Starlight Rhapsody - Chapter 6
This story begins in 1946 in Boston, Massachusetts. The author was born in 1953 and never experienced life during the time in which the story takes place.
The concept for Starlight Rhapsody was conceived as I awoke one morning. I rushed to my PC to save the idea in a text file, and wound up staying at the PC for the entire day as the first four chapters literally wrote themselves. This novel is a complete work of fiction and the characters bear no resemblance to any real persons, living or dead. The main character's Christian name was chosen because it was the name of an online friend, but the use of his name is the only characteristic they have in common. I sincerely hope you will enjoy Starlight Rhapsody. It is a story filled with love, affection, friendships, relationships, competition and jubilation, however it was written as a same-sex love story without being pornographic. I guess I was motivated to write this story because there's so little literature available that teens can read that could make a positive impression on those attempting to discover their own identities, if they suspect their attraction is to their own sex. I cannot imagine that I could have written a different story with the same commitment and dedication I have given to this one. Those wishing to communicate with me about Starlight Rhapsody can do so at junkmail01801@gmail.com. If you like this story, be sure to make a donation to http://www.nifty.org so that authors like me continue to have a place to post our work so that you may enjoy them!
"Starlight Rhapsody" – Chapter 6
Alex O'Reilly woke up for school on his own, showered and dressed himself until he got to his tie. After several feeble attempts, he was finally successful at getting the knot correct. He feared having to wake Mike up to help him, and as luck would have it, it was unnecessary. Before leaving his room for school, he looked at his sleeping brother and smiled. Down the hall to the grand staircase he went, descending them, then taking a left at the bottom toward the dining room, where he was greeted by a smiling Krystal who was enjoying her morning tea.
"Are you all ready for school?" Krystal asked her younger son.
"I think so," Alex replied. "Mike's a good teacher. He helped me understand my math homework yesterday, and I didn't think I'd ever get it figured out."
"Mike is an amazing young man," she said. "We're both very lucky to have him in our family."
"Before I fell asleep, I just had to tell him that I loved him," the boy said. "He's so good to me."
"Honey, we are both lucky to have him, and he is lucky to have us," Krystal told him. "We are all lucky to have each other. Now, have some breakfast. Elena made this quiche and there's some fresh fruit, too."
Alex helped himself to the spinach and cheese quiche and four giant strawberries, so big he had to slice them with a knife. When he had finished his breakfast, he gave Krystal a kiss on the cheek and headed for the door.
"Have a good day in school," Krystal shouted after him. "Come right home afterward, because we have a music lesson today."
"I will," Alex shouted back before closing the door behind himself.
Alex walked briskly down the several streets that led to his school. His classes for the day passed slowly, because he was anticipating his music lesson with his mother. Finally, his last class ended, but before leaving, Alex felt the need to pay a call to nature. He entered the closest boys' room and stood at a urinal to relieve himself when four older boys entered and lit up cigarettes. They hadn't seen Alex before entering, but as he began to leave, one of the boys shouted to the others.
"Hey guys, ditch them!" he shouted. "That new kid's in here!"
The four boys stepped on their cigarettes, and one of them approached Alex, saying, "You're not going to squeal on us now, are you?"
Alex just shook his head, and another boy came to stand next to the first one and said, "I think we need an insurance policy. Besides, isn't it a tradition around here to beat up new kids who start in the middle of a term? Hold him!"
The other three held Alex captive while the obvious ringleader delivered a solid punch to Alex's stomach, not once, not twice, but three times. The poor boy couldn't breathe and fell over when they released him.
"He won't say anything about this, or he'll get more of it when he least expects it," the leader assured his friends.
The four boys left Alex alone on the floor of the boys' room, trying to catch his breath and keep his lunch in his stomach. He was finally able to get up, undo his belt, straighten out his shirt and tuck it back in, re-buckle his belt, gather his things and leave. On his way home, he thought of telling Mike about what happened, but decided against it. After the talk the two of them had the night before, he figured Mike would probably tell him to just "turn the other cheek," and get on with his life. He was somewhat afraid Krystal would see that he was upset about something, but that fear disappeared when she greeted him with her usual smile.
"How was school?" she asked.
"Fine. I got all the problems on my math homework right, thanks to Mike," the boy told her.
"That's great!" she said. "I'm happy for you! Go up and change out of your school clothes, and go down to the music room. I'll be there waiting for you."
Alex ran up to his room, expecting to find Mike in his, but his brother was nowhere in sight. He hung up his school clothes, tossed his shirt into his hamper and put on his casual clothes. Before leaving, he checked to see if Mike might be in his bathroom, but he was not. He went back to the grand staircase, went down to the first level, and turned to the right toward the music room. When he arrived, the lights were on, Krystal was waiting for him, but his brother was not.
"Where's Mike?" Alex asked.
