Super Jeff

The following is a work of gay fiction. If the subject matter is offensive to you or you are too young, please exit now. This story is the property of the author and may not be duplicated without permission. John Tucker, JETjt@aol.com.

SUPER JEFF

Chapter Fifteen

JEFF'S POV

How do you mix boredom with tension? They seem the antithesis of one another, yet that is how I spent the first part of the afternoon. I couldn't keep my mind away from the possibility that our parents were still alive and couldn't make myself do anything else that would take my mind off of that chance. I tried watching TV or surfing the net, but I couldn't dredge up the interest to watch or explore. Instead I paced around the place always keeping a phone in sight. I wished that I had gone shopping with Chris and Ben if for no other reason than to keep busy. I tried eating a snack too, but my stomach was in a knot and didn't appreciate being reminded that the acid it produced was there for a purpose other than to give me indigestion.

Nearly an hour passed before the doorbell rang. I rushed to the door to find my old friend Doug Jacobs standing there as promised. I threw my arms around him, giving him a hug, before grabbing his hand and pulling him into the family room where I gave him the complete rundown on what had happened since we got out of school. His eyes reflected the ups and downs of the previous weeks, often wide with amazement or showing hurt when things were bad. I made sure that he knew that I had new hope that Mom and Dad were still alive, and after telling me that it had gotten late and that he had promised his parents that he wouldn't be long, I told him I'd see him at Donnie Smith's visitation. He said again that he wished he could stay, but was glad I was holding up alright. We said goodbye and promised each other not to let the summer separate us.

It seems that he had barely left when the phone at last rang. Of course I was in the bathroom taking a leak. I forced myself to stop, gave my organ a quick shake and dashed for the phone in my room while I tucked not-so-little Jeffy away. Snatching the phone from its cradle, I announced, "Jeff Richards."

"Jeff, this is Agent Johnson. It looks like you almost certainly were right."

"What did you find out?" I asked, my hopeful anticipation reflected by a cracking in my voice.

"It appears that it was another couple that died, not your parents. They were found in the car your parents rented, but were badly burned, making identification more difficult. Tracing the rental car, the police discovered that it was rented to your parents, and the partially melted credit card that was found inside matched the one used for the rental. The physical size and apparent age of the victims were also close to those of your parents. The full forensic study was delayed because the coroner became ill. The distance they were away from home made DNA identification difficult and it took a while to receive the dental records of your parents. It was those records that later convinced the investigators that the victims were someone other than your parents. The records had just arrived about the time I called them. Based on my phone call, they immediately dropped whatever they were doing and examined the records, comparing them to the corpses. It didn't take long to confirm that the dead couple was not your folks."

"You don't know how relieved I am to hear that," I said, "but where are my Mom and Dad?"

"I wish I knew Jeff," he said. "The search for them was halted when it appeared that they had been killed. I'm certain it will start back up immediately. I'm afraid we're going to have to monitor your phone again."

"I couldn't care less," I declared. "You just have to find them."

"We'll do our best," Johnson promised. "I'll call you daily with an update on what we discover."

"What can I tell people?" I asked. "I have a whole stack of messages from friends who have called. I need to call them back."

"I'd just tell them that it appears the victims were not your parents, but that your parents have been put back on the missing persons' list and are being searched for. I'm sorry to have to tell you this Jeff, but just because these victims are not your parents, we're not out of the woods yet. We have no way of knowing if your Mom and Dad are still alive."

The thought that they still might be dead hit me like a hammer. My euphoria died with Agent Johnson's words.

"It is my guess that the victims were decoys killed to halt the search for your folks," he theorized.

"Why would anybody want to do that?" I asked. "I'm sure that whoever has them couldn't believe that their ruse would work for more than a day or two."

"Assuming that you parents really were kidnapped, it would have been easier to move them when the search for them was called off. We don't know, for instance, if your parents are still in England."

"I guess that makes sense," I agreed. "Let me know as soon as you discover anything else."

"I'll call daily," Johnson promised. "Thanks for expressing your doubt. It probably saved a day in discovering the truth. That day could prove to be vital in bringing you parents back to you. If you have any ideas about why they were taken just give me a call."

"You're welcome Sir," I replied. "I'll look forward to your calls. Thanks for following up so quickly. Goodbye."

"Goodbye Jeff."

