Date: Tue, 08 Feb 2005 09:36:31 -0800
From: fritz@nehalemtel.net
Subject: I love Corey, Chapter Forty-four

	I suspect that if you haven't learned by now, writing these
warnings and disclaimers if a waste of time and effort.  However, on the
off chance it will do some good, here goes.
	Those of you who have not yet attained the age of majority are
requested to leave.  What, you don't know what I am talking about?  In that
case, you had better leave.  Check out the age of majority and return only
when you understand the term and if you are old enough.  Good-by for now.
	For those of you, who have a problem with descriptions of gay
persons and sexual practices, leave now.  That way you will not be
offended.  It is not my intention to offend you and I have no desire to
fight over it.  Just be warned that, if you stick around, you are likely to
encounter such descriptions.  Your reaction to those descriptions is your
problem and not mine.
	If you are among the unfortunate people who live in an area
prohibiting the reading of material such as this, get active and get the
law changed.  If you are unwilling to do that, go ahead and slink around,
hiding what you are doing.  Just don't complain to me about how unfair life
is.  It is only as fair as you are willing to make it.  When you are
unwilling to stand up for your rights, you can bet they will soon be taken
away from you.
	Now we start to get down to the nitty gritty.  This story is total
fiction.  It is not based on any person, living or dead.  As far as that
goes, the story is likewise a work of fiction and the same thing applies.
Any resemblance you might think you see to any person is unintentional.
For those dim bulbs that means it is kind of like a comic book or soap
opera.  Stay tuned and see if the hero manages to survive and love blooms.
	This story is mine.  If you are not nice to me I will take it and
go home and not play with you any more.  What do I mean by nice?  Well, you
could at least grant me the courtesy of requesting and receiving permission
before posting it on another site and you might also make sure you
attribute any quotes you use from this story to me.  Also, sharing all
those millions you make from this story would be a nice touch.  No, I mean
sharing with me, not someone else.  Outside of that, you are free to read
and enjoy this story, if possible.
	My many thanks to Ernie for his unfailing help with editing this
story.  I need all the help I can get.
	If you are bored and can't think of anything else to do, go ahead
and email me about this story.  You can ask questions, offer comments, make
suggestions, or vent your anger.  I try to answer all such emails.  Just
remember to put "I love Corey" in the subject line of said email.  You may
even request to be on the chapter notification list.  Send such emails to
fritz@nehalemtel.net With all that said, I hope you enjoy the following
chapter.  Fritz
********************************************************************************

	I Love Corey, Chapter Forty-four

	It was so warm and comfortable but there was this little voice that
kept bothering me.  Well, there were some little fingers that were
bothering me also.  I finally pryed an eye open and my crew of giggle boxes
had grown.  I could see Kevin and Kristen but it took a few seconds to
figure out that I also was looking at Mark and Lonny.  I peered around a
little and discovered David, kind of hiding over by the door.  It didn't
look like I would get much more sleep.  When I got my eyes to focus on the
clock I decided we needed to keep the young ones up later.  No one should
wake up this early without some reason.  It was just before five a.m.  When
I suggested it was a little early to get up, I soon had kids crawling all
over me, trying to get comfortable.  Why couldn't they go sleep in their
own place?  They had nice air mattresses.
	I finally gave up.  There appeared little chance of my getting any
sleep if I tried to stay in bed.  There just wasn't room enough for all of
us.  Even my king-sized bed would not hold that many squirming bodies.
Leaving Lee and Corey to fend for themselves, I retreated to my recliner.
I no more than started to lean back when I remembered the empty bedroom.
Off I went in search of a few more minutes sleep.
	It had been a while since I had slept in Corey's bed.  I quickly
slipped under the covers and started to drift off.  It just wasn't to be.
Kristen and Kevin must have heard the door because they soon joined me.
They brought Lonny with them.  At least there was enough room for all of us
and I quickly dozed off.
	It seemed like I had just barely gotten to sleep when there was
more stirring in the bed.  It took a while to find the clock and I was
surprised to find I had slept for another two hours.  It was time to get
started on the day.
