Shadow of My Father

The Shadow of My Father 37

{The Shadow of My Father is pure fiction. As I am writing this story, I am above the age of 21. If you want a story with lots of sex, look elsewhere. This is a love story. Seeing as it is a love story, sex is in there, but it's in realistic balance in the characters' lives.

Any similarity to any real events, names, or life events is purely accidental. If you are underage, (according to your state laws as a minor), if this literature is offensive to you or to anyone around your viewing area, or it is illegal for you to view such content where you are reading it, stop reading the story.

This story can't be distributed in anyway, shape or form without my expressed, written consent.}

Written by J.P.G.

Chapter 37

While Eric worked on his homework, he kept looking over at Bernice. He knew that she was angry with him about the comments he kept making. Those comments were hurting both of them in more ways than one. Now by the looks of it, Bernice had had enough of it. He closed his books, looked over at Bernice hoping that she would say something.

"You know Eric; I don't know what's going on with you right now." Bernice kept her eyes down to her books, not even looking up as she spoke. "You have known Josh since you guys were in diapers and now you're acting like an ass. No matter what you think, we were wrong for what we were doing."

"Bernice, I don't..."

"If you finish that sentence I am walking out of this room and not looking back. You're losing your best friend and you don't seem to care about it. Forget going up and apologizing to Josh, just let it go. Time will fix it if you just let it go Eric." Bernice looked at Eric with anger in her eyes.

"You know that I love you, but I don't want to lose Josh as a friend either. He was there for me when I had no one to talk with. Because of him, we are together and you know that Eric. Besides everything else I can go on and on about, I don't know what your problem with Josh is. He didn't start this, but he will end it if you push him into a corner. The way he will end it is by actually ending the friendship."

Eric sat there digesting everything that Bernice was saying. As he thought about everything, he couldn't figure out how it got this bad. Something that was so simple was now a big issue that he couldn't find his way out. To top it all off, each time a door opened, he keeps shutting it in his own face. That was something Eric knew he needed to stop doing.

"There's no doubt in my mind Bernice, that what you're saying is the truth. I don't know how I keep stepping into things with Josh. I was just thinking that Josh keeps opening the door to me, and I am the one that keeps closing it. Where do we go from here to get some of what we had back, as far as friendship with Josh is concerned?"

"That's easy, stop putting your foot in your mouth! When that happens, we can start moving along toward getting Josh to trust us again. That's something that we are going to have to work on, because it won't happen overnight. We destroyed his trust when we talked to each other about what Josh told each of us. Then as we were getting that trust back, we go and do this. Now it will be harder than the first time to get Josh to trust us again."

Bernice moved the books off the bed as she crawled up to Eric. She wrapped her hands around his neck, pulled him into her. They started to kiss, making Eric go crazy. As he started to feel his way down to Bernice's breast, she stopped him. He broke the kiss and looked Bernice in the eyes.

"I know we have spoken about this several times and I don't know how else to tell you that I won't leave you. Both of us have not had sex with anyone else and when we first do it, it will be giving away our virginity. Please trust me and our relationship Bernice. Our relationship is strong and won't be going anywhere."

Eric didn't break eye contact with Bernice, neither did Bernice. She didn't answer him; she pulled him back into a kiss. This time around when Eric slowly moved his hand down to Bernice's breast, she didn't brush it away. Eric slowly and gently lowered Bernice to the mattress, not breaking their kiss.

He slowly unbuttoned Bernice's blouse. For the first time he was seeing Bernice lying on his bed with just a bra on. His dick got so hard; it is straining to get free. Not saying a word, Bernice let Eric unsnap her bra as she reached between them and felt Eric's hard dick for the first time. She loved what she was feeling between Eric's legs.

Since it's Friday, Josh and Cesar decided not to do their homework until Sunday. Instead, they sat there talking about what they were just told. At first, they went over the facts to make sure they heard them right, once they confirmed to each other that they did, they sat in silence for a few minutes.

"There's always a silver lining in every cloud. The way I see it, the silver lining in this cloud is that you are not going to be put into foster care. You are just going to move into another house, but everything else is going to stay the same. We thought when we returned, that you were going to go home. Why this should be any different?"

Cesar looked up at Josh with tears rolling down his cheeks. "Josh, I am afraid of going to a new house with people I don't even know. What if they are like your mother? There's no way I can go through the hell you went through Josh, no way!"

Josh got up and walked over to Cesar's bed. He sat down next Cesar and started to pull him closer. Josh started to rub Cesar's shoulders, trying to calm him down. He was trying to get him to stop crying and yet knew that nothing he can do would help right now. Still, he hoped his consoling would stop Cesar from crying.

"One thing I know about my father is that he checked these people out. There's no way he is going to send you into a house with people that are like my mother. He didn't like it when my mother treated me the way she did. So there's no way he is going to allow you to go to another house with people he doesn't like no matter what they have to offer."

"Yeah I know that and I shouldn't be this way. Still, when my father left me, I thought I was going to leave this house until we go off to college. Now because people can't separate their personal life from their professional life, I'm getting the short end of the stick. Your father would have adopted me and would have let me stay here in this house if he wasn't in the public light. You know that, as well as I do!"

All that Josh could muster to answer Cesar was nodding his head in agreement. He pulled Cesar even closer to him. They sat there on the bed, hugging each other, not saying a word. Their body language was saying everything that was needed.

They were brought out of their little world when they heard a knock on the door. Josh asked whoever was knocking to come in. The door opened and Brandon walked in with a concerned look on his face. The look gave it way, he knew what was going on. He came up to try and confirm what he had heard.

"Grandma has asked me to come up and let you guys know that dinner is almost ready. She's on the phone with dad talking about you guys. Whatever is going on, she isn't happy about it. I have never heard grandma yell at dad the way she is yelling at him over the phone right now."

Both Josh and Cesar just looked at Brandon with stunned looks on their faces. "Whatever she is yelling at dad about, we didn't ask her do that. I know dad did what he could to help Cesar out. He never quits unless something that he wants is done. That includes this thing that is going on with Cesar right now!"

"I know it's none of my business Josh, but if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here. You know I'll listen, even if I don't have the answer to whatever it is that you need an answer to." Brandon walked in and sat on Josh's bed.

"You know little bro, we haven't talked in awhile and I've been meaning to stop in to see what's going on in your life. Cesar and I have been talking all afternoon about what grandma told us, and to tell you the truth, we are tired of talking about something that we can't fix. None of us can! Thank you for being there and if we need to talk with anyone about this, you will be the first one we go to."

Brandon got up to leave the room when Josh asked him to stay. "Brandon I'm not asking you to leave. I want to know what is going on with you and your girlfriend. Like I said, we haven't talked in a while and I miss talking to my little brother. You stood by me when no one else did. That's something I'll never forget!"