I quickly switched off the phone, then hit the speed dial for my Dad's attorney, Ed Macgregor. I relayed the good news and he suggested that we get together when he delivered Mandy from the airport. I looked at my watch and realized that the plane would be arriving soon. I guess he did the same thing since he said that he had to go so that he could be at the airport before her plane arrived. I told him that I'd be here at home, then said goodbye.

I heard voices downstairs and thinking that it was probably Chris and Ben I left my room to meet them. As I descended the stairs I saw them, arms laden with packages.

"How'd the shopping go?" I asked as I reached the bottom step.

"It was great!" Ben said enthusiastically. "I gots mo' stuff than I ever had in m'whole damn life."

"That's great," I said smiling. "What you have on is pretty attractive."

"I jus' couldn' go paradin' `round in my ole stuff, knowin' I had this purty stuff here in a bag," he replied. "Good thing I took a shower this mornin', I'd shore hate t'git this here stuff all stinked up."

"How do you like his hair?" Chris asked with a wink after he gave me a quick peck on the cheek.

"It looks really cool," I replied. "Whoever did your hair must have known just what to do."

"Why don't you go put your clothes away?" I suggested. "I have some good news I want to share with you. My sister Amanda will be here in a couple of hours and I'd like to tell you a bit about her also."

"Is the news about your parents?" Chris asked.

"Yes, so hurry."

"Come on Ben," Chris said as he hurried up the stairs, "I wanna make this fast."

"Comin' Bro," Ben said, charging after him taking two stairs at-a-time.

I watched their two cute asses until they reached the top landing and disappeared down the hallway. I headed for the kitchen, hoping that Frank would be there. It was as I wished. Frank was busy chopping vegetables for our dinner.

"Frank," I said causing him to look up from his work. "I got a call from Agent Johnson a few minutes ago. I'd like to tell you and the other two guys about it as soon as they get their shopping stuff put away."

"Sure, I can take a break," Frank assured me. "I'm preparing something special for dinner in honor of Miss Amanda being home."

"What are we having?" I asked.

"Prime Rib," he answered, "with twice baked potatoes. You know how Miss Amanda loves that."

"She's not the only one," I responded. "It's my favorite too, though I never could understand what she sees in the end cut. It's too done for me."

"I agree with that," Frank said nodding his head. "If it's not at least good and pink, it's overcooked. I even like it bloody."

"That's a bit much for me," I commented. "I'm not sure how Chris and Ben like it, so I'd suggest that pink would be best. It's still soft and tasty without the gore."

Frank laughed. When his hearty chuckle died down, I heard the guys coming back down the stairs.

"Let's go to the family room," I suggested. "The guys are finished I guess."

Frank quickly rinsed his hands, then taking a hand towel, dried them before removing his apron.

"I'm ready," he reported.

Leaving the kitchen together we arrived in the Family Room at the same time as the other two.

"Would anyone like a drink before we start?" Frank asked.

The three of us answered that we'd like cokes. Frank stopped at the bar refrigerator and pulled out four cans of coke.

"Glasses?" he asked.

"Nah, the cans will be good enough," Chris replied for the three of us.

Frank put the four cans on a tray and brought the tray to the coffee table in front of the sofa where Chris and Ben were already seated. I took a can and sat in one of two recliners and Frank did likewise, taking the other.

"Guys, as you know, before you left for shopping I went to the office where Frank told me there was a box of our parents' personal belongings." I continued to repeat my reservations about what I'd found and about the call I made to Agent Johnson. "A few minutes ago, I got a call from Agent Johnson. He had checked-out my story and had even called England where most of the evidence was, as well as the bodies. They had just received the folks' dental records but hadn't compared them yet with the x-ray records from the bodies. After the Agent told them of my call and my suspicions, they dropped everything to check the dental records with the dentistry of the corpses. To make a long story shorter, they found that the dead couple was not our parents."

"Wow!" Chris exclaimed with excitement. "That's great news. Do they have any idea where Dr. Mel and Pop are?"

Frank and Ben were all smiles, but listened closely at my answer.

"Not a clue," I relayed. "They're going to re-open the search and continue the investigation. Agent Johnson said that he would keep us informed, but couldn't guarantee that they're still alive. He thinks that the two people in the car might have been decoys, put there and planted with some of the folks' things so that my parents could be moved without anyone searching for them. "

"I just know they're alive," Chris said with conviction. "I just don't understand why anyone would kidnap them."

"I had some time to think about that while you were shopping. It seems that there are two possibilities. The first is that it's possible that someone knows they're rich and are holding them for ransom. I'm not sure why anyone would do that though. I mean they're not that rich, and it seems like a lot of preplanning and trouble to wait for them to go to England. The other possibility that comes to mind is that they were kidnapped by extremists."