"He went out for a while," Krystal told him. "He is entitled to some personal time of his own outside of this house, you know. Let's begin with a quick drill on the various keys, then I will give you something new to play."
It was a music lesson, like most of the others, but much more relaxed because it being done at home instead of in the dining hall at St. Patrick's. Alex did his best to show Krystal he was as committed as ever to his music, a fact she easily recognized. When they both had enough, Krystal dispatched Alex to do his homework, and she went to her office to make some phone calls. The young boy was reading Romeo and Juliet when Mike entered his room.
"Hey buddy!" Mike greeted him. "How was your day?"
"OK, I guess," he answered. "Thanks to you, I got all my math problems correct on my homework."
"That's terrific, Mike replied. I'm really proud of you. You are smart, as long as you understand what it is you have to do. Anytime you have trouble with any school work, you just come to me and we'll figure it out together."
"Thanks, big brother," Alex said. "Right now, I have to read this junk that doesn't even seem to be in real English."
"Oh," Mike grinned. "Romeo and Julius?"
"Something like that," Alex replied. "Sorry, but I have to shut you out because this isn't easy to understand."
"OK buddy." Mike said. "I'll see you at dinner, then."
Mike hung up his jacket and went back downstairs. The rest of that evening was uneventful, except that as Alex had suggested, Mike led the family in a blessing before they ate their dinner. Alex had more reading to do to catch up with the rest of his class, so Mike went back out for a couple of hours, and Krystal was being a social butterfly on the phone. Mike passed Krystal in her office on his way back to his room when he returned and simply waved to her, and encountered Alex in his undershorts on his bed reading Shakespeare upon entering his room. He noticed a bruise on his brother's arm and asked Alex how he got it. Alex looked up from the book, gazed into Mike's eyes prepared to lie to him, then couldn't bring himself to do it. He told his brother the truth, and also why he did.
"You did the right thing, little brother," Mike told him. "Telling a lie is never the right thing to do, but you made the right decision about forgiving the boys who did this to you, and your reason for forgiving them is exactly right. I guess our little talk last night did you some good."
"Mike, I don't think you would ever tell me anything that would do me harm," Alex said. "Anything you've told me until now has always been right, so why wouldn't I trust you?"
"I never would steer you down the wrong path," Mike said. "You mean too much to me, and if I ever gave you bad advice, the result would be too painful."
Alex set his book down, beckoned for Mike to approach and gave him a brotherly hug. Not to be outdone, Mike wrapped his arms around Alex and squeezed him, leaving him almost as breathless as his assailants had done earlier, but Mike's squeeze was much easier for him to take. Mike released his grip on his brother, went to his room, undressed and lie on his bed.
"Don't stay up too late with Shakespeare," Mike warned. "You have school in the morning."
"I'm done for now," Alex replied. "I'll read it some more tomorrow."
Alex went into his bathroom, removed his undershorts and tossed them into his hamper, brushed his teeth, climbed into his bed, and turned out his light. Mike lie awake on his own bed, deep in thought. He was proud of the way his brother handled the details of the beating he had received, especially his decision not to lie to him about the incident. Then, he remembered what he thought he saw and heard after he left the barber shop the day before. It crossed his mind that God sends angels to those who need them, but he wondered if all angels are invisible spirits, if some were visible, or even be given animal or human form. Could he be an angel sent by God to his brother? Could Krystal be an angel sent to both of them? Might they be angels sent to her? Might Alex be an angel sent to him? All these questions were swimming in his mind, but finally he resolved that if those questions were to be answered, it would happen it God's time, and not his. He switched off his light, rolled onto his side and fell asleep.
The next morning, Alex found himself getting used to the routine of getting out of bed, taking a shower, getting dressed, gathering his books and papers for school, and heading down the grand staircase for breakfast with Krystal and perhaps Mike, if he woke up early enough. This morning, he was greeted with a note on his fruit cup from Krystal: "My dear Alex, I have an early meeting this morning with the board of a charity I sponsor, so I will not be joining you for breakfast. Have a wonderful day at school, and I will see you this afternoon," signed Mom.
The boy ate what he wanted of his breakfast, donned his jacket, grabbed his books and papers and walked to school. His classes for the day were pretty much the same as the previous day, however instead of sitting through one called Guidance, he had a music class. He had been looking forward to this class since Monday, but when he actually sat in the class, he found it boring. The teacher was covering material he had already studied with Krystal. It was the last class of the day, so when it had ended, he took some time to go to the library to see if they had any books on music that might interest him. He chose one volume, checked it out, and then headed to the door for his walk home. Upon exiting the school, Alex froze. There, standing at the foot of the stairs was the leader of the quartet responsible for the beating he had received the day before.
"Could I talk to you," the older boy asked Alex. "I'm not going to hurt you. Please, it's important to me."
