Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2005 09:27:35 -0800
From: fritz@nehalemtel.net
Subject: I Love Corey, Chapter Forty-one

	Here I am, pecking out a warning.  I even had to trim my fingernail
so I could use the keyboard.  Maybe if I was better at using more than one
finger, it would go faster.  (Sigh) That typing class I took in 1958 didn't
stick as well as it should have.  I was up to thirty-five words a minute
with five or fewer errors for a five minute period but somehow I doubt that
I could do much over ten words a minute anymore and I don't even want to
think about the number of errors.  Having said that I suppose I ought to
get on with the warning.
	Juveniles leave.  Yes, I mean right now.  You don't need me to
corrupt you.  You can figure out how to do that without my help.  I've got
great confidence in your ability to accomplish that task.  I'll bet you
that you enjoy learning all about being corrupted.  I know I did.  Have
fun.  Just don't expect me to take either the credit or the blame for it.
	If stories about sexual acts between gay males offend you, I would
ask why did you search out this site.  After all, most of the stories on
this site are that type of stories.  If it was just a case of curiosity,
stick around and satisfy that curiosity.  If it was for some other purpose,
leave.
	For those unfortunate individuals that live in an area that
prohibits the reading of stories such as this one, hide.  Remove all traces
of these stories from your computer.  Slink around and hope no one catches
you reading these stories.  If you're caught, don't blame me.  Sorry I
can't offer any more help.
	So now we're down to the ownership of this story.  I guess I'll
have to claim it because no one else seems to want to step forward and do
so.  Therefore, please don't post it on another site without requesting my
permission.  I might mention that I haven't been snowed with such requests.
Also, please attribute any quotes that you might wish to use from this
story, to me.  After all, how else can I become rich and famous?  That
reminds me, please share the millions you make from the use of this story
with me.  Then maybe I can retire someday.
	Hopefully I got all of Ernie's corrections in.  I sometimes miss
some of them so he doesn't deserve the blame for those that make it into
the posted product.  Actually, I just get tired when changing them.  So
many corrections and so little time.
	Feel free to write and bitch.  After all, it's your God given
right.  You can also make comments, ask questions, or offer suggestions.
Direct all such hate mail to fritz@nehalemtel.net I try to answer all such
emails.  You can even ask to be put on the chapter notification list.  Why
you might want to do that, I'm not sure.  Perhaps it's so you can avoid
this story.  In the meantime I hope you enjoy the following chapter.  Fritz
*******************************************************************************

		I Love Corey, Chapter Forty-one

	I could hear the wind blowing when I woke up.  There wasn't any
rain hitting the windows yet but with the sound of the wind and the
forecast from last night I was sure it would soon be pouring down.  As I
watched Corey sleep I wondered what we would do this afternoon.  It sure
didn't look like it would be a good day to go trap shooting.  In fact it
just seemed like a good day to laze around the house.  When my bladder
refused to be put off any longer, I got out of bed.
	I had the coffee made and was reading the paper when Corey came
padding out.  His hair was still tousled and he looked good enough to eat.
I'd have probably done that if we'd been the only ones in the house.  The
thought of having JJ or LT walking in on such a scene put an end to those
thoughts.  Still, it had been a nice thought.
	Corey grabbed part of the paper after he got some coffee.  He'd
just started drinking coffee.  He loaded his coffee with cream and sugar
while sorting through the various sections until he found one he wanted to
read.  We had the paper mostly read before JJ and LT made their entrance.
	Corey started on the juice and I started breakfast.  I've really
got no idea of why I'd ever gotten into the habit of having light
breakfasts during the week and heavy ones on the weekend but that's the way
I'd always done it so I just got out some sausage and eggs.  JJ and LT
would be happy and for that matter so would Corey and I.  As the patties
cooked, I asked what everyone wanted to do after church.  There wasn't much
in the way of suggestions and we were still kicking it around while we ate.
We managed to get the laundry started and some of the housework done by the
time we had to get ready for church and still hadn't come up with what to
do in the afternoon.  By now the rain was pounding the windows and it
really looked like a gloomy day.  About that time the phone rang and that
put an end to the lack of plans.
	Corey's mother was in the hospital.  Not only that, the hospital
was a couple hundred miles away.  A couple of quick phone calls and we were
off to Sacramento.  By hurrying I could make it in about three and a half
hours.
	As it turned out there was no reason to hurry except to calm
ourselves.  She was unconscious.  Apparently she'd been beaten and left in
a motel room.  I felt so sorry for Corey.  He was a basket case.  He calmed
down when the doctor told us she should make a complete recovery.  The
doctor was more concerned about her overall physical condition, which he
described as very rundown, but thought she would probably wake up in a few
hours.  There were no major problems but she had lots of bruises.  When we
finally got in the room we saw he was right.
	Her face looked like it had been used for a punching bag.  Both
eyes were blackened and her nose had been broken.  We hadn't seen her for
several weeks and she'd lost weight and really looked bad.  However the
doctor told us not to worry about that but that we really needed to get her
into some kind of rehab facility.  So here we were, it was about
two-thirty, and all we could do was sit and wait.
	Time drags in cases like this and today was no exception.  Just
before six Mrs. Babcock woke up.  Of course the police had to come
interview her and the whole thing was a mess.  About nine I called Jerry
and filled him in.  After that, we found a motel, and then a restaurant.
It was almost midnight when we finally got into bed.
	Corey cried himself to sleep on my shoulder.  I tried to calm him
but in the end, all I could do was hold him and let him cry.  When he
finally fell asleep, that was when it was my turn to worry.  What could I
do?  How could I help?  What was best for Corey, or for that matter,
Mrs. Babcock?  I finally fell asleep with those questions whirling around
in my mind.
	We were all pretty subdued when we headed out for breakfast the
next morning.  When I finally got a cup of coffee in me, I started talking.
