Date: Wed, 24 Nov 2004 06:57:44 -0800
From: fritz@nehalemtel.net
Subject: I Love Corey, 34

	You here again?  I can't believe it.  What a masochist.  I just
can't believe anyone would once again be reading the hated warning and
disclaimer.  However if you're willing to read it, I suppose I'd better
write one.  Here goes.
	All you wet behind the ears youngsters, leave.  You know who I
mean.  Yes you.  You're still not sure.  All right, those of you who have
not yet attained your majority are hereby requested to leave.  Don't ask me
to explain majority.  Look it up.  If you're too lazy to look it up, just
don't tell anyone you read this story.
	For those unfortunate individuals who live in an area in which
stories of this type are prohibited, leave.  You'd be better off moving but
sometimes that takes too long or costs too much.  The simple solution is
leave or don't let anyone know you are reading this.
	My twisted little mind dreamed this whole story up.  I didn't base
it on anyone I know or any events that I am familiar with.  Therefore it is
impossible for any resemblance to anyone, living or dead, to be
intentional.  Anyone who thinks otherwise is even less intelligent than I
am, something that would be hard to prove.
	Since I made the whole thing up that makes it my property.  That
being the case, I hereby grant you permission to read it.  While I hope you
will enjoy it there are no guarantees.  You'll just have to take your
chances.  What you can't do is post it on another site without my
permission.  Another thing, if you decide to use quotes from it you must
attribute such quotes to me.  Also, if you think you know of a way to make
any money from it, let me know.  I've always wanted to meet someone that
has a lower I Q than I do.  So far that has gone about like Diogenies and
his search for an honest man.
	Once again my many thanks to Ernie.  He probably needs a lot of
aspirin to cure the headache he got trying to figure out what I was trying
to say.  After I spend a couple of days putting all his corrections in, the
story almost makes sense.  Take my word for it.  You really owe him a big
thank you.
	Feel free to write and let me know how you feel about the story.
You can complain, offer suggestions, ask questions, or even make comments.
I try to answer all such emails.  Please remember to put the story title in
the subject line of your email.  If you don't, I will delete it without
reading it.  Sorry, I haven't got time to write and still read all the spam
I receive.  Send the emails to fritz@nehalemtel.net I hope you enjoy the
following chapter.  Fritz
********************************************************************************


		I Love Corey, Chapter Thirty-four

	It was now time for a shower.  We had a nice shower, well nice
probably isn't the best choice of words but we sure enjoyed it.  I got to
scrub and feel Corey and he did the same for me.  Feeling his lithe body
squirm around when I was washing and inspecting it was fun.  The day was
off to an excellent start.
	As I started for the kitchen I was suddenly nervous.  While it was
still pretty early, I suddenly wondered if anyone had been awake and heard
the Corey sounds.  I could feel my face heating up from just thinking about
that.  I'd been so busy enjoying our interlude that I'd forgotten that
there were other people in the house.  In fact, having the boys and now
Dianne and her kids living here presented a problem.  We'd either have to
learn to be quieter or figure out some way to cover the sounds up.  I'd
have to think about this.  I wasn't worried about JJ and LT hearing us but
Dianne and her children were a different matter.  The boys might tease us
but I had no idea of how Dianne and her children would react.
	I peeked out the door and everything looked okay.  Jimmy's door was
still closed as was JJ's.  I tiptoed over and listened at each of their
doors but could hear nothing.  Hopefully they were all still asleep.  As I
headed on out to the kitchen there was no sign of Dianne or Cindy.  Maybe
we'd been early enough for all of them to still be sleeping.  I sure hoped
so.
	I'd just got the coffee started when Corey joined me.  We discussed
what to have for breakfast while he squeezed a big pitcher of orange juice.
I got the paper and we shared it while drinking some juice.
	Dianne was the first to appear.  Unless she was a great actress I
didn't need to worry about her having overheard our morning interlude.  She
managed to find the coffee and poured herself a cup.  A short while later I
could hear a shower start.  It was time to start cooking.
	I'd just started getting all the things out of the refrigerator
when the door opened and Fred walked in.  Dianne was sitting where he
couldn't see her so he just acted like normal.  We hurled a few wisecracks
back and forth while he got a glass of juice.  About then Jimmy walked into
the kitchen.  Mike showed up at almost the same time.  I handed Jimmy some
juice and Mike some coffee.  Both Fred and Mike looked startled to see
Jimmy and when Dianne came into the kitchen for a refill on her coffee,
they acted embarrassed.  I told Corey to get the leaves for the table out
of the storage room and asked Mike if his dad was coming.  He sort of
stammered that he thought so.  It was clear that they hadn't expected
anyone except Corey and the boys to be here with me.  Then Cindy showed up,
followed by JJ and LT.  I was beginning to feel like I was nothing more
than a cook.  I had things ready to cook when Vern knocked.
	It took a while before I managed to convince Vern and his boys that
they were welcome to stay and in fact I would be insulted if they didn't.
I don't know why they were worried.  They'd been showing up off and on
almost since I moved here.  The fact that I had some guests shouldn't
change things.  I finally found out that Nancy was working on a rummage
sale and that was the reason they were here.  She'd left early and they
figured I'd cook a better breakfast than they would.  It was just a matter
of checking me out and making sure.  When I asked them what they had
planned on having, I got an answer of cold cereal.  I snickered when I told
them they probably would enjoy the hotcakes I was preparing more than the
cereal.  Vern sheepishly agreed.
