Disclaimer: The following story is a work of fiction. If you are offended by descriptions of homosexual acts or man/man relations, please exit this page.
TALES FROM THE RANCH Copyrightc 2003 by Tulsa Driller 7. All rights reserved.
This is a story of men who have two common interests. You will see that they love the land where they live and work, but it is also the story of young men who love other men and their coming of age in a culture of prejudice and misunderstanding. It is a story, which deals with difficult and often disturbing issues but, nonetheless, issues which must be confronted in today's world.
This is a work of fiction and in no way draws on the lives of any specific person or persons. Any similarity to actual persons or events is entirely coincidental. This work is copyrightedc by the author and may not be reproduced in any form without the specific written permission of the author. It is assigned to the Nifty Archives under the terms of their submission agreement but it may not be copied or archived on any other site without the written permission of the author.
PLEASE: In a perfect world AIDS doesn't exist. My characters have unprotected sex. I hope you use proper precautions because I'd like you to be around the read the last chapter of this story.
Tales from the Ranch Chapter 46: Day of Decisions
Forrest Ross was making his rounds, delivering the Austin American-Statesman, and had ridden the elevator up to the fifth floor to work his way back down, leaving papers for seven of the ten units. He hoped he would see Joey again this morning, opening the door in his jockey shorts, or less, but wasn't lucky today. Still, he tossed the paper against the door and turned to the other unit on that floor, instead of just dropping the paper in front of the door.
Joey had awakened before his alarm went off, so crawled out of bed, pulled his under shorts on and let Mitsy out. The paper still wasn't there when she wanted back inside. He thought Forrest made a good addition to the group of guys he'd hooked up with the first day of school, two days before.
He made his way to the kitchen to feed Mitsy, make sure she had fresh water, poured himself orange juice and flipped the switch on the coffeepot. As he was going back to his room to perform his morning routine he heard a thump at the front door. That could only mean one thing. Forrest was delivering the paper. Joey was torn as to opening the door to retrieve the paper or ignoring it.
He decided to ignore it.
Forrest finally made his way down the stairs to leave papers on the fourth floor as he worked his way to the ground level units. Maybe he would see Joey tomorrow morning, or better yet, Joey's Dad, Dale.
Craig awoke first and decided to tease his hunky lover into an awakened state. What he didn't know was that Dale was already awake, but lying there with his eyes closed, thinking good thoughts about his partner. As soon as Craig made his move, Dale pinned him to the bed and started laving his face with kisses, then forced his tongue into a willing mouth. Their mouths were a little stale from the night before, but what a way to wake up! For both of them.
They enjoyed hugging and running their hands up and down the other's body, as well as stimulating each other everywhere they could. Finally they ended up with Craig sitting astride Dale's hips as they took turns holding their cocks together, using their copious amounts of precum to jerk themselves to a roaring climax. It wasn't great sex, but they both needed relief.
They made their way to the bathroom and after Craig peed, he pulled on his shorts to go to the kitchen for their juice and, hopefully, coffee. Joey had already been in the kitchen, so the coffee was ready to serve. As he was pouring their morning refreshments, he couldn't help but think about Joey and how lucky they were to have someone like him to become part of their family, which wasn't the typical "All-American Apple Pie Family", but probably closer to a real family than half in the country. Joey fit right in with their lifestyle and while he was a somewhat innocent 14-year old, he was more mature and knowledgeable than many college students. Yes, Joey had awakened an unknown urge in Craig to be a parent and he was determined to be the best he could. He knew that Dale shared that dedication.
Craig made his way back to their bathroom. Dale was just finishing shaving and Craig had to admire his handsome face with that wonderful mustache, then looking on down his body to the marvelous hairy chest and uncut cock. Dale was a stud and Craig thought he was the luckiest guy in the world.
"Hurry up and shave, I'm ready to play in the shower," Dale told Craig as he set the tray down.
"I'm glad that you can't get enough, either," Craig grinned at him. "I'd like to spend the day in bed with you, but we both have to earn our paychecks."
"Maybe we could let Joey support us in our degenerate lifestyle," Dale leered at Craig.
"Knowing that kid, he'd do it too, but would want to watch," Craig giggled.
"Did it bother you that he caught us making out last night?" Dale asked.
"Yes and no. We shouldn't have been where we were, but I think Joey was getting off by watching us and I'm not sure that's right. He certainly is knowledgeable about gay sex and maybe is too curious for his own good, but he's going through an age of discovery and who knows where it will lead him? Certainly he will be doing some experimenting, if he hasn't already."
"I don't worry about him. He seems to attract good kids to be his friends. I think he's a leader and careful about who signs on for the opportunity to be part of his group," Dale said.
By this time Craig was through shaving and they stepped into the shower together, Dale adjusting the water and Craig turning on the other showerheads.
Jimmy Bob didn't have a good night. His court hearing to have a defense attorney appointed in his behalf was this afternoon. He knew he was guilty and that they would throw the book at him. While he wasn't afraid of serving time for his wrongs, he felt abandoned by the people he thought he could trust, those who should stand behind him regardless of what had happened; he felt betrayed. However, when he examined himself and his actions, he wasn't sure he even liked the Reverend Jimmy Bob Jones.
He had complained about the food in the jail, more because of the lack of big servings rather than the quality. One of the deputies felt sorry for him and took his extra clothing home for his wife to launder each evening since the jumpsuits for the prisoners were too small for him. From time to time, that deputy would bring him something special that his wife had fixed when there wasn't enough left over for both of them to eat for another meal. He was astounded when they made him get on the scale the previous afternoon. He had lost over 20 pounds in a week's time. No fast food meals or sacks of 'Corn Curls' to eat.
However, he had refused to try to exercise when goaded by the jailer to do so. What good would it do him?
The breakfast served this morning was 2 fried eggs, a small serving of hash browns, one sausage patty and two slices of wheat toast, with a pot (holding 3 mugs) of coffee. The flavor was good, but didn't meet the calorie count he was used to getting.
He was thankful the other prisoners were ignoring him. He didn't realize that the ones who had been harassing him were either out of jail or serving time somewhere else because of being convicted. The prisoners around the corner didn't know he was there. That was the only good thing that had happened to him.
When the deputy brought his breakfast, he reminded Jimmy Bob that his hearing was set for 1 p.m. and that he would be taken to the country courthouse, to Judge Montgomery's courtroom. What Jimmy Bob didn't know was that Judge Hiram Montgomery also oversaw the Juvenile Court System and tried to see that the young people appearing before him had the best homes he could find if they had to go into the Foster Care System. He was hard on parents who abused their children and, without exception, made them toe the mark and submit to counseling before returning their children to them.