Alex didn't know what to do. He didn't see any of the other boys anywhere, so it appeared to be just the one, but then he could end up suffering again, and he didn't want that either.
"Look, I'm really sorry about what we did to you yesterday," the older boy said. We shouldn't have done it, and I hope you will accept my apology. I won't blame you if you don't, but I still have to offer it to you."
The look in his assailant's eyes and the tone of his voice told Alex the boy was being honest with him.
"Your apology is accepted," Alex told him. "Is there anything else?"
The boy walked up the stairs, extending his hand to Alex. "I'm Kyle McLaughlin," he said.
Alex shook the boy's hand replying, "I'm Alex O'Reilly."
"Where do you live," Kyle inquired.
"Up off of Belgrade Avenue," Alex stated, wondering why the boy wanted to know.
"Hey, we're practically neighbors!" Kyle exclaimed. "I live right on Belgrade Avenue. Can we walk home together?"
Alex was still apprehensive that maybe the other three goons were hiding somewhere, waiting to attack him again, but something about the boy's manner convinced Alex to trust him.
"I suppose," Alex agreed.
"Good, because you really need to know how yesterday happened," Kyle began. "You see, Richie, he's the slightly chubby kid, swiped a pack of his mother's cigarettes before school yesterday. None of us really smoke, because our parents would kill us if they found out. We snuck into the boys' room yesterday to each smoke one of Richie's mother's cigarettes, but we didn't know you were in there. We were afraid you'd squeal on us and that we'd catch hell from our parents, so we figured we had to threaten you with getting worse than what we gave you yesterday to keep you quiet."
"It still doesn't justify what you guys did to me," Alex said. "My older brother keeps telling me that when you understand things, it makes things easier. You said your parents would kill you? Isn't that murder?"
"Are you that naive?" Kylie asked. "Don't your parents punish you when you screw up?"
"My parents died in an automobile accident, and they never punished me for anything," Alex told him. "They would talk to me to make me understand what I did if I did something wrong, but they never belted me or anything like that. The only time I was ever even warned about anything was the other day when my new brother threatened to put me over his knee if I ever invaded my new mother's privacy."
"Oh, so you were recently adopted?" Kyle asked, now feeling like a real jerk for picking on the younger boy.
"Last Friday," Alex replied. "My new mother hired this guy who used to take care of me when I was in a wheelchair with casts on both my legs. Even though he was already an adult, she adopted him too, making him my big brother."
"Oh Alex," Kyle said. "If we knew what you've been through, we never would have beaten you up. I feel so sorry for you!"
Alex could tell that the boy was really penitent for his actions, and softened his attitude toward him.
"You don't have to feel sorry for me," Alex told him. "I have the best family in the world, and even though my mom and brother aren't my natural mom and brother, some people don't get natural families as good as the one I've got now."
"That's great!" Kyle exclaimed. "Hey, this is my house, but I'd like to see where you live. Can I walk you home?"
"I guess," Alex said. It's just up the hill and around the next corner."
"Oh, you live on Joy Street," Kyle stated. "Richie, the kid who swiped his Mom's cigarettes who was with us in the boy's room lives on Joy Street too, but way down the other end. Hey, would you mind if I met you before school at your house and we walked to school together?
"No, that would be OK," Alex replied.
"Maybe some days after school you could hang out at my house or at one of the other guys' houses or we could come to yours," Kyle suggested. "The other three guys are just as sorry as I am for what we did yesterday, but they didn't have what it took to face you and ask for your forgiveness. By the way, three of us are fourteen, while Richie's only thirteen. Danny and Donnie are twin brothers, but they're not identical twins, so you don't know they're really even brothers to look at them.
"I'm only twelve, but I'll be thirteen next month," Alex told Kyle. "This is my house."
"Wait a minute! Krystal O'Reilly is your mother?" Kyle asked.
"She sure is," Alex stated.
"Do you know how famous she is?" Kyle wondered.
"I know she has a lot of connections and knows all the right people in the right places," Alex replied.
"Well, she was once this great concert pianist, then known as Krystal Connor, but then she married this guy named Seamus O'Reilly, who was President of the biggest bank in town. His bank practically held the mortgages on the entire city of Boston! Anyway, she retired from music and became a sculptor, and anyone who owns any of her pieces is sitting on a small fortune! Her husband died a few years ago, leaving her the wealthiest widow in the city. Rumor has it that every single guy in town has tried to date her, but she never went out with any of them, and nobody knows why."
"I do," replied Alex. "She is still very much in love with her deceased husband. If there's anything we understand in my house, it is love. My mom can't allow a new man to romance her when her heart still belongs to another. She loves my brother and me and we love her back, but what we share has nothing to do with romance."