	Since Corey had gotten my motor revved up, so to speak, I was in a
talkative mood.  It took about half of breakfast before I happened to ask
Dianne if she had any ideas about where she was going to find a place to
live.  Vern immediately jumped right in.  He knew of a house that would
soon be up for rent.  He and his boys were going to help clean it up.
Before I knew it I was out of the conversation and they were discussing the
house and how much he thought it would rent for.  For the first time since
she'd appeared on my doorstep, Dianne showed a little life.  The more Vern
told her about the house the more interested she became.  While they talked
I learned the house belonged to an old friend of Vern's.  He'd inherited it
when his mother passed away and as soon as he got it cleaned up he wanted
to rent it.  Dianne was definitely interested.  She worked at an investment
firm and made more than either Terry or I did.  Even so, it was going to
put a crimp in their lifestyle to have to live on her income.  I didn't
envy her.  It's easy to move up in income, hard to move down.
	When we had the dishes in the dishwasher, I told the boys to get
cleaned up.  We needed to get JJ and LT some dress clothes.  When they
wanted to know why they needed them, I told them they needed to look nice
for church.  After sorting out all the groans and glares I discovered that
LT had not attended church regularly and I already knew that JJ hated it.
His parents had forced him to attend with them and he disliked
Rev. Langston's sermons and teachings.  The thought went through my mind
that the two of them might have protested more about going to church but
they were still pretty nervous about me.  I guess I couldn't blame them.
After all, they'd only been with me for a few days less than two weeks.
	I managed to get them aside, while Corey was changing clothes, and
told them they needed to pick something out for Corey's birthday.  I gave
them some more money and they cheered up immediately.  The groans returned
when they learned I was serious about clothes for church.  I reminded
Dianne to be sure to get Jimmy to the game and we piled into the Gator and
left.
	I was amused at the conversation while we drove to the mall.  JJ
and LT were trying to pump Corey for ideas about gifts.  The only problem
was that all the games they talked about Corey had never played and in a
lot of cases never even heard of.  This could get interesting.
	On the way into the mall I told them to go ahead because I needed
to get a new battery in my watch.  They agreed to go to the clothes store
and start looking for a sport coat and slacks.  Corey needed new ones too.
	The watch battery was just a ploy.  My watch was actually a
self-winding mechanical movement so it didn't require one.  However it was
a good excuse to see if I could find something Corey might like.  He didn't
have a watch and I figured I could always fall back on that if I didn't see
something else.  A quick look around the store and there was nothing that
really stood out as Corey.  There were some nice bracelets and things like
that but somehow they just didn't remind me of him.  I was down to the
watch.  A quick look at their selection and one just stood out.  In my mind
it had Corey written all over it.  I don't know why but I could just see it
on his wrist and somehow it seemed to me that it was right.  That solved
one problem for the day.  They even gift-wrapped it.
	The Gentleman's Shop was a disappointment.  I'd never shopped there
because they carried an inexpensive line of clothes.  Since the last time
I'd checked them it had gotten worse.  Compounding the problem was that
their prices didn't reflect the quality of the merchandise.  If they had,
everything would have been priced at least fifty per cent less.  On to the
other store that sold men's clothing.
	Their quality was slightly better.  That meant that the prices were
only about twenty-five per cent too high.  Not only that, the selection was
terrible.  A quick look convinced me there was nothing in either store I'd
let any of us be caught dead in.  No wonder most people traveled outside of
town to shop, at least for clothes.  Guess we'd just have to wait and make
the trip.
	There was a small art supply store called Brushes and More so I
suggested to Corey that he might like to look and see if they had anything
he needed for his lessons.  That gave me an excuse to send JJ and LT of to
look for CDs or something to spend their allowances on.  Hopefully they
could find something that they could give to Corey for a birthday present.
	We met up forty-five minutes later at the food court.  Four orders
of shrimp and chips and it was time to go home and get ready for the game.
JJ and LT had some sacks and looked happy so maybe the shopping trip had
been somewhat successful.
	The wind had picked up and it looked like rain.  As we drove home I
wondered if the team would stand much of a chance against our opponent
during a rain storm.  A wet field would cut down our speed advantage and I
wasn't sure where that left us.  Oh well, I couldn't do anything about it
so we'd just have to do the best we could.
	Amazingly I came up with enough slickers for everyone.  I'd always
kept a few extra around so that if any of the Scouts forgot theirs, I had a
spare.  Today it really paid off.
	By kick-off, the rain was really pouring down.  It didn't help when
we fumbled the first play and our opponent recovered on our seventeen yard
line.  One play later we were behind.  They missed the extra point.  It was
only the third time all year we had been behind.  I wondered if this was
the beginning of the end.
	I was really proud of the team.  They sucked it up and the rest of
the first quarter was a defensive battle.  Neither team even threatened.
Then we changed ends.  We now had the wind at our backs.