"You mean like terrorists?" Chris asked.

"Yeah," I answered. "There are all kinds of extremists around the world. There is no reason to believe that whoever took them are Islamic though. I mean they could have been taken by the Russian Mafia for all I know."

"Why would someone take them in pa'tic'lar? Are they famous er somethin'?" Ben asked.

"Good question, Ben. I've been asking myself that too," I responded. "Our Mom, Dr. Mel is quite an accomplished linguist and has other talents too, but I can't imagine that anyone would steal her away because of that. My Dad is a world famous surgeon and oncologist. That doesn't lead me anywhere either. Maybe someone famous has cancer?"

"You think that someone needs Dr. Jeff's healing skills so much that it's worth killing two people as decoys?"

"Not really," I admitted. "Unless that someone is wanted and is in hiding."

"They'd have to be pretty rich and powerful then," Chris commented. "That should narrow the list down quite a bit. Maybe you should tell Agent Johnson about your idea."

"He asked me to do that if I thought of anything. I'll call him soon, but I guess we'd better drop it for this minute. Amanda will be here soon, so I'd better tell you about her.

"What's to tell?" Chris asked.

"I think I'll excuse myself," Frank interjected. "I think I know most of what you're going to say and I still have a dinner to finish."

"Sure Frank," I agreed. "If you need some help, just chirp."

"Well maybe you guys can set that table when you get though talking. That will save me a little time."

"We'll be happy to Frank," Chris offered. "Jeff will have to show me where everything goes though."

"I'll show both you and Ben. It wouldn't hurt for him to know how to set a proper table."

"I'll learn if you'll show me," Ben promised.

"OK. Now let's get back to Amanda.

"Fine by me," Chris agreed.

"Amanda is my older sister. She's 20 and goes to one of those Ivy League colleges in the east for the spoiled rich. In the summer, she does summer stock and was planning on a trip to Europe with some of her rich-bitch friends right before school starts. I haven't talked to her since last Christmas. She and I don't get along. The reason I'm telling you all of this is so that you're not surprised if she shoots off her mouth. She can be pretty vile when she wants to be."

"Do you really think she'd do that now? I mean with you're parents missing and all that?" Chris asked.

"I don't think she knows that they may not be dead yet, though Ed will probably tell her when he picks her up. As for your question, I can say that I honestly don't know. She's a woman, and women are a complete mystery to me. I just think we'll have to wait and see. I just didn't want you to feel hurt if she gets ugly. She's been mostly away from home for two years now, and before that we fought like cats and dogs. It used to drive Dad and Mom crazy. We mostly stayed away from each other when she'd come home for a holiday."

"It seems strange that she doesn't come home for the summers too," commented Chris. "This is a cool place."

"She's an independent bitch," I revealed. "I doubt that she ever lives at home again. At least I hope not."

"She can't be that bad," said Chris.

"You can judge for yourself," I allowed. "I'm just saying that I'm not looking forward to seeing her."

"Alright, now you've told us and we have our shields up," Chris declared. "Let's get the table set for Frank. Afterward you can call Agent Johnson and Ben and I will put his new clothes away then find something to do until Amanda gets here."

"I thought you had put them away already!" I remarked.

"Heh, heh," Chris laughed, then winked nervously.

AMANDA'S POV

Damn! This has been a bitch of a summer. It started off OK. I mean, I found Richard and all that, and the summer stock company was cool. Then those guys from the Feds came and told me about Mom and Daddy being missing. From then on my life has turned to shit. First they were missing, and now they're dead. I mean I'm sad and all, but it sure seems inconsiderate that I have to put up with it when things were going so well. First I was supposed to go to Washington, then at the last minute the trip was cancelled because Pea Brain wouldn't go, I guess. Then I was told by Ed that Mom and Dad were murdered and I needed to come home. Shit! I cried of course. Now it just pisses me off. This side trip was not in my plans! I just hope I don't get stuck there with Jeff though. He hates me and I'm not too fond of him either. I mean he's a cute guy and all that, and not bad for a little brother, but who likes little brothers? I'm pretty sure he hates my guts. I always thought he was a nuisance when we were younger. Then I almost got to like him when he comes out and tells Mom and Dad that he's queer. Damn! I knew there was something wrong with him, but I just wasn't sure what. I was afraid it would fuck-up my reputation, having a gay brother, but he kept his mouth shut, at least until I went away to college.