Kyle soaked all of what Alex told him as though his mind was a rag taking care of a spill. Everyone in the neighborhood wondered why Krystal O'Reilly wouldn't date anyone, and here he was getting an exclusive report from her adopted son. He had the power to tell the world about Krystal and dispel any suspicions anyone might have about her, but considering he just befriended Alex, would it be a fair thing to do? His better judgment told him it was not. Besides, there was something definitely different about this boy that he couldn't quite figure out, but he resolved to become a true friend to Alex and to talk his friends into befriending the boy as well. That decision had nothing to do with Krystal being his mother.
"I'll meet you here tomorrow morning, OK?" Kyle asked.
"Sure," Alex smiled at him, extending his hand to shake Kyle's. They shook, Alex went inside, and Kyle walked back home.
"How was school today, honey?" Krystal asked loudly from her office.
"Fine Mom," Alex said as he approached the door to her office. "I made a new friend today from Belgrade Avenue, Kyle McLaughlin."
Alex thought he saw a troubled look for an instant on Krystal's face, but it passed so quickly he couldn't be sure he saw anything at all.
"That's wonderful," Krystal replied. "Do you have much homework?"
"Just a little math and more Shakespeare," her son said. "The math is getting easier, but Shakespeare isn't easy to read."
"There are several reasons for that, you know," Krystal explained. "Shakespeare wrote in Elizabethan English, which was the style of the language used in Shakespeare's time. Today in England, they speak modern English, while we speak American English. Over time in both countries, the language has evolved into what is spoken in either country today, and both are drastically different from the English Shakespeare used when he wrote his plays. There are some who believe that Shakespeare actually stole many of his plays from other playwrights!"
"Really?" Alex asked in disbelief. The original playwrights should sue!"
"Honey, I'm sure the stature of limitations for such lawsuits have expired worldwide by now!" Krystal laughed. "If you need me, I'll be here writing checks for some of the charities I support."
"I'm going to my room to change out of these school clothes, dig out some casual cloths and work on my homework," Alex told his mother. "Is Mike home?"
"He's upstairs reading a book, as far as I know," said Krystal. "Run along now, I'm a tad busy."
"OK," the boy replied.
Alex ascended the grand staircase and went to the right when he reached the top toward his room. He tossed his books on his bed, then entered Mike's room with a cheerful greeting.
"Hey! How was your day?" the boy asked his brother.
"It's been OK, his brother replied. "How was yours?"
Alex skimmed over the events during the school day, but explained in detail his encounter with Kyle.
"How do you feel about that," Mike asked.
"I think he's sincerely sorry for punching me yesterday," Alex explained. "I think he really wants us to be friends."
"Then I commend your decision to forgive the boy," Mike told him. "If he's truly sorry for what he did to you, your forgiveness could give you a new best friend. It seems Kyle reached out to you with his heart, so maybe if you show him that your heart is as big as I know it is, that boy will do all he can to earn your friendship and respect."
"He wants to hang out after school, so maybe soon you'll meet him," Alex said. "I'd like you to meet him because I trust your judgment."
Mike was flattered that his brother said that to him, knowing that trust is one of the most difficult things to earn, especially from a pre-teen. He did want to meet this Kyle to assess his true motivation with regard to his brother, then advise Alex to either keep his guard up around the older boy, or simply accept him as his friend. Under no circumstances did he want his brother to serve as a punching bag for a bully.
"I have some homework to do, so I'll just be at my table working on it," Alex told Mike.
"OK. I'm just reading this book for now, but I'll be right here if you need me," Mike said.
Alex removed his shirt and slacks, hanging up the slacks and tossing the shirt into his hamper. He noticed a stain when he hung up the slacks, probably from spilling a drink at lunch, so he took the slacks back down and tossed them into his hamper as well. Then, he saw the stain had soaked through to his undershorts, removed them, and threw them into the hamper also. He didn't feel like dressing in his casual clothes just then, so he sat in his chair in nothing but his socks and proceeded to tackle his homework. About 45 minutes later, Mike finished a chapter in the book he was reading, put a bookmark in the page that started the next chapter, and went in to see how Alex was doing with his homework. Finding his brother naked in his chair, Mike was taken aback, but sat on the edge of Alex's bed.
"Whoa! Has my little brother become a nudist?" Mike joked.
"I just didn't feel like getting dressed again," Alex said, then explaining the stain on his slacks and undershorts. "Besides, I always feel more comfortable this way."
"Well, it's just you and me up here, and I don't care how you feel comfortable in your room," Mike said. "Just don't make a habit of opening the door this way, because you never know when Elena may be up here doing some cleaning."
"OK," Alex replied. "You're sure it won't bother you?"
"No, it's OK with me," Mike said. "Besides, I've already been your age. I know how guys develop, and remember, I spent a few years in a boys' home where I was around naked guys when I was your age all the time."