	We were slipping so much on the wet field that our speed advantage
wasn't helping us.  We should have been able to sweep the ends and make
yardage.  We'd practiced what USC called student body right or left but
someone was always falling down and breaking the play up.  I decided to try
something different.  We'd see if we could pass.  Perhaps if we could
complete a few it would force them to change their defense and we could
start to make some of the running plays work.  So far we'd only gained
fourteen yards on our own.  Penalties had added another twenty-five.
	We should have tried passing earlier.  The slick field hindered the
defense.  Our receivers knew where they wanted to go but the defenders
didn't.  We made one and then another first down.  At midfield Brad threw a
pass that I thought was way overthrown but Trey Johnson managed to grab it
and carry it in for a touchdown.  We made the extra point and led by one.
After that you could just see the team's attitude change.  Now they figured
they could win.  It was just a matter of doing it.  They had a spring in
their step and a smile on their faces.
	In one sense I felt sorry for our opponents.  When it started going
bad for them, it rapidly got worse.  They fumbled the ensuing kick-off and
we recovered the ball on their twenty-six yard line.  Three incomplete
passes later I was faced with a decision.  Our chances of making a
forty-three yard field goal were almost nonexistent.  A punt would net six
yards.  We called time and I told them to go for it.  I called a roll out
pass and held my breath.  Billy Martinson's defender fell down.  The pass
was badly under thrown but Billy came back and got it.  The closest
defender was over ten yards away so Billy almost walked into the end zone.
Mike Williams kicked another perfect point after to make it fourteen to
six.
	We got an interception on the first play after the ensuing
kick-off.  They tried a pass out to the flat and Jonathon Miller picked it
cleanly and nobody touched him during his thirty-one yard dash to the end
zone.  Another perfect kick by Mike and the score was now twenty-one to
six.  We probably would have scored again but time ran out when we were on
the seven yard line.  The first half had gone better than I could have
hoped, considering the rain.
	At halftime I pointed out a few places I thought we could do
better.  They were little things like how to handle certain blocking
assignments and things like that.  The team had done so well I didn't have
much I could criticize.  Then it was time for the game to resume.
	We kicked off and our opponent tried a fancy reverse on the
runback.  Big mistake.  They could have had the ball on about the eighteen
yard line by just catching it and instead had it on their six.  Two plays
later we had another two points and were setting up to receive their kick.
Marty Logan fielded it cleanly and when the play was over, we had another
six points.  He'd be credited for a fifty-eight yard kick return.  Mike's
footing slipped and he missed the point after.  It was now twenty-nine to
six.
	In the end, all you could say about the second half is that we
played well and they didn't.  The defense changes I'd made for the game
worked perfectly.  We stopped their running game and when they were forced
to try something else, they failed.  When our offense got going, it really
moved the ball.  The passing opened up the running and by the time the last
quarter came along, anything we did worked.  Midway through the third
quarter I started pulling the starters.  It didn't do any good because the
replacements tried to prove they deserved the starting jobs and if anything
the score was even more one sided because I did that.  The really weird
thing was that the rain didn't seem to bother our receivers.  Whenever Brad
got the ball close to them, they caught it.  It was a total blowout.  The
last two quarters of the game produced forty-nine points for our team and
six for our opponents.  They wouldn't have scored any points except that
Brad had a pass slip off his fingers when he tried to throw it.  It got
picked off and returned for a touchdown.  I felt sorry for the other team.
It's bad enough to lose but to get blown out really hurts.  We'd suffered
enough of that my first year here.
	Once the handshakes had been exchanged after the game, the
celebration started.  I kept trying to tell everyone we still had a couple
of games to go but that did no good.  There was the usual mess in the
locker room.  I finally got enough people chased out for the team to shower
and get dressed.  Then it was off to Mickey D's for the usual treat.
	One would have thought the rain would have held the crowd down but,
if anything, there were more people than the last time.  The owner, Jeff
Allens, had things better organized.  Still it was slow and you took what
they cooked.  The crowd did break up faster because there was only so much
room inside and the rain was pouring down outside.  I handed Jeff some
money and told him to use any left over for anyone that forgot to pay.  He
just laughed and said it hadn't happened last time and that there'd been
almost two hundred dollars extra.  He said he gave it to the Ronald
McDonald house.
	Even with the slickers, everyone was soaked.  We left as soon as we
ate.  A warm bath and dry clothes sounded good.  If the weather had been
better, or there had been more room inside, we'd have stayed longer.  It
looked like everyone else felt about the same way.  People were slapping
hands and shouting congratulations but not staying long.  We got home
almost an hour earlier than last week.  I was bushed.
	Dianne and her kids beat us by about ten minutes.  Cindy was in the
downstairs shower and Jimmy had already changed clothes.  He was standing
next to the outlet for the furnace.  I built a fire in the fireplace.
Tonight would be a good night to just curl up in front of it and unwind.
There were lots of snacks so I wouldn't have to fix a meal.  Snacks and the
previously eaten burgers and fries should keep us going.
	Nobody cared what was on the tube.  Mostly the talk was about the
game and how well the team had played.  Jimmy had run for one hundred and
twelve yards in the second half alone.  He'd caught one pass for a
touchdown and we spent some time telling him how well he'd played.  For the
first time since he'd been here he was happy and giggling.  Even Dianne was
enjoying life, basking in her children's happiness.  Everyone seemed to
forget about Terry for tonight.  It was nice to lie around and relax, just
enjoying life.  With the stress we'd all been under, this was a welcome
relief.
