Shadow of My Father

Shadow of My Father II: Sophomore Year 2

Written by: J.P.G.

{"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, 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 cannot be distributed in anyway, shape or form without authors' express written consent.}

Story Written by: J.P.G.

Love Scenes Written By: Trevor

Edited By: Ed

Edited By: Trevor

Chapter 2

When the boys arrived home, they ran into the house to find their father waiting for them in the sitting room. Daniel Sr. got up from his seat, went over to his sons, and held them for a while. After they were filled with each other's love, Daniel Sr. let go of his kids and they walked back to the couches to sit.

"I understand you guys tried to take the day off to meet me at the airport." The boys looked at their father, thinking they might be in trouble. "I know it has been a while since we have seen each other, but you guys know what I think about missing any kind of school. With that said, I can't be mad at my boys for caring that much for me."

The Lopez boys breathed in a sigh of relief and relaxed into their seats. "Dad we are glad that you are home. How long can you stay before you have to return back to Austin?"

"Well Josh, I am going to stay the rest of this week, and probably leave around Wednesday of next week, but it won't be as long as it was this last time. Christmas is just around the corner and of course I will be back for those couple of weeks and the couple of weeks after for the New Years holiday."

That put a smile on the boy's faces. "Also I will back on Tuesday the tenth to pick you guys up to go to Washington." The boys looked at their father confused on why they are going to Washington next month. "On Wednesday I officially retire from the military and become a fully-fledged private citizen with a state job."

"That's awesome dad. I thought you had a year and half or something like that still left to serve. Has that time already come and gone?"

"Believe it or not, yes. When I came back and decided to run for the governorship of Texas, I had a little over a year and half still to go on my tour of duty. When I won the office and moved into the reserves, I had little over a year left of my tour. That date is approaching fast, which is December 11.

Since I am a four star general, I need to go to Washington and officially retire. Normally that is done in private, but the president's staff put together this ceremony and will start announcing it the day after Thanksgiving. So boys, cut your hair, clean yourselves up, and get ready to visit the White House once again."

All at once, they all said yes, and headed to their rooms to get ready for dinner. "One last thing you guys, we are going out for dinner, and then we are going to visit your mother at the hospital." The boys stopped in their tracks. "I know none of you really want to go and see your mother, but I got a call from her doctor on my way in. She is awake and is asking for you guys."

Stunned by the news, none of them knew what to say. The first one that broke the silence was Josh. "I am pretty sure since she is awake, she doesn't want to see me. I don't have to go in and see her, right dad. I can stay out in the waiting room with Cesar while my brothers go in and visit with her."

"If he gets to stay in the waiting room, so can I." Brandon jumped in. "If they get to stay in the waiting room, then I am going to stay with them". Daniel spoke up before Brandon was able to complete his sentence."

"Hold on guys, hold on for a minute here. She is your mother and no matter what she has done, she will always be your mother. I know you guys don't want to see her, but be the better person as I have told you before and go in there and see her, all of you." Daniel Sr. walked over to Josh.

"And you young man, I expected more from you. You are the one out of all the boys that has the biggest heart and forgives everyone that has done wrong to you. Why is your mother any different than a friend or a stranger?" Josh was about to answer when his father asked him not to. "Even if you don't want to see her, she actually asked to see you by name." Once again, Josh and his brothers were stunned. "By the looks on your faces, you are as stunned as I was when I heard that request made by her. I even had the doctor repeat it to me several times before it actually sunk in."

Daniel Sr. kneeled down in front of Josh. "I know you are scared and think that this is some kind of trick. I thought the same thing after the shock wore off so I made it very clear to the doctor that it had better not be a trick. I will be in the room the entire time and if she says one word wrong, mean or just plain hateful, I am going to pull you and your brothers out of that room so fast, she will not know what hit her. On top of that, she will never get to see you guys as long as you don't want to see her."

That calmed Josh down a little, but still he was worried. There is no way that his mother has changed in all these months. It is not as if she has been awake thinking about all the wrong she has done, she has been in a coma. Still Josh knows there is nothing he can say or does that will get him out of this, so he followed his brothers up the stairs to their rooms.

"Josh I will not leave your side no matter what she says." Cesar spoke for the first time since they got home, shutting their bedroom door. "If she even looks at your wrong, I will tell that..." Cesar stopped and bit his tongue. "She will not like what I will tell her if she says anything wrong or looks at you wrong. I am no Chris and I will not allow her to push you around."

What his father said calmed him down a little, but what his boyfriend just said, put him back into a good mood. Josh walked over to Cesar and pulled him into a hug. "You are the greatest boyfriend that any man or woman could dream of. Thank you for being behind me no matter what it is, especially my witch of a mother."

That got a laugh out of Cesar as they held each other in the middle of their room. After a few minutes of holding each other, they reluctantly let go and got ready to go out to eat. Since they did not need to change, it did not take them to long to get back down stairs. When they walked into the sitting room, they found everyone already there.

Since there was limited time, they did not go to any fancy restaurant to eat. Instead, they went down the street to McDonalds and had dinner. As the first family of Texas sat there eating their Big Macs, Chicken Nuggets, or what ever they ordered, the other customers just looked on. They were surprised to say the least to see their governor and his family sitting there along side them eating as if they were regular people.

Several of the customers actually walked up to the governor and asked him for an autograph, which he gave. Those that asked him a question, he answered it without talking points or holding any bit of the truth back. Right before they finished eating, the local news channels showed up with their big vans.

The governor laughed to himself thinking what took them so long to arrive. The reporters are right there at the entrance to his street and they usually drop everything when a motorcade leaves the estate. The local station in the town where he is always sends a news truck to shadow him the entire time he is in their city.

Putting his thoughts to the back up his mind, he got up; tossed his trash as he and his family left McDonalds. As they walked out of the front door, the cameras started to roll and questions started to be shouted out. The governor and his family walked past the reporters, being held back by a rope line of local police officers.

When the governor reached the limousine and his family was inside, he turned and smiled at the cameras. "Ladies and gentlemen please let me be while I am having family time with my sons and the rest of my family. I will not answer any questions or give any comments to you all while I am with my family, thank you very much."

The governor waved at the members of the press as he got into the limousine. As the door shut, the motorcade started to drive off. All the way to the hospital, the car was so quiet, you could hear the person sitting next to you heart beating. When they drove up to the front entrance of the hospital, the boys looked at each other and then over to their father. No one said a word as they got out of the car and walked in.