It was seldom that Judge Montgomery had to deal with a situation like Jimmy Bob's, but he was loaded for bear and had no mercy for people like him. The next person up to receive a pro bono case from the District Attorney's office was largely incompetent. This attorney wasn't even qualified to file paperwork with the court and the judge wondered how on earth he had passed the bar exam.
In the judge's opinion, Lyndel Wilkerson was the perfect person to defend the Reverend Jimmy Bob Jones. The court could throw the book at him and, rightfully so. Mr. Wilkerson wasn't smart enough to call for an objection, procedure or to challenge evidence. This should be an open and shut case.
Of course, Jimmy Bob was expected to plead guilty, as he had done when first booked into jail.
Dale visited briefly with Jason and Kevin as they were walking to the bus stop at the end of the Bar-W driveway.
"How's school going?" Dale asked as he got out of his vehicle.
"Great," Jason said. I like my teachers and they make our classes interesting. I really like having Mr. Thompson for a coach and Mr. Bryant for my history teacher."
Kevin quickly added to what Jason had said. "School is cool. We're learning all sorts of stuff about math and history and. science."
"They are great teachers," Dale agreed.
"Did you have them for teachers when you were in school?" Kevin asked.
Dale laughed. "Not hardly. They are about the same age as me."
"Kevin, you know better than that. They aren't that old," Jason challenged.
Kevin just laughed, then quickly said, "I was just kidding."
"Hey Dale, guess what," Jason said.
"Umm, let me see. You're going to be twelve years old on your next birthday," Dale joked.
"That, too. No, something really important. Kevin and I get to go to the Diocesan Camp for Acolytes at the Cathedral in Houston in two weeks. It starts on Friday night and ends on Sunday afternoon. There are 8 of us going from St. James."
"That's great!" Dale told them. "Congratulations. I'm sure it will be a lot of fun and you'll learn a lot, too."
"Thanks," Kevin said. "This is my first time to get to go to anything important like this."
"Oh, Kev, you've gone to lots of other things," Jason said.
"Yeah, but this is kind of like going to scout camp where you learn all sorts of neat things."
"I forgot to tell you, my patrol is going to have an overnighter at our patrol leaders house this Friday night. Scott Maxwell is so cool," Jason said.
"I'm sure you'll have a great time. and learn lots, too," Dale told him.
"My friend, Terry Jenkins, is going to spend the night with me, like he did the last time Jason went on a camping trip.
"I'm glad you are getting to do neat things, Kevin. You're starting to grow up," Dale said, giving his shoulder a squeeze.
About that time, they heard the school bus approaching, so Dale told the boys goodbye and waved at them as Wade Harris pulled the bus to a stop in front of their driveway.
'What great kids,' Dale thought as he got back in his Blazer to drive to the barn/office.
Michael, John and Pat drove in and parked as Dale was going toward the office. After having them sign their time sheets he told them he would talk to Chris to see how the furnishing of the crew quarters was going.
The men left in one of the pickups to go to the section of land they were working and Dale decided to walk back to see how Ray's crew was progressing on the floor tile project.
Dale arrived at the house and was surprised to see that the trash had been hauled away and the ground smoothed out and leveled. A couple of dozen shrubs had been put in the yard and upon closer examination, he could tell that the lawn had been seeded as it was obvious the soil had been sprinkled with water to help the germination process.
Ray drove in about that time with Rafael and Migel in the cab with him. Dale waited for them so they could enter the house together.
Dale was surprised when Rafael greeted him with, "Hello, Mr. Boss-man." Then Rafael looked to Ray for approval. Migel gave Dale a hearty handshake, and then said, "Thank you."
At first Dale was a little puzzled. Ray allowed the two workmen to enter the house ahead of him, and then whispered to Dale. I found them an English class to attend and told them you suggested it so they think you are okay. If they only knew," Ray teased.
"Thanks, I think," Dale laughed.
They walked into the house. Dale was astounded at the change from just two days before. All of the floor tile was in place on the first floor and hardware had been hung in the windows for mini blinds and curtains. He looked at Ray with a question in his eyes.
"Chris and Jeanine got window coverings ordered. Everything they needed was standard stock sizes, thanks to Craig and the store had everything in stock. They also recommended someone to install all the window coverings.
"We'll install the floor tile in the upstairs bathrooms first today and the men will probably get about half of the other tile on that floor put down today. They can work in the basement on Thursday afternoon and Friday," Ray said.
"I was impressed with the landscaping in the yard," Dale said.
"Yeah, Marty hired one of the local nurseries to do that yesterday afternoon," Ray replied. "He always makes everything first class when he builds a new building. You probably should get your men to sprinkle the lawn a couple of times a day to help the grass seed germinate."
"It certainly makes the place look finished with just the shrubs in place. I can water the lawn morning and evening. The men have enough to do with working three more sections of ground after they are through with the one they are working now.
Dale wandered back to the office and met Marty as he was coming out of the office.
"Morning, Dale. I figured you were around here somewhere," Marty said in greeting.
"Hi Marty. Just went down to look at the crew quarters. That house really looks sharp and the landscaping really finishes the outside."
"We want the house to look like it belongs back there, instead of just something we built, then didn't know what to do with," Marty told him.
"It looks good. I can water the lawn a couple of times a day."
"I just left you a note about that. It just needs to be lightly watered morning and evening to help the grass germinate and get some roots down. As it becomes established, it will need more water to put down deeper roots. You might have one of your men do that."
"They have enough to do in working the land right now. No need to hold up that project for something I can do myself. I see that they have hung most of the hardware for the blinds and curtains."
"Chris and Mom got busy on Monday. Craig had specified standard-size windows, so they had everything in stock and the store recommended someone to install them. The furniture is supposed to be delivered on Thursday afternoon next week, so your men could move anytime after that, although you might check with Chris to make sure," Marty said.
"They will be pleased with that. I'm sure they are anxious to get out of the Starlight," Dale said.
"Al keeps that place in reasonable condition, doesn't he?" Marty asked.
"I have no idea. I know it's clean, but am sure it needs a general refurbishment," Dale told him.
"Did you know we built that place and owned it at one time?" Marty asked.
"No."
"It was built as a part of the Best Western chain and was the best motel in town for a number of years. Then the chain wanted a newer motel on the highway, so cancelled our affiliation with no notice. They didn't even ask us to build a new complex for them. We operated the Starlight for about a year, and then Al came along and wanted to buy it and run it as a short-term residence for people needing a place to stay more than a few days. We were glad to be rid of it," Marty laughed.