	The kids went through a ton of snacks before we sent them off to
bed.  When they were all in bed I fixed some drinks for Dianne and myself.
It was time to find out how her search for a place to live had gone.
	She'd looked at several houses and apartments and was still trying
to decide which one would be the best.  As we discussed it, I finally
figured out she really wanted to rent the house that Vern had been
referring to but it wouldn't be ready for about two to three weeks.  When I
learned that, I pointed out she could stay here for that length of time.  I
got lots of protests but, after a lot of persuasion on my part, she finally
gave in.  We could park my cars outside and she could store anything she
needed to in the garage.  By the time that was decided, I was ready for
bed.
	Corey was asleep and my shower didn't seem to disturb him.  When I
was finally in bed he just sort of gravitated into his normal position and
continued sleeping.  By that I mean he didn't wake up and he didn't
actually seem to shift his position but somehow he just managed to get his
head on my chest and one leg draped over one of mine.  Weird, really weird.
I'd have thought there should have been some arm movement and maybe some
bed shaking.  However it had been a good day and when he made it there, I
was happy and contented.  It didn't take me long to join him in sleep.
	When I woke up Corey still had his head on my chest.  I would have
liked to just admire him but nature called.  I managed to get out from
under him and head for the bathroom but I must have disturbed him.  He
joined me and we relieved ourselves.  A look at my watch told me it was too
early to get up.  When he got back in bed he had a nasty smirk on his face.
I was pretty sure I knew where his mind was and it sounded like a good
idea.  I got up and pushed the door the last couple of inches until it
latched.  That should help deaden the noise.
	Corey was playful this morning.  His hands were busy as he kissed
me.  Along about the third kiss I was starting to really wake up, at least
a certain part of me was.  We whispered to each other as we fondled various
parts of each others bodies.  There were some giggles and other sounds but
we were trying to be quiet.  We decided a sixty-nine would be best because
it's hard to make much noise when your mouth is full.  We even burrowed
under the covers, hoping that would help quiet the noise.
	It was dark under the covers but that wasn't a problem.  We just
had to go by feel and that was fun.  As his fingers explored my balls, I
tracked down his cock and took a few tastes.  Ah yes, he tasted just as
good as he always did.  We spent some time just gently licking and playing
around.  It was really too warm under the covers for what we were doing but
who cared.  This was too much fun to worry about little things like that.
I loved the feel of his fingers as he kneaded my testicles.  He was gentle
as he rolled them around, sometimes tugging, sometimes lightly squeezing
them.  Somehow he just seemed to have a magic touch.
	It was much earlier than we normally got up on Sunday mornings, so
we had lots of time.  I didn't think anyone else would be awake for at
least an hour yet.  That didn't mean that we didn't have to worry about
noise, only that we didn't have to hurry.  I mean it might have been hard
to explain that the reason breakfast was so late was that Corey and I had
decided to get a little.  When that thought went through my mind I had his
cock in my mouth.  The chuckle that thought produced caused him to thrust
more deeply into my mouth.  I now had a mouthful of Corey, a very pleasant
mouthful I might add.  As I moved my tongue around, searching for a hidden
bit of flavor or some spot to explore the texture of, I marveled at how
much fun it was to be with him.  Here I was, twenty-five years old, and it
had just been a couple of months since I'd found him.  Now I could no
longer imagine living without him.  It was simply amazing how much he now
occupied my thoughts.  While there'd been several times I'd thought I was
in love, in retrospect they couldn't compare to the way I now felt.  Those
times had seemed wonderful and fulfilling while they were happening, but
they couldn't compare to the feelings now coursing through me.  There was a
peace and fulfillment inside me that I'd never known before and Corey was
at the center of that feeling.  Perhaps the reason for the difference was
that I was now mature enough to recognize love but somehow I doubted that
was all of it.  A more likely reason was that I had now found the one
person that made me complete.  What there was about him that made me feel
that way I couldn't explain.  It was just there.  I couldn't help but feel
sorry for those people who go through life never finding the proper person,
that person whom they can share their feelings and their love with.  Was
there someone else out there who could take his place?  I didn't know and
wasn't going to worry about it.  I was happy with what I'd found.
	While my mind had been idly drifting, Corey had been busy with his
tongue.  I could suddenly feel that while my mind might have been a million
miles away, my body wasn't.  The feelings his tongue was producing had
brought me closer than I first realized.  It was time to pay attention to
him and quit daydreaming.  I renewed my tongue assault.  It didn't take
long to produce results.  His leg started moving, his knee coming to rest
on my shoulder.  I knew what he wanted.  Come to think of it, so did I.  A
little saliva and my finger slid easily in.  The jerks and twitches that
accompanied it told me he was very close.  Each time his ring clamped down
on my finger, it was accompanied by a little thrust into my mouth.  I tried
holding my finger still but that was no help.  He was past that stage.  He
pulled back, trying to get more of my finger to enter but when he did that
it caused him to thrust forward again.  My leg had drawn up and I could
feel his finger probing.  I tried to relax and give him access but I was
too far gone.  When he finally worked his finger in it was all over.  I
bucked and thrust.  That produced a chain reaction.  My finger grazed his
prostate and suddenly we were both out of control.  I could feel his ring
clamp down with every thrust.