Just like at McDonalds, everyone in the hospital looked on as their governor walked passed them. A couple of them tried to go up and get an autograph from the governor, but the security stopped them before they got close to Daniel Sr.

All the way up in the elevator, everyone stayed quiet. Right before the door opened, the governor pushed the emergency stop button. "Boys you were awfully quiet while we ate, even more so on the ride over here. I know none of you wants this visit with your mother, but do this for me. Trust me if you don't do this, you will always hate yourself for not being the better person."

The boys said yes all at once, as Daniel Sr. started the elevator back up. As the door opened, he turned and told his kids to wait in the waiting room while he goes in and speaks with their mother first. With no objections, they did what he asked and went to sit in the waiting room as he walked down the hall to their mother's room.

The door to Martha's room was open so Daniel did not knock he just walked in. When he made his way into the inner room, he found his ex-wife sitting in a chair looking out the window. She looked calm and at peace, expressions he has not seen on her face in years. Not wanting to scare her, he cleared his throat and then called out her name. She turned and smiled at Daniel. Once again, another expression he has not seen from her in years.

"You look well Martha, I am glad to see that." Martha nodded her head. "The boys are here, but I asked them to wait in the waiting room while I came in here to speak with you first. I do not want to sound mean or anything, but what is all this about. Why do you want to see your boys, more so Josh?"

"I know no matter what I say you will not believe a word I say." Martha spoke softly as took a drink from her cup. "I was close to death and I saw all the wrong and hurt I have caused my family, you included. There is nothing I can do to fix us since you are already remarried and about to have a child with your new wife, but our kids I can try and fix those relationships."

Not able to make out if Martha was lying or not, Daniel had no other choice but to take her at her word. Before he brings their kids into the room, he made it clear what the ground rules are, and what will happen if she breaks them. As he talked, she listened, something else she has not done in years.

"I understand why you are doing what you are doing, but please give me a chance with our kids. Once you see I am not going to say anything to hurt them, let us be alone. No matter what you might think, they will not say or do anything that they think you will not approve of as long as you are hovering around them."

"No Martha I will not leave them alone in your hands. Maybe in the future if they want to come back, but not today." Daniel turned to walk to the door, but turned back around all of a sudden, scaring Martha. "If this is some kind of game Martha, I swear I will make sure you regret ever pulling this stunt on your kids. Brandon is barely coming out of the hurt you have caused. There is no way I am going to allow you to undo all the work he has done to get where he is today. That goes with all our kids. You really did a number on them that will take a long time for them to forgive you."

Martha just shook her head as she sat there looking into Daniel's eyes. "One last thing, sometime this week my attorneys will stop by and have some paperwork for you to sign. I need you to sign the deed to the house so I can sell the thing. Somehow, you never signed that, which I did not see it was a big thing since you were in a coma and all. But now that you are out of your coma, I must follow the letter of the law and have the deed signed that should have done when the judge ruled on our divorce."

"Have your attorneys come down and I will sign what ever they need me to sign." Unable to believe that his ex-wife has done a one eighty since the last they spoke. Daniel just shook his head as he walked out the door. On his way down the hall to get the boys, he thought to himself that Martha is up to something. The only problem is, he cannot put his finger on it right now, but soon he will, soon he will.

Josh was the first to see his father walking towards them, so he warned his brothers. By the time Daniel Sr. walked into the waiting room, they were all standing up, waiting for him. He nodded his head towards their mother's room, and that was all that was needed. Daniel Jr. and Carlos started walking and right behind them was Josh, Cesar, and Brandon.

When they reached their mothers door, they all just stood there for a few minutes. Not looking at each other, or saying a word, just stood there. All of a sudden, they heard their mother's voice asking them to come in. Slowly Daniel Jr. opened the door all the way and walked in. As he reached the inner room, his brothers were almost on his back.

"Boys come over here and give your mother a hug." None of them moved from where they were standing. They just looked at their mother as if she was going out of her mind asking that. "Come on boys, I am your mother in need for a hug from her four gorgeous boys. Please come over here and give me a hug. You know I would go over there, but I still can't walk."

Hesitantly, Daniel Jr. and Carlos walked up to their mother to hug her, shortly followed by Josh and Brandon. The boys did not hold the hug for long, maybe a minute at the most. Once they broke the hug, they walked back over to where they were standing when they first entered into the room.

"You boys look very well! I am glad that you came even though your mind and more likely your heart is telling you not to get near me. Even though I have been awake only for a week, I do miss you boys a lot. I wish I could fix what I had done and bring things back to the way they were before all the hate I caused, but I cannot. You have a new stepmother now and soon a new little brother or sister. But I am hoping at least to get my boys back to the point you are not terrified of me."

"Mom you did a lot of wrong to us. I don't think we will ever be back to the point where we were when things were at least halfway decent." Daniel Jr. spoke with confidence in his voice. "There is no doubt that we will always love you, but that love is there because you gave us birth, nothing more than that. As far as being a mother after giving us birth, you were never that. No matter what you say now, you can never be that. Barbara has been more of a mother to us in this last year, than I can remember you ever being."

Trying to hide her anger, but unable to, Martha turned around and looked out the window, trying to think of a way to change the conversation in her favor. As she was in her own mind, the boys just looked on. They could not make head or tails of what is going on. The only thing that they know for sure is that Daniel Jr. did get under her skin.

All of a sudden, Martha broke the silence. "No matter what you boys think, I have seen the errors of my way. I have seen the hate I have caused to the people I love the most. You father I have lost for good, but you boys I still have a chance of getting some kind of relationship back. No matter how long it takes or what I have to do to prove to you boys that I am a changed woman, I am in it for the long haul."

Martha turned back around and looked at Josh and Cesar. "Young man, I haven't had the honor on meeting you." Martha looked straight into Cesar eyes as she extended her hand for him to shake. "My name is Martha, I am Josh's mother." Slowly Cesar walked up to her and took her hand. "So you are the young man that is making my son a very happy man. I can see why my son is in love with you. Heck if I was his age, I would be in love with you as well."

Trying to be respectful, Cesar smiled at Martha as he shook her hand. He knows what she is saying and doing is nothing but bull. The look in her face, the look she is trying very hard to hide, is giving her away. Not only talking to him, but also talking to him nicely is ripping her apart in the inside.

"Do me a favor, don't be like the first guy my son fell in love with. Even though you two lay down together in the same bed, you were born with balls, use them. Do not go running away when things get tough. My son needs a man's man at his side, not a little fairy like his last boyfriend, what was his name, Chris."