	I now had three boys to worry about.  That changed how I handled
things.  If it had just been Corey and me, I would have just told him we'd
take her home as soon as she was able to leave the hospital.  However the
addition of JJ and LT made me want to make sure everyone was willing to
accept such a solution.  Boy it's a good thing I did.  I started out in a
round about way with the suggestion that she needed to go to a rehab center
and got no arguments.  While JJ and LT weren't really up on all the
details, they knew some of them and it didn't take long to fill in the
rest.  They were perfectly willing to have her come and stay with us either
before or after some treatment.  The one that surprised me was Corey.
	He sat and listened while the discussion went on without saying
anything.  When I'd finished filling JJ and LT in and they'd agreed to let
her live with us, at least until she was healed up, Corey finally entered
the conversation.
	"No.  At least not until she goes to a rehabilitation center."  To
say that I was shocked when he said that doesn't begin to describe the
situation.  When I looked at him I could see some tears running down his
face.  All I could do was look at him questioningly.  His head finally
dropped and he continued.
	"She'll just steal everything she can and sell it for more dope."
His voice was filled with anguish.  His shoulders slumped a little further.
I could see his body start to shake.
	We were sitting in a booth with JJ and LT on one side and Corey and
me on the other.  I reached over and put my arm across his shoulder,
pulling him to me.  I couldn't believe that he would make that decision.  I
knew he was right but the pain he must have felt was beyond what I could
imagine.
	"Are you sure that's what you want?" I softly asked.
	"No.  It's not what I want.  It's just got to be," he sobbed.  "If
she doesn't get help now, it'll just get worse."  His voice was breaking so
badly that I almost couldn't understand him.  With that he just slumped
against me.  Now the ball was in my court and I couldn't think of anything
to say.  He was right and no matter how much it hurt, if something wasn't
done now, most likely it wouldn't get done.  From the looks of her last
night, she was well on the way to killing herself.  She must have lost
fifteen pounds and she didn't have that much to lose.  We just sat there,
Corey crying and the rest of us feeling terrible while the breakfast we'd
ordered got cold.
	Eventually I handed JJ my billfold and told him to finish his
breakfast and then pay for all of ours.  I then pulled Corey out of the
booth and took him to the Gator.  Once inside I pulled him onto my lap and
just held him while he sobbed his heart out.  After a while I heard JJ and
LT get in the back but they said nothing and neither did I.  We must have
stayed that way for another fifteen minutes or so before Corey finally
stopped crying.  Then it was off to the hospital.
	I still wasn't sure just how to handle things when we got there but
Corey took over.  He asked JJ and LT to wait in the waiting room while we
talked to his mother.  God what an experience.  By now she was in serious
withdrawal.  That did nothing to calm her and enable her to be rational and
when Corey said she had to accept going to a drug rehab center before she
could stay with us, it got ugly.  I thought I was fairly fluent in
profanity but soon learned that I was mistaken.  Some of the words and
expressions she used I knew, but others I could only guess at.  It didn't
take long until she was screaming at us.  With that we left.  Corey was in
tears again and I was in shock.
	After calming Corey somewhat I called Russ Young, the attorney that
had worked on the weird custody agreement.  He recommended an attorney by
the name of Wilson J. Brighten and set up an appointment for us to see him
after lunch.  That left a couple of hours to kill and they were less than
pleasant.  Even lunch was a disaster.
	Mr. Brighten was about fifty and seemed very competent.  However,
that didn't mean that I liked what he said.  The short version was that it
would be almost impossible for me to get her committed to a rehab center
without her consent.  The fact that Corey was staying with me was one of
the factors that he cited for such an opinion.  That left Corey and we were
informed that, due to his age, it was very unlikely that he would be able
to achieve such an involuntary commitment either.  Mr. Brighten had talked
with both her doctor and Russ about the situation and told us that there
was little chance of success because she was not considered dangerous to
others and also was not considered suicidal.  We were left with no real way
to force her to seek help.  As far as the government was concerned, she was
free and over eighteen.  That allowed her to make her own decisions unless
we could prove she was incompetent.  He saw little chance of that owing to
the situation with regards to this case.  Were I not involved with the
upbringing of Corey, it might have been possible that I could have
succeeded in such a course of action, after some long hearings, but all she
had to do was say that I was trying to take her child away from her and the
whole thing would fall apart.
	We went back to the hospital to talk with her and about the only
thing I accomplished was to have her bill sent to me.  Corey tried to talk
to her but got nowhere.  After some more shouting on her part he came out
of the room and suggested we go home.
	The trip home was somber to say the least.  Corey just slumped
against the door with his eyes closed.  JJ and LT sat in the back and said
little.  No one suggested eating and we just all were lost in our own
thoughts.
	I stopped and got some soup and sandwiches from Downie's because I
didn't really feel like cooking and the boys didn't appear very hungry.  In
that I was right because none of us ate much of the soup or sandwiches.
Afterwards JJ and LT slipped off to JJ's bedroom leaving Corey and me
alone.  So far he hadn't said one word after we left the hospital.  I led
him into the family room and after I was in my recliner I pulled him onto
my lap.  He was a little big for that but I figured he just needed to be
held and allowed to feel bad.
	It was a while before he said anything.  He finally asked why she
wanted to kill herself.  How could I answer such a question?
	"I don't know.  I think maybe somewhere along the way someone hurt
her very badly."  I didn't say anymore for a short while and tried to think
of more to tell him.  "Maybe it was her parent's rejection of her, maybe
they never told her they loved her.  I just don't know.  I just think that
somewhere along the way someone hurt her so badly that she doesn't think
anyone can love her...  Maybe that's why she can't help herself."
	He was curled up in my lap with his head on my shoulder.  After a
bit he sighed.  It sounded like the weight of the world was on his
shoulders.
	"Do you think we can do anything?"  There was a dead quality to his
voice that told me he knew there was nothing anyone could do unless she was
willing to be helped.  He was looking for hope and the terrible thing was
that I had none to offer him.  I'd often told him I wouldn't lie to him and
I knew if I said anything to just try to cheer him up that he'd know it.  I
had to tell the truth no matter how much it hurt.
