This story contains some explicit scenes of erotic love between males. If you are under age, or live in an area where reading stories that include sex between males is illegal, or if you're not into this type of story, please leave. The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at NJMcMick@yahoo.com.
The story is set in the fictional city of Trenton, New Jersey. Yes, there is a real city by that name, but other than being a state capital on the Delaware River, it bears little resemblance to the city in this story. While a few of the places mentioned may exist in reality, all of the characters and events are fictitious.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Monday morning I slept in later than usual. The long drive the day before had been more tiring than I realized. After breakfast at the diner, I walked to the park, sat on my rock by the river and called Patrick.
"Good morning, Coy, so you finally got up!"
"Yeah, it was a pretty long day yesterday. Even with going to bed early I slept in. But then I guess you wouldn't know about going to bed early."
"Hey, Derek and I were in bed plenty early, we just didn't get to sleep until late."
"Yeah, I can just imagine. So how long has this been going on, anyway?"
"Oh, a little while. He's a pretty great guy and, as you would know better than anyone, just my type in bed."
"Yeah, now that you mention it, bottom boy."
"Be nice now. Remember, this bottom boy is your attorney and trustee."
"I know, I know, how can I forget when you keep reminding me?"
"So how'd it go? The weekend, the car, everything?"
"The weekend was okay. Not perfect, but pretty good. And the car is a dream! I absolutely love it."
"Good, you deserve it. You'll have to tell me all about everything the next time I see you. In the meantime, however, I've got some annoying news for you."
"There's not a problem with the condo, is there?" The way the tension instantly spread throughout my body showed me just how much I was looking forward to moving into my new home.
"No, that's right on schedule. Closing is still two weeks from tomorrow, as planned. The problem is your stepfather. It looks like he finally found a lawyer to take his case. He's filed for custody again."
"Oh God no, not again," I groaned. "Isn't this ever gonna end? I mean, I'll be 18 in ten weeks or so. Can't they just let it drop?"
"No, in fact there's a hearing scheduled for next Monday morning. And the family court is none too pleased that we didn't notify them when your great-aunt died."
"You mean the fat bastard might win this time?"
"I doubt it. We have something going for us now that we didn't last time. You have grandparents who could accept custody."
"Don't bet on it. They didn't exactly warm up to me this weekend." I gave him a recap of the dinner on Thursday night. "They'd never help me at this point and there's no way I want to owe them anything anyway."
"Well, we'll think of something. As you said, it's only for ten weeks anyway."
"What about my father? I'm sure he'd help out."
"Your father? What are you talking about? Since when do you have a father?"
I was stunned. Hadn't I told Patrick about meeting my father? I thought back to that first meeting and the conversations I'd had with Patrick since then and I realized that all we'd talked about for two months was first the condo and then the car. Even when we were planning the trip to Augusta, we'd only talked about the car and my grandfather. I briefly caught him up.
"This is great news, babe! A real father trumps a stepfather every time. Give me his number and I'll call him right now."
"Let me call him first and explain, then I'll ask him to call you."
"Whatever, just make sure you do it this morning. There's no time to waste on this."
"Okay, I'll call him now."
"Good. And Coy, once this is all over, you and I have to sit down and catch up. No cars, no condos, no custody, just good old-fashioned girl talk. There's been too much business for us to deal with. No wonder you didn't know about Derek and me."
"Well, I don't have any hot stories to tell, but you're right. We do have some catching up to do."
As soon as I hung up from Patrick I called my father. He was pleased to hear from me and thought at first that I was calling just to let him know I got home all right. Back when I'd first told him about Ralph he'd been angry, so he was upset at the prospect of a custody battle. He promised to call Patrick and do whatever he could to help me.
Late that afternoon I was on my way to Norman's for dinner when Patrick called to tell me they'd talked and that everything was taken care of. He gave me the time of the hearing and we arranged to meet at the same hearing room as the last time.
"Is Mr. Boyle going to handle this again?"
