The land line phone rang for about the tenth time and I was about to let the answering machine take the call when something clicked in my awakening brain and I reached out from the warm cocoon I was swaddled in and answered the phone. The phone sat on one of my bedside cabinets in the bedroom of my apartment in Boston. The apartment actually had two bedrooms, but the second, smaller room, occupied my home office and a pullout couch for infrequent visitors who happened to stay over. I roused myself to answer the phone, wondering who would be calling this early(8am) and was relieved it was my agent, not a telemarketing call.
We exchanged pleasantries and conducted some business, then we concluded our call. I padded into the en-suite and relieved myself and climbed into the spacious shower. There I ruminated about the phone call and the ramifications of the decisions reached and how they would impact my life, and how I lived it. Refreshed and fully awake after my shower I went to the small kitchen to grab a cup of coffee and a muffin, still thinking about the phone call and the opportunities now open to me.
My agent had called to confirm that my latest novel had sold last night to the Hollywood studio that had previously bid on three of my earlier works and with the new deal I was to receive not only close to two million for the rights to the book, but a percentage of the box office. If the new movie did as well as the previous ones, that could mean about another million. My net worth as it stood that morning was about 15 million. Not bad for a 27 year old single man who had just graduated college 5 years before. I tried to think of someone I could celebrate with and kept drawing a blank. The closest people to me, at that point, were my publisher in New York and my agent, also in New York.
There just wasn't anyone close to me near where I lived. I hadn't made any close friends here where I lived, not wanting the disruptions to my routine, not trusting the emotional attachment, not willing to open myself up to the upheaval a close relationship involves. That led me to ruminate about my life and how isolated I had made myself and I resolved to change, now that I had reached what I felt was financial stability and with that I could now slow down a little and enjoy the fruits of my success. I then thought about the apartment I had existed in for the last five years. It wasn't large, just the bedrooms, the bathroom and an eat in kitchenette at one end of the small living-room. When my publisher or my agent were in town they sometimes used the pull-out in the office, but they were the only ones to have used it.
As I said I led a pretty solitary life. I knew the couple who shared the floor in a similar apartment, but although I could recognize the other tenants in the building, I didn't know their names or what they did. The same held true for me, as I lived in anonymity they couldn't know that I was a well known author, unless they had seen a televised interview or attended talks I had given at libraries across the country. So far none of my neighbors had figured me out. Occasionally, while out shopping or spending time out on the common walking or jogging, someone would approach and inquire if I was who they thought I was, and I'd usually disappoint them and explain I just looked like him. I just wasn't into seeking attention where I lived. Out of town, or in New York on business was another story. I would sign autographs and chat with fans. It was getting close to noon by now and I got up from the small table and returned to my bedroom to dress. After dressing I was still pumped and decided to bite the bullet and make contact with the one family member I still corresponded with, my Aunt Sally. She was my godmother and now in her late sixties.
When I came out to my family when I was home from college for Spring break in my sophomore year my parents disowned me and threw me out of the house with just my backpack. I think they were afraid I'd infect some of my younger brothers or something. I was nineteen and had nowhere to go, no one to run to, except Aunt Sally. She greeted me warmly and assured me my parents were complete idiots and that she loved me. My parents never cut off my college funds, I think that was because Sally had informed them, when she retrieved my other belongings the next day, that she had contributed most of the funds and I had put in the rest with earnings from my after school jobs during high-school. She had never married and she and I had settled into a comfortable life when I was home from college. We really enjoyed our times together and she was the one who cheered me on when I received my diploma upon graduation. It was she who had given me the first,last and security for the apartment in which I still lived and when I tried to re-pay her after I started working in the Boston Public Library she refused to accept it, saying that what she had fronted me was my graduation present. When I called her later she had just come home from her work at the main library on the campus of Mount Holyoke College, in our hometown of South Hadley, some 90 miles west of Boston.
During high school she had finagled me after school work there and we would work together in the afternoons, she teaching me about cataloging and shelving and other necessities of running a large college library. Every summer and vacation at college meant me spending time in that imposing structure or any one of the six or seven satellite libraries strewn across the campus. During this working arrangement she insisted I call her Sally as did most of the other employees under her care, and I do so still today. We talked for about an hour and we settled on my driving out to spend the weekend with her, there I would sit with her and explain my secret life, that as a successful author and multimillionaire.
With those plans now made I decided to stop in at my local brokerage house to bring my personal financial adviser up to date and see exactly where I currently stood financially. I called first to make sure he was available and when I told him he'd have more of my money to play with soon he encouraged me to come on by, I told him I could be there in about a half hour and he agreed to set aside some time for me. I grabbed two coffees from the deli on the corner and at the end of the next block I entered the lobby of the brokerage firm. I informed the receptionist I was there to see Harold and she buzzed his office and then told me to go right up, I was expected. Harold's secretary greeted me warmly and told me to go right in. Harold was rising from his desk chair to greet me as I came in and while we exchanged greetings I handed him the coffee procured for him. I looked him over good, since I hadn't seen him personally in months and he looked like he hadn't changed much since I first met him when my first book sold just over 5 years ago, when I had just finished my junior year of college. He always reminded me of the character Buddy from the old Dick Van Dyke TV show. Short, a little plump, receding hairline, affable and endearing, like the uncle I never had.
I filled him in on the new film contract and provided an extra copy of it I had printed from my computer after receiving signed faxed copies from my agent this morning. We went over my current accounts and I told him I was quite pleased with the way my stocks and accounts were currently doing under his guidance and we discussed what he would be doing with the additional funds he would be receiving the next week. As I was preparing to leave he handed me copies of my statements and then asked if I would be interested in investing in more real estate, something I had done a few years back when he had steered me toward a parcel of land by the turnpike exit in Western Mass., in Chicopee (near my old hometown) which had been sold to the developer of a strip mall, and I had made a small fortune on it. I told him that if it turned out like the last time to go ahead, but I didn't want to hold onto undeveloped land for a long time.
We parted and I returned to the market and did some shopping on the way home, chuckling to myself as I did because the accounts already showed just over 15 million, not including the new film rights contract. I splurged and bought a steamed lobster, something I usually saved for special occasions, and today was one of those, I supposed tomorrow (Friday) could be one too, when I drove out to visit Aunt Sally for the weekend, so while in the market I placed an order for a couple of steamed lobsters chilled and I could pick them up on my way out of town. I dropped my shopping off at my apartment, again wondering if I shouldn't look around for a condo to buy. Not that I needed the space, but there were times that being in the small apartment made me feel slightly claustrophobic, usually after a long spell at the keyboard, pounding out another chapter or two and needing to stretch and pace a bit. For now I settled on retrieving my medium sized suitcase from the storage locker on the basement level and dusted it off as I went back to my apartment.
I packed for the weekend, hoping to leave about 9:45 in the morning, arriving at Sally's about noon, chilled lobsters in hand. I arrived at her house, just three blocks from the imposing wrought iron gates of the main entrance to Mount Holyoke college, at 11:45 and was greeted warmly by my aunt. She looked suspiciously at the small cooler I carried and then I could tell she had worked it out in her head and she asked me what we were celebrating. I chuckled as we went through to the kitchen and popped open the cooler and showed her the two chilled and cooked two pound lobsters and she cooed with joy, her curiosity now aroused and she told me
it had to be great news if I had sprung for the good stuff, as she hustled about gathering
claw crackers and lobster pics and setting a fresh salad on the kitchen table, while I chuckled and agreed it would indeed be good news as I set the table and poured us each a goblet of a chilled white wine. As we cracked, picked, and otherwise removed the delicious meat from the lobster shells I filled in Sally about what had started as a term paper for an English Lit. course, and had turned into my first published novel, the summer of my Junior year, published under the pseudonym Robert Scott. She dropped her current utensil on the table, staring open mouthed at me, gasping out," You didn't, you couldn't, you're my favorite modern author, why didn't you tell me?"??? I chuckled at her reactions and answered her questions as best I could. I explained that I had started writing novels as a way to pass the time in college and that after the second had sold to a film studio, about the time I was being interviewed for the position at the Boston Public Library, I was more concerned with getting my first full time job than I was with anything else. The writing was a way to occupy my time, keeping myself entertained in my solitary existence, giving myself a creative outlet. I told her how funny I felt cataloging my own work at the Library and that for the last year and a half I had been traveling, doing book signings and sometimes speaking at library gatherings after resigning my job.
Sally told me she had requested me from my agent several times and had been told Mr. Scott wasn't available each time. She asked why I had inverted my names and I told her that I was too embarrassed to use my own name and I wanted a name I could remember, so Scott Roberts became Robert Scott, in print. Sally was very receptive and then she asked why I was telling her now. I told her about my successes and that now I felt I had achieved a certain amount of security, in fact I had come here today to pick her brain. I returned her questioning gaze with, what I hoped was my most sincere one and began to tell her that there wasn't anyone, other than my agent and my publisher, who I admired and trusted as much as I did her. That she had taken me in when my life was at it's lowest and she had taught me so much over the years, how to hold my head up, work and study habits I still used today in my writing, how to ignore the barbs of the uneducated and the bigoted, and most importantly, how to stand up for myself. I told her that she had been more of a parent to me since she took me in than either of my birth parents had ever been, that since I now could afford it I wanted to grant her her most desired wish.
With that I reached into my shirt pocket and removed the envelope there, handing it to her. Inside was an itinerary for a European tour of the great libraries of Europe and Great Britain, returning at the end of two months to Washington DC., and a private two day tour of the Library of Congress. There was also a personal check from me to cover any and all expenses. 1 million dollars. The trip was for 2, as I knew she would like to have her friend Gladys with her. I told her she would leave in one months time, when the current college semester was done, and before Summer classes started on campus. I assured her I had cleared all with her higher up at the College for both her and Gladys (who was the circulation manager at the college's main library). She sat there, clutching my hand across the table, tears streaming down her cheeks, but with a big smile on her face. She started to protest that the gifts were too, too much, but I told her there was much, much more where that came from and that what she didn't use on the trip she could use to augment her retirement income when she finally did retire from her job. Invested right she could travel as much as she wanted in her remaining good years, and live quite comfortably for the rest of it. Clipped to the check was one of Harold's business cards and a note on it that he would be in the area next week to sit with her and help her get all her financials in order before her trip even began. I then took a napkin and helped her dry her happy tears and then told her to go wash up and then give Gladys a call. While she was doing that I cleaned up the kitchen and disposed of the shells and then went in and listened in as Sally filled in Gladys about the trip. It sounded to me like they were planning their honeymoon. I suppose I should tell you that I had Aunt Sally and Gladys figured out by the time I was a freshman in high school. It was about the same time I had figured out myself. I had always wanted the closeness and friendship they showed each other, and I can remember my parents trying to limit my time spent with her. She and I would talk on the phone a couple of evenings a week and on Saturday or Sunday I would go over and help her out in the big yard behind her house. Help her is quite accurate, as she enjoyed working in the yard and garden beds as much as I. We weren't quiet gardeners, we spent hours talking about everything and anything, she was the first person I had told that I thought I was gay. She had counseled me to keep my thoughts to myself, not to let other family members know of my inclinations, especially my parents. She told me they had their suspicions about her but there was little they could say, as she was the one to help them purchase their home, not a mile away, when they were expecting me and were living in a crummy one bedroom walk up apartment across the river in Holyoke, where my father was from. My coming out to them during Spring break during my sophomore year in college was fueled totally by frustration and anger. I had not found that special person to loose my virginity to, and my 3 younger brothers had been watching a sit-com on TV that had a gay character in it. They were laughing along with the show and my father put down his beer and started to rant about their enjoyment of the show and about what a piece of crap show it was and about how all fags should be exterminated, and how he didn't want his kids being exposed to the gay agenda, especially in his own home. And my totally dominated mother piped in to agree with him. I couldn't believe what I was hearing, my homophobic father had a parrot, and it was my own mother! I couldn't hold it back any longer so I shooed the boys to their room and turned on my father and told him and my mother off in no uncertain terms, and they in turn called me every name under the sun and my father even tried to strike me, but after all the training I had done in the weight room at high school and college I guess I might have intimidated him just a little and he responded by kicking me out of the house, not even giving me enough time to pack a bag, I just grabbed my back pack that I had left by the door and drove my old beater over to Aunt Sally's where I knew I'd be welcome. I've had no contact with anyone in my immediate family since then. I have remembered my brother's birthdays, and have sent them cards and gifts at Christmas as well, all through Aunt Sally. She, in turn, has kept me abreast of their doings all along, but none of my siblings has approached me because of our parents, and the boy's fear that they also would be kicked out of their home.
Sally has talked to me a great deal about this and I can certainly see their side of things. Where I could I would give Sally money to help out the boys, money for Summer camps, school field trips, extra money for school clothes, graduation presents from one grade to the next. All through Aunt Sally. Sally had finished her talk with Gladys, and I encouraged her to invite Gladys to have dinner with us up the street at a fine college pub that we frequented often and was next door to the modern apartment building Gladys lived in, within walking distance for all of us, so a good place to celebrate. We met there, about 6pm and were seated right away in the main room. I couldn't be in there without thinking of a school pal I had starting in intermediate school, right through high school. He was the best friend I had ever had, and I admit I had the biggest crush on him all the time. He was exceedingly straight and he was the one who got me started jogging and working out with weights back when we were puny freshmen. I would tutor him and he took over my body, molding it into the body of a man, not to be trifled with, so the bookish nerd wouldn't be an object of ridicule by the neanderthals. His parents owned the general store that the pub now occupied and the beams and room layouts were exactly the same as then. He went on to a career in the Air Force and at some point married and then divorced his high school sweetheart, got married again and had a family with the new wife. I never saw him after our high school graduation. I often wonder if he has kept working out and what he'd be like as a grown up, I hope he has remained the kind and considerate person he was in school.
We enjoyed a very pleasurable meal and every so often a student or faculty member or co-worker would stop by the table and converse with Sally and /or Gladys. They in turn would always introduce me as Sally's nephew, preserving my secret identity. Dinner over we returned to Sally's where we discussed their trip and, with my permission, Sally revealed my literary identity to Gladys, thus explaining how the trip had come about. She was thrilled for us all and she was then asked by Sally if they could really make the trip their honeymoon. Gladys grabbed Sally in a very loving hug and asked if she was sure and was ready to proclaim their love to all and sundry. Sally told her it was about time, they had been in love for over twenty years and if anyone disapproved they could lump it, including the college, they could afford to retire now and with my gift it would make sense to do it while they were both
healthy enough to enjoy themselves.
That settled they then discussed when to exchange their vows. They called the chaplain at the college and told her they would like a small service sometime in the next month and she recommended the Saturday afternoon in two weeks time, they both looked to me and asked if that was alight with me and of course I agreed, then with the date set they then asked if I would stand up for them both, that they didn't want bridesmaids or anyone to walk them down the aisle, I would stand just behind them and represent both of them. They agreed to let me hire the caterer from the college's inn to prepare and serve a lavish afternoon tea after the ceremony, thus making sure all guests had departed by dinner time. The ladies then sat to settle on a guest list while I phoned the inn to make arrangements with the caterer. Thankfully they were able to provide tables and chairs suitable for the backyard and they agreed to do the clean up after. I spent a pleasant weekend with them and drove myself back to Boston on Monday morning.
We had agreed that only those two would know of my writing at that point, we had discussed it and I told the two of them that I wanted to wait until my youngest brother graduated high school before letting anyone else in on my secret. He was a junior so it was only one more school year. I had previously set up trust funds for each brother, and if they wanted to attend college they could do so, as Sally had oversight over the trusts and could disperse the funds as needed. All that the boys had been told was that Sally had connections and had procured scholarships for the two already attending UMASS in Amherst, the next town over, and according to Sally doing very well. The three boys were to be invited to the ceremony and reception, but she couldn't bring herself to include my parents, her younger sister and her husband. I spent the next two weeks working on a new book, cleaning house, buying a new suit for the wedding, and holding a writer's workshop at the main branch of the Boston Public Library, where I was once employed. The workshops were something relatively new and I hadn't done one before on my home turf, so the attendees got Scott Roberts instead of Robert Scott, acclaimed novelist. It all went quite well though. I'd led seminars and computer training courses during my employment at the library and I did have a handle on the writing game, even if the attendees didn't have written proof of that in front of them. Tuesday of the second week I received a call from Sally, asking if I could possibly do the happy couple a huge favor. They wanted to ask if I would stay at their house while they were away. Gladys had already moved into the house and the ladies didn't want to leave the house empty for two months and two weeks. They thought they had a house sitter lined up, but the student's plans had changed, thus their request to me. I told them I'd be delighted to, that I hadn't scheduled anything for the summer months, other than a few overnights here or there, but nothing that would impede my house sitting duties. Actually I was going great guns on the new book and I can write anywhere, as long as I kept to my writing regiment and had my notebooks and lap top. I can always workout at the college gym, or go to one of the many fitness centers, affiliated with my gym in Boston, that were in the area. So it was set, when I arrived for the wedding I would stay with the ladies, perform my duties at the chapel, host the reception, stay one more night, and return to Boston on Sunday. Two weeks from then I would return to take up my house sitting duties and stay in their home for 2 months and just over 2 weeks. I had checked with my agent and he had already cleared my Summer schedule, but there would be a busy Fall to make up for all the placid Summer days.
Everything went as planned, the chapel was beautiful anyway, but decked out with gobs of fresh flowers it was stunning. The place was full, I mean there was standing room only! There wasn't any traditional music played on the massive old organ, instead the organist played the college's song for the processional and the march up the aisle, after the vows, was just like in the movie Love Actually. I had contacted the music department and arranged for several student musicians to be scattered through the room, mingling with the attendees, and a female soloist to sing to the very happy couple as they made their way to the front doors through the clapping throng of students, faculty, staff and friends invited. I drove my aunts to their house where we were greeted by the caterer and his staff, and we formed a small receiving line at the side entrance to the back yard, welcoming the guests for the reception. Quite a few of the Library staff I knew from my frequent stints there during vacations and school holidays. More than ¾ down the line were three very good looking young men. They were all blushing like crazy and were nervously chatting with the Dean of students and her husband who were just ahead of them in line and a couple of the female student volunteers from the Library who were behind them. The closer they got the more nervous they, and I, became. These were my brothers, who I'd been separated from for 8 years. As I finished greeting the Dean and her husband I felt myself engulfed in a massive 4 way hug, tears streaming down our cheeks. Tears of joy, tears of regret, tears of lost chances, tears of rejoicing in our being together in one place again. The Aunts saw all this and through their own tears the smiled and caressed our backs and shoulders, urging us to continue our reunion, but maybe inside the house would be more private for us. So into the large formal living room we went. We got close to caught up in a short amount of time. Harry was 20 and was finishing his sophomore year at UMAS Amherst where James was finishing his freshman year at 18. Our youngest brother, Thomas, was 16 and finishing his junior year of high school. We exchanged hugs and went back outside to the reception tea and I asked the boys if they could join us for dinner after and Harry said that they had told the folks they were spending the day at a near-by recreation park with a group of friends and they probably wouldn't be home until very late so all was well, we weren't going to dinner anywhere we'd be likely to run into our parental units or anyone they knew. We were seated with our aunts at a head table and the boys were all in a very good mood and showed their love for both of them, along with a lot of teasing about waiting over 30 years to make sure they were really meant for each other! As predicted the crowd started to dwindle after 4pm and by 6 only the caterers and we 5 remained. We then went inside and used the restrooms and the ladies removed their corsages to preserve them and we then went out to Sally's SUV and I drove us all to dinner at a very nice restaurant in neighboring Amherst. We had a really nice meal and had a wonderful time getting to know each other again. After dinner we returned to Sally and Gladys' home and the guys changed out of their suits and put on casual clothes for their return home. I had told them I'd be house sitting here while the ladies were away on their trip and we all agreed to get together during that time. We hugged our goodbys and the boys returned home and I went to my third floor rooms (a converted attic that Sally had renovated into a bedroom, a bath, and a small study when I moved in with her after I had been kicked out of my parents home)after wishing the ladies a good night and my best wishes for their union. They thanked me profusely for all I had done and we called it a night and I went up and made myself comfortable in my old digs. I thought a lot that night, about how I felt about my reunion with my brothers (ecstatic!!!), about the wedding ceremony(if truth be told, jealous!!), about coming home here to stay for a little over 2 months(scared, but I couldn't decide why, after all I hadn't spent that much time here since college vacations, and I wasn't alone then, Sally was always here then and I had temp work at the library to occupy me) but I reasoned that I had my book to work on, I knew the neighborhood and the neighbors, I knew where the shops were, yes, I'd have to drive everywhere, no trams or subways in this small New England college town, but I'd be able to explore and see things and places I remembered from years ago, some I had used in my books. Needless to say, it was some time before I fell asleep, but it was a good sleep, and I awoke reaching for one of my notebooks to quickly jot down some notes from dreams or remembrances before I forgot them. I do this quite often and find these notes can lead to either a new novel or they can help flesh out the story line in a work in progress. I then used the bathroom and then dressed and went down to start breakfast. I had intended to make breakfast for the three of us, but when I got down to the kitchen I found instead the ladies had already done so. We shared an enjoyable meal, agreed to meet again in two weeks time so I could drive them to the airport and they could begin their journey. Once again I returned to my solitary existence, not entirely unhappy to do so. It was a lot of people to deal with in such a short amount of time. The joy of seeing my aunt wed and knowing my actions had been a catalyst to the proceedings was gratifying to say the least, and the extreme pleasure of being reunited with my brothers was the icing on the cake, so to speak. Two days later I received a request for a meet and greet with a small speech to a group of fans and expectant writers at the main branch of the New York Public Library. It seems their scheduled author had been arrested and detained while in Mexico over the weekend, and they were in dire need of a replacement.