"Ma'am with all due respect, Chris is a very good guy and a dear friend of mine. He is not a fairy and is not afraid of you and neither am I. When he and Josh were together, they both had a lot of stuff going on in their lives and you did not make it any easier. So please do not talk that way about him or anyone for that fact, again. That is just plain rude!"

Cesar pulled his hand free from Martha's hand before bending down to whisper in her ear. "I know just talking to me is ripping you apart inside. I can see the hate wanting to be set free in your eyes. That means all this is just an act. So let me make this clear, stay away from Josh and stop screwing with your kids' minds. If you do anything to hurt Josh in anyway, physically, emotionally or mentally, you will have me to deal with. Moreover, as you said, I am not like Chris. I will not allow you to push Josh, Brandon or any of those guys standing over there around."

Before Cesar could stand up straight and walk back over to the guys, Martha pulled him down even closer to her face than he already was. "You listen to me you fucking little faggot piece of shit, don't mess with me. I have survived a shooting, a stroke, and a coma. I certainly can beat you because you are nothing but a little piece of gnat shit that I can crush in seconds. So if you do not want to be crushed this is what we are going to do.

You are going to walk back over to my son with a smile on your face. Neither of us will speak of what we said here to each other to anyone. In a couple of weeks, before Christmas would be good, you will start fighting with my son. I do not care what the fights are about, but you will make them look real. By the time Christmas is over, you two cannot stand each other anymore and you break up with him. After that, leave it up to me to make sure my son doesn't date another faggot again."

Cesar looked into Martha's eyes and smiled. "You know what I am going to do ma'am, make your life a miserable one. I love your son with all my heart and he loves me with all his heart. Nothing, I mean nothing will ever break us apart. So go and fuck yourself." Cesar broke free from Martha's grasp and walked back to Josh with a smile on his face.

As soon as he got to Josh's side, Josh started asking him what he and his mother discussed. Cesar just smiled at Josh as he leaned in and kissed him squarely on the lips, sending Martha into another zone of anger. Daniel Sr. and his boys could see that, and could not help but be proud of what Cesar was doing.

Quickly Martha tried to settle down, but it was too late. Cesar was successful with a simple kiss to unveil her true colors. Even after being seen for what she is, she tried to talk as if she did not react to what Cesar did, but no one was listening. When she called Brandon over, he refused to leave his brothers sides.

"I am your mother and I would like it if you would come over here and speak with me so we can talk in private." Brandon moved behind Josh and Cesar as his mother talked, trying to hide and use them for protection. "Brandon honey, there is no need for you to be afraid of me. I am not going to do you any harm. Please come over here..."

"Enough Martha that is enough of this, can't you see he doesn't want to talk with you or even get near you!" Daniel Sr. interrupted her. "Let him be for now. Maybe in time you will earn his trust back, but that trust is not there right now, so leave him alone. Do you have anything else you want to say to the kids, or can they go. After all they have homework to do for school tomorrow."

Martha held her tongue! She was boiling mad and wanted to tell off her ex-husband, but knew if she did, there is no way she would see her kids again. Not without a court battle that she knows she will lose. Even if she could prove that her ex is an absentee father, the courts will not take their kids from his custody and give them over to her.

"Okay I understand I am asking too much too soon from you boys. Just promise me that you will not write me off. Come down whenever you can to see me. I don't think I am going anywhere any time soon."

Daniel Sr. looked at Martha thinking that they must be giving her some good drugs here for her to be thinking that. He turned to Daniel Jr. and asked him and his brothers to go back to the lobby and wait for him there. With no objections, they walked out of the room as fast as they could, not even saying goodbye to their mother.

"I wish you wouldn't be telling them things like that. You know as well as I do you still have to deal with the courts." Martha shot Daniel a dirty look. "The proceedings in the state courts are done, but not the federal courts. Since you are out of the coma, I am sure they are going to prosecute you as soon as you are able to stand trial."

"I don't think so!" Martha looked up at Daniel with a smirk on her face. "According to my attorney the federal government doesn't have the stomach to prosecute me since I had a stroke when they arrested me. They don't want to look like they are prosecuting me because of who you are, and it is election year." Martha made her way to her bed. "Honey it looks like this time being the governor is hurting you more than helping you."

This time Daniel was angry and tried to hide it, but could not. "You listen to me you witch of a bitch, you are not going to get near our kids again. I know something went on between you and Cesar, and whatever it was was not good. There is no way I am going to let you hurt our kids anymore than you already have. They do not want to see you, talk with you, or even hear your name mentioned. The only reason they came today was because I forced them to, not anymore, not anymore."

Daniel walked out of the room as Martha was yelling that he does not have the last word on that. Making his way to his kids, he knew what Martha meant by what she just said. He knows that he is going to have to gear up for a court battle that might put their boys in the middle and make them choose which parent they want to live with. If that happens, there is no doubt in his mind that the boys will choose to stay with him.

The ride home in the car was even quieter than it was on the way to the hospital, which none of them thought that was possible. As soon as they walked into the house, Josh, his brothers and Cesar headed up stairs to do their homework and get ready for school. They could feel that there was a storm coming and it was going to be bad.

Wednesday flew by fast! When the final bell rang releasing them from school, the boys high tailed it out faster than they did the day before. When they got home, their father was nowhere to be seen so they fell into their routine and did what they normally have been doing since they had moved into the new house.

By the time dinner was ready, Daniel Sr. had walked in. He joined his family at the dinner table. They talked about everything they could think of to fill the air, except for the visit they had the day before with their mother. Just as they were completing dinner, the phone rang. The boys knew it was not for them, leaving only one person the call could be for.

Isabella walked into the dinning room with the cordless phone and as she handed the phone to the governor, she leaned in and whispered in his ear that it was Martha on the line. He took the phone from her and got up. Not saying a word, he walked out of the dinning room and over to the den. Once he felt no one could hear him, he put the phone to his face and asked Martha why she was calling.

"There is no need to be that rude with me Danny. You and I have many years of history and I know all your secrets. So if you don't start being nice to me, I will have no problem calling someone that will have no problem listening to me."

"Martha if you had anything to say, you would have said it already. You know nothing that anyone in this state would not already know. So stop this fooling around and threats and just tell me why you are calling me. I feel we already said our piece to each other yesterday. There is no need for us to have that conversation again."

