Date: Fri, 17 Sep 2004 05:36:35 -0700
From: fritz@nehalemtel.net
Subject: I Love Corey, Chapter Twenty-four

	Here we go again, chasing all you youngsters out.  You know who I
mean, those of you who are not old enough to be legally reading this.  Yes,
you.  Leave now.
	The same goes for those of you who find descriptions of sex between
males offensive.  Likewise get your ass out of here.
	Moving right along that gets us down to those of you who live in an
area in which reading stories of this type are forbidden.  You have to
leave also.  Sorry about that but you'd hate to become a criminal wouldn't
you?
	Since I'm claiming this story that means I get to tell you that you
can read it for your own pleasure and for no other reason.  No posting it
on another site as if anyone would.
	Once again I need to thank Ernie for his editing.  It would have
only taken him one red pencil this time if we weren't doing this via
cyberspace.
	Last, go ahead and write if you feel like it.  You can complain,
comment, ask questions, or offer suggestions.  I try to answer all such
emails.  Remember; if you want me to get such an email be sure to put the
story name in the subject line of said email.  Otherwise I promise you it
will be consigned to the graveyard of cyberspace.  If you haven't received
a reply after a few days you can assume it got lost.  Address all such
missives to fritz@nehalemtel.net Hope you enjoy the following.  Fritz

	I Love Corey, Chapter Twenty-four

        Monday was another of those beautiful fall mornings.  The sky was
clear, the temperature cool, and dew made all the leaves sparkle in the
sunlight, giving them a jewel like appearance.  Just one of those mornings
that make you glad to be alive.  The antics that went on during the morning
shower did nothing to diminish that feeling.  In fact, we had so much fun
that breakfast was a very hurried bowl of cereal.  I don't know how a
shower can take so long.  I mean, all we did was help each other get clean.
So, some places took extra attention to insure that they were clean.  What
do you expect?  I do think it might go a little faster if I could get him
to stop giggling.  That makes it hard to do a good inspection of his
appendages.  A little sniffing and tasting to make sure they were clean
seemed to take longer than it should.  I do think it was time well spent.
	Corey was going to leave a note for his mother inviting her to
dinner Wednesday evening as that was her birthday.  We'd managed to get
some pictures printed for the album and we were going to go through his
sketches tonight as he had agreed, when I'd suggested it, adding some of
them to the album.  Between the sketches and the pictures I thought she
would be pleased.  If only she would straighten her life out so that she
could be more of the loving parent that Corey wanted and needed.
	The morning meeting consisted of only those announcements that
always seem to take place.  By now, no one really needed to hear them but
they were always a part of the meeting.  Sometimes I think that we ought to
eliminate the meetings but just about the time I feel like making such a
suggestion, something comes up that demonstrates their necessity.
	In fact, that's about the way the first part of the week went.
Things were moving forward like a well oiled machine.  There didn't seem to
be any problems with any of the students or any further problems with the
school board's decision to no longer allow the Scouts to use the
facilities.  I suppose that lulled me into a false sense of complacency.
	Monday night Corey had picked up his mother's answer regarding her
birthday dinner.  He was on cloud nine.  She was going to dine with us.
That meant that the two most important people in his life would be together
and he could enjoy both at the same time.  He just bubbled over the rest of
the evening.
	We picked out several sketches and a bunch of the prints we'd made
and finished putting them in the album.  Since there was still a lot of
room, we looked over the pictures I'd taken and we then printed a few more.
He'd have plenty of time tomorrow to put them in the album and still get it
wrapped.  He seemed to be enjoying this as much as if it were his own
birthday.
	On Tuesday I stopped at Downie's and we picked out a nice standing
rib roast.  Corey had told me she liked roasts and I was sure that she
would like this one as Downie's always has a good grade of meat.  That's
one of the reasons I shop there.
	It didn't even create too much of a problem when the family court
called and asked if I could be arrange my schedule to attend and hear the
ruling on our petition regarding Corey.  We set up the appearance for
Wednesday morning just before lunch.  By scheduling it then, it would take
place during one of my free periods and my lunch period.  That way there
would be no need of a substitute teacher.  Things were going along great.
	Corey and I arrived at the courthouse and when the judge called the
case, Mrs. Babcock was not in attendance.  The judge seemed upset about
that but decided to continue with the hearing as it was really only the
announcement of his ruling.
	I really wonder about lawyers.  Mr. Young had petitioned for
something I didn't think he had a chance of getting.  Guess that shows what
I know.  I guess the job of a good attorney is to know all the little
places in the legal code that can be used to accomplish what the parties
wanted.  Not only did the judge grant the petition, he even commented on
the fact that it would be a good idea if all single parents, that had no
close relatives, did the same.  He thought that would assure that the
children involved would be better served.
        He also spent some time instructing me that, although under the
terms of the ruling I had certain rights, he expected me to refrain from
exercising those rights except in extreme situations.  I was instructed
that they were only to be used if Corey's mother was not available and a
decision was of critical importance.  At all other times I was to consult
with her and yield to her wishes and judgment.