They thought that since my last appearance there had gone so well and that I was relatively close, I might be able to do this for them. I phoned my agent right away and told him I had received his e-mail and that I would do the appearance. He thanked me and said he'd notify the library right away so they could change their advertising and hopefully get more of my interested readers to attend on such short notice. All went well with my visit to the Big Apple and to my surprise there were hundreds of my loyal readers in attendance.
I had a great time talking to my readers, sometimes I found myself writing something and I'd think about something a reader mentioned and it could enhance or completely change what I was about to write down in my story. This was another instance where having a notebook close by came in handy. Both a publisher's rep and an assistant to my agent came by and we talked together for about 20 minutes during one of my breaks and I reminded them both about no bookings for the Summer and both chuckled that they had been warned, but also that I'd have a fairly busy Fall. When I returned to Boston I realized, sitting on the train, that several times during the day I had been getting hit on. I know, call me slow, but it finally dawned on me that if I had had a chance to get to know the men better, I might have finally got laid. I prefer to think of it as a bad case of arrested development, or badly mal-functioning gaydar, or in this case delayed reaction. At any rate by the time the train arrived in Boston I had worked myself up to being especially horny, which doesn't happen to me often, so on my way home I stopped at my favorite dirty book store to see if there was anything new there that might satisfy me tonight. There is a prurient delight in any book store, but dirty books can sometimes arouse you just by looking at the covers. I was browsing in the gay book section when I noticed the clerk re-stocking the gay DVD shelves. When he finished I strolled over and found 3 that piqued my interest and I took them to the counter and purchased them from the mildly interested clerk. He attempted to appear interested in the sale but neither his, nor my, heart just wasn't in it.
After dinner that evening, and having gotten settled back in I took myself to the bedroom to screen the new DVD s. I'd hoped to find at least one scene in each with which to get off to to make their purchase worth while, and to my pleasure I was ready to pop for the first time during the end of the first movie. I slowed the fast forward to the regular speed as the last scene opened and a tall, muscular coach entered his weight room and confronted two somewhat muscular students and the scene evolved with the students nursing on their coach's prominent nips and progressing downward to his rather large cock, licking, sucking, and nursing on it as one of them moved to the rear and spreading those tight glutes he proceeded to eat the coach's ass like he hadn't eaten in a week. The coach then returned the favor by bending both students over a low pommel horse and rimming them both and then breeding them both for what seemed like an hour each. Both students showed their appreciation by coming hands free while being bred and by cleaning off the cock that had bred them with their mouths at the same time. Coach liked that a lot and came again in their mouths to show his gratitude. He then took them into the gang shower room and proceeded to wash them well, so when he bred them again there they'd be all slippery and any excess cum would wash down the drain.
I felt very relaxed after my second eruption while watching all the muscles at play in the movie, and considered this first one a good buy. The others would have to wait for another time. I awoke refreshed, although a little later than I usually do. There wasn't much to do until my muse hit me so I had a coffee while reading the paper and then went to the Public Garden and after stretching, completed my usual 5 mile jog/run before going to the gym and torturing myself with the lower body workout I missed the other day because of the trip to NY.,
I threw in a few upper body routines just to keep everything tight and sore for the next few hours. As I was leaving I noticed a copy of my latest novel on the reception desk, and my trainer was there signing people in and out. Ben looked up and said that he'd checked me off the list and then tapped the book and asked if I had ever read any of Robert Scott's books and that he really enjoyed how the author included people of all walks of life and the tribulations and trials they dealt with in their lives. I responded that indeed, I was familiar with his works and Ben then said that with the similarity of our names he didn't doubt it, and wondered which one I liked best. I replied that I always had liked the first one, but I always enjoyed finishing the new ones. I told Ben that I had heard someplace that the new one, due out in the early fall, had already been sold to a movie studio. Ben grinned at that and said he'd be sure to look for the book and no doubt would enjoy the next movie as much as the previous ones. We exchanged farewells and I said I'd see him soon, then I remembered my house sitting duty, to start the next week. I asked Ben if he could recommend a gym in the area I was going to be staying in, hopefully one that had reciprocity with this gym. He went on the company computer there at the desk and in a few moments he came to me with a printout of about 10 gyms, there was one in So Hadley, right in the shopping area off the Village Common, across from the college entrance. He pointed out that that one was new, and he heard that a lot of the college crowd used that one, or the one 15 miles away up in Amherst. I thanked him for the list and told him I'd see him before I left.
I returned home and prepared a light lunch and cleaned up after it. While in the shower I remembered that on one of the new DVD s that I hadn't watched there was, according to the cover, a gang shower scene in a gym. I started to chub up so I rinsed off and towel dried and went to the bedroom to investigate disc #2. The new disc was just as entertaining as the first.
Several well muscled men and teens were working out in the gym, with the older hotties lending an instructive hand to the younger set. Everything from the proper positions doing curls to how to squat on a really hard bare dick. The boys lapped up the instructions while the older hunks encouraged them with a lot of anal tongue lashings and stiff ones to help the youngsters maintain an erect position during all the exercises performed in groups of 2,3,and 4. The gang shower scene provided several guys the opportunity to make sure their shower buddy was completely clean, inside and out. After my bit of afternoon delight and a quick relaxing shower I was able to knock off 2 more chapters on my new book. I even remembered to leave a forwarding notice with the postman for my extended stay at home. I also left a note for the couple down the hall, informing them that I could be reached by phone(cell) or e-mail and my expected return date. Since we were the only tenants on this floor we had always tried to let the other know of any extended leaves for security reasons. That done I was left with cleaning out the fridge and doing laundry so I could pack after the gym the day after tomorrow and leave for the aunts the following morning.
The drive that Friday on the turnpike went smoothly, the weather was great and the traffic was minimal, just the way I liked it. I exited in Holyoke and drove through it's northern end to reach the bridge for route 202 and took the first exit after the bridge over rt 116,Newton Street. I traveled north up 116 and within minutes I arrived at my destination, the big old house on the hill, just a short walk from the campus and the shops alongside the town common. The house was a very large Victorian with enclosed porches and a turret. The grounds were extensive in the rear, but the front and side sat way above the road and offered great views from the side rooms of the house. My rooms on the third floor had a couple of dormers and from them I could look down and see almost to the Connecticut river. I could also see my parents house three blocks away, just past the intermediate and grade schools.
When I was still in college I could have spied on them, if I had had a telescope, but now the intervening trees had matured and it was only the roof I could see. There really was no need to snoop anymore, the only people I wanted to see from that house were my brothers and I had cell numbers for each programed in my phone and with care we could talk whenever we wanted, in fact, we were supposed to get together on Sunday for dinner, just us four brothers. The aunts greeted me warmly, and insisted on taking me to dinner at Dockside, a great restaurant, riverside, at a distant cousin's marina at the edge of what used to countryside in our small town, but had a few newer developments on former fields and pastures. We had a great time and during dessert a middle aged couple and their college aged daughter stopped by my chair and quietly asked for my autograph. They were being so polite and unobtrusive that I felt obligated to do so, the aunts already knew of my alias and what I had achieved with it, so I obliged them and signed the proffered napkins for them. The aunts got a kick out of it and I explained that in my own home state I usually didn't acknowledge fans, but they were so polite about it, and they were from another state, just picking up their daughter at the end of the semester. We thought that was the end of it but as we prepared to get up from the table my distant cousin Frank, the marina owner, rose from his bar stool at the
other end of the dining area and made his way over to us. He wasn't drunk, but he
wasn't entirely sober either. He shook my hand and greeted my aunts and then asked what was up with the autographs he had seen me signing. I knew he couldn't have heard what was said, so I just told him they thought I was someone famous and so I made them happy by giving them the signatures. He laughed and said he'd probably do the same himself. I told him it was good to see him again, and that I'd be around for a few months so I'd probably see him around sometime soon. He responded likewise and the aunts and I left for home. Sally and I had to fill in Gladys about Frank being quite a bit older than me and he was the son of my father's only male cousin, who had died a few years ago leaving the marina to Frank. As far as I knew Frank himself had a son who would be about 20 or 21 now and that Frank's wife had run off about 10 or twelve years ago, leaving Frank and his son Caleb to fend for themselves. The next day, Saturday, I dropped the ladies off at the airport for the first leg of their journey and as I returned I stopped at a large grocery in Springfield to stock up and some spacial shopping for the dinner with my brothers. I drove home and remembered to check the mailbox on my way in.
The mail was all for the ladies, but there was one envelope for me. It was from Harold and it was information on a farm on the outskirts of Amherst, abutting the boundary with my hometown. It was about 100 acres and had several newer buildings on it as there had been a bad fire there 7 years ago and the owners had rebuilt the main house, the foreman's cottage and two barns and the chicken coop. There was a small pond on the property and Harold thought if I purchased it, made a few improvements, like solar power and connected to town sewer and water, he might be able to market it to UMASS as a division of their agricultural program. He said in the cover letter that the owners were in no hurry, but were open to an offer, He told me that he had spoken to them and they were agreeable to having me come look over the place while I was in the area. I'd always liked the area this farm was in, rolling fields, orchards, pumpkin patches, roadside stands. Beautiful views of the Mount Holyoke mountain range, and wonderful cross country skiing and sledding in the Winter. I thought it might make a good investment so I left the letter and the enclosed real estate listing fact sheets on top of the desk with my laptop in the little study on my floor of this house.
By now it was mid afternoon and I felt in need of a run. I changed into running gear, stashed my phone, wallet, and keys in my fanny pack and went outside to start my warm up exercises. As I was about ready to take off my cell rang and I retrieved it and found my brother Harry on the other end. He asked if he was interrupting anything and I said no, I was just about to set off on a jog and he asked for how far and I told him about five miles, to the marina and back and he said he was up on the common and would like to join me and he'd see me in about 10 minutes when I passed the common on my way. I agreed, already heading in the direction and then returned the phone to the pack and took off up the road.
I spotted Harry before he saw me, he was talking to someone about his own age as they both appeared to be warming up to join me. I took in that both young men were quite fit, and really good looking. The passing female students certainly noticed, and some of the male ones as well. There was a public works truck at the end of the common, repairing some of the benches scattered along the walkways of the common. Several of the workers were talking with Harry and his companion, their bantering friendly and joyous. As I neared the young man with Harry noticed my arrival and he stood upright and just stared at me. By the time I reached them it was obvious he had grown a chubby looking at me approaching, and to be honest, he was having a bit of the same affect on me. He was quite fit and his singlet was molded to his prominent chest and his washboard abs could be counted through the material. His running shorts were worn over the singlet, but the growing bulge could not be ignored. I could tell he was uncut just by looking. Harry wasn't any slouch either and he smiled widely as he saw me approaching. He came forward and clasped my had and told me it was good to see me, and that he hoped I'd be able to keep up with them. He then introduced me to Caleb, one of his friends he rode to college with during the school week. I turned to shake Caleb's hand and told him it was great to see him again.
He looked startled, and asked what I meant, he couldn't remember meeting me before. I told him his father was a second or third cousin on my father's side and when I was about five or six I met him(as an infant)at the marina one day, and later, while I was in high school just about every time we went to the marina I'd let him tag along and help me fish, either from one of the docks or from the riverbanks. He looked up at me and said he was sorry he didn't recognize me, but I certainly hadn't looked this good, or big back then. Harry walked up then and told me that during the last summer he and Caleb had worked with this town works crew and he wanted me to meet them. We all walked over and Harry (proudly) introduced me to the men from the work crew, one of which I had known in high school. He commented that I must still be weight training and he suggested that I go to his gym while I was in town, the gym here at the shops at the common. I told Jeff I had already made sure it was connected to my gym in Boston, and that I was sure I'd see him there at some point, he said he hoped so, eying me up and down scratching his left pec with his right hand as he did so. We said our goodbys and started our run, not having cooled off too badly. We made good time and during our run I occasionally would drop back and admire Caleb's perfect bubble butt and I know he did the same a few times to me also. Harry was one of those guys who liked to talk and run. He told me that even though Caleb had been ahead of him in high school he had always gone out of his way to be friendly and to include him in any activities he or his friends were involved with, like attending home or away games for the baseball, basketball or football teams, going to the mall in Holyoke to hang out, or just kicking around with a bunch of friends at one of their homes or pools. When we reached the marina we decided to grab water bottles and it was while we were hydrating that Frank, Caleb's father, walked up to us. He shook hands all around and then teased Caleb by asking how he liked running with his old fishing buddy. Caleb blushed as his father told me that every time I let Caleb fish with me all he'd hear for days after was Scott this and Scott that. We all chuckled at that and Harry, who had often gone fishing with me, said It was certainly an education fishing with me, as I knew about all the different kinds of fish, where to find them, and what to use as bait. We stretched again, as some of our return had some pretty steep hills, and departed the marina and made a rather circuitous return to route 116 and the big house on the hill. Once home I offered the others water or another cool drink and Harry excused himself, saying he had to return home to get cleaned up, he had a dinner date with his girlfriend and he'd best not be late. I told Caleb I could drop him off at home later if he wanted so he agreed to stay and Harry went off to pick up his car which he had left in the parking lot of the shops at the common, a short walk or jog up the street. Caleb and I cooled off out back and I went inside and snagged 2 beers. We talked for a while and still warm I removed my tank top. I heard a sharp intake of breath and Caleb just sat there staring at my very developed upper body, I thought he had started to drool, but maybe it was just a little beer foam at the corned of his mouth.
Whatever it was I was tempted to go over to him and lick it off. What I did do was to scoot my lounge chair closer to his and when I sat back down I let my myself stretch out a bit and flexed my abs and pecs. I wasn't new to flirting, but I was hot for this younger stud. It was a hot day and we had run for over five miles and damn it, I was horny! And pumped. I found Caleb extremely attractive, muscular but built on a smaller scale than I was, his skin was unblemished, the package he was displaying was a real good size, and the way he looked at me with those green eyes and his sandy hair all mussed from the heat and our run, he was, I thought, just what I had been waiting for, if he was as versatile as I hoped he was. I suggested, a little hoarsely, that he remove the singlet, and just wear his running shorts, that he would cool off faster that way. He asked if I minded if he did it right there and I told him it was up to him, the yard had no sight lines to any other house and I told him that if he went into the house to change then I couldn't watch. The smile I received was worth a million dollars. I did think to tell him something first. I told him I found him extremely attractive, and I kind of picked up that he felt the same about me, but I was honest and told him I had been waiting, since high school and my parents found gay porn on my computer and banished me from their house, to find the right person to experience man to man sex with and that I hoped I hadn't just scared him away, but I was hoping for a lifetime lover, a soul mate, that I didn't believe in sleeping around, I wanted someone I could spent my life with. He stood between our two loungers, looking down at me and said that he felt the same. He was tempted at the huge campus for UMASS that he attended, that the one time he had traded blow jobs with someone in their dorm he was crushed
when the guy didn't seem to want another
"date" with him, so he hadn't tried again. He felt now that he'd known me all his life, he was extremely attracted to me, and he was prepared to be as versatile as he could to make sure we both had a fantastic sex life. With that he removed his running shoes and socks, dropped his running shorts, and allowed me to see his hard cock, barely restrained by the Lycra of his singlet. He turned and I could see the muscles of his glutes fight against the restraint of his singlet. He reached up to the straps as he slowly turned around, and by the time he was facing me again the peeled down singlet was to his knees, giving me an unobstructed view of his now fully erect cock, pointed right at me, his hairless balls, slapping his large, very muscled thighs. As I gazed upon him a drop of precum formed at the slit of his cock head, now fully exposed from his foreskin. God, he was beautiful. He kicked off his singlet and reached for his running shorts and held them out towards me, asking, without speaking, if he should put them on. All I did, since I couldn't form words at that moment, was to hold out my arms and smiled up at him. He came to me, naked as the day he was born, and I found myself trying to devour him with my mouth. The only thing that saved him from being totally devoured was that he in turn was trying to take inventory of my teeth with his tongue at the same time, in fact we tongue wrestled for some time until I decided that it just wasn't fair that he could be undressed and I wasn't. I took one of his hands and grabbed my tank top and his clothing and we went up to my rooms on the third floor.
We fell onto the bed and continued our explorations, by mouth and hands, on the rest of our well muscled bodies. I was just going to ask if I could rim him when he quietly asked if we could frot, he had read in gay stories that most couples started making love that way, so we did, with him reclining on my larger and longer body and as we started out slowly grinding ourselves against each other, the sweat we produces helped to lubricate our bodies and there didn't appear to be any friction as we worked ourselves into a mind blowing orgasm. I held him tightly to me as he slid up a little and started nursing on my heaving pecs, bringing my large nipples to peaks that felt like the nipples on a baby's bottle by the time we erupted, shooting onto each other several spurts of warm cum, which we had ground together to make a mixture of our emissions which we shared by scooping some up with our fingers and feeding each other our mixture. We fell asleep like that, glued together, arms on each others sides, him using my hard chest as his pillow, his tongue, when he licked his lips, would caress my left nipple. I never felt so contented or at peace in my life as I did in that moment. Caleb looked the same, sleeping like a baby at this moment in time. When we awoke about an hour later it was to the symphony of our stomachs grumbling. We chuckled as we smiled at each other, and I asked if he could stay for dinner, or longer. Caleb smiled down at me and whispered, "I'm in love with you, are you telling me you can cook also?" I assured him I could, and that I could wash as well and with that I picked him up and carried him into the shower in my bathroom and began to clean him head to toe. He proved to me he indeed had cleaning skills as well and we dried each other, staling kisses when we could.