"You're the best brother a kid like me could ever hope for," Alex told Mike. "You seem to understand everything."
"You're the best little brother a guy like me could ever want," Mike replied. "You try to understand everything, and you have a heart of gold. You make people want to give you love because you don't hesitate to offer yours to them. You could have just been a brat I got stuck with, but you're far from it. Twelve year-old boys like you aren't found every day, and I speak from experience, because I grew up with quite a few of them. You are a special boy, and I'm very lucky to have you as my brother."
A tear began to form in Alex's eye. Every day, Mike did or said something to make him feel loved and wanted. The guy never argued with him, never put him down for anything he did, said, or thought, and was always supportive of him. The boy just adored Mike, without ever considering that he wanted to be just like him when he grew up, and never thinking that Mike felt his purpose in life was to serve as a role model for him.
"I have to finish this homework, and after dinner, I have to go practice my piano lesson for tomorrow," Alex told his brother.
"That's fine, so I'll go out for a while and we can talk when I get back and you're done with your piano practice, we can talk some more," Mike suggested.
"Great, big brother," the boy replied and buried himself in his work.
The evening's dinner consisted of sirloin steaks, grilled to perfection by Elena, with mashed potatoes, gravy, and steamed asparagus with a mushroom sauce. Alex and Mike never had the asparagus prepared that way before, and when told what it was, both of them grimaced, but put some on their plates anyway. The flavor surprised them, and both reached for another serving. Krystal was pleased that her sons were enjoying foods they had never previously liked. For her, providing delicious and nutritious meals was important, and she always encouraged the guys to taste new things. After dinner, Alex went to the music room to practice and Mike excused himself to go out. Krystal told them both that she would be upstairs in her room, writing correspondences to solicit donations to some of her charities and probably would be out of sight for the rest of the night.
Mike put a jacket on, and then went outside. As usual, when he'd go out, he just went for walks to think about his, Alex's and Krystal's lives and what they contribute to one another. Still, he longed for a companion of his own, someone with whom he could love, who would love him in return, and who would just enjoy cuddling in front of a blazing fire. Certainly he felt loved by Krystal and Alex, and he loved them back, but he had a desire for romance that neither his mother nor his brother could provide. It wasn't that he felt he needed someone in his life as a sexual partner, but a loving girl who wanted a committed relationship. As he walked around the city, he would gaze at a number of pretty girls who would pass by, but most of them were escorted by other men, and he could not bring himself to approach a girl who was alone out of the fear she may think he had approached her for sex. He spent about an hour and a half walking around, then returned home. Finding no one on the lower level, he climbed the grand staircase and went to his room. Alex was in his room, naked on his bed, reading Shakespeare. He removed his shirt and slacks, hung up his slacks, then thought perhaps his brother had the right idea and removed his remaining garments and tossed his dirty laundry into his hamper. Like Alex, he lie naked on his bed.
"How are you doing, little brother?" Mike inquired.
"I'm OK," answered Alex. "I only have a few more pages of this play to read, then I'll be caught up with the rest of my class. Let me finish this, and I'll hang out in there with you."
"Fine," the young man replied.
Within minutes, the young boy joined his older brother in Mike's room and sat in his chair. The two guys talked about odds and ends, Alex's school, Mike going to Harvard, Alex's music lessons, and Mike's experience with the records by Debussy and Ravel. Alex had never heard them before, so they agreed that over the coming weekend, they would spend time in the music room together and listen to the records the way Mike did. Finally, Mike told Alex about his thoughts when he'd go out walking. He figured that eventually, Alex would find himself in the same situation, but he left out the part about not wanting a girl for sex. Alex wasn't prepared to comprehend that, and he didn't want to have to explain anything to the boy until he started puberty. Alex said that on Friday, he might hang out with Kyle to learn more about him. Mike suggested clearing it with Krystal that they might hang out in the game room, as they might play a game or two, and it would give him and their Mom a chance to meet Kyle and later give Alex their opinion of the boy. Alex thought his brother was reading his mind, because that's exactly what he'd hoped would happen. The two guys said good night to each other so Alex could go to bed, which he did. Mike spent a little time thinking about meeting the right girl, then rolled onto his side, after turning out his light and fell asleep.
The next morning at breakfast, Alex was full of questions.
"Mom, can Kyle come over after school tomorrow so we can hang out in the game room?" he asked Krystal.
"Well, I don't know," she replied. "Are you sure we can trust this boy? You only just met him."
Alex then told her about what happened in the boys' room and how contrite the boy had been yesterday. He really believe that the boy was being honest with him about apologizing, and pleaded with Krystal to let him come. He forgot to mention that Kyle was meeting him that morning so they could walk to school together.
"Mike wants to meet Kyle too," Alex told Krystal. "He said he'd meet Kyle, then tell me what he thought of him."