	I really didn't care as I only wanted the ability to act in case
something came up that was critical and she wasn't available.  The ruling
would make no difference in the way we normally went about our business but
gave me a sense of security in that I could act if it was needed.
	While I was happy with the ruling, Corey was ecstatic.  I think it
meant more to him because it assured him that I was responsible for him in
some way.  I guess the fact that I was willing to seek such a ruling
assured him that I was there for the long haul.  It gave him a sense of
security.
        I wasn't sure Corey's teachers would be able to contain him in the
classroom for the rest of the day.  He acted like he was about ready to
float off.  Upon reflection I thought I understood why he was so happy.  No
one had ever expressed a sense of love for him except his mother and he
didn't feel he could depend on her.  The fact that she would sometimes
disappear for several days at a time probably accounted for that feeling.
Now he felt there was someone who would be there for him, to love and
protect him when he needed it.
        His feelings made me think.  After I had done so I was forced to
admit that it really didn't take that much to make a child happy.  For the
most part all they really require is a sense of belonging, some
encouragement, and a lot of love.  If they have that, the material things
that so many parents worry about providing for their children are
unimportant.  Yes, all kids whine about their friends having various things
and they want them too.  None the less, their real needs are different from
their wants.  There were students in my classes whose parents would never
be described as affluent.  Yet in many cases the children were happy and
well adjusted.  That just went to reinforce my belief that money is not
that important.  As long as one has enough food and shelter from the
elements, one can be happy.  Love makes up for a lot of money.  In fact,
there were a few well to do families whose children seemed unhappy and
lost.  I'd guess that those children's parents spent too much time worrying
about money and not enough time paying attention to their children.  Those
thoughts made me wish I could make a difference in the lives of all the
students that appeared to lack something they needed.  I could not think of
a case where money would do the job.  The problem from my standpoint was
that in most cases I had no way in which I could supply that which they
lacked.  I couldn't even approach their parents or parent and suggest what
I thought was needed.  Bummer.  Here I was, expected to teach and help
students grow up so they could become an useful part of society and I was
hampered by customs and rules.
        By the time we left practice Corey had calmed down.  He was happy
but not longer acted like he had just won the lottery.  Since it was the
day before our game, we tapered off during practice.  That meant that we
managed to get done a few minutes early.  We hurried home and I suggested
to Corey that he try to get as much of homework done as he could.  That way
he would be free to enjoy the evening with his mother and help her
celebrate her birthday.
        	He headed for his room and I went to the kitchen.  The
roast was just as close to perfectly cooked as it was possible to achieve.
I'd put it in the oven before leaving for school using the slow cook
method.  Now all I had to do was finish the rest of the meal.
        As I went about my preparations, I finally noticed it was past the
time that Mrs. Babcock should have arrived.  I couldn't call as she no
longer had a phone.  I called the bar where she worked and was told she
hadn't come to work this evening.  That left me no alternative.  I finally
asked Corey to check on his mother and get her over for dinner.  He'd just
finished his homework so we would have the rest of the evening free to eat
and entertain her.
        He was back in a few minutes.  What had been a happy bubbling child
was now a sad depressed person.  Neither his mother nor her car was there
and there was no note explaining why.  I felt sorry for him.  Her absence
and the lack of an explanation changed his whole mood.
        Somehow an excellent dinner no longer mattered to either of us.
Neither Corey nor I seemed to be hungry or enjoy the meal.  My heart felt
like it was breaking because he was so sad.
        No matter what I tried or said, Corey was more than subdued the
rest of the evening.  At best his answers were monosyllables and sometimes
not even that.  He just kept getting quieter and sadder.
        Finally it was time for bed.  We'd both showered after practice so
all that we did was go to bed.  Corey quickly assumed his usual position
and things seemed normal except I could feel his tears drip onto my chest.
He wasn't sobbing or anything like that.  He was just lying there with
tears slowly running down his face and slowly dripping on me.
        I had my arm wrapped around him and was gently rubbing his back.
The holding of him in my arms and the rubbing of his back normally calmed
him and brought him out of any sadness or depression he was feeling but
tonight it didn't seem to work.  The tears just kept coming.
        "Something must have come up.  She'll probably be at the game
tomorrow and we can give her the gifts then," I offered.
        "Why, why wouldn't she even come to her own birthday party?" he
sobbed.  I could feel him start to cry harder.
        "I don't know.  Maybe something came up.  I'm sure she'll be able
to explain it."
        He continued crying and I continued to hold him.  All of a sudden
he rolled off of me and looking at me asked, "Doesn't she love me?  She
didn't even leave a note.  She took her car but she couldn't leave me a
note."
        I pulled him back against me and held him.  "She loves you.  Why
else would she allow you stay with me?  After all, she doesn't have to do
that."
        "She does it so she doesn't have to take care of me.  All she
thinks about is that white powder."  There was a bitterness in his voice
I'd never heard before.  He continued, "She didn't care if we had enough to
eat, it was all about cocaine.  Never food, never a place to live, just
that white powder."
