Our return flight was smooth and uneventful, very much unlike the media storm that awaited us after we returned. The storm manifested itself primarily with Jean and Bryan getting hundreds of calls and faxes all requesting interviews with me and my family. They compromised with the requesters by offering video conference interviews between the interviewers who could provide the largest of audiences and when I found out the local requests were not included I talked to Cal and the boys and we decided to offer interviews to the three local stations, but only on the afternoon (dinner time) news programs. All went well and those three interviewers got the best results ever. The boys all recognized all three interviewers, made sure our interviewer knew they were fans, and they all made us so comfortable that answering their questions was a piece of cake. We had made some stipulations first though, they could not ask us or the boys where we lived or what school they attended. They could not ask any question that could allow anyone to find or harass us all. As far as the public knew we lived a private life somewhere in the area and that was how we wanted it with the general public. Of course the boys classmates knew them and what they looked like, but we were assured by both schools that our address and other vital information was private and any one who disclosed that type of information faced being fired or if it was a student they could face suspension.
In about 2 months time everything had settled down and our lives were back to as normal as they had ever been. Two weeks before Easter we got a rather unusual phone call, from Tricia on a Friday afternoon, about 4:30PM. She said that at a family dinner the night before Judge Monroe had asked her how we were surviving the media storm. Tricia had told her everything seemed to have settled down and no incidents at either of the boys schools had occurred. Tricia admitted that she and Brad were dating, and talking about combining their law knowledge and forming a new company together. Judge Monroe was hinting to her that there was another problem she needed help with. That piqued my interest and I asked Tricia why the judge didn't just call us if she needed something. Tricia didn't answer right away, she had to think of a way to say what she was going to say, which was,"I really think she wants to ask a favor of you but with all the media attention you've been getting she really didn't want to intrude or maybe add to you problems, thats the impression I got, mind you, it's only an impression."I finagled the judge's phone number from her and I thanked her for calling and wished her and Brad(the judge's on) all the best.
I called Cal to the den and told him all about the call about the judge and that I was going to call her right now. He said Jay and Mario were watching TV with Sam and Jake so make the call, but put it on speaker. Judge Monroe answered on the first ring and said hello to me, Cal whispered to me, "caller ID". I told the judge a little birdie told me she wanted to speak to Cal and I. She asked how we were doing, and was the media still hounding us, and how were the boys and were the twins liking their new school and Cal and I chuckled and told her everything was going fine and all was very well with all the boys and what could we help her with on this fine night. She hemmed and hawed a bit and then said," I had a case in court two weeks ago, a teen had sued his parents for divorce, or, as it is commonly known now "emancipation". I granted his request and two nights ago he called me in tears. He had anticipated being away from his abusive parents. They had been proven in court to not only have been abusive but negligent and physically intimidating in regards to their only child. He was crying because of his emancipation no one at his school, even those he had thought of as friends or at least supportive would talk to or befriend him. "You see, in court it came out that he considered himself gay. He's been tormented at school and at the grocery store he works at, even his neighbors at the apartment building he lives in have been notified he was gay and he's being shunned there also. He's so despondent, I felt so sorry for what has been done to him that I asked Brad to go and get him and bring him to me. I'm so afraid he'll do himself harm, and I can't convince him that he should see a therapist, could you men do me a huge favor and talk to him for me?"Cal asked her where was he now, and the judge said he was at her house, building a model with her grandson, Tony, in another room in the house. Cal and I exchanged a look and a nod and we asked her if she could ask him if he'd like to come spend some time at our house.
Cal added that maybe she should also send Tony for a sleepover weekend with our boys. He knew our gang and he has spent some time with the young man, so he might be good to have around to help the young man not feel surrounded by strangers. She agreed and she checked with Brad about letting his son spend the weekend with us and all was set, she'd bring the boys over in about an hour, giving her time to make sure each youngster had a bag packed for their stay.