"No, I don't think you need him this time. I'm sure I can handle this myself." I asked him how it went with my father but he just told me not to worry about a thing, that it was all under control. He sounded so sure that for once I was able to put something big out of my mind and not dwell on it.
The week flew by. I fell back into my routine as if I hadn't been away at all. Of course, three evenings at Minho and an afternoon at the shelter wasn't exactly a crowded schedule. But I did meet with Blaine once and talk to him on the phone a few times about scheduling furniture deliveries once the condo was mine. I made it clear to him that the bedrooms were a priority because I wanted to sleep there starting the first night.
I debated driving into Philadelphia for the custody hearing but even though I was comfortable with the car I didn't think I was ready for big city weekday traffic. Besides, I knew parking would be a bitch so it was easier all around to take the train. When I got to the courthouse I went up to the hearing room as if it were something I did every day. On the elevator I thought about how nervous I had been the last time. I wasn't sure whether it was my father's quick offer of help or Patrick's reassurance over the phone but I was very calm.
It was a few minutes before ten when I got off the elevator. The only person waiting on the bench outside the hearing room was Ralph, the one person I didn't want to see. He glared at me as I approached him.
"I told ya you wouldn't be able to get away from me. You haven't got your Aunt Aggie to hide behind now. I'm the only one left."
"There's no way I'd ever move back with you, Ralph. Besides, the house is being sold. You may have to find a new place to live yourself."
"Yeah, you really screwed me on that but I'll get even. Not only is the buyer gonna charge me rent but he has a ridiculous idea of what the apartment's worth."
"You mean you haven't been paying rent all these years?"
"Of course not, we were all family. Still are. That's why after I get custody that trust fund of yours is gonna pay for a really nice place for us to live."
"Don't hold your breath. It's not gonna happen, Ralph."
Just then the elevator dinged and we both looked down the hall. A tall, husky middle-aged man with unnaturally black hair got off and headed toward us.
"Here's my lawyer now. Hey, Joe," he called out. The guy approached us and looked me over from head to toe.
"This the kid? He looks even younger than seventeen. That'll work in our favor. He looks too innocent to leave on his own."
The lawyer jerked his head to one side and walked off with Ralph following. I heard the elevator again and saw Patrick step off, talking on his cell phone. He smiled and waved to me just as the hearing room door opened. I recognized the clerk from the last time as he stuck his head out and asked us all to come into the room. Patrick was frowning as he sat down next to me.
"Is there a problem, Patrick?"
"No, I've just got to stall a bit."
The judge came in and immediately began to scold Patrick for not having notified her of Aunt Aggie's death. Ralph and his lawyer just sat back and smiled as she spoke.
"Your honor, I apologize for not reporting the death of Jeremiah's guardian when it happened, but the situation was somewhat complex. Our firm had actually been acting as guardian, and that had been working well, so given his age, we decided to leave well enough alone."
"I think that was a decision that should have been made by the court, Mr. Chang."
"But what court, Your Honor? Jeremiah hasn't lived in Pennsylvania for a year now, so we do not feel this is the appropriate venue to decide custody, On the other hand, a court in New Jersey, unfamiliar with this case, might not understand the situation."
"I realize it's a complex case, but your firm didn't have any problem with the jurisdiction of this court when you filed for custody here last December, so I don't see any reason why Mr. Ferguson can't file for custody here now. Let us proceed."
There was a sound behind us and the judge frowned as she looked toward the back of the room.
"I'm sorry, you can't come in here, this is a closed hearing."
"I believe I have the right to attend a hearing to determine custody of my son."
I jumped up and whirled around. "Dad! What are you doing here? You didn't have to come all the way up here."
"Dad? What the fuck?" I heard Ralph mutter.
"Of course I did. No one but me is going to have custody of my son." He held out his arms and pulled me into a big hug. "You think I'd take any chance of that asshole getting his hands on you again?" he whispered in my ear.
Patrick introduced my father to the judge and explained that my developing relationship with him was another reason he hadn't notified the court of Aunt Aggie's death. With an entire family behind me and my eighteenth birthday coming up, custody didn't seem necessary. It also complicated the question of jurisdiction, as I lived in New Jersey and Dad lived in Georgia. But since the court wanted to settle the issue, Patrick insisted my father was the logical candidate to be my guardian.
