“Now, if you’re good like I know you can be, you have nothing to worry about. I have thought of everything. You earn various things from the reward bag with a currency of points. So just being good which entails doing your chores without complaining and whining. Behaving, not talking back, minding those in charge of you. You get 10 points a week.
“So how much is, let’s say, I don’t know, umm, an outing with Ms. Brooks or Sanchez,” Jordan asked, trying to not make it seem obvious what he wanted.
“Well, according to this card, that is 1050 points. I wrote the totals in Sharpie on each card, so you can’t say I’m changing the totals, and I know what you are thinking. Sara, that is a lot of points. Well, you can also earn extra points. Let’s say you buy an exercise bike for 200 points. Well, you get a bonus of 5 points each week for working out at least 5 days in a week. Then if you get the cute little weight set for another 200, that’s an additional 5 pts stacked for weight lifting workouts for a total of 20 points a week.”
“You can’t be serious?” Jordan said, unable to believe what he was hearing.
“What do you mean? Of course, I’m serious. Think of it as you getting an allowance, and with your allowance, you can buy things from the Sara Store. You are being rewarded for good behavior, and as long as you keep being good, anything earned won’t be taken away. I can also award you additional points or even items from the reward bag just for being extra good or if I just want to spoil my wittle man. This gives you the incentive to behave and maintain good behavior as it makes your life better by you getting rewards.
“It would take me six months just to get enough points for an exercise bike or the weight set. I should at least get more points each week.” Jordan said, crossing his arms.
“Well, if you want to do extra things around here. I would be willing to give you extra points. Like some brat dropped gum on the theater floor, and I stepped in it last night. You could get an extra five points for getting the gum off the bottom of my shoe. All my hair scrunchies are everywhere. Getting all those organized could be another 5 to 10 points. Plus, it’s not like you won’t get things on other days. Like every September 15th you get presents. Plus you’ll get Christmas presents obviously. Then if you need something, I’ll still get it for you. The rewards are just extra things to encourage good behavior and reward you for it.” Sara explained.
“Wait, what is September 15th? That seems like an arbitrary day.” Jordan said while still trying to wrap his head around this reward system.
“That’s your name day, silly. I found you in the yard on September 15th. So each year, we celebrate the day you became my wittle man. It seemed a bit depressing to celebrate your dead name and the end of your old life each year.” Sara said as she lifted Jordan up and set him back on her shoulder before standing up.
Sara’s hair fell over her shoulders as Jordan clung to the collar of her shirt as she headed out of her bedroom. After being cooped up in the habitat for the better part of 24 hours, it felt good to be in the open. As they walked down the hall, Jordan understood the message. None of this was up for debate; she was merely informing him of how it would be.
“Oh hey, mom. I didn’t know you were home.” Sara said as she bounded down the stairs and walked into the living room.
“Just got home. I’m exhausted, and I had to work a double.” Tiffany said, collapsing onto the sofa.
“I’m taking this little guy to the d-o-c-t-o-r-s.” Sara said.
“You realize I can spell, right? I’m not three. Why am I going to the doctor?” Jordan asked confused
“He’s so nosey, mom. Has to know every little detail. I promise to come directly home after I’m done babysitting.” Sara said
“Okay, be safe,” Tiffany said as she stood and hugged her daughter before sitting back down to relax before falling asleep.
“Sara, I know you can hear me,” Jordan said, questioning why he needed to go to the doctor.
“You need to get used to not knowing everything. You’re just getting a checkup and then getting your shots. The shots just help your body fight sicknesses and diseases that you may be more susceptible to. Since you’re on my medical plan now, I’m taking you to my doctor from now on.” Sara said before walking outside.
Jordan knew he needed to hold onto being informed about what was going on medically. He can’t just let Sara run rampant with his medical decisions. What if a cure came about? Would she share that information? Jordan wanted to believe she would but couldn’t take that chance.
“I’m not trying to step on your toes, and I’m willing to concede having to know all the financial information in exchange for being kept in the know around anything medically necessary,” Jordan said. As he had the realization that his only path forward with Sara was negotiating. While Jordan didn’t like the idea of giving up getting to know what happens financially, he also knew the further and further removed he gets from what has happened to his assets, the less of an issue it becomes.
Sara paused at the request, as Jordan hadn’t ever proposed a trade of any kind before. While from a leverage standpoint, she was giving up information with no actual gain. The idea of having complete control of the assets and the financial information without pushback from Jordan was appealing to Sara. Especially if all she had to give up was just letting him know what was going on medically.
“Just so I understand the agreement you are proposing. You just want me to keep you in the loop regarding your medical decisions and if I do that. You will concede having to know about the financial information?” Sara asked, making sure to use his words
“Yeah, I don’t like not knowing why I’m going to the doctor or what is being done to me,” Jordan said as he grasped Sara’s hair for added support.
“No, I get it. That seems fair. I won’t keep anything from you medically that pertains to you. In exchange, you give up getting to know about the financial dealings.” Sara said
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