We went to talk to our boys about having company for the weekend and Jake and Sam were thrilled that Tony was coming to sleep over. The twins were eager to meet this teenager who had emancipated himself from his parents and was living on his own. Joe had heard us talking and when I started to go and tell him there would be three more for dinner he just laughed and told me he had heard it all and had already set three more places. Cal and I went upstairs to make sure we had two bedrooms made up for our weekend guests and by the time we had that taken care of it was almost time for our company so we joined our boys in the family room to wait for their arrival.
Tony was very pleased to see Jake and Sam again, but not as much as they were. We had a mess of kids greeting each other like they hadn't seen each other in years, let alone the 3 weeks since they had last spent time together. The teenager with him and Judge Monroe was about 5'6" tall and thin. He had a mop of unruly curly medium brown hair and seemed quite shy. The judge introduced him as Ben and you could tell the guy had the weight of the world on his shoulders. He had that hang dog look about him and I felt like wrapping my arms around him and taking all his burdens away from him. Cal must have felt the same as he wrapped his strong arms around Ben and held him for a moment before everyone moved in to the family room and we started there with a little tour of the first floor so Ben could orient himself with the room layout and maybe start to feel more comfortable here. Joe called us all to the table so we left the second floor until after dinner During dinner our judge introduced Ben to Joe and Ray who had joined us for dinner and the talk around the table was easy, but Ben was still a little standoffish. It was the judge that noticed a change in him first. As we chatted around the table Tony told Sam and Jake that he had seen our family on TV and he and Tricia and his dad were making dinner at the time, and it was so funny he said because he started to try and say hi to them but he realized you can't talk to someone on the TV. Ben's head popped up and he began to really look at Cal and I, then the twins and their little brothers, who were laughing with Tony. Judge Monroe asked Ben if he was alright which drew all our attention to him.
Poor Ben was just sitting and staring at Cal and I, with his mouth hanging open, the look of recognition growing on his face. Ray, who was sitting on one side of him, just leaned over and whispered to him,"It's OK, they put their pants on one leg at a time, just like we do. They're regular guys, even Scott who really does write those books". Ben closed his mouth and nodded a few times, then proceeded to eat his meal, but now looking around and starting to participate in the conversations.
By the time the meal was over and we had all pitched in to clear the table Judge Monroe pleaded an early day the next day and made her excuses and bid us all a good weekend. She told Tony and Ben that she'd see them on Sunday afternoon as she was coming back for a cookout with all of us then. Everyone bid her goodnight and Jake gave her a big hug goodby after Tony had said his goodby to his grandmother. After she had left we took our guests to the second floor and showed them the rooms we had set up for them. Ben's was first and he said it was nicer than his room at his former home was and it was about the size of his whole apartment, that was until we showed him the attached bathroom and the big walk in closet. Tony, on the other hand, said his room was nice, but wasn't he having a sleep over with Sam and Jake? I spoke up and said that since his bed was bigger shouldn't he ask Jake and Sam to sleep over in his room? He thought that was a great idea, and so did our two youngest. We left the lad to get settled in with the twins helping Ben. After they all came downstairs we decided to take everyone for a walk before settling in for some movies. Tony was telling Ben about the little horses he got to ride with Jake and Sam as we strolled to the barn. I told Ben that Tony was talking about the ponies we had for the little ones. When we got to the barn Jake and Sam had to show Ben the new litter of kittens that had been born since his last visit, while the twins introduced Ben to the dogs before moving over to the stalls and slipping each horse or pony a carrot as each was introduced to Ben. Ben seemed to be taking all this in stride and at times he seemed much younger than his 17 years. After about an hour of meeting the animals and getting a tour of the barn and the riding rink I took Ben for a walk outside while Cal stayed with the younger group. As we walked down the lane Ray had made to the farm road, at the back of our property, Ben had a lot of questions, and fortunately I had answers for them. He wanted to know when I knew I was gay, and how did I meet Cal, and were we really married, how did I know I was in love, how did I get so confident. I did answer all his questions, but I had a few of my own. I asked why he thought he was gay, was he smart in school, what did he want to do for work, or did he want to go to college first, what type of life was he envisioning for himself, why did he leave his parent's house? We talked all the way down to the gate at the farm road and all the way back to the barn, only to find the others had returned home.