Brandon sat back down and started to tell Josh and Cesar what was going on with him and his girlfriend. To Josh's surprise, they broke up. He was actually having the same problem with his friends and girlfriend that Josh was, they can't stand the security detail around all the time. Josh saw that this was really bothering Brandon, that he was losing his friends and girlfriend over the security detail.

"Brandon, I know how you are feeling and there's really nothing we can do about that. Trust me, I've even gone so far as firing my security detail; but dad wouldn't have it. Just like I told my friends, we have to live with it too. We have to take the good with the bad, when it comes down dealing with dad's new job.

We like the concerts, going places, feeling important and everything else that this job of his brings. At the same time, it brings the security detail that we have to deal with. It's a hassle and none of us likes it. All I can say for now is that we, you, Cesar and I hang around until our friends come around to seeing that there is nothing that can be done."

That put a smile on Brandon's face. Instead of talking about the bad, they started to make plans for what to do tomorrow and Sunday. When they heard Rose call them down for dinner, Josh told Jonathan about their plans as he passed him going to the kitchen. For the first time, Jonathan didn't say `no', he confirmed it and made it clear that he and the security detail will be ready.

The conversation at the dinner table started out as small talk, but when Daniel threw out that he was approached by Emma, everything changed. Josh couldn't believe that Emma would go to his brother to try and get what she wanted. At the same time, Daniel wasn't happy that Emma approached him, thinking that he would back-stab Josh.

"One way or another, everyone at school will understand that we are not going to back-stab you Josh. So don't worry about that at all. If they come to me or Carlos, we're going to send them packing, that I promise."

"Thank you for standing up for me. Those girls don't know what to do. They like to think that they are the queens of the school and everyone follows them. That way of thinking, I don't understand. No one is above any other, more so at school."

Daniel chuckled at what Josh just said. "The sad thing is that they think they're the queens of the school. Once they graduate, they're not ever going to be as powerful as they are right now in high school, so they're enjoying these years while they can. When they get out into the work force, those they are giving a hard time to, will be their bosses!"

Everyone at the table laughed at the thought of it. They would have to listen to those that they once had power over. That's something that Josh would like to see. He would like to see Elizabeth's face when she walks into a job and has to take orders from one of the ones that she picked on all through high school.

Josh changed the conversation to the swim team. He told everyone at the table what had happened at lunch. After he finished, Josh wanted to hear their opinions on what to do. One at a time, everyone weighed in, but as each of them finished, they all came to the same conclusion that Josh should rejoin the swim team next year. That way he could put those haters to shame every time he won a meet.

They hung out in the den after dinner playing video games. Rose was starting to dislike the video game system more and more each day. More and more she was finding her grand kids sitting in front of the TV playing video games rather than playing outside. The only thing she could rest assured of, was that her grand kids were getting plenty of exercise at school.

Josh and Cesar called it quits a little before to ten. As Josh walked past Brandon, he patted him on the shoulder. He asked Brandon to get some blankets and a pillow from his room so he could sleep in his room for the night. Brandon didn't say a word; he just went running to his room and came back minutes later with what he needed to sleep.

Although they went up to bed at ten, they didn't get to sleep until after one in the morning. They stayed up all night talking about how things have changed since their father became Governor. Not just since he got elected, but from the day he got sworn in. That is when everything they knew changed.

Saturday flew by fast. With everything that Josh, Cesar and Brandon planned, it kept them on their toes. They got up and had breakfast, headed to the mall to do a little shopping before catching a movie. When they got home, they ate and joined up with their brothers to go roller-skating at the rink.

Just like the night before, Brandon slept in Josh's room. Josh got woken up by someone screaming. It isn't a loud scream, but a scream that could wake you up if you were close to the person that was screaming. He looked down to the floor to find Brandon trying to get free from his covers. Josh could see that Brandon was still having the nightmares.

Josh got out of his bad and sat next to Brandon on the floor. He looked over to Cesar to see if Brandon had awakened him but he was sound asleep. Josh picked up the covers, and got under them. Trying not to wake up Brandon, he got as close as he could and wrapped his arms around his little brother. It didn't take long for Brandon to stop kicking around and fall back into a deep sleep.

The next morning when Brandon woke up, he found Josh snuggled up to him. He looked around the room and felt well rested. That made Brandon try to remember the last time he had a good nights rest, as he just had. He felt so secure with his big brother by his side, Brandon didn't want to get up and lose that feeling.

Through the corner of his eye, Brandon saw Cesar getting out of bed. Cesar walked in front of Brandon and looked down at him and Josh. A smile crossed his face as he stretched out his arms trying to wake up.

"Good morning there Brandon, it seems that Josh got lonely again last night." Cesar knelt down so he could whisper. "If that ever bothers you, just wake him up and send him back to his bed. Or wake me up and I'll get him to either go to his bed or get into my bed. That way you don't feel uncomfortable staying in here with your brother."

"Josh didn't do anything wrong. I was having nightmares again last night and I must have woken him up. He came down a laid by me to make me feel safe. The last time I was going through this, I came over to Josh to feel safe. I can't explain it, but my big brother makes me feel safe no matter what I'm going through."

"Oh, I didn't know that, sorry. Have you talked to someone about the nightmares you're having? Maybe by talking to someone, you might not have as many nightmares or none at all." Cesar whispered to Brandon with concern in his voice.

Brandon explained to Cesar when the nightmares started and how he thought they were getting worse. Every time they came back, he just needed to be with Josh and they would go away again. Josh was his best medicine for the nightmares he said, over and over again as he explained everything to Cesar.

Just as Brandon finished explaining the nightmares to Cesar, Josh rolled over and opened his eyes. He didn't say a word at first; he just stretched out his arms trying to shock his system awake. Once all his senses started to work, he saw that not only Brandon was awake, but Cesar was as well.

"Don't worry Cesar; I'm not cheating on you." Josh started laughing as he crawled out of the blankets. "How long have you guys been awake? You should have woken me up the minute you guys got up. There was no need for you guys to sit around here waiting for my lazy ass to wake up!"

Cesar jumped up to his feet and pulled Brandon up. Brandon turned and helped Josh up from the floor after he got up. They went their separate ways to get ready for breakfast. Josh went to the bathroom, Brandon to his room and Cesar stayed in the room. Before heading downstairs, they met back up in Josh's room.

Like the day before, Josh, Cesar and Brandon headed out right after breakfast. This time they went to the movies and hung out there all day long. Going form one movie to the next. By the time they headed home, they saw four movies that they have wanted to see, but they hadn't been allowed to.

When they got home, reality hit them! Cesar knew that he had to spend the evening packing up his stuff in order to be ready to leave the next day to his new home. It was hard for both, Josh and Cesar, as they started to pack up Cesar's stuff. Although Josh was trying to look strong for Cesar, he was falling apart inside.

As they finished packing most of Cesar's stuff, they headed down to eat dinner. No one said a word at the dinner table. They all knew what was going on and they didn't want it to happen. To Daniel and Carlos's surprise, they had grown accustomed to having Cesar around. Now that he was leaving, it felt like they were losing one of their brothers.

