Sam and Chris Chapter 62
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This story is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to people, living or dead, is entire a coincidence. As the author, I retain all rights to this story, and it cannot be reproduced or published without explicit consent from me. This work is copyright © 2015 by Steven Wells.
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Sam and Chris
Previously
"Let's have our milk and cookies and we can discuss the cat's future," Chris suggested.
We continued into the kitchen where Mrs. Graham was putting out glasses of milk and a plate of cookies.
"The dogs were going nuts in the back yard," Mrs. Graham continued to explained. "When Donny and I went outside to see what the commotion was, we noticed the cat. The dogs were pushing him toward the back patio. The cat was shaking as though he might be either cold or totally frightened by five dogs hovering over him. I put the cat in the garage with some milk and waited until you were home. I hope you don't mind."
"Of course not," I replied. "What else could you do with a stray cat? It is a stray cat?"
"Yes," Mrs. Graham replied. "It looked frightened and hungry. I just couldn't leave it in the yard to starve."
"Of course not, Mrs. Graham," Chris replied. "You did the right thing. Now, we need to find out what we are going to do with a cat."
As we sat and ate our milk and cookies, we continued to debate the cat's future. "We could take the cat to Jason at the vet's office," I suggested. "Hopefully he will know what to do with a stray cat."
"If it doesn't have a home, can we keep it?" Donny asked.
Chris and I looked at one another.
"If the cat is healthy and we cannot find its owner, we can consider keeping it," I began. "However, we don't know yet. We are not promising anything, especially if we can find the people to whom the cat belongs."
After we had ingested several cookies, I found my phone and called the vet's office.
"Hello, Sylvia," I said as the receptionist answered. "This is Sam Williamson. It seems our dogs found what we believe might be a stray cat in our back yard. Mrs. Graham, who watches the boys while we are in school, got the cat into a box and into our garage. She also fed it some milk. We were wondering if Jason would have time to examine the cat to make certain it is healthy and hopefully help locate its owners."
"Of course," Sylvia replied. "Jason has an opening in about 1 hour. Could you bring the cat here by then?"
"We'll be there in one hour," I replied.
Chapter 62: Cats and Other Issues
When I returned from the vet with the cat in a cat carrier, Chris looked worried.
"Why is the cat in a cage?" Chris asked.
"The cat is in a cat carrier because you are supposed to carry cats in a cat carrier instead of a cardboard box," I replied. "At least Jason said so. It's something about making them feel safe."
"What does this mean in terms of this particular cat and our lives with five dogs and three boys?" Chris asked. He still looked worried.
"The cat is healthy," I replied. "She is just a little worn down by malnutrition and shock."
"Malnutrition and shock?" Chris asked.
"Let me explain," I replied as I joined Chris at the island in our kitchen. I had taken the cat to see our vet Jason while Chris remained at home with the boys. "Jason had seen the cat in his office several times. He knew this because the cat had a microchip in its collar. The cat's name is Matilda. She belonged to a lady who recently passed away. Jason assumed the cat was taken in by the lady's family. However, after Jason called the lady's daughter, he learned the cat ran away when the paramedics arrived to rescue the lady after a heart attack. The daughter cannot take the cat because she and her kids are allergic to cats. The daughter suggested she would be delighted if we were willing to adopt the cat. Hence, the recently purchased cat carrier, cat food, cat litter, and cat litter box. Everything except the cat carrier are in my trunk. So, unless you can come up with a reason to give Donny about why we are not keeping the cat, Matilda is ours."
"Matilda, huh?" Chris asked. "Can we call her Mattie?"
"You can call her anything you want, Chris," I replied as I walked over to the cat, who was still in her cat cage, and let her out.
Matilda immediately started purring and rubbing against my leg. I picked up the cat and handed her to Chris. She immediately made herself comfortable in Chris's lap as Chris rubbed behind her ears.
"I will get the cat stuff out of my trunk while you and Matilda bond," I said as I headed towards the garage.
When I returned with the cat supplies and took my seat beside Chris, Matilda transferred herself to my lap in one leap. She made herself comfortable in about three seconds.