The kisses lasted while we both prepared dinner, and while we ate side by side at the kitchen table, bare legs and arms connecting with each mouthful. After cleaning up the kitchen Caleb asked if we could drive to his apartment to get clothes and his toiletries. I assured him it would be doable, and my pleasure, did he want to go in my little car or should we take Sally's big SUV? We actually went in the car he had left in the parking lot at the commons. I had lent him a t shirt and underwear and he wore his jogging shorts so we strolled up to the common and gathered his car. His apartment was small, really no more than an efficiency, in the attic of a carriage house on the other side of rt 116 from Sally and Gladys and down a few blocks. He told me it was offered to him by the widow of a patron of the marina's, she felt safer with a male college student on the property, someone who had ties to the town, someone she had watched grow up. I encouraged Caleb to pack a medium sized suitcase and to let his landlady know he'd be gone for a while but if she needed him he was close and to call him on his cell phone. He went to the back door of her house and rang the bell there. She came to the door and I recognized her immediately, she had been my English teacher in high school, now retired for the last 4 years. Caleb greeted her and made to introduce us, but I side stepped Caleb and she came up to me and gave me a big hug. I said to Caleb, that we've known each other for many years, she inspired me in her English classes in high school and introduced me to great literature, she and Sally were the guides who brought me to where I am today. Mrs. Fields was a true guide to my writing career and I was itching to tell just how successfully she had guided me, but when we made to leave she hugged me again and whispered to me that she had guessed my secret and was happy for my success. I was surprised to say the least, but I whispered back to her that I hadn't told anyone else but Sally and Gladys yet, she winked at me, letting me know my secret was safe, but I knew I'd have to fess up soon, plus I didn't think it wise to start a relationship with one partner not knowing the other is an unemployed librarian and a successful author. I resolved to correct that tonight, just in case it scared Caleb off.
I realized if I did tell Caleb it would also make sense to tell my brother as well, they had proven to me they could handle it, after all it was my parents I had been hiding from all these years and my brothers hadn't told them about reconnecting with me, and If they did I couldn't see anything they could do or say that would make any difference now. When we had gotten Caleb settled in my room I took him by the hand and led him to the back patio, and the lounge chairs from earlier. I sat in one and pulled him in front of me, and he settled in front of me with his back to my front and I encircled him with my arms and told him I had a secret to tell him. I also told him I thought it was a good secret after I felt him stiffen in my arms. So I began to tell him how I began writing in college and why I kept it a secret, and how I had inverted my names to create Robert Scott and how now with the writing and movie deals, I was very successful. I told him that my brothers were going to have to be told soon and that I wanted him by my side when I did, and I wanted him there by my side every day of our lives. He struggled loose in my arms and he lay with me chest to chest and kissed me asking me if we were engaged or something now. I loved it, being a prominent author was OK, but he wanted to know about us, and I knew then that I loved him, and that love would only grow. I responded that indeed, if he cared for me the way I cared for him, then yes, I think we are engaged. Our lovemaking that night was great and exciting. He let me rim him and I thought I'd died and went to heaven, he did apparently also and after about 10 minutes he begged me to fuck him, so I did, loosening him carefully and using lots of lube I made love to him, he came after I teased his prostate repeatedly and after about 30 or so strokes he was shooting between us as I ground into him while we were swapping spit and tongue dueling. We both dozed for a while and the when we awoke I encouraged him to penetrate me as well. I told him not to worry, like him I had often used a dildo on myself and I didn't think I'd need a whole lot of prep, just use a lot of lube, and take it kind of slow at first. He did and we had the same results this time as before. We talked after and we agreed that there was initially a spark of pain upon entrance, but soon that was replaced by wonderful pleasure, a feeling of connection to the one we loved. It made for a wonderful nights sleep. In the morning Caleb asked when I was going to reveal all to my brothers and I replied that if it was alright with him why didn't he call Harry and invite them to dine with us either tonight or whenever all three could come together.
He thought it was a good plan and he pulled out his cell and called Harry. They chit chatted for a while and I heard him say that he loved me. I also heard him say the feeling were reciprocated, but that wasn't why he was calling and they went on to agree to coming for dinner as the parental units were going on a bus trip to the casino in Connecticut and wouldn't be home until very late. When they arrived later that afternoon I was greeted with hugs as was Caleb, and all the boys had knowing looks on their faces. Sixteen year old Tom asked if I had anything to tell them? Since they knew I was gay, and that was why I had been expelled from the family, I knew what he was hinting at so I told them. Holding Caleb's hand I told my brothers that I had found my love and that he had agreed to be my spouse, that we would be husbands, as soon as we worked out living arrangements since Caleb still had one more year at UMASS, and I wasn't doing the long distance thing. The guys were a little surprised, but I realized they didn't know the rest of the story yet. So we sat around the kitchen table and I filled them in. I started with the story I wrote in college that got published and the following six novels and of course their success. The boys had all seen the four movies and one of my books had even been required reading in Jim's freshman American Lit course this past Spring. I told them I
had another book coming out in September
and I'd have to do some traveling for interviews but that it would all be under the Robert Scott persona. Tom piped up and asked a question that I'm sure the others wanted to ask, but hadn't. He asked if I was now rich and was that why I had resigned from my job. I sat back in my chair and turned to Harry and Jim and asked how they were paying for college. The guys looked at each other surprised by the question and then Harry answered that they each had received a scholarship that covered everything. I responded that what they really got was funds from a trust fund I had set up for them with Aunt Sally as the executor and that there was one already set up for when Tom went to college, and that soon there would be one for Caleb, to help cover his last year and any post graduate work he wanted to do, just as their trusts did. I wasn't rich I told them, I was wealthy, I just didn't like to live like it. The four younger men just sat there with their mouths hanging open, until Harry and then all four of them engulfed me in a group hug and peppered me with cheek kisses and thanks, all except Caleb, he planted one on my lips with my brothers giggling behind us. He whispered to me I didn't have to do that, that he could continue to work to pay his own way, and I responded by telling him that each hour he had to work meant an hour we couldn't spend together. He gazed into my eyes and gave his head a nod, he understood where I was coming from.
The next question was from Jim, he wanted to know when we(Caleb and I)were getting hitched, and where we were going to live. Caleb took that one, saying that we wanted the aunts to be home for the ceremony and that we hadn't had a chance to discuss living arrangements as yet. By the time we had finished dinner the brothers had run out of questions for each other, for the time being. We all said our good nights, and Caleb and I told them we'd get together again soon. After the boys took off we cuddled together on the couch in front of the TV and caught the late news and then closed up the downstairs and retired to the third floor rooms and had a rousing rumpy bumpy session, just so we'd have a good nights sleep mind you.
Monday morning over breakfast Caleb and I talked about the trust fund I was setting up for him and I asked him to plan on giving his notice for his Summer job he was to start next week. He sat at the table to write out his resignation and I went to my little study on the third floor and called Harold to get the ball rolling on this the fourth trust fund covering all college expenses and a weekly allowance. Harold was glad to hear from me, but a little disappointed when I told him I hadn't even driven past the property he had asked me to look at. I assured him I would do that soon and we concluded our call. I then located the property information and called the owners to see if Caleb and I could view the farm that afternoon. Mr. Snyder said that would be fine with both he and his wife and they'd look for us anytime after 1:30pm. I thanked him and told him we'd see them shortly. By then Caleb had finished his letter and we faxed it from my machine in the study. We had a quick lunch and cleaned up after ourselves and then left for the farm.
The drive was up rt 116 over the mountain and down the other side and a sharp right into the countryside. If we had continued straight on 116 we would have ended up at the UMASS campus where Caleb and two of my brothers attended classes. We had passed Hampshire College and would have passed Amherst College had we continued straight. About a mile down the road we were on we saw the farm we were looking for, the mailbox on the left side of the road at the corner of the road and the paved drive into the property.
It was like a Currier and Ives print. The big white farmhouse on one side of the drive and the huge red barn and it's outbuildings opposite and down the drive a little way. The drive split and one branch curved around in front of the house and ended in a wide paved pad in front of a rather large 6 car garage attached to the house by an enclosed walkway. The house itself was a huge Colonial with a wraparound porch on the first floor and a roofed balcony on the second, as wide as the front of the house. According to the paperwork the house had just over 6 thousand 500 square feet. As we parked in the curved drive in front of the porch stairs an older couple came out the front door of the house and stood on the top stair to await our arrival up the stairs to greet them. The Snyder s were a lovely old couple, about the age of Aunt Sally or a bit older. I introduced Caleb and myself, saying that Harold had sent me to see the property and he had hoped it would be a good investment for me.
Mr. Snyder looked me over good and said surely I was looking for my parents. I gently told him the property would be mine and my parents were no longer in the picture, and that I made a decent living and had saved since I had started working. He stated that he was expecting to get at least a million for the property, and I looked him in the eye and told him to show me why it was worth that amount of money. It appeared to be that and more. The house had 16 rooms and an unfinished basement and attic, seven bedrooms with adjoining baths and a working mans bath in the hall off the kitchen, and three other full bathrooms and two half baths. The house and outbuildings, including the huge barn, had been built 10 years ago after a fire had demolished the originals. Mr. Snyder pointed out the hand crafted trim and moldings throughout the house and the ten working fireplaces. There wasn't a squeak from any of the hardwood floors on either floor and the bathrooms appeared modern and stylish. The kitchen/family room took up the whole rear portion of the first floor, with huge french doors along the wide back wall giving access to a very large flagstone patio and a really good sized in ground swimming pool with a retractable cover that looked like a greenhouse when fully expanded. The kitchen area was larger than the kitchen in Sally's house and was equipped with every modern appliance. Upstairs the master bedroom had a large walk-in closet and a working fireplace in a nice sitting area in the very spacious room. It was the only room on the floor with access to the balcony over the front porch. The remaining six bedrooms were off a central hall and were all roomy and beautifully appointed, as was the rest of the home. While we were walking through the huge barn Caleb mentioned he had counted ten horse stalls, but didn't see any horses, or for that matter any livestock. Mr. Snyder then told us he had gotten too old for the horses and cattle, he did keep chickens and did lease out several acres of grazing pastures to a neighboring farmer, but that farmer was ready to retire also, so at the moment there were no livestock on either farm. During our tour Mr. Snyder put us in an ATV and drove to the pond. It was a beautiful spot with views like from the house, looking down the length of the mountain range and mature trees scattered around the perimeter of the pond. While returning to the house Mr. Snyder told us that the neighboring farm was smaller, about 500 acres and had most of it's fields planted in corn and pumpkins for one of the big supermarkets in the area. He also said they had apple and pear orchards there. Their asking price was only 500 thousand and the house and barns were much smaller and much older. When we arrived back to the Snyder's house Mrs. Snyder had coffee and cookies laid out on the kitchen table. They talked to us about the last several years and how they made money by renting out rooms to grad students and that they had never had children of their own. They wanted to retire to Arizona where friends of theirs had moved to. I asked if they were selling the house furnished and if all the equipment and vehicles we had seen were also included and after they conferred they said for the right price everything but their clothing and some pots and pans were included in the selling price. I then made them a conditional offer. I told them that as long as the appraisal and house and out buildings inspection met my approval I would pay them one million, one hundred thousand for the property and if they would get in touch with their neighbors for me I'd also like to see that property now as I thought I'd like to not have strangers living so close. The rest of the Snyder's farm was boarded by state park land and couldn't be built on. The stunned couple conferred again and Mrs. Snyder smiled and said it was a done deal and handed me their kitchen phone and told me their neighbor was on the line. I spoke briefly and we arranged for Caleb and I to stop there in about a half hour or so. I then took out my cell and talked to Harold, explaining what I needed done and after getting the Snyder's fax number he had a contract faxed in 15 minutes and I gave the Snyder's a personal check for a hundred thousand as earnest money to seal the deal. With the signed contracts signed and a receipt for the earnest money we agreed on a formal closing in two weeks time. Mr. Snyder still looked skeptical, until, with a nod from me, Caleb took him aside and told him who I was. Both Snyder s gave us thankful handshakes as we left and we told them we'd see them at closing and to be sure to let us know if there were any problems with the inspections Harold was going to schedule, hopefully this week. Caleb looked inquiringly at me as we drove to the next farm. All I said was I knew what I wanted, and he had told me in the barn what a great house the Snyder's had and that he could just see us in that master bedroom, and now he would, because I had told Harold to put the property in both our names, happy wedding present early stud. He was stunned, and quite
happy as we entered the next property.
The next farm was quite a bit smaller but the house was solid and the barn and out buildings were as well, but several gallons of paint would do the place a world of good, The owners wife had passed years ago and the condition of the whole place looked it. The owner wanted to sell out and move to Florida. He said everything was included and he wanted 700 thousand for everything and the 500 acres. After our tour we sat on the front porch of the 8 room house with three bathrooms, not much of it modernized, but I did notice that there was city water and sewer, which would make hooking up the previously seen property much easier and cheaper. I offered 475 thousand and we haggled a bit and we settled on 510 thousand. Harold was called and we went into the owner's small office and transacted our deal on the contracts faxed over by Harold and then signed and faxed back to him. I gave another earnest money check and we agreed to close on the property at the same time as the closing on the Snyder property. On the way home Caleb just stared at me for a while and then said he'd never seen anything like it, the way I just spent over a million and a half in the course of three hours, I chuckled and told him not to get used to it, it wouldn't happen again any time soon I should think. I did ask if he was happy, and he told me he couldn't wait 'til bedtime to show me just how happy he was. I couldn't wait to show him how happy I was too.
The aunts called on Sunday to let us know how their journey was progressing and I told them my news, that Caleb and I had found each other and that we were waiting on them to come home so we could get married. I also told them about the properties we had purchased and that we would be taking possession very soon, but we were intending to guard their house as well. They told me to ask Harry if he'd like to live there until they returned if Caleb and I wanted to move to the new house and I told them we'd see how things worked out, and we'd keep in touch by e-mail about the situation. We all wished each other well and the call was ended. Caleb and I drove into Springfield on Monday and we each purchased each other bands with a small diamond inset into the gold band. When we got home we "presented" them to each other, each keeping separate the matching wedding band to be exchanged at our ceremony. Since we were going to be now wearing our "engagement" rings, Caleb thought it might be a good idea to break our news to his father, who by the way, knew Caleb was gay and had known for quite a while, even trying at one point to act as matchmaker for him. I agreed and so on our run that day we ran to the marina and found Frank in his office there. I approached him first, asking Frank for his son's hand in marriage. Frank, God bless him, looked a little surprised, but Caleb held his left had up showing his ring and told his father he had better say yes, since he already had!. Poor Frank took a moment before he asked when all this had happened, when were we tying the knot, where, and could he pay for the reception?, he said he couldn't believe we had finally gotten together, he knew Caleb had loved me since he was a little kid and he couldn't think of a nicer spouse for his flesh and blood. We told him the aunts would arrange for the use of the college chapel and the minister and we had wondered if maybe he could put together one of his famous riverboat dinner cruises for our reception, we didn't expect him to pay for anything. He loved the idea and insisted he pay for the dinner cruise on the riverboat he owned, he just needed a date so he could mark that day off on his booking calendar. We gave him our hoped for date of the third Saturday in August. He then told me that he occasionally ran into my parents and wanted to know if things were still bad with them. I reminded Frank of what had happened while I was in college and that they had never tried to contact me since and never spoke of me, even around my brothers and that as far as I was concerned things could stay that way. We then told Frank we were both moving soon to Amherst, to a property we were hoping to close on by the end of the next week. Caleb told him that he was giving up his apartment at Mrs. Fields and he was going to suggest Harry for his replacement. He then told his dad he had gotten a big scholarship that would even cover grad school and provided a weekly stipend so he wouldn't have to work while in school. I have to say that rough and tumble Frank took all our news with graciousness and good humor, and even invited us to have dinner with him in the restaurant if we could hang around for another half hour while he closed down his operation. We thanked him and told him we'd see him in the bar when he was ready. Dinner with Frank was revealing, he had many stories about Cal, as he called Caleb, and I liked it as well. He couldn't get over the hero worship Cal had for me as a lad had turned to love, for both of us. He did tell me he had photos of Cal and I together as youngsters and he'd try to locate as many as he could before the wedding. We told him about the farm and about it being virtually re-built within the last 10 years, and the pond on the property. We told him as soon as we had possession he'd have to come out to see it. I have to say, it felt so good to be accepted by him, and the aunts and my brothers. Everything felt so right.
That Wednesday we had the boys for dinner and we asked Harry how he felt about moving into Cal's little apartment when Cal moved out officially. I told him that his trust provided a weekly allowance that would more than cover his expenses and Cal told him that as an incoming Junior he would be able to still live off campus since he was remaining in his hometown. He loved the idea, but took us off to the living room to talk in private, away from his brother's ears. He told us that he felt he was a stabilizing influence in his parent's home, that it was he who made sure the others ate and that the house was clean and his brothers did their homework and did well in school. What a burden for him to be carrying at his young age. We then called in the other two and we had a family meeting amongst us. I told the younger two what we had been discussing and we told them that both Cal and I would always be on their side no matter what was decided, but I told them that they had to prepare to be out on their own soon, and that in another year Harry would be finished at school and in another two so would Jim. Tom only had one more year of high school and then he would be off to college as well. We all discussed it and the younger ones agreed that they had to man up and start being responsible and after all, Harry would only be a mile away, and he could check on them every day and the younger ones could stop by his place if need be, Jim had a small car for commuting to classes and they could visit us or Harry whenever they wanted. Everyone agreed it was a done deal, Harry would move into the small efficiency at Mrs. Field's after the closing on our property and Jim would be offered the chance to house sit the aunt's house then too. That would leave Tom home alone for only about a month and a half, maybe a week or two longer. He felt OK with that, as he'd have three lifelines to fall back on it things got rough for him. There was a little concern, you see, because Tom had told us last week that he thought he might be gay and with our parents past in dealing with this issue we wanted to make sure he was safe, and if needed, had an escape.
We ended up eating home made pizza for dinner. I had remembered it was a favorite when we were kids and Cal and I, with help form my brothers, had the first one in the oven in about a half hour. The second one was ready in 15 minutes and the third went in as I took out the second, and there was a slice left from the third. We all cleaned up the kitchen and then the boys had to return home before our parents did. Cal and I settled in to watch the late news and chose the 10pm news on a local station.
During the first commercial break I got up to use the half bath off the hall to the kitchen and as I was coming out I heard Cal answering the house phone. He waived me over to the phone and told the caller I had just come into the room and he handed me the phone, whispering,"Harold". Harold told me all the inspections had been done and the closings were scheduled for Thursday morning on both properties. He told me he had contacted a lawyer client of his from this area and she would meet us at her office in Holyoke, along with the sellers, at 10am Thursday morning, that would give her time to file the deeds at the county offices and at the closing I would receive keys for both properties and the current owners would have vacated the properties by that time and we could take possession. He then said he had contacted the university and started feeling them out about buying the properties. I told him in no uncertain terms that not only was I buying the properties to live in, but that both deeds should have both my and Cal's names on them, that we were going to be living together there before and after our wedding in August. He took a moment and then said congratulations, but was I sure I wanted to pass up the opportunity to sell at a substantial profit? I told him that Cal only had one more year of regular classes and if he decided to go to grad school we would still need a place to live, we liked the farm, we wanted the privacy having the second farm would allow, we wanted something that would give us stability, a starting place for our lives together, and maybe even start a family there. At that Cal grabbed me and gave me a big smooch. Harold wanted details and I opened up to him and told him everything. He insisted he be invited to the wedding and I told
him that we would have a bedroom for him when he came.