"I kind of remember when it was the Best Western, but that was a long time ago."
"It was the first of the big chain motels here. We, of course, owned the Cattlemen's Hotel and there were two other hotels in town, but Best Western convinced us that the motel industry would close the hotels. The Cattlemen's Hotel had always done a good business and we did our first renovation at the time the Starlight opened. Then several years ago we gutted the hotel and completely updated it, keeping the old turn-of-the- century appearance."
"Craig's always said it was one of the best things you ever did," Dale told Marty.
"My great-grandfather built that hotel in 1905 and it was one of the best hotels in Texas for many years. It still runs at about 60% occupancy all the time. We get a lot of people from out of town who love to stay in an old refurbished hotel."
"We like the two dining rooms," Dale told him.
"If the truth be known, the dining rooms are what keeps the hotel open. Good food at reasonable prices, a great atmosphere and a nice place to stay for our visitors," Marty proudly said.
"It's well done," Dale replied.
"Have you gotten Joey all moved and settled?" Marty asked.
"Yes. Craig's parents helped us in Houston. We have the house listed with a good realtor and have a company lined up to sell everything we didn't keep. Joey started school on Monday and seems to have made a lot of good friends already. Last night when I got home, there were six boys in the kitchen, eating us out of house and home," Dale laughed. "But at least we know where he is and that's more than can be said for the parents of a lot of children."
"He seems like a great boy and you lucked out in getting him - and him ending up with you and Craig," Marty said.
"Yes, he'll do okay. He's always been an honor student and we have every reason to believe that he will continue to do so. He's concerned about one of his teachers lack of interest in teaching, though," Dale told him. He thought this was the perfect opportunity to talk about Kent Korte.
"Who is that?" Marty wanted to know immediately.
"Kent Korte. He teaches the Computer Lab class."
"What about him?" Marty knew the complaint already. The school board had already had several complaints about this man.
"Craig, Joey and I are still trying to put all the pieces together, but according to Joey, the class consists of the students learning a Lotus spreadsheet program and a WordStar word processing program by using a tutorial on the computers in the lab. Then they are supposed to be learning the 'Basic Computer Language' and write some simple programs. He doesn't give them any leadership and seems to be caught up in a computer bulletin board that he runs on a computer at his home. We found out last night that the 'textbook' he is using is actually a rejected Master's thesis that his father wrote about 14 years ago, before personal computers really came into being. Joey bought a book at The Electronic Home that actually gives examples of what the class is supposed to be learning. He asked Korte about the book he bought and he acted like he had never seen it before and was not interested," Dale said, starting to get a little riled up.
"We had some complaints before, but nobody really knew what the problem was. The school board had hired an instructor for that lab when it was first set up last year. At the last minute he received a better offer from another school system and chose not to come to Williamsport. We hired Kent Korte instead as school was ready to start the next week," Marty told him.
"I know that no one has ever failed the course, but the grades are pretty mediocre when compared with other classes. Maybe several of the board members need to meet with the principal and Mr. Korte and find out what's going on. You've told me more this morning than I've heard from everyone else together," Marty added.
"Joey is a smart boy. He should be able to get scholarships for whatever he wants to study in college. What Kent Korte doesn't realize is that it's a direct reflection on himself when honors students receive just a passing grade. That galls me." Dale was upset now.
"I understand. Believe me, I have the best interests of all students in my plans for the school system here. No matter how careful we are about hiring new teachers, some slip through our evaluation system and make the whole faculty look bad," Marty assured him.
"I don't mean to complain," Dale told him. "I know the system isn't foolproof, but Craig and I are very concerned. We both appreciate your efforts."
"We need a good person in charge of that Computer Lab because the future of our country depends on what young people learn in that class," Marty said.
"That brings up another subject. I have some extra money to invest and I've talked to Leland Stanton at the bank about either buying or starting a computer store here in Williamsport. We realize the main effort will have to be service and user training, but I think we can provide something that isn't available except in Austin and the larger cities around here," Dale told him.
"I'd like to help you if you are serious," Marty said. "My boys will be getting into computers in the next year or so. I have a computer in my office here at the ranch and I know it's already obsolete and it's only a couple of years old. It's a 'sellers market' and the public is standing in line for the latest and greatest," Marty said.
"Leland is going to meet with Craig, Joey and me tomorrow evening. He told me that he could help line up investors, also. I think we can make this work, but the two most important things, beside service and training, will be a good manager who has connections within the industry and a sales manager who is aggressive in promoting our product and selling systems to schools and colleges as well as business firms that need the best they can find."
"I hope this doesn't mean you are thinking about leaving the Bar-W," Marty said. "If that's the case, I withdraw my support for your effort."
Dale was stunned. "No, I hadn't thought about leaving my job. I don't know anything about computers, although I'm willing to learn. I just was thinking that the right general manager could make some money for himself and us."
"You are right there. Leland can help by using the bank's resources in helping locate such a person if you decide you want to do this. Certainly, he can help you put a deal together and find the right person to make it work and get the funding you need. After all that's the reason we hired him."
"Thanks for the advice, Marty. We really appreciate it."
"Dale, you have my backing a hundred percent if you want to do this. I think it's a great idea and a chance to get in on a fast-growing industry. The bank can put the right package together and find the right people to do it. If you have any questions, just let me know," Marty said, offering his hand for Dale to shake in agreement.
Craig and Don met Don's clients at the Beauford mansion at 9:30. Neither had been inside the house before. The house had come on the market as the owners, who had built the house in 1920 were past 90 and moving to a retirement home. Their children and grandchildren weren't interested in the historic piece of property.
The realtor, Grayson Marshall, was well respected in Williamsport and dealt only with quality homes and desirable properties. Neither Don nor Craig had had previous dealings with him, but were thankful for him giving their names to the prospective owners as architects who were experts in preserving historical buildings.
Grayson greeted Don and Craig as they arrived at the door of the house. The clients, Pawl and LouAnn Garnoski hadn't arrived yet.
"Thanks for coming to look at the house with the Garnoski's. I've told them what you did for the rectory at the end of the street," he said.
"That was one of the first projects we had in Williamsport, certainly the first historical property," Don proudly said.
Craig nodded in agreement.
"You managed to keep the rooms intact even after adding central heat and air conditioning. The only room you really updated was the kitchen and that's understandable. Who would want to try to work in the room as it was?" Grayson asked.
"That was a necessity. The other change that was made is that there are now three bedrooms on the second floor instead of four. Each has a large closet and modern bathroom now," Craig said.