"So, how was your time with the boys after I left?" I asked.
"I fed, changed, and bathed Mathew and Joshua," Chris began. "Donny was reading for a while, but he fell asleep in the chair in his room. I put him on his bed. He is not, however, officially in bed. Winthrop and Wallaby are watching Mathew and Joshua. Simon is asleep on Donny's bed. Lincoln and Roosevelt are somewhere doing whatever it is they do when we are not in direct contact with them. So, for the moment, it is just you, me, and Matilda."
Almost on cue, we heard the quick footsteps of Donny and Simon coming downstairs.
"Daddy! Do we get to keep the cat?" Donny said as he and Simon stopped beside our stools. Donny was looking intently at Matilda resting in my lap as I rubbed the back of her ears.
"Yes," I replied as I picked up the cat. "This is Matilda. Matilda, this is Donny. The four legged fur ball is Simon. I guess you could think of him as your brother, Matilda."
I put Matilda on the floor who immediately started rubbing against Donny's leg while Simon sniffed to determine what threat Matilda was to his standing in the family. Donny sat in the middle of the floor and pulled Matilda onto his lap. Simon seemed satisfied he was in no danger of losing his place of honor as he sat next to Donny and Matilda and began licking the cat. Lincoln and Roosevelt appeared out of nowhere to join the welcome party.
"Where is Matilda going to sleep, Daddy?" Donny asked.
"I believe we should let her decide where she wants to sleep, Donny," Chris suggested. "She is still getting used to us, so she might change her mind until she settles in for the long haul."
"What do cats eat?" Donny asked.
"Cat food," I replied.
"Where do cats go to the bathroom?" Donny asked.
"In a litter box filled with cat litter," I explained. "We will need to change the litter in the litter box on a regular basis."
"Will she go outside with the doggies and me?" Donny asked.
"Cats generally stay indoors," I replied.
"What to cats do during the daytime when they aren't sleeping?" Donny asked.
"All cats are different," I explained again. "We had a cat when I was growing up. She pretty much lounged most of the day. Matilda will probably find a spot she enjoys and she will probably just stay there most of the time. However, I am certain, when she gets used to us, she will want to be part of the family activities."
"Where do we put the litter box?" Chris asked.
"How about the back entry hall?" I suggested. "She will have privacy there. Why don't we put the cat litter in the cat litter box? Then, we can bring the cat food in and put it next to the dog food. I also bought a brush and a water bowl. Jason suggested she should be brushed on a regular basis to keep her from shedding all over the house. We can put her water bowl in the kitchen next to the dog water bowl."
Once we showed Matilda the litter box and water bowl, she pretty much spent the rest of the night in Donny's lap having the backs of her ears rubbed until Donny fell asleep on the sofa.
"I think he needs to be in bed," I said as we watched our son sleep. Matilda was on one side and Simon on the other. "He's had a busy day."
Chris picked up Donny and we proceeded to get Donny into bed. Simon followed every step we took. Matilda showed up as we tucked Donny into bed. Simon and Matilda both settled at the foot of Donny's bed as we turned out the lights.
"It looks like Matilda has made her decision about sleeping arrangements," Chris said as we headed back downstairs after looking in at Mathew and Joshua. Winthrop and Wallaby were asleep on the floor between the twins' cribs.
"Do you think Matilda will need a sister?" Chris asked as we settled on the sofa in the television room.
"Chris," I said sternly. "NO MORE CATS. NO MORE DOGS. NO MORE TWINS. NO JETS. HAVE I MADE MYSELF PERFECTLY CLEAR?"
"You would turn away another cat if we found it wondering helplessly in our back yard?" Chris asked.
"Unless you want to sleep by yourself tonight, Chris," I said. "We should change the subject."
"You couldn't make it through the night, Sam," Chris added.
"Keep it up, Chris, and I will see how long I can make it," I threatened.
"Got it," Chris said as he kissed me on the cheek.
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"You have a what?" Sawyer asked as we settled into lunch at the pasta place after our workout at the gym.
"A cat named Matilda," I repeated.