After dinner, everyone sat in den watching a movie and trying not to look over at Josh or Cesar. Josh and Cesar sat in the corner of the den, holding hands and not really watching the movie. They were taking this time to be with each other, because after tonight they would no longer be living together.

Half way into the movie, Josh remembered that he and Cesar put their homework off. He leaned over and whispered into Cesar's ear to remind him about their homework. Not wasting any time, they got up, excused themselves and headed upstairs to do their homework. As they walked out, everyone thought they were going up to have one last night of fun before Cesar left tomorrow, at least Daniel and Carlos thought so.

They worked on their homework until it was time for bed. When they heard Rose yelling up to everyone to turn out the lights, Josh and Cesar decided to do the rest of their homework in the library after breakfast in the morning. They kissed each other before crawling into bed.

Josh jumped up and remembered that Brandon had a rough night last night. So he walked over to Brandon's room and walked in. He found Brandon sitting up in his bed, but with the lights off. Josh felt bad for his little brother as he stood there looking at him.

"Brandon, come to my room to sleep. If you need to sleep in my bed, that's fine with me. I don't want you like this because you will never get any sleep."

Not saying a word, Brandon grabbed his blankets and walked over to Josh's room. He put them on the floor and lay on top of them. Josh kept himself awake to make sure that Brandon wasn't having any nightmares. Brandon fought the sleep because of the fear of having the nightmares he had been having for days.

After waiting for an hour or so, Josh asked Brandon to jump into his bed. That way they both could get some sleep tonight. Once Brandon crawled into Josh's bed, they both fell asleep and didn't wake up again until the alarm clock went off in the morning. Brandon didn't have one nightmare through the entire night, and he felt good about that when he woke up.

When the others saw Josh and Cesar, they walked up and joined them. They noticed that something was going on. Not once did they get into the conversation while they ate. When they went up to the library, Josh and Cesar sat in the corner and did their homework. Eric and Bernice started to think that Josh was angry at them again. Not one of them thought that what was going on had nothing to do with them.

Bernice pulled Josh to the side between first and second period. When Bernice started talking, Josh couldn't understand her because she kept giggling like a little kid. Making Josh try to remember the last time that Bernice was this happy! Nothing came to Josh's mind and that made him feel bad about not ever seeing Bernice this happy before.

After a couple of tries, Bernice got control of herself. "You won't believe what Eric and I did on Friday! Come on, guess Josh, please guess!" Josh just looked at her and shrugged his shoulders. "Fine, don't get mad at me, but we went al the way for the first time. I loved every minute of it. Eric made me feel feelings that I never knew I had!"

Josh stood there stunned with what Bernice was telling him. On one hand, he didn't want to hear all the intimate details that she was telling him and on the other hand, he was glad that Bernice was as happy as she was right then. He looked at his watch and tried to tell Bernice as nicely as possible to hurry up. When she finished, both of them started walking to their second period classes talking.

"I'm happy that you guys love each other as much as you do. At the same time, I know you guys were smart enough to use protection. I know it sounds like I am not interested, but I am. The problem is that you chose the wrong time to tell me. We need to get to second period. But again, I'm so happy for both of you. I promise that we will talk more later, when we actually have time. You can tell me all the details then."

Josh walked into his class when the warning bell rang. Knowing that Bernice told him in confidence, he didn't tell Cesar anything about their conversation. The rest of the morning flew by and before Josh knew it, he and Cesar were grabbing their lunches. This time when they joined the others at the table, they got into the conversation.

Once they had finished eating, they headed out to the stadium like they always did. Josh took this time to see what was going on with Chris and Rusty. He hasn't talked with either of them since Friday. It looked like they were getting along, but Josh wanted to know if they were just getting along as friends or was there something else being built between them.

"Hey guys, what's up with you two? Every time I turn around, I see you guys cuddled up with each other somewhere whispering in each other's ears. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with that, I'm just wondering what's up."

The color of Chris's face quickly changed to a bright shade of red. "We're moving along pretty good from a friendship to a relationship. Chris and I are finding out that we have a lot in common, but at the same time, some stuff, not so much. Those things we don't have in common will make for an interesting relationship."

"Yeah, we have you and Cesar to thank for putting us together. I'm glad that after all of what we've been through, we came out on the other end as friends. A friendship with you is something I had hoped for after we broke up. Now that we both have someone, we both can move on without having to look back at trying to fix something that can't be fixed anymore."

"No thanks are needed from you guys. Just like you Chris, I'm glad that we came out on the other end as friends. And now that we have Rusty in our group of friends makes it even better. You two make a good couple and you guys have each other to thank for that."

The rest of the lunch period, Josh, Cesar, Chris and Rusty talked about their relationships. Through the conversation, Josh saw that Chris and Rusty is where Cesar and he were when they first got together. They have a lot to build on and without any doubt; they will get there pretty fast. They have laid down the groundwork, which is the hardest part.

When the bell rang, ending lunch, everyone moaned as they headed back into the building. None of them wanted the lunch period to be over as fast as it was. They walked over to their lockers and got their books for their afternoon classes. Josh's heart started to weigh very heavy as he walked into fourth period.

Mr. Edger took the roll and quickly got down to business. "I know I keep telling you guys that I will have the music this week, that you are going to sing for state. I have nailed it down to six songs. Now I have to choose out of those six, three. They are all good songs. I just need to make sure they work for our Glee Club."

Right when Mr. Edger finished, everyone's hands went up except Josh's and two others. One after the other asked the same question, what are the six songs? Mr. Edger refused to tell them, the only thing he would say was that he would have the three songs ready for them when they walk into class the next day.

"I know we have all gotten used to Josh being the solo singer, but Mr. Edger don't you think it is time for you to give someone else a chance at that spot? I'm not saying that Josh doesn't deserve what he has gotten. It's just that I feel that you should let those that want to do the solo try out for it."

Mr. Edger looked over to Josh before answering Dustin's question. "Dustin has a good point. Is there anyone else that wants to try out for the solo?" Several more students raised their hands. "Okay then, why don't we use this period for the try outs. You guys can choose any song that you want to sing for the try out."

Those that raised their hands jumped up all excited and walked over to get their sheet of music. Mr. Edger wanted to make it fair, so he decided to let the others in the Glee Club that were not trying for the solo to make the decision. Since they already knew how Josh sang, Josh didn't need to try out for the position.

Dustin stepped up first and sang his selection. Several times he sang off key, which put him out of the running. The other three sang their song selections and only one of them didn't lose their way through the song. Once they finished singing, everyone that didn't try out for the solo went to one side of the room to make their decision.

Mr. Edger walked over to Josh to try and comfort him while they talked. No matter what Mr. Edger said, Josh knew that they are going to pick Samantha for the solo. They have wanted a female in that position ever since Josh took it. To top it all off, Samantha had the solo position before Mr. Edger went out to get Josh.