	We were spent.  I finally got turned around and kissed him.  This
had to be about the best way to start the day I knew of.  We spent the next
hour just quietly talking about things.  We covered all kinds of things
like the team, how Dianne and her kids were going to get along, what would
happen to Terry and what we ought to do today.  It was still pouring down
rain so Corey wasn't that thrilled about getting his new shotgun wet.  I
tried to convince him that a little rain wouldn't hurt it but he wasn't
willing to take a chance.  I might have insisted but it was his birthday
and I thought he should be able to make the decision.  I did tell him that
I was taking him out to dinner in honor of his birthday.  When we wanted to
know where, I wouldn't tell him.  I just said I wanted it to be a surprise.
When he pressed for an answer I just told him I hoped he liked ribs.  His
grin told me he thought he had figured it out but I knew he was wrong.
Mrs. Springer had asked if we liked ribs when she called back to inquire
what kind of cake I thought he'd like.  Chocolate was the answer to that
question and yes, we did like ribs.
	When his stomach growled I decided it was time for breakfast.
After the coffee was made and Corey was drinking some orange juice, I
started on the paper.  Corey grabbed the sports section and the comics.  I
skimmed the front section and started in on the editorial section.  When I
snorted he looked up.
	"What?" I inquired.
	"I just wondered what you were disgusted with."
	"Not much, the idiots that write these things don't do as well as
most of my students could.  Of course most of my students could do a better
job of running the state, or even the country for that matter."
	He giggled and went back to the sports section.  It wasn't long
until Dianne showed up and she was followed by the rest of the crew.  It
was time to start breakfast.  We'd just finished breakfast when the phone
rang.  It was Judy and she wondered if we could get together and have a
talk sometime today.  I told her to give me a few minutes and I'd let her
know what time would be good.  Some more discussion and we finally decided
that no one really wanted to do anything today.  We'd just rather sit
around and rest up.  That sounded good so I called Judy back and invited
her to lunch.  We could go to church and get back in plenty of time.
Church was over at half past eleven.
	I got Corey and the boys started on the laundry while I did a
little cleaning around the house.  We generally kept it pretty well
vacuumed and dusted but the weekend always had a few things extra that
needed doing.  I also started a pot of clam chowder.  That ought to work
for lunch.
	It worked out that Jimmy and I were the only ones in the kitchen.
He asked if he could talk to me for a minute.
	"Did you know that Jason and LT sleep together?" he asked.  I told
him I did.  I could see he wanted to ask more but wasn't quite sure how to
do it.  Finally he blushed and asked if they did anything together.  I
figured I might just as well see what I could do about what might be a
potential problem.
	"I don't know.  Not only that, I don't plan to ask them.  If they
want me to know, they'll tell me.  It's kind of like I wouldn't ask you if
you were masturbating and, even if I knew you were, I wouldn't talk to
anyone else about it.  Things like that are private and I wouldn't talk
about anyone else just as I wouldn't want them talking about me.  Besides,
what difference does it make to you or me if they do?  It doesn't hurt us
in any way."  He'd gotten red as a beet when I mentioned masturbation.  I
wondered if he'd ask anything more.  I had him peeling potatoes for the
chowder and he didn't say anything while he peeled a couple more.  I could
see he was really thinking.
	"I guess you're like kind of right.  I wouldn't want anyone talking
about me."  About then he started grinning.  "Like they can't get pregnant,
can they?" he giggled.
	"No, I don't think they'll get pregnant.  But if one of them does
I'm going to talk about it.  Think of all the money I could make on the
talk shows."  By now I was laughing.
	About then Dianne came back upstairs.
	"What are you two giggling about?" she asked.
	Jimmy started blushing.  I figured I'd better come up with
something or she'd keep pushing till she found out what we had been talking
about.
	"I just told him a dirty joke."
	"Oh.  And just what kind of a dirty joke did you tell my son?"
	I had to think fast.  It couldn't be too bad but had to be naughty
enough so that Jimmy might have blushed.
	"Well, actually it was a limerick.  It goes like this.
	There was a man from Boston,
	Who bought himself an Austin,
	He had room for his ass,
	And a tank full of gas,
	And his balls hung out and he lost them.  He said something about
my new Navigator and that old joke popped into my mind.  When I laughed, he
asked why and I told him."  Dianne was giggling so I figured I'd gotten
Jimmy off the hook.  She told me I was about out of bleach which was why
she'd come up to start with.  I put it on my shopping list and she went
back downstairs.
	As soon as Dianne was safely out of sight Jimmy told me thank you.
I grinned and told him we boys had to stick together.  He now had enough
potatoes peeled for the chowder so I told him to go help his mother.  The
bacon was browned so I dumped the clams and clam juice into the pot and
added some salt and pepper, along with the now diced potatoes and a chopped
onion.  This was going to work out about right.  The potatoes would be done
just before we had to leave for church and that meant all I'd have to do
was reheat them and add the canned milk and a little butter.  A few instant
mashed potatoes to thicken it and perhaps a little more salt and pepper
would finish it.  I had some fancy crackers that would go good with some of
the cheeses I'd bought Friday for snacks after the game.  That ought to
make a good lunch.
	I still got some whining out of JJ and LT over church but they
didn't have any choice.  They were going whether they liked it or not.