I'm sure glad that Richard could come home with me. I don't think I could stand all this shit without him with me. He's really a good guy and I like him more than I'd ever admit. He's good looking, funny and great in bed. It doesn't hurt that he's way richer than we are either. I mean his whole family are publishers by trade and well accepted in eastern society. Comparatively, my family members are just western cowboys. It wasn't always that way though. I mean, my grandparents were all from old money and well thought of in eastern society circles. My parents were mavericks and left the east coast for the west when they were young adults. My grandparents had the connections back there though, and some of the better families still remember them. It's amazing what old money can do for you socially. I loved both sets of my grandparents. They were nice old folks, and left Jeff and me nice trust funds when they died.

I cried a lot when I heard that my parents were dead. I've kinda gotten used to the idea, but I'm not looking forward to the funeral and all that. I hope I don't break down and make a fool of myself. I guess this is it though. I'm a bit worried, but I think that when the will is read, I'll be pretty rich. It doesn't matter too much to me, just as long as the checks keep coming. Ed, my Dad's lawyer, said that it wouldn't be a problem.

I guess I really loved my parents. They were always way too busy to spend much time with me, but I guess I can't complain. Lots of my friends come from divorced families and it's a lot harder for them than me. I mean, I could talk to my parents if I had to or wanted to. It's just that they were gone a lot with their jobs and interests. In High School, I often got stuck taking care of Jeff instead of going out with my friends. Maybe that's why I always resented him so much. I'm going to be especially nice though. No point in making a bad situation worse.

Anyway, I see Ed coming. Maybe the damned luggage will arrive soon. I hope Ed likes Richard. Maybe Jeff will like him too, but if not, fuck him. If he's a snot, I'll fix his wagon. If he's nice, he's going to be shocked at how nice I can be.

CHRIS' POV

I was looking out the front window when I saw a large Beemer drive up and an arm extend out the window to punch in the gate code. The large wrought-iron gates began their swing and after a moment the car pulled into the drive and under the covered portico.

"They're here," I shouted.

Jeff and Ben had just joined me in the entry hall when the door opened and Ed, who I'd, met before stepped in behind the most breathtaking young woman I'd ever seen. The worried look on her face didn't diminish her beauty. Jeff stepped forward, taking his sister in his arms in welcome.

"Hi Mandy," Jeff said with a tinge of sadness in his voice. "Welcome home."

Seeing them next to each other, you knew at once that they were siblings. The genes that had produced the gorgeous new arrival had not weakened when they produced her brother.

"Hi Ed," Jeff continued as he released his grasp of his sister and extended his hand to their friend, their Dad's lawyer. "Thanks for picking Mandy up."

"You're welcome Jeff," Ed said with a smile.

I looked at Ed and really saw him for the first time. He was about 6'-2" tall, in his mid 30's, slim and quite a looker. Together, standing next to Amanda they gave the appearance of a handsome couple.

"Amanda, Ed," Jeff continued, remembering his manners, "I'd like to introduce you to these guys. Amanda, this is Chris Taylor, my boyfriend, and neither of you have met our friend standing next to Chris, Ben Collins."

I was surprised when Amanda stepped over to me and gave me a hug. I quickly recovered enough to wrap my arms around her, returning the affection. Stepping back, she extended her handshake to Ben, with a "Pleased to meet you Ben."

I looked at Jeff and his mouth was hanging open in shock.

Ed followed and said he was happy to see me again as he shook my hand, then turned and exchanged pleasantries with Ben as they too exchanged handshakes. The look on Ben's face was like a deer caught in the glare of headlights. If there ever was a fish out of water, it was Ben at that moment.

"Let's go into the family room where we can talk," Jeff offered. Before we could take a step, Frank appeared.

"Welcome Mr. Macgregor and Miss Amanda," Frank offered without extending his hand. "I'll get your luggage Miss Amanda and put it in your room."

"What's this Miss Amanda shit?" Amanda said as she smiled and rushed up to Frank, giving him a hug. "Are you still poisoning my family?"

Frank laughed.

"You know me too well Mandy," he said with a grin. "Now get on with your business and I'll get some work done. Dinner will be ready in about an hour and a half. Will you be staying for dinner, Mr. Macgregor?"

"If you'll have me," he answered."

"Please," Mandy said, flashing her eyes and producing a beautiful smile.

"Yes, we'd like that," Jeff added, obviously taken aback with the charm his sister exuded.