"Don't worry Mr. Edger; I can always go back to music class where I was before this. It looks like Samantha has been practicing and really wants her solo position back. If she is the better person, she should get it." Josh leaned over and whispered to Mr. Edger.

"If they choose Samantha over you, that doesn't mean that you have to leave the Glee Club. You have a very strong voice and you need to take advantage of that voice. So please don't quit if you are not chosen for the solo."

"To tell you the truth, there's too much going on right now at home. If they do choose Samantha, it's just telling me that I need to step back. You're great teacher. There's no need for me to be in the back when you have all these great singers there. No, if they choose Samantha, I'll go back to music class and stay there for the rest of the year."

Before Mr. Edger could say anything else, the class took their seats again. Mr. Edger walked back to the front and waited to see who they chose. Aiden got up, cleared his throat as he looked at those that tried out for the solo position.

"We had a hard time deciding who it should be in the solo position, but we came to a decision. Before Josh came over to our class, Samantha was our solo singer. She looks like she is ready to take her position back and we are willing to give her a try. If this is a one time thing, Josh will be here to retake the position again."

"Thank you guys for making the hard decision." Mr. Edger looked over at Samantha before looking over at Josh. "Samantha your class has chosen you as their solo singer, so congratulations on earning your position back. I'm happy for you and hope that this is not a one time performance either."

Samantha jumped up and thanked the class before Mr. Edger could finish talking. "Hold on a minute you guys. I have some bad news regarding the decision you made." The class went dead quiet. "You guys can't have your cake and eat it too. You chose Samantha and that is great. One thing you guys don't know is that Josh came to us from across the hall to be the solo singer. Mrs. Nunez made it clear if I am not going to use Josh in that position, she wanted him back. So, Josh will be going back to Mrs. Nunez's class as of tomorrow."

The bell rang just as Mr. Edger finished telling them the bad news. Not one of them got up from their seats. It hit them like a ton of bricks, that they might have made the wrong decision. They wouldn't have made that decision if they knew that they were going to lose Josh as a result. That's the only reason they were willing to give Samantha a chance, the fact that they thought if she didn't work out, they had Josh to fall back on.

Josh walked passed the others as they ran up to Mr. Edger. They pleaded with him to talk with Mrs. Nunez to not take Josh back. Not matter how much they pleaded, Mr. Edger told them that it was out of his hands now. He won't remove Samantha from the solo position because it wasn't right. They made the decision, and they would have to live with it.

After the class left, Mr. Edger sat down and put his head between his hands. He knew that he made the wrong decision giving the class the decision making over the solo position. It was his class and he made those decisions. Now he couldn't take it back because he would lose all creditability with the class. At the same time, he knew without Josh, they wouldn't win state this year. Samantha was good, but not like Josh. She had way too many off days and she couldn't be depended upon to perform when needed.

As the kids walked in, Mr. Edger walked across the hall to Mrs. Nunez's class. "Can I speak with you for a moment in the hall?" Mrs. Nunez walked out of her classroom confused as to why he needed to speak with her. "I made a huge mistake and there is no way out of it now. Tomorrow you will be getting back Josh in your class."

"What? Are you mad or what? You need Josh in order to bring us state, and not just that but to win the other meets you have this year! What in the world caused you to make a decision like this to send Josh back to my class?"

Mr. Edger explained what had happened in class earlier. As he explained everything, Mrs. Nunez wanted to slap some sense into her friend. He came to her to see if she had anyone that can help him bring his Glee Club to life and she delivered. Now he let that slip through his fingers by allowing his students to be the teacher.

"Don't worry about Josh not having a place in my class Mr. Edger, but you made a bad choice that may have just destroyed your Glee Club. You should have known that your class was going to choose Samantha because they were friends. I even see them hanging around each other like they're glued to each other. The minute you did that, you sealed your fate."

"Do you think after a few days, Josh might come back to the Glee Club? There is no way that Samantha can fill Josh's shoes, no way!"

"No I don't think he will give you guys another chance. You and I have been hearing the coach of the swim team talk about trying to get Josh to return next year. It's been hell for him and yes what happened there is a lot worse. Still, every time that poor kid turns around there is a teacher turning their back on him. Those he is supposed to be able to trust, are those that keep stabbing him in the back."

"Can you try and talk with him please . Get him to understand where I am coming from and why I did what I did. With your help, maybe I can get Josh to come back in the next couple of days." Mr. Edger looked at Mrs. Nunez with pleading eyes.

"I will do what I can, but I really don't think I can do much for you. Josh has been disappointed one to many times." Mrs. Nunez started to walk back into her class room when she turned back to Mr. Edger. "To tell you the truth, I don't even know how to sell what you did to Josh. I don't even understand what you were doing, and that's going to make it harder for me to sell it. You never give your duties over to your students, you just never do that!"

On the way home from school, Josh didn't say a word. From losing his position in Glee Club to losing Cesar, nothing had gone right for him in the last couple of days. A thought popped in his mind as he tried to figure out what he had done wrong to deserve what was going on with him right now. A saying his father use to say all the time as he headed out to a battle; `when it rains, it pours'!

Just like Friday, Rose called out for Josh and Cesar the minute they walked into the house. This time they knew why she was calling them. When they walk into the living room, they would meet Cesar's new foster parents. After that, they would load the car or truck with Cesar's belongings and say their goodbyes.

Josh walked into the living room first, followed by Cesar. At first, Josh didn't see the guy sitting in the chair, but when he got up and turned around, Josh stopped in his tracks. He couldn't believe the person that was standing in front of him!

"I know it's been a while since you've seen me sport, but come on over here and give your old uncle a hug!"

Dropping his book bag where his stood, Josh ran over to his uncle and gave him a hug. He wrapped his arms around his uncle that he hasn't seen in over ten years. Martha put her foot down with Josh's dad's ruling that his older brother was not allowed to ever step foot in his house again.

She found out that Isaac Jr. was gay and didn't want him around her sons because she was always afraid of him influencing her kids; afraid that Isaac might turn one of her kids gay like him. At first, Daniel fought her on it, but got tired of the fighting. So Daniel folded and told Isaac that he was not allowed to come around again.

Josh broke the hug and waved Cesar over. "Uncle Isaac, I would like you to meet Cesar, my boyfriend. Cesar this is my Uncle Isaac!"

"I'm glad to finally meet you Cesar, I have heard so much about you." Isaac and Cesar shook hands with each other before taking a seat. "Not to be mean, but when I heard about you Josh, I couldn't help but laugh. Your mother and I never got along for the same reason you and she couldn't get along. I'm glad your father put his foot down with her when she tried to pull the stunts that she did."

"Let's not rehash the past, but move on." Rose interrupted Isaac as he talked. "I have some great news for you guys. My son Isaac is approved to be a foster parent in several states. He has been trying to adopt for a long time, but has not been able to because of who he is. Now that issue has been thrown out the window with you, Cesar. He got approved earlier this morning to be your foster father."

