Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 14:02:01 -0700 (PDT)
From: Mickey S <njmcmick@yahoo.com>
Subject: Coy Boy, Chapter 34

This story contains some explicit scenes of erotic love between males. If
you are under age, or live in an area where reading stories that include
sex between males is illegal, or if you're not into this type of story,
please leave. The author retains all rights.  No reproductions are allowed
without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at
NJMcMick@yahoo.com.

The story is set in the fictional city of Trenton, New Jersey. Yes, there
is a real city by that name, but other than being a state capital on the
Delaware River, it bears little resemblance to the city in this
story. While a few of the places mentioned may exist in reality, all of the
characters and events are fictitious.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Monday morning I slept in later than usual. The long drive the day before
had been more tiring than I realized. After breakfast at the diner, I
walked to the park, sat on my rock by the river and called Patrick.

"Good morning, Coy, so you finally got up!"

"Yeah, it was a pretty long day yesterday. Even with going to bed early I
slept in. But then I guess you wouldn't know about going to bed early."

"Hey, Derek and I were in bed plenty early, we just didn't get to sleep
until late."

"Yeah, I can just imagine. So how long has this been going on, anyway?"

"Oh, a little while. He's a pretty great guy and, as you would know better
than anyone, just my type in bed."

"Yeah, now that you mention it, bottom boy."

"Be nice now. Remember, this bottom boy is your attorney and trustee."

"I know, I know, how can I forget when you keep reminding me?"

"So how'd it go? The weekend, the car, everything?"

"The weekend was okay. Not perfect, but pretty good. And the car is a
dream! I absolutely love it."

"Good, you deserve it. You'll have to tell me all about everything the next
time I see you. In the meantime, however, I've got some annoying news for
you."

"There's not a problem with the condo, is there?" The way the tension
instantly spread throughout my body showed me just how much I was looking
forward to moving into my new home.

"No, that's right on schedule. Closing is still two weeks from tomorrow, as
planned. The problem is your stepfather. It looks like he finally found a
lawyer to take his case. He's filed for custody again."

"Oh God no, not again," I groaned. "Isn't this ever gonna end? I mean, I'll
be 18 in ten weeks or so. Can't they just let it drop?"

"No, in fact there's a hearing scheduled for next Monday morning. And the
family court is none too pleased that we didn't notify them when your
great-aunt died."

"You mean the fat bastard might win this time?"

"I doubt it. We have something going for us now that we didn't last
time. You have grandparents who could accept custody."

"Don't bet on it. They didn't exactly warm up to me this weekend." I gave
him a recap of the dinner on Thursday night. "They'd never help me at this
point and there's no way I want to owe them anything anyway."

"Well, we'll think of something. As you said, it's only for ten weeks
anyway."

"What about my father? I'm sure he'd help out."

"Your father? What are you talking about? Since when do you have a father?"

I was stunned. Hadn't I told Patrick about meeting my father? I thought
back to that first meeting and the conversations I'd had with Patrick since
then and I realized that all we'd talked about for two months was first the
condo and then the car. Even when we were planning the trip to Augusta,
we'd only talked about the car and my grandfather. I briefly caught him up.

"This is great news, babe! A real father trumps a stepfather every
time. Give me his number and I'll call him right now."

"Let me call him first and explain, then I'll ask him to call you."

"Whatever, just make sure you do it this morning. There's no time to waste
on this."

"Okay, I'll call him now."

"Good. And Coy, once this is all over, you and I have to sit down and catch
up. No cars, no condos, no custody, just good old-fashioned girl
talk. There's been too much business for us to deal with. No wonder you
didn't know about Derek and me."

"Well, I don't have any hot stories to tell, but you're right. We do have
some catching up to do."

As soon as I hung up from Patrick I called my father. He was pleased to
hear from me and thought at first that I was calling just to let him know I
got home all right. Back when I'd first told him about Ralph he'd been
angry, so he was upset at the prospect of a custody battle. He promised to
call Patrick and do whatever he could to help me.

Late that afternoon I was on my way to Norman's for dinner when Patrick
called to tell me they'd talked and that everything was taken care of. He
gave me the time of the hearing and we arranged to meet at the same hearing
room as the last time.

"Is Mr. Boyle going to handle this again?"