"Would it be better if Ben and I made ourselves scarce for awhile?" I offered.

After a quick second's thought, Jeff answered. "No, come with us. Mandy needs to get acquainted with her new brothers."

It was Amanda's mouth that dropped open in shock this time. She quickly recovered, and smiled with a questioning nod of agreement. It was apparent that she knew nothing of either Ben's or my existence, but was more than full of curiosity.

Ed displayed familiarity with the house as he led the way. I tugged Ben's arm, indicating the he should come with me, leaving Jeff and Amanda bringing up the rear. They hung back a bit and, in spite of her softened voice, I heard Amanda whisper to Jeff, "Brother you've got some things to tell me."

"Later," Jeff whispered back.

As we entered the Family Room, we saw that Frank had set out a tray arranged with soft drinks, glasses with ice already in them, and snacks.

"I see that Frank is ready for our arrival," Amanda said with a smile. "While you guys help yourselves and get settled, I'll excuse myself for a moment. Nature calls."

She turned, heading for the small downstairs guest bath as we did her bidding. Five minutes later she reentered the room. Jeff and Ed stood as she entered, so I grabbed Ben's arm and tugging on it, indicated that we should follow suit.

"My, aren't you being polite," Amanda said, recognizing our gesture.

"I guess it's the first time I really thought of you as an adult woman," Jeff said as an excuse.

"That's a great compliment, little brother," Amanda replied, obviously pleased. "Please take your seats. I'm not used to all this attention."

I couldn't help but wonder when this beautiful creature would turn into the Amanda that Jeff described earlier.

Amanda took a comfortable arm chair that had been left for her after pouring herself a drink.

"I was shocked when Ed told me of the latest news of our parents," Amanda began. "I'm not sure what to think now."

"You're not alone in that Mandy," Jeff admitted. "I talked to Agent Johnson again a while ago, and the search has been resumed in earnest."

"There are no new developments then?" Amanda asked.

"Nothing definite," responded Jeff. "They're checking out a couple of leads that have come in. Maybe one of them will turn out to be helpful."

"I hope so," Amanda agreed. "Not knowing is almost worse than bad news."

"I'm with you on that," Jeff concurred.

"I think we should talk about you guys," Ed interjected. "We have to assume that it will be some time before we know anything for certain. In the meantime, we need to make sure that you're taken care of. Amanda, have you given any thought as to when you and Richard will be returning east?"

"Who's Richard?" Jeff interrupted as a curious look crossed his face.

"Richard's my boyfriend," Amanda replied. "His family is in publishing. He's with me, but went separately from the airport to take care of some business. He should be here in about an hour."

"You'd better tell Frank," Jeff advised. "I'm sure there will be enough food, but it would be embarrassing to have one plate short."

Amanda must have agreed. She arose, excused herself, then took off for the kitchen. The four of us started to stand as she did, but as she turned toward the kitchen she added, "Oh sit down. Once is enough." She laughed as she disappeared from sight.

I looked over at Jeff as he turned to Ed.

"Today has certainly been one of surprises," Jeff said shaking his head. "First Ben came into the family, then all the news about our parents, and now Amanda has turned into a human being. I can't believe it."

"I'm not sure about Amanda Jeff," Ed warned. "Remember she's an actress. I recall her too well. I hope she's changed, but I wouldn't count on it yet. She used to be the model bitch, if you'll excuse my observation about your sister."

Jeff laughed.

"Yeah, I agree," he said. "I already told these guys about her. I'm sure they think that I'm nuts."

The conversation got cut short as Amanda returned and took her seat again.

"Tell me about Richard," requested Jeff.

"He's a darling," Amanda replied with a smile. "He's a true eastern gentleman. You probably know a little about his family, the Forbes. They are big time in the money game, are noted publishers and have numerous financial interests. I met him in school and have been dating him for months. He took me home to meet his family. They've been wonderful to me and are pretty up there on the social scale."

"I hope he doesn't pick his nose," Jeff kidded. "I think that's gross."

"No booger would dare invade his nostrils," Amanda replied with pretended affront.

I could tell from the twinkle in her eyes that she both loved her guy, and enjoyed Jeff's playful taunt, responding with her own comeback.

"When do you have to return east?" Jeff repeated Ed's earlier question.

"I'm not sure," she replied. "Richard and I will have to talk about it later. He still thinks that the folks are dead. I didn't learn about it myself until Ed told me in the car."

"I hope you'll stay as long as you can," Jeff replied. "I like the new Amanda."