        While I'd suspected what her drug of choice was, Corey had never
said anything that would indicate he knew what she used.  In fact, he'd
never even let on that he knew her problems were drug related.  I wondered
if he was finally admitting to himself that his mother had a drug problem.
How many of us know things that we never really admit to ourselves?  After
all, if you don't admit it, you don't have to deal with it.  In Corey's
case he knew he couldn't do anything about her problem as he was too young
so it probably was easier to ignore it.  None the less, those thoughts must
have been in the back of his mind for a long time.
        A couple of times I'd tried to get her to accept help and allow me
to provide the funds for a rehab clinic.  I didn't feel I could push very
hard due to the situation I found myself in.  Even had I been able to apply
more pressure, I doubted that it would do any good because unless someone
is willing to admit they need help, a rehab clinic wouldn't do any good.
Until one is willing to admit they have a problem, they can't be helped.
None the less I wished I had tried harder.
        "I'm sorry Corey.  I should have tried to help her."
        "You can't help.  Nobody can help."  He continued crying.  I just
continued to hold him, trying to help ease his pain.  Finally his tears
slowed.
        "Maybe when she gets back we can talk her into getting help."
        When he answered me I could hear a resignation and sadness in his
voice.  "It won't do any good.  She's going to kill herself.  Her friends
did.  She'll do it too."  His crying again picked up.
        I was reminded that this young man had seen many things that I'd
never been exposed to.  Despite the fact that I was older than he was, I'd
never been around any addicts.  Sure I'd been to a few parties where drugs
were used and even tried them myself but I'd never been exposed to that
side of society.  In fact, outside of the loss of my parents, my life had
been what might be considered sheltered.  I grew up in a two parent home
and those parents had loved and encouraged me.  The community where we
lived was filled with families much like ours and was a community where all
the parents watched out for all of us kids.  Corey probably had a lot
better understanding of the situation than I did.  From things he'd said he
had been forced to pretty much look out for himself for the last few years.
A couple of the places he'd mentioned that he'd lived in were places I knew
were filled with addicts.  How he'd managed to survive that environment and
turn out like he had never ceased to amaze me.
        As I held him in my arms I wished I knew a way to help his mother
with her problem.  Not because I really liked her but because of Corey.
Understand, it wasn't that I disliked her.  It was just that all the things
I knew told me that I couldn't help her until she wanted to be helped.
Until she accepted that and wanted to get her life together I wasn't sure I
could ever like her.  So far she had given me no indication that she was
ready for any help I might be able to offer.  In the meantime it was
tearing Corey apart.
        This wasn't the first time something like this had happened.  The
only difference was that this time it seemed to have more effect on him.
For the first time he had told me what was wrong and I could understand how
it hurt him.  I just didn't have any way to assure him that everything
would turn out all right.  Only time and his mother could determine that.
        He finally fell into a restless sleep.  I stopped rubbing his back
and shoulders and lay there wondering if there was anything I could do.
That's the last thing I remembered before the alarm clock made its usual
intrusive sound.
        If anything the morning was worse.  Corey moped and the nicely
wrapped presents reminded both of us what had gone wrong.  I wondered when
or if she would show up.  If she did return I doubted that Corey would be
completely happy.  The fear that she wouldn't return and might die was
something that I was sure would always be in the back of his mind.  I did
the only thing I could think of.  I tried to convince him that I would
always be there for him and he wouldn't have to worry about being alone.
While I might not be able to replace his mother, maybe the thought that he
would have a place to live and someone to help him and protect him would
help.
        It was hard to be cheerful during classes.  The students were
really cranked up with the thought that the team might have an undefeated
season, at least in league play.  After that, who knows?  Comments from
several of my collogues convinced me that I wasn't the only teacher having
problems keeping the students minds on their work.  Every place you looked
there were students grinning and high-fiveing each other.  If one of the
team members was near, all attention was on them.  You'd have thought they
were royalty.  I hoped the team remembered that they still needed to win.
Too many of the students seemed to think it was a done deal.
        Every time I spotted Corey, he was just quietly going about his
business.  He wasn't joining in with the high spirits that seemed to have
taken over the rest of the student body.  The difference was so stark that
a couple of teachers asked me what was wrong with him.  I briefly told them
he was worried about his mother.  They seemed to want to know more but we
didn't have time to pursue it at that time.
        During lunch Principal Mathers asked me about Corey.  I told him
what had happened and he said maybe we needed to address the problem in the
morning meetings.  He reasoned that Corey's teachers were bound to notice
his mood and if they knew his problem they might be able to help him.  I
hadn't thought about it like that and was now sorry I hadn't mentioned it
this morning.  I told him I'd be sure and bring it up tomorrow.
        As the school day wore on the background noise in the school
increased.  There's always a certain amount of noise but today it swelled
to where it sounded like an angry hive of bees.  The only thing about that
was that if one looked around, one could find no one who looked angry.