	"I don't know.  Maybe she'll feel better tomorrow and let us.
Until then, I just don't see much way to help."  With that we were both
silent for a while.  All I could do was hold him and try to let him know I
loved him.  I felt so helpless.  I could feel his tears on my shoulder
before I felt his sobs start to shake his body.  I felt so sorry for him.
The tears were running down my face almost as fast as his were dripping on
my shoulder.  He hurt and I had no power to help solve that hurt.  All I
could do was be there for him and hope that somewhere inside he had the
strength to survive.  As I sat there holding him, I was thankful for the
way my parents had died.  They'd been happy and enjoying a trip and the
accident had been quick.  There couldn't have been more then a couple of
minutes of terror and it was over for them.  While it had been a big shock
to me, at least I hadn't had to watch them slowly kill themselves.  I don't
know how I would have reacted to something like that.
	Finally his tears stopped.  He didn't move and after a short while
I realized he'd cried himself to sleep.  He hadn't had much sleep last
night and the strain of today had finally taken its toll.  I thought about
putting him in bed but didn't want to disturb him.  Instead I just sat
there holding him.
	When I awoke, my legs were asleep.  I ached in several places and
it was dark.  I finally realized either JJ or LT had turned the lights out
and spread a blanket over us.  I managed to shift my position under him and
could feel the tingling in my legs as my circulation returned.  When I
thought I could, I stood.  In the glow of the nightlight he looked so frail
and helpless.  When my legs felt strong enough I scooped him up and carried
him to bed.  He barely roused enough to help me undress him and put him in
bed.  When I was beside him, he quickly assumed his favorite position and
went back to sleep.
	Morning wasn't much better.  Corey was still depressed but when I
suggested he might stay home for a day, he said that he was probably better
off in class.  That way he might get his mind off of his mother.  I
suspected that wouldn't be very successful but thought he would be better
off where I could at least keep track of him, rather than have him alone at
home.  I finally left for school.
	During the morning meeting I had to fill everyone in on what was
happening.  I could see everyone trying to think of some way to help but
the sad fact was that all they could do was let him know they understood.
I got several reports between classes on how he was doing but none of them
offered any real encouragement.  Finally the day was over and we went home.
On the way I asked him if he wanted me to tell Bob he wasn't up to a lesson
tonight.  He thought about it but declined.  His comment that he needed to
try to put it behind him was slightly encouraging.
	Since the weather had cleared, it wasn't long before the usual gang
of boys showed up to play basketball.  Corey seemed sort of listless but
finally joined in.  I skipped my run to keep a watch on him but soon
realized he was doing about as well as I could expect.  At least I got all
the papers graded before I had to start dinner.
	The game seemed a little more subdued than usual but, when it was
over, Corey seemed a little better.  He was no longer as withdrawn.  He
didn't really enter into the conversation at dinner but at least he seemed
to be paying attention.  When we were finished eating, he and Bob went to
his room for the lesson.  The rest of the boys did their homework but there
wasn't the usual horseplay.  Still, things were looking somewhat better.
	As soon as the art lesson was over it was time to check on
Mrs. Babcock.  I'd called and checked with the hospital before I went to
work but hadn't talked with her.  Now we'd call her direct.  I got a bunch
of whining from her when she answered but soon handed the phone to Corey.
	It didn't take long to figure out she was really trying to put
pressure on him about his determination to see she got some help.  While I
couldn't hear both sides of the conversation it was pretty easy to figure
out what was going on.  First he seemed to slowly draw in but then she said
something that must have made him mad.  He voice took on a note of firmness
I'd never heard in it before.
	"I'm sorry Mother, if you can't accept the fact you need help,
don't call."  His voice broke when he followed it with, "Please Mom, I love
you."  He listened a few more seconds with the tears running down his
cheeks and then just pressed the disconnect button and put the phone down.
With that he seemed to collapse in the chair.
	He'd stopped crying by the time we went to bed but that was about
all.  He quickly got his head on my chest and just laid there.  There was
no more crying but he didn't relax and go to sleep.  I rubbed his back for
a while and finally asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"
	"Why does it hurt so bad?" he whimpered.  There was a pause and he
followed it with, "Doesn't she love me?"  His voice wasn't really under
control and sounded like it was ready to break at any time.
	"It hurts because you love her," I told him as I continued rubbing
his back.  "It always hurts when you want to help someone and can't.  It
hurts even more when you love them."  I paused for a while and just
continued rubbing.  "I don't know if she knows how to say she loves you.  I
think somewhere deep inside that your mother is ashamed of herself.  Maybe
that's why she's afraid to say she loves you.  She doesn't think she's
worthy."
	"Why?"
	"Well, you know her parents threw her out when she got pregnant
with you.  I don't know how they raised her but I think maybe she feels
she's worthless because of that.  Maybe she doesn't think she's worthy of
loving anyone.  Maybe she's afraid that if she admits she loves you, you'll
be taken away from her."
	He said no more and just continued lying there.  I continued
rubbing and finally I could feel him start to relax.  Shortly thereafter,
he fell asleep.  It took me a lot longer.  The person that meant the most
to me was hurting and I had no idea of how to help him.  Judy still hadn't
come up with the name of a good counselor for JJ.  The last time I'd asked
she said she was still checking.  From some of her remarks I gathered that
the problem was finding one that understood the problems of gay youth.
While Corey's problem wasn't the fact that he was gay, I wasn't sure that
it might not become an issue if he went to a counselor that couldn't
understand and work with gay youth.  I finally fell into a restless sleep.
	I called to check on Mrs. Babcock during my morning free period.  I
was informed that she had checked herself out and left no address where she
could be reached.  I ended up telling the hospital to just send the bill
and thanked them for their help.  I was really baffled over what to do
next.  Once again we had no way to contact her.  It was almost like she
didn't want to be around Corey or me.  After thinking about it for a while
I started to wonder if she was doing her best to avoid us because she knew
we disapproved of her drug use.  She definitely got upset when we tried to
talk her into going into treatment.  By the time the period was over I'd
come to the conclusion that we'd probably screwed up, maybe big time.  We
should have shown her love rather than try to force her to get help.  The
problem was that we no longer had a way to contact her and try to rectify
the situation.