We ended the call and then Cal and I snuggled up again to watch the 11pm news. Our love making that night was, to say the least, glorious. I had lost a lot of my inhibitions and Cal was a willing partner in our explorations. We slept like logs. Two or three times that night. The next two days we spent lining up painters for the second property, booking them to start on Monday and we interviewed three contractors to finish off the attic into a home office for me and a study for Cal. We'd both need or own space, he for studying and me foe writing. I suppose with all the rooms we each could have used one of the spares, but we thought this was one way of putting our own stamp on the house and we'd discussed this and decided together on this. The second contractor had been recommended by Frank and his initial assessment, without actually seeing the space yet, proved more to our liking, so we made an appointment with him for the following Monday als0.
We browsed a few shops both at home and in Amherst and we actually picked out a few pieces for our new rooms, placed a deposit on them, and arranged for delivery on the following week, we figured we had plenty of rooms to store them in until the new rooms were completed. The one big purchase for the house was a new mattress for the master bedroom bed. We just didn't like the idea of a used mattress for our wedding bed. We also stopped in at a company that provided home security. I wanted a newer home alarm system, and a driveway alarm that would let us know when a vehicle was approaching the property. We decided to have it installed two car lengths into the drive from the road so that someone just using the drive from the road to turn around wouldn't set it off, but anyone advancing any further up the drive would. We arranged for the installations the following week as well. The Snyder's had cable and wifi at the house now and so we arranged for Mrs. Snyder to cancel all the utilities in their name for Thursday and we signed up for them in our names for Thursday to ensure continuation of the services.
We also spoke with a plumbing contractor and an electrician and asked for quotes for hooking up to the town sewer and water and for solar panels to be placed on the property to provide our own power in case of an outage in bad weather and to provide our own power for the pool and a few of the out buildings that didn't have power now. Everything went well at the closing Friday morning and the sellers were amazed when our lawyer presented them each with the balance due in the form of cashiers checks, drawn from my personal account. Cal and I had signed all the papers and the lawyer was very knowledgeable and efficient, in fact both of us liked her and we went and had lunch with her after. We all got along really well and we invited her out for dinner at the house after we had gotten settled in. Cal had insisted we wait for the new mattress to be delivered before we spent the night, but when we went to walk through the house after the closing he dragged me into the master bedroom and we ravaged each other on the old mattress anyway. Cal said he reasoned that it was no different than staying in a hotel, but that when it sunk in that this was OUR house, he felt the urge to christen at least one room today.
After we had straightened ourselves up a bit we continued our tour and found that Mrs. Snyder had left the fridge stocked and many packages in the freezer for us and a lovely note, telling us she hoped we had a lovely live in the house and wishing us much happiness in our upcoming marriage. Mr. Snyder had left several labled keys for us for the various buildings and copious notes on how to care for the chickens. It suddenly dawned on me that we now had a whole flock to take care of and both of us quickly scanned the notes, making sure we hadn't missed a feeding or something. We saw that a feeding was coming up, so following the instructions in the notes we grabbed the keys and went to feed the chickens. It was fun and we also gathered about a dozen and a half eggs. On the way back we stopped and looked in the caretakers cottage and saw that it was as clean as the rest of the place. Cal suggested we might want to hire someone to do the chores, especially during the school year when he had class schedules to keep. I thought about it and it made a lot of sense. If I was engrossed in writing I might well forget to do a feeding or an egg gathering and the coop also had to be cleaned regularly and if we got some horses, which we both wanted to do, how would we be able to care for everything, plus the mowing, the snow removal, the supplies for the pool and the feed... Cal had a very good idea.
We talked it over as we walked up the drive to the house and we decided to advertise for a couple, one to take care of the property and another to take care of the house and to prepare meals occasionally. They could live in the caretaker cottage, totally private from the house. We had a few busy days coming up next week so we went back to the aunts house to prepare dinner and have a bit of private celebration. In the morning Cal asked what I thought about offering the jobs and the cottage to a grad school couple that would have to qualify for the positions, and trade the cottage for the work. I told him it was a great idea, and I also wondered about having a couple or two on the other property, taking care of the day to day upkeep, and being a presence there to discourage any vandalism over there. Cal suggested we go to the college housing placement office and post a notice there, asking interested parties to call for interviews. So that's what we did, after the new mattress was delivered, just as promised, shortly after noon. We found the correct building and the right office and located the bulletin board and started to post our two ads. As we finished a young woman came up to us and asked if we had student accommodations available and we answered we did and she asked if she could make copies for her office since she worked in the student housing office. We agreed and she took our postings and went to make copies. When she returned she asked if we were open to the idea of same sex couples, and we both laughed and said since we were a couple it would be pretty hypocritical of us to refuse same sex couples. She blushed prettily, and told us that she and her wife, who worked in the bursar's office, were looking for housing in the area as they had to commute from Springfield, an almost 40 mile trip each way. She said they both had been raised on a farm and they had a budget that would allow them to afford half the required rent on the other property. She also stated that their best friends were in the same boat. They both worked in offices on campus and had to commute from Springfield also. She said they all four could meet us on Saturday if that would be alright. Cal was nodding when I turned my head to look at him so I said we'd like to interview them and to show them the property, could we meet at 1:00pm? Stella replied that she thought the four of them could make it at that time and we gave her our cell numbers just in case anything came up. We took down the second flier after she had left us, I just had a good feeling about this. Cal told me the same thing as we went back to our new house. We each explored the house, poking in cupboards, snooping in closets, browsing the books in the library. Just before locking up and going back to the aunts Cal's cell rang and it was obvious the call was about the positions here at our new house. Cal asked if they could meet us about 2:30pm tomorrow. He must have gotten a positive reply since he told the caller we'd see them then. On the drive home Cal told me that the caller wasn't exactly what he had expected, but he was pleased about it. He told me it was a grad student in the equine studies department, and his husband was a grad student in the agricultural studies unit of the university. I laughed, we couldn't have planned it better if we had tried, not only did we find potential employees and tenants in the same day, but they were all GAY! All connected to the university also, it really came down to If we could all get along, especially the young male couple, they would be living in the cottage down the drive and if one was at work in the house the other would occasionally be in the house at times as well.
Saturday found us back at the new house in time to prepare a large thermos of coffee and arrange the danish pastries we bought on the way on a platter we had found in the pantry. We arrived next door just before an SUV which the women had all arrived in. Stella from the housing office made the introductions and we met her partner Pam and their friends Lynn and Sue. We let them explore after showing them around the first floor and Lynn came up to us at one point and asked if there was any livestock on the property and we told her there wasn't, but there were plenty of chickens next door and they could have free eggs or a couple of layers and a rooster here if they wanted. We explained the house and the out buildings were to be painted next week and that the utilities would have to be paid by them. They said they had expected that and then they went out and looked over the barn, chicken coop, storage shed and garage. Cal and I discussed meeting the women and our initial impressions as we followed behind them. They were quite pleased with everything they saw and I surprised them after they said they would like to be considered as caretakers/tenants that Cal and I would like them to be our first tenants. They told us they were on month to month leases and could move in in just under two weeks, the first of July. We told them that would be perfect, as the painters should be finished by then. Stella and Lynn
each gave us the first months checks after we had the two couples sign separate lease agreements. We told them that if they had to they could start moving stuff in after the painters were finished, if that would help, but anytime they wanted to move in after the painters they left would be alright with us, just let us know and we'd meet them with the keys. We left them looking around the outside and we went back to our new house to meet our next appointment.
Ray and Joe were right on time for their interview. Cal saw them arrive from the living room window and said he thought these guys would fit right in. I asked from across the room what he was talking about and he told me to hold on a second and I'd see for myself. The doorbell rang and we walked to the front door to answer it. There stood two nice looking muscle jocks in their jogging warm up suits. One looked a bit older than the other, and they were holding hands as we greeted them. We made our introductions and shook hands and we walked them down to the cottage. Ray had been in the military and had returned to the university to pursue an agricultural degree, where he had met Joe, a student in the equine department. They had met 3 years ago and now both were starting grad school next semester and had been married just over a year.
Joe's hobby was cooking and they felt with what they already knew, and the resources available to them at the university, they'd be able to handle our property well. We showed them the cottage, and then took them on the big tour of the other buildings, including our house. After browsing some shelves in our new library Ray said, offhandedly, that two of my books were missing from the shelves. I looked and didn't see any open spots on the shelf he was indicating, and then he chuckled and said he had seen me at a library talk two years ago in Ames, Iowa, near his hometown when he was visiting his parents. I chuckled and told him about my pseudonym and how I never used it in my home state and here only gave beginning writers seminars in local libraries in my capacity as a former librarian with the Boston Public Library. He and Joe both assured me that they wouldn't divulge my secret and Cal told them it would be appreciated, at least until we were married and then everyone would know because our new security system would be in place and we'd feel safer then. Ray asked if the previous owner had kept a farm journal and calendar, and I showed him Mr. Snyder's notes and then we went to the farm office in the barn where Ray found what he was looking for. Joe had been looking at the stalls and asked when they were built. I told him about the fire and how all the buildings had been replaced 10 years ago. I told him that both Cal and I had a desire to have horses to ride and that my three brothers had expressed a desire to learn also. Cal thought we should have at least ten, maybe for guests, or Ray and Joe or the new tenants to use. Joe said there was space for a few more stalls in the smaller barn if we should ever need them, and plenty of paddock areas already fenced. Ray said he could plant enough grains to feed whatever we ended up with, and that both he and Joe each owned a horse and would love to move them here with them if we gave them the jobs. We walked as two couples up to the main house and Cal retrieved the contract we had prepared when we did the leases for the women tenants. Cal held them up and I nodded and we gave each one a pen to use to sign with. Ray noticed the added salary to his as Joe found a similar generous one on his. We explained that we felt they had a full time job with classes and all and wanted them to realize just how valuable they were going to be to us if they even just did the basics around here so Cal could study and I could write. They sincerely thanked us and asked when they could move in. I handed the two spare cottage keys to them and told them anytime they wanted, just to let us know what day they decided.
The next day we took my brothers to meet Mrs. Fields and to offer Harry as Cal's replacement tenant. She was thrilled to have all us younger men visit and she and Harry got along great. She even told him he could have an overnight visitor, but to remember there wasn't a revolving door on his unit. We then took the guys for a tour of the new property. Cal and I took a lot of ribbing about how large the place was and just how large a family did we plan on anyway? During our tour of the big barn Tom clutched my arm and asked if we could talk away from the others, I told him to hang on a sec and we dawdled long enough that Cal had the other two off to the chicken coop and Tom and I were alone in the barn. We sat on some upturned buckets and Tom told me he had found a boyfriend. His name was Bill and Tom had met him at a friend's house when he was over for a pool party the other day. They had liked each other a lot right away and had been e-mailing each other a couple of times a day, even talking to each other before bed time on their cells. I could tell Tom was certainly smitten with Bill and I warned him about being careful around our parents and that after we had moved in he could invite Bill for dinner sometime and they could spend the day swimming together, and getting to know each other better. Tom gave me a big hug and told me that would be great. We joined the rest of the group and had a great time visiting. Everything went as planned, Monday we arrived at the new house early and set about brewing a big pot of coffee and right on time the contractor, the plumber, the deliveries, the alarm company arrived, staggered enough that no-one was left waiting for us long. The contractor thought he could start the next day since there was already heat and electricity up in the attic and he went about measuring and said he could be done by the weekend if he brought the right crew with him. Everything went just as smooth with everyone else.
The new alarm and the drive sensors were installed and the new/old furniture for our study and office rooms was delivered and placed in a bedroom on the second floor for now, ready for the new rooms at the end of the week. Tuesday morning we received calls from Ray and Joe and from Stella, representing the women, and all said they'd like to start moving in this weekend and hopefully be done by Sunday night, if that was agreeable with us. We told them it was. The other property was undergoing the painting, and they should be done by Thursday, so all looked good for this coming weekend when we also would be moving in officially. All the projects went according to plan and were finished by Friday morning. The carpenters even moved the furnishings for the new rooms on the third floor up there for us.
Late Friday morning Joe called and asked if we wanted to purchase some horses, as the equine studies section at the university were offering excess horses at a really good price and although we wouldn't necessarily get a huge discount, we would get close to first pick of the fifteen to twenty horses being sold to make room for horses to be boarded by students and for the expected new crop they had each year. Cal thought it was a great opportunity so we told Joe to book us an appointment and we'd meet him there. He did and we did and we were amazed at just how large an operation they had. We picked out 8 riding stock and were able to get all the necessary tack and saddles for each and we also purchased feed for them that would last long enough to last until Ray had reaped feed from our fields to feed them.
We were about to leave the barn when I noticed one of the student workers playing with a litter of puppies that appeared to be about a couple of months old. We got to chatting with her and she told us that they sold the barn dogs when they were old enough and we asked if this batch was ready and she said no, but she did have about 10 dogs that were and they had been around the grown horses longer and were better trained. She took us to the kennels and right away two males came right up to Cal and I. They seemed very loving and we looked at each other and nodded, in 20 minutes they were ours, along with bags of dog food and stainless bowls for food and water for each. Joe got along with them as well and he warned us not to treat them as pets, they were working dogs after all, trained to guard and herd horses, not as house pets. We took the dogs and their belongings home with us and got them settled in the barn, with their accessories and some old blankets we had around from the delivery of our furniture for the study and the office. They seemed quite content after we filled their bowls for them and we showed them the doggy door to the back of the barn that opened to a fenced in yard that must have been the Snyder's dog's kennel. The dogs wouldn't be lonely long, the horses and their feed and tack were to be delivered the next day.
Ray and Joe were going to be bringing some things by tonight for their cottage and were gong to make sure everything was ready for that at the same time. Joe wanted to be here when the delivery happened and we told him we would help where we could and he had told us that he thought Ray might be able to be here at the same time as he only had a morning class, like he did, in the morning and the delivery wouldn't be before 1p.m.. Friday we went over and checked that the painting had been finished as we had been told and it was. The property the women were moving into looked fantastic. The farmhouse had a new coat of paint inside and out and all the out buildings there were all spiffed up. We felt the ladies would be well pleased. The work on our study and office on our third floor was excellent, you couldn't tell it was a new job, it all blended so well with the rest of the house you couldn't
tell it was all newly done.
Shortly after our lunch Ray and Joe arrived and we all went out to feed and water the dogs. All was in readiness in the barn and Joe had noticed in the small room in the corner there were wall pegs and storage bins under them. He explained to Cal and I that these were used to store the tack after each use and each bin and peg should be labeled for each horse. He was very organized and had the labels ready for the unloading and storage of the tack and saddles. We discussed our running routines and where we might set up some workout equipment. Cal suggested the pool house and we all strolled up to it to explore the possibility. It really was a nice set up. There was a shower bath, two changing rooms, a bar with microwave and a large fridge. There was an area furnished as a sitting area with summer type furniture in it. We decided that we could use all the furniture here on the patio on the back of the house and set up some equipment here in the "Living room "area. There was both heat and air conditioning out here so we'd be comfortable out here year long. We decided on what machines we all wanted and what weights we were all used to. I made a list in my notebook so I could go on-line later and order it all since the drive sensor had sounded and we had to go and meet the big horse vans delivering our horses and their feed and tack.
Joe and Ray directed the vans to the barn and paddock and Cal and I went to the barn and opened the connecting doors to the paddock. Joe went to the second van and started to remove some bales and bags of feed and was lugging it over to the feed trough in the paddock. We hurried to help and when there was sufficient feed in it Joe told us the rest would be stored in the barn. He explained that he and Ray had filled the water trough already and we were now ready to greet the new arrivals. The unloading went well and we toted the tack into the tack room while the horses settled in. During all this the two dogs had settled in the paddock and actually greeted each horse as it was unloaded and walked into the paddock. The delivery men from the university were great and even helped get all the hay and feed into the barn, working with Joe and Ray the whole time. Ray said that now feed was being stored in the barn again we might consider getting a few cats to take care of mice and rats that had escaped the dogs. I put that on our list of things to get also. Ray and Joe offered to stay in their cottage for the night so that someone would be on the property, but they would be leaving about 8am to begin the moving of their furniture and other belongings. We offered them a bedroom at the house which had a real bed and was already made up with linens, so they used one of the spare bedrooms and we had live security for the night.
When we arrived in the morning with our belongings packed into Sally's big SUV the chickens were already fed and the eggs gathered. The dogs had been fed and the horses were out in the paddock, fed and happy. We spent a few hours moving in and placing what we needed in our own spaces on the third floor and the remainder of our clothing in our bedroom. Near noon we went down to the kitchen and gathered the hamburger patties we had bought and all the fixings and went out back to start lunch. Cal called Ray and Joe to find out how far they were from arriving and when they said they were about to pull in and they had a crew of five to help them move in I started the grill up and we prepared to have lunch ready in about an hour, when the moving crew would be ready for a break. While we all ate lunch Ray and Joe introduced their friends and we had a lot of fun helping them move the remainder of Ray and Joe's belongings into the cottage after. There wasn't a dog in the bunch, they were a great group of guys and after all the moving had been done we invited them to use the pool before they left. Cal and I heard the splashing and hooting a while later and we went to our bedroom and put on bathing suits to join them, When we got to the French doors to the patio we could see all seven of them were as naked as the day they were born. I turned to Cal and asked if he was ready for this, he nodded to me and we both dropped our swim suits to the floor and, holding hands, we joined the guys in our pool. I was afraid I'd pop a boner out there with these college aged hunks, but their conversation kept my mind away from their attributes and more focused on what was being said. One of the guys, I think his name was Ron asked how a young gay couple like us could afford a neat place like this, after all wasn't Cal still in classes at the university?
Ray, who knew who I really was, looked to me and I told him it was alright with me, So Ray then re-introduced us saying he'd like them to meet Cal and his fiancee Robert Scott. The pool was really quiet for a few moments and then came the questions. It turned into a lively conversation and we implored them to kind of keep things quiet, as we were just looking for a quiet life here and we didn't want our place being a tourist stop. Cal asked if we had enough hamburger left for a repeat of lunch and I told him we did, so we got out of the pool and started to prepare a burger dinner for the guys. Cal went in and grabbed a bunch of towels and brought me a chef's apron he had found in the linen closet. As he tied it around me he said he didn't want anything cooked that should be eaten raw. I called Stella's cell and found out the women were all moved in, furniture and all and were just trying to decide on who was going to cook. I told her that if they didn't mind 9 towel wrapped gay and streight men to eat with they were more than welcome to come up to our house for burgers. There was a brief discussion on the other end, but Stella came back on and said they'd love to, they just had to undress first. I thought that was hilarious and told the other guys what I had done and they all grabbed a towel and wrapped up. I told them that two lesbian couples had moved into our house next door and they were coming for burgers. I told them they were not up for grabs, but they might help some of them find dates. It ended up being a great time. The ladies all wore swim suits under their towels and everyone got a chuckle out of that. And everyone had a great time.