"Why?" Tom asked.
"The dogs were going nuts in the back yard," Chris explained. "When Mrs. Graham and Donny went outside to see what was happening, they found the dogs nuzzling the cat to the back patio. Matilda appeared in our back yard undernourished and alone. Sam took her to our vet while I stayed home with the kids. When he returned, he had the cat in a cat carrier. He bought cat food. He bought cat litter and a cat litter box. Matilda's former owner was an older lady who died from a heart attack a few weeks ago. Matilda apparently slipped out of the house in a panic when the EMT people arrived. So, we welcomed Matilda to our family two nights ago with open arms and tails."
"I never thought of the two of you as cat owners," Glen said. "Dogs, yes. Cats, no."
"What do you expect, guys," I explained. "Our son talks to Mabel the cow and has interesting conversations with Simon the dog. Now, do not be surprised to hear he starts having discussions with Matilda the cat."
"He had a lot of questions about cats," Chris continued. "Where will she sleep? What does she eat? Does she go outside to use the bathroom? What do cats do in the daytime when they are not sleeping? The list continued."
"He's just curious," Glen added. "Where did Matilda sleep last night?"
"At the foot of Donny's bed along with Simon," I replied. "The relationship between Matilda and the rest of the family is a work in progress."
"How's Harrison?" Sawyer asked Tom.
"I am meeting Harrison's parents and brother at the Round Barn Restaurant for dinner tonight to discuss our plans to get Harrison off the vodka," Tom responded. "Harrison's family believes he is possibly having a nervous breakdown. His father alluded to a family history of depression and alcohol abuse. Our first goal is to get Harrison to the doctor for a physical."
"At least you are taking positive steps," Glen responded. "Does Harrison know you are meeting with this family?"
"Nope," Tom explained. "We haven't talked since the weekend. It is pretty tense."
"He seems okay around the apartment," Glen said.
"When you guys aren't around he gets pretty abusive," Tim added.
"I hope you and Harrison work things out quickly," I said. "When I first met you, you both seemed like the perfect couple. You were my role models."
"Now we are speeding down the road to ending a relationship," Tim said quietly. "Hopefully, we can stop the train wreck before it happens."
"Speaking of train wrecks," Sawyer began. "I ran into Tracy O'Malley yesterday while I was having lunch at the student union. She is dating this girl named Trish. They both had purple and green hair and piercings—lots of piercings! Trish has more ink on her body than most books!"
"Tracy's a lesbian now?" Tom asked.
"I believe lesbian is still the term used to define homosexual women in relationships," Sawyer continued. "Tracy said her mother almost went off the deep end when she found out her daughter is a lesbian. Not only did someone, and these are Tracy's words, "turn her husband gay, but now someone has turned her daughter gay." I firmly believe something might be in the water."
"Where is Trish from?" I asked.
"Biloxi, Mississippi," Sawyer replied. "Her father is an Air Force Captain or General or something. But, she doesn't speak to her family much. She mentioned homophobic, racist assholes in describing her father, mother, and brother. So, it didn't sound like she would be moving back to Biloxi to claim her rightful inheritance when her mother and father go to the pearly gates in the sky."
"Has she heard from Rick Livingston?" I asked.
"Ah... Another topic of discussion," Sawyer replied. "Rick's nice looking girlfriend dumped him for another dude. Tracy said he was heartbroken at first. However, he has moved on the new conquests. He is currently in bro relationship with a dude named Elton. Tracy is betting it will turn into a love story. The jury—Tracy—is still out on the last possibility."
"Remember when we saw Rick last?" I added. "He worked on his body. He was no longer pudgy."
"Elton, according to Tracy, pushed Rick into the gym," Sawyer explained. "Elton and Rick do almost everything together. Elton and Rick scheduled most of the same classes. Elton and Rick share an apartment... a one bedroom apartment. Elton and Rick will be spending the holidays with Elton's parents in the south of France. Elton is from a very wealthy family."
"So, Tracy had deducted from all of this: Rick is—or at the very least might be—gay," I summarized.
"What does Elton look like?" Chris asked.
