Finding Family Chapter 13
This is a fictional story dealing with love and consensual sexual activities between males. If you are not of legal age, reside in an area where viewing such material is illegal, or are offended by homosexuality and/or homosexual themes, leave this site now.
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Note: Thanks to Dick for feedback on the draft chapters. I owe special thanks to Robb and Rock for doing the final proofreading and catching all those silly little errors I missed.
Finding Family
by Jeff Allen
CHAPTER 13
Trey and TJ showed up in Isaac's hospital room right after school was out. Isaac was pleased to see them, and so was I. After all, I'd told Red Stuart that I'd take Isaac home with me. I needed to let Trey know about that decision.
TJ said that the entire soccer team was downstairs in the hospital lobby. I thought Isaac was going to break down into tears again, but he held it together. The hospital had a rule that only two visitors were allowed in the room at any one time. The guys quickly worked out a rotation system that allowed everyone to have a short visit with Isaac without violating the two visitor rule.
Christopher Harris and Elijah Baker were the first pair to arrive. It was going to take a while for the whole team to cycle through the room so I took the opportunity to have TJ drive Trey and me back over to the high school so I could pick up my vehicle to go home and change clothes. My pants with the traces of Isaac's bloody vomit were sealed in a plastic bag, but I knew they were getting riper every minute. They needed to be washed as soon as possible.
On the way home I told Trey most of Isaac's story except for the part about him getting paid for sex by some of the truckers. When I told Trey that Isaac's aunt and uncle were Donnie Micheaux's in-laws and that Roland Finch had refused to consider being Isaac's guardian, Trey immediately responded, "Can we take him in? He doesn't have any place else to go except an orphanage or some foster home. He knows us, and I like him. He's kinda quiet, but he's a neat dude."
I reached over and gave the back of Trey's neck a squeeze. "Thanks, bud. I've already talked to Sheriff Stuart about doing that. The Sheriff's promised to grease the wheels with DSS so it looks like we'll have one more person in the house."
"That's cool, Parker, but we need to get him his own bed. It's okay for Ryan to sleep on a futon `cause he's only out there on the weekends, but a futon would get old after a while."
"You're right. I thought about that this afternoon. I'll move my bedroom stuff into the other room downstairs. Isaac can have my old room, and we'll get him whatever he needs."
"There's no bathroom down there."
"There's the bathroom off the back of the kitchen. I'd just have to walk through the kitchen. If Isaac decides he wants to stay with us, it'd be an easy thing to add another bathroom on the back of the house. I was thinking about doing that anyway just to give us another functional bedroom. I need to get away from you rowdy teenagers anyway."
"Ah, speaking of rowdy teenagers I guess TJ and I will have to be a little more discreet at home than we have been."
"I think we all need to sit down with Isaac and tell him the whole story."
"Man, I sure hope he's broad-minded."
"I think things will be fine, but you and TJ need to be up front with him."
"I'll talk to TJ about it tonight."
Back at the house, I tossed my increasingly aromatic trousers into the washing machine, and went upstairs to take a much needed shower. I packed a bag in case Isaac wanted company in the hospital overnight. When I got back downstairs TJ had already arrived, and he and Trey had started cooking dinner. I told the guys I'd grab something back in town and left to go back to the hospital.
The doctors decided that Isaac's bloody vomit was probably the result of one of Mr. South's kicks to Isaac's midsection. While the doctors didn't think the bleeding would start up again, they wanted to keep him until the next afternoon just to be certain. Someone from the team was there in the room with Isaac until the end of visiting hours at 8:30. They'd discussed when they had free periods the next day and had worked out a schedule so that Isaac would not be alone for more than half an hour at any point in the day. I was grateful because that meant I could meet the team for the morning run and teach my classes.
Just after the end of visiting hours the Rev. George Baker, Elijah's father, came into the room. He said he'd learned about the deaths of Isaac's parents from Elijah. He offered to do the funeral services. Although they had abused him, the only parents Isaac had ever known were gone. The reality of that was beginning to sink in. Isaac looked over at me. I nodded, and he tearfully accepted Rev. Baker's offer.