Cesar just looked at Rose not understanding what this meant. It was great that he was part of the family, but he would still have to move out. Plus, he had never met Isaac before, so he didn't know what kind of person he was. All he knew was that he was gay and that Martha denounced him a long time ago.

"You look confused Cesar, so let me try and clear things up." Isaac got up from his chair and started to walk around like Daniel does. "Josh, your father called me last night and told me everything. Before he finished, I already knew the question. So when he asked me, I said yes. I caught the first flight down here late last night and went straight from the airport to court to get it all done.

Your father also asked me for a couple more favors. He doesn't like what is going on in the house since he moved to Austin. He trusts Jonathan, but feels that family is best suited to take care of family. So we talked it out and came to a conclusion that will fix a lot of the problems that your dad and you guys are having right now.

I will be moving in and helping my mom out running the house. Jonathan and Isabella are going to stay in their positions; that won't change. The big change is the duties, as far as running the house that Jonathan had, are now mine. We figure that Jonathan has too much on his plate and that's why little things keep slipping through."

Rose picked up the conversation and got everyone's attention; "None of this means that you guys that you are not to listen to Jonathan. He still has the support of Daniel. Just that Isaac will help Daniel out while he is in Austin. Your dad, Josh, has a lot on his plate. He doesn't need to worry every minute of every day about his sons. No matter what we do, my son will always worry about his kids."

This whole thing is starting to make sense now. Isaac is going to come in and pretty much do what Daniel did. Still, Josh was wondering if his uncle was going to let Cesar stay in his room as it was now. Or would he be moving him out into another part off the house to make things look right in case someone from the press came knocking.

"Uncle Isaac, what are the sleeping arrangements going to be like now? What I mean is right now Cesar has his own bed in my room, will that stay the same?"

"No Josh that won't stay the same. For now, he will stay in your room, but as soon as we get the two rooms added on to the house, he will move into one and I will move into the other. That doesn't mean that you guys can't do what you are doing now. Just when it is time to sleep, he must sleep in his own room."

That made a lot of sense to both Josh and Cesar. They didn't object, instead they smiled when they heard the news. At least Cesar will be under the same roof and going to the same school. Nothing was really going to change with the new set up.

Cesar got up and hugged Isaac for the first time. In Cesar's eyes, Isaac just saved him from a life changing experience that he didn't want to go through. He felt that if Daniel put this together, it meant it was the best solution to the problem. He could see that Isaac was going to be a great foster father. He was very much like Daniel in so many ways.

The four of them stayed in the living room knocking out the small details of what was to come such as Cesar having his own room to everything in between that! When Josh and Cesar walked to their room, they felt a lot better than they did when they walked out of the room that morning. They pushed the boxes to the side to save time not re-packing the boxes when Cesar's room was ready.

A few minutes before dinner, Brandon walked into Josh's room. He and the others heard the news already and were as happy as Josh and Cesar were. They hung out until Rose called them down for dinner. When Josh walked into the kitchen to see Isaac sitting at the head of the table, it just looked right with him there!

"I heard an ugly rumor in the weight room after school today Josh!" Josh looked up from his plate and looked at Carlos. "Is it true what's going around the school like wild fire? Did you get replaced as the solo artist of the Glee Club?"

Rose dropped her fork into the dish, stunned on what Carlos had said. "They better not have replaced you as their solo artist. You are the reason they are where they are now. I am not just saying this because you are my grandson. I am saying this because it is true."

"Several members of the Glee Club wanted to try out for the solo position and Mr. Edger allowed it to be fair. He let the others that were not in the running for the position to make the decision on who was going to be in that position. They decided to give it back to the original solo artist they had the previous year."

"If that guy was any good, they wouldn't have gone out to get you for the position!" Isaac spoke a little louder than the others.

"The one that is replacing me is not a he, but a she. I'm not going to make a big thing about it. They want her instead of me, that's fine. As of tomorrow, I'm going back to my original music class. The one I was in at the beginning of the school year. There's no need to fight this, because I'll come out looking bad; kinda like sour grapes."

"Still that was wrong and the teacher should never have allowed it. She lost the position fair and square when the teacher came to you. All that work you did for them is now wasted. When they lose, which they will, they will see that they backed the wrong person for the solo position. From what I understand, a lot of the points are given on the strength of the solo singer of the Glee Club and you have that strength."

"Thank you Carlos and everyone, but please let's drop it. Tonight we all should be happy for Cesar and Uncle Isaac. Our uncle is back and I know we all missed him a lot. Also, Cesar is not going anywhere. All of us are stuck with this handsome guy!" Josh reached under the table to squeeze Cesar's hand.

For the rest of the evening, no one talked about the Glee Club. Instead they asked Isaac where and what he has been doing since the last time they saw him. Isaac enjoyed being the center of attention. He told them everything that he had been doing. Not one moment of his time was boring because he went around the world to different places, doing all sorts of exciting things.

Before going to sleep, Josh walked over to Brandon's room to check on how he was doing. When he opened the door and popped his head in, he found his little brother out like a light. Josh smiled as he slowly closed the door, trying not to make any noise.

It was no surprise to Josh when he sat down at the table, everyone asked all at once if the rumors were true. The rumor has already spread around the school that he had lost the solo position. Josh told his friends, "yes" and left it at that. Not wanting to get into it anymore, Josh changed the subject. The others wanted more, but decided to let it go.

Rich got off the phone and ran as fast as he could over to the Governor's office. He didn't wait for the Governor's secretary to give him the clearance to go in, Rich just ran into the office. Out of breath, Rich ran up to the Governor's desk and started talking.

"Governor, several senators and congressmen went on the early show this morning and spoke against the bill that you have in front of them right now. It looks like the audience agrees with them, and if that is so, we're in trouble because that's just a small portion of the voters out there that may be feeling the same thing."

"I'm aware of those that went on the early show this morning. In fact, I watched it and couldn't believe they thought the voters of this state were as dumb as they were treating them. The audience in that studio was not a true representation of the voters here in Texas. They went to California and those in the audience are more than likely citizens of California. If you polled the audience, you might get one or two of them that are from Texas."

"I thought the show was being broadcasted from a studio here in Austin. At no time through the show had I thought that they were out of Texas."

"First, the stage is the same as the one they use every day. That should have been a dead give way, that they were in their studios in California. Second, it was in big white letters at the beginning and at the end of the show that they are broadcasting from their studios in California. That's something you should have seen Rich.

Finally, it doesn't matter if they were broadcasting from California or here in Texas. Those that went on the show would have stuffed the audience with supporters that back them. That is the first trick I learned on the campaign trial and asked the party to not ever to do that again. I want the audience to be true, no matter if they were for or against what I was doing.