	During the afternoon free period I called Russ Young and explained
our problem.  I asked him if he knew of a good firm of detectives that
might be able to find her and get a message to her.  When that was settled
I figured I'd done about all I could to solve the problem.  Now all we
could do was wait and hope.
	Friday afternoon I got a call from Russ telling me that the message
had been delivered.  The firm he hired also reported that she had told them
she didn't want to talk to us and to please leave her alone.  As I hadn't
told Corey about trying to get a message to his mother, I decided that I
wouldn't tell him about her reply.  He was just starting to come out of his
depression and I figured that knowing about this would just make him feel
bad.  I was sure I felt bad enough to both of us.  While his actions had
been the result of his love for his mother, I was afraid we'd made a
mistake in how he'd handled that love.  He loved her so much that he
couldn't see that he was trying to force her to do something she was not
yet willing to do.  I'd also failed by not recognizing that until it was
too late.
        Why is it that some lessons are so costly?  The worst thing about
it is that those lessons rarely involve money.  Most of the time they
involve something much more precious and costly.  They involve a person's
feelings.  Money can be acquired through work but repairing a rift between
people can only happen when both the parties are willing to work at it.  In
this case, it didn't appear that Mrs. Babcock was willing to give us much
of a chance to rectify our mistakes.  Corey was young yet, and couldn't be
expected to know all about such things but I was old enough that I should
have known better.  You can only help someone when he or she is willing to
be helped.  Trying to force them to accept help will only make the problem
worse.  It takes time and effort to convince someone that he needs help and
you can't press very hard.  If you put too much pressure on them, they will
just become more determined not to listen to you.  The message I'd sent to
her through Mr. Young was that she was welcome anytime, no questions asked,
no pressure.  Hopefully she would think about it and give us a chance.
Then maybe we could work on repairing the relationship.
        In thinking about it, I realized it must have appeared to her that
I was the reason behind his insistence that she seek help.  Maybe in some
senses I was.  He knew I disapproved of her drug use but so did he.  Yet
she didn't know that I hadn't suggested that she wasn't welcome until she'd
sought and accepted help for that drug problem.  In the end all I was left
with was the thought, or rather question of how many problems between
people start because of a misunderstanding.  Not having any solution to the
present problem, all I could do was vow to try not to make such a mistake
again.  I could see I should have tried to talk him out of confronting her
about it and even after it had occurred I might have salvaged the situation
if I'd made it a point to explain that he was only doing it because he
loved her.  It was a painful lesson I'd learned.  In my arrogance I'd
overlooked that other people have feelings.  They don't like to be forced
to do something anymore than I did.  Hopefully she'd give us another
chance.
        By the time we went to bed, Corey had noticed I was pretty quiet.
When he pinned me down, I remembered that I'd promised him I wouldn't lie
to him.  I finally told him about what I'd done with regards to his mother
and my thoughts on it.  At first he insisted it was all his fault but I
kept explaining that I should have realized what was happening and been
able to help him understand what was wrong with our actions.  We finally
cried ourselves to sleep.  I'm not sure which of us felt worse.
        A night's sleep helped but neither of us was all that cheerful.
After breakfast I pulled him aside to discuss things a little more.
        "Corey, you need to remember that we all make mistakes.  Sometimes
they are minor ones but sometimes, like now, they're not.  The thing is
that one has to get past them.  I don't mean that you shouldn't think about
them or forget them but you have to get past them and get on with life.
You can't live your life in the past, worrying about the mistakes you have
made.  You have to learn from them and go on.  Sometimes we get a chance to
make up for them and sometimes we don't.  It makes no difference.  We have
to forgive ourselves and just try not to make the same ones in the future."
I paused for a few seconds.
        "Forgiving one's self is probably the hardest.  First you have to
admit that you made a mistake and no one wants to do that.  We all want to
think we are too smart to do that.  Still, we do make mistakes.  Once you
figure out you made a mistake, you have to try to figure out how to stop
making that same mistake in the future.  I guess that's what's called
growing up and maturing.  It happens as long as you live.  I'm older than
you are and made the same mistake.  I'm sorry I did.  The problem is that
I'd like to fix it but until your mother is willing to let me try, I can't.
I have to learn from it and go on, trying not to make that mistake again.
Even if she never gives me the chance to explain that I was wrong, I can't
spend all my life worrying about it.  I just have to do the best I can,
just like you do."
        "But it hurts."
        "I know it does.  It hurts me too.  I just wish I could roll the
clock back and try again, knowing what I know now.  Unfortunately we can't
do that.  We have to live with our mistakes."
        With that he just leaned into me and let me hold him.  He didn't
say anything.  After about ten minutes he finally raised his head.
        "It won't do any good to feel bad, will it?"
        "No Corey, it won't help.  Feeling bad only means you feel bad.  It
doesn't help anyone else."
        After a few more minutes he sighed.  That was the end of the
conversation.  He got up and we started helping JJ and LT with the weekend
housekeeping.  All I could do was hope that our talk had helped both of us.
I really needed to get past it.  If anything, I felt worse because I should
have known better.
        We had all the housework done by lunchtime.  It was time to get a
tree.  When I suggested that, JJ and LT almost didn't want to wait for
lunch.  Well, that was until I started the clam chowder.  Then they decided
they could wait a few minutes.
        Jeez, they wanted a tree that wouldn't fit in the house.  I mean I
only had eight foot ceilings.  The trees they kept dragging me over to look
at probably started at twelve feet and got taller.  I finally managed to
convince them that they had to find a shorter one.  I finally gave up and
bought the nine footer they eventually picked out.  I could cut a few
inches off the top and some more off the bottom.  We stuffed it in the back
of the pickup and headed home.