By the time we had returned home I had explained that at dinner he had only met the younger members of our family, since the others had had other plans or commitments for the dinner time hours. I told him about my brother Harry and His boyfriend Dean who had a late class in the afternoon and a lab right after. I explained they were college juniors and in a committed relationship. I told Ben about my brother Thomas and Bill, his lover, who were seniors in high school who were his age, and also in a committed relationship. They had been at a swim meet out of town, but they should also be home by now. I told him that both guys in that couple had been emancipated from their parents just as he had been, but they had already had a good deal of support before, during and especially after their emancipation. I told him that Cal and I wanted to be his support and to help him in any way we could.
We went in the house and into an excited conversation with the three youngest telling everyone else about one of the ponies pooping right in front of them. They had the whole group, my brothers and their partners included, fascinated by this tale, their faces red from holding in their laughter and many holding their stomachs. The three dynamos were totally serious about the pony poop and didn't see anything funny about it, they just had never seen the ponies poop before. When their discourse was finished Cal told them that now they knew why we asked them to wear their boots when around the horses and ponies. I asked the three to go pick out the first movie for the night and as soon as they were in the den the whole group burst into laughter and when things had quieted down Ben was introduced to those he had not yet met. There was an almost immediate bond formed between the high school boys and it was good to see Ben in an animated conversation with his peers.
A short time later the 3 youngest came back with 3 DVDs and presented them to Cal for his approval. He immediately put one down on the coffee table and said not this one guys, there's too much shooting in this one. I snatched it up before Tom could and when I saw the title I knew immediately why Cal had dismissed this one so fast. It's title alone would have done it. What the youngsters had thought was a western was entitled," Stud Ranch, (where the breeding happens everywhere, not just the barn)"! Tom and Bill were beet red so I handed it to them, telling them to be careful where they left their after hours entertainment.
The youngsters and Cal settled on Home Alone, one of the ones Ben at the library had recommended the last time we were there. Everyone wanted to see it, either for the first time, or for the 10th, it was a good movie for us all. After about 3 very large bowls of pop corn the movie was over and Sam, Tony and Jake had bobbing heads and Cal and I gently herded them upstairs and tucked them into Tony's bed for the night.
When we returned to the rest of our group the guys had picked one of the Mission Impossible DVDs to watch and Cal and I snuggled in together to watch. Soon the other two couples were snuggled into each other, and I noticed that Ben kept looking longingly at the three groups of couples around the room. Nothing was said about it, but later Cal mentioned he had noticed too.
Apparently we were not the only ones because the next afternoon, after we had spent the morning riding, Tom and Bill asked if they could invite a school chum over for an afternoon of swimming. He had broken things off with his most current boyfriend and the guys felt he could use some company. They said this while looking right at Ben.
That afternoon we were all in the poolhouse and Cal and I told Ben we had something to talk to him about. As we were about to explain to Ben about our swimsuit rule at the pool The three littlest nudies were chased out to the pool enclosure door by the four big nudies. Tom was fumbling with the locked door and as soon as he had unlocked it the seven of them made their way to the pool, walking, each carrying their towel. They knew if they ran out there they were likely to be grounded by either Cal or I. Ben sat staring at them and we asked if there was anything the matter?
Ben gulped a few times and pointing at the pool he said they were all naked. I told him that Cal and I would be also, before we went into the pool. We both told him that we'd always swam nude, unless there were ladies present. He didn't have anything that any of us had. We'd seen big, small, and everything in-between. I told him that there were stairs at each end and if he felt something growing that he didn't want to show the rest of us to just sit on the stairs until he wasn't pointing at us without his hands. Cal told him that everyone out there, except the three youngest, had sprung a boner at least once a day out there and that he and I were not immune to it either. It's a natural occurrence and no one will remark about it. He was amongst friends, and you do get used to it over time.