While I wished we'd been able to find some nicer clothes, their school
clothes would have to do for today.  When Dianne and her kids decided to
stay home and not go to church, you'd have thought I was taking them to the
torture chamber.  I could just feel their eyes boring into the back of my
head all the way to St. Luke's.  Corey had enjoyed the times he'd attended
so he and I visited while JJ and LT glared at me.  The sighs coming from
the back of the Gator would have made you think I was taking them to
something like the gas chamber.
	Fr. George was his usual short, and to the point, self.  The
service was soon over and we were leaving when JJ asked where the rest of
the service was going to be.  When I told him that was all of it, he
couldn't seem to believe it.  On the way home he kept talking about how
different it was from Rev. Langston's services.  He didn't have to tell me;
I'd attended one service at Faith of Our Lord and had never gone back.
What had always puzzled me was why anyone attended there?  It sure wasn't
for an uplifting message.
	Judy and Art showed up just when I had the chowder about hot.
Debbie was shopping with some friends so she wasn't going to be here.  I'd
sliced a couple of different kinds of salami and some cheese.  I put things
on the table and lunch was served.
	After lunch was over we retired to the living room and turned on
the television.  There was a game between the Seahawks and the Raiders.
Judy used my office and called the boys in one at a time and talked to
them.  Then it was my turn.  I thought she was just going to tell me what
she'd found out about Corey's mother but I was wrong.  She had a bunch of
papers, several of which were test sheets for being a foster parent.
That's where we started.  My God there was a bunch of questions.  I was
used to working with tests and these weren't that hard but it still took
quite a while to get them all answered.  Then there was the rest of the
paperwork to finish filling out.  She'd filled in as much as she could but
it still took a while to finish them. When I was done, she filled me in on
what she'd learned.
	Judy had learned a lot about Mrs. Babcock.  Unfortunately, none of
it was good.  It took her about fifteen minutes to tell me all about
Maurine Babcock.  The short version, she was prostituting herself to
support her drug habit.  She owed money all over and wasn't paying any of
her bills.
	The situation was about what I'd feared.  What I wasn't ready for
was Judy's intended actions.
	"Of course you know I had most of this information before school
started.  When you called me, I talked to one of the better lawyers in
Sacramento that works for Children's Services.  If you'll accept it, she
suggested petitioning the court to make you the primary guardian until such
time as Maurine goes to detox and gets herself straightened out.  She faxed
me a petition requesting such a ruling.  All you have to do is say yes and
I'll file it on Monday."
	"What do you mean primary guardian?  Does that mean she loses
custody of him?"
	"What that would mean is that you would be assuming responsibility
for him.  Very frankly Children's Services would be thrilled because it
would not place him under our care and therefore wouldn't require any money
on our part.  Since I already knew you had sufficient funds to handle
things this doesn't seem like a bad solution.  If you refuse I can still
terminate her custody but then he would end up in the foster care program
and could be sent wherever someone might decide."
	Now it was my turn to think.  If I didn't say yes to this, it was
apparent that she was going to remove him from his mother anyway.  I
thought she would probably place him with me but she hadn't said that.  I
wondered if I should even ask about that.  As I was sitting there trying to
think all this through she threw in one other thing.
	"Something you might want to consider Sam.  If it's handled this
way I wouldn't be checking his home life.  He wouldn't be in the system and
there'd be no reason to do that."
	That was about as polite a way of telling me that I'd better accept
as any I'd ever heard.  In other words I could accept this solution or I
would be in big trouble, in fact probably in jail.  That only left a couple
of things to ask about.
	"I only have two questions.  Will his mother accept and have you
asked him yet?"
	Judy laughed.  "As far as Maurine goes, she doesn't have any
choice.  She can take this deal or she'll never see him again.  As to the
second.  No I haven't asked him.  I didn't think about it.  Besides, do you
really think he might say no?"
	She had me there.  I was pretty sure he'd say yes.  In fact I
couldn't begin to believe he would say no.  Never-the-less I thought it
should be his decision.  After all it was his life and his mother we were
talking about.
	"I think you ought to give him a chance to make up his own mind."
	"What's the matter Sam?  Do you need some help for your ego?"
	That question really surprised me.  Sure it might be flattering to
have him say he wanted to live with me but that hadn't been my reasoning.
	"No Judy.  I guess the reason I think you should let him decide is
that most of the time young people feel that they're just pushed around.
They feel they have no control over their lives.  By letting him make the
decision, he gets to feel he's in charge and important.  I'd be shocked if
he said no but if he does, that's his decision.  He's lacking in self
esteem and self confidence and getting to make a decision or at least let
his desires be known should help to make him think he's important and that
his ideas matter."
	She got a surprised look on her face.  "Now I think I know why
young people like you.  You really do treat them as individuals and respect
them as such.  Thanks.  I think I just learned something."  She leaned back
and got a quizzical look on her face.  "You know, that very point was
covered when I went to school but I guess I forgot it.  Besides, you put it
in context.  It's one thing to read it in a book or hear a professor talk
about it, but you actually showed me when it should be used and why it's
important."
	"You know, I don't think I ever asked either JJ or LT if they want
to live here.  Maybe we ought to talk to them and find out." I said.