Instead, there was a feeling of exuberance in the air.  I'd never seen the
student body like this.  They were even more pumped now than they were just
before Christmas.  I was really beginning to worry.  If the team acted the
same way the rest of the students were acting, I had real reservations
about how well they would play.
        Finally classes were over and the team members headed for the
locker room.  I'd managed to place a package containing the appropriate set
of briefs in each team member's locker where they stowed their pads and
jocks.  It wasn't hard as I had a master key to every locker so that if a
student left his key at home, we could still get his gear out and he
wouldn't have to adjust one of the spare sets of shoulder pads.
        As they entered the locker room I could hear them chattering like a
bunch of magpies.  I just waited, wondering what reaction I would get when
they discovered the packages.  They were all noisy and I had the door to my
office cracked so I could hear what was going on.  All of a sudden I heard
a shrill voice yell, "All Right!"  A few seconds later there was only the
sound of lockers being jerked open.  Then the noise level went up.  I could
hear voices yelling things like cool, look at these, what color did you
get, and things like that.  It sounded like the briefs were a success.
        I finally couldn't resist.  I opened the door to see what they were
doing.  Instead of getting dressed for the game they were all modeling
their briefs.  I couldn't believe it.  The room was full of butts clad in
brightly colored briefs and they all seemed to be inspecting their
teammates, almost like checking to see if they approved.
        They didn't even notice me and when I yelled at them, telling them
they better get their act together and their gear on, they jumped like
they'd been caught with their hands in the cookie jar.
        I began to wonder if I'd make a mistake in giving them their reward
before the game.  The only way to describe them was much too cranked up.
At the rate things were going there seemed to be some question as to
whether or not they wanted to play the game today or stand around and brag
to each other about how well they had played during the season.
        When the game finally started it was almost like the first game of
the season.  They were nervous and couldn't seem to relax and just play
their positions.  Between jumping off-side and missing their assignments it
was surprising we managed to stay in the game during the first quarter.
Only some great plays on defense saved our asses.  I was beginning to get
very worried.  We didn't have enough size on the team to just ram the ball
down the field and we had to depend on speed, agility, and teamwork.  The
teamwork just wasn't there.  It wasn't that the kids weren't trying; it was
that they were so excited that they just kept making mistakes.  It wasn't
until the second quarter that things started to settle down.  We were only
down by one touchdown and when they finally got their act together it
didn't take long to make that up.  By half-time we were up by seventeen
points.  Making the points after would have made things even better but so
far we were zero for four.  Boy it would be nice to have a good kicker.
Couple that with the fact that we didn't have the size to overpower our
opponents in short yardage situations and that had been one of our problems
all season.
        Every time I'd looked at Corey during the first half, he seemed to
be searching the crowd.  I knew he was looking for his mother.  She had
been making it to most of our games since about mid-season.  Today didn't
seem to be one of those times.  Each time I looked at him he seemed to have
withdrawn into himself a little more.  His shoulders slumped a little lower
and his eyes kept looking more towards the ground than at the game.  I
wondered if he was managing to keep up with his duties of keeping track of
the game.
        At half-time I learned the answer.  The first quarter wasn't bad
but the second had almost no information.  It was a good thing that the
team was finally playing well and I didn't need his records.  He looked
like he was about ready to just give up and cry.  The worst thing about
that was that I didn't have the time to try to console him.  Much as I'd
have liked to drop everything and just try to help Corey with his hurting
heart, I still had a team and a game to worry about.
        After the usual half-time talk, the team streamed back out to the
field.  Corey just sat there, not even looking like he'd noticed that he
and I were the only ones left.  I put my arm around his shoulders and gave
him a hug and finally he seemed to notice what was happening.  We walked
out to get ready for the second half.
        The team had calmed down and was now hitting on all cylinders.  Our
opponents were not the toughest team we had faced and that soon became
apparent.  Maybe there should be a mercy rule.  After the third quarter,
the game was no longer in doubt.  In fact, we would have almost had to
leave the field in order for our opponents to have had a reasonable chance
of catching us.  We ran the opening kick-off back for a touchdown,
intercepted a pass for another, recovered a fumble and carried it in, and
moved the ball in long bursts every time we had it.  We had a forty-nine
point lead going into the final quarter.  I had all the substitutes in
trying to hold the score down but it was no use.  Our opponents were no
longer trying.  They were beat and all the fight had left them.  I'd even
gone to a ground game to try to slow things down but when your opponent
doesn't seem to try to tackle, that doesn't help.  The final score set a
school record for most points and largest margin of victory.  No matter
what we had done, it seemed to work and produce another score.
        The fans and the team were jubilant.  The only one I could see who
was not was Corey.  While everyone was screaming and celebrating the first
time any team from our school district had gone undefeated, Corey didn't
even seem to notice the game was over.  For myself, I was torn.  It was
great to coach such a great bunch of kids who had come together as a team
but with Corey feeling the way he did, I also felt bad.  I knew that we
would have to join in the celebration and catching dinner at the local
McDonald's where we normally gathered after a victory.  I'd seen the
manager calling towards the end of the game, no doubt warning his staff to
be ready.  While I was thrilled we'd won and had a perfect season, all I
really wanted to do now was to try to cheer Corey up.  None the less, we'd
have to go along and celebrate.