Sunday was a quiet day and we had a chance to ride some of the horses to get a feel for them, and for them to get to know us. We also heard from Harry and from Jim that they were ensconced in their respective abodes and all was going well with both of them. About 3:00am the drive alarm bonged in the house and I grabbed a light robe from our closet and scurried downstairs to see who or what had tripped the alarm. Motion sensor flood lights had been tripped and in the bright lights near the parking pad by the drive I saw the driver's side door of Tom's car open and a body fall out onto the drive in front of the house. With fear and anguish I rushed out to the crumpled form and realized it indeed was Tom and he had been beaten badly. Cal was right behind me, his cell in hand ready to call the police if needed and instead he had also spotted Tom and he called for an ambulance and EMT s. The professionals arrived pretty quickly and in no time informed me that Tom had a dislocated left shoulder, a broken nose, several bad bruises on his chest, stomach, and back and possibly bruising of the kidneys and or liver, they were going to transport him to the medical center at the university and we could go there as soon as we had dressed. I kissed Tom on the forehead and told him we would be there shortly, to hang on. We dressed in record time and we could see the ambulance pulling away as we parked and rushed inside.
At reception I informed the attendant my brother had just been brought in and she handed me a clipboard with a bunch of forms to fill out. I pulled out the form that asked for the billing information, and the top form asking the patients name, age school, etc. and handed them back, saying we had been separated for the last 7 or 8 years and we'd have to get his medical history from him. She didn't seem to like this information, until she looked at the black credit card I was holding out so she could take an impression on the billing form. After that it was yes sir, whatever you want sir, I'll get right on that sir. She did check back there on Tom and kept us informed on what was going on and after about an hour a police officer arrived and sat with us. He introduced himself and when I told him what I knew he thought it likely that Tom was beaten in So. Hadley, not Amherst, and Tom came to us for help. It certainly made sense and he waited with us until the nurse came to us again and said the doctors had done their tests and were waiting to set Tom's nose until we could talk to him.
We took the Amherst officer with us and went in the cubicle to see Tom. Poor Tom looked like the looser of a prize fight with a gorilla. We talked briefly, he telling us all that when he came back from having lunch with his friend Bill our father started in on him big time. He had snooped on Tom's computer and had found the e-mails Tom and Bill had exchanged and had found a few gay porn sites Tom had visited. He and his wife(our mother) had called him every name in the book and both had beaten him when he refused to deny he was gay, like that other rotten bastard they had already kicked out. The beatings kept on and even when he was on the floor they both had kicked him all over. He finally crawled outside when they had drunk themselves into a stupor and he drove real slow to Amherst, to Cal and my house. The officer had been recording and writing as much as he could down. He took several pictures and then the doctor returned and said we'd have to leave so he could
set Tom's
nose and we could see him in the morning, as he would be out of it for about 8 hours after the procedure and after checking thoroughly for internal bruising and bleeding.
Cal and I kissed Tom on the forehead and told him not to worry, we would take good care of him and we'd see him first thing in the morning. We returned to the waiting room and the officer asked a few more questions and then said he was turning his reports and photos and the interview with Tom and us over to the South Hadley police, since the attack happened there. We told him to do what he needed and to please let us know as soon as possible what happened. On the way home I asked Cal if he minded If Tom came to live with us and he said Tom would make the perfect first addition to our family, God I love that man. When we arrived home it was already 7:30am and I called both Harry and Jim to let them know and Jim said from out back he could see police lights at our parent's home. I next called the young lawyer who had helped us close on the properties. She had just arrived at her practice and when asked she said she did practice family law also and she really woke up when I told her I wanted to sue my parents for custody of my youngest brother and I filled her in on the last several hours and what had happened to me years ago. She suggested that she contact the proper state department and inform them that because of his age Tom would be filing for not only damages against his parents, he would also be filing for emancipation from them as well. I told her that Cal and I wanted him to move in with us and that we understood the town police were at their house now and we wanted access to remove Tom's possessions. She told us to get some sleep, we needed to be rested for Tom later, and she would get the ball rolling on her end. I thanked her and she said she'd call us in about 6 hours. I thanked her again and then Cal and I went to bed again, setting the alarm for noon. When we talked to Tricia (lawyer) later we were already on our way to the hospital. She informed us the parents had been arrested and were tying to get out on bail, but a local judge had stalled that because he wanted to give us time to remove Tom's things from the house, he didn't care for adults who beat their children. We agreed to meet her at the parents house at 3pm with a town police officer. We visited with Tom for about an hour and a half and filled him in on what we had started. We asked where the items he most wanted were and we asked Harry and Jim if they wanted to go with us. They had arrived just before us and had gotten first hand from Tom the events of yesterday and this morning. We didn't stay much longer, Tom was exhausted and we had a mission in our hometown to accomplish.
Tricia was waiting for us when we drove up to the house and a town policeman was just pulling up as we all exited our cars. Cal and I made introductions all around and it turns out the officer and Cal knew each other and they spent some time getting re-acquainted while Jim let us into the house. The officer photographed the blood smears on the kitchen counters and floor as the rest of us went to the room Tom shared with Jim. Suitcases were found and we packed up Tom's possessions and Jim also packed more of his belongings as well. Cal muscled Tom's computer and I grabbed the boxes of books. Jim and Harry took the boxes and suitcases and we all trooped out to the cars with Tom's belongings going into my car and Jim's into his own. We thanked the officer and he departed and we all talked to Tricia for a while. She told us bail had set for $100,000 each for our parents and they were trying to raise that on the value of their house. We were told that they had retained their own lawyer and if found guilty could receive sentences of up to 20 years each. She thought she should try to get Tom emancipated before that, because when they were found guilty Tom would become a ward of the state and that could drag things out much longer and Tom would be placed in a state facility until everything would be worked out. We all agreed and she suggested that we make sure Tom would be able to support himself if emancipation was granted. I reached into the car and removed the copies of the boys trust documents we'd received just that morning from Harold and I showed them to her, pointing out that each was started with 500 thousand and was available for each now, but they were primarily set up as education funds, but with the executor's permission could also be used for living expenses. The executor in these cases were, Aunt Sally and Cal, Cal having been added in case Sally and Gladys were off traveling or something and a disbursement had to be made.
Tricia looked the form over, smiling as she did so, and then asked me to fax her a copy she could include in her request to the court. She indicated she would be filing Tom's request for emancipation with the court later that day and she would request an expedited hearing, because of the parents current circumstances. She would expect all the brothers to be prepared to give statements to the court. She was correct, we were notified that a hearing was scheduled in Hampden county court in Northampton for Tuesday morning and all the siblings were requested to be there. In the meantime we had to get Tom settled into his new home. We all went to Harry's apartment to unload his car and then we all went to Cal and my home to settle in Tom. We made it clear to Jim that when the aunts returned he was more than welcome to move in with us as well. He liked the idea so we called Tricia and asked her if she thought it would be acceptable for Jim to remove his belongings as well, as he would be moving out in about a month and a half anyway. She said she had to make a call, but since Jim was just shy of 19 he was considered "of age"and he had his own set of keys for the house. She checked with the police and was told there wouldn't be a problem with Jim removing his possessions, but if he was uncertain about his safety he was to call them immediately, as his parents were expected to be released on bail that afternoon. We borrowed Ray's truck and we quickly returned to the parents house and removed Jim's belongings as well, and not too soon. As we left the street Jim noticed our parents being dropped off by someone at their house. We returned to unpack Jim's belongings into one of the rooms next to the one Tom had selected, we returned Ray's pick up and then proceeded to unload Tom's belongings into his room. It turned out to be pizza for dinner that night and after eating Jim drove back to the Aunts and Harry left for his apartment.
Although we didn't receive any calls that night both Jim and Harry had. Our parents and their lawyer tried to get them to return to their home, but both young men adamantly refused, as was their right, and no amount of threats could sway them. They both told us that the parents demanded to know where Tom was and insisted that any injuries Tom had were self inflicted to get back at his parents for disciplining him for being out late. Without disclosing anything each had hung up on their caller and blocked any further calls from their phones to the young men's cells.
The next days flew by. Tom joined us on our morning runs and when the new exercise equipment arrived he joined in the use of those machines as did Ray and Joe. Ray had hooked a grader to one of the tractors and regraded the paths into the fields which gave us easier access to the back acreage, and it helped define each pasture or field. He also used it to create wide paths to the other property for easier access to the house there and to the fields. I phoned Stella at work and explained these new access paths and asked her to pass this info to her roommates. They no longer would have to drive down the street to stop in, and when Ray leased out any unused fields the farmer would have access through the main property. We had a great weekend with Ray and Joe joining my brothers and me and Cal's dad Frank came out Sunday afternoon to spend time with us all at the pool and stayed for dinner with us all too.
We spent some time on the computer in Cal's study room with Tom, looking up info on emancipation so he would be prepared for Tuesday. There were guidelines he would have to comply with and judging by what we saw he was certainly qualified. Tuesday morning we met Tricia at the courthouse about an hour early so she could also prep Tom, but she found out he had really done his homework and there really was not much for her to add. When we heard our hearing announced we went into the hearing room and saw our brothers there on one side and our parents and their lawyer on the other. Our parents looked shocked as they saw me hugging my brothers before the room was called to order, and I saw them whispering to their lawyer. The judge presiding over the hearing opened the proceedings by calling on Tom to please stand so she could ascertain if he was well enough to take part in the hearing.
Tom was very adult and polite in answering the judge's questions as she compared his face to pictures from a file, I figured the photos from the police and hospital. Tom then produced a note from his doctor stating he was physically well enough to attend and take part in the hearing. Tricia was right in asking his doctor for that. The hearing proceeded from there. Tricia produced notarized statements from Tom's teachers and the school principal and his baseball coach, all lauding his status as an honor roll student, his maturity, and his status as student council president for the up cumming school year, his senior high school year. They lauded his maturity and sense of fairness in all his dealings with both the staff and the students. Tom was blushing at all this praise and I was so proud of him, as I'm sure Cal and my brothers were as well. During questioning by our parent's lawyer Tom was asked how he intended to support himself, as to his parents
knowledge he had no money and no job.
Tricia objected and asked the judge to please see in the court's case file she had submitted Tom's trust fund documents which showed Tom's financial statements. The parent's lawyer frantically looked through his copy of the court's file and then showed the document to our parents. Our father yelled," Where the hell did that come from?" and the judge banged her gavel and asked the lawyer if he had any more questions. We all could hear our parents grumbling at each other about where all that money had come from and why didn't he(Tom)just give it to them. Did he make that money sucking dick? We all thought it was pretty funny, but we kept our composure and just slightly elbowed each other to acknowledge we could hear them. Their lawyer said he had one more question for Tom and when the judge nodded he asked Tom where the funds for the trust came from Tom answered that his brother had set it up for him. The lawyer looked confused and said that as far as his parents knew Harrison(Harry) and James(Jim) were students and held no jobs, certainly none that could have funded a 500 thousand dollar trust fund, and Tom just sat and smiled at him saying he meant to say his oldest brother, Scott had provided the trust to him and he had done the same for his other brothers as well. The lawyer then stood staring at his clients as they bickered back and forth and the judge banged her gavel and asked what all the noise was all about and our father stood and said the documents must be faked because they had thrown out their oldest when they found out he was a queer and queers don't make or give away a million and a half dollars. Tricia stood then to get the judge's attention and quietly said that as I was also a client of hers she could attest that I was worth in excess of 17 million and that amount grew each hour of the day and she had financial documents that had nothing to do with the matter in front of the judge today, but if she could approach the bench she could show these to the judge in private so the judge could see for herself the funds came from my accounts and that in the time since the funds had been set aside more than half that amount had already been re-earned by the investments in the original account. The judge waived Tricia up to the bench and they moved to one side of it and Tricia showed the relevant documents to the judge. Tricia then resumed her seat with us and the judge sat in her seat behind the bench and stated for the record that she was convinced the funds were legally earned and distributed into the trusts mentioned and that indeed Mr. Scott Roberts was worth in excess of 17 million. She stated that she could see no reason not to grant Tom's request for emancipation and it was so granted. As we all left the hearing room we could hear our parents calling out to me, but we all left the room without acknowledging them at all as their lawyer and the bailiff held them back from us. We asked Tricia to meet us back at our house for lunch and she agreed so we all drove back over the river through Hadley to Amherst and then home. Cal had phoned Joe, who was doing kitchen duty and cleaning today, and warned him there would be six for a celebratory lunch in about an hour and a half. Joe said no problem, he had counted on it already and we could eat anytime after we got there. We all arrived within a few minutes of each other and there were hugs all around before we entered the house and Tricia got the big tours from Cal and Tom and Harry, Jim and I went to help Joe with lunch. All that was left was to set the table in the dining room so we did that and then Joe showed us what he had prepared for lunch. There were foot long lobster rolls, three kinds of chips, potato salad and cole slaw. There were several different drink choices, but most opted for ginger ale. Joe had baked a cake for desert and on it he had written "Happy Freedom Day Tom". Lunch was great and we visited as we showed Tricia the property she had helped us purchase. We all thanked her as she left and then Tom asked if he could invite Bill to come over and stay for dinner.
We told him it was OK with us so he ran off to do that. We hadn't run that morning, but we weren't going to after that rich lunch so we asked Harry and Jim if they'd like to ride with us. We each picked out a horse and Ray came to the barn to make sure we had saddled them properly. He said he'd keep a lookout for Tom and Bill and help them if they decided they wanted to join us. We thanked him and went of to explore. About a half hour later Tom called and asked where we were and I told him to head for the pond, as we were just about there. At the pond we tethered the horses and we stripped off and went for a swim. By the time we had a good water fight going Tom and his friend Bill rode up. Tom had the family muscles and in contrast Bill was quite slim, more of a swimmers build, but when he dropped his shorts there was complete silence for the kid was hung like the horse he had ridden up on. The 16 year old had about 8 inches soft, The darned thing slapped his thighs as he ran to dive into the pond and Tom had the biggest smile on his face as he followed more sedately, watching Bill's glutes move as he ran to the water. When Bill surfaced and swam back to the group of us Tom made the introductions. Bill seemed like a quiet unassuming sort of guy and we all liked him right away. He glanced at me several times during the next several minutes and Cal and I thought he was just sizing up his boyfriend's oldest brother, but just before we left the pond, after drying off and redressing, he came up to me at Tom's prodding and shyly asked if I was Robert Scott, the author. I asked him why he thought that and he told me he used to live in Key West Florida and he had attended an authors night at the library and he had seen me there, as Robert Scott. I reassured him that I was, and now that he was practically one of the family he was allowed to know my secret, but I would prefer he didn't spread the word as Cal and I wouldn't have any privacy at all if word got out. He agreed and then told me he had read all my books and had learned so much about life from them, He said he had also seen the movies, but he learned so much more from the books, especially how to live a noble life as a young gay man and what to look for in a mate. At that he looked at Tom so warmly that I could actually feel the emotion he felt toward Tom and I was very gratified to see it. Bill was definitely infatuated with Tom and I was pleased to see Tom looking at Bill the same way. For two 16 year old s they had been fortunate to find someone who loved them as that person loved him back.
We had a great time at dinner. Joe had put in a roast with all the trimmings and by the time we had all showered and redressed Joe and Ray had rejoined us for a big family dinner. I had e-mailed the aunts about the problem with Tom, so I took a few minutes before we sat to eat and I called them and filled them in on all the goings on and the good results from today's hearing. Aunt Sally told me to tell Jim to be wary, as our parents knew where he was staying until the aunts returned and that Harry should also be leery of them for the same reason. During dinner I mentioned to the two young men what Aunt Sally had said, and that if anything occurred that made them uncomfortable at all I wanted them to call the town police first and me second. About an hour after Harry and Jim left I received a call from Jim. He told me Harry was driving and as they turned to go to the aunt's house they saw flashes of lights in two different parts of the house. Jim had called the police and they had arrived silently and were entering the house as we spoke. He kept me on the phone as we waited for the police to re-appear. They did shortly, waiving the young men over. Jim told me he'd have to call me back.
The police had our parents hand -cuffed and were placing them in the back of the cruiser as one of the policemen asked Jim and Harry what they saw. The two gave their statements and then told the officer about the hearing earlier in the day and that their parents were out on bail on another charge. The officer thanked them and asked if they could stop at the station the next day to sign their statements after they had been typed up. The guys agreed and the policeman then told them that nothing but an address book had been found on their persons. Jim spoke up and said that if the address book had a listing for Scott Roberts, then the book was stolen as he thought the parents were looking to track their oldest son to find out where their youngest one was, the one who had just been emancipated by the court. The officer checked and sure enough it was Aunt Sally's address book. He thanked them again and told them he'd see them the next day. Jim called me back and filled me in on what had gone down. I would have to check with Tricia in the morning, but I thought a stay-away order had been placed on both parents and applied to all their sons. I thought also that if someone on bail gets arrested while on bail their bail is forfeited and they remain in jail until their original court case is resolved. If that was the case and their bail was forfeited then they had just lost their house, as I had those many years ago.
But the more I thought about it, that house was a legacy to my younger brothers. They were the ones to have to endure life in it with my parents after I was thrown out. In the morning I called Tricia, and she confirmed my suspicions. I told her of my worries concerning the house, it being the only thing of value for them to leave their sons. She told me to hang in there, she had a plan. After about an hour she returned my call and told me she had contacted the bail bondsman who had provided
bail and she bought the bail from him, it would cost me close to 200 thousand ,but it would be worth it if one, or all of them wanted to eventually live there, or in time they could sell it and maybe make some money on it. It remains to be seen if there was even an emotional attachment to the house by any of the boys, but it would be there for them if there was a need for it, in the meantime we could fix it up and rent it out, whatever the case I had asked Tricia I wanted the house awarded to the boys as compensation for the abuse and miserable life our parents had inflicted on them. She said she knew we could most likely get that once they were found guilty on the abuse and other charges against them for what they did to Tom.
The following week was the last week of classes for the school year and Tom was able to commute for his last week in the little clap trap car he had. I asked him if he wanted to transfer for his senior year and of course he saw the reasoning behind the question, but he had good teachers where he was and had been voted president of the student council. He really enjoyed being on the baseball team and knew he wouldn't get any flack from anyone at school, he was too much respected and liked there and most of already knew about his being gay, even when he himself didn't know for sure. After hearing his wishes I contacted the school department and made arrangements for Tom to be a paying out of town student. I took him to a car dealership in Hadley and we each picked out new vehicles, as it turned out they were not brand new. Tom picked a slightly used mid sized SUV with 4 wheel drive and I picked a slightly larger one with 4 wheel drive and a pick up truck for use on the property and off, again with 4 wheel drive. The winters in our area can be quite brutal, and frequently having to drive over the mountain separating South Hadley from Amherst makes the 4 wheel drive necessary. Once I paid for all three vehicles we still had to get one of them home, as Tom and I had traded in our own cars, but we had to get the other home, so when one of the managers heard us discussing this he had two of the prep workers come out to the front office. He explained that one of the workers could drive the truck home for us and the other would follow in a company car and pick him up and drive them both back to the dealership. I told him that was great as another member of our household, my fiancee Cal, was coming in after classes and was planning on picking out a new vehicle for himself this afternoon, but we would have the same problem if he should find himself something. I suppose we could have left the truck there overnight, but, with the offer of free delivery how could we refuse.
It didn't take long to get the paperwork done for the titles and registration to be swapped over, and I had called my insurance company and had Tom call his so we were perfectly legal to make our 30 minute drive back home. Cal by now had his own black card and I had texted him that Tom and I had both found something and I had picked up a pick up for the farm,(so Ray wouldn't have to keep on using his own for work). I told him to have fun shopping after his last class and that I loved him and I'd see him at home about dinnertime. We made a four vehicle convoy through Hadley and then down through Amherst to the Amherst/South Hadley line and then to our home. On the parking pad in front of the garage the two men from the dealership stood outside the new pick up, looking at the house, the barn down the drive, the horses in the paddock the cottage opposite the paddock, and the rolling fields behind all that that seemed to go on for miles. I followed their admiring gazes and was proud of being able to purchase what looked like something out of Town and Country magazine, or a Currier and Ives painting. I tipped each of the men $50.00 and thanked them for helping us out.