Before he left, Rev. Baker said a short prayer with us and then asked to speak with me outside for a moment.
"Elijah tells me that you're going to be Isaac's foster father. I'm glad. I think that's the best thing that could happen to Isaac right now. The students at the school, at least the ones who talk to me, think you're `kewl', and you're doing a wonderful job raising Trey. I know you don't belong to a church, and neither did the Souths. However, I want you to know that it doesn't make any difference to me if you're a member of a church or not. I'm willing to help you in any way I can. The way I see it, you're doing God's work by providing love and support to some boys who would be lost otherwise.
"I'm sure you've thought about it, but Isaac may need some counseling. His situation is very different from that of your nephew. Isaac didn't have very loving parents, but the sense of loss will be the same, and the sense of guilt may be even stronger."
"You're right, and I hadn't thought of that yet. I'll talk with Trey's counselor tomorrow and see if she'll start seeing Isaac as well."
He shook my hand. "You're a godsend to Isaac right now. You're a godsend to your nephew also, and I think to TJ and Ryan Ladd as well. They're lucky to have you in their lives. Let me know if there's anything I can do."
**********
We took Rev. Baker up on his offer to conduct the services for Isaac's parents. After the fire in the trailer and the autopsies at the state medical examiner's office in Raleigh, there wasn't much left of Mr. and Mrs. South. We had the bodies cremated and buried together in a small plot in the town cemetery. I paid for most of the costs since Isaac had no resources. Rev. Baker and the Presbyterian Church provided the cemetery plot. There weren't many people at the service. It was mostly guys on the soccer team, teachers from the high school, and a few others. Esther and Roland Finch, Isaac's aunt and uncle, weren't there. Rev. Baker didn't try to talk about what good people the Souths had been. Instead he talked about God's Grace. He said that even the worst sinner among us was saved through that Grace, and that all of us needed to forgive the Souths because God had already forgiven them. The boys and I started attending Rev. Baker's church on a somewhat irregular basis afterwards. Whenever we went, he seemed to have a sermon that spoke to some internal need of ours.
Dr. Goddard agreed to see Isaac. We made the trip to Charlotte once a week for the first two months and then dropped back to once a month, which was the same schedule as Trey. I was able to get the appointments scheduled back to back so by mid-April we were only making the 200 mile round trip once a month.
Isaac blended into our household seamlessly. The first night at the house Trey talked with him about being gay. Isaac told Trey that he thought he was gay as well, and within a month he had enough trust in Trey and TJ to tell them about his father forcing him into prostitution. Isaac had been extremely fortunate in not having contracted any sexually transmitted diseases as a result of the forced prostitution. Every month that his HIV test came back negative was a cause for celebration although we all knew he wouldn't be completely out of the woods until at least August.
It wasn't just Isaac who joined the household. We also added Isaac's dog, Mutt. The afternoon Isaac was released from the hospital I drove him out to the site of his burned out trailer. Isaac stepped out of the car, put two fingers in his mouth, and issued the loudest high pitched whistle I'd ever heard. Within seconds a brown and tan terrier and who-knows-what-else mixed dog came bounding out of the woods into Isaac's arms. The dog was a mess, but once we got her home and cleaned up she was kind of a cute dog. She obviously adored Isaac. She accepted Trey, TJ, and Ryan almost immediately, but it took her a week or so before she warmed up to me. I guess that was the result of the beatings administered by Mr. South.
Soccer practice started the first of March with the first match in the middle of the month. Joe May continued to coach the team on the days I took Isaac and Trey down to Charlotte to see Dr. Goddard. My absence didn't seem to hinder the team. They completed a 9-2 spring season and took second place in our regional tournament.
Trey turned 16 on April 10 and got his driver's license that afternoon. That same day Donnie and Leigh Micheaux had their second son, Micah Donnie Micheaux. Trey always kidded Donnie that Micah was a special person because he had such a special birthday.