Now don't get me wrong, what they did this morning showed me that they just don't want to see the light. They're thinking that if they tell enough of their lies, people will listen to them. The voters here in Texas will not fall for it and that's why they chose to do that show this morning. They want to move the citizens in other states to talk about how bad we are, and maybe that will move the voters here against me."

"Don't they know that will back fire on them? You don't want to go out and air your disagreements outside your home. By going into another state, that's just what they are doing. That should turn the voters here at home more against them and what they are saying." Rich said wiping the sweat from his forehead as he sat down.

"All they are doing is making it easier for me to get this bill passed through to the voters. They are setting it up to kill it on the floor and then they will try and use the outrage the other states have to sell it to our own voters. The sad thing is, they are forgetting how our voters think. They won't listen to others when it comes down to how their state is being run."

"Okay I see where you are going with this Governor. What we should do is just sit back and let them dig their own grave. We won't give a press conference or send out a paper statement. If you do that, they have won. They want us to get down in the dirt with them and get dirty."

Rich and Governor Lopez discussed what they were going to do next. The education bill got leaked out to a couple members of the press yesterday. In a couple of days, it will get around to all the news organizations. When that happens, both the Governor and Rich agree that it will give the final blow to those that keep talking to the air waves.

"Once we pass the education bill, I want to work on jobs. Normally the federal level does that, but they are dropping the ball. Rich, I believe that the government can't create jobs, but we can make the market for the private sector to do so in many ways. I have several ideas on how to get there and I'll want your input on that before we draft the final bill."

Governor Lopez handed Rich a disk that had his ideas that he wanted to put into a jobs bill for Texas. Rich spit out a couple of ideas of his own to the Governor and he wrote them down. Still the Governor asked Rich to look at what he had on the disk and to incorporate his ideas if it made the bill better.

"Governor, one of the things you should try and work on is some kind of legislation on gay rights. It's long overdue and must get done in order to protect those citizens of this state. Plus, if we are the first to pass sweeping reform on this, other states will follow us."

"I agree Rich we need to pass sweeping reforms dealing with rights of the gay community. It will happen, but it can't be done right now. We are wrestling with a state house that throws up roadblocks at every turn. When the voters go to the voting booths in two years and send them packing, we will tackle that and much more."

"You have the backing of almost the entire electorate of this state. This is the time to pass sweeping reform, not later. You know as well as I do, as you get further into your term, the support falls. With the attacks the other side does on you, it does eventually pull down your support. So let's pass this reform now since you have the people behind you."

"Let me make this as clear as I can Rich. I don't care much about how the other side tries to sell me to the voters as the wrong person for the job, they won't succeed. You of all people know that, because you taught me that. As long as we stay on the right side, don't get dirty and don't fight stupid fights, we'll always win. Don't give up on what you believe in.

Again as far as sweeping reform on gay rights is concerned, we need to hold off on it at least until we show the people of this state that we are here working on problems that effect them all. If we do it now, we will get something past, but not what we want. I don't want to sign a bill that is done half ass because that is all we could get."

Rich agreed with the Governor and left. He promised the Governor that he would look over what was on this disk immediately and have something on his desk before the end of the day. As he walked back to his office, he kicked himself for pushing too hard on gay rights. He hopes that he hadn't turned the Governor off, on putting a bill on the floor for gay rights.

During lunch, Josh and the gang changed up their routine. Instead of going out to the stadium to hang out, they decided to go up the monument. When they reached the top, they could look down and see the whole school. The only thing that you couldn't see from the monument was the football field and stadium. Other than that, you could see everything else. Including the entire west side of town.

The only ones that were not happy about the change of routine was the security detail. They simply didn't like how in the open they were. At the same time, they were able to see areas of the school that they didn't know were weak spots. Jonathan jotted down notes. That way he could discuss what he was seeing with the other detail at their next meeting.

While the security detail looked over the area, Josh and the others fooled around. They talked at first, but some how the talking went into play wrestling on the dead grass. They split into teams and when one got tired, they would tag in another to continue to fight. No one won, so they had to call it a draw in order to get to class in time.

Everyone figured out going down the monument was a lot easier, but a lot more dangerous. No one escaped from slipping at one time or another as they walked down. Or should it be said, they slid down. When they reached the bottom, they dusted each other off and headed back to the main building.

After getting his books form his locker, Josh kissed Cesar before heading to fourth period. When he reached Mrs. Nunez's door, Mr. Edger called out for Josh. He turned around and walked over to Mr. Edger to see what he needed to say.

"I am asking you to give the class another chance to put you back into the solo position. When they found out that you were no longer going to be part of the Glee Club, they freaked. They talked with me after class and by the looks in their faces, were telling me they would change their minds on what they decided yesterday.

All you have to do is stick with it. Stay in the Glee Club and sing in the back with the others. When Samantha shows that she can't fill your shoes, I'll move you back into the soloist's position. I'm asking you to do this as a favor to me. This is the first year that we've really had a chance of taking state and moving on from there."

"Mr. Edger I don't want to sound or come off as if I feel that I'm better than the rest, because I'm not. If I started in this class at the beginning of the year, I would have taken it and handed the solo position to Samantha. I would have even helped her if she would let me. No one is better than the others in the Glee Club. We need each other in order to compete.

But as you know, I didn't start in this class at the beginning of the year. My class schedule still has me in Mrs. Nunez's class and she is the one that gives me my grade. She asked me to help you out in the solo position, not in the back. Like I said yesterday, you have plenty of talent there, you don't need mine. I would be wasting my time back there.

The members of the Glee Club didn't like the idea when I came in. You gave them a chance to correct something they felt should never had happened. I will listen to what they want and leave. I do wish you and the Glee Club good luck at state. No matter what you think, I truly believe you guys will win. I am just one person!"

Josh started to walk across the hall to Mrs. Nunez's class when Mr. Edger ran over to him. "Do me a favor and think about coming back. I will do everything I can to make Samantha a better singer, but she has way too many off days. She is a great singer when she is not suffering one of her off days. She can't do what you do. You pick up things faster than anyone I have ever had the honor to teach. I need that as my solo singer."

"I'll think about it sir, but from where I see it right now, I don't see me changing my mind. There's so much going on in my life right now. I don't have time for this back and forth. You are our teacher and if you felt it was the wrong decision, you should have corrected it and not let it go this far."

Josh shook Mr. Edger's hand and walked into the Mrs. Nunez's class. Everyone stared at him as he waited for Mrs. Nunez to tell him where to sit. She looked up from her desk and smiled at Josh. She yelled at the rest of the class to go over their homework before she turned her complete attention to Josh.

"The last time you were in my class, you were eating dinner before a performance in front of your dad. I never wanted you back. Not because you were a bad student, but because you belong in Glee Club. I was saddened when Mr. Edger told me the news yesterday. I had a few choice words with him that I don't want to repeat to you.