Tom and I exchanged keys and we each took the other's car for a spin. When we came back I saw Ray's truck parked by the cottage so Tom and I drove the new truck down the drive and asked Ray to step out to take a look at it. He stared at it and I handed him the keys and told him the paperwork was in the glove box and he might want to put copies in the farm's vehicle file, the truck was for his and Joe's use on the farm and for farm business. He was pleased with the truck as it was a newer model of the one he had. He thanked me for the use of it and told us he had had his last class for the semester, and Joe was at his last lab and class now and both would be on duty full time as of tomorrow, at least through the summer. He expected they'd both be ready for our morning run on time in the morning, and would be ready every other day, and in the gym on alternating days. I told him that sounded fine and if either of them needed help to get all that they had to do done, then to let me know, because I knew two high schoolers, almost seniors, who could use summer jobs.
Tom asked us to please make it happen, as he and Bill had been trying to come up with a way to see each other more, now that school was out and Tom lived out here. Ray and I looked at each other and with a shared nod we told Tom to get Bill out here so we could come up with a work schedule for them both and to fill out part time employment forms for both of them. Tom texted Bill and about a half hour later Bill arrived, all excited about seeing Tom, and getting a summer job of course. Ray and I talked to the boys and came up with a work plan for the guys and Bill even suggested he could help out Joe in the kitchen and even cleaning if need be. We thought that was great of him to volunteer to work in the house as well, but he told us it would be practical experience for him for when he was out on his own as he wasn't allowed to lift a finger at home. It appeared he was allowed to go to school but was virtually kept in his room the rest of the time. Since he met Tom he has asserted himself more and has encouraged his parents to "let him out more", as he said. Tricia called on Friday to tell us that my parents' court cases had been consolidated into one and that they were on Wednesday's docket for next week at the same courthouse Tom's hearing was held in, but in one of the court rooms of course. Since all the brothers had received summons to appear and Tom and Jim had been scheduled to give depositions on Monday at the defense lawyer's office, Tricia wanted to come out to the house and have a meeting with all of us. She wanted to go over the case with us all present and she couldn't figure out why I hadn't been asked to give a deposition as well. She wasn't going to submit her witness list until late Monday in hopes the defense wouldn't have time to depose me as well. All of us brothers, along with Cal of course, met with Tricia on Sunday night. We had invited her for dinner and after eating and then cleaning up, we sat in the family room area and talked about what Tom and Jim could expect in their depositions. Tricia was insistent that neither one loose their cool and that she would be in there with each of them during the process, so if they had any qualms about a question posed to them all they would have to do is look at her and she would either object or tell them to go ahead and answer, but she warned them not to lie and not to get wordy, just simple short honest answers.
After Jim's deposition he didn't have any time to tell Tom anything, as they hustled Tom in right away after Jim left the room. The parents weren't there, but their lawyer was, of course, and he was very abrupt with the boys. He asked Tom why he had told his parents he was gay, when they came home from work that day. He told the man he hadn't, and looked at Tricia. It appeared the parents had told a totally different version of that night to the lawyer, so Tricia then told Tom to stay quiet and asked the lawyer if he had read the police report. The lawyer hemmed and hawed as Tricia handed him a copy of the report and the witness statements from the parent's neighbors, co-workers, and the bartender who had served them drinks from the time they had left work until 11pm when they were asked to leave the bar as they were getting quite loud and boisterous. Tricia said he could continue his questioning in court and told him she had texted the judge and he was in agreement with her and they, Tom and Tricia walked out.
Wednesday in court the judge announced that the defendants had accepted a plea bargain and there would not be a trial. The plea bargain meant they had to admit to this court their guilt in both cases and after that he would pronounce their sentence for both crimes. Our parents stood at the defense table and meekly admitted they had beaten their son Tom and that after causing him bodily injury they had thrown him out of the family home. They then admitted breaking into Sally's home at night and rifled through it, trying to find information on their oldest son Scott, who they had thrown out years before but they now believed he was really rich and they wanted money from him. The judge looked really disgusted with them as he sentenced them each to 15 years incarceration in different state prisons. They also had to forfeit their home and property to Tom. Tricia explained it all to us after we left the court house and we all met at her office in the conference room. She said that the parent's lawyer was the one who convinced them to take the offer from the DA after they had lied to their lawyer and had tried to falsify their evidence and had been caught out. She told us she was putting the house in trust for Tom but he interjected and said after the title was transferred he wanted it changed to all the brothers, since all of us had been adversely affected by our parents. The rest of us protested,
but Tom was adamant about his decision. He told Tricia he thought the house should be leased out, as it was a good neighborhood and could bring in at least 2 thousand a month and that would help cover all the expenses and taxes with a little for our savings accounts as well.
He said he didn't need their cars but he thought Harry and Jim might want them, as they were 4 wheel drive and newer vehicles than theirs were. Everyone was pleased with these decisions and Tricia told us to go ahead and get anything we wanted from the property and then during the next week she would have the house cleaned and anything left in the property would be donated to a charity. Then it would be listed with an executive home rental agency. Now came the task of sorting through the mess our parents called home. The boys had removed their personal belongings and now it was time to split up the rest of the household. The boys still had their house keys so on Thursday we drove over to the house and started gathering things the guys wanted to keep.
We started in the attic crawlspace and found Christmas decorations they hadn't used in many years. Many of them had special meanings for us as they were used when we were a happy family during our preteen years. We divided up the ones we wanted and prepared the boxes of children s clothing for donation. There were some old furniture we had never seen in the house up there and Cal thought they might be from our deceased grandparents, so we ought to take these small pieces downstairs and look them over.
The pieces were small tables, a few lamps, a magazine rack, a dismantled round dining table and a few ladder-back chairs that might go with the table. There were some rolled up carpets, sealed in plastic, under the eaves, and a couple of ornate chandeliers and wall sconces. We dragged it all down to the living room and started on the other rooms. We four brothers and Cal each picked a spot in the house to put things we wanted to keep and so we worked our way through the house and basement. We each found knic knacks and photos, sometimes a photo album we could go through later, some kitchen items we just couldn't live without, and treasures from our past we might want to play with again. As I was going through the linen closet in the main bathroom, Cal called me from the master bedroom.
In the walk in closet he had found a locked strong box, the type you put important documents in. Jim ran to the garage and returned with some tools and we tried to pry the lock on the box. After a minute though Harry called from the parents bedroom that he had found some keys. We took the box into the bedroom and the third small key worked. Inside the box were a bunch of drug paraphernalia, baggies with different powders, syringes, all kinds of pills and about 5 thousand dollars. We all just sat back, looking in wonder at the contents. Cal spoke, finally breaking our disbelieving silence, saying we should call the police. The officer who responded to our call was one of the ones who had originally arrested our folks.
He asked if we had touched anything inside the box and I told him no, but at least two or three of us had carried or handled the box but only on the outside surface. He used his gloved hand to place the box in a large evidence bag and then asked us to let him take our fingerprints. We agreed to do so, as we knew none of us had touched anything inside it. He thanked us and took from the cruiser a kit and proceeded to take prints from all of us. Then he asked us to give statements at the station the next day, by then he might have some answers as to who supplied the folks with the drugs and if both or just one of our parents were users, and if they were supplying anyone else with them. He asked our permission to search the area where the box was found and the rest of their bedroom. We gave it and went into the living room to wait until he finished. I called Tricia while he was doing this and she asked me to stay with him, so there wouldn't be any question of planted evidence, but everything we had so far done was correct procedure. I went and talked to the officer and he told me he had called for another office to come out and help in his search and we could look both of them over to see they weren't carrying anything to "plant". He, and the officer who came out to join him, let us see they had nothing on them to plant and we let them get on with their search. They found a battered notebook and a pistol on a shelf in the closet in the folks room, but that was all. Actually they called me in to watch as they removed these items from the shelf.
They seemed quite pleased with the notebook, it had information from their buys and who they bought from and a few they sold on to. After they removed their gloves and their evidence had been bagged and photographed they thanked all of us and both said they, and all the town police, were sorry for what we all had gone through and they shook our hands as they left, reminding us to stop at the station the next day. We stayed about another hour, each of us taking to our cars the few things we wanted to keep. Cal thought the round table and chairs we could use in the pool house and the rolled up rugs could be of use to us or maybe Ray and Joe, so we fitted them in our car and Tom's to take back home. I called and left a message for Tricia at her office that we had taken what we wanted from the house and she could have the remaining contents donated or given away and then the house could be freshly painted and rented out.
The next morning we all went o the town police station and gave our statements and then signed them. The chief came out to talk to us and told us the DA was going to seek to have several more years added to the sentences now being served by our parents and that the information from the notebook and the fingerprints from the drug paraphernalia in the box could lead to 15 or 20 additional arrests. He thanked us for calling them in and he shook our hands before we took our leave. The next nights local TV news had stories about the 10 arrests in Holyoke, 5 in Chicopee and five in South Hadley that were all related drug busts.
The story also reported that a South Hadley couple already in prison on unrelated charges, had also been charged on drugs possession and distribution counts. The next Sunday Cal and I sat in his study after I had cranked out several chapters on the new book and Cal had completed his assignments and had a chance to catch up on his studying. We were discussing the type of ceremony we wanted and what to do about a reception after. We both agreed on a simple ceremony at the Mount Holyoke College chapel, where the aunts had married, with a catered barbecue here at home after. I asked Cal if he had someone in mind to stand up for him and he told me he'd thought more than a little about that and he'd like his father Frank and my brother Tom to do the honors and I told him I'd ask Harry and Jim for my side. There were a few of Cal's classmates and old friends, including Mrs. Fields he wanted to invite for the day an I told him I really wanted to ask Ray and Joe and also the ladies from the other house. I was also going to ask Harold, my agent and my publisher. I didn't want to tip the scales in any way, after all this was our big day, but those people represented my writing career and what made our being together possible. Cal agreed whole heartedly and we composed a simple invitation and directions and e-mailed them out to all but Frank and my brothers, those we would do in person and hand them a printed invitation. Cal wanted to do them tonight, but it was getting late so we decided to take them around to them the next night.
The next morning at breakfast we propped up the invitation to Tom against his juice glass, as he hadn't come down yet. We normally had a small juice and or coffee in the morning with toast or a bagel before our morning run. That early in the morning there was only us three in the house, as Joe didn't start work in the house until after our run. Bill would meet him there most of the time, sometimes he would join us in our run, sometimes he stayed over with Tom. That morning Tom came down to the kitchen and right away saw the envelope at his place. He tore it open and exclaimed he was pleased we had finally set everything for our marriage in motion. Cal got up and hugged him saying Tom had always felt like his younger brother also and asked if he would stand up for him, with his father, at our wedding. Tom, with tears in his eyes, said of course he would, he loved Tom as much as he did his birth brothers. Cal then told Tom that there was a +one on Tom's invitation, and he just assumed that Tom would invite Bill as his date, but Cal let him know that if he didn't that I would insist Bill receive his own invitation, as we really liked Bill and we thought he was getting treated badly by his parents. Tom looked thoughtful and then told us that he and Bill had talked and they themselves wanted to marry, but were going to wait until after graduation in the Spring and that they had both applied for early acceptance to Umass. We congratulated him and we did the same to Bill when we all gathered out front on the drive later to warm up before running.
As the six of us runners were nearing our back property line, just about half of our normal 5 mile run, Cal nudged me and pointed off to the left, at a car speeding down the county road that created the back boundary for our property. It was a narrow one lane rugged dirt road that ran for several miles and was seldom used, except by the county forestry service and the few farmers who abutted it. The speeding car was really hitting all the ruts in the dirt road pretty hard and as we all
stood watching, from about 100 feet away, the car became airborne and smacked head on into a huge oak tree on the edge of the woods on our property. The car began to smoke as we ran to it. I had taken my cell out of my fanny pack earlier to report thereckless driver to the police and as we reached the now in flames car the dispatcher answered and I reported the bad wreck, now in flames, on farm road #16. We six tore off our tank tops and were successful in getting the driver's side door open and we were frantically trying to remove the female driver, who was unconscious and unresponsive. As Ray and I finally got the seat belt and air bags away from her and started to shift her out of her seat I heard a whimpering from the foot well of the back seat. I helped Ray get the driver cradled in his arms and moved away so he could lift her up and out of the car and I dove right back in and reached down behind her seat and started feeling around for what I thought was a dog trapped in there. What my hand felt was a neck, a thin neck and I pulled up not a dog but a young naked boy, covered in bruises and he had a few newer cuts, probably from the broken glass of the windshield that now littered the inside of the car. Using both arms and hands now I cradled him to my chest and wriggled myself out of the car backwards just as we heard sirens coming toward us. Joe and Cal both poured water from their bottles on the lad as I continued to hold him in my arms. Ray and Bill, with Tom's help had carried the young woman away from the car and had laid her on the grassy verge, also trying to revive her.
The firefighters started to spray foam on the car so we moved closer to where the guys were trying to revive the woman just as the ambulance arrived with an Amherst police car escort. One of the firemen trotted over to us and dropped a handbag and a backpack at our feet before he raced back to help contain the fire so it wouldn't spread to the tree or the surrounding vegetation. The EMT s weren't having any more luck with the young woman than Ray, Bill, or Tom had had. They were preparing to load her into the ambulance. The two officers came over to us and one started to ask questions as the other went through the handbag and backpack. I told the questioning officer that we guys were from the farm here and were out for our morning run when we saw the woman driving recklessly on the dirt road and had called that in just as she smacked into the tree. When the car started smoking we went to the car and removed her and then heard the little boy and removed him also. The little one was starting to look around as he clung to my chest and he reached out and grabbed my chin and said to me, "Are you a nice man? Mommy hit me a lot". Then he laid his head on my chest and slept. I started to move around a bit, giggling him around, trying to keep him awake because I couldn't tell if he had hit his head or not and he might have concussion. One of the EMT guys came over and shined a light in his eyes and then checked him over as best could as the little guy still clung to me. Cal wet his hand and rubbed the water through the boy's hair which seemed to wake him up and he looked at Cal and told him, "thank you mister, that feels nice". The EMT told us he didn't think the lad had a concussion, but he should be checked out as he had a lot of bruising. I asked him where they were taking the woman and he told me to the university's medical center so she could be declared dead and the coroner could examine her there. I told him we'd be taking the boy there as well, as soon as the officers were done with us. The officers split us up a little as both were now recording our answers to their questions and I asked the one who was talking with me earlier if they had found any of the boy's things in the car and he held out the backpack to me saying there were kids clothing in there, so I went to the police cruiser and dressed the lad in the crappy clothing that was in there. The meager items were not well cleaned, but the 4 or 5 year old would have something covering his body. The police had gone through the woman's purse and had gotten her name and address and the identity of her son, Jacob. They offered to drive all of us back to the farm house so we all crammed into the cruiser just as the fire truck and the ambulance took off. The officers complimented us on the much smoother road through the farm land and Ray told them he had just graded it recently, and then the officers saw the house. They did comment that they had heard some rich guy had paid cash for the place and Tom laughed and said that his brother had bought it and he didn't like owing anyone anything. I thanked them for the ride and we told them that we'd get some real clothes on and take Jacob to be checked over. They told us they'd see us there, as there were questions left unanswered and there was still the question of who would be looking after the child. We all rushed to get cleaned up a little and dressed, Cal ran a washcloth over Jacob and redressed him as I finished and then I held Jacob as Cal cleaned himself and dressed.
As we came downstairs Bill and Tom came scurrying down and insisted they go with us. Cal and I went to the garage to get one of the cars and we talked as we went and Cal asked if we could keep Jacob. I asked if he was sure, and in response he kissed me hard, letting me know how serious he was. So as Cal drove and Tom and Bill kept Jacob happy in the back seat I called Tricia. She was about to leave for court, but she asked for a brief rundown so I explained briefly the events of the morning and she said she'd call me back at the hospital in about a half hour to an hour and off she rushed. The hospital must have known to expect us as there was a nurse waiting for us as we walked up with Jacob from our parking spot. She asked if he had had a seizure or passed out or vomited or anything and we assured her that he seemed much more alert now and he answers to Jake as Tom and Bill discovered in the car. The nurse chuckled and said the doctor was alerted we were there and was waiting so we all trooped into an examining room and there we met the doctor. He was a young man, maybe my and Cal's age and he was very friendly. He amused Jake and they got along great. When he decided to have some scans and x rays done on Jake, Cal offered to go along to keep Jake occupied.
It was good he did, because they weren't even down the corridor when Tricia called. I had to step outside the emergency room doors to take the call and Tricia started right in on me. "Are you willing to foster or are you just going to adopt right off the bat? Are you willing, with Cal, to take parenting classes? Can you support him, are you able to have help to watch over him as you work and Cal goes to school?" She fired off in rapid form, She also told me she was in the judge's chambers on speaker mode and the judge and a stenographer were listening in. It was the judge who had presided over Tom's emancipation hearing, from family court. I answered all the questions and then the judge spoke up. She told me the police had investigated and found out that Jacob's mother was unwed and had not listed a father on his birth certificate. She had been in state care since she was abandoned at the age of 10.There were no known living relatives. She had been neglectful in raising Jacob, but the department that oversaw complaints about child abuse was neglectful in tracking her down, as she moved frequently. The judge was willing to grant a temporary custodianship to Cal and I, and after taking the parenting classes she would entertain our request for adoption, after interviewing Jacob. She told me our first class was in 4 days at the community center at the university and they would be every weekday night for two weeks. I told her that was totally acceptable. She, in turn, told me that she would be tracking our progress and that to expect she would periodically drop in unannounced to check on us, at least until we had completed our classes and were in a good place as a family. I told her all that would be acceptable to us and that we awaited copies of her order that would be faxed to our home, she said she didn't want to wait that long and she was having her order faxed to the emergency room office as we spoke. I thanked her profusely and then went to the desk inside.
When I identified myself the nurse/receptionist smiled, said congratulations and handed me the faxed court decree, naming myself and Cal as Jacob's responsible adults. Even before I made it to the waiting area where Tom and Bill were sitting, the officers from the car crash arrived and greeted me at the counter. They asked how the lad was and I told them that he was still being x rayed and scanned but all looked well so far. The officers told me that someone from family court had called them and their chief and I held out the court decree for them to read. They congratulated me and I told them that today would be the start of a great adventure for Cal and I and I suppose for Jake as well. We went over to Tom and Bill and as the officers went over Bill's statement and had him sign it I handed the custody decree to Tom to read. We each read over our statements and signed them for the officers and by the time we were done Cal was walking out with Jake holding his hand as he waved to the doctor and nurse standing behind them by the exam room. When Jake turned forward he saw me and ran up to me and held his arms up, inviting me to lift him up into my arms. He shyly waved over my shoulder to Tom and Bill and the officers and then put his head down on my shoulder, hugging me tight. Tom reached between us and handed Cal the decree and Cal scanned it with a huge smile on his face. The officers then gave Cal the copy of his statement and had him
sign it. They then congratulated us all and then took their leave. We stopped at a shopping center on the way home and we bought two child car seats, one for each of our cars and several outfits suitable for a 5 year old who now lived on a farm. Cal insisted we purchase a little suit like outfit and shoes for the wedding, I looked puzzled and he whispered,"ring bearer". Along with a couple of pairs of sneakers, some sturdy farm boots, and some rain gear we were all set to return home. Jake didn't like the child seat at first, until he realized he was sitting taller than before. Apparently his mother had never used one with him and we were surprised she had never been ticketed before.
