-determination to confront her husband and save their young family. She storms into the house and marches right up the stairs toward their bedroom with the tenacity of a wife and mother with the steadfast resolution to not back down nor allow this foul mood that her husband is in to continue, fester, or consume their lives. She is going to fix this to put things back the way they were just four weeks prior. As she enters their bedroom, she realizes that most of his stuff is gone. She runs downstairs, and there is stuff missing in the garage. The family car is gone. She runs back upstairs, and his toothbrush and most of his stuff in the bathroom are gone. She is devastated.

Not knowing where to turn or what to do next, she calls her best friend Kallisto, who promptly comes over. Kallisto, a single twenty-one-year-old woman, tries to reassure her married friend that Cameron probably needs to cool off but will come back to her. Meanwhile, Cameron reaches the two banks where the Fintrom family has their money before they close at noon and drains all of the accounts completely before skipping town. That Saturday morning will be the last time that Olivia and Quinn will ever see Cameron for the rest of their lives. Olivia—feeling abandoned, confused, furious, and frightened—decides to reach out to her parents for help. Olivia’s parents are more than happy to help their daughter and grandson during their time of need, allowing them both to stay with them until they got back on their feet, effectively giving Quinn a second new home before he was even one year old.

Quinn loves living with his grandparents; they spoil him and shower him with love and gifts. When Quinn is eighteen months old, he wakes up one morning and becomes self-aware. It is as though anything before this moment in time was merely a dream and from this point forward will be filled with his memories, thoughts, endeavors, and self-pursuits. Quinn is curious about the whole world around him. He wants to learn and understand it all. Quinn thinks, What was that big green thing in the house covered with lights and shiny objects? What where these funny objects below the big green thing? Why are they pulling me away from those objects under the big green thing?

This is not Quinn’s first Christmas, but it’s the first Christmas that he will remember. Olivia’s parents make sure that each and every Christmas is special and that Quinn experiences all the joys of the Christmas season. Quinn loves everything about Christmas; he enjoys his gifts, the food, and the affection he receives from his entire family. To Quinn, there is no missing father or void in his life. For now, he has everything that he could possibly need. However, as the months and years progress, Quinn will start asking the big questions; the hardest of all will involve his dad. The dad subject is one that nobody in the family wants to address and will feverishly make a deliberate effort to deflect such questions as much as possible. Notwithstanding this well-intentioned deflection, eventually at some point in time, perhaps in the distant future, he will need to be told the truth.

It’s been a little over four years since Cameron had abandoned them, and now twenty-five-year-old Olivia is a single mother working a full-time job in order to give her son, Quinn, the life he deserves. They stayed with her parents for three years after selling her house and worked toward finding a job that pays a decent salary. Her parents are of modest means. However, they offer her a permanent home with them. Olivia is a very proud strong independent woman and wants to venture forth in order to blaze her own trail. She decides to rent an apartment near her parents, who are more than happy to watch their grandson while she’s at work. Olivia thinks that eventually she will need to find a male role model for her son, especially in the formidable years yet to come. Therefore, Olivia calls her still single friend Kallisto to help Olivia navigate the single dating scene that she is definitely not accustomed to. Cameron was her first everything. They met at fourteen years old and married by the time they were nineteen years old as college students, making this especially hard for her. It was decided that every Friday night and Saturday night, Quinn stayed at Grandma and Grandpa’s house while Olivia and Kallisto looked for not only a prospective soul mate for Olivia but also a positive male role model for her son. Both women are absolutely beautiful, but Kallisto is well-versed in the single scene with beauty, grace, and confidence radiating from within her. She literally captivates the room with her mere presence, and potential suitors gravitate toward her like moths to the flame. Unfortunately, Olivia comes across as very clumsy and awkward, unsure of how to act or react to the attention she is either receiving or pursuing. Olivia will ask awkward questions or say the wrong thing at the most inappropriate time. Kallisto knows that this will be a challenge but is determined to help her friend get through this stage of her life. After two weeks, Olivia meets what appears to be a nice guy and a potential role model for her son. They date for a little over two months, and Olivia is happy again both emotionally and physically. Olivia decides that it’s time for Ed to meet Quinn. She sets up a dinner at her apartment with Ed having full knowledge that her four-year-old son will be there. Ed is excited to meet Quinn for the first time because he really likes Olivia and legitimately wants to make this relationship work. Olivia has everything prepared for Ed’s arrival.