        The locker room was a madhouse.  The team was almost too excited to
remember that they needed to shower and get dressed.  There were other
students and the fathers of some of the players joining the celebration.
There were so many people in there that I began to wonder if the team would
ever find room to get their gear off and get a shower.  All that was
lacking was champagne.  I'm sure if they had thought they could get away
with it, some of the parents would have changed that.  We had to make due
with sparkling cider.  Boy what a sticky mess.  It doesn't pop quite as
loudly when opened, but when properly shaken, sprayed nicely.
        The team members finally managed to get their showers and get
dressed.  As they started out of the locker room, they encountered parents
and the reporter from the local paper taking pictures and asking questions.
That slowed things up and I was beginning to wonder if we would ever manage
to get something to eat.  I suppose that if there hadn't been such a
celebration more people would have noticed how quite and subdued Corey was.
Thankfully no one seemed to notice him and ask questions about it.  I was
sure Corey didn't want to talk about his problems and I know I didn't.
        Finally the crowd started moving.  I couldn't believe it.  It
looked like half the town was outside the doors waiting for the team.  When
the doors opened and they could hear the crowd chanting, the team suddenly
looked shocked.  It was as if they suddenly grasped the incredible thing
they had accomplished.  They didn't seem to know what to do or how to act.
They didn't have time to worry about it as suddenly people were grabbing
them and shaking their hands.  I think there were some congratulations
given but there was so much noise it was hard to tell.  The team had gone
from jubilant to overwhelmed in a distance of about forty feet.  They no
longer had any idea of how to act.  As far as I was concerned, they weren't
the only ones.
        Someone grabbed me and thrust a megaphone into my hands.  I could
hear chants of speech, speech.  I had not a clue as to what to say.
        Of course when I tried to say something the volume wasn't properly
adjusted and all that came out was a bunch of garbled screeches.  The
screeches probably made as much sense as what followed when I got the
volume adjusted.  I managed to babble about the usual things that are said
at times like that.  You know, what's known as the usual clichés.
        I was running out of things to say and wondering how to stop when
my brain finally started to work again.  Suddenly I knew I had the perfect
ending.  When I'd finally finished thanking everyone who had helped during
the year it was time to try my idea.  I paused to get the crowd's
attention.
        "That's about all I can think of to say except if we don't get the
team somewhere they can get something to eat I think those lions I can hear
growling in their stomachs will escape and eat us all."
        The crowd erupted in laughter.  It was mostly made up of the
parents of the team anyway and they all knew what bottomless pits their
sons were when it came to food.  Amidst much laughter we all headed for
those arches everyone knows.  Mickey D was about to get a transfusion of
money.
        I'm sure the manager was shocked when the crowd showed up.  He'd
expected the team and a few parents but there was at least four times as
many people as we'd ever had before.  There were thirty-one players and
normally one might expect another twenty to forty parents.  Now he was
faced with at least two hundred people and about half of them were
students.  While the adults might not eat very much I knew he'd better have
gobs of fries and burgers.  The younger set would make up for what the
adults lacked with regards to appetite.  The parking lot was full and
traffic was backed up for a couple of blocks.  What a mess.  There were
people everywhere and instead of going about their business and ordering
something they all crowed around the door trying to shake the hands of
every team member.
        Finally the manager got the door pushed open from the inside and
there was a large enough break in the crowd for some of the kids to get in.
That started things going.  The team was shoved to the front of the line
and it finally looked like things were moving along.
        I started looking around and finally found Corey.  He was standing
by himself next to one of the trees beside the street.  There was no one
within twenty feet of him and as still as he was I doubt that anyone else
noticed him.  He was just leaning against the tree with his head down.
With the way his shoulders were slumped down and his head was hanging he
was the perfect picture of dejection.  The problem I had was how to try to
bring him out of his depression.  Not only that, we wouldn't be able to
leave until everyone had managed to get their turn telling me what a great
team I had and how I'd done such a good job of coaching them.  Normally I'd
have been thrilled but tonight I just wanted to get Corey home and try to
cheer him up.  Unfortunately, that would have to wait.  I didn't like it
but the kids on the team had busted their butts to win and I had to help
them celebrate.  Chances are they'd never be on another team with a perfect
record again and I suppose they'll remember this all their lives.  No
matter how much I wanted to leave with Corey, they deserved their hour of
fame and I had to let them bask in it.  I knew I couldn't leave until all
had managed to get their fill of the celebration.
        I couldn't get Corey to eat anything but he finally had a
milkshake.  It wasn't much but it was better than nothing.  The celebration
just kept going on all around us and I finally got Corey to go sit in the
pickup so he wasn't bothered by it.  Eventually things started to slow
down.  The parents were taking their kids home so they could get some
sleep.  I had my doubts about that but figured we would just have to put up
with a bunch of sleepy students tomorrow.
