Bill’s Mom Was Right About Jeffrey

Do you remember when you were in middle school or high school and you showed up at your parents' house with some friends? Do you remember your mom telling you, “Hey, Bill come here! That friend of yours, Jeffrey; I don't like him. He seems a bit odd and awkward. I don't want to see him here anymore, got it?" Of course, our pride and shame at the nagging held us to accept those boundaries.

Time goes by, and you're still hanging out with that friend, Jeffrey. You're all doing a bunch of stuff that might not be entirely moral or legal, but the whole gang seems to enjoy this freedom without any accountability. The adrenaline and excitement of being there, sharing glorious moments on the island that Jeffery got thanks to countless frauds, but you thought, “Who cares? We're not doing harm to anybody! We're just having a blast!"

Then things get out of control, and no one notices. Everyone is blind to the craziness of the moment, which Jeffrey built so thoroughly; stars come and go, presidents and even royalty are in the scheme. You're starting to remember your mom's words when you saw the parade of teenagers by the pool on that island. You have that picture in your mind with one of them, and you recall that thought: "She looks adult now; there's nothing to worry about, no? Do I need to worry?"

“Bill, I told you not to hang out with that boy Jeffrey! That friend of yours is now in jail, did you know that? And the Justice Department is releasing a lot of information, and you're involved!" That “told you so" is a killer. You just realized that you did wrong, and you wish you could be buried a mile below the Earth. The news is showing the whole plot that Jeff and his girlfriend Ghislaine built with the parties, banquets, travels… They've created this obscure, mindless, ridiculous elite as part of a criminal enterprise.

“Oh Bill, what are you going to do? Are you willing to testify? You have to, you're obliged! Listen for once to your mother!" Those words, so painful because they're true. You can't even look at your cellphone or email; it's a bombardment of journalists, friends, and family asking about the whole thing. And now Jeff “suicided"… so they say. And worst of all, everybody on that list was his partner in crime.