	Judy chuckled.  "I already asked them.  They come under the rules
of foster care and that's one of the things I always ask but I just never
thought about it in regards to Corey.  It's something I was told we had to
do but I never understood the reasons for it.  It's funny, when you start a
job you just do what you're told and sometimes it takes a long time to
learn why you're doing it."
	With that she chased me out and told me to send Corey back in.  I
hadn't noticed how much time had gone by.  The game was over and the
wrap-up was on.  The Raiders had won and it must have been a good game
based on the highlights they showed.  I offered Art some more coffee but he
told me the boys had kept his cup full and he was about ready to float
away, at least his teeth were.  We started giggling about that and then I
had to explain to JJ and LT what he meant.  We'd just finished that
explanation when Corey came out and told me to go back in.  Judy just
grinned and shoved the forms at me to sign.  When I finished signing all
the forms I handed them back.  For better or worse my life had taken a big
turn.  I now had three boys to worry about.  In less than three months I
had gone from foot-loose and fancy-free to having to act like a parent even
if I had no idea how to do that.  Now if I could just keep from screwing up
too badly.
	Judy and Art left.  I looked at my watch and saw we had about an
hour and a half before we had to leave for dinner.  It seemed like a good
time to study the tape Cody Jefferson had dropped off.  It had been his
turn to scout our opponents and he'd dropped the tape off just before we
left for church this morning.  Taking the tape I went into the family room
and started in.
	I soon had four boys watching with me.  In one sense it's amazing.
The actual time used to run plays is short.  The games last for forty-eight
minutes but most of that is taken up with huddles, spotting the ball and a
host of other things that have nothing to do with the actual plays.  The
whole game was condensed into about fifteen minutes of tape.  It wouldn't
have been that long but Cody made sure to show the start of the play long
enough to see what formations were used.  He was good at it so I didn't
have to freeze the picture to tell what was going on.  I knew that college
and pro teams had a lot of people who prepared the tapes to be analyzed.  I
wasn't that lucky and just had the raw tape to look at but sometimes I
wondered what it would be like to have that kind of help.  They'd start out
with the game films and break it into separate tapes for offensive and
defensive coaches to look at.  After all, the offensive coach was only
interested in the defense he was likely to have used against him and vice
versa.  I had to do it all myself but maybe I was lucky in that.  Perhaps I
got a better feel for the game.  Probably not.  After all, successful teams
and programs use what works.  We just didn't have those kinds of resources.
	A quick run through the first part of the game and I had enough
information to start plotting it.  I drew up some diagrams and started
marking down what plays were called and when they were called.  It didn't
take long to see that this team would match up well against us.  I'd kind
of overlooked them because of their ranking but this could be a tough game.
It seemed like I'd just started this project when it was time to leave for
dinner.
	Dianne was taking her kids out for dinner too.  When I asked her
where, she said they were going to have pizza.  A little more questioning
and I learned where.  I suggested they try Italian Surprise.  JJ, LT and
Corey started giggling.  She wanted to know what was wrong with Italian
Surprise and they had to try to explain what was funny.  By the time we
left I wasn't sure she believed them but I think she was going to try it
because of my assurances that they'd love it.  I really wondered why the
word hadn't gotten around better as their prices were very little higher
and the food was much better, plus you got a lot more of it.  Of course,
some people seem unwilling to pay a little more for a lot more quality or
quantity.  Maybe that was the problem.  For myself, I'd always operated on
the value system.  It didn't make any difference what the number of dollars
were, just that I felt I'd gotten value received.  How else could one
explain things like dinners ranging in price from seven or eight dollars to
thirty to forty dollars?  Depending on a lot of factors, the forty dollar
dinner might be a better value than the seven dollar one.  Both filled you
up.  I'd never been really poor.  Both my parents had worked and we'd been
comfortable.  When they died in the plane crash, finances had been a little
tight for a few months before things started getting straightened out but
since then I'd been fairly well off.  Perhaps that had given me a different
perspective.  Up until this year I'd never spent all of my salary.  At the
end of the year there had always been several thousand dollars left and I'd
just given it to Uncle Matt to add to my other investments.  The Gator was
my first new vehicle.  The minivan had been the folks' and the pickup was
the one I'd purchased before starting college.  Both had served me well.
The pickup now had one hundred eighteen thousand miles and was still going
strong.  Sometimes it was hard to believe how blessed I truly was.
Glancing over at Corey reminded me I now had someone to share it with.
	Corey was still trying to figure out where we were going but as
soon as I headed out of town he figured it out.  He started bubbling over
telling the boys how good the food had been.  By the time we got to the
Springer's I'm sure JJ and LT must have expected a palace or something.
They seemed somewhat disappointed by the stately old farm house and
grounds.
	Ron and Martha greeted us warmly.  For people whom I had only met
once, although that once was a long leisurely dinner, they had a knack of
making me feel like they were old friends.  Of course Martha asked Corey
about his art lessons and I'd brought several sketches to show her and let
him ask her advice about.  JJ and LT were slightly overwhelmed.  Even
though Corey had warned them what to expect while we were driving out,
hearing about something and actually experiencing it are two different
things.  The cocktails served were a variation of a Golden Fizz.  We adults
had two and the boys, one each and theirs were slightly smaller than ours.