        I finally got up to the counter to settle the bill but found a
bunch of the parents had left money and it was more than the total bill.
It had been such a mad house that nobody had been able to keep up who was
paying and who still owed money.  Most parents had just left plenty of
money and let it go at that.  I told the manager to give any excess to the
Ronald McDonald house as it's a worthy charity.  I always made sure to give
them a donation once a year.
        Finally I was free to go.  I found Corey sitting in the pickup
crying.  I hurried home as I wasn't sure people would understand if they
saw me hugging him and trying to calm him.  He'd already attracted more
attention than I wanted and I wasn't about to give people anything more to
think about than they now had.
        As we were driving into the garage he asked me if I thought
anything might have happened to his mother.  I told him I didn't think so
but that we would check.  Once in the house I called Vince Logan, the team
doctor and asked him to check the hospital and see if Mrs. Babcock had been
admitted.  I also called a friend at the sheriff's office and asked if
there had been any reports of her being involved in an accident.  When both
called back, the answers were negative.  That didn't give us any
information but in this case no news was good news.  If anything had
happened to her in the area it should have showed up in my checks.
        Corey again cried himself too sleep.  He was afraid something had
happened to his mother even though my checks of the hospital and law
enforcement had turned up nothing.  All I could do was hold him and rub his
back.  After he drifted off, I started trying to figure out if there was
anything I might do to assure this didn't happen again.  Unfortunately
there was nothing I could think of.  I finally fell into a restless sleep.
        Friday was an improvement.  It wasn't that he was cheerful or
anything like that, it was just that his normal appetite kicked in and when
he said he was hungry I fixed him a big breakfast.  By the time he had
finished his hotcakes and eggs, he seemed a little more ready to face the
world.  Perhaps the sugar high from the syrup accounted for some of that
but I was ready to accept any help with his attitude that was available.
At least he was no longer spending all his time looking down.
        Fixing Corey such a big breakfast during the week caused me to be a
little later than normal.  I wouldn't have done it except he hadn't eaten
anything last night.  That made me somewhat later than normal but I was
still there before most of my colleagues.  I don't know, I've always tried
to get to school early.  That gives me a little more time to get organized.
There always seem to be a few things that come up and need to be taken care
of.  I've tried to get everything done before leaving for the day but it
doesn't work.  I can have my mail box empty and there will be something in
it in the morning that needs my attention.  I finally learned it was just
easier to show up early and get everything caught up.  Today was no
exception.
        I have no idea when he did it but there was a note from the
principal announcing there would be an assembly for sixth period and I
would need to think of something to say about the team and make sure
everyone knew the tentative play-off schedule.  Since we had the best
record, we would have the home field advantage until the championship game
if we lasted that long.  That game would be played in Sacramento.  I still
wasn't sure who our opponent would be but that wouldn't change anything
except how we prepared.  I was sure we'd find out who we were playing
sometime this morning.  Fortunately I had a free period in both the morning
and the afternoon.  I could use the one in the morning to plan for the
assembly.  I started making a list, noting those things I thought would
need to be done.  I needed to check and see if last night's performance had
caused any or our players to set any State records.  We'd all ready set
several school records and I needed to get the final figures together so
they could be announced.  I also needed to figure out which players to call
on.
        About that time Mr. Mathers called the meeting to order.  It wasn't
really like that but he did say it was time to get the show on the road.
        The first thing he announced was the assembly and also reminded me
that the sports reporter for the local paper would be there along with the
paper's photographer.  After some discussion of that, we moved along to the
normal school business.
        Jerry beat me to the punch.  He asked about Corey before I could
bring it up.  That caused a lot of the other teachers to wonder what was
wrong.  I explained the problem with his mother and after that the
conversation got lively.  By now, most of the teachers seemed to think of
him as their own special project.  The way he'd improved his grades and the
fact that he was polite and seemed appreciative of their efforts had made
him one of their favorite students.  A lot of them seemed almost as
concerned as I was.  While we could not come up with a way to solve his
problem, at least all the teachers were now aware of it and I knew they
would help in any way they could.
        The day actually went pretty well.  The students were still pretty
excited over the team but they at least acted like they were listening to
us.  About halfway through the day I came to the conclusion I'd have to
repeat the lesson on Monday as acting like they were listening and actually
listening are a world apart.  None the less, they at least seemed polite
even if nothing was managing to stick in their feeble little minds.
        As the day wore on Corey seemed a little better each time I saw
him.  That improved my outlook so by the time the assembly rolled around I
was in a pretty decent frame of mind.
        When Principal Mathers turned things over to me I had a list of the
state records we had broken and also the school ones.  They cheered the
team when I announced we'd broken the record for passing yards and passing
touchdowns.  School records included most points, highest scoring average,
and a tie for fewest points allowed.