For the next forty-five minutes the judge interviewed Ralph and Dad. Ralph had obviously been coached this time. He knew a lot more about me than before. He must have gone through my old room, studied my school records and talked to neighbors to find out personal details that he hadn't previously paid any attention to. He came across as much more caring and responsible than he had at the previous hearing. Even so, I thought Dad made a better impression, although maybe I was a bit prejudiced. Dad explained how he'd found me through my chance meeting with Chipper, and talked about my recent weekend in Augusta with the family. Without going into details he assured the judge that his financial condition was such that my trust fund was not of any interest to him at all.
Both lawyers also asked lots of questions. Ralph's lawyer stressed the ten-year relationship he had with me, the fact that he had been married to Mom for six years and had lived with me all that time. He pointed out that Dad had only known me for two months, and the actual time we'd spent together could be measured in hours. He also implied that Dad was after me for my money, a bizarre idea since I knew that was the only reason Ralph wanted me.
Finally the judge turned to me and asked me to catch her up on my life in Trenton. I reminded her about my job at Minho and told her about my volunteer work at the shelter, getting my GED in May and being accepted to county college for the fall semester. I described the new condo we were closing on the next week and saw Ralph's mouth drop open as I did. Finally, I gave a short rundown of the trip to Augusta to pick up my car and while I mentioned spending time with both sets of grandparents and my other relatives I didn't go into any details about how we all got along.
"It sounds as if you've built quite a good life for yourself since last fall."
"I have. I'm doing so much better than I ever dreamed, and I'm not just talking about the money from the trust fund. I have good friends, people who care about me, people I love."
"I'm sure I know the answer to this, but I have to ask. What do you want this court to do? Where would you like to live and with whom?"
"I'd like to stay in Trenton and move into the condo with my friend Manny next week. If I have to have a legal guardian, I'd like it to be my father. I know he lives far away, but my brother will be back at Princeton soon and he can keep an eye on me. Plus I've got Patrick and Nancy at the law firm and my friend Norman living nearby. I'm not really on my own anymore."
The judge nodded. "We'll take a ten minute break and then I'll give my decision."
The judge got up and left the room. Ralph and his lawyer went out into the hall but my little group stayed put. Even thought they'd talked on the phone and Patrick had just examined Dad as a witness, I formally introduced them.
"I'm sorry I was late, Patrick. My cab was stuck in traffic coming in from the airport."
"Since you called I knew you were running late and I was able to stall. Your timing was perfect, actually. The judge wasn't feeling too kindly toward me and probably would have granted custody to Ralph if you hadn't been here. Now it's pretty much a no-brainer, though."
We chatted for a few minutes and then the hearing was reconvened. When we were all seated, the judge came back in.
"This case was unusual back in December when we were first here, and it's even more so now. Obviously, Mr. Ferguson has a long history with Jeremiah. He took care of him more than half his life. It's just as clear that the relationship between the two is not a good one. I'm pleased that Jeremiah is establishing a relationship with his father's family, although given the distance and the short time they've all known one another it's hard to judge the quality of that relationship. Under ordinary circumstances, neither the father nor stepfather would be an ideal candidate for guardian. However, there is nothing ordinary about this case. Jeremiah lives out of state on his own. He is enrolled in school and has a steady job. He has friends nearby. Due to the trust fund, he is financially secure and Mr. Chang here will be serving as his trustee for several more years regardless of the outcome of this hearing. In another week Jeremiah will have his own home and in two months he will legally be an adult. In my personal opinion, he does not need a guardian at this point in his life, but the law says he does. As far as I am concerned, the most important thing right now is to protect Jeremiah while disrupting the good life he has built as little as possible. And so, since Mr. Johnson is willing to accept responsibility for him and Jeremiah is agreeable to his father as guardian, I hereby grant custody of Jeremiah Coy Walton to his father, Robert Johnson, Jr."