"Drop dead gorgeous," Sawyer replied. "Tracy's words, not mine."
"When is Donny going back to school?" Glen asked.
"Monday," I replied. "The doctor will see him this afternoon, but we are fairly certain he will go back to school on Monday."
"Speaking of Donny, we need to collect him and head to the doctor's office," Chris suggested.
"I need to get to my next class," Tom replied. "How did you two manage to get Tuesdays and Thursdays without classes?"
"Planning," I replied. "Lots of planning. It was a miracle, actually. Hopefully, we can accomplish the same miracle next semester."
Chris and I dumped our trash and trekked home. When we arrived, Donny was dressed and ready to go. Matilda, Lincoln, and Roosevelt were playing in the television room. Simon followed Donny wherever he went. Winthrop and Wallaby were chasing each other's tail in the twins' room while Mathew and Joshua slept.
"Are you ready to go see Dr. Graham, Donny," Chris asked.
"I'd rather go to school," Donny replied.
"Maybe you can go back to school on Monday," I said.
"Can Simon and Matilda go to school with me?" Donny asked.
"Dogs and cats don't go to school," Chris replied.
"Why?" Donny asked.
"They know what they need to know on instinct," I said.
"What's instinct?" Donny asked.
"Knowing what they need to do in a situation naturally," I explained.
"So, can Simon and Matilda read?" Donny asked.
"I don't believe either one can read," I said as I was gathering some insurance forms.
"Then, I can read to them," Donny said.
"Yup," Chris replied. "They would probably enjoy hearing you read to them."
Donny turned to Simon as we were leaving, "When we get back, I will read a story to you and your brothers and sister."
Simon furiously wagged his tail. Matilda rubbed against Donny's leg.
"We will see all of you in about two hours," Chris said to the animals.
We arrived at Dr. Graham's office promptly at two pm. Dr. Graham's assistant led the way into Dr. Graham's office.
"Dr. Graham will be with you shortly," his assistant said. "Can I get you anything?"
"We are fine, thank you," Chris replied.
Dr. Graham popped through the door and bounded to greet all of us.
"Good to see you again, Donny," Dr. Graham said as he sat down in a chair beside his computer. "Hop up on the examination table, and we will get started."
I helped Donny onto the table.
"How are you feeling after a week of rest, Donny?" Dr. Graham asked.
"Fine," Donny replied. "I want to go back to school. We have a cat now."
"A cat?" Dr. Graham asked.
"Yup," Donny replied. "Her name is Matilda. She was in our backyard. Daddy took her to the vet. He brought her home in a cat carrier. She sleeps with Simon and me."
"I am certain she will be good company for Simon while you are at school," Dr. Graham said as he began his exam.
"Yup," Donny continued. "I am going to read to Simon, Matilda, Lincoln, Roosevelt, Winthrop, and Wallaby when I get home. Dogs and cats don't go to school. Daddy said they learn by in... in... in..."
"Instinct," I said.
"Yea," Donny replied. "Instinct."
"Breathe deeply for me, Donny," Dr. Graham requested.
Donny complied.
After several minutes, Dr. Graham had completed his examination. "I would like to have some lab tests done today. But, his lungs seem clear. I want to continue his current course of medication for at least another week. We will want to have a chest x-ray on your visit next Thursday. And, I believe you can return to school this Monday, Donny."
"Goodie!" Donny exclaimed. "I missed school."
"I'm sure you have," Dr. Graham said as he tapped away at the computer keyboard. "So, I will see you next Thursday. Is the same time okay for you?"
"Perfect," I replied.
As we were leaving Dr. Graham's office, Donny moved our conversation in a different direction. "Can we get ice cream, Daddy?"
Chris and I looked at one another and smiled.
"Sure," Chris replied. "Where do you want to go for ice cream?"
"The ice cream man," Donny said. "Can I have chocolate chip ice cream?"
"If you want, yes," I replied.
"Goodie," Donny added. "Then we can go home and I can read to the animals."