        Brad Conner managed to do a good job of thanking the line for
giving him time to pass and his receivers for catching the ball.  Tyler
Andrus, who led the team in tackles, brought the house down when he yelled
at Brad and told him the team would have lost all our games if the defense
hadn't managed to get the ball for the `skinny assed' offense.  The fact
that his remarks contained some other commentaries about the ineptitude of
the offense contributed to the laughter.  We might not be the best
defensive team but we had a good offense and the students knew it.  After
that there seemed to be a bunch of light hearted banter amongst the
students and members of the team.  All of us teachers stayed out of it and
let them have fun.  After all, how often does a team go undefeated for a
season?  They deserved their day.  I will have to have a quiet talk with
Tyler.  Skinny assed, I wonder which one he was looking at?  I never
noticed any skinny asses and I like to look at asses.  I would have said
they were all cute asses, even his.  Besides, he really shouldn't be using
words like that during an assembly.
        The team still hadn't come off their high.  Practice was a
disaster.  They didn't pay attention and just wanted to clown around.  I
finally got their attention with the threat of lots of laps.  I'd learned
who our opponent would be and they didn't present any problems I didn't
think we could handle.  In fact, the only type of team that would be hard
for us was one that was a lot bigger and could just overpower us.  We were
built on speed and agility, not power.  We were just too small to do
anything else.
        The team finally settled down and the practice wasn't too bad.  I
hoped they would do better next week but for now I guess they were entitled
to feel a little cocky.  The hard work would start on Monday.  I had a
couple of tapes to watch so I could figure out our game plan.  One change
would be that the games would now be on Saturday afternoons.  That gave
teams more time for travel.
        Corey and I were just getting in the pickup to go home when the
rain that had been threatening arrived.  The forecast had called for a
pretty good storm so it looked like we would be housebound for the weekend.
I'd really been hoping the forecast was wrong so that I might come up with
some activity that would bring Corey out of his depression. It didn't look
like that was going to happen.
        I ordered a pizza because Corey loved them and I thought that might
help cheer him up.  I'm not sure the pizza cheered him up but he showed a
little more animation while eating it.  In fact, he volunteered his first
comment since Wednesday night when he told me how good it was.  I looked
upon that as a step forward because the only words he'd spoken in the last
few days had been the result of a direct question.
        After the pizza we headed for the family room.  I settled into my
recliner and when Corey walked past me to get to his chair I grabbed him.
Drawing him close, I just held him for a few seconds.  When he made no move
to pull away, I pulled him around in front of me and with an awkward move
tried to get him on my lap.  I did succeed although he more or less fell
there.  None the less, that was what I was trying for.  Leaning back some,
I pulled him to my chest and wrapped my arms around him.  He sighed and
just sort of collapsed against me, his head facing my shoulder.  I didn't
say anything, just held him and started gently rubbing his back and
shoulder with my left hand, holding him tight with my right arm and hand.
        "Do you think she's all right?"  His voice was kind of muffled.
        "I don't know but think so.  If she'd been in an accident or sent
to a hospital we should have heard by now.  Dr. Logan said he would call if
he heard anything and so did Deputy Eastland.  Since we haven't heard from
them we've got no reason to think she isn't."
        "I just wish I knew."  After that he didn't say any more, just sat
there on my lap.
        While I loved holding him, in fact it was one of my favorite things
to do, still I wished it was because he was happy and wanted to be held.
To hold him to try to ease his pain wasn't the way I would have liked this
moment to be.  Still, he seemed a little less upset.  Maybe he was starting
to come to terms with his mother's actions.  I hoped so.  It would make it
easier for him to cope with life.
        Suddenly he passed gas.  (For all you dim bulbs, he farted.)
        "Sorry, I didn't know that was going to happen."
        About then the odor managed to waft its way up to our noses.
        "Euuuu, God that smells nasty," I said after getting a whiff of it.
I continued, "In fact, if that's what pizza does to you we're going to have
to quit eating it.  I don't want the seat of your pants burned out."
        Corey started to giggle.  After all, even he could tell it could
only be described as a pretty rank smelling fart.  About then another one
was released.  Neither was very quiet.
        He continued to giggle.  Finally, "You want to inspect my pants and
see if the ass is burned out yet?"
        "God no.  That's a lethal weapon you've got there.  The last thing
I want to do is get close to it.  Maybe we need to contact the defense
department."
        "You told me you liked my smell."
        You talk about being struck speechless.  I had no idea of how to
respond to that.  He was right.  I'd told him I loved his smell many times.
        "Uhh, maybe we need to clarify things a little."
        He continued to giggle.
        "Uhh, Corey, do you remember the Darwin awards?  Remember the one
about the guy that gassed himself to death?  If you don't quit that they
may find us in the same condition."
        By now we were both giggling.  At least he had cheered up some.
        I continued.  "Maybe you better visit the porcelain throne and see
if it wilts under your assault.  After all, porcelain melts at around
twenty-five hundred degrees.  If those are as hot as they smell, it may
just melt down."