When we entered the house Jake looked wide eyed around and asked how many people lived here. Cal told him that Scott, Tom and he did. He then asked Jake if he would live with them. Jake looked up at me and asked if I were the daddy, he said he never had one before. I told him that Tom was one of my brothers, that Cal was going to be my husband and that Bill was Tom's boyfriend. I then told him that if he stayed with us then Cal and I would both be his daddies. He looked thoughtful for a few moments and then said he liked that and that we didn't hit and push like his mommy did and he never wanted to go with her again. I told him he didn't have to, that he could stay with us forever if he wanted to.
It was nearing dinner time and Joe had arrived to start dinner preparations. When he walked in with Ray right behind Jake asked if they were my other brothers. I told him no, that these guys were Ray and Joe and they were more like uncles, they lived down the road and they took care of us all. Jake thought that was great, he had 2 daddies and 6 uncles all in one day. Cal told him he had a grandpa too and that maybe we ought to invite all the uncles and his new grandpa over for dinner to meet him. Jake thought that was a great idea. So while Joe started dinner Ray and I got all caught up on the days activities and Tom and Bill took Jake up to pick out his room right next to Cal and mine, with Tom next to Jake's. I broke off with Ray and called Frank and asked him up for dinner, as we had something important to discuss with him, he said sure, he could come up in about an hour and a half after he closed the marina office. I then called Harry and then Jim and told them they had to come up for dinner as there was someone they had to meet. They each said they would be up soon as they had no plans for the evening, and they both wanted to know who we wanted them to meet. I told them both when each one started this that they'd never quess in a million years so stop wasting time and come on up. I returned to the family room and continued to fill in Ray and Joe about the hospital visit (Jake was fine, there were evidence of a couple of old hairline fractures in both arms, and many old wounds that had scarred, but they would eventually fade as he grew). I topped it all off with the by now battered faxed copy of the custody decree. They whooped and howled, and also congratulated us. Joe said he'd have to make this a special dinner and I reminded him about the extras coming which would make it a special dinner anyway. Forty five minutes later the driveway sensor went bong and Jake looked up at me as Cal and I made up his bed. To be on the safe side we had placed a large plastic drop cloth on the mattress and a layer of old beach towels on top of that and then put the fitted sheet on. We had no history to go on, and when we asked Jake if he sometimes had an accident in bed he said that he hadn't in a long time. I explained that when someone drove in our driveway that the bong would make that sound, so we knew we had company. I told him that we should go down to see who was here. He took one of my hands and one of Cal's' and we three went down to greet my brothers, Uncle Harry and Uncle Jim. Tom and Bill had answered the door and the brothers greeted each other, and Bill, like they hadn't seen each other in months. As we came down the stairs I could hear Harry asking who was this person they just had to meet. Tom and Bill were laughing, saying what a great person they were going to meet. As we three walked toward them Jake asked "Daddy who are those big guys talking to uncle Tom and uncle Bill?" It got really quiet, except for the giggling from Cal and I, and Tom and Bill. We could even hear chuckles from the kitchen as Ray and Joe were both working away in there. Harry and Jim looked down at our little red haired, freckled, fair skinned boy and their mouths hung open. I replied, "Jake these are my two other brothers, this one is your uncle Harry and this one is your uncle Jim, patting each on a shoulder so Jake could put a name to a face. Both uncles knelt down and shook Jake's hand and told him it was great to meet him. All five boys went into the family room end of the kitchen and sat in there as Tom and Bill described our run this morning as Cal went and asked Jake to help his daddies with something. We didn't want Jake to hear about the accident and his mother's death. When Cal and Jake went into his study to get the two envelopes for my brothers he also grabbed the one for his dad, as Frank would be along soon. I went into my office and called the medical center. I wanted to know if Jake's mother's body had been claimed by anyone. I learned it hadn't and then I asked for a referral to a local funeral parlor and asked that any billing from the hospital concerning her be placed on my credit card on file there under Jake's name. They found that information and gave me the phone number of a local funeral home. I made arrangements for the body to be picked up and then cremated, the ashes to be placed in their "Garden of Remembrance" with a small plaque with her name and dates of birth and death and the inscription,"Mother of Jacob". When asked I told them there would be no services and no ceremony, please notify me when the internment was completed and send the paid bills to me. I then gave them my credit card number. As I told Cal later when we were alone I wanted Jake to have a place to visit if he ever grew out of not wanting to see his mother again. At least he would know where she was interred.
Cal had retrieved the envelopes and I handed Harry and Jim theirs, with my request that they stand with me at the ceremony. They accepted heartily and we three hugged. They then looked nervously at Tom and Tom assured them he had a job to do also that day. Just then the driveway sensor bonged again and Jake ran to see who else had come. Cal met his dad at the door and introduced Jake to his new grandfather. Jake said he never had one of those either. Frank was totally speechless. He staggered a little and when he stopped staring at Jake he looked up and Cal and I could see tears on his smiling face. Tom came and took Jake back to his uncles as we took Frank into the living room and told him the whole story. He told us he never thought he'd have grandchildren, hadn't even thought about adoption, but he was sure glad we had. Cal then asked his dad to stand by him, with Tom, as his two best men. Frank was over come and grabbed Cal in a crushing hug, crying his eyes out. He reached out for me and I joined them. When he had calmed down he went to the half bath on this floor and washed his face and then joined all of us in the family room for a drink before dinner, Jake got apple juice, just like Tom and Bill. Ray and Joe were brought up to speed on the wedding party and I asked Joe to arrange with a caterer, maybe the one we used for the aunt's wedding, for the picnic style reception to be held after the ceremony out on the terrace and pool area. It was to be a time to party and I didn't want any of Jake's uncles to have to work that day, except for Ray, he still had to feed the horses and the dogs. We all had a good laugh, but Ray assured us they would be taken care of. The prime rib roast was excellent and Jake ate a good amount of everything. I reminded him to give Joe and Ray a hug and thank them both for the great meal. The rest of us retired to the family room end and watched some television. My brothers and Bill pitched in cleaning up the table and the kitchen as Jake sat in his grandfather's lap and they got to know a bit about each other.
When Jake started yawning a little while later I thought it must be his bedtime. I looked to Cal and he was looking at me. We both nodded to each other and we went and told Jake to say goodnight to his grandfather and the two hugged and Jake got a big smooch from hid granddad. Cal carried him through the kitchen and all the big boys said their goodnights and Jake was hugged and kissed by all 6. We took him to his new room and showed him how to get to Tom's room and then to our room. His room was right in the middle of both. We helped him into his new jammies and we both tucked him in and gave him kisses on his forehead. He gave us cheek kisses and I heard him say,"Night daddies", as he drifted off to sleep. I had put a new nightlight in his bathroom so I turned it on and left the door open. Cal took the other night light and plugged it into the outlet outside our bedroom door. About 3am something woke me and as I lay there in bed it came to me. Jake was talking to himself. I eased out of bed and tip toed to Jake's room. I looked in and there was Jake, holding onto his groin, looking for his bathroom. I padded over to him and turned him around so he could see the dim light from the bathroom door. He scurried inside and I could hear him peeing into the toilet. He flushed and I could hear him wash his hands after. He came back into his bedroom looking relieved. He came up to me and said he thought that was a close one, he almost didn't make it. I softly chuckled and pointed him toward the dimly
lit bathroom door and told him all he ever had to do was look for the light. I scooped him up and placed him back in his dry bed and tucked him in again, kissing his forehead as I did so. I told him I loved him and to have sweet dreams. He said I love you back to me and he reached up and kissed my cheek and went back to sleep. I returned to Cal and did the same. The alarm awoke us early and by the time we had dressed in our workout gear Jake was at our bedroom door. He hesitated at the door, like he was afraid to come in, and Cal scooped him up and carried him in. He told Jake that whenever he wanted to he could come right in, but he had to knock on the door first and wait until someone answered him. That night we started sleeping with gym shorts tucked between the mattress and the box spring of our bed, just in case. We sent Jake in to wake Tom and once they emerged Tom took Jake in to get Jake dressed in some play clothes. We all had a small juice and a piece of toast and then went out to the big barn and watched Ray feed the horses and tend to their stalls and Tom took Jake and introduced him to the two barn dogs. He watched carefully as Tom fed and put out water for the dogs. The dogs were as fascinated by Jake as he was with them. The horses were another story. The horses sniffed Jake and some tried to lick him, but they were so huge, compared to him, they intimidated him.
Cal said that when one of us took him riding that would diminish in time. We went up to the pool house to do our warm ups before working out and we settled Jake at the round table we had put by the windows in the corner of the big room and Cal produced some coloring books and crayons he had picked up when we got Jake's new clothes. He then put some cartoons on the TV near that end of the room and Jake was happy while we all groaned with the work out regimes Ray and Joe had us all doing. Tom wasn't doing all the big heavy weights, but he was starting to see some changes, all for the good Bill said as he joined us just after we had started. He told us he was a little late because some college kid had gone off the road and hit the exposed rock wall of the mountain side just below the old quarry site and all traffic had been held up for a while in both directions. The driver wasn't injured and he had no passengers so the clean up was swift. The officer he had spoken to said that the guy was a student at UMASS but his girlfriend was from Mount Holyoke in South Hadley on the other side of the mountain. The guy had made a breakfast date with her and didn't leave himself enough time to get to his Summer job on campus back in Amherst, so he was speeding up the mountain and skidded when he tried to slow down for a curve in the road and skidded into the exposed mountain side. After we cooled down, Joe and his apprentice went into the house to start a real breakfast and we guys went and had our morning showers.
Cal started to take Jake into our bathroom to shower with us and I thought out loud that that might not be such a good idea, but Cal reasoned Jake would see us eventually and we were just going to shower, so why not treat it naturally, at least until he could shower on his own. It made sense so we gathered in the big shower and the three of us got clean. We didn't play around, we both made sure Jake knew how to clean himself and we each cleaned ourselves, Jake could even shampoo and rinse his own hair. We didn't think any more about it. We three went downstairs after dressing and we let Joe and Bill go off to shower. By the time they were done Ray had come by for breakfast and Tom had reluctantly left Bill to finish in Tom's bathroom. Ray went to finish breakfast, but both Joe and Bill arrived in time to finish.
After breakfast I went to my office and wrote to the aunts about the new addition to our family. I then called Harold and had him start another trust fund, this time for Jake. He was pleased for all of us and I told him not to worry, there were still plenty of bedrooms for when he came to visit. He told me he and my publisher and agent were traveling out to Western Mass for the wedding together. They had some business to conduct in Boston before the wedding so it made sense to travel out together. Cal and I had decided to take the old office on the first floor and the old study on the second floor and turn them into bedrooms, at least for the wedding weekend. My agent and publisher both would fly home from our nearest airport back to New York and Harold would drive himself back to Boston the day after the wedding.
Cal was right. As soon as we put Jake in front of me on the saddle he was Roy Rogers re-incarnate. I didn't make my mount run, but we got a fairly good trot out of her and Jake love it, cheering the mare on as if he was in a big race. The others riding behind us got a kick out of Jake saying he and I had won the race. Once back on solid ground he explained his experience to the two dogs, who sat on their haunches in front of him as he related his 45 minute ride as if he had been riding herd for 20 years, with a couple of steeple chase races here and there. Cal said he took after me, that he'd be writing full length novels before kindergarten. After grooming our mounts Cal and I took Jake to Frank's marina where we corralled Frank into joining us for lunch. Jake was impressed with his grandfather's boats and all the water grandpa took care of. The wait staff in the restaurant at the marina got a big kick out of our little guy and tried to spoil him rotten. He had several new best friends by the time we left.
Tom and Bill had work to do so Cal and I spent the afternoon with Jake. After he had a little lay down, after we returned from lunch, Cal and I took him swimming. We held his first swimming lesson, trying to make it seem more play than lesson, he loved it. We knew this was going to be something we could do with him almost every day. After swimming we explored. We went for a walk down through the fields until we reached the pond. There we showed him the frogs and the tadpoles in the water and we told him that when he was a big boy, like Tom and Bill were, he could come here to fish or swim and to let his horse have a little drink before riding back to the barn. We had a fun time, strolling around the fields that Ray or a near by farmer were preparing or planting. When we got back to the house I rummaged around and found the box of my old toys I had removed from my parents house. There were several old cars and trucks, just the right size for Jack to play with, some old board games, a few different balls, and a small baseball glove, still too big for Jake.
Cal and I cleaned up the cars and tucks and after they dried we presented them to Jack. He liked them a lot and wanted to go outside in the dirt to play with the trucks. Cal thought it might be a good idea to designate a play area for Jake and his trucks, so we scouted around for a place where he would be safe from moving vehicles and large animals. There had been a vegetable garden at one time out behind the pool house. It had a high chain link fence around it with a gated entry. To me it smacked of dog kennel and I didn't want anyone thinking we would cage Jake. Then I had a thought. The covered walkway to the garage had flower beds on each side of the twenty foot long walkway. It was more like a greenhouse in there with glass panels enclosing the walls and a few skylights in the roof. Some areas had had some plants we didn't like so Ray had removed the and we hadn't had time to replace them as yet. So this area, attached to the house, with access to the kitchen and the garage, which was always kept locked, became Jake's truck room. The door to the kitchen could be left open and Joe said he'd be glad to keep an eye on him when he was in there, giving Cal time to study during the up coming semester, and me time in my office when I was writing. Jake loved it. We had a monitor put in there and both Cal and I had receivers in our third floor rooms. Joe wanted one that would clip on his belt, as he often wasn't right there in the kitchen, but was sometimes doing household chores in the rest of the house, of course he had Bill to help, but again, that was a summer job. We really had to start thinking ahead, this parenting thing was for a lifetime, not just for a short time. Cal and I talked about this after dinner, when Tom was playing trucks with Jake and what we decided was we needed a manny. We didn't want a woman around the house all the time, although we recognized that Jake would have to be exposed to women who actually cared about him, especially since he would starting pre -school that fall. Cal thought that maybe a student who was going into early grade school teaching might be a good place to start.
He could prepare Jake for school, keeping him occupied for the times we were not available, maybe someone who could teach him swimming, or even horse back riding. I put all this onto a flier in my computer and ran off a copy to show Cal. He approved and suggested I add the hours we expected this person to cover. We discussed this and we settled on 1pm to 5pm, at least for the summer. I did that and showed it again to Cal. He thought it was what we needed so I printed off a bunch of them. We then gathered up Jake and we all took a ride up to the university and posted our notice on several bulletin boards, stopping to see Stella in the housing office. She came out to meet Jake and I think he had himself another admirer. We showed Stella the flier we had made and she asked if she could keep one, as Pam, her partner, had a younger brother who was looking for a summer job, but nothing had materialized as of yet. Cal asked how old he was and we were told he was 20 and was going to be a junior in the Fall semester,
he was majoring in elementary education, and had his life saving certificate as he had worked at the Y last summer as a lifeguard, but he was on their waiting list and hadn't been called yet, plus we were offering to pay more for less hours. She asked if she could call him right away and we told her she could. She went back into her office and came out 5 minutes later and she asked if we'd interview him now as he had a LGBT Support group meeting later in the day. We asked if he was on campus now and she said he had been visiting his sister Pam next door and he was on his way here now. Stella told us we could use her office, as she had several errands to run, and we wouldn't be disturbed there. We were thanking her when this 6foot, 5 inch hunk with dark red hair and freckles approached us. He hugged Stella to his side and told her thanks for calling. He turned to us and extended his hand, saying as he did so,"Hi, my name is Dean Carson, Pam's brother. I'm told you need a manny for the summer, I have references from the local Y and also from several of my professors here. I have 5 younger siblings that I've taught to swim and I have been riding horses since I was six and could reach the stirrups." He then handed me the flier we had posted in the building next door. Cal chuckled and said we were Scott and Cal and our son Jake. Jake looked up at this very tall young man and said. "Hi, I'm Jake and these are my two new daddies, boy are you tall, can you pick me up?"Dean did just that and Jake was happy being held up taller than his fathers. He thought it was great. We then went into our loaned office and explained in more detail what the job involved.
We explained that there might be times we would be traveling and we would expect him to accompany us,(I was thinking we'd have to do something about my Boston apartment, and as I neared the end of my latest novel, a trip to New York might be in our future this summer). I told him they wouldn't be long trips as we were marrying in 4 weeks and some things to take care of, but before the end of the month we had to spend a few days in Boston. We probably wouldn't be traveling overnight until the fall, but his classes would have started back up by then, but if any trips occurred that he was available for, we would be glad if he could accompany us. We told him that if need be the position would be live in, but if he didn't need accommodation we could go on a daily basis. He in turn told us he had shared an off campus apartment with his boyfriend, but they had just broken up over his friend's cheating and he was in the process of moving out. Otherwise he was very interested in the job we were offering, he wanted to know how it felt to be working with such a young student and one on one at that. We invited him out to the house later, after his meeting, and he accepted, telling Jake he would see him later, he thanked us for talking to him and we all said our goodbys.
We all left Stella's office and went on our ways. Once in the car I asked Jake if he liked Dean and Jake said he was a giant, but a nice one, he said he was even bigger than me and Cal. We chuckled over that and asked Jake if he would like to have Dean to play and swim with, maybe even ride a horse with him and Jake said he'd like that a lot. We drove towards home and stopped at a pick your own apple orchard and we all three found some of the nicest apples we'd seen in a long time. At the stand we found some blueberries and some baking apples too. We loaded them up and we returned home. We filled Joe in about Dean and he said he and Joe would be around if we wanted them to watch Jake while we showed Dean around. I told him that wasn't necessary, but we valued their input, so if they could join us that would be great. I told him that both Tom and Bill would be around, as Bill was staying over for the next week or so as his parents had taken off somewhere and left him by himself again, so if we needed to, we had them to watch Jake.
About 4pm the drive signal went off and Jake ran to the door to see who had arrived, he came running back to us in the family room and said excitedly that big Dean had come. We were still chuckling as I went to greet Dean at the front door. He was suitably impressed with the farm and remarked that the house he and Pam had grown up in would have fit in just the first floor. We introduced him to Joe and told him that Joe ran the house and his partner, Ray, ran the farm. We were just going to start the tour when Ray and Bill and Tom came in from what looked like a hard days work, all three being quite dusty and dirty. They excused themselves to go clean up. Joe was going to use the shower bath by the back door and Bill and Tom took off for Tom's bedroom. It seems they all liked Dean right off the bat.
We walked the close property, introducing Dean to Jake's dog friends and the horses, showed him the cottage where Ray and Joe lived, the chicken coop and it's run which were both spotless now, and we knew what the three messy guys had been doing all afternoon. After the tour Cal and I took Dean up to the second floor and told him to pick out a bedroom for himself. I was pleased that he chose one right across the hall from Jake. We showed him the attic rooms, where he most likely would have to find us if we were not out and about. We all then took him out to the pool house. He seemed interested in the gym and we told him we ran every other day and worked out the other days. He asked if he could join us and we told him he could, we would slow ourselves down until he could catch up with us. We were only kidding but when Ray and Jake said they wanted a swim before dinner we all stripped off in the changing room and there was nothing about Dean that would have to be improved upon.