Ron casually drew JJ and LT out while Martha and Corey disappeared into her
studio.  He did it so smoothly they never knew what hit them.  In just a
few minutes he had them talking about their hobbies and interests.  As he
made them feel comfortable and part of the conversation, I could only
marvel at his skills with people.  He must have been an excellent diplomat.
I swear, he could have learned anything I knew in ten minutes and I'd have
smiled while telling him.  He had such a relaxed and easy going manner,
combined with what seemed a genuine interest in whoever he was talking to.
	After about twenty minutes Martha and Corey came back from her
studio.  They were laughing and joking and just generally enjoying each
other.  It was apparent that Corey was lapping up her praise like a thirsty
dog.  The thought went through my mind that it was a shame he'd never had
such praise and encouragement before.  It was obvious that he was enjoying
it and one might even say basking in it.  While he was still shy, the
difference in him when someone took an interest in him and gave him a
little praise was amazing.  He was an entirely different person.  Even his
smile increased tenfold.  You could just see the happiness bubbling in him.
It looked like I'd made a good choice for his birthday celebration.
	When all had finished their drinks Martha started serving dinner.
She started with an oriental style hot and sour soup.  It was the equal of
any I'd ever had.  Most restaurants would have been better off to use her
recipe.  She followed it with an antipasto salad.  It was a little
different than any I'd had before.  It contained such things as spiced
asparagus, hard boiled eggs, olives, bell peppers, salami, cheeses and
tomatoes.  I wasn't sure it actually had a dressing.  It might have been
assembled from ingredients that had been separately marinated. The textures
and flavors were contrasting, yet complimentary.  I could have made a meal
out of it.
        Corey had been exposed to some rather fancy meals since he'd been
living with me and he dug right in, seeming to enjoy every bite.  JJ and LT
looked at it with considerably less enthusiasm.  They started out by
picking around the edges of it but, about a third of the way through, they
were matching Corey bite for bite.  They looked like kids in a candy store
that sold the candy in unfamiliar packages and were thrilled to find those
packages really did contain candy.  It wasn't long until their plates were
empty.
        When the main course was served, it consisted of a Caribbean bean
and rice dish and barbequed ribs.  The ribs were somewhat different than
any I'd ever had and she explained that they were fixed in a South American
style.  I didn't care what part of the world they came from, they were
delicious.  Judging by the way they disappeared, I wasn't the only one that
thought that way.  At least JJ and LT hadn't turned up their noses at the
ribs.  They attacked them like they'd been starved for months.  A couple of
bites of the beans and rice and it joined the ribs.  Martha was grinning as
she looked around the table.  The boys were attacking the meal almost like
one would imagine a pack of rabid dogs might.  I decided I didn't want to
let my hand get anywhere close to their plates.  I wasn't sure how much of
it I'd get back.
        Finally it was time for dessert.  Since it was his birthday he'd
been seated at one end of the table.  Martha was on one side of him and LT
on the other.  Ron was at the other end with JJ and me flanking him.
Martha brought in a chocolate cake with fourteen candles.  We sang happy
birthday.  About halfway through the song, his smile turned to tears.  She
wrapped her arms around him and let him cry.  I could hear him blubbering
about he'd never had a birthday party.  I started to get up and go to him
when Ron grabbed my arms and shook his head.
        In a surprisingly short time she had him calmed down.  After a
couple of sniffs he managed to blow the candles out.  We'd brought all the
gifts except for the shotgun.  As he unwrapped them, his expression shifted
between happiness and sadness.  He couldn't seem to accept the fact that
the party was for him.  JJ had picked out a model ship and LT had selected
a couple of CDs.  The Springer's had given him a gift which was a book of
famous paintings.  The photographs of the paintings were beautiful.  Of
course there was the watch.  I'd been right.  It looked like it belonged on
his wrist.  It was just the right size.
        Martha cut and served the cake.  All the while Corey was just
sitting there, looking lost.  He kept looking at his gifts and seemed ready
to start crying again.
        We finally finished dessert.  By now it was time to go home.  As we
were leaving Corey ran over to Martha and gave her a big hug.  I could hear
him telling her it was the `bestest' party he'd ever had.  I could see her
eyes blinking as she hugged him back.  They had a wet look.  Ron didn't
escape the hug treatment.  His eyes looked about like his wife's and his
voice was somewhat choked when he answered him.
        Corey never said a word the whole trip home.  He just sat there
beside me, his presents clutched tightly in his arms.  The sack holding
them was stronger than I would have thought.  It should have burst.
        We were late and Cindy was in bed and Jimmy was just finishing his
shower.  Dianne said goodnight as we walked in.  JJ and LT headed for the
shower and were soon in bed.  Corey just sat at the table, looking at his
presents.  He'd carefully pick up one and look and it and return it to the
table.  Then he'd do the same with another.  I kept trying to get him to go
to bed but he ignored me.  I finally asked him why he wouldn't go to bed.
        "This was the best day of my life and I don't want it to ever end."
I had no answer for that.  He finally fell asleep at the table.  It was
after midnight.  I picked him up and carried him to my bedroom.  He stirred
some but never woke up.  It had been a long day, what with waking up early
and all the excitement of his birthday.  When we were in bed he soon made
it to his position.  I wrapped my arms around him and joined him in sleep.
        	To be continued...