"No one has any complains about those changes. They would be crazy to want to retain a 1920's kitchen and make do with one bathroom instead of three on the second floor. Times have changed," he laughed. "The fact is that you managed to make it all appear as original when the project was completed," Grayson said
"Actually, the biggest challenge was in putting a full basement under the house. The only thing that was there before was a small room for the old gravity-fed furnace and a coal bin next to it for storage. We put the house on supports, tore out the old walls and floor, and then poured new 9-foot walls and a floor. It gained almost 1,500 square feet of space and allowed us to modernize utilities and the heating and air conditioning. We put the equipment for the second floor in the attic as there just wasn't any way to put it anywhere else," Don said.
"Do you think we could get the Garnoski's in to look at the place?" Graydon asked.
"Shouldn't be any problem," Craig said. "I belong to that parish and know both Fr. George and Paul. They are always proud to show off their home."
"Good." He glanced at his watch. "Here come the Garnoski's now," as a silver Mercedes coupe parked in front. "They live in Austin, but want to live in a smaller community. It's an easy commute for him to drive to his office everyday from here," the realtor told them.
Grayson made the introductions as Pawl and LouAnn Garnoski arrived on the front porch. Grayson launched into his sales spiel by pointing out some of the unique outside trim on the Victorian home. Don and Craig hung back, listening and making notes of what they were hearing and Don was taking pictures.
Craig was enjoying the "tour" and was impressed with the interior when they went inside. Grayson told them that all of the wallpaper was original and that the couple was selling all of the furniture with the house as most of the pieces had been made for the various rooms.
The rectory had been "updated" several times over the years and had long ago lost the original wall coverings. However, they had managed to find new paper that was reproductions of wallpaper of that era and that's what had been used when the rooms were reinstalled in the updated structure.
It took them about an hour to go through the house, discussing the work to be done to keep the house as original as could be. This place was in much better shape than the St. James rectory had been when they started on it.
Rev. Jimmy Bob Jones was dressed in slacks with a white shirt and tie to make his appearance in front of Judge Hiram Montgomery. The deputy who had been so nice to him, Ryan Majors, came to his cell at 12:45, apologizing because he had to put handcuffs on him for the trip to the courthouse. Realizing that Jimmy Bob was in no condition to try to get away or try anything funny, he cuffed his hands in front instead of behind him.
Judge Montgomery didn't put up with any foolishness in his court, so the date and time of the preliminary hearing had been kept quiet. He would not allow a media circus in his court, so cameras and recorders were barred. The deputy escorted Jimmy Bob to the defense table where he sat by himself. His cuffs were removed.
Precisely at 1 p.m. the Bailiff called out, "All rise," and the approximately 20 people in the courtroom stood, sitting when the Judge took his chair and called the court into session.
Jimmy Bob was asked to stand, and then asked if he had an attorney. When he answered 'No', the judge asked if he would like one appointed for him.
"Yes, your honor," he said.
"Very well," the judge said. "This court hereby appoints Samuel Arn to represent you. Mr. Arn, you may take your place at the defense table."
Jimmy Bob looked around and was surprised to find a well- dressed young fellow enter the area, shake hands with him, then sit beside him. The man leaned to Jimmy Bob. "Do you want to fight the charges they are going to read against you, or do you want to plead guilty?"
"What's the difference?" Jimmy Bob asked quietly.
"I might be able to get some of the charges reduced," he said.
"That's fine. I don't know anything about how this works. My attorney quit when he thought there wasn't any money to pay him."
"Fine, then plead 'Not Guilty' to each charge as they read them." This is just a formality anyway, not an actual trial at this point."
"We are ready to proceed," Mr. Arn said as he stood.
"Very well, will the defendant please rise to hear the charges against him."
Samuel Arn tapped Jimmy Bob on the shoulder and whispered, "You have to stand up."
As Jimmy Bob stood, Judge Montgomery said, "Will the prosecution please read the charges."
The prosecuting attorney read the charges against the minister.
1.) One count of child molestation.
2.) Possession of pornographic material depicting minors.
3.) Driving under the influence of alcohol.
"How plead you on the first count of child molestation?"
"Not guilty," Samuel Arn whispered to Jimmy Bob.
"Not guilty," he said, loud and clear.
"How plead you on the second count of possession of pornographic material depicting minors?"
"Not guilty," he said as the attorney smiled at him.
How plead you on the third count of driving under the influence of alcohol?"
"Not guilty," he repeated.
"Very well. This case will continue on November 14th at 10 a.m.," Judge Montgomery said as he started to bang his gavel.
"Your honor, I would like to request that Rev. Jones be released on his own recognizance as he poses no threat to the community and is not likely to leave the jurisdiction of this court."
The attorney for the prosecution, Allan Jennings was immediately on his feet. "Your honor, the prosecution objects. Two of the counts against Rev. Jones involve children, young boys to be exact. He is a threat to the community and shouldn't even be allowed bail, let alone being released on his own recognizance."
Judge Montgomery pondered this for a moment. "Rev. Jones is well-known in this community and I have to agree that right now he is unlikely to pose a threat to anyone except himself. Therefore, I'm allowing his release. So ordered," the judge said, banging his gavel before the prosecution could respond. "Next case!!"
"What does that mean?" Jimmy Bob asked.
"It means you have been released from jail on the promise that you won't leave the jurisdiction of this court."
"I thought I couldn't get bail?"
"There is no bail involved. You are released on your honor to appear in court on November 14th at 10 a.m. Come on, we have to leave the courtroom so they can have another hearing."
He steered Jimmy Bob away from the table and toward the doors of the courtroom.
Once they were in the hallway, the attorney told Jimmie Bob, "You need to come to my office tomorrow morning at 10:30 and we'll discuss your case and how we are to proceed."
"Okay." Jimmy Bob said with a great deal of hesitation.
"Is your wife here to take you home?" Samuel asked.
"No, I don't know where she is. I haven't seen her since all of this started over a week ago."
"Oh, do you want me to take you home?"
"I. don't know. I don't think I have a home anymore. Victory Temple owns the house where I lived and they don't want anything to do with me. I think the locks have been changed."
"Isn't there somewhere you can stay?" He was starting to wish he hadn't requested Jimmy Bob's release from jail.
"I don't have any money. There might be a little bit in my bank account, but not much. I don't even have my checkbook."
"Let me take you to my office and we'll figure out what to do," Samuel said. He wished that Lyndal Wilkerson had shown up this morning. This was supposed to be his pro bono case. He had called in with some lame excuse about not being able to take Jimmy Bob's case after all and the judge had appointed him without allowing him to talk to Jimmy Bob ahead of time. He didn't have a very good feeling about this case to begin with and now he'd arranged for the release of a defendant who didn't have any place to go. He couldn't remember ever having read of a situation like this.