"No, I don't think you need him this time. I'm sure I can handle this
myself." I asked him how it went with my father but he just told me not to
worry about a thing, that it was all under control. He sounded so sure that
for once I was able to put something big out of my mind and not dwell on
it.

The week flew by. I fell back into my routine as if I hadn't been away at
all. Of course, three evenings at Minho and an afternoon at the shelter
wasn't exactly a crowded schedule. But I did meet with Blaine once and talk
to him on the phone a few times about scheduling furniture deliveries once
the condo was mine. I made it clear to him that the bedrooms were a
priority because I wanted to sleep there starting the first night.

I debated driving into Philadelphia for the custody hearing but even though
I was comfortable with the car I didn't think I was ready for big city
weekday traffic. Besides, I knew parking would be a bitch so it was easier
all around to take the train. When I got to the courthouse I went up to the
hearing room as if it were something I did every day. On the elevator I
thought about how nervous I had been the last time. I wasn't sure whether
it was my father's quick offer of help or Patrick's reassurance over the
phone but I was very calm.

It was a few minutes before ten when I got off the elevator. The only
person waiting on the bench outside the hearing room was Ralph, the one
person I didn't want to see. He glared at me as I approached him.

"I told ya you wouldn't be able to get away from me. You haven't got your
Aunt Aggie to hide behind now. I'm the only one left."

"There's no way I'd ever move back with you, Ralph. Besides, the house is
being sold. You may have to find a new place to live yourself."

"Yeah, you really screwed me on that but I'll get even. Not only is the
buyer gonna charge me rent but he has a ridiculous idea of what the
apartment's worth."

"You mean you haven't been paying rent all these years?"

"Of course not, we were all family. Still are. That's why after I get
custody that trust fund of yours is gonna pay for a really nice place for
us to live."

"Don't hold your breath. It's not gonna happen, Ralph."

Just then the elevator dinged and we both looked down the hall. A tall,
husky middle-aged man with unnaturally black hair got off and headed toward
us.

"Here's my lawyer now. Hey, Joe," he called out. The guy approached us and
looked me over from head to toe.

"This the kid? He looks even younger than seventeen. That'll work in our
favor. He looks too innocent to leave on his own."

The lawyer jerked his head to one side and walked off with Ralph
following. I heard the elevator again and saw Patrick step off, talking on
his cell phone. He smiled and waved to me just as the hearing room door
opened. I recognized the clerk from the last time as he stuck his head out
and asked us all to come into the room. Patrick was frowning as he sat down
next to me.

"Is there a problem, Patrick?"

"No, I've just got to stall a bit."

The judge came in and immediately began to scold Patrick for not having
notified her of Aunt Aggie's death. Ralph and his lawyer just sat back and
smiled as she spoke.

"Your honor, I apologize for not reporting the death of Jeremiah's guardian
when it happened, but the situation was somewhat complex. Our firm had
actually been acting as guardian, and that had been working well, so given
his age, we decided to leave well enough alone."

"I think that was a decision that should have been made by the court,
Mr. Chang."

"But what court, Your Honor? Jeremiah hasn't lived in Pennsylvania for a
year now, so we do not feel this is the appropriate venue to decide
custody, On the other hand, a court in New Jersey, unfamiliar with this
case, might not understand the situation."

"I realize it's a complex case, but your firm didn't have any problem with
the jurisdiction of this court when you filed for custody here last
December, so I don't see any reason why Mr. Ferguson can't file for custody
here now. Let us proceed."

There was a sound behind us and the judge frowned as she looked toward the
back of the room.

"I'm sorry, you can't come in here, this is a closed hearing."

"I believe I have the right to attend a hearing to determine custody of my
son."

I jumped up and whirled around. "Dad! What are you doing here? You didn't
have to come all the way up here."

"Dad? What the fuck?" I heard Ralph mutter.

"Of course I did. No one but me is going to have custody of my son." He
held out his arms and pulled me into a big hug. "You think I'd take any
chance of that asshole getting his hands on you again?" he whispered in my
ear.