He had a fantastic body, the muscles standing out in hard plates down his torso, starting with a pair of pecs that put my pecs to shame and traveling down to an 8 pack that looked like the underside of a crocodile, not just 8 bumps, but 8 defined rectangular plates that led to a very trimmed bush that crowned an 8 inch soft uncut dick that dangled down between massive 28 or 30 inch thighs. With 18 to 20 inch biceps and a 30 inch waist he was quite a package, why his boyfriend had ever cheated on him was beyond me. I looked to Cal and he looked at me and we joined together in a crushing kiss and Jake told Dean we do that a lot cause we were getting married. He took Dean's hand and they went out to the pool. I looked around and the other two couples were also kissing. I was hanging up my pants on a hook when both the drive alarm went off and my cell rang. It was Harry on the phone, saying he just got here and wanted to know if he could use the pool. I told him to come out back, we were just going out to the pool. We waited to greet him before getting in the pool and when he arrived he saw we were all naked. Jake told him, "Uncle Harry, it's just us guys, you don't kneed a swim suit on, we know you have a pee pee just like we do." Everyone was still chuckling as Harry went in to disrobe. When he came out Dean was working with Jake in the shallow end. I guess we hadn't introduced them to each other when he arrived, but Jake took care of that. He told uncle Harry that Dean was his new friend. Dean stood to shake Harry's hand and Harry was struck speechless for a moment. Still shaking hands he stared up the length of Dean and asked if he could be Dean's friend too. Jake told him that sure he could, but he got to play with Dean first, then uncle Harry could. Harry blushed as he said he'd like that. OMG!! My brother was flirting with Dean! What was going on here? Wasn't Harry streight? What had I missed?
Cal chuckled and said that whenever they used to hang out or go running he had noticed Harry scoping out other guys and he had always thought Harry and his girl always seemed more like siblings than lovers. Tom and Bill said the same thing, they felt Harry had been in hiding, until I came back to town and reconnected with them, and then when he had introduced me to Cal, and it was love at first sight, they thought that proved something to Harry, that yes, you could have love, yes, you could have happiness, yes you could find success in what you do, and yes, you could end up with a family. They all thought we'd see something special out of Harry meeting Dean. I looked over and Harry was still holding Dean's hand, and likewise. They were staring at each other and things were starting to move, just under the waters surface. Cal was at their side in a flash and he had lifted Jake up out of the water, and out of danger of being impaled. Cal whispered something to them and they both turned beet red and sat down on the pool steps, side by side, with the most sheepish expressions on their faces, their thighs touching below the water.
Jake was not impressed, he had lost his new friend to uncle Harry, so we others made a big production of teaching him how to float and how to kick in the water, hanging on the edge of the pool with his hands. After about a half hour Joe thought he should be getting dinner ready and asked if he should include Dean and Harry and told him that we might as well call Jim and see if he also wanted to dine with us. I went back to the pool house and called Jim and asked if he wanted to join us for dinner. I told him it might be the last time he saw Harry as a single man. Jim chuckled and asked if Harry had been riding my stallion again, and I replied not yet had he, but maybe after dinner. Jim said he had to clean up a bit as he had been mowing the aunts lawn, but give him about 45 minutes and he'd be over. Jake was the first one showered and dressed and it was he who let his uncle Jim in.
When Cal and I arrived in the family room about a minute later, Jake
was telling Jim about his new friend Dean who was going to play with him and teach him how to swim and ride a horse, but right now he was playing with uncle Harry in the shower in Dean's bedroom. The look on Jim's face was the definition of surprised. He looked to us as we walked in the room and both Cal and I were chuckling and Joe in the kitchen was laughing out loud. I told Jim what had happened when Dean and Harry met in the pool and he just nodded, saying that he had always suspected that Harry had some gay in him, and now he thought Harry would get some gay in him. We were laughing at that when Dean and Harry came downstairs and into the family room, looking a little flushed and shy. Before they sat down Harry came up to me and hugged me, saying thank you, thank you, thank you. I asked him for what and he said out loud, that he was thankful that I came back, that Cal and I had taken in Jake, that we had hired Dean, that we had bought a house with a huge hot water tank, and that the showers here were built for two. He then made an announcement. "I want everyone here in this room to know that I'm gay. I'm now proud of that and those feelings kept growing as I got the chance to know my older brother and his mate Cal. It also helped me by getting to know the people around them, like Ray and Joe, and the women from next door. I have no idea if things are going to work out between Dean and I, but we do have a lot in common, we both felt an immediate attraction for each other, and the guy thinks I'm hot. We even have some classes together this fall, I can't wait to kiss him again."We were all surprised, but pleased as well and dinner was a bit more festive that evening. The sexual tensions around the table ran high. Partners were seated together instead of our usual melange, Jake didn't seem to notice anything different, but after dinner when no one wanted to play cars with him I was thinking about what he must be feeling and Cal and I each grabbed a car and started to chase his car around on the floor with him. Joe and Ray left after everything was taken care of in the kitchen and soon after that Dean and Harry went out to Dean's car and retrieved a few suitcases Dean had packed in there before coming over, hoping he would be hired. They didn't reappear until morning.
Once Dean and Harry had unloaded the car and had everything stowed in Dean's room the fireworks began. The softest places on these two 20year old bodies were their tongues and the puckers of their asses. All four places were evenly matched and were penetrated often by each other, they both loved rimming and being rimmed. They experimented with a few other things as well. Harry being the novice and Dean a bit more experienced, but finding exploring Harry to be his new favorite pastime. Their first 69 resulted in massive eruptions. Surprised by Harry's ability to deep throat him, Dean was in ecstasy as he felt Harry swirl his tongue around the exposed head of his dick with Harry occasionally trying to fuck Dean's dick head with his tongue, while Dean was trying to corkscrew down Harry's shaft while humming a tune even he didn't realize he was humming. The second time they tried these maneuvers, the other way around, both were successful. Dean's length hard was about 10 inches, but Harry's practice with various objects made it seem like adult play. He was so pleased to have someone else's hard shaft to play with that even when sleep came after they had frotted he kept hold of it as they slept.
Dean awoke first in the morning. Waking in a new place, with a new companion, brought to mind his new job. He grabbed his discarded boxers from the floor, but them on and went to check on Jake. Jake was awake, sitting on his bed, playing with his new teddy bear his dads had bought him. He grinned when Dean entered his room and said good morning to Dean. Dean smiled at the tyke and asked him if everything was alright, did he have to go to the bathroom or anything? Jake told him he had already done that and that his bed was nice and dry, did he want to wait with him until his dads woke up? Dean chuckled and told him he had a better idea. He scooped up Jake and his bear and took them back to his room, where uncle Harry was just starting to stir. Jake was joyful to see Uncle Harry, and squirmed to be let down on the bed. He crawled up Harry until they were face to face and Jake kissed his uncle's cheek. "Good morning Uncle Harry", was Jake's greeting,"did you stay up late playing and had to stay over?"Dean was laughing and he lay down next to the two who were beginning to mean so much to him. Harry kissed his new nephew on the cheek and wished him a good morning. He reached up and kissed Dean good morning too, just briefly touching his tongue to Dean's. He told Jake he did stay up late playing and he hoped Dean invited him to stay over many times, especially if he had wake up visits like this. Jake asked if he could have his shower with them this morning, like he did with his daddies. Dean told him that they were going running first and then they would shower after, so maybe he could shower with his dads after that, then they would have a fun day, swimming and maybe even going for a ride on one of the horses.
Harry asked Jake if it was alright if he stayed with him today. Jake said he'd like that, and Dean said he would too. By then they heard the dads moving around in their room, so Dean put on his running gear in his bathroom and then took Jake into his own room to get him in some shorts and a T shirt, with his little sneakers. Meanwhile Harry had borrowed some of Dean's gear and he had his own sneakers from yesterday to use. I came out of our bedroom, wondering where Jake was, he hadn't woken us and I didn't hear anything from his monitor, so I dressed for running and while Cal did the same I went looking for him. To my surprise he was with Dean and Harry, all three ready for some morning exercise. I got a good morning kiss from Jake and Harry as well. He blushed a little and said he hoped I didn't mind, but he had stayed over and I told him it was perfectly alright, he was welcome any time, and if Dean wanted to spend time at Harry's place all he had to do was to let us know so Jake wouldn't go nuts looking for him.
I let Cal know I had located Jake and that we'd see him in the kitchen. When we got there I started the coffee maker for later, then poured out our juices and started the first round of toast. Harry went out to the garage and wheeled out a jogging stroller we had ordered and had been delivered yesterday afternoon. Now Jake could come on our runs with us, except for the most rugged terrain. Ray had done such a great job grading that we thought with the smooth paths we now enjoyed that Jake wouldn't be jounced about so much. We warmed up and Jake was so cute, trying to do stretches with us. He even climbed aboard his chariot so we could adjust the attached harness to keep him safely inside. Our run that morning was not our fastest time, but we had fun with Jake along. We took turns pushing his ride and he would tell us which one of us pushed the fastest. Once at home he again wanted to shower with us instead of a bath. We treated this request like the last time, we showered, made sure he was clean, we each tended to our own cleaning and we dried him and sent him to his room to pick out what he thought he should wear, as we both dressed for the day. After another of Joe's great breakfasts Ray informed us he had leased out the 6 fields closest to the back, along the county fire road where Jake's mother crashed. I asked what they were growing and he replied there would be one field just for hay, another for oats and those crops would be for us. The remaining crops would be for a vegetable stand the farmer would run in the Fall. If Ray felt we needed any of these vegetables for the use of the kitchen staff we had a standing deal with the farmer. He had feelers out for the lease of several more fields, both here and the adjoining property, which we now had access paths to.
That afternoon we received a call from Tricia, reminding us we had class to attend that night and I told her we already had a hired babysitter, for the entire summer as a matter of fact. She was glad to hear it. Cal and I turned up for the parenting class and found we were not the only same sex couple there. There was another male couple, two female couples, and 6 male/female couples. Although I didn't personally know the pair, one of the female couples knew me from the times I used to work at Mount Holyoke College for my aunt during my vacations during my college years. They knew both Gladys and Sally and asked how they were enjoying their honeymoon. Both Cal and I told them of the e-mails and how they were buying postcards and bringing them back for us as souvenirs. They asked us if we were planning on adopting and we told them about the circumstances surrounding our custody of Jake. They applauded us for stepping into the fire and asked how we were coping so far.
It suddenly was very quiet in the room, even the instructor and her assistant seemed to be hanging on our every word. We told them about the first few nights of nightmares, but also how quickly these went away, as we gave him lots of love and kept him very active through out the day. The only problem we had encountered so far had been the shower issue. The instructor asked me how old he was, and Cal told her(and the room) that he was now about 5 ½ and would be starting pre school in the Fall. He told her there was never any horse play in the shower, it was get clean and get out. She thought about it for a moment and then told us that in her estimation we have been doing the right thing. Since he made no mention of our genitalia or tried to touch us there she thought we would
be in a very good position in the future for when those questions did come up, closer to puberty. For right now she said it sounded like he was finally able to enjoy being a child in a loving home. Boy, did that ever make us feel good. She thought as he grew bigger he would probably suggest he was old enough to shower on his own, so don't discourage him, unless he really couldn't do it.
I spoke up then and asked at what age should he be allowed to ride horseback. She asked how large our horses were and I told her they were between 14 and 16 hands. She asked how we felt about it and I realized that while he rode with one of us I felt it was alright, but by himself, I'd feel better if he were on a much smaller horse. The instructor answered that with ,for a couple with all the common sense we had already shown, the next logical step would be to get one of those ponies for him. They were less than half the size of a horse, and if he used a helmet when riding he'd be just as safe as if he were riding a bike. Duh. Cal and I looked at each other, shaking our heads, why didn't we think of that!! The instructor went on to say that a lot of parenting skills were common sense, mixed with listening, talking, and thinking. Caring had a lot to do with it also. Learning to "read" your child, knowing when something was bothering them, upsetting them, would go a long way to making things right for them in their world, and ours. The class was for a few hours. This first week they covered everything from bringing home a newborn to seeing your first one off to school. We eagerly attended all the required classes, and for the last one we asked if we might be able to host it at our house, as we felt we learned as much from the other couples and their participation as we would have from some book from the checkout line at the supermarket. Permission granted, we indeed had the whole class and the two instructors to our farm for our last class. The group finally got to meet Jake and the alternate carers, Joe, Tom, and especially Dean. He had proved invaluable to us, taking over the caring of our son seamlessly during my writing time and our class time. I didn't know what we'd do without him when he returned to classes in the Fall, actually during the week after our wedding, which was not three weeks away.
With our certificate proving we had not only attended the classes, but a letter from the instructor singing our praises, we drove over to see Tricia and presented her with a copy to submit with our application to the family court for adoption, thus completing the requirements the judge had asked for. Tricia had the application ready, she was just waiting for the certificate to fax our petition over to the court.
Two hours later, after getting Jake a longer pair of pants to go with his little suit we arrived home to find Tom, Harry, Jim and Dean giving the royal tour of the property to Sally and Gladys, home 10 days earlier that planned. The ladies said they were so anxious to be home they postponed their trip to the library of congress and also they couldn't wait to meet their first great nephew. We all survived the hugs and kisses and Jake was enthralled by these two new people in his life. Jim had loaded his belongings from their house and he added them to the ones stored in the room he had already picked out here. Joe and Bill had prepared a feast and Jake wanted his high chair right between the ladies. That tickled them to no end.
After dinner we walked a bit to let our feast settle and they told us stories from their travels. It all sounded like they had a great time. They had a few questions about our parents and wanted more details of Jake coming to live with us, and how the adoption process was progressing. They left just before nine for their home and promised to return for a cookout in two days over the weekend, our last as a couple of singles, as our wedding was a week from tomorrow. Cal and I took Jake, Dean and Harry to Boston to empty my apartment and tie up any loose ends I had there. We had one of the SUV s and I had hired a U HAUL truck for the trip back for my furniture and boxes. It was a hectic three days but we mingled in a few trips to break up the monotony of packing. Some things we left at a local charity, but many of my antiques we carefully packed, as Cal thought we could mingle them in with what came with the purchase of our home.
While in town I took them all to meet Harold, explaining he would be coming on Friday to stay with us for the wedding, along with my publisher and my agent. They also would arrive with Harold on Friday. He greeted us all warmly and Jake took to him right away. He and Cal got along like a house on fire and they were buddies before our brief visit was over. On the way home Jake asked from the back seat if we could get a swan boat for the pond. He wanted to take his aunts out on it. I told him I didn't think that would be a good idea, since the aunts didn't like swans.
The three days leading up to the wedding were hectic ones, yet everything fell into place. On the day before, Friday, we were notified that our petition for adoption would be heard in family court on the following Monday, first on the docket, 9am, all parties to attend. The judge listed was our friend who had presided over our custody hearing. The caterer showed up with the tables and chairs for use during the barbecue reception, the extra two large barbecue cookers would certainly help in the output of ribs and burgers. Our new suits were picked up with the needed alterations done, and thankfully all our best men had picked up the suits we had bought for them as well. Our wedding was perfect. We asked Jake to walk between us down the aisle, with our best men following. Unfortunately we didn't hold his hands. About half way down the aisle he ran forward to the minister and called out to us, "Come on dads, hurry up, we gotta get married!" We did actually step it up a pace or two and from there everything went as planned. By the time we arrived back home the whole patio and pool area had been decorated for a farm wedding celebration. Colorful bandanas had been used as decorations and each had our names and the date on them. Guests were encouraged to take one with them as they left.
The food was fantastic and there were the occasional halts during the reception for one of the four best men to make a toast and soon others were getting into the act. Ray and Joe made a special heartfelt one, Stella and Pam, Lynn and Sue teamed up to make a totally hilarious one, and the Aunts did their best to totally embarrass us. Then my publisher, my agent, and Harold all stood as one and declared they had something to say. In Boston I had told Harold just how much harder it was hiding my authorship of my novels and more and more people had to be let in on my secret. With the Fall book tour coming up and hopefully a new film contract, I felt it was now time to "come out".
Harold began,"Just over seven years ago I was ready to retire. I had lost the incentive to keep my office open. My wife had died and we never had any children, so I had poured myself into my work and had burned myself out. I was down to a handful of clients, very lucrative clients, mind you, but not enough to keep on a full staff. Then one day in walks a young man, not even out of college and he gave me a challenge, the same challenge he gave the two gentlemen next to me." Jean, my agent went next,"I received a call from the business office at Pernod Publishing, asking if I had time that day to interview a potential client, a young man who had thought he had written a book and just sent it off to them, hoping someone else liked it as much as he thought he did, I say young man, but he was a college student, with an idea, but other than outstanding grades he really hadn't achieved anything with his writing yet." Next to speak was Bryan, a distinguished looking 50 something year old," I have to admit that as a publisher I seldom have time to read, and we hire a staff of editors who screen submissions for us. One afternoon, about 6 years ago, one of these editors was in our lunch room, talking to a group of fellow employees, and I happened to sit next to their table. This editor was going on about a manuscript that had come in the bulk mail the week or so before and the envelope it was in was dropped in her in-box unopened. She had finally gotten around to opening the hand typed contents and started quickly perusing it. Her attention was caught and she never put it down until she had finished it, around 11:00pm that night. Not only had the story caught her attention, she was saying she laughed and cried through the entire thing, and she couldn't find a thing to correct, not a single thing was wrong or out of place. Well this piqued my interest and I asked her to bring this marvel to my office after their lunch was finished. I had it in hand by 2pm and I finally left my office at 9pm, finally finished reading, and laughing and crying, I must admit. The covering letter was on college stationary, so the next day I personally called this student and when I asked if he had an agent he answered in the negative, so I told him before I could not talk to him any more,I thought he should be represented, that is how much of an impact that first novel had on me, I actually encouraged someone to get an agent'". Harold took over again," So I'm sitting in my office and in walks this kid in a T shirt and jeans and I hear my secretary saying we weren't hiring any summer help, I hadn't heard him say anything, I thought she was a little rude, so I went out to the front office and he's hemming and hawing, and I asked him if we could help him in any way. He said he had just gotten an advance from a publisher
and that his novel was being bid on by a film studio, and could I tell him what to do with all the money they had sent him so far. He handed me a check for 400 thousand dollars, made out to Robert Scott. He asked me if I could make him a millionaire, and I knew immediately I now had my incentive back, I was going to help create a millionaire. And I'm proud to tell you I did, it took another two books, but I had managed to make a fortune for that young man. A man who took taboo subjects and turned them into prose, he had people lining up to defend gay kids attacked by their own parents or classmates. He had some abusers seeing the light and others doing hard time. All the time his characters are evolving, mixing with other gays or becoming the center of a hub of mixed sex couples. A man I am proud to say virtually saved my life, my company, and the jobs of over 40 people. Congratulations Cal and Scott, may Robert Scott live on for years!!" There were cheers and claps and foot pounding, demanding spoken words from Cal and I. Cal arose and said he had said," I Do, what more important thing, other than he's the love of my life, and he's made it possible for us to have the most wonderful child in the whole world calling us Dad". There were cheers and silverware clinking on glasses so we kissed, remembering to keep it clean.
Our kiss over, I spoke up." We are so pleased you all arranged your time to spend the afternoon with us on this special day for us. Jake was given the chance to live with us by a special woman, Judge Alice Monroe. She encouraged us to take the necessary classes to become his legal parents and Monday we hope our dream comes through." At this point Judge Monroe stood and amidst the clapping gathering she made her way to us and handed over what she called her wedding present for us. Inside the manilla envelope was the adoption decree, giving Cal and I permanent custody of Jacob Roberts-Hays. We both hugged her and she whispered we hadn't seen the last of her yet. Cal and I were all teared up when Jake ran up to us and asked what we got. We both said at the same time, "We got a little boy named Jacob".