Joey's day went really well - until he arrived at Kent Korte's classroom. He remembered that he hadn't had a chance to log onto the famous bulletin board. About five minutes into the class period Mr. Korte stood up, saying, "May I have your attention? Two people in this class didn't check in on the bulletin board yesterday"
Joey didn't have an excuse, other than he'd forgotten.
"Those people are Tom Perryton and Vic Short. You boys need to realize that part of your class participation involves checking in each school day." With that he sat back down at his desk, looking through a magazine.
Joey looked to his right where Daniel was sitting. Daniel whispered, "I took care of you, dude, you owe me."
"Thanks, how did you do that?" Joey questioned.
"I'll tell you later. Right now I've signed you and me up to use computer number five for the rest of the period. Let's see what the programs in this book do," he said, holding up the 'Basic Programming Made Easy' book. "Bring your notepad and we'll see what this is all about."
Joey followed Daniel to a workstation and pulled a chair up beside the one Daniel was sitting in. Daniel spoke in a low voice, so as not to disturb those sitting at the other computers.
"You remember when I set you up as a bulletin board user when you were at my house?"
"Yeah, but I didn't understand what you were doing."
"When I set up your user ID, JDSJr, I gave you the same password that I use for my account. It's not like it's a big secret where we are trying to find classified information on a government computer," he giggled.
"Man, I appreciate that. You'll have to show me how to get on my account though, because if he asks me, I'm dead," Joey told him.
"Believe me, I don't think he cares how you got there."
"Yeah, you're right. Now what do we do here?"
Daniel pulled a 5.25" floppy disk out of his notebook. "I started typing in the program that starts on page 132 last night. I only have about 25 more lines to type and load some data and we'll see if it works and what it does."
"Neat." Joey watched the screen as Daniel typed. He was a good typist and the program appeared as printed in the book.
"What do the numbers mean?" Joey asked.
"Each line of the program has a number, but you can insert more lines if you need them and run a 'renumber' routine. I think, if I understand right, you can put a statement in the program that is called a 'GO TO', which directs the program to perform a certain function. I didn't understand all of it, but I thought it might be easier to understand what happens when we run the program."
"I'm glad you're the leader," Joey said. "This makes no sense to me at all."
"It will, trust me. It didn't when I started in, but now I think I see a system for the commands."
Finally, Daniel was through typing and saved the program, then directed a printer to print the program he had typed. He had Joey help him read it and they corrected two typing mistakes. He made the corrections and saved the program again.
"Are you ready to see what this sucker does?" Daniel looked at him, smiling.
"Sure!" Joey enthused.
Daniel typed the RUN command. The screen cleared and the program started. The first thing they saw on the screen was: Welcome to Davy Crockett High School. Please type your name here. They watched the cursor blink.
Daniel typed, Daniel Wayne Pearson.
"Awesome," Joey said. Both he and Daniel were excited.
The next message was: Hello Daniel Wayne Pearson. Please type your birth date below.
Daniel typed in 08/16/75
The computer beeped, then displayed: Daniel Wayne Pearson, you are 15 years, 2 months and 8 days old. Have a good day. Goodbye.
The screen went blank about 15 seconds later, except for a blinking cursor.
"All right!!" Daniel said, giving Joey a high five.
"That's the neatest thing I've ever seen," Joey said.
"Here, you try it," Daniel said, standing up to trade chairs with him.
Joey sat down. "What do I do?"
"Type RUN DATE, two words and press the Enter key."
Joey obeyed Daniel and the computer displayed the message as before: Welcome to Davy Crockett High School. Please type your name here. They watched the cursor blink.
Joey typed, Joseph Dale Sullivan, Jr.
Both he and Daniel were excited.
The next message was: Hello Joseph Dale Sullivan, Jr. Please type your birth date below.
Joey typed in 06/29/76 and pressed the Enter key.
The computer beeped, then displayed: Joseph Dale Sullivan, Jr., you are 14 years, 4 months and 25 days old. Have a good day. Goodbye.
The boys looked at each other and grinned.
"Don't tell anyone else what we've done. We can modify this to do something else that's similar. All I did was change one line of the program to read 'Davy Crockett High School' from the example in the book. We can work on this some more later. Can you come over after school?"
"Yeah, I think so. I'm supposed to meet Bret at St. James at 6:30. He's going to audition to sing in our men and boys choir, but Dad can pick me up about 5:45 on his way home.
"Neat. I'll save this on the floppy disk I was using. I brought another one for you to have," he said, pulling another formatted disk out of his notebook.
"Thanks, Dan. I'll give my Dads a report when I get home this evening. They are both pretty hot about what isn't being taught in this class. Do you think you could have figured out this program from the text book?"
"Shit no," Daniel said. "There isn't anything in that book that relates to what we just did."
"Well, I couldn't tell you that because none of it makes any sense to me right now, but after seeing this little program run, I want to learn all about computers and stuff like this."
Daniel replied, "Just keep your mouth shut. Maybe we can help some of the others in this class."
"And make Mr. Korte look like an idiot," Joey finished.
"You got it," Daniel said.
"I think we ought to show my Dads what you did. They might be able to use this information to help all of us out."
"You can talk to them about it, if you want. We can use my computer to show them what we did," Daniel told Joey.
"No, what you did. I couldn't have done this without you. I don't even know what to do to start the computer once it's turned on," Joey stated.
"You will by the time the week is over. Don't sweat it."
The bell rang indicating the end of 6th period. Joey's next challenge was Paul Dennison.
Marty punched Leland Stanton's number into the keypad on the telephone in his office. Leland himself answered on the second ring.
"Leland Stanton."
"Leland, it's Marty Williamson. Do you have time to talk for a few minutes?"
"Certainly, Marty. What can I do for you?"
"I had a good visit with our ranch manager, Dale Richards, this morning. He told me that he and Craig Bastian are interested in opening a computer store here in Williamsport."
Leland responded, "Yes, I think that if I can help him put the right package together and find a general manager and sales manager, they have an excellent chance of making it work. I haven't sat down to visit with the three men, although we are supposed to have drinks and dinner tomorrow night. My only concern is that they have no computer knowledge and aren't interested in being involved in the enterprise on a daily basis."
"Leland, I don't want to lose Dale as my ranch manager and I don't think Don Albrecht wants to lose Craig as his partner in the architectural firm. They both are needed where they are," Marty told him.