Patrick introduced my father to the judge and explained that my developing
relationship with him was another reason he hadn't notified the court of
Aunt Aggie's death. With an entire family behind me and my eighteenth
birthday coming up, custody didn't seem necessary. It also complicated the
question of jurisdiction, as I lived in New Jersey and Dad lived in
Georgia. But since the court wanted to settle the issue, Patrick insisted
my father was the logical candidate to be my guardian.

For the next forty-five minutes the judge interviewed Ralph and Dad. Ralph
had obviously been coached this time. He knew a lot more about me than
before. He must have gone through my old room, studied my school records
and talked to neighbors to find out personal details that he hadn't
previously paid any attention to. He came across as much more caring and
responsible than he had at the previous hearing. Even so, I thought Dad
made a better impression, although maybe I was a bit prejudiced. Dad
explained how he'd found me through my chance meeting with Chipper, and
talked about my recent weekend in Augusta with the family. Without going
into details he assured the judge that his financial condition was such
that my trust fund was not of any interest to him at all.

Both lawyers also asked lots of questions. Ralph's lawyer stressed the
ten-year relationship he had with me, the fact that he had been married to
Mom for six years and had lived with me all that time. He pointed out that
Dad had only known me for two months, and the actual time we'd spent
together could be measured in hours. He also implied that Dad was after me
for my money, a bizarre idea since I knew that was the only reason Ralph
wanted me.

Finally the judge turned to me and asked me to catch her up on my life in
Trenton. I reminded her about my job at Minho and told her about my
volunteer work at the shelter, getting my GED in May and being accepted to
county college for the fall semester. I described the new condo we were
closing on the next week and saw Ralph's mouth drop open as I did. Finally,
I gave a short rundown of the trip to Augusta to pick up my car and while I
mentioned spending time with both sets of grandparents and my other
relatives I didn't go into any details about how we all got along.

"It sounds as if you've built quite a good life for yourself since last
fall."

"I have. I'm doing so much better than I ever dreamed, and I'm not just
talking about the money from the trust fund. I have good friends, people
who care about me, people I love."

"I'm sure I know the answer to this, but I have to ask. What do you want
this court to do? Where would you like to live and with whom?"

"I'd like to stay in Trenton and move into the condo with my friend Manny
next week. If I have to have a legal guardian, I'd like it to be my
father. I know he lives far away, but my brother will be back at Princeton
soon and he can keep an eye on me. Plus I've got Patrick and Nancy at the
law firm and my friend Norman living nearby. I'm not really on my own
anymore."

The judge nodded. "We'll take a ten minute break and then I'll give my
decision."

The judge got up and left the room. Ralph and his lawyer went out into the
hall but my little group stayed put. Even thought they'd talked on the
phone and Patrick had just examined Dad as a witness, I formally introduced
them.

"I'm sorry I was late, Patrick. My cab was stuck in traffic coming in from
the airport."

"Since you called I knew you were running late and I was able to
stall. Your timing was perfect, actually. The judge wasn't feeling too
kindly toward me and probably would have granted custody to Ralph if you
hadn't been here. Now it's pretty much a no-brainer, though."

We chatted for a few minutes and then the hearing was reconvened. When we
were all seated, the judge came back in.

"This case was unusual back in December when we were first here, and it's
even more so now. Obviously, Mr. Ferguson has a long history with
Jeremiah. He took care of him more than half his life. It's just as clear
that the relationship between the two is not a good one. I'm pleased that
Jeremiah is establishing a relationship with his father's family, although
given the distance and the short time they've all known one another it's
hard to judge the quality of that relationship. Under ordinary
circumstances, neither the father nor stepfather would be an ideal
candidate for guardian. However, there is nothing ordinary about this
case. Jeremiah lives out of state on his own. He is enrolled in school and
has a steady job. He has friends nearby. Due to the trust fund, he is
financially secure and Mr. Chang here will be serving as his trustee for
several more years regardless of the outcome of this hearing. In another
week Jeremiah will have his own home and in two months he will legally be
an adult. In my personal opinion, he does not need a guardian at this point
in his life, but the law says he does. As far as I am concerned, the most
important thing right now is to protect Jeremiah while disrupting the good
life he has built as little as possible. And so, since Mr. Johnson is
willing to accept responsibility for him and Jeremiah is agreeable to his
father as guardian, I hereby grant custody of Jeremiah Coy Walton to his
father, Robert Johnson, Jr."