        Decorating was a new experience for Corey.  He finally started to
cheer up.  It took us the rest of the afternoon.  When we finally got the
star on top, it looked pretty good.  As I stood and looked at it, all I
could think about was that the star had been on every tree I could
remember.  Mom had told me that she and dad had gotten it for their first
tree.  It was somewhat battered from all the years of use.  I'd been told I
managed to pull the tree over a couple of times when I was young.  Still,
to me it was Christmas.  Lots of people had angels or other ornaments but
that star had always marked our trees.  In some senses, it made me sad to
think about it but in others I was glad.  It reminded me of all the love
and good times my family had during the holiday season.  Maybe this would
be the start of good holiday memories for Corey.
        Then there were the ornaments that mother had bought.  Every year
there had been a new one.  Some had my initial on them and other didn't.  I
knew a couple had been broken over the years but there still were quite a
lot of them.  We'd hung them in prominent places and put the ordinary ones
in less conspicuous places.  I went and got the small package which held
the three personalized ones I'd purchased.  I handed them to the boys, each
his own special ornament, and told them to put them where they wanted them
to be.  It took a few minutes and they had to move some of the others but
the tree was finally done.  I took my camera and took several pictures of
the tree and the boys.  I'd print them and put them in some albums I
purchased.  While I didn't have pictures of the boys when they were young,
I wanted them to have albums of their life with me.  There was a fourth
album that was for me.  I'd already taken a few pictures that I thought
should be in it and I was sure there would be more.  Maybe someday they
would look at them and have happy memories from them.
        I fixed some grilled ham and cheese sandwiches to go with the rest
of the chowder.  JJ and LT were starting to really get into the holiday
spirit.  Corey was still pretty subdued but seemed to be starting to come
out of it.  There was still almost two weeks until Christmas and hopefully
by the time it arrived, he would be over his depression.
        After dinner I put the things I'd bought under the tree.  They
spent the rest of the evening trying to guess what was in the packages.
Some things, like the helmets were pretty easy but the other packages were
different.  While they figured out that some of them were probably clothes,
they had no idea what kind of clothes they were.  I hadn't wrapped the
bikes but instead had put them in the storage room over the garage.  I'd
even had to lock it because it looked like JJ was going to rub the paint
off his bike.  Every time he was missing he could be found, caressing that
bike.  My locking the door had produced dirty looks but the paint should at
least survive until after Christmas.
        I was sure glad we'd gotten our tree early in the afternoon.  By
the time it was bed time the wind was really howling from a storm that was
coming in.  The boys were in bed and I was finishing up a few last tasks
when the lights went out.  That put an end to what I could do so I grabbed
a flashlight and headed for the bedroom.  I was barely in bed when a
powerful gust hit the house, shaking it worse than anytime since I'd bought
it.  Corey and I were talking softly when still another gust hit, causing
the house to almost vibrate.  Shortly after that we had visitors.  JJ and
LT joined us in bed.  It was times like this I was glad I'd bought a king
sized bed.  I'll admit I'd bought it for the few times I'd had friends stay
with me but it was real handy for nights like tonight.
        I assured JJ and LT that I thought the house would protect us and
finally we all fell asleep.  My last thoughts were that if the power was
still off in the morning, we could heat the house with the fireplace.
Cooking would be no problem because of the propane range.  Things seemed
pretty good as I snuggled with the boys, hearing their soft breathing while
they slept.  Really, life couldn't get much better than this.  There were
still a few problems we had to try to solve but overall, I had about all I
could ask for.
        When I woke up I was trapped.  It was still dark and I couldn't get
out of bed.  It took a while to remember why but when I remembered JJ and
LT joining Corey and me, understanding followed.  After that it just took a
while to get out from between them all.  The lights were still off and I
could hear the remains of the storm still hitting the house.  It didn't
take me long to realize I needed to get dressed when I finally got my feet
on the floor.  It couldn't have been more then forty-five or so degrees in
the house.  I stumbled out and started a fire in the fireplace.  Then I had
to find the coffee pot I used when camping.  By the time the coffee was on
I was beginning to wonder just how bad the storm had been.  That required
running down a boom box.
        I was in luck.  The batteries were in good enough shape that when I
turned it on, it came to life.  Finding the local station filled me in on
conditions.
        I learned it was the worst storm in at least half a century.  The
main transmission line for the power company was down in several places and
there was little chance of getting power before sometime tomorrow.  Trees
were across the streets and highways all over the place.  There was also a
slide across the highway.  In other words, it was a mess.  I was lucky in
that I had a fireplace and the range was propane fueled.  Well, actually
the hot water heaters and the furnace were propane fueled but without
electricity, they wouldn't work.  Suddenly I remembered the generator in
the garage.  I could at least make the furnace and the water heaters work.
In fact, I could even switch things around and keep the freezer working
enough so the food in it wouldn't spoil.  It was only four thousand watts
but it should get me by.  I had several propane lanterns and some extra
cylinders for them so that should take care of lighting.  All in all, I was
in pretty good shape.  I just wondered how other people were making out.  I
knew that most of the people in town used either oil or electricity to
heat.  Even the ones who used oil would be out of luck unless they had
access to some electricity.  It was time to get this show on the road.
        I got the lanterns out and fired them up.  I noticed there were
more extra cylinders than I thought.  I was thankful I'd seen that sale on
cylinders and stocked up.  Now it was time to see about breakfast.
        I was just opening the refrigerator door when Vern knocked.  After
pouring him some coffee we discussed what to do.  He went back to bring his
family over for breakfast and I got back to cooking.  Fred and Mike soon
bounded in and when Fred wanted to know where the boys were, I sent him to
my room to wake them.  Mike looked at me with a questioning look and I
explained that they were a little worried about the storm.  He grinned and
said that Fred had kept him up half the night for the same reason.  About
then Vern and Nancy showed up and there were giggles coming from my
bedroom.  Soon the kitchen was full and I was about ready to start cooking.