"Are you telling me not to do anything to help them on this project?" Leland was disappointed.
"No, quite the contrary. You put the best package together that you can. Dad and I are willing to back them to a line of credit for $600 thousand if you think it can be done for that. This time we don't want to end up owning the business. We'll back the startup costs and allow them to put in whatever they can afford. But, this time allow them to buy out our investment without them knowing who their backers are. Okay?"
"You've never done anything like this before, Marty. This could be a chance for you to make a lot of money," Leland said.
"Leland, our family has all the money it needs. We've backed a lot of startup companies, but this time we're willing to allow our money to be used to help someone else become established. We consider Dale and Craig as part of our extended family and want you to proceed accordingly," Marty was emphatic.
"Okay. I'll get started on this right away. These must be pretty special men if you are willing to take this route," Leland said.
"They are special. Trust me and help them make a go of this," Marty told him.
"Glad to do it, Marty. I'll keep you informed as to what is going on."
With that they hung up their phones.
'Hmmm. that's interesting. Usually Marty is on the lookout for a startup company, allows it to get a toehold, and then offers them enough to make a little money while paying off the loan. Then he has a company he can turn around and sell at a good profit,' Leland thought.
The routine in the Gym followed the same script as every other 7th period class Coach Dennison held there. He was riled up because his Junior Varsity basketball team wasn't shaping up as he thought it should. Today, he had demanded that the Junior Varsity squad be released from their 7th hour classes and play against his Phys Ed class that met the same period.
Now the fallacy was that the gym class had never played a full-court game since school started, as he always held them to the half-court games, which allowed more of the boys to play each period.
The Junior Varsity had a "ho hum" attitude toward playing against a bunch of novices and the gym class boys were pissed that he expected them to try to play against the Junior Varsity. The upshot was that before the Junior Varsity realized what had happened, the 7th hour Phys Ed boys had a 16-point lead - which the team never had a chance to regain.
There was going to be hell to pay when this game was over. It was a game that should have never been played. Coach Dennison was super pissed that a group that wasn't even trained to be a team had beaten his league team.
There were some good players in the gym class, but he couldn't require them to join the Junior Varsity and that further pissed him. Both groups were going to be punished. One for losing a game and the other for winning it.
Joey and Bryce met Daniel and the other boys, Hal, Forrest and Bret, at their lockers after school.
"How was Coach Dennison's class?" Forrest asked, thinking he was making a joke.
"We're all in deep do-do," Bryce said.
"What happened?" asked Daniel.
"Would you believe that he had our gym class play against the J.V. basketball team and we won?" Joey said.
"What?" Hal said, laughing.
"I don't know if we caught them off guard or what, but we took an early lead and maintained it all the way. Coach is steaming. He yelled so hard that he can't talk out loud," Bryce laughed. "If we're lucky he won't be able to do anything except blow his whistle for two or three days," Bryce told them.
All of them laughed and gave each other high fives.
"Are you saying that these guys aren't any good?" Bret asked.
"I don't know about that. Maybe they were too confident. I mean, look at the underdogs that beat the team that is supposed to win in the big leagues," Joey said. "A lot of them come up with a championship win without prior standing. The odds of it happening are really pretty good," he added.
They discussed this for a little bit, wondering what would happen next. Certainly the J.V. had reason to be embarrassed. Joey and Bryce were worried that some of the boys in the gym class would receive undue pressure to join the Varsity team.
Then talk turned serious. It turned out that everyone had something to do that evening except Daniel and Joey, so they told each other goodbye. Joey walked to Daniel's house with him.
"I need to call one of my Dads to pick me up at your place a little later. I don't know what Craig's schedule is, but Dad Dale should be able to pick me up about 5:45, if that's okay.
"Sure, that gives us enough time to talk about the program and what we want to do with it," Daniel said.
They talked about the program and Daniel tried to explain to Joey about the commands within the program to store data and recall it, and then loop through a sequence of tasks to compute an elapsed period of time and display it on the screen.
"Do you think we could use this program as a basis to do something different, like compute the interest due on an amount of money loaned for a period of time?" Joey asked.
"Probably. We could do that one for you. I was thinking of one that might convert Fahrenheit temperatures to Celsius," Daniel said. "That one might be easier to start with."
"Okay, how would we do it?" Joey asked, knowing he couldn't do it by himself - at least at this point in time.
"There's a formula for converting Fahrenheit to Celsius. All we have to do is change the program we found to allow you to type in the Fahrenheit temperature and the computer comes back and displays the Celsius temperature. We can use the Date program in the book and make the necessary changes. It shouldn't be hard to do," Daniel said.
"What about the interest calculation?" Joey asked.
"That might be a little more complicated, but we should be able to do it easily. All we have to do is input the dollar amount, the interest rate and the time period. It's just simple multiplication," Daniel said. "Computers love to calculate."
"Neat. What if we have to explain the program to him?" Joey wanted to know.
"What's to explain? We can print it out. One program can't be that much different than the next, can it?"
"I don't know. Maybe after I see the printed program and figure out what each line does, I might be able to better understand."
"Okay, we can test each other," Daniel assured him.
By this time they were at the Pearson home. Daniel let them in the front door and offered snacks and soft drinks to Joey.
Joey asked permission to call Dale, who told him that he would pick him up about 5:45.
They took their plates and soft drinks downstairs to the room Daniel shared with his brother, Scott. The room appeared much as it did when Joey was there two nights before. Daniel's side of the room was neat and orderly. Scott's stuff was still in disarray, except more so.
"I need to hit the head," Daniel said as he peeled off his shirt and went into the bathroom. He didn't shut the door this evening.
Joey looked around the room. He couldn't imagine Dale or Craig allowing him to leave clothing strewn on the floor, or his bed unmade, not that he wanted to.
Daniel came back into the room. "It's hot in here. Don't you want to take your shirt off?" he asked.
Joey wondered what it was with Daniel about taking his shirt off. The room felt comfortable to him.
"No, I'm okay," he said.
Daniel started the computer. "Let me load the program and we'll follow the printed program and try to figure out what it's doing each step of the way."
They worked their way through the program and both understood what was happening, although they couldn't have recited it to each other. Daniel copied the 'Date' program to another file called 'Temperature' and together they made the necessary changes. Both understood better what was happening as they worked their way through it, running the program several times and having to debug it. Finally it worked and they gave each other a hug.
"Wow! This is so neat!" Joey said. "I think I almost understand what's happening."
About that time the doorbell rang. Daniel ran up the stairs to answer the door, knowing that it was probably Dale.