	Surprisingly, I was the first adult up.  It didn't take long before
I began to have company in the kitchen.  Corey started squeezing oranges
and reminded me we needed to stock up again.  Fifteen people sure go
through a lot of orange juice even though Lisa and Candy didn't drink much
of it.  Corey ended up squeezing a crate of oranges to get enough juice for
all of us.
	We were just finishing breakfast when Judy showed up to talk with
Lee.  He looked pretty good until that happened.  Then he seemed to go into
panic mood again.  I led Lee and Judy to my office and closed the door,
giving us about as much privacy as was possible to get, considering all the
people in the house.  I was beginning to wonder if I would ever get him to
start talking but finally succeeded.  I had been right when I told Judy
that I thought he hadn't told me everything.  He managed to keep from
crying most of the time and that made it go much faster.  Judy kept taking
notes and Lee talked for almost two hours.  By the time he was done I was
an emotional wreck.  While I had heard some of the story, the way he told
it today was heartbreaking.  I just could not understand why anyone would
treat someone that way, especially a child.  There were times Judy looked
like she was going to cry.  There were times I did.  I just sat beside him,
with my arm across his shoulders, and let him tell his story.  When he
finally finished, I just pulled him against my chest and held him.  Judy
looked like she was going to get sick.  Her face was kind of a gray color
and she kept swallowing.  I could see the tracks where tears had run down
her face.
	After a couple of minutes her color started to improve and a look
of determination appeared on her face.  It was followed by a look of anger.
I could see her jaws clench and realized she was getting almost as mad as I
was.  All of a sudden she was all business.  She assured Lee he would never
have to go back to his parents.  Well, she assured him of a lot of things
but I think that was the most important one to him.  He seemed to relax
against me when she told him that.  It wasn't long before she stormed out
of the house and, from the way she was moving, I was sure I didn't want to
be the focus of her anger.  While I wanted to kill Lee's parents, I was
sure that if she got to them first there wouldn't be enough left to kill.
	Lee finally stopped crying.  When I thought he had pulled himself
back together I asked him if he'd like some lunch.  The morning had
certainly disappeared quickly enough.  While he ate a sandwich my mind was
busy.  I had a lot of things that needed to be done and I only had half a
day to do them.  I got Sandy and Sara aside and told them about the ham in
the refrigerator.  They agreed to cook it and some scalloped potatoes for
dinner.  As soon as Lee finished his sandwich I grabbed his hand and away
we went.
	He acted a little puzzled when I headed for Redding and a mall.  I
explained that he needed more clothes.  Redding was the closest town that
had a big enough shopping center to get everything we needed.  If there had
been more time I would have done some of the shopping locally but I knew we
could only get part of the things he needed in town.
	His mouth dropped open when I started grabbing clothes and asking
him if he liked this or that item.  When he figured out I was serious and
was going to buy him a bunch of clothes, he started to take more interest.
Still, he couldn't seem to stop looking at the price tags.  In a couple of
hours we managed to pick him up enough of a wardrobe to get by until we
could do some more shopping.  Then it was time for Christmas shopping.  I
explained that I was sorry, there was no way to make any of his presents a
surprise due to the fact I hadn't known he would be with us, but he needed
to pick out some things he would like.  That's where I ran into a real
problem.  No matter how hard I tried, he just kept telling me he didn't
need anything.  I kept leading him around various stores, watching to see
if he looked at anything.  No matter what I did, the answer was the same.
He didn't need anything.
	I finally dragged him into a jewelry store and we started looking
at watches.  I never managed to get any help from Lee but ended up picking
one out that I liked and having it gift-wrapped.  This shopping trip was
becoming frustrating.  I didn't want him to feel left out when the rest of
the kids opened gifts but he wasn't helping me select anything.  I couldn't
even find out what kind of music he liked.  He just followed me around with
his head down, saying almost nothing.
	It was getting late so finally we headed home.  The shopping trip
had been a disaster, from my standpoint.  The only thing that had been
accomplished was that he at least had some clothes.  While I wasn't
thrilled with some of the things he had picked out, he seemed to like them
and that was more important thing right now.  Maybe later I could get him
to dress a little better.