"If Mike is going to be home and is willing to get to know Kyle," she began, "then yes, Kyle may come over and you may use the game room. I believe we can trust your older brother's intuition to evaluate your new friend."
"Thanks, Mom!" Alex replied. "I'll invite Kyle today, and if he'll come over after school, you and Mike can meet him."
After breakfast, as Alex was putting on his jacket, the doorbell rang. Krystal went to the door to find a young man standing outside.
"Is Alex ready for school?" the boy asked. "I'm Kyle McLaughlin. We're schoolmates, and yesterday afternoon, we decided to walk to school together."
"I'm Krystal, Alex's mother," Krystal replied, smiling at the boy. "Alex!" she called. "Kyle is here waiting for you!"
Alex grabbed his jacket and snatched his books and then ran to the door to greet his new friend.
"Hi!" Alex greeted his friend, then turning to Krystal, he said "My mom said you could hang out over here tomorrow after school, if you don't have anything else to do. We have a neat game room to hang out in, and nobody ever uses it."
"I can do that," Kyle said. "I just have to check with my mother to be sure she doesn't have chores for me, but I can let you know tomorrow morning."
The boy's answer pleased Krystal, as it told her that he had respect for his parents.
"Great," Alex replied. "Are we ready for our trek to school?"
"Yeah," Kyle said with disgust. "We might as well, so we're not late."
"Bye Mom," Alex said. "See you after school for my lesson."
"Goodbye Alex," Krystal said. "I hope you boys have a good day at school!"
The two boys looked at each other, turned to Krystal and yelled, "We won't!"
Alex enjoyed walking to school with Kyle. He was funny and full of spirit. Nothing was said about the incident in the boys' room, and they agreed to meet again after dismissal to walk home together. The boys split up to attend their respective classes, since Kyle was a year ahead of Alex, whose day in school went by slowly. His English teacher decided to spice up his class by having students act out the roles in Romeo and Juliet. Alex felt lucky being cast as Mercutio, who was killed by Tybalt during the fight scene. Finally, the school day ended, Alex retrieved the work he needed to take home and went through the door. Waiting at the foot of the stairs was Kyle, flanked by Richie Healy, Danny Lynch and Donnie Lynch, a pair of fraternal twins. Kyle elbowed Donnie upon Alex's approach, triggering a response.
"I'm sorry we beat you up the other day," Donnie said, extending his hand to Alex.
"Me too," said Danny, his twin, also extending his hand.
"So am I," Richie chimed in, extending his hand.
Alex shook hands with all three boys, and they began to walk toward Belgrade Avenue.
"What do you guys like to do for fun," Alex asked with a grin, "besides beating up on new kids?"
"Aw, don't bring that up," Danny said. "We were wrong about that and we apologized."
"I'm just ribbing you guys," Alex smiled. "I thought if you guys weren't doing anything tomorrow afternoon, you could come over my house and hang out. Kyle's probably coming, and we have a neat game room to hang out in. There's a pool table, a ping-pong table, card tables, a Roulette wheel and some slot machines. I don't know if you can use the slot machines, but maybe you can if you bring your own coins. I'm sure we'd have a good time."
"I'll check with our mother, but we should be able to come," Donnie spoke for himself and his twin.
"My mother will probably let me come, as long as she has a phone number where she can reach me," Richie said.
Alex took a page out of his notebook and made the boys write their phone numbers on it, then said, "I'll have my Mom call your mothers and work everything out, that way they'll know everything they will need to know."
"Hey," Richie said. "Kyle says your Mom is Krystal O'Reilly. Is that true?"
"Yes, she's my Mom," Alex replied. "I'm actually her adopted son and I have an older brother she also adopted.
"How old's your brother." Kyle asked.
"Nineteen," Alex answered. "Do you guys have any brothers or sisters?"
"I have an eighteen year-old sister and a nine year old brother," Kyle replied.
"My sister's ten, and she's the only one I have," said Richie.
"This jerk is my only brother and we don't have a sister," said Danny, pointing to Donnie who elbowed him in the ribcage.
"I used to have a sister, but she did in a car accident with my parents," Alex told the boys.
"I'm sorry," Donnie said. "We didn't know anything about you, and now I really feel bad about what we did to you."
"I forgive you all," Alex told them. "I still miss my natural family, but if I have to have a substitute, I couldn't ask for a better one than my mom and brother. They really care about me, and I care about them."