"Fine, but let me be clear here. There is a lot that I know about you that can cause you to lose the governorship. Even though most of what I will say is a lie, and what is not a lie cannot do you any harm, but by the time they figure that out, the damage has been done. If you don't want to be defending yourself against what I might say, you better just give me what I want." Martha continued talking, not allowing Daniel to say anything.

"Since you seem to be fine having a gay son, you can keep Josh and his little lover. I will even let you keep Brandon since he is terrified of me but I want Jr. and Carlos! If you know what is good for you, you will say and do what ever it takes to make them understand it is better this way, you with two of our kids and me with two of them."

"There is no way in hell I will let you get your hands on any of our kids. I will give up everything I have before you have a chance of getting a hold of one of our kids. Do what ever you think you must do, but when the dust settles, I will still have our kids and you will be in Mexico with those that can't stand you."

"Don't count on that plea bargain being upheld. According to my attorneys, I have a very good chance of even getting that plea bargain overturned."

"I don't think so Martha. You might be right as far as the Federal government being pussies when it comes down on prosecuting you, but the plea bargain will be executed. In addition, do not forget there is not statue of limitation as far as prosecuting you for some of the crimes you committed. Eventually politics are going to take a back seat to doing what is right, and that is making you serve the remainder of your life behind bars for the crimes you committed that day at the UTEP Center."

"That will never happen, and let me tell..." Daniel interrupted Marta. "I don't want to hear your thoughts on anything anymore. Do not call this number ever again. If you do, I will make sure you are prosecuted for harassment. Also, do not talk to our kids unless it is cleared through me. The courts gave me full custody and I am done playing nice. You have a good evening and a good life in Mexico Martha."

Daniel hung up the phone and put it on the charger as he made his way back to the dinning room. When he walked in, the only ones still sitting at the table were his mother and Barbara. They looked up at him and knew that the phone call did not go well just by the look on his face. Instead of asking him about the call, they asked him how he wanted them to handle the arrangements for the upcoming trip to Washington.

Thanksgiving was peaceful. Just like the Thanksgivings in the past, the Lopez family got up and went downtown for the Thanksgiving Parade. As soon as the parade was over, they headed to William Beaumont Army Medical Center to visit with the troops that had come home injured from Kuwait.

It was no surprise to the boys on how much the soldiers enjoyed the visit. They had their commanding general and this states governor. Trying to be fair, the governor spent equal amount of time with each soldier, which was not hard this year. For the first time there was not a badly injured soldier like there has been in years past.

After a few hours at the hospital, the family headed home. The guys plopped themselves in front of the TV watching football as Rose and Barbara went into the kitchen to help Isabella with the cooking. Thanksgiving dinner was ready and on the table by four, and by four thirty, the boys were back in front of the TV watching the remainder of the football game.

The rest of the weekend flew by. There were no more calls from Martha, nor did anyone mention her name. As the day approached for Daniel to go back to Austin, he started to worry more and more for the welfare of his kids. While they were in school on Tuesday, he held a meeting with the security detail, laying out what he wanted from them when it came down to dealing with his ex-wife, her family and friends.

Daniel made it clear as he could that none of them is to let anyone that has dealings with his ex-wife near his kids. If they attempt to talk to them or anything else, to remove them from his kids the first time. If they attempt a second time to talk with his kids, have them arrested immediately.

Once he felt that the security detail understood what to do, he let them go and went and talked with his mother, wife, brother and Isabella. That conversation was short because they already knew what they should do if they have to deal with Martha. Plain and simple, zero contact in anyway with her, they will make sure that happens!

That evening, the boys tried to talk their dad into letting them miss school, but he would not hear anything about that. Since they are going to miss four days of school in December, they could not afford to miss any school now. The boys understood and dropped their requests to see their father off.

The next morning when they woke up, it was a somber morning. They were once again saying goodbye to their father, but at least not for as long this time as it was the last time. Each of the boys held back their tears as they hugged their father and said goodbye. As soon as they all said their goodbyes, the boys headed to school.

The next two weeks flew by faster than the boys thought it would. There were no more sports after school, at least for all the boys except Josh. Josh's second season in swim team and the continuing season in the Show Chorus is about to get back into full swing. They do not have any upcoming events, but the coach for the swim team and Mr. Franklin and Edger were not about to let their teams rest. They worked them as if the next day they were competing for the district championship.

When they were not at school, the boys had plenty of things to do at home to fill the void of missing their father. Josh, Brandon, and Cesar drowned themselves in their work on making the CD. Josh wanted at least a couple of copies done so he can give them to the president and George Strait. They were his biggest supporters, apart from his immediate family that is.

A couple of times the first week after Daniel had left back to Austin, Martha attempted to contact Daniel Jr. and Carlos. When she realized that there was no way she was going to be able to get them on the phone, she had her friends try to get in contact with her kids on her behalf, but once again, they were cut off at the pass. None of them got within earshot of the boys. They could not even yell out to them that their mother wanted to see them.

That all changed the Wednesday before the governor was due to arrive. During lunch, Daniel Jr. and Carlos were hanging out on the field with their girlfriends and friends when several of the second string football players walked up to them. They were checked by the security, but not held back since they were part of the boy's football team.

When they first approached the two Lopez brothers, they did not say a word. They just stood back and listened to the conversation. When they saw their chance to talk with Daniel Jr. and Carlos, they took it. Two of the four boys got closer to Daniel and leaned in and started to whisper so none of the other's could hear.

"My mom is a mutual friend of your mother's." Daniel looked over to the person that was talking, not able to place his voice. "They talked last night on the phone and when they got off, my mother asked me to deliver you and Carlos a message from your mother that your father is trying, with all his power, to keep her from you and your brother."

"I know you are on the team, but I do not know you, so step off. If my father does not want my brother and me to hear what ever my mother has to say, I will stand by him. Therefore, if you know what is best for you, do not get involved in other peoples personal business, more so mine. I hate those that become busy bodies in other person's lives."

"All my mother asked me to tell you is that your mother had been trying to talk with you and Carlos, but she has been stopped at every corner. She tried to call you at your house several times, but no luck. Either your stepmother, uncle or the housekeeper tell her you are not there, or she knows you are. She has even tried to send a couple of her friends to give you the message, but your security has stopped them. So as you can see, your father is keeping you from your mother."

"No he isn't and before you mouth off on things that are not your business, you should get both sides of the story straight. Neither my brother, or I want to speak with our mother, that is our choice, not our fathers or anyone else's." Carlos walked up to Daniel to see what was going on. "Why am I even explaining my personal business to you? I do not know you and I don't care to know you now since you seem to like butting into other people's business.