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"Birthday party," Chris said suddenly as we were sitting in the television room after Donny's doctor visit. The kids were in bed. Simon and Matilda were asleep in Donny's room. Winthrop and Wallaby were chasing each other's tails again. Lincoln and Roosevelt were playing with their respective chewy toys. "We need to throw a birthday party for Donny."
"Don't forget Simon," I added.
"Who should we invite?" Chris asked.
"The usual suspects," I began. "Friends and family, of course. Also, I think we need to add some of Donny's classmates and maybe even his teacher."
"Henry?" Chris asked.
"Yup," I replied. "If he is willing, we would be eternally grateful."
Lincoln and Roosevelt dropped their chewy toys and sat in front of us. Their tails were swishing on the floor.
"Is something wrong, guys?" I asked.
Roosevelt stood up and started to walk back to where they had been playing. When he didn't see us moving, he returned and stood in front of us. First, he looked at Chris. Then, he looked at me. Back and forth. Back and forth. We decided to see what was wrong. We followed Roosevelt back to where they were playing.
"Roosevelt," I said calmly. "What happened?"
There were two pillows on the floor. One had stuffing coming out of the pillow. Roosevelt slithered to the floor to lay down with his head between his front paws.
"Accidents happen, Roosevelt," Chris replied. "Do we need to know more?"
Roosevelt stood up and smiled. His tail was sweeping the floor.
"Good," I said. "We can clean this up and you can get back to your chewy toys."
"Roosevelt looked truly sorry about the pillow destruction," Chris said with a smile as he and I bent down to clean up the pillow debris. "I know is sounds weird when we say Roosevelt looked truly sorry, but you do have to wonder if they might be even more intelligent than we are. They could be planning to overthrow the human race. Then, we'll end up being the domesticated pets. Think about it!"
"Sometimes, sweetie," I added as we scooped the last of the pillow remnants into the trash can, "I think you have been involved in the music world for too long. The next thing you will be telling me is the alien space ship will be here tomorrow to transport us to Planet Queer."
"How did you know?" Chris asked with a smile. "But, just think, if we had not taken Simon in, we wouldn't have Donny. And, chances are if we didn't have Lincoln and Roosevelt, we wouldn't have Simon."
"And, if we didn't have Simon and Donny, we probably wouldn't have Mathew and Joshua," I added. "Then, there is Winthrop and Wallaby. It is a circle!"
"A nice circle, too," Chris said as he gave me a peck on the cheek.
"Now, back to party planning," I said as we sat on the sofa again. "Relatives include the usual parent and grandparent suspects. We have six people right there. Your two brothers and boyfriends, Luke, Sean, Sawyer, Glen, Tom, and Harrison. So, right there we have 12 guests. Then, we have Donny's classmates and their parents. Do you think we will need to renovate the house after this party? Twelve four-year-old kids could be destructive."
"We need to believe we are the adults and those four-year-old kids will follow our lead and not destroy the house," Chris replied. "At least, I HOPE they won't!"
-------------------------------------------
Harrison rejoined our gym group the following Tuesday. No one questioned his absence.
When we finally settled at a table at the pasta place for lunch, Harrison began the conversation. "Thanks for being friends with Tom while I was in a funk with the vodka bottle. I hope I am past my troubles."
"We didn't do much, Harrison," I said. "We just sat and listened. You are looking terrific!"
"Sobriety," Harrison continued. "There are hidden benefits of sobriety. I was a real dick when I had one too many vodkas—which, I have learned, was exactly one. I went to my first AA meeting last night. If I were single, I think I could date most of the guys there."
"Is this going to be a regular occurrence for you?" Sawyer asked.
"Too early to tell," Harrison explained. "But, I suspect it will be—at least for the foreseeable future."
"I need to find an Al-Anon meeting," Tim said. "This will be a joint venture if it is going to be successful."
"You know we are with you all the way with this, guys," Glen added. "If you ever need to talk about something, please let us know."
"Thanks," Harrison replied. "When someone finally beat some sense into me and I realized what I was doing to our relationship, it was an easy decision to make. My family did their usual number and stuck their heads in the sand when Tom tried to talk to them about my problem."
"They weren't supportive?" Chris asked.