I guess the other major development that spring was that TJ, with the help of Trey , Isaac, and Ryan, started a lawn care business. Anglea Ladd had told the boys their allowances were going to be cut because of the burden of their father's medical bills. TJ talked about it when he and Ryan were staying out at the house, which now happened almost every weekend. I had to bite my tongue to keep from saying anything. Not only was I feeding TJ almost every night and Ryan at least over the weekends, I had seen Angela Ladd driving around town in a brand new top of the line Lexus. If the Ladds were having trouble with their bills, it wasn't TJ or Ryan's fault.
I agreed to let Ladd's Lawn Service use the old truck and riding mower in exchange for free lawn care. Hey, it sounded like a great deal to me. No one else was driving the old truck, and I sure didn't derive the same pleasure out of yard work that TJ did. I also lent TJ money to buy a self-propelled rotary mower and a gas powered string trimmer. TJ's basic charge was $50 a lawn for a cut and trimming. Trey, Isaac, and Ryan each got a $10 cut per lawn. If the customer wanted extra service like weeding of flowerbeds, fertilizing, or weed treatment it was an extra charge. TJ was a great salesman and a good manager. By the end of the summer Ladd's Lawn Service had nearly thirty clients, and TJ had repaid all the money he'd borrowed from me and had even purchased some additional pieces of equipment on his own.
Summer was great! We got up early in the morning and ran. The pack always included Trey, Isaac, and me. TJ and Ryan ran whenever they had stayed over the previous night. For TJ that meant he ran with us five or six out of seven days. After quick showers, which the guys all took together in the big shower upstairs, we ate breakfast before everyone scattered for the day. The boys had their list of lawns to do, and I was directing a junior soccer program sponsored by the county's Parks and Recreation Department. I also had a construction crew putting a new master bathroom on the back of the house where my bedroom was now located. I went a little overboard on the new bathroom. It was spacious with two sinks, a toilet, a urinal, and a large tiled shower similar to the one upstairs. There was also a door from the bathroom leading directly to the outside where a small deck with a hot tub completed the addition.
I always finished with the junior soccer program before the guys completed their mowing and trimming so I was able to enjoy a quiet hour or so at the house and pool before they came home. Having a household with at least three, and usually four, active teenage males means lots of noise and activity. In our case, it also meant that a number of the guys from the soccer team joined in as well. In the late afternoon and early evening, my swimming pool, which had hardly been used at all the first two summers, was a mass of young, mostly naked, teenage soccer jocks playing water polo, water basketball, dick tag, or just lounging around on the side of the pool soaking up the sun. I loved it!
Dinner time was a strange affair. There was always someone in addition to my crew around for dinner. It might be five or six. It might be a dozen or more. There was no way to predict. The solution was simple. I made certain there was always an ample supply of soft drinks, iced tea, cole slaw, salad fixings, bread, baked beans, and potato salad available to feed how ever many turned up. As far as the meat was concerned, I took care of it for my crew while the extra soccer team guys brought their own meat for grilling and tossed some money into an old gallon pickle jar in the kitchen to cover the stuff I was providing. I didn't make money on the deal, but I didn't lose much either.
The scenery around the pool was more than worth whatever money I lost on keeping those guys fed!
Karl Henson came home for two weeks' leave around the First of July. Everyone was excited to see him, although I was probably one of the most excited. I hadn't been to bed with anyone since Karl's last visit home at Christmas. For a guy who used to cruise the bars every weekend, it was quite a change. Somewhat surprisingly I found that I really didn't miss the bars and the meaningless sex. I was pretty happy with my life in Carterville.
To celebrate Karl's visit, I invited all of the current and some of the former soccer players out to the house for a cookout. While Joe May and I cooked burgers and chicken on the grill, the guys played in the pool and kicked a soccer ball around. Of course the guys swam bare assed in the pool, and once the clothes came off most stayed naked the rest of the time.
Joe helped me clean up the grill after the meal and then left to go back into town. I finally had a few moments to sit down and take in the "scenery."