        About then the thought went through my mind that I was probably the
only one in the area that had a working stove.  I put things on hold and
sent the boys out to invite all the neighbors over for breakfast.
Forty-seven people later it was time to figure out what we should do today.
        It was now a little after eight and we went out and looked things
over.  There were several trees across the street but very little damage to
any of the houses.  Part of the roof on the shed where I stored the mower
was missing some shingles but that was the only damage I had.
        I had a couple of chainsaws and so did Vern.  He'd laughed at the
one I'd bought because it only had a nine inch bar but I used it to prune
the big old oaks in my yard.  Today it would be just right to cut up limbs.
The other had a thirty-six inch bar and was for cutting firewood for the
fireplace.  We lifted the canopy off my pickup and then hooked up the
little trailer I'd gotten to haul wood in.  It was time to get started.
        It wasn't long before we were all busy clearing the street in front
of my house.  When we got to the main street we just kept going.  I kept
sending Mike and the pickup back to my house to unload all the wood.  At
the rate it was going I wouldn't have to cut wood for several years.  By
noon we were gaining.  We had the streets open for about twelve blocks.
        I'd left Nancy in the kitchen making some chowder.  It might not
have looked all that good but I'd left her with two five gallon cans on the
stove with orders to fill them.  When I told everyone to come have chowder,
it looked like a parade.  By the time everyone had eaten, there wasn't much
left.
        By late afternoon we'd finally cleared the streets all the way to
downtown.  The boys were dragging from all the wood they'd loaded and
stacked and my arms felt like they were about to drop off.  A little
discussion amongst all of us and I figured out that none of the crew had
any way to cook except me.
        I didn't have enough of anything to fix dinner for a crew which was
now up to about one hundred people so I took a chance and dug out my cell
phone and called Downie's.  They weren't open but were at the store trying
to figure out how to save the frozen food.  It took a while but Vern
finally got in touch with a friend of his who had a big generator and he
agreed to bring it down.  I told everyone to show up around eight for
dinner and gathered up the boys and headed for Downie's.
        By the time the generator showed up, we'd picked out several cart
loads of food.  Then I had to take some time and help hook everything up so
the freezers would work.  Carl and Ellen were thrilled.  The frozen food
cases had warmed up enough that it wouldn't have been long until all the
food in them would have spoiled.  Now they would be able to save it.  I
invited the Downie's to join us for dinner and we headed home.
        On getting home the first thing I did was hook the little generator
I had up and start the water heaters.  Nancy had finished the lunch dishes
in cold water.  Then it was time to start dinner.  At least there wouldn't
be many dishes to wash tonight.  I'd bought cases of paper bowls, plates,
and plastic utensils.
        Dinner wasn't going to be fancy.  I'd bought a bunch of chuck
steaks and I started cutting them into bite sized pieces for a stew.  When
I had enough cut to get started, I began browning them and let the boys
continue cutting the rest.  I had the two five gallon cans and a couple of
roasters.  I hoped that if I filled all of them there would be enough for
everyone.  The rest of the dinner would consist of garlic bread, some corn,
and a green salad.  I'd bought a bunch of those sacks of salad and I
figured some diced green onions and some cherry tomatoes would help them.
It would be a simple but filling dinner.
        When the meat was browned I put some in each of the containers.  I
added some Au Jus and wine for liquid.  Then it was time to start
seasoning.  I had to refill my pepper mill a couple of times before I was
satisfied.  Then we all peeled potatoes and onions until I thought we had
enough.  A bunch of sacks of baby carrots went in next and was followed by
some celery.  The last thing was a flat of mushrooms.  I'd figured pretty
well.  The containers were all about full.  I let it cook for a while and
added some more salt and basil.  Another taste and some more garlic and
some rosemary went in along with a little more Cayenne pepper.  I didn't
think it needed anymore thyme.  The last thing was some flour mixed with
water to thicken it a little.  Glancing at my watch I saw that it was
almost time for everyone to start arriving.  I sent the boys to take a
quick shower since the water was now hot.  As soon as they were done I took
a quick shower and was just getting dressed when the first of the guests
started showing up.
        I didn't keep count but there wasn't much left by the time everyone
was full.  People came and people left and the food supply kept going down.
There was about a gallon of stew and half a loaf of garlic bread left when
everyone was full.  I was beat.  It had been a busy day.  I shut the
generator off and was just getting ready to go to bed when I noticed a
coffee can on the table by the front door.  It had a bunch of money in it.
Curiosity got the better of me and I counted it.  I finally started
snickering to myself.  I'd made money.  There was plenty to pay for all the
food I'd served and enough left to pay me a day's wages.  I made it to bed
and collapsed beside Corey.  I don't remember my head hitting the pillow.
        My cell phone woke me up.  It was the mayor.  He told me it would
be at least another day before the power would be restored.  Mayor Nelson
wanted to know if I could prepare some meals for the city workers.  After
some discussion on the details, I told him to send them over.  It was just
after five in the morning when I dragged myself out of bed.  The grumbling
I got from the boys about the hour just washed over me.  I had them moving
when I headed for the kitchen.
        The eggs showed up just like Mayor Nelson promised, along with some
hams.  I started an assembly line with JJ cooking ham, LT cooking pancakes,
Corey frying eggs, and I got to do everything else like mix the pancake
batter, slice the ham, and make coffee along with serving the meals.  We
cooked breakfast until ten.  After that it was time for lunch.  I did
manage to get a couple of cans of gas for the generator from one of the
city workers so I told them they were welcome to use the showers but they'd
have to furnish their own towels.  Someone came up with towels and people
just kept showing up.  I finally figured out that not all were employees of
the city.  There were also senior citizens and children.  I was so busy I
didn't even know who all came and ate.
        One of the city employee's went and got some more supplies.  Lunch
consisted of chowder or vegetable beef soup, grilled ham and cheese
sandwiches and some of the various pastries from some market.