"I thought Joey would be ready to go home," Dale told him.
Daniel was excited. "Come in and let us show you two computer programs. We found one in the book we got at The Electronic Home and the other we modified for my project. I think we can make a program for Joey's project now."
Joey met them in the living room.
"Hi Dad. You've got to see what Daniel did. It's so cool!" Joey told him.
"I didn't do it by myself and I certainly couldn't have done it if Joey hadn't found the book that showed us how to do it," Daniel said proudly.
They led Dale to the computer and ran the first of the two programs for him to see. Daniel typed in his name at the prompt, then his birthday. They had Dale type in his name and birth date with the answer coming back: You are 24 years, 7 months and 10 days old. Have a good day. Goodbye.
"That's incredible," Dale said, clearly impressed.
"Dad! Let him show you the temperature conversion program."
Daniel demonstrated that, doing the easy temperatures first, such as Fahrenheit being 32 and converting it to Celsius being zero, then Fahrenheit being 212 and Celsius 100.
"And you want to spend $2,000 on a computer to do something that you ought to be able to figure out with a pencil and paper or pocket calculator?" Dale asked, grinning. He liked what he'd seen.
It took Joey a few seconds to realize that Dale was teasing him.
"Sure, that way we can check every morning to see if you're getting old," he teased back.
"I don't understand anything about computers, but this is really interesting," Dale told them.
"I want to do a program that calculates interest on a loan," Joey said.
"That might be helpful," Dale said.
Daniel spoke up. "I've seen an example in the Lotus book where you can make a spreadsheet to figure that one, too. It calculates the changes if you make a payment early or late, too. But what Joey wants to do should meet the requirements of the Computer Lab class."
"Have any of the others in the class written a program like this?" Dale asked them.
"If they have, they're keeping it quiet. I told Joey not to say anything about what we did in class this afternoon though. I'm afraid that if they knew what we've done, most of them would pester us to death by wanting us to help them. I'm willing to do it, but want to understand how this is done and write one without any help before trying to help them," Daniel said.
"That's probably smart," Dale said. "Eventually you are going to have to help your friends because it's obvious that Korte isn't going to."
"Yeah, I know what you mean," Daniel told him.
Dale looked at his watch. "Come on, Bud, we need to get you home and on to choir practice. I'm sorry, but it looks like we're going to be eating late again this evening."
Daniel told them goodbye, waving from the front door as they backed out the driveway.
Craig had already fed Mitsy and had some snacks laying out for Joey, not knowing that he'd already had something at Daniel's house. Being a typical teen, Joey was ready for more fuel and ate a bite while telling Dale and Craig about his day.
He went into some detail about the program Daniel found in the book from The Electronic Home and how they had modified it to convert temperatures.
"And now the kid wants to write a program to calculate interest to make sure the bank isn't cheating him by a penny or two everyday," Dale teased him.
Craig laughed. "I hope he catches them."
Dale looked at his watch again. "Did you say that you're supposed to meet Bret at the church at 6:30?"
"Yeah." Joey looked at his watch. It was 6:20.
"Do you want a ride?"
"That would be okay. I can walk home."
"One of us can pick you up. Just take Craig's cell phone with you and you can call us about ten minutes before you think you are ready to leave. that is if it's convenient. Otherwise, wait until rehearsal is over. No need to upset Paul by calling home in the middle of your solo," Dale told him with a big grin.
The attorney, Samuel Arn and Jimmy Bob Jones arrived at Arn's office. He was a newly admitted member of the Texas State Bar, having passed his exams on the first try. He had been working for a law firm in Corpus Christi as a clerk. At the time of his becoming a full-fledged attorney, he'd gotten an offer from a friend on behalf of a firm in Williamsport. He loved the area and the people he worked with. This was his first genuine possibility of representing a client in a jury trial. He wasn't sure now that he wanted that opportunity.
He took Jimmy Bob to his office, offering him a soft drink or coffee. Jimmy Bob asked for a Coke. His body told him he needed the calories and caffeine, both.
Sam motioned Jimmy Bob to a chair in front of his desk. "Okay, do you want to start at the beginning and tell me what's happened? Anything you tell me will be held in strict confidence and I expect the same from you. Anything we discuss is not to go beyond the door behind you."
Jimmy Bob launched into his story and it took him a full hour to wind down. At least three-fourths of the information Jimmy Bob told wasn't relevant to the case, but he had to listen to it all. One never knew when something might be revealed that would have a bearing on the trial.
By the time Jimmy Bob wound down Sam realized that was probably dealing with a manic-depressive who felt unloved. That might provide him with a defense, although a poor one.
Jimmy Bob alternated between being a person on a crusade who wanted the attention and adulation he thought he deserved. The other side of the coin was his lack of reality in dealing with the fact that most people didn't pay too much attention to him, thus the unloved feelings.
Sam had a page full of notes in addition to a cassette tape with the interview he had just conducted.
"Okay. I think that gives me enough to work with for right now. The next thing we need to do is find you a place to stay since you don't have a home, don't know where your wife is and don't have any money."
Jimmy Bob looked tired and sad. He was happy to be out of jail, but didn't feel free, by any means.
"Do you have anyone you can call that can provide you with a place to stay or the money to pay for a motel?"
"I don't know. Can I call Bret Jenkins? He's the treasurer of Victory Temple and I did him a big favor on Sunday. He might be able to help me."
"Sure." Sam shoved the phone across his desk. "Dial 9 before you dial the number."
Jimmy Bob punched in the number for Bret's office. Amanda answered the phone. "Morris Johnsmore's office."
"Can I talk to Bret Jenkins?" Jimmy Bob asked.
"One moment, I'll see if he's back from lunch." Amanda recognized the voice and wanted to stall him for a little bit in case Bret didn't want to take the call. She pushed the intercom button. "Bret, Rev. Jimmy Bob is on Line 2. I told him I'd check to see if you were back from lunch yet."
It was 3:15 p.m.
"Jeez, I thought I was rid of him, Amanda. Did he say what he wants?"
"No, and I didn't ask. I will, if you want me to." Bret's mood had been so much better the last two or three days and she knew it was because Jimmy Bob hadn't been able to bother him.
"That's okay. I'll talk to him," Bret said, dreading having to talk to him.
He pushed the button. "Hello Jimmy Bob. I didn't expect to hear from you today."
"Bret, I've got a problem. The court appointed an attorney for me this afternoon."
"That's good," Bret said, not meaning it at all.
"Well, maybe it is and maybe it isn't. He asked the judge to release me from jail until my trial in about 3 weeks. The judge did so, but I don't have any money or any place to stay. Can you help me?" Bret could tell he was almost in tears.