I truly hope this is temporary and you will be going back to Mr. Edger's class. In the meantime I will love having you back in my class. Please take your original desk and I will let you know where we are as far as the book is concerned when I get a free moment. I won't ask you to make up any work that you have missed being in Mr. Edger's class."

Josh nodded his head and took his seat. Mrs. Nunez started to go over the homework that she assigned to the class yesterday. Josh forgot that she liked to have the class trade their homework with another student so they could grade it. Before it got handed in to Mrs. Nunez, they hand the homework assignment back to each other to see their grade.

As the class went over their assignment, Josh started thinking about what he had lost. It wasn't the soloist position in glee club he felt was robbed. It was the only class that he enjoyed going to. No matter what was going on in his life, Josh could get lost for one hour out of each day. The hour of glee club was Josh's escape and now that was gone.

When the bell rang, Josh found himself being one of the first ones out the door. As he walked past the students coming out of Mr. Edger's room, they gave him dirty looks. That made Josh mad! He should be the one giving them dirty looks, not the other way around. They chose and now they were angry with him! 'This is bullshit,' Josh thought.

Normally Josh walked into ROTC relaxed, but not today. He was walking in already angry, and into a class that he hated. To top it all off, it was an inspection day and he was not thinking straight. Josh knew if he didn't settle down, he wouldn't pass inspection. Then he had to deal with another student yelling at him. If that happened, Josh thought, he might not be able to stop himself from punching who ever yelled at him.

To his surprise, Josh passed the inspection. Major Moore did not come out to inspect them. As a result, all they did was form outside in their company formation and the company commander walked up and down the squads looking at the uniforms. Later Josh found out that Major Moore gave them a free inspection, because it was their first uniform day back from the Christmas break.

No matter what the reason was, it made Josh happy. He got through the class without blowing up. Sixth period went by slowly like always. When the bell rang to end the school day, Josh couldn't wait to get home. He ran over anyone that got in his way as he made his way to his locker to meet up with Cesar.

After getting the books they needed to do their homework, Josh remembered that he wanted to speak with the swim coach before going home. Cesar joined Josh and promised him that he wouldn't get in the way. He promised to wait outside in the pool area while Josh talked with the coach.

The moment Josh stepped into the pool area; the memories of what had happened to him the last time he was there came flooding back. He stopped and looked over to where he was standing when Elizabeth came in and made the scene that ended their season. All the feelings that he felt that day came flooding back. It took Cesar yelling at him to get him out of his memory.

Josh blinked a couple of times and started walking again. They walked past another area that brought back memories that Josh had hoped that he had forgotten. The area where Chris had his throw down with his father. Josh couldn't believe all the ugly memories that keep flooding back into his mind. There was not one good memory that had come to him. Because of that, Josh was rethinking his decision.

"Josh I don't know what is going on in your head right now, but I know it isn't good. Stop thinking so much and let whatever is bothering you go. You belong here and you know it. So stop thinking about whatever you are thinking about and let's get whatever you came here to do, done."

That got Josh moving again. Josh knew that Cesar was right on every point he made. Josh also knew that he needed to stop spending so much time in his mind. If he allowed the past to haunt him, he would never get anywhere. He needed to leave the past where it belonged, in the past; there was nothing he could do to change it now.

Josh and Cesar made their way down the hall to Coach's office. Josh knocked when they reached the door and waited for the Coach to invite him in. When they heard the Coach yell out to come in, Josh walked in. That left Cesar outside in the hall with several of the security detail.

The Coach looked up at Josh as he walked in. "Coach, do you have a few minutes to talk?"

"Yes of course I have a few minutes!" the Coach got up and walked around his desk.

"I have given a lot of thought to what the swim team did the other day. I even spoke with my family about the whole thing and they all agreed that I should rejoin the swim team. After thinking it over some more, I've decided to give the swim team another shot. Let's see how next year goes, maybe it will be better than this year."

"I am glad to hear that, but I do have a concern. I've heard what had happened to you and the Glee Club Josh. You know I want you back on the swim team, but not if it's your fallback. I don't want to form next years swim team around you and then you up and quit on me to go back to Glee Club. Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Coach, I made this decision before what had happened to me in Glee Club. The only reason I didn't talk with you sooner was because I had a couple of things going on in my personal life the last couple of days. Yes, I want to come back and you know as well as I do, that I can handle both things if I go back to Glee Club. I did it at the beginning of the year so I know I can do it again if I choose to."

"That is fine with me. There's no doubt that you can handle both. I'll let you know when to start showing up for practice. Trust me when I say things are going to be a lot different around here this time around. The team wants you back and so do I."

Before Josh could leave, Jonathan went over a few things with the Coach. Coach had no problem agreeing with all of the security measures that Jonathan and his team needed to put in place in order to keep Josh safe. All the information Jonathan asked for, the Coach gave him without a problem.

Josh thanked the Coach once again before leaving his office. On the way home, Josh told Cesar what he just did. As Josh explained everything, the only thing that went through Cesar's mind was Josh in his Speedo! When he was on the team before, he could only see Josh from far away in his tight swimsuit. Now he would be able to see him up close and personal each time he came home from practice or a swim meet. Just the thought of it caused Cesar to get roaring hard-on!

As Josh closed the front door, he felt someone pushing on it, causing him to jump. He turned to see Bernice poking her head in. Josh let go of the door, wanting to kill Bernice for scaring the living day lights out of him! No one heard her behind them as they walked into the house and she wasn't that quiet of a person when she walked.

"You're very lucky you're still standing Bernice! The guards shoot first and ask questions later." Josh waved Bernice over to him in the hall. "So what brings you over here instead of spending time with your boyfriend?"

"I don't know why you two can't seem to just let things go! You have never spoken this way about your best friend since I've known you. Now it seems you have nothing but contempt for Eric in your voice. I know he, well all of us, were wrong and it's going to take time to fix everything. Still, you have always been a better person by taking the first step." Bernice looked at Josh scared that she opened a wound that she shouldn't have.

"To tell you the truth Bernice, I'm tired of hearing and talking about what happened between you guys and me. I've let it go and put it behind me. We all need to move on from that and just stop talking about it. If it sounds like I don't like Eric when I talk about him, I'm sorry. He's still a friend and I don't mean to sound any other way about him."

Bernice relaxed after hearing that. She walked into the den and started spilling the beans about her first time with Eric. They sat there talking like they used too, when they first became friends. That's the friendship Bernice missed and wanted back; a friend that would listen to her, no matter what the subject was.

"It sounds like you two are getting very close. When you guys got together, I knew you two suited each other. Eric really never had a serious girlfriend before and you were working through what you were working through! I'm glad it's working out, because if it didn't, I don't know what we would have done. There's no way I would stop being friends to either of you and that would be hell on all of us."

They talked a little longer before heading upstairs to do their homework. She wanted Josh's opinion on where to go next. Josh simply told her to do whatever her heart was telling her to do, but to use common sense when things were getting to be too serious. He also suggested that they didn't jump in the sack every time they wanted to have sex.