When Ed arrives at her apartment, she immediately brings Quinn to meet Ed. At this point and time, Quinn is a three-foot-four-tall four-year-old that tips the scales at an astonishing 134 pounds. Ironically, at four years old, Quinn weighs more than his twenty-five-year-old mother. Ed sees Quinn and is flabbergasted. He doesn’t know what to think about Quinn. Ed put on his game face and introduces himself to Quinn, determined to make a good impression with his new girlfriend. The three of them sit down at the dinner table for a fresh home-cooked meal. Olivia made Caesar salad, lasagna, lamb chops, and fresh chocolate cake served in three courses. The meal is a hit. Ed loves it all. However, Quinn is a colossal glutton devouring everything in his path, crying for more food and pounding his fists until he is fed more. By the time Quinn is done, his shirt is drenched with tomato sauce and chocolate. Quinn has food all over his face, hands, hair, table, floor, and somehow even on the ceiling. Then he starts to suck the sauce and chocolate from his shirt. Quinn starts licking his hands, table, and collects the food from his face to eat that too. His embarrassed mother decides to excuse herself, taking her son to his room to change his shirt, clean him up, and set him up in front of his video game station. Ed acts like nothing has happened and continues with their date night. Ed is supposed to stay the night and have breakfast in the morning. Somewhere between them going to bed together and breakfast, Ed leaves Olivia’s apartment without being noticed, changes his phone number, and never speaks or calls her again. Olivia wakes up in the morning realizing that Ed has gone for good, feeling both sad and relieved that he left now instead of when things got a little more serious. For the next two years, this same scenario transpires numerous times with the exit strategy changing slightly, but the end result is still identical. That is until that fateful day she meets Guster Gus Malakas.

The year is 1986. Kallisto and Olivia are out at the hottest club/lounge in the area looking for love in all the wrong places. Well, at least Olivia is. Kallisto is engaged to be married. Therefore, her role going forward is strictly for moral support as her wingwoman, nothing more. Olivia, with two years of experience in the single scene, glides through the club effortlessly with grace, effectively dispatching the scrubs and losers vying for her attention while searching for quality men in the room. Suddenly, she spots a well-dressed man sitting alone on a lounge chair. She purposely walks past him twice to ascertain what his deal is. However, he completely ignores her. Now more curious than interested, she invites herself to sit next to him, triggering a conversation consisting primarily of cordial small talk. Olivia introduces herself and asks, What is your name?

The man replies, It’s a pleasure to meet you, Olivia. My name is Guster Malakas, but you may call me Gus for short.

It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Gus. What are you doing here all alone? Olivia asks.

I was supposed to meet with some work colleagues. However, it seems as though they either got lost or changed their minds about this particular venue.

What do you do for a living, Gus? You are so well-dressed and seem to be out of place in this club.

I always dress to impress. Clothes make a man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.

Did you just quote Mark Twain? Interesting, well-dressed and educated. You still didn’t tell me what you do for a living, Gus.

Well, Olivia, I am a journalist, and my goal in life is to seek out the stories that captivate the soul of my reader but most importantly makes my newspaper lots of money. It appears as though my coworkers have abandoned me. It was nice meeting you today. However, I need to close out my tab and depart—

Before you go, do you have a business card, just in case I want to find one of your newspaper articles?

Gus hands Olivia a business card with his contact information at the newspaper he works for, then pays his tab and leaves the club-lounge. Olivia ends up reaching out to him, and they date for a little over two months. Gus makes Olivia feel happy both emotionally and physically. He dresses well and always says the right thing at the right time. He is charming, nice, caring, charismatic; and overall, he appears to be the perfect candidate for both the soul mate and positive male role model positions that need to be filled. The biggest test for this relationship, however, will come when Gus meets Quinn. Olivia spoke a lot about Quinn but never about his physical attributes, negative traits, or behaviors.

Olivia schedules a dinner at her apartment with Gus as the guest of honor. Olivia goes to the public library and borrows various ethnic cookbooks so she can prepare a special or unique meal. Olivia has mixed emotions; she is both excited and nervous. This is a major milestone in every relationship for the last two years because her prospective significant other would either indulge in one last physical encounter and then disappear, or just disappear right after dinner. She feels differently about Gus and really wants things to work out with him. Olivia dresses Quinn in his good clothes and asks him to be on his best behavior at dinner. It is hard for Olivia to find clothes for her six-year-old. Quinn is already three feet nine and weighs approximately 190 pounds significantly more than twenty-seven-year-old Oliva weighs at five feet seven.

When the doorbell rings, her heart sinks into her chest. Her nerves are firing into overdrive as she approaches the door to greet her potential partner and companion. She builds up her courage and answers the door with a smile that could melt the polar ice caps. Gus is dressed to impress. He brings a dozen red and pink roses for Olivia and a wrapped gift for Quinn. Olivia calls Quinn, and he clumsily starts to come over to meet this new guest in his home. While Quinn is walking toward the front door, he thinks, Why is this guy here? Why does my mother want me to meet all of these strangers, then I never see them again? What’s for dinner? It sure smells good! As Quinn approaches the front door, he sees Gus and thinks, Why is he holding a present? Is it for me or Mommy? It’s not my birthday or Christmas, so I guess it’s for Mommy.

As Quinn gets close, Olivia pulls Quinn in and says, Gus, this is Quinn, and, Quinn, this is Gus.

Gus kneels down and says, Quinn, it is an honor and a privilege to meet you today. I have a small gift for you.

Quinn says, Mommy, can I open it? Please!

Sure you can, sweetie. It’s for you.

Quinn opens his gift, and it’s the latest Optimus Prime Transformer action figure with a fully transformable and operational trailer. Quinn is floored with excitement and anticipation to play with his new toy! Quinn says, Oh my goodness! This is the exact one that I wanted. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Then Quinn gives Gus a huge hug.

This is the first