        Nancy showed up with several ladies and they pitched in and helped
cook and serve.  I called Mayor Nelson and after talking to him for a while
I went to Downie's and stocked up again.  I bought all the ground beef they
had, along with all of the tomato sauce.  Well, I suppose I shouldn't
forget the spaghetti and celery and mushrooms that I cleaned out also.  I
only bought part of the onions.
        Once I was home I started cooking while the ladies finished serving
lunch.  I had the damnedest collection of food I'd ever bought.  Oh well, I
should be able to make a decent spaghetti sauce out of it and that was
something that would feed a lot of people.
        It's a good thing the ladies helped.  The boys were running out of
gas and I wasn't doing much better.  We'd been cooking for nine hours
without a break.  I figured there would be at least seven hours to go
before we could take a break.  I was wrong.  It was more like nine hours.
The boys were zombies and I was their leader by the time we were ready for
bed about midnight.  I felt dead on my feet.
        The whole mess started again at five.  One of the city workers told
us the highway should be reopened about nine and they hoped to have the
power back on around noon.  While a lot of houses would still be without
power, at least things like the hospital (which had been on emergency
power) and the school should have it.  He told me that when power was on at
the school, arrangements had been made to start cooking there.  Then my
little operation could take a break.
        Mayor Nelson stopped in and confirmed what I'd heard.  He looked
like he was ready to drop but I doubt that I looked any better.  In fact
all of us were showing the strain.  I did learn that there were three
restaurants that were doing about the same thing I was.  With power out in
the whole valley, there were a lot of people who had no way to cook or
clean up.  A couple of other restaurants had been damaged so badly they
couldn't be operated and several others depended on electricity.  For that
matter, so did the school.  When the mill that used to be in town had shut
down, that ended that source of auxiliary power.  That left no real backup
system.  He told me that they were now calling it the worst storm in over
seventy-five years.  The worst thing was that there were now five deaths
attributed to the storm.
        There was an announcement over the radio, just before noon, that
the power was back on and meals would be available at the school starting
at two.  For what it's worth, power came back on at my house two days
later.  At least I no longer was trying to feed what seemed like half the
valley.  By three o'clock, the boys had crashed.  I tried to pick things up
and soon decided they had the right idea.  I threw some more logs in the
fireplace and after putting the screen in front of it, I found my bed.  A
couple of hours sleep was a big help.  I felt almost human when I woke up.
        I finally got the boys up and fed them some chili.  They still
didn't look very alert but the nap had helped us all.  Jerry had sent word
that school would be out for the rest of the week while the community
picked up after the storm.  The school hadn't really been damaged but the
kitchen was being used to feed the community.  Hopefully by next week
things would get back to normal.
        With no power we didn't have much to fill the evening with but
since everyone was still tired, we went to bed early.  I don't think I even
moved until about seven the next morning.  Corey was still where he'd been
when I went to sleep, snoring softly with his head on my chest.
        There wasn't much in the house to make a breakfast out of.  I ended
up cooking some oatmeal with raisins in it.  No toast or juice because
there wasn't any.  In fact, all the groceries that had been bought were
pretty well gone.  We'd have to go shopping again.  When we'd finished the
oatmeal and cleaned up we took a little drive around town and looked at the
damage.
        I was surprised.  Our little area had faired pretty well compared
to some of the other parts of town.  There were houses with the roof
missing, trees blown down, and lots of other damage.  Half the stores were
closed for repairs but the others were doing lots of business.  Every place
you looked there were crews working on the power lines and clearing up the
debris.  I finally got to Downie's and found them swamped.  There were two
trucks unloading and they were short handed.
        The boys and I spent the next five hours helping unload trucks and
stock shelves.  Thank God for bar code scanners.  At least we didn't have
to mark any prices.  The larger market in town had suffered a lot of damage
was wasn't open so that left Downie's and some mini-mart type operations.
Carl had been warned his was the only full service grocery store able to
operate and he'd ordered much more than his usual supplies.  We went home
and had a quick lunch and then back to help some more.  The trucks kept
coming and we kept unloading and putting it on the shelves.  Everyone was
glad when eight rolled around and the store closed.  By then, both Corey
and LT were getting pretty good at working the check-out counters.
        I invited the Downie's for dinner and told them to bring clean
clothes and have a bath.  They still didn't have power at their house.  I
got the generator running again so the water heaters would work and then
started dinner.  It was almost ready when Carl and Ellen showed up.  They
had taken the money and checks to the bank and stopped by their house to
pick up some clean clothes.
        After we'd all eaten and had baths, the Downies went home.  I told
them we'd be down at eight when they opened and you could see the relief in
their eyes.  By now we had things pretty well figured out so they didn't
really have to give many orders.  We might not have stored things in the
back room quite the way they did but at least we were managing to keep some
items on the shelves.
        I think Corey was starting to feel better even though we hadn't
heard any more from or about his mother.  It was hard to tell for sure
because we'd all been so busy and were tired, but there seemed to be more
of a sparkle in his eyes.  That didn't translate into anything more than
falling into bed and going to sleep but I hoped he was coming out of his
depression.
        My old wind-up clock managed to wake me and we were finished with
breakfast and at Downie's Market when they opened it.  If anything, it was
worse today than yesterday.  I had no idea that there were that many people
that needed groceries.  I went and got Billy and Larry to help.  We just
couldn't keep up.  There were lines at all the registers and Corey, LT and
JJ were busy.  They weren't as fast as the regular help but no one was
complaining.  About six in the evening things finally slowed down.  We were
all exhausted.  Billy and Larry were happy they'd made a little money and
were eager to work the rest of the week.  They thought it was great to make
some money.  The Downies were happy to get any help they could.  It was one
of those win, win situations.  It was only minimum wage and had to be under
the table because the boys couldn't work those kinds of hours but because
of the situation I didn't think anyone would say anything.  Everyone in
town was working as hard as he could.  I couldn't believe that anyone would
file a complaint.