When they joined Cesar in the room, Bernice sat on Josh's bed and Josh sat with Cesar on Cesar's bed. No one talked again until they finished their homework. Josh couldn't stop thinking about how much things have changed in the last couple of days from his uncle moving in and becoming Cesar's foster parent to him rejoining the swim team and getting voted off as the soloist singer of the Glee Club. Josh figured this was just the beginning of a lot to come. Who knows what else could change back or change completely?

TO BE CONTINUED...

WRITER'S CORNER:

{Wow, this chapter answered a lot of questions I know a lot of you readers have been asking. I closed out a few plots and opened some new ones. I brought in a new character that will play a major role to come. Also explained some of things that have been in the air since the beginning of the story!

Let's start where we should, the beginning of the chapter. A lot of you have written me and told me your thoughts on the question I have asked about Bernice and Eric. It went down evenly on what you want to read. I think I found a middle ground for this plot and I hope you all enjoyed it as you read it.

We know that those two are going to have sex no matter how many people tell them to wait until they get married or at least out of school. Come on, they are teenagers that are hot for each other. They did the deed and looks like they don't regret what they did. We also got the answer about Bernice. She's not gay, at least not from the way she enjoyed having sex with Eric!

A wrote in a few shake ups in this chapter. The first one is Josh and the Glee Club. I know you guys didn't see this one coming and neither did I. It just came to me as I wrote out this chapter. For now Josh is back in the class where he started the year at and I don't I don't know if I will return him back to Glee Club. I am leaning more towards having him go back, but it won't happen in the near future.

The other shake up is Uncle Isaac. Now let's see how many of you remember chapter 30 and what Rose was thinking. In that chapter, we know that Daniel has older brothers and a younger sister, but I have never written about them. I thought this is a good way to fix a few plots in the story and explain a couple of things hanging out there.

I didn't like the idea where I left chapter 36. So I came up with a fix that makes a lot more sense. Isaac comes in and becomes the foster parent for Cesar. Cesar doesn't move out, but will be getting his own room once it gets built. The house will now be run by family that will always be looking out for their blood. I am not saying that Jonathan was bad at doing that but it is more believable on having family take care of family.

Also by me writing in this character we now get to see the inner thinking of Daniel Sr. I know you all have been asking and wondering why did Daniel take it so well when he found out that Josh is gay. We now know why; his older brother. This character explains a lot when it comes down to the thinking of Daniel on why he divorced Martha as quickly as he did. Some of you were not too happy when I did that.

Martha got away with it once with Daniel on showing her dislike about gays. In the chapters to come you will read more about that and how Daniel felt about turning his back on his own brother. That is something he has never forgiven himself for. It back fired on Martha when she asked her husband to disown his brother because his brother is gay. She feared that by having him around, he will make her kids gay. Well, she now knows that is not how it happens. No one can change another sexual wants.

Isaac is going to be a very interesting new character to the story. I can't wait to get into the mind and soul of the character. He will make this story even more exciting than it is already. We know her traveled the world and he did exciting things. In the chapters to come you will get front row view of what he did.

Josh rejoined the swim team. I dropped the hints in the last chapter about this plot. Like I said a reader has asked me to bring back in this plot and after some thinking about it I agree it is an interesting plot. It can go so many directions, so just tune in and see what direction I decide to take this plot.

It looks like Rusty and Chris are becoming more than just friends. Chris needs someone in his life like Josh has Cesar. He can't keep tagging along with Josh. Not to sound mean, he needs to get his own life. He needs to get a new love that will help him move on.

Brandon, poor Brandon he is having the same problems Josh is having with his security detail. If their friends leave them because they think what is going on with the security detail is too hard, than they are not friends they need. The sad thing is that Brandon lost his girlfriend too. He is also having the nightmares again. It is starting to look that he has these nightmares when things are not going right for him. I am glad that Josh and Brandon are tight so they can depend on each other when things are bad. I also hope that Brandon can find away to get rid of these nightmares he is having.

So many open plots and so many more plots to come in this story. I love the political scenes a lot and I hope I am not offending anyone with them. Keep in mind it is only a story and I am trying my best not to preach my beliefs. Please stay tuned and I promise that you guys won't regret opening every new chapter.

I could stay here all day long, with all the open plots already in this story, but I won't. I warn you though! Don't skip a chapter, or you will be lost. There is a so much to answer in the chapters to come. Keep reading the future chapters, and enjoy! Please email me and let me know how I am doing at jacobmillertex@aol.com, Thanks!}

EDITOR'S CORNER:

I'm so glad Eric and Bernice got it done! Whew, they sure took their sweet time, but of course it was Bernice's fears that kept the act on hold. It would appear that Eric made it good for her!

I'm delighted with Isaac's appearance. Yes, that did answer some questions that were hanging out there and explains a lot about the family dynamics and why things like Daniel's seemingly fast decision to divorce Martha came about.

Speaking of Martha, I wonder what she's up to these days.

My big question is when the adults are going to wise up and allow Josh and Cesar to be "with" each other as they should be. This sexual prohibition can serve no useful purpose and can only serve to stress Josh and Cesar unnecessarily. Yes, it's is 1991 (in the story) so it's time to allow the couple to be a couple fully, albeit with tasteful discretion. Just a suggestion, dear author!

As an educator myself, I instantly saw Mr. Edger's screw up with his exercise in democracy in the Glee class. He's in a real dilemma now and it's going to take some major brainstorming to correct the screw up, if he even can! Josh is rightly feeling screwed and won't easily go back for the Glee group to potentially do it to him again.

I'm glad Chris and Rusty are growing closer and developing a potential relationship. I agree with Jacob that Chris needs his own life and to not be hanging onto Josh. Chris is emotionally needy and that can be a drain on Josh he just doesn't need.

Rich put on a full court press on the Governor for gay rights legislation. Daniel sees his point but also sees the larger picture. Daniel's administration has to have deeper traction going to propel such controversial legislation through in Texas. The fact that the religious conservatives are a significant part of the electorate in Texas has to be considered. They won't be able to be sold on gay rights legislation so the remaining segments of the electorate will have to be pretty solidly on board to get the legislation approved. The State Legislature would never pass any such measures without very serious pressure from their constituents. I can also predict that Al will have his hands full working the political back channels on any proposed gay rights legislation.

Brandon's nightmares concern me. I'm glad Josh's presence calms him down. I think Josh needs to alert the adults to Brandon's problem so that he can get some professional help. There is no need for a boy to have to lose sleep over nightmares. There's low grade medications that can help along with counseling to delve into the root causes of the bad dreams.

It is going to be most interesting to see how Josh deals with the memories that haunt him regarding the swim team and the environment. I'm expecting there's going to be one hater on the team that is lurking in the background. It isn't possible the entire swim team is of one mind when it comes to having a gay on the team and in the locker room.

Until next time!

"Daddy" Rick