Dad and I both jumped up and hugged one another. The judge came over and
shook our hands. She smiled as she looked me in the eye.

"Please take care of yourself. I don't want to see you back here again."

"No offense, but believe me, I don't want to ever come back here."

When we got out to the hall, Ralph was waiting for the elevator. He glared
at me and then at Dad.

"Some father you are. Where were you when I was raising your kid? I don't
care what that judge says, you both owe me plenty."

"If I had known about Jerry before you would not have had to bother
yourself with him, Mr. Ferguson. I would have taken him in without a second
thought. I realize you took care of Jerry for a long time. For that I am
grateful, although from what I've heard you weren't exactly the loving,
caring parent you should have been."

"But you still owe me. I spent lots on him over the years and it sounds to
me like you've both got more money that God. I deserve something for my
trouble."

"Like Dad said, Ralph, I owe you thanks for taking care of me, but that's
about it. You tried to steal every penny I made and you haven't had to pay
rent in over ten years, so financially, I'd say you're not due
anything. The funny thing is, if you'd been nicer to me I never would have
run away, and now you'd be my guardian and be sharing in the income from
the trust fund. So you only have yourself to blame."

"You fuckin' bastard!" As a very angry Ralph came toward me, Dad stepped in
between us and pushed him back. He stood very close as Ralph pressed
himself back against the wall.

"If I hear one word of you ever bothering Jerry again, you'll wish you'd
never been born. Do you understand?"

Ralph was a couple of inches taller than Dad and easily outweighed him by
fifty pounds, but the hard edge in Dad's voice scared even me. Ralph
squirmed away from Dad, glanced at the closed elevator door a second and
rushed across the hall to the stairway.

"Fuck the both of ya," he muttered as he pushed the door open and
disappeared.

By the time the elevator arrived we had all relaxed and the ride down to
the lobby was much more festive. Dad took Patrick and me to lunch nearby to
celebrate our victory. While they talked about the legal implications for
Dad of my custody, I had a few minutes to think about what it all meant to
me. I hadn't been as scared as the last time. Running away again had been
my last resort back in December. That was my fall-back plan again this
time, only I knew I wouldn't have to go far. Norman had offered to let me
hide out at his place for the two months until I was legal. Also, I didn't
have any family before. Now I did, and while I knew I couldn't ask the
world of them, I also knew they'd be there for me if I needed them.

Over lunch, Dad and I told Patrick about my weekend in Augusta. I described
the dinner with my grandparents in detail and then told them both about
Uncle Pete's talk with Marcus and me the next day.

"I knew the old guy was a tightfisted businessman, but I can't believe he'd
try to cheat his own grandson," Dad scowled.

"I'm sure he didn't think of it as cheating me, just being shrewd and
watching his pennies, Dad."

"You're too kind to him, son. It wasn't much money, but he was definitely
cheating."

"Well, you can be sure I'll have our accountants watching the pennies as
well from now on, Coy."

"Isn't there any way you can sell my half of the business, Patrick, and put
the money into more impersonal investments? I know you're the one dealing
with my grandfather right now, but I hate the idea that someday I'm going
to have to deal with him."

"The easiest way to dispose of half a family business is to sell it to the
owner of the other half. That's why your grandfather came to see me right
after your great-aunt's funeral. He made an offer for your share. Even
before we'd had the business appraised, just based on what we already knew,
I could tell it was an absurdly low offer. After we'd gone over the books I
made him a counter-offer, which he rejected outright. That's where we stand
right now, a stalemate."

"What about Uncle Pete? I offered to sell him my share when I was down
there and I could tell from the look in his eyes he really wanted it, but
he said he couldn't afford it, something about not being able to get
financing. It's too bad because he's worked there his whole life, he loves
the business and I'm sure he's tired of sucking up to Grandfather."

"Maybe I could be of some help there, son." I looked at Dad in
surprise. "My family business is a bank, remember? Financing is what we
do. If Pete Atkins is really interested in buying your half of the
dealership, maybe I can make it work for him. It wouldn't hurt to talk
anyway."