Trey at sixteen was the spitting image of his father, my brother Deuce, at that age. Of course he had a dark suntan on his back, torso, and legs because the guys usually only wore shorts and work boots when they mowed. The sun had put lighter highlights in the dark brown curls that framed his handsome face and set off his blue eyes. I'd noticed a couple of days before that a few of the "highlights" in his dark hair were premature gray strands, a genetic gift from his grandfather and one that had been shared with both Trey's father and me as well. Moving after the ball in the pool Trey's relatively untanned midsection and feet contrasted against the darker tan of the rest of his body. Even in the cool water his ample penis, also a genetic gift from his father, was impressive and sprouted from a thick patch of dark pubic hair with just the beginnings of a treasure trail leading up to his navel.
As a result of abuse, Isaac had been almost painfully thin when he came to live with us. Now his 5' 8" frame had well defined muscles for a fifteen-year-old. He'd started a growth spurt in the early summer and had gown over an inch in the last month. He had light brown hair, hazel eyes, and a fairer complexion than either Trey or TJ. As a result his tan wasn't as dark as theirs, but he still showed a lot of contrast between his tan and his creamy white ass as he jumped around in the pool with the other guys. His dick and balls were only average sized for his age, but he was maturing into a very good-looking young man.
As remarkable as the physical changes in Isaac were, the change in his personality was even more remarkable. Before he had seemed withdrawn, almost antisocial. He rarely smiled. On the soccer field, however, he had been a top-notch competitor. He pushed himself to his limits and quietly set an example for the rest of the team. After four months of living with us, Isaac was a changed person. He smiled most of the time. He wasn't rowdy, but he would join in the constant horse play between Trey and TJ. When a group from the team got together and started trading verbal jibes, it was often Isaac's quietly delivered one-liners that cracked everyone up.
Physically, TJ was the most developed and mature of "Coach's Cubs", Isaac's suggestion for him, TJ, Trey, and Ryan. In the last year he hadn't added much to his six-foot height, but his frame was filling out. His chest was broader and there were now a few stray hairs around his nipples and a very noticeable treasure trail running from his navel to the thick, dark bush of pubic hair around his man-sized cock and balls. His medium brown hair showed reddish highlights from the sun that matched the reddish tint of his dark tan. Like Trey, he generally wore only shorts and work boots when he was cutting lawns so the contrast between the exposed areas of his body and his feet and bathing suit area was startling.
Ryan was nearly as tall as his older brother but still had that adolescent-teenage leanness to his body that TJ was losing. He wasn't as darkly tanned as TJ, but his feet and bathing suit region were still multiple shades lighter than the rest of his body. On Ryan, the lighter skin of his butt and around his front seemed to emphasize the amazing development of his genitals. He would be a freshman in the fall, but already his cock and balls were bigger than any of the other soccer guys except for TJ and Trey.
Donnie Micheaux was present at the cookout along with his two sons. Donnie and Karl, naked as two jaybirds, talked quietly with one another at the other picnic table. Donnie's youngsters had been the hit of the party, and Grant was clearly worn out. Karl had him in his lap, and the toddler had fallen asleep with his head against Karl's muscular chest. Three-month-old Micah was asleep on Donnie's shoulder. I could tell that the conversation was serious. At one point Donnie looked upset, and Karl reached over to place his hand on Donnie's shoulder. Donnie and Karl leaned forward until their foreheads touched. I felt embarrassed observing that private moment so I looked away. When I looked back their heads were separated, but Karl's hand was gently rubbing Donnie's shoulder in a brotherly fashion.
As he did several times during his visit home that summer, Karl spent the night with me. After a long and tender lovemaking session we lay in my bed talking.
"It looked like you and Donnie were having a really serious conversation tonight. Is everything okay with him?"
"No. Things are pretty rough between him and Leigh right now. Donnie's been sleeping on the couch for the past year. He said the last time he and Leigh slept together was when she got pregnant with Micah. Leigh doesn't seem to take much interest in the boys, and she's started staying out with her girl friends after the restaurant has closed. Donnie's thinks she may leave, and he's afraid that she'll take the boys with her when she goes."