Let me just say this to you so you can go back and report to your mother what you found out. My brother and I are aware of the phone calls, the people my mother sent to give us her message and everything in between. We do not want to deal with her or her friends and that is that. So go off now and tell your mother that your delivered your message and what you found out like a good little gossip girl that you are."

At this point Daniel was speaking loud enough for everyone to hear, and they did. When he said the last part, they started cracking up laughing; causing the group of guys that came with the guy that was talking to Daniel Jr. to put some distance between them and him. They do not want to be ousted even more from the football team than they already are being that they are on second string.

"Why don't you guys do your job and keep little pussy bitches like these guys away from me and my brother." Daniel said speaking to his security. "If you don't get an okay from me or Carlos to let them through, don't let anyone through. I don't care if they don't show a threat, I don't want them near my brothers or me, is that clear."

Several security agents walked up nodding their heads as they instructed the guys that came with the guy that talked to Daniel it was time to go. As they were being escorted away from Daniel, Carlos and their group, they yelled out that they had nothing to do with what their friend said. Even the guy that spoke with Daniel tried to back paddle.

"I'm sorry. I was just doing my mother a favor that is all. I promise that will not happen again, just let us hang out with you guys, PLEASE!

Daniel felt bad seeing several of his fellow football players begging almost to hang out with him and his group of friends. As he watched them being escorted off, Josh popped in Daniel's mind. His younger brother was telling him to have a heart and let them hang out. They were only doing what they were asked. Repeatedly he heard his brother's voice and knew that the only way he could silence the voice is do what it is saying.

"Hold on just a minute please." Daniel jogged up to his security and the guys they were escorting away from him. "I am not an ass and I will not allow my mother to make me become her. Somehow, she succeeds in bringing out the worst in people, and that is what is happening here. As long as you guys don't speak of her or anything else that you don't know anything about, you can hang with us." Immediately all the guys smiled. "But if you say one word about her or anything that is off limits, you are gone, understand."

They shook their heads as the security agents let them return. They walked back with Daniel to the group and joined into the conversation they were having. Although Daniel is a senior this year and will not play any more football for El Paso High School, he and his friends were talking about their teams chances of making it to state next year.

While all this was going on down on the field, Josh and his group of friends were up in the stadium in their normal spot. Their conversation was about Chris, how he is almost the school slut to the other gay students in the school. Even though he was not sleeping with every gay guy, he was going out with every one of them.

Josh could not stay quiet any longer. He could not stand seeing his first love going down the road he is going down. He pulled Chris to one side, away from everyone. Even Cesar knew better not to follow. The look on Josh's face was enough to tell everyone to stay away if they do not want to become collateral damage.

"I really don't know how to even begin a conversation like this Chris." Josh spoke in a serious, heavy voice. "Even though we are not together anymore, I still love you. I have told you this so many times and I am going to say it again. You hold a special part of my heart that I can never give to any one else, including Cesar.

When I see you doing what you are doing right now, it hurts. It hurts because you are not respecting yourself by going out with every guy that gives you attention. These guys don't care; they just want a quick fuck. I know you have said that you are not fucking them, but they are saying differently. You may not care about what they are saying right now, but eventually you will when you find someone that you really like and they won't even give you a second look because of what you are known for."

"Josh I swear I am not screwing around with every guy I have gone out with." Chris talked between a whisper and his regular level. "I will not lie to you; I have had sex with a couple of them, but not even close to a quarter of the guys that I have gone out with. They are lying and to tell you the truth I do not care. They wanted to get into my pants, I didn't let them, and now they are spreading rumors about me."

"Come on Chris I wasn't born yesterday. Even some of the straight guys are jumping on the band wagon saying that you hit on them. If that is true, you are in dangerous waters my friend, very dangerous waters. Straight guys do not like us gay guys hitting on them. When they feel their manhood is threatened, they will do what ever it takes to ensure they are looked at in the same light as they always have, which is not gay."

Josh pushed Chris against the brick wall. "You may not believe me when I say this, but I love you and will always love you. I do not want to see your hurt, or worse, killed. Some of those straight guys are that crazy and will kill you to make sure they are never thought of being gay. Even some of our own kind does stupid things like that if they feel they were hurt. Either way, I don't want to see you harmed in anyway. Please stop this fooling around and settle on just one guy for a while."

Chris could not look up at Josh because he knew he has lost some standing with him. He mumbled something that Josh did not understand, but instead of embarrassing him by asking him to repeat it, Josh just let it go. He patted Chris on the shoulder and then pulled him into a hug as he started to whisper.

"Do what ever it takes so the old Chris that we all know and love comes back. This new Chris we can do without." Josh pulled away from the hug, but at the same time, he wrapped his hands around Chris's face and held it at eye level to his. "If you continue doing this, Russ has already told me that he will not allow you around me. I do not want to lose you now that we have become such close friends, but I understand where he is standing and will not fight him if he decides to not allow you to hang with me.

His job is already hard as it is watching out for those that actually want to harm me. Adding your enemies on top of that is making his job even harder. We cannot forget how it all went down when Elizabeth came after me. Instead of her hurting me, she killed Frank. Always an innocent person is the one that gets hurt when someone goes after another to harm. Russ doesn't want me to be that innocent person."

That woke Chris right up. He knew he was playing with fire, but never thought he might lose his friends. There is no way he can go through that again like last year when he and Josh first broke up. Everyone stuck with Josh, leaving him out in the cold. There is no doubt if Russ has to make the decision on banning him from Josh, the others will do the same thing that they did last year.

Nothing else was said between them. Mainly there was no need because they both said their peace. They walked back to the group and when they rejoined them, they both put a smile on their face. No one asked what was talked about, because they pretty much knew it. They did not need to know the dirty details of the conversation. Just as long as Josh got through to their friend and he is going to change his ways.

It looked like Chris took the conversation he had with Josh to the heart, at least for the immediate future that is. He stopped asking anyone that gave him the eye to go out. At the same time, he started looking for the one that could be his Cesar, but he knows that person is going to be hard to find. He has said it many of times aloud and to himself, he and Josh went through a lot together. That alone would be hard for anyone to measure up to when it comes to being Chris's next serious boyfriend.

By the time the weekend arrived, Josh was ready to lay down the remainder tracks to complete his first CD so he, Cesar, and his brothers took to the recording studio. With the help from members of the Show Chorus that play instruments, Josh was able to complete his first CD. Everyone that was involved in the project was very proud of the final product. The only thing left was to mass-produce the CD.