"Thanks Jeff," she responded. "I guess Richard brings out the best in me."

"I like him already," Jeff said with a smile.

The next hour was spent, primarily with Jeff and Amanda bringing each other up to date with their lives. Amanda talked about school, her friends and her history with Richard, though without too many personal details. Jeff in turn talked about how he and I met, leaving out some of the more personal aspects that she didn't need to know. He told her about what we had been doing and how we'd spent two weeks as counselors at camp where we met Ben. He then told her that Ben's parents had thrown Ben out when he returned home, without all the details, and that he'd come to live with us until things could get sorted out. Jeff then talked about how their parents had promised to take us on a trip when they came back from Europe and how he hoped that it would bring them closer together.

"That sure doesn't sound like Dad and Mom," Amanda commented. "They were always so busy they never seemed to have time for us."

"I'm hoping that Chris' arrival changed that," Jeff theorized. "They seemed to warm up to him pretty good. Frankly I was surprised."

"Maybe there's some hope for this family yet," Amanda said wishfully. "If so, Chris will have my eternal thanks."

I blushed, but smiled as my only response. Thinking about what they were saying, I could tell from the conversation that Jeff and Amanda had the same viewpoint regarding their parents. I knew that their parents' activities had kept them apart from Jeff and that he felt hurt and rejected because of it, but he kept it pretty well buried within himself most of the time. I now discovered that Amanda felt the same way. Personally, I found Dr. Mel and Pop rather charming. Maybe Jeff was right in that my coming to live here had rocked the boat for the better. I hoped so. If they ever returned, they'd have another rocking coming with Ben's arrival.

Frank stepped into the room and announced, "Amanda, I believe that Richard is here. I just opened the gates for him. Dinner will be served in 15 minutes."

"Thanks Frank," Amanda said as she arose from her chair. "Come on guys, it's time for you to meet Richard."

We dutifully stood and followed her to the home's palatial entryway. As we approached, Frank was answering the doorbell after whipping off his apron.

"Is this the home of Amanda Richards? I'm Richard Forbes," the voice of the visitor said.

I couldn't see him because Frank was in the way. Frank responded as he stepped back.

"Please come in Mr. Forbes. You're expected. I'm Frank. Please feel free to call on me if I can be of service."

"Hi Babe," Amanda said as she rushed into the arms of the newcomer. She planted a kiss on his lips, and while he looked like he enjoyed it, he seemed a bit embarrassed as he saw the others of us watching.

Amanda stepped back and turning, took his arm, propelling this handsome young man toward us.

"You remember Ed Macgregor from the airport," she said beginning the introductions. "And this is my brother Jeff; also know as S.J. to his friends. I'll tell you what it stands for later."

They shook hands and exchanged greetings before she turned to Ben and me.

"This is Jeff's boyfriend Chris Taylor who lives here too," she continued. "And this handsome fellow," she said nodding toward Ben, "is Ben Collins, Jeff and Chris' friend who is staying with us for awhile."

I blushed when she outed me with her introduction, but tried to appear unaffected as Ben and I each shook his hand.

"Pleased t'meet ya Sir," Ben said deferentially.

"Please don't call me sir," Richard said with a smile. "That's for my parents. I'm just Richard, or Rick if you really want to be my friend."

"Please come into the family room Rick," Jeff offered, picking up on what Rick had said. "Dinner will be ready shortly, so if you'll excuse us for a moment, Chris and I need to dress for dinner."

"Of course. I hope I'm dressed appropriately," Rick replied, glancing down at his preppy casual clothing.

"Oh you are," Jeff quickly responded. "It's just that Chris and I are still in shorts. Our parents never allowed short pants at dinner. We'll be right back. Ben, do you want to come with us?"

"Yeah, thanks," Ben replied, not wanting to be left alone with the people he'd only met a short time before.

"Ed," Jeff continued as we began up the stairs. "Would you fix some before-dinner cocktails for the three of you? We'll hurry and rejoin you soon."

The two groups went their own way, and the three of us younger guys were soon in our rooms changing pants as well as shoes and socks. I finished first and went to Jeff's room where he was just putting his feet into a pair of black loafers. Ben sat on the bed waiting.

"What do you think of Richard?" Jeff asked of no one in particular.

"I don' know bout you guys," Ben said, "An' I ain't judgin' ya know, but I like im a lot. It jus' seems t'me that maybe he's played on our team, onced or twice."

I don't know why, but the same thought had popped into my mind.