	Sara and Sandy were just putting dinner on the table when we walked
in.  God it smelled good.  I'd been so upset I hadn't eaten any lunch and I
was starved.  Corey and LT were still working so there were some empty
places at the table.  As soon as I was done eating, I headed for Downie's.
I needed to do some shopping and I figured I could get it done by the time
the boys were finished.
	It's a good thing I took the pickup.  The back was loaded by the
time I got done.  Downie's was having a sale on oranges and I bought six
crates.  It got to where everyone was kidding me as I kept hauling things
out to the pickup.  I was done about ten minutes before the boys finished
their shift.  The store was as slow as I had seen it since before the
storm.  We all wished each other a Merry Christmas and I headed home.  I
asked Corey and LT if they had any ideas for Lee but they were no better
off than I was.
	We finally headed for St. Luke's and the midnight service.  The
little ones slept through most of it but I found it very relaxing.
Fr. George somehow managed to put everything into perspective with his
homily.  Christmas was a party, he told us, celebrating the birth of
Christ.  I'd never really thought of it that way but of course he was
right.  He said we should treat it like a birthday party but also remember
that Christ was the Son of God and so we should also show a reverence for
that.  God so loved us that he sacrificed His Son and we should be willing
to do the same for our fellow man.
  	When we got home, Sara put her little ones to bed and the rest of
us managed to get the middle ones in their sleeping bags.  I mixed some Tom
and Jerry's and everyone drank a toast to Christmas.  Lee looked a little
startled when I handed him one but he seemed to enjoy being with us and the
fellowship we shared.  Then it was off to bed.
	Lee made no effort to go anywhere except to bed with Corey and me.
He just crawled into the middle and soon he and Corey were asleep.  I got
up and finished putting the stockings up.  There was some candy and a few
scratch-it lottery tickets.  A few other odds and ends I had bought
finished the task.  The last thing I did was fix one box for Lee.  I put
the helmet and the combination to the bike lock I'd bought for myself in it
and put his name on it.  It was the best I could do.  I wished he had been
more forthcoming on what he would like but since he hadn't, it was the only
idea I could come up with.  I wasn't sure how long he would be with me but
hopefully he would like the bike.  I could always buy myself another bike
if I still wanted one.
	Insistent little voices were demanding that I get up.  They weren't
being quiet about it either.  I groaned and tried to open my eyes.  That
only seemed to encourage them.  Apparently I wasn't fast enough because I
soon had little bodies crawling all over me.  I could hear Corey start
talking and about that time I managed to get my eyes open.  I could have
really used a couple more hours of sleep but it didn't look like that was
going to happen.  There were kids all over, bouncing like little balls.
The look of excitement on their faces finally got me moving.  It was either
that or they would probably trample me to death.
	Our family had always insisted on waiting until after breakfast to
exchange gifts.  One look at the kids and I got some cereal boxes and milk
out.  Anything that took longer would cause a mutiny.  I just wasn't up to
putting down that kind of rebellion.  David, Mark, and Lonny had seemed
much happier after Sara and Sandy had taken them to see their grandmother
yesterday.  They were fitting right in with Kevin and Kristen.  I felt bad
that I hadn't been able to visit with her but had decided that Lee needed
the attention.
	It wasn't long until Kevin and Kristen had everyone up and dressed.
None of the younger ones ate much but all said they were full.  We would
see about that later.
	Kevin and Kristen grabbed the packages out and handed them to
David, Mark, and Lonny while telling them which one to take them to.  I
suspect the three boys could have managed on their own but they never had a
chance.  Soon everyone had a pile of packages and it was time to start
opening them.
	JJ was as bad as the little ones.  He took one look and knew which
one was the helmet.  Paper flew and when he found the card with the
combination for the lock, he was gone.  I had gotten the locks and attached
them to the bikes so no one could ride them.  At least the day was just
cloudy.  He would be able to ride some, today.