That area Josh plans to ask George Strait for help. Not right away, but maybe when they return from Washington, or at the beginning of the year. For now, Josh is satisfied that he finally has a CD filled with twelve songs, hopefully worth what the person pays for it. That he will not know until it gets out into the stores.

All of the boy's friends showed up at the house on Sunday. They hung out mostly at the pool. If they were not there, they were in the weight room or the theatre room playing video games on the huge screen, which they all loved doing. It felt like they were actually in the game playing on such a huge screen.

By eight, the fun ended. All the guests had to go home so Josh and his brothers could get ready for school the next day. As they went up to their rooms, they all pretty much were thinking the same thing, how they miss the summer, being in Austin, not having to go to bed so early. Just as Josh walked into his room, a song hit him that perfectly describes this moment they all were feeling.

He made a mental note to call George Strait first thing when he gets home tomorrow after school. He needed to find out how he could go about getting permission to re-record a song made famous back in the fifties. A song he knows his father would get a kick out of if he records it on his first CD.

First thing the next morning, Martha sat down with her attorneys. She was half expecting bad news, but was actually surprised that it was mostly all good news. News that she knows will piss off her ex-husband to the ends of the earth.

"Well I got a lot of good news and some bad news, but mostly good." Martha's new attorney said as he pulled several files out of his brief case. "Just as I thought, the federal government at this moment doesn't want to move forward on prosecuting you on the charges they arrested you on the day you had your stroke. They are dismissing the charges right now with prejudice."

Martha had no idea what the last part of what her attorney said meant. "I am sorry, but you have me lost here. Let me see if I understand what you are saying. The federal government is dropping the charges, which means I am a free woman, correct, or am I wrong on that?"

"No you are right to a point. The federal government is dropping the charges, but they are not completely gone. They are dismissing them with prejudice, which means they can come back at any time and charge you with them. For now, you are free from the federal government charges, but not the state plea bargain you made.

There I have some good news as well. Since you were ill and went into the plea bargain unaware of what you were signing, the judge is setting aside that plea bargain. Once again, election year is helping us because the district attorney and many of the judges are too busy right now running for office. That means until after the elections in November of next year, you will be a free woman."

"Wait a minute I don't want to get all excited here before hearing the bad news. I am happy that the plea bargain is being overturned, but I am still under arrest for those charges. That means they have to set bail. The last time they did that, it was too high for me to make it and when it does get in front of a judge, I know I will not get that good of a plea bargain again. My former attorneys pulled in a lot of favors to get me what I got."

"Yes and they lost a lot in return. Their law firm was dissolved and one of them actually lost their license to practice law. I am going to be honest with you. I will not cut corners or pull in favors to get you a good plea bargain. If you are uncomfortable with that, we can still keep the plea bargain you have in place right now. Before you decide on anything, let me say a couple of things first."

Martha shook her head giving her attorney the okay to go on. "These charges you have been arrested on have been fumbled from the beginning. No one wants to re-hatch that mess, even after election year. Too many people lost their livelihood over this. When I was moving to have the plea bargain thrown out, I felt out the district attorney and the judge on this case. They both pretty much indicated to me that they want this to go away so bad they are willing to cut you a lot of slack. So much slack, that they offered me a very good deal to offer you."

Martha perked up when she heard the words good deal.

"If you plead guilty to all the charges that you were charged with, they are willing to give you twenty years per charge, to run concurrently." Martha yelled out no, as she rolled away from the table. "Hold on Ms. Lopez that is not all." Martha turned her wheelchair around, willing to hear out her attorney.

"They added one more thing to sweeten the pot. Besides running your sentences concurrently, they are willing to adjudicate the sentence to house arrest for ten years. As long as you do not mess up in any way in the next ten years, you will be a free woman. On top of that, you keep your citizenship, which means you will not be shipped back to Mexico."

"Okay, okay this all sounds good, but I am a little confused on a few things. What do you mean by house arrest? Are they going to put me somewhere that I have to stay for ten years? If so, it's just like jail, and I can't do that." Martha's attorney laughed.

"No ma'am they are not going to put you somewhere for ten years. What house arrest means is that you will have this thing around your ankle that keeps track of you. You will also have a time to be in your house every day, you cannot go anywhere without permission from the courts and things like that. Basically you have all your freedoms, but with a curfew and a person you will have to see once a week."

Martha's attorney went into more detail about what house arrest meant. The more it was explained, the more she liked it. By the time her attorney finished explaining everything to her, she was sold. She requested the paperwork so she can sign it before her ex- husband finds out what she is being offered and stops it.

"Ms. Lopez if you want this plea bargain, I will have the judge and the district attorney here this afternoon to get it all done. However, I must warn you, if you mess up in anyway, the judge can take the house arrest from you and throw you in prison for no less than twenty years and you cannot fight it. If you know, you are going to have a problem with anything here; you should take your first plea bargain. At least there you will be free, just in Mexico."

"No I will not be free in Mexico because life there is no life at all. Things are a lot different over there than here, and I do not want to go back there if I can help it. You have found a way to make sure I stay here and out of jail and I plan to take that. So please do what ever you need to do to get the judge and the district attorney here today."

"Fine they will be here after lunch, around one. Before I go, there are a couple of things I need to still talk with you about. If you are serious about what you told me, sign the deed to your old house over to your ex-husband. Do not fight him on that because you will lose. On top of that, it will bring attention to you, attention you do not need."

"Fine I will sign the deed over to my ex-husband, what else?"

"Stop bothering your kids. If they want to see you, they will see you no matter if their father tells them not to. If you continue causing them trouble, you could be revoked on your probation." Martha did not like what her attorney is asking her, but she wants her deal. "This is another thing that will bring attention to you. You have to remember, you do not want any attention. You must live a nun's life for the next ten years."

Almost everything her attorney just said, Martha did not like. From the beginning to the end, it is something that is very hard for her to swallow because when she woke up, all she could think of is her kids. Having a chance to prove to her two older sons and her youngest that she is not the evil person they think she is. She knows that having Josh out of the picture, they would be able to see the mother they had known before the devil entered into their lives, in the form of one of her sons.

"Fine I will do that as well, even though it is leaving a very bad taste in my mouth." Martha looked away from her attorney, over to the window. "I know my boy's love me and they will come and see me once they realize what they are being told about me is nothing but a pack of lies. That alone is the reason I am willing to do what you are asking me to do". Martha actually started to tear up, but hid it from her attorney.