Dad and I both jumped up and hugged one another. The judge came over and shook our hands. She smiled as she looked me in the eye.
"Please take care of yourself. I don't want to see you back here again."
"No offense, but believe me, I don't want to ever come back here."
When we got out to the hall, Ralph was waiting for the elevator. He glared at me and then at Dad.
"Some father you are. Where were you when I was raising your kid? I don't care what that judge says, you both owe me plenty."
"If I had known about Jerry before you would not have had to bother yourself with him, Mr. Ferguson. I would have taken him in without a second thought. I realize you took care of Jerry for a long time. For that I am grateful, although from what I've heard you weren't exactly the loving, caring parent you should have been."
"But you still owe me. I spent lots on him over the years and it sounds to me like you've both got more money that God. I deserve something for my trouble."
"Like Dad said, Ralph, I owe you thanks for taking care of me, but that's about it. You tried to steal every penny I made and you haven't had to pay rent in over ten years, so financially, I'd say you're not due anything. The funny thing is, if you'd been nicer to me I never would have run away, and now you'd be my guardian and be sharing in the income from the trust fund. So you only have yourself to blame."
"You fuckin' bastard!" As a very angry Ralph came toward me, Dad stepped in between us and pushed him back. He stood very close as Ralph pressed himself back against the wall.
"If I hear one word of you ever bothering Jerry again, you'll wish you'd never been born. Do you understand?"
Ralph was a couple of inches taller than Dad and easily outweighed him by fifty pounds, but the hard edge in Dad's voice scared even me. Ralph squirmed away from Dad, glanced at the closed elevator door a second and rushed across the hall to the stairway.
"Fuck the both of ya," he muttered as he pushed the door open and disappeared.
By the time the elevator arrived we had all relaxed and the ride down to the lobby was much more festive. Dad took Patrick and me to lunch nearby to celebrate our victory. While they talked about the legal implications for Dad of my custody, I had a few minutes to think about what it all meant to me. I hadn't been as scared as the last time. Running away again had been my last resort back in December. That was my fall-back plan again this time, only I knew I wouldn't have to go far. Norman had offered to let me hide out at his place for the two months until I was legal. Also, I didn't have any family before. Now I did, and while I knew I couldn't ask the world of them, I also knew they'd be there for me if I needed them.
Over lunch, Dad and I told Patrick about my weekend in Augusta. I described the dinner with my grandparents in detail and then told them both about Uncle Pete's talk with Marcus and me the next day.
"I knew the old guy was a tightfisted businessman, but I can't believe he'd try to cheat his own grandson," Dad scowled.
"I'm sure he didn't think of it as cheating me, just being shrewd and watching his pennies, Dad."
"You're too kind to him, son. It wasn't much money, but he was definitely cheating."
"Well, you can be sure I'll have our accountants watching the pennies as well from now on, Coy."
"Isn't there any way you can sell my half of the business, Patrick, and put the money into more impersonal investments? I know you're the one dealing with my grandfather right now, but I hate the idea that someday I'm going to have to deal with him."
"The easiest way to dispose of half a family business is to sell it to the owner of the other half. That's why your grandfather came to see me right after your great-aunt's funeral. He made an offer for your share. Even before we'd had the business appraised, just based on what we already knew, I could tell it was an absurdly low offer. After we'd gone over the books I made him a counter-offer, which he rejected outright. That's where we stand right now, a stalemate."
"What about Uncle Pete? I offered to sell him my share when I was down there and I could tell from the look in his eyes he really wanted it, but he said he couldn't afford it, something about not being able to get financing. It's too bad because he's worked there his whole life, he loves the business and I'm sure he's tired of sucking up to Grandfather."
"Maybe I could be of some help there, son." I looked at Dad in surprise. "My family business is a bank, remember? Financing is what we do. If Pete Atkins is really interested in buying your half of the dealership, maybe I can make it work for him. It wouldn't hurt to talk anyway."