"What do you expect me to do? I can't have you stay at my house. I have three young boys. and you know the charges against you. You've already hurt Bret Junior and one of the others is scared to death of you. There just isn't any way."
"Do you still have that money that I gave you?"
"No, the church hired an attorney and it's in the bank where it belongs. The IRS may be looking into this, although it's your word that you've returned all of it. It's going to cost Victory Temple a lot of money to get our affairs in order with the State of Texas on our corporate standing and other things that have been left undone by you over the last ten years or so."
"Ah, gee, Bret. I didn't think it would come to this. I always counted on you to be my right arm."
"Yeah, well my right arm got broken trying to help you." Bret wanted to slam the phone down, but didn't.
"Where are my clothes? What about the stuff in the house that belongs to me?" Jimmy Bob pled.
"Nothing has been removed from the house except the money. and that shouldn't have been there to begin with. Bret was starting to get a little testy.
"Can I get my personal things?" Jimmy Bob was almost begging.
"I'll have to talk to our attorney, but what are you going to do with your clothes and stuff since you don't have a place to stay. You don't have a car. Do you have any money?"
"There should be some money in my checking account, probably not very much. My checkbook should be in one of my suit coats."
"Look, I don't think we can do anything about this today. If you will promise to pay me back, I'll loan you a $100 to pay for a motel for a couple of nights and that should get you a few meals, but that's all I can do for you. I'll have to call the attorney and can probably have an answer for you in the morning on getting your personal items from the house," Bret told him.
"I appreciate that. How soon can I get the $100 you're gonna give me?"
"I'm not giving the money to you. It's a loan. One that has to be repaid," Bret said knowing he would probably never see the money again. However, if that's what it took to be rid of Jimmy Bob, it was worth every penny.
Sam told Jimmy Bob that he wanted to talk to Bret.
"I understand. My attorney, Samuel Arn wants to talk to you." Jimmy Bob handed the receiver to him.
"Bret?" Sam asked.
"Yes."
"Sam Arn here. Judge Montgomery appointed me to represent Jimmy Bob and we're in a jam because I got him out of jail only to find out that he is destitute and has no place to go. Can you help him?"
"I just said that I would loan him a $100 that he has to repay and I will contact the attorney representing the church to see about getting his personal effects from the house."
"Okay, do you have any objection to me talking to the attorney?"
"No, that gets me out of the loop of taking and relaying messages. The attorney is Gus Douglas. He's helping me get the mess straightened out regarding the corporate status of the church and also advised us on the stolen money and how to return it," Bret said, without realizing that he had divulged some information he probably shouldn't have. Oh well.
"I'll call Gus. Can we pick up the $100 at your office?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, I'll be here for another hour. I have that much cash without having to go to the ATM.
"I'm going to call Gus and see if he's still at his office. I'll be at your office before 4:15," Sam told him.
"That's fine. I just don't want to see Jimmy Bob face-to- face," he stated.
"Not a problem. I appreciate your help this afternoon. I don't know what's going to happen right now but I'll get something worked out to help Jimmy Bob. Thanks, Bret."
They hung up. Bret suddenly felt 70 years old.
He started to the restroom and ran into Morris Johnsmore in the hall.
"Morris, would you believe that the attorney they appointed for Jimmy Bob Jones managed to get him out of jail and now he doesn't have anywhere to go?"
Morris laughed, and then Bret saw the humor in the situation and joined him.
Bret's Dad was dropping his son at St. James at the same time Craig was letting Joey out of his car. Bret Senior and Craig waved at each other, not having met, but knowing whom the other was.
"Hi, guy," Joey said, punching Bret Junior on the arm. "Are you ready to join us?"
"Yeah, if Paul will let me." Bret said.
"I'm sure you'll get in with no problem. The section you and I will be in is short on good voices, anyway. You'll be a shoo-in," Joey told him.
They walked in through the door that went past the flower room and one of the sacristies to the chancel area. They could hear Paul practicing and the sound of the organ was glorious. Joey led Bret to the organ console and they both stood there watching Paul, amazed that he knew what to do with all the knobs and buttons that seemed to be everywhere in front of him.
Paul finished the piece he was playing, then swung around on the bench to greet the two teenagers.
"Hi Bret and Joey," he offered.
They each replied, "Hi Paul."
"Bret, what experience do you have in singing and do you know your range?"
" I've been in mixed chorus for the last two years. I can read music a little, but do better if I have a strong lead like Joey close to me. We sing in the same section and sit next to each other in the chorus."
"Good. We need more people in that section here. I want you to sing some scales for me. Start softly, then the next time I want you to sing a little louder until you feel you are as loud as you can be without straining."
Paul worked with Bret for about 15 minutes, then had Joey join him in singing a couple of hymns, then singing by himself again.
"Okay, Bret. Welcome to St. James choir. If you can stay for a few minutes after the rehearsal, I'll get you outfitted with a cassock and surplice. I want you to sit on Joey's left so you will be following him in the procession coming into the chancel and ahead of him coming back out.
"A week from tomorrow is All Saints Day and we will have a solemn high mass at 6:00 in the evening. The following day, November 2nd is All Souls Day, but the choir will not sing for the 6 p.m. evening mass."
The boys nodded, Bret not sure what he was agreeing to.
"Joey, I'll turn on the lights in the nave and you walk Bret through the processional and recessional, showing him how to bow before entering the choir stalls and explain to him about going to the communion rail and how to receive the sacrament."
"Okay," Joey said.
As they started down the long aisle to the back of the nave, Joey said, "I knew you'd get in. Congratulations, pal."
Bret felt really great about this and he was excited to be with Joey and the other youth in the choir.
Joey was thrilled because one of his new pals was going to be sharing in something he loved to do and that was to be a member of the St. James men and boys choir.
(to be continued)
AUTHORS NOTE: Thanks to all of you and your concern that there hadn't been a new chapter of this story released since May 24. The number of emails had been overwhelming, most begging me not to drop the "Tale" as you put it. I can assure you that there are plenty more stories to be written. Most of you have come to love Dale, Craig, Joey and the people they encounter during their daily lives. I love them also and sometimes I have a hard time believing they are not real people in the physical sense.
As there are other things going on in my life right now, mainly the preparation of two organ recitals, my output may slow down causing chapters to be posted on other than a weekly basis - or shorter chapters.
Regardless, those of you who are on my Notification list, which includes over 350 people from all over the world, will receive "advance notice" of new postings to Nifty.
Thanks again to Paul Daventon for his help in proofing my output.