Martha's new attorney went over a few more things with her before he left to get every thing in place for this afternoon. After he had left, Martha made her way to the window with mixed feelings. On one hand, she is going to be free, to a point, and still be living here in the state. While on the other hand. She has to give up trying to get in contact with her kids. That part is slicing her right to the bone, and it is hurting.

The day everyone was looking forward to finally arrived. Daniel Sr. flew in as scheduled on the evening of December 10. Since he got in early, he had to wait for his family to arrive. None of his boys was given permission to miss school that day due to them going to be missing the rest of the week.

One of the other reasons that the governor was not letting his kids miss Tuesday as well is because the El Paso District implemented a new rule at the beginning of the year, the ninety-day rule. What that rules does, is cap the number of days a student can miss each semester before they lose their credit for their classes. It makes sense in one way, but in another, it does not. Either way, the governor does not want any of the other parents thinking or saying that because of whom he is that his kids are getting special treatment when it comes to their attendance or anything else at school.

The governor did not have to wait long, about thirty minutes after he landed. His family arrived and went straight to the plane. That is one of the benefits being governor and having your own plane. Anyone flying on the plane can skip all the hassle of airport security, which takes up a lot of time.

As soon as Josh, Cesar and his brothers got on the plane, they went to see their father to say hello. After they all greeted each other and their bags were loaded, the governor gave the all clear to the colonel to take off. Within fifteen minutes, the plane was in the air, heading to Washington.

Josh sat next to Cesar, anxious, not because of going to Washington, but due to the fact he was flying again. Something he really hates since he is afraid of heights. Cesar knew that and tried to get Josh's mind off the fact they are in a plane, tens of thousands of feet off the ground. It did not take long for him to calm down Josh. Before they knew it, they were talking up a storm like the one they normally do in the privacy of their room, minus the sex part of their conversations.

Daniel Jr., Carlos, and Brandon made their way over to Josh and Cesar and joined into their conversation. As the conversation went on, they found themselves laughing and joking around with each other. Ever since Martha was taken out of the picture, the Lopez's boys fought less and less. They got along to the point they were hanging out with each other more than they were with their own friends, which Daniel Sr. liked.

As soon as the plane landed in Washington, they were met by several members of the president's cabinet. After loading the bags, the governor and his family were off to settle in their hotel. The President offered the first family to stay at the White House, in the Lincoln bedroom, but the governor declined. It was not that he did not want to stay in the White House, it was because he brought so many of his family members that he did not want to put the president out.

Once they arrived at their hotel and got to their rooms, the people the president sent to meet up with the governor went over the schedule for the next day. When everyone understood how the next day was going to go, the president's personnel said their goodbyes and left. As soon as they walked out, the governor and his family followed them.

After grabbing dinner, the Lopez family explored as much of Washington as they could. To their surprise, the governor was recognized everywhere he went in Washington. They thought being out of Texas, they might have a little breathing room, but boy were they wrong on that. In fact, it was worse, and Mr. Benedict and the security detail were not ready for the onslaught of people approaching the governor for an autograph or a picture.

From the Lincoln Monument to the Wall, the Lopez family was followed. Even though they were being watched and pictures were being taken of them, Josh, Cesar and his brothers made the best of it and had fun. They did not let anyone take anything away from their trip.

By the time they got back to their hotel, they were all dead on their feet. It was after midnight, and they had to get up at five in morning. They all took turns in the shower before going to bed. Since Josh and Cesar knew that they were going to take a shower together and normally when they do that, they fool around with each other so they volunteered to go last in that way none of their brothers would get angry.

When they finally got out of shower, it was almost two in the morning. As they crawled into bed, Cesar pulled Josh into him, and started to nibble on his ear. "I don't care if I don't sleep another second of my life as long as I am spending every waking moment with you." Josh turned his face until their lips met. Opening his mouth, Cesar let Josh's tongue in as he had him in his arms.

Neither of them wanted to break the kiss nor go to sleep, but they knew they had to. Cuddling as close as they could with each other, they fell to sleep the minute their heads hit the pillows. When they heard their fathers voice telling them to get up, they tried to ignore him, but Daniel Sr. is a person you cannot ignore.

They finally gave up and crawled out of bed. When Daniel knew for sure Josh and Cesar were awake and was not going to go back to sleep, he left them to get dressed. They tried their best to keep their hands off each other as they got dressed, but their teenage hormones took over. They played around, causing them little time left to get ready for the ceremony.

During the ride to the White House, the boys were glued to their windows. They took in every thing they passed on the way. Some they visited the night before, but some they did not get a chance to see. The places they did not get a chance to see, they told their father they wanted to see before they headed back to Texas. Daniel Sr. simply replied if they had time, as he fiddled with his medals on his uniform.

As they got out of the limousine at the White House, the press that gathered outside started asking the governor questions, which he did not answer. He waved and smiled at them as he walked into the White House. Once they made it pass the areas the press were allowed to be, the governor and his family were met by the same people that met them the day before at the airport. They showed them into a huge conference room and asked them to wait there while the president finished his meeting.

It did not take long before the same Cabinet members returned and got the governor and his family. They walked from the conference straight into oval office where President Bush and the First Lady were waiting for them. One by one, the President and the First Lady greeted each of the Lopez family members before they took a seat.

"Governor I cannot believe the turn out that you are getting out there." President Bush pointed behind him. "I am glad that we took it out of the capitol building and moved it to the Lincoln Monument. There is no way we would have been able to fit all those that have turned out so far today. And there is no doubt in my mind that the crowd is going to get even bigger by the time we get out there."

Governor Lopez has not had a chance yet to see the turnout, so he has to take the president by his word, which is not hard because the president has never lied before. Over the years, they have become very close friends. Always able to put their differences aside when ever they do not agree and move on without any hostility between them.

"When we get out there and you see the crowd, you might reconsider your retirement from the military. They really want you to stay in, for another four years." President Bush laughed as he crossed his legs. "Either they are holding up signs for you to sign up for another tour or run for president. I am glad that you did not decide to run for the Republican ticket in the primary. If you did, I will be sitting here knowing that I am a former President of the United States."

"There are no way the voters overall will elect me to this office. I don't fit the mode that they want their presidents made from." The President, the First Lady both disagreed with what the governor said, and they did not hold back on telling the governor that.