	Kids were busy tearing paper, all except Lee that is.  He just sat
and stared at his packages.  He had picked a place close to me to sit and
he just looked like he had no idea what was going on.  The floor was
covered with discarded wrapping paper and almost all of the gifts had been
opened and he still hadn't moved.  I finally leaned over and asked him if
he was going to open his gifts.  He looked at me like he was lost and had
no idea what to do.  A little more encouragement and he slowly started
opening.  By now all the adults were watching him out of the corners of
their eyes.  He would unwrap a gift, look at it and put it back in the box.
Then he would repeat the process.  I wished I had been able to come up with
as many gifts for him as the rest of the boys but he hadn't given me much
information and I hadn't had much time.  Still, he had a pretty respectable
pile of packages.  When he had opened all of them, he just sat there.  The
helmet and combination didn't seem to mean a thing to him.  By now Corey,
JJ, and LT had their bikes out and were riding them up and down the street.
I could see them jumping off the curbs, testing the suspension.
	"Lee, would you like to ride with the other boys?" I asked.  I
didn't get an answer.  About that time JJ came running into the room and
almost jumped into my lap.  He was bubbling over with joy.  I got a big hug
and he was talking so fast I almost couldn't understand him.  I did get the
impression that the bike was a success.
	"Take Lee and help him get his bike out," I whispered in his ear
when he stopped to take a breath.  JJ just froze for a second, then gave me
another hug and grabbed Lee's hand.  Lee would have had to either been
glued to the floor or weighed at least three times what he did to resist
JJ.  Before he knew what was happening, Lee was on his feet and being
dragged out the door.  About sixty seconds later JJ was back and grabbed
Lee's helmet and the combination sheet and was gone again.
	I decided to perform an experiment.  I got up and started
breakfast.  I wondered if I would get any takers outside of the adults.  I
needn't have worried.  About the time things were ready to eat I had the
bicycle crew come trouping in, obviously hungry.  We finally got everyone
full.  Just as they were finishing up I asked if anyone had remembered to
check their stockings.  They had been so busy unwrapping packages that they
had forgotten about them.  You would have thought I set off a bomb by the
speed with which they dashed into the family room again.  Well all except
Lee that is.  I put my arm around his shoulder and gently guided him
towards the family room.  There was one stocking left and it had an L on
it.  I pushed him towards it.
	Somehow I don't think Lee had ever had much of a Christmas before.
He finally started to get into it, just like the rest of the kids.  A smile
was lighting up his face and I think this was the first time I had ever
seen him somewhat happy.  He had to almost be forced to do anything, but
when he got going, he seemed to be enjoying it.  He still wasn't saying
anything but at least there were some smiles on his face.  I left my
relatives to sort things out and headed for the kitchen.  I needed to get
the roasts started.
	I spent most of the rest of the morning cooking.  A few pies, some
deviled eggs, and other assorted goodies later, and it was lunch time.
There had been kids running in and out and just generally enjoying
themselves.  Lee was finally starting to fit in a little bit.  Corey had
been riding his new bicycle all over and when he came in I could see he was
slightly limping.  While he had been doing his exercises, his knee still
wasn't one hundred per-cent.  It was improving a lot faster since he had
started playing basketball with the neighborhood boys.  The last time we
had gone to the doctor he'd told us that in a few more months Corey's knee
would be almost as good as new.  It rarely swelled up much anymore and I
think the limping was more of a sign of lack of strength in his leg than
actual pain from his knee.  At any rate, he turned down the Advil in favor
of lunch.  I told him he could have both but all I got was a grin while he
picked out another sandwich for his plate.
	JJ was in seventh heaven.  He almost brought the bicycle into the
house while he ate lunch.  That was going a little too far and I soon
convinced him of that fact.  I wasn't sure that he was willing to separate
himself from it long enough for lunch but his stomach won out.
	I thought things were going pretty well when something happened
that shocked hell out of me.  I had bought a bunch of lottery tickets and
stuffed in the stockings for the kids.  Lonny came up and asked me what he
was supposed to do with the cards.  The next thing I knew, I had all the
kids and their lottery cards around me.  I hadn't paid much attention and
just got a bunch of cards for one of the games called Poker Showdown.  One
of Mark's cards was a winner for five grand.  I couldn't believe it.  Of
all the families that could use the money, it couldn't have happened to a
better one.  Needless to say, all the rest of the kids really looked their
cards over.  However, when all was said and done, Mark was the only winner.