        As far as my boys and I were concerned, we were working for
nothing.  When the boys had asked why, I explained that if one could, one
should always help friends and community.  I pointed out that while I
bought groceries there, I thought of Carl and Ellen as friends, not just
owners of a grocery store.  I also explained that it depended on
circumstances.  Billy and Larry didn't have much money so their
circumstances were different than ours.  I also pointed out that we had
offered while Mr. Downie had asked if I knew of anyone else he could get to
help.  Since about every able-bodied person was working their butts off
trying to clean up after the storm, Billy and Larry had been my only
suggestion.  Even Fred and Mike, Vern's sons, were helping people clean up
and in one case helped repair a roof.  We discussed it while I fixed dinner
and by the time dinner was under control, I think they understood, at least
I hoped so.
        I'd been thrilled when we got home and found the power on.  Boy the
lights made it nice.  We no longer had to carry lanterns from room to room.
It even made it a lot easier to fix dinner.  It never ceases to amaze me
how much we take for granted.  Having the microwave, food processor, and
other appliances made things so much easier.  Even the boys were grinning
while they helped me fix dinner.  Of course the fact that we'd all been so
busy that we hadn't had time for lunch might have had something to do with
their smiles.
        The rest of the week went about the same way.  On Saturday
afternoon the other market finally reopened.  Things slowed down a little
at Downie's after that reopening, but not enough for us to go home.  It
just meant that, by quitting time, we had finally caught up.  The shelves
were stocked and the floors swept.  The town was beginning to look better
as the work crews continued to clean up the mess.  There were still homes
that didn't have power but the number of them was decreasing.  We all
agreed that it looked like the worst was over.  The community was pulling
together and helping those that needed it.  It was sure nice to take a hot
bath after dinner and fall into bed, even if it was an hour early.
        Sunday morning was one of those mornings that I really like.  I had
a warm squirming Corey wake me up and the things he was doing to me can
only be described as very pleasurable.  When I realized what was going on,
he was nibbling my ears.  He always did wake up quicker than I did but if
he'd do things like he was doing, I'd forgive him.  Well, I'd forgive him
even if he didn't.
        We got sidetracked kissing for a while.  This was the first kissing
we'd done for a while and boy it felt good.  He had a little morning mouth
but I didn't care.  I was just enjoying having Corey kiss me.  It wasn't
long until his saliva had washed the morning mouth away, or maybe I'd just
gotten used to it.  Either way it didn't make any difference.  No matter
what, I thought he had such a good tasting tongue to suck on.  I could only
wish it was longer so I could get more of it in my mouth.  There was no
toothpaste flavor, only pure Corey.
        He allowed me to nibble his ear lobes for a while.  I enjoyed the
little sounds he made while I did that.  I always liked it when I could get
Corey noises from him and this morning was proving successful in that
department.  Those sounds and noises just sounded so sexy.
        Somehow we squirmed around until we could nibble each others
nipples.  Well, we kissed and licked them also.  The noises never let up
but the squirming increased and his nipples got nice and stiff.  They were
no longer soft but instead seemed like they were standing up, trying to get
further into my mouth.  When he scraped his teeth over my nipples I almost
lost track of what I was doing.  Oh well, his nipples were right there to
remind me.  Some more squirming around and his cute little innie was right
where I could attack it with my tongue.  That always produced lots of
squirming and gasping and today was no exception.  The only thing was, it
was hard to notice that because of the shivers of pleasure running through
my body from his tongue.  That tongue was really digging into my navel.
Between the heat that particular action was generating in my body and the
fact it sort of tickled really seemed to crank my body up.  I suddenly was
much warmer and starting to pant.  Every part of me seemed more sensitive.
What his tongue wasn't working on, his hands seemed to be.  Sensations were
exploding all over my body.  When I could stand it no longer, I squirmed
down the bed a little further.
        There it was, right in front of me.  It looked just as good as ever
and there was even a drop of precum on its tip, just waiting for me.  The
pleasure I got licking that drop off defies description.  I rolled that
drop around in my mouth, savoring its taste.  It was just as good as ever.
It was a taste that never disappointed me because I loved it.  Well, I
loved him so why wouldn't I love his taste.  I just wished I could spend
the rest of my life savoring that taste.  A few more licks resulted in some
more of that taste.  I relaxed and enjoyed it.
        It was time to see if I could coax something more from him.  I
followed a few long slow licks by taking him in my mouth.  As I nursed that
precious piece of flesh all I could do was think of how lucky I was.  I was
just sort of lost in pleasure.  I mean no thoughts were going through my
mind, just a feeling of happiness and contentment.  I had my favorite part
of Corey in my mouth and was just enjoying being with him and loving him.
My mind was in such a fog of contentment that it took a while before I
suddenly realized that what he was doing to me had me just about ready to
erupt.
        That called for more intense action on my part.  I got busy sucking
and tonguing.  It wasn't long until his testicles drew up tight against his
body.  About that time I went over the edge.  I could feel my body tense
and start to shake.  The thrusts caused me to lose my concentration but it
didn't make any difference.  He followed me, his cock pulsing in my mouth.
I tried to pull my head back so I could savor the flavor but I had no
control of my body.  Primordial reflexes had taken over and all I could do
was follow them.  I finally regained enough control to move my head back
and get the last little bit of his offering in my mouth.  I lay there,
panting.  As his cock slowly softened in my mouth, I suddenly realized that
if I didn't get to the toilet soon, there was going to be an accident.
        I jumped out of bed and dashed into the bathroom.  He followed,
giggling all the while.  The sex had been great but the sound of his
giggles was even more precious.  If it hadn't been for the fact that I
would have been forced to mop the floor, I'd have just grabbed him and
hugged him.
        I made it but just barely.  He joined me and our streams dueled.
Oh what a relief.  When the flow stopped, I grinned at him.  He grinned
back.  When I looked at the bed his grin turned into a big smile.  Back to
the bed we went.  It was time to see if we could do that again.  We could,
and we did.  It just took a little longer.
        	To be continued...