"I didn't know it was that bad. Donnie always smiles and jokes with me whenever I stop at the garage. He seems really glad to see us, but I know he's putting in some long hours at work."
"Yeah, his mother watches the boys most of the time, but Donnie said she's got diabetes and high blood pressure so he doesn't think she'll be able to keep watching them for very long."
"Have the Finches warmed up to their grandchildren?"
"No. It's sad. Those two babies are just about the most beautiful and sweetest things I've ever seen. I feel sorry for the Finches. They're missing a lot."
"They made the choice."
"I know, but I still feel sorry for them. I feel sorrier for Donnie though. He's got a lot of responsibility and worry on his shoulders. I hope things work out for him. To top it off, he may be out of a job soon."
"Why? I thought he and old Nate Bailey got along well. Nate lets Donnie and Leigh have that apartment above the garage for a good price."
"Oh, getting along isn't the problem. The problem is that Nate and his wife want to retire. He's looking to sell the garage. He offered Donnie some deal to buy it on a land contract-type thing, but Donnie doesn't have the money for the down payment, and his credit isn't well established so he can't borrow the money."
At that point Karl leaned over and began gently using his tongue on my right nipple. All thoughts of Donnie Micheaux's problems vanished from my mind as my dick began to rise for round two.
The next day after junior soccer, I stopped at the garage. Donnie was changing the oil on an old Ford pickup. He smiled broadly when he saw me. We chit chatted for a couple of minutes while he finished up the oil change.
As he was washing the oil off his hands I said, "I heard a rumor that Nate is thinking about retiring. Is that true?"
"Yeah, I guess the word's starting to get around. Nate and Ida want to start spending the winters down in Florida instead of battling the snow and ice here in the mountains. Nate's been trying to find a buyer."
"What about you? Would you buy it."
"Man, Coach, I'd give my eye teeth to be able to do that, but I just don't have the money for the down payment. No bank would even give me a second look. I don't have any credit rating, and I'm only nineteen."
"If you don't mind, how much is Nate asking for the business?"
"Nate said he'd sell everything to me for $300,000. He said he'd think about doing some owner financing or a land contract on the deal, but I still need a down payment."
"That's too bad, Donnie. You're a great mechanic, and I think you'd be really good with a place like this."
"Thanks, Coach. I guess I can always dream."
I said good-bye to Donnie and drove over to the bank. After a short wait I was ushered into Andy Hatcher's office. We chatted for a few minutes before I got around to telling him about my plan to become Donnie Micheaux's business partner.
"Parker, what you've proposed is fine with me. Donnie's too young and doesn't have the credit rating yet to take on a loan for the down payment. I need to run the deal through the regional office, but you have the assets, and with you as a co-signer on a loan for the down payment and Nate being willing to finance the rest of the cost on a land contract I don't think there'll be a problem. What you're doing will give Donnie a real chance to own his own business. He's a hard working young man, and he's gaining a reputation in the area for doing top-notch auto repair work. C.Z. and I both take our vehicles to him when something needs to be done."
C.Z. was Carter Zebulon Johnstone, Andy's ward who was back in town for the summer following his freshman year at Adams State. I'd often wondered if Andy and C.Z. were a couple. There was something about their body language when they were together that got my gaydar pinging.
Andy and I chatted for several more minutes. I learned that C.Z.'d had a rough time with some roommate problems at Adams State, but that was all settled. There was something in Andy's voice when he spoke about C.Z. that got my gaydar up and running again.
I went back over to Nate's garage and explained my proposal to Donnie. At first he said he couldn't take my money. I explained to him that I all I was doing was co-signing a note for the down payment, and that we would sign an agreement that I would take a 20% ownership of the garage until the note was paid. After that, I'd sign over my share of the business to him.
He wiped tears from the corner of his eyes. "You've always been there for me, Coach."
"You're a good man, Donnie, and I want to see this business stay in your hands. You and your family deserve the opportunity. I hope you'll be in position to help someone else some day."
I extended my hand to settle our new partnership.
He took my hand and pulled me into a hug.
A month later I was the silent partner in Micheaux's Auto Company.
(To be continued)