We showed him into the changing room and told him to use a locker in there to stow hid shoes and clothing and if he felt he really couldn't join us au natural then there was a locker on the end with plenty of different sized, clean, swimsuits. Cal and I then turned to our own locker and stripped off and went to the pool. About 15 minutes later he came out to the pool enclosure with a towel wrapped around his waist. He unwrapped his towel and draped it on a chair, like the others had done, and joined us in the pool. Dean was the first to say anything. He told Ben that that was one of the biggest soft dicks he had ever seen, and coming from Dean, who had the biggest one any of us had ever seen, outside of a porno, that was a great compliment. Ben blushed down to his pubes, but he also looked very pleased.
About a half hour later Joe brought out to the pool enclosure Tom and Bill's school friend Glenn. Glenn and Joe had already removed their clothing. Now that I saw him I could put the name to a face and I recognized him from some of the gatherings the high schoolers had held here. He was one of their good friends and as I remember he had tons of freckles. He was about Ben's height and was a straight A student in school. He lived with his grandparents as his parents had kicked him out when he told them he was gay. His grandparents ran the cafe we liked to go to for lunch sometimes and we considered them friends.
Tom and Bill made the introductions and when he got to Ben he told Glenn that Ben was a friend of the family visiting for the weekend. The two young men stared at each other and both raised their hands to shake them at the same time. Their eyes never leaving the others. Dean waded over to them after a minute or so and whispered something to them and the two disengaged their hands and swam over to the far stairs and sat side by side chatting away like long lost friends. I looked over to Dean and he had a big grin on his face as he said,"History repeating itself".He then leaned over to give Harry a big smooch.
Our weekend went pretty much as the Saturday had gone, exercise in the early morning, breakfast with the whole family, horseback riding until lunch and an afternoon spent by the pool or relaxing and reading in the later part of the afternoon. On Sunday I realized, as we were all getting ready for church, that Glenn had never gone home after arriving on Saturday afternoon. He was wearing clothes that belonged to Bill and he was always by Ben's side. Everyone went to church and when we returned home Glenn said he had to return home as he had to help at the cafe that afternoon because one of the waiters had quit the other day and his grandparents thought they could use his help. He and Ben went up to Ben's room so Glenn could change into his own clothing, and I suspect to say their goodbys in private.
Once breakfast was over Cal and I asked Ben to join us in the den. He came in and we told him we had some questions for him. We asked him the same questions as the other night, but his answers showed he had done a lot of thinking this past weekend. He had goals now, he wanted to teach, which meant he now wanted to go to college. When he left his parents house he thought he would enjoy being by himself. But he now knew he needed others around him, interacting with them in some way. He said he had taken the efficiency apartment in Holyoke because it was close to the supermarket he worked in, not because it was a nice place, nor was the supermarket a nice place to work. Every month they laid off some people and you never knew when you would have to clock out for good. He was going to have to rely on scholarships to go to college but he was determined, now he had met Glenn.
Cal and I did the look thing and when we turned from each other Cal said, very casually, that we might have a room for rent, it came with three meals a day, all the horseback riding he could stand, and pool privileges. We'd make sure he could afford college, but he had to promise to only work weekend afternoons when needed and the occasional day during school holidays and summer vacations. But the most important thing he had to promise us would be that he be happy. Ben sat there, mulling all this over and I continued where Cal had left off, the rent would be five dollars a week, he would have to transfer to the South Hadley high school and either ride to school with Tom and Bill or with Glenn, as he and his grandparents lived just down the road a ways, in a house just behind the cafe they owned and where Glenn worked sometimes, and they needed a new waiter.