Finally, the four of them reached Alex's door. It was Kyle's idea for them to walk Alex home so they would all know where he lived. Krystal, hearing voices outside, went to the door to greet them. Since she was present, Alex introduced her to the other boys, as she had met Kyle that morning. He asked if the other boys could join himself and Kyle the following afternoon, and handed her the page with their phone numbers so she could get permission from their parents. She said she would call them to make arrangements, and that the boys had her permission to be Alex's guests. The other boys bid Alex farewell, with Kyle agreeing to meet him again the following morning to walk to school. Richie said that if he was early, he'd be there with Kyle, and the boys departed. Alex went into the house with Krystal, dropped his books at the foot of the grand staircase, and smiled at Krystal, who flashed her son a pleasing grin. Obviously, she was happy that he was making friends.
"I will call their parents right after dinner to make sure everything will work out for tomorrow afternoon," Alex's mother said. "Mike and I will be around, but we'll try not to bother you so that you and your friends will have fun. Now, it's time for your piano lesson."
"OK," the boy said with a smile. "Where's Mike?"
"Taking one of his walks," Krystal said, "but he'll be back before dinner."
Alex followed his mother to the music room, where he played the piece for her that he had practiced the day before. Krystal was quite pleased with the skill he was developing, but knew he still had much to learn about actually playing the piano. His ability to read music was very impressive for someone as young with the little experience Alex had. She was beginning to think her boy was truly a prodigy. She gave Alex some new music to practice for their next lesion, excused herself and disappeared. Alex closed up the music room, grabbed his books and headed up to his room, where he immediately shed his garments. He looked in Mike's room and discovered Mike in the same state of undress, lying on his bed with his nose in a book.
"Hey Mike!" Alex exclaimed! "Are you taking lessons in dress from me?
"Hey Alex!" Mike answered with a grin. "I think you showed me that comfort was more important than false modesty! How was school?"
Alex gave Mike the details of his day. Mike gave his approval that he have the quartet of new friends come to enjoy the game room. He wanted to meet the boys to insure they were honorable and wouldn't get Alex into any trouble. He also felt that if they were made welcome in each other's homes, they could gather in their homes and stay away from the ruffians in the streets. He remembered some of the boys he grew up with in the boys' home, and wanted his brother to stay away from the arrogant upstarts like they were. Besides, he felt that Krystal was a wonderful and respectable mother to both of them, and he didn't want his brother bringing any shame to her, not that he felt Alex would do it deliberately, but there could also be "guilt by association," and he wanted to protect his family from that. Clearly, it was obvious to Mike that at nineteen, he was the man of the house. While Mike was thinking, Alex had been exploring his own body and interrupted Mike's thoughts.
"Mike, what's this?" Alex asked his brother.
Mike looked at Alex and saw Alex pointing to his genitals. Mike took a look and replied, "That, my little brother, is the first sign that you are on your way to becoming an adult male. It's your first pubic hair. Now, just leave it alone and forget it's even there. Soon, you will have plenty of them, and you will become taller and wider in many places, and your voice will deepen, but just don't try to make it happen. Just let it happen because it will happen all on its own."
"Why does it happen?" the boy wanted to know.
"As a child, your body has no need for many of the functions it will need to use as an adult," Mike told him, "so those things remain protected until they will be needed. As an example, think of your voice. As a boy, you don't need to think about speaking with authority, but as an adult, it is often expected of a man, and your voice becomes deeper so that you can accomplish that. Think about a lieutenant in the army addressing a group of cadets, giving the cadets an order to stand at attention. Someone the age of a cadet could never function as a lieutenant because he wouldn't be able to give that order with the sound of authority. That is why things change as you enter adulthood. Boys don't need certain physical characteristics until they become men, and so your body saves all of those things until it knows you will need them."
"Oh, that makes sense, I guess," Alex replied. At least Mike's explanation was enough to keep Alex from pursuing the differences in genitalia between them, for which Mike was grateful. At that moment, Elena rang the dinner bell and the two of them threw on some casual clothes, but didn't bother with undershorts. They ran down the staircase as those racing to the dining room. Mike let Alex arrive first, but he caught himself and slowed his pace before entering. The guys took their seats, Alex offered the blessing in which he expressed his gratitude for his new friends, his mother and his brother. On a platter, they found a sliced pork loin roast with steamed rice in a cream sauce and some funny green vegetables sautéed in olive oil and garlic.
"What's this stuff?" Alex inquired.
"Those are sautéed Brussels Sprouts," Krystal answered. "Served steamed or boiled, most people hate them. Served this way, when I used to give large dinner parties, my guests would inhale them! Try one and see what you think."