        Giggling all the while, he got off my lap and headed for the
bathroom.  At least he finally seemed to be feeling better.  I'd put up
with thousands of those farts if it would make him happy.  Well...
Maybe...  They were pretty grim...  I need to rethink my whole position on
that.
        The rest of the evening went fairly well.  We managed to review our
opponent's game and start making our own game plan.  Corey had a pretty
good eye for what they did.  He seemed to notice their tendencies even
quicker than I did.  By the time it was bed time we were well on the way to
figuring out how we wanted to play them.
        Since it had been cool, neither of us had taken a shower.  That
meant that we'd take one before going to bed.  To say I was looking forward
to it doesn't begin to explain how I felt.  The fact that he had been so
depressed since Wednesday night and was now coming out of it made me almost
giddy.  Secondly, we hadn't even shared a kiss during that time.  He had
been too withdrawn to even begin anything like that.  Now, maybe we could
start to make up for that.  Maybe I ought to just admit it.  I was getting
horny.  I hoped he was too.
        Boy, I didn't need to worry on that account.  When we hopped in the
shower his hands were busy from then on.  His hands weren't the only things
that were busy.  All right, I'll admit I had something to do with making
certain other parts of him busy.  I just couldn't resist.  It tasted
soooooo good.
        We had so much fun in the shower that even the new water heater ran
out of hot water.  When the water got cold we moved to the bed.  Although
we'd both experienced a certain amount of relief in the shower, we were
both still in need of more such relief.
        It was great.  Here I had a slightly damp boy and he was squirming
around on my bed.  He didn't have as much flavor as I would have liked
owing to the just completed shower but he still had some and, after being
without for a couple of days, any taste of Corey was great.  I'd squeezed
him a couple of times in the shower, trying to see if his earlier condition
was still present.  He just giggled and we experienced no other
difficulties.
        Somehow during the squirming he managed to get me on my back and
start kissing me.  I love to kiss.  I think I could get by with just
kissing Corey but thank God I don't have to.  When his tongue demanded
admission to my mouth, I readily granted it.  I enjoyed the feelings that
produced and besides, that gave me a chance to suck on and taste his
tongue.  I'll tell you this, his tongue is a lot better tasting than that
pickled tongue you can buy in the deli sections.  Besides, it's attached to
such a cute boy.  Tonight it was mild, with just a slight mint flavor.  I
always insisted that he rinse his mouth well after brushing his teeth.
That way the flavor of the toothpaste didn't overpower his flavor.
        There were some muffled groans and sighs while we kissed.  After
all, it's hard to sigh when your mouth is full of tongue.  Groans were a
little better.
        During our kissing neither of us could keep our hands still.  I
could feel his hands exploring almost everywhere he could reach.  I really
couldn't complain.  My hands were finding all kinds of places they enjoyed
being.  After all, they had Corey to explore.  Since we'd done this many
times before, we each knew what the other liked and that made it great.
Corey liked it when I kneaded his ass.  You can bet I didn't mind doing
that.  Since he was on top of me that meant that I had both hands free to
do that very thing.
        After a little of that I got my fingers in his crack and it wasn't
long until I started to gently rub his pucker.  That produced some real
reaction.  Up till now we'd just been kissing and enjoying each other.  Now
he was suddenly in need of more.  Any time my fingers got close to that
part of him, it really got him excited.  I guess you might say it was kind
of like stepping on the throttle.  When my fingers rubbed him there he
turned into a high performance sex machine.  Instead of gentle kissing and
rubbing, we now had active thrusting and it wasn't gentle.  My rubbing had
really revved his motor up.
        His thrusting against me had about the same effect on me that my
rubbing of his anus did on him.  I just loved the feel of his warm body as
it thrust against me.  The tip of his cock was along side my belly button
and the tip of my cock was lying in that area between his scrotum and his
thigh.  When he rocked back against my fingers that make my cock reach his
somewhat sparse pubic hair.  We'd both been damp and warm from the shower
and what we had done since then had in no way cooled us off.  When you
added in the precum we were both leaking, it made us slide against each
other in a thoroughly pleasant way.  In fact, it was so pleasant that I
doubted that either of us would last much longer.  No matter.  We'd have
lots more chances, maybe even tonight.
        Sometime I'll have to set up a tape recorder.  The sound effects
should be interesting.  I could hear myself growling and Corey was
grunting.  There were other sounds but I was too far gone to figure out who
was making them and what they sounded like.  I could feel myself start to
approach my release so I increased my attack on his pucker.  I was rewarded
almost instantly.  He stiffened and that was all it took to finish me off.
As we strained against each other I could feel the love that we shared
blanket us, bringing that happiness that can only be achieved at times like
this.
        When finished he just collapsed.  My hands fell to the bed.  The
sound effects were gone except for our panting.  As I lay there with his
breath blowing in my ear I was amazed.  He still loved me and desired me.
He still wanted to share his life with me.  It was almost more than I could
comprehend.  If it hadn't been for his weight holding me down I could
almost have thought I was dreaming.  I was glad I wasn't.
        To be continued.