By now Ben was sobbing and Cal and I each hugged him from each side as he sat on the couch."You'd do all this for me?" he sobbed out and we both assured him we would. He then asked how all this could happen? I picked up the handset phone in the den and I called the judge. She said she had wondered when we would call and asked what we had worked out with Ben. I explained that he would be moving in with us as a tenant paying five dollars a week for his room and board. We'd get him enrolled in the same school as Tom and Bill attended, he'd have a part time job at the cafe down the main road, and we'd set up a college fund for him. She asked when all this would happen and Cal told her it had already started and would be completed by dinner time tomorrow, Monday. She asked to speak with Ben and after a few "Yes Maams" then a big thank you, he handed the phone back to me and I put it back on speaker. She thanked our family and told us that if we ever had any questions or problems getting Ben settled to call her. We told her we didn't anticipate any and thanked her for bringing Ben into our lives.
We had a family meeting once Ben had a chance to splash some water on his face and dry off. We explained that Ben would be moving in with the family the next day and he'd be transferring to Tom and Bill's school. So Ben would be treated like a brother and he would treat them the same. There were hugs all around as everyone welcomed him and Cal and I suggested that Ben, Tom and Bill grab some empty boxes and we'd go gather up Ben's belongings efficiency. Joe offered to take the three youngsters riding with he and Ray so we thanked him for that and when the boxes were gathered we left in two SUVs to accomplish the move.
The apartment building was pretty dismal and we were all glad to be out of there when we had Ben all moved out. I had gone to the managers apartment and explained that we were moving Ben out and since there was still more than half a month that had been paid for and we were not asking for his deposit back we didn't expect to hear there was an issue with him moving out without more notice. He stammered something and I suggested he call Judge Monroe at family court at the Hampden County courthouse in the morning. I placed her card in his hand and we left. I knew the judge would never hear from him, if he was still in the city in the morning, he certainly strike me as a totally law abiding citizen and the reek of pot coming out of his unit confirmed that.
Once nearer to home I decided everyone deserved a treat so I drove to the cafe instead of turning into our drive and Tom, driving the other SUV followed me. In the parking lot I told everyone that Ben wanted to thank us for moving him and therefore the treat was on him, milkshakes all around and about 5 for those at home . Everyone was really pleased and as we turned to go inside Ben was frantically looking for money in his wallet and as I passed him I slipped a fifty dollar bill into the almost empty bill section of the wallet. The huge grin he gave me made me believe he hadn't much more in there than a couple of bucks.
When Ben and I went in the cafe Cal was talking to the owners while Glenn and another waiter were making up the first half dozen shakes and were taking the orders for the rest, both of them chatting with our guys as they did so. Someone must have mentioned where and why we had been to Ben's apartment for we heard a whoop and Glenn was over the counter and in Ben's arms in seconds. I heard Cal saying to the grandparents, "I think they'll work well together, don't you?". I chuckled to myself, thinking not only were we matchmakers, now we were an employment agency as well.
We waited for the shakes for those at the house and during that time Ben and Glenn's grandparents had a nice interview over in a corner booth. The results were obvious as they all stood and shook hands and I heard the grandparents telling him they'd see him about noon on Saturday, if not before. He was smiling like crazy when we left and the grin stayed on his face while everyone helped schlep his belongings to his room. We found Ray and Joe with the three pre schoolers out at the pool and Cal and I distributed the milkshakes we had brought home with us. About that time Tricia and Brad stuck their heads in the door to the pool enclosure and announced their presence by saying there was a woman at the pool. The guys all tightened their towels as they came out onto the deck. Little Tony hugged them both and asked if he had to go right away, he still had the rest of his shake to slurp up and he was having such a great time. His father chuckled and told him no, they were just checking that he was behaving and we all laughed, since Tony was a very well behaved boy. Tricia told us they were on their way to the big farm stand at the big apple orchard up the road a ways and stopped to see if we needed anything before picking up Tony, so he had about an hour to have more fun and gather up all his stuff after getting some clothes on.
We had a great family dinner after Tony was picked up and the young boys recounted their whole day for us, even though we had all been here for half of it! It was great fun and we, in turn, told them about moving Ben, and Ben told them about getting a part time job at the cafe. It felt like a family should feel like, and Cal and I sat back and reveled in it, holding hands as the boys all talked around us.