"Yea, they were supportive," Tom replied. "They told me I should do whatever I thought was best. Harrison's parents don't have a drinking problem. Harrison's aunts and uncles don't have a drinking problem. Harrison's cousins don't have a drinking problem. So, here we are... Harrison and I are facing our problem together and doing the best we can."
"So, if Tom tells you I am not keeping my part of our bargain, you have my permission to beat some sense into me."
"You know, Harrison," Sawyer said with a smile. "This could get kinky."
"Yea," Harrison replied. "By the way, how is Matilda getting along with the others in your growing family?"
"Terrific," I replied. "Donny, Simon, and Matilda have become a great three-some. If they are under the same roof, they are together. We are waiting until Donny tells us how Matilda feels about being part of the group. He seems to have long instances of concentrating on Matilda's purring."
"Does Donny talk to the other dogs?" Tom asked.
"We have not been informed of any communication between Donny and Lincoln, Roosevelt, Winthrop, or Wallaby. So far, his conversations have been confined to Simon, Matilda, and Mabel," I explained.
"You should write a book, dudes," Sawyer added. "What the Animals Taught Our Son."
"Or, Mabel, Simon, Matilda, and Donny: One Kid's Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Adult Behavior," Harrison suggested_._
"Speaking of adult behavior, will you four be available to attend Donny and Simon's birthday party the Saturday after next?" Chris asked.
"Is Harvey making another appearance?" Tom asked.
"Yup," Chris replied.
"We will be happy to attend," Harrison replied. "What does a five-year-old boy and a four-year-old dog need for birthday presents?"
"We should take Donny roller skating one afternoon," Tom suggested. "We haven't been roller skating since our sophomore year in high school."
"We will wear helmets," Harrison said with a smile. "I can't risk anymore thickheaded behavior."
"Did you say `dick headed behavior' or `thickheaded behavior'?" Sawyer asked with a smile
"Get your mouth out of the gutter, boyfriend," Glen replied. "Speaking of dicks, we need to head to our next class."
"And, we need to retrieve Donny from school," Chris added. "Also, we thought we should warn you. There will be about 12 of Donny's schoolmates at his party. So, you might want to bring ear plugs."
"We will bring extras," Harrison said. "Nothing like 12 five-year-old kids to take the edge off being sober."
"We'll put you in charge of the games," I said.
"I'd like to be in charge of games," Harrison replied. "I actually like kids... I think I like kids... Do I like kids, Tom?"
"The last time we checked you liked kids," Tom replied.
"Good," Harrison continued. "I will be your game manager for the party!"
"We will need all of the help we can get, trust me," I said. "Now, Chris. It's best we be on our way. We would not like to have an angry Donny waiting for us."
"Got it," Chris said as we dumped our trash and headed in different directions than Tom, Harrison, Glen, and Sawyer. "Harrison seems to be in a good mood."
-
"Yup," I replied. "Tom, too. Hopefully this transition will be as painless as possible."
"We need to shop for birthday presents," Chris added. "Any thoughts on the subject?"
"How about a pony?" I suggested.
"You are kidding, right?" Chris asked with a somewhat shocked look on his face.
"Not really," I said. "We could build a small stable in the back yard. Donny could ride the pony around the neighborhood. He could ride the pony to and from school every day. We wouldn't need to pick him up and drop him off."
"Stop it, Sam," Chris said as he smiled back. "Don't give me any ideas! You won't let me have a jet, yet you are willing to let Donny have a pony."
"I suspect the pony will cost less than a jet," I replied. "Don't you think?"
"A jet will be more useful," Chris replied.
"But we can't park a jet in our back yard," I added.
"I don't believe we could park a pony in the back yard either," Chris continued. "The zoning department would have kittens—pardon the pun—if we tried."
To be continued...
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John's Journey Forward in the `Beginnings' section
Jeffery Comes Home in the `Beginnings' section
Life With Tim in the authoritarian section (Please note, this story is not for everyone because there are several scenes depicting Master/slave and BDSM relationships. So, if you are not interested in this activity, please, please do not read this story.)
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