For the next few minutes Patrick and Dad made plans to talk to Uncle Pete. I kept out of it. I wasn't really interested in the business details. I liked the idea of screwing Grandfather. Not screwing him, really, since he and Uncle Pete worked together already and Aunt Kathryn was probably going to inherit Grandfather's share of the business someday anyhow. But it was nice to think that maybe Grandfather would have to deal with an equal partner for a change and not have everything his own way.
Out on the sidewalk we went three separate ways. Patrick was going back to the office to call Uncle Pete. Dad had to go to the 30th Street Station to catch an Amtrak train to Washington. He had a banking conference the next day and had flown up early and made a slight detour for the hearing. I had to catch the SEPTA train back to Trenton.
Dad gave me a big hug and a kiss on the cheek as we parted.
"You take care of yourself, son. Chipper will be coming back to school in a month or so and I think I may come up with him to see how you're doing. Not only do I want to see more of you, but now that you're my legal responsibility, I want to make sure you're staying out of trouble."
"Me? Trouble? No way!"
Patrick had scheduled the closing on the condo for eleven in the morning the next Tuesday at the building management office on the first floor of my building. There was no legal reason for me to attend since the trust fund was going to be the real owner and I couldn't legally sign anything anyway, but I wanted to be there. It was a huge milestone in my life. It turned out to be a pretty boring fifteen minutes, watching Patrick sign what must have been thirty different documents. When it was all over they handed the keys to Patrick and he immediately passed them on to me.
"Shall we go upstairs and take a look at your new home, Coy?"
I'd been in the place at least a dozen times over the past couple of months but I couldn't wait to see it as mine. I unlocked the door with my new key and, although I knew it was rude, walked in ahead of Patrick. I wanted to be the first one in my new place. It was still empty, of course. The brand-new hardwood floors were shiny and the kitchen was immaculate. I wandered through the place for a few minutes, taking it all in, ending up at my favorite spot, the corner windows of my bedroom overlooking the river.
"So what are your plans for the rest of the day, babe?"
"I've got to call Blaine and let him know everything went through as planned. I talked to him yesterday and he said my bedroom furniture would be delivered between one and two so I want to be here for that."
"What about the furniture for Manny's room?"
"That's not coming until next week, along with some of the living room furniture. The dining room won't be ready until the end of the month."
"You're still planning on spending the night here, all by yourself in a practically empty apartment?"
"Of course. It's the first night in my new home. But I won't be all by myself. Marcus is going to be here with me, to kind of break in the place."
"Break in the new bed, you mean."
"You'd better believe it."
"If the furniture isn't going to be here until one I have time to take you to an early lunch to celebrate."
We found a cozy informal restaurant around the corner from the condo. Even though we were less than half a mile from the rooming house, it would take me a while to get used to the new neighborhood. We both ordered chicken Caesar salads and iced tea. I was too excited to eat anything heavy like my usual cheeseburger and fries.
"I talked to your uncle a couple of times last week, Coy. He's very interested in the business but like you said, he's not sure he can swing it financially."
"What about Dad? Can he do anything?"
"I talked with him a few times, too. He and your uncle are going to try to work something out. I'm very impressed with your father, both as a businessman and a person. You've really lucked out with him."
"I know. I never even allowed myself to think about what my father might be like. He just wasn't part of my life and I assumed he never would be. But he's such a great guy and he came along at just the right time."
"So are you and Manny going to have a housewarming party?"
"Yeah, we're thinking about something on Labor Day weekend. The whole place should be furnished by then. We don't have any of the details set, though."
"Well, keep me posted on that and I'll let you know how things go with your uncle and father."
On the walk back to Patrick's car he stopped at a liquor store. I followed him in and he bought a chilled bottle of champagne and a couple of plastic glasses. Back out on the sidewalk, he handed me the bag.
"You and Marcus deserve a little celebration and I know neither of you is old enough to buy it yourself. Have fun tonight."
"Thanks, Patrick." I gave him a big hug. "For everything. You take such good care of me."
"Well, maybe I do give you a little more attention than my other clients. But that's because you're a good friend and I love you."
I was a little startled to hear him say that but realized that in the context of friendship, I loved him as well and told him so. We shared another hug before he left.
To be continued.