For the next few minutes Patrick and Dad made plans to talk to Uncle
Pete. I kept out of it. I wasn't really interested in the business
details. I liked the idea of screwing Grandfather. Not screwing him,
really, since he and Uncle Pete worked together already and Aunt Kathryn
was probably going to inherit Grandfather's share of the business someday
anyhow. But it was nice to think that maybe Grandfather would have to deal
with an equal partner for a change and not have everything his own way.

Out on the sidewalk we went three separate ways. Patrick was going back to
the office to call Uncle Pete. Dad had to go to the 30th Street Station to
catch an Amtrak train to Washington. He had a banking conference the next
day and had flown up early and made a slight detour for the hearing. I had
to catch the SEPTA train back to Trenton.

Dad gave me a big hug and a kiss on the cheek as we parted.

"You take care of yourself, son. Chipper will be coming back to school in a
month or so and I think I may come up with him to see how you're doing. Not
only do I want to see more of you, but now that you're my legal
responsibility, I want to make sure you're staying out of trouble."

"Me? Trouble? No way!"

Patrick had scheduled the closing on the condo for eleven in the morning
the next Tuesday at the building management office on the first floor of my
building. There was no legal reason for me to attend since the trust fund
was going to be the real owner and I couldn't legally sign anything anyway,
but I wanted to be there. It was a huge milestone in my life. It turned out
to be a pretty boring fifteen minutes, watching Patrick sign what must have
been thirty different documents. When it was all over they handed the keys
to Patrick and he immediately passed them on to me.

"Shall we go upstairs and take a look at your new home, Coy?"

I'd been in the place at least a dozen times over the past couple of months
but I couldn't wait to see it as mine. I unlocked the door with my new key
and, although I knew it was rude, walked in ahead of Patrick. I wanted to
be the first one in my new place. It was still empty, of course. The
brand-new hardwood floors were shiny and the kitchen was immaculate. I
wandered through the place for a few minutes, taking it all in, ending up
at my favorite spot, the corner windows of my bedroom overlooking the
river.

"So what are your plans for the rest of the day, babe?"

"I've got to call Blaine and let him know everything went through as
planned. I talked to him yesterday and he said my bedroom furniture would
be delivered between one and two so I want to be here for that."

"What about the furniture for Manny's room?"

"That's not coming until next week, along with some of the living room
furniture. The dining room won't be ready until the end of the month."

"You're still planning on spending the night here, all by yourself in a
practically empty apartment?"

"Of course. It's the first night in my new home. But I won't be all by
myself. Marcus is going to be here with me, to kind of break in the place."

"Break in the new bed, you mean."

"You'd better believe it."

"If the furniture isn't going to be here until one I have time to take you
to an early lunch to celebrate."

We found a cozy informal restaurant around the corner from the condo. Even
though we were less than half a mile from the rooming house, it would take
me a while to get used to the new neighborhood. We both ordered chicken
Caesar salads and iced tea. I was too excited to eat anything heavy like my
usual cheeseburger and fries.

"I talked to your uncle a couple of times last week, Coy. He's very
interested in the business but like you said, he's not sure he can swing it
financially."

"What about Dad? Can he do anything?"

"I talked with him a few times, too. He and your uncle are going to try to
work something out. I'm very impressed with your father, both as a
businessman and a person. You've really lucked out with him."

"I know. I never even allowed myself to think about what my father might be
like. He just wasn't part of my life and I assumed he never would be. But
he's such a great guy and he came along at just the right time."

"So are you and Manny going to have a housewarming party?"

"Yeah, we're thinking about something on Labor Day weekend. The whole place
should be furnished by then. We don't have any of the details set, though."

"Well, keep me posted on that and I'll let you know how things go with your
uncle and father."

On the walk back to Patrick's car he stopped at a liquor store. I followed
him in and he bought a chilled bottle of champagne and a couple of plastic
glasses. Back out on the sidewalk, he handed me the bag.

"You and Marcus deserve a little celebration and I know neither of you is
old enough to buy it yourself. Have fun tonight."

"Thanks, Patrick." I gave him a big hug. "For everything. You take such
good care of me."

"Well, maybe I do give you a little more attention than my other
clients. But that's because you're a good friend and I love you."

I was a little startled to hear him say that but realized that in the
context of friendship, I loved him as well and told him so. We shared
another hug before he left.


To be continued.