Since time was a factor, the President moved the meeting along as fast as he could. He called in those that put the event together to go over how everything was going to happen. They covered from who was going to be introduced first, all the way to who was going to leave the area first at the end, and everything in-between.

Once they got through all the boring stuff, they got up and started to head out. As Josh walked past the president, he stopped and handed him his first CD. President Bush looked down and immediately knew what was given to him.

"I am going to listen to this the moment I have a chance." President Bush looked up at Josh as he waved the CD in the air. "But I am expecting you to perform a few of your songs tonight at the celebration of your father's retirement party at the Lincoln Monument. There is going to be all sorts of singers, from country, to rock and even a rap singer or two. I know your father would love his own son to sing to him on this special day in his life."

Josh just looked at the President, unable to form a sentence. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he would ever sing anywhere in Washington, more so the Lincoln Monument in front of so many people. He does not believe he is at that level yet and does not understand why the others think he is.

TO BE CONTINED...

I have a home page for you to see what the characters look like or what the places look like. If you want to walk in their shoes, please go to: http://jacobmillertex.com/.

WRITER'S CORNER:

{Welcome back one and all to another exciting chapter of "Shadow of My Father". I hope you enjoyed this chapter and will come back and read the next installment of this story. So much is going on, there is no way I am able to cover everything in one chapter, unless I want the chapter to be somewhere around four times its normal size, LOL!

I tried to speed up the time line again in this chapter, but I could not. So much was going on, I needed to spend time in the new plots I opened and the old plots I brought back in order for you all to understand where everything is going. In the next chapter, I will speed up the time line again. I am trying to get this story caught up to the other three stories in the next couple of chapters, but we will see.

Let us get back to what this corner is all about and that is the summation of the chapter. The Governor came into town for Thanksgiving and brought a surprise with him. Of course, you have been wondering and asking me what is going on with Martha. Well here is your answer, SHE IS BACK! And boy, is she back, and on a rampage

I understand where the governor is at as far as having his kids visiting their mother, but she does not deserve that kind of respect from him. I am glad that finally in this chapter he saw that and set his foot down. Now without Daniel Sr. having the kids visit their mother, I wonder if the Lopez Boys will go and visit their mother anymore.

We rather got that answer with Daniel Jr. when a fellow team member walked up and tried to slide in his mother's message through the back door. Neither he nor Carlos wants anything to do with her and they made that clear to the poor guy doing his mother a favor. Not only there we saw that Daniel Jr. is not happy with his mother, we also saw it at the hospital when he spoke to her. I wonder after that, why doesn't Martha see that her two older sons are no longer falling for her crap. She needs to leave them alone and move on, or she will lose any chance she might get in the future on getting close to them.

We also saw at the hospital that Cesar was not going to take any shit from Martha. He not only stood his ground, but he ran right over her. I do not know about you guys, but I was glad to see that. It is about time that Josh has someone like Cesar at his side, which can go toe to toe with Martha, and not back down whenever she throws a punch.

There has been so little written lately about Brandon's nightmares and him seeing a therapist, and I don't think this visit with his mother is going to help him any. Even if he made leaps and bounds in getting better, seeing his mother might have set him back to square one. I really hope not. This poor kid does not deserve that hell.

Now let us talk a little about Martha. That woman really has nine lives and then some. When it looks like she is down for the count, she finds a way to wiggle free. Not only by the looks of it, she is not going to be prosecuted by the Federal Government, she is not going to be shipped back to Mexico. She really has good luck, but eventually that luck is going to run out on her.

What is going on with Chris everyone? This guy seems to be on a destructive path and it seems that he doesn't care that he is. I really hope the talk Josh had with him did open his eyes, because if not, he is gone. There is no way Russ is going to allow someone that destructive around Josh. As Josh said, innocent bystanders are always the ones that get hurt in one way or another when a person is trying to get their revenge.

Finally, let us talk about the end quickly. We all knew when Daniel Sr. was sworn in as governor he had one more year left on his tour of duty. He went into the reserves in order to fill out his contract that he had with the military. Now that is finally over, which means their will not be another attempt by anyone to highjack his office again.

I cannot wait to see in the next chapter if Josh is going to sing. Moreover, if he does, what is he going to sing? Please do not get used to me going one direction in a story, because I have shown I change things up, throw in curve balls when you all least expect it. Maybe Josh will perform, and maybe he will not.

I know I am skipping over the entire first of the school year, but don't worry, the things you all come to love about this story will be back very soon. Maybe more sex scenes between Josh and Cesar, and maybe a new boyfriend for Chris, maybe! Then Eric and Bernice, what is going on there? As well, Patrick and Immanuel, we want to see how things are unfolding with them. Do not forget about all the other plots there were open in the other stories that needs to be completed in this story.

I could stay here all day long, with all the open plots already in this story, but I will not. I warn you though! Do not 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 jacob@jacobmillertex.com, Thanks!}

EDITOR'S CORNER:

All of you guys asking about Martha got your answer in this chapter. The bitch of a witch is back meaner and nastier as ever. I cheered when Cesar put her in her place. Josh and Cesar are made for each other, not only are they deeply in love but the support Cesar is giving Josh is great.

I do not think any of the boys will ever feel that they can talk or interact with Martha ever again. I just hope they stay on their toes because she will not stop trying to cause trouble. If I was their father, I think I would investigate more ways to have her committed as being insane.

I feel for Brandon because it looks to me as if he will go backwards after seeing his mother. It is good that his brothers along with the rest of the family are there to help him because I do not think a therapist on their own can help him enough.

So the CD is finished and the question now is will it be a hit? Having some experience in the industry, I think before it is released commercially it has to be re-done with professional musicians. While it is very nice having your friends on the recording, in the past this has not worked and I am sure George Strait will explain that to him.

In the future, do you think Daniel Sr. will make it into the White House? Not being into politics all that much and especially American politics I am not sure, but I hope he does because I think he would make a great President. If he does not make it over there he can always move to Australia and get my vote?

I'm not going to comment on Josh singing in the next chapter because whatever we say Jacob is just as likely to go in the other direction. Now that we are gradually catching up to the other stories time wise everything will be easier to understand. By the way, keep checking out the pictures being posted on the site. Jacob and Ed are finding some good ones and I congratulate them on the hard work they putting into the site.

As always, we love getting mail and comments from you guys so please let us know how we're going. You can always get me at: trevor@jscobmillertex.com

Also if you haven't already done so please when you have the time check out my stories at: http://adventuresofcliffandderrick.jacobmillertex.com/