Alex took some and put them on his plate. Mike was skeptical, having had them as otherwise described and found them to have been disgusting, but he took some as well. Upon tasting them, both guys had to agree they were rather tasty sautéed, and both reached for second helpings. Alex spent the dinner time talking enthusiastically about his new friends, and how he had forgiven them for what they did to him, thanks to his brother's influence. Mike beamed with pride at his little brother, telling him that as he grows up, he was confident that his younger brother will become a fine man. He nodded at Krystal to indicate that puberty had indeed set in. She recognized the cue, and nothing was said. After dinner, Alex went to the music room to try out the new piece of music Krystal had given him to practice, and Mike returned to his room to read his book. Krystal headed to her office to call the parents of Alex's new friends and to arrange for more than the boys had originally planned. She decided the boys could have the run of her house for the weekend and return home Sunday around noon. This would give her son time to bond with their new friends, Mike some time to evaluate them, and her to finally see some fun being enjoyed in her home. Crystal gave herself a mental pat on the back for adopting her two sons, and giving herself the opportunity to provide joy and happiness to people, something she always enjoyed during her marriage. The parents of the four boys were thrilled at the thought of getting rid of their offspring for a couple of days, and even more that they would be the guests of the famous Krystal O'Reilly. They hadn't known Krystal now had two sons, but were ecstatic over the thought that her son wished to be friends with theirs. Everything was arranged, and when Alex returned from the music room, Krystal gave him the news.
"Gee, I didn't expect you to offer them a weekend getaway," the boy said. "I just thought they'd come over for a couple of hours after school."
"This house hasn't had any real life in it since my husband died and you and your brother came," Krystal said. "If these boys are going to be your friends, they should be made to feel welcome in your home whenever they like. That way, if I am busy with a fundraiser for one of my charities and Mike is out on a date or busy with his college work, you won't feel alone because your friends will be with you."
"You and Mike think alike," Alex said. "You both think everything through and see all the different angles to a situation, and you always seem to make things work out for the best."
"Neither of us are perfect," Krystal told him, "but we try to do what is best for the people we love, and we both love you very much. You know, you are pretty rational yourself!"
"I love you very much too," the boy said. "Thank you for arranging the weekend. By the way, where are the four of them going to sleep?"
"Have you ever seen the square in the wall in your room?" Krystal asked. At the top, there is a little hook. There's a pole behind the door that goes into Mike's room. Take the end of the pole, insert it into the hook, and pull. A double bed will pull down from inside the wall. There's another one in Mike's room, so if needed, that one can also be used, but your bed is large enough that I think it will accept three teen boys, and Mike's won't be necessary."
"Wow! This house has everything," Mike exclaimed.
"My husband and I used to have many weekend guests in this house," Krystal explained. Your bedrooms used to be the guest rooms."
Alex accepted her explanations, told her he was going to his room to read Shakespeare, and she bid him good night. He climbed the grand staircase, too a right toward his room and entered. Since he had only worn his casual clothes at dinner and while he practiced the piano, he hung up his casual clothes for the next afternoon. Before lying on his bed with Shakespeare in hand, he glanced over at Mike, in the same state of undress on his own bed with his nose in his book.
"Hey Mike, is that book any good?" Alex asked his brother.
"It's all right, but I don't think you'd like it," Mike said. "There's a lot of people doing awful things with other people's emotions, and I don't like the people in the story who do that."
"What's it called?" Alex inquired.
"Peyton Place" Mike answered. "It's about this fictional town in New Hampshire where everyone knows everyone else's business, and there's a lot of backstabbing and people getting into relationships with people they have no business getting involved with. I really think you would hate it, but if you remove the phony gloss, it really isn't much different than the Montagues and the Capulets in the play you're reading."
"That really sounds like a lot of grown-up stuff," Alex told him. "I don't think I'd like it. Mom arranged for my friends to spend the whole weekend here!"
"What?" Mike couldn't believe his ears. "She arranged what?"
"You heard me," Alex said. "Mom arranged for the four of them to spend the weekend here."
"Where are they going to sleep?" Mike asked, afraid he'd lose his bed to Alex's guests.
"Look on your solid wall," Alex said. "See the big square in the middle? My room has one, too. A big bed pulls down out of the wall, and two people can sleep on it. With guys my size, probably three, so there's enough sleeping space for five guys in here."
"You know, Mom is really good to you," Mike said. "I hope you appreciate her."
"Of course I do," the boy said. "I just hope the guys and me have a lot of fun. It would be awful if it got boring."
"Be creative," Mike suggested. "If you start to get bored, think of something to do outdoors, even if you just lie on your sides and roll down the big hill out back or jump in piles of leaves. Don't worry about getting dirty, because you can all take showers when you come back inside, and I'll share my shower with your friends who need it. They can also use my bathroom if they have to if yours is occupied.
Alex didn't care that he and Mike were both naked. He ran into Mike's room, gave his brother a hug and thanked him in advance for his offer of hospitality. Mike didn't care, because it was all done in absolute innocence. Alex returned to his room and Shakespeare and dozed off reading the play. Before retiring, Mike saw Alex asleep on his bed with his light still on. He took Alex's book and placed it on his nightstand, still open to the page he was reading, pulled the covers over him, turned off his light, and kissing his forehead, whispered "good night."
(to be continued)