I made him give me the card for safe keeping.  I told him we would give it
to his grandmother when we visited her a little later.
	About that time Steve and family showed up.  His partner, Aaron,
was a few years younger than Steve and was strikingly handsome.  He had
shiny jet-black hair, sparkling blue eyes, and a perpetual grin.  The grin
matched his personality.  The two boys, Trevor and Jamall, were typical
teenagers.  They were still somewhat gangly and Jamall was a rich chocolate
color.  Watching them interact for a couple of minutes and I was convinced
they were an item.  You could tell it in their body language and the looks
that flashed between them.  They were somewhat subdued at first but it
wasn't long before they started acting like typical teenagers, although
somewhat better mannered than most.
	Billy and Larry had showed up while the boys were out riding their
bikes and were introduced to everyone as my part-time kids.  They grinned
and blushed but I noticed they didn't dispute it.  I got out another
platter of sandwiches and soon we were all sitting around, getting
acquainted, while the new arrivals had a bite to eat.
	It wasn't long before I noticed there weren't many boys around.  A
quick check confirmed that there were, in fact, no boys inside.  They were
all playing basketball in the driveway.  I'm here to tell you that not all
blacks can jump.  Jamall could not be described as an athlete.  Trevor
wasn't bad but Jamall kept throwing up bricks.  He and Corey were pretty
evenly matched in that regard.  I had to snicker when Aaron told me that he
didn't think Jamall would get an athletic scholarship.  I told him Corey
wouldn't either.  We went back inside and got some coffee.
	We were just enjoying getting acquainted and I was showing Steve
and Aaron the house when Steve spied the organ.
	"God, an HX-l.  I haven't played one of those in years."
	"Don't let anything but the fear of God hold you back," I grinned
and told him.
	Steve was every bit as good as his father, maybe even better.  He
gave us quite a concert.  Surprisingly, all the kids were soon inside,
listening to him.  He played a little bit of everything.  There were
Christmas carols, popular music, and even a few classics.  The time seemed
to fly and Vern and Nancy showed up.  After introductions, Steve continued
entertaining us.  Kids would disappear and re-appear with a can of pop and
the adults would get some more coffee.  He'd play a song or two and we
would talk some more, suggesting songs or just becoming better acquainted.
	I hadn't realized the time had passed so quickly until the doorbell
rang.  It was Mr. Besslor.  I welcomed him and took his coat.  After
hanging it up I got him some coffee and led him towards the family room.
Steve was playing some old Broadway show-tune and we just stood in the
archway, listening.  Steve had his back to us and Mr. Besslor couldn't see
his face.  Mr. Besslor was just standing there, enjoying the music when he
suddenly stiffened.  His coffee cup started to shake.  I didn't say
anything but just took his cup and left him alone with his thoughts.  Steve
finished the song and turned around.  Mr. Besslor gasped.  I put my arm
around his shoulders and started gently shoving him into the room.  Steve
stood up and the two of them just looked at each other for almost a minute.
	I could feel Mr. Besslor's shoulders start to shake.  He started to
take a step towards Steve and then he stopped.  I could see Aaron out of
the corner of my eye and he was intently watching what was going on.  He
looked ready to defend Steve against any and all threats.
	"Hello Dad," Steve finally said.
	That was all it took.  Mr. Besslor stumbled across the room and the
two of them just wrapped their arms around each other.  I could hear
Mr. Besslor crying and trying to apologize to his son.  His words weren't
making much sense but I don't think Steve cared.  I couldn't see
Mr. Besslor's face but there were lots of tears running down Steve's.
	It must have been at least five minutes before either one of them
became coherent.  A couple of more minutes passed and Steve turned to
Aaron.
	"Dad, I'd like you to meet Aaron, my partner."
	Aaron stuck his hand out but Mr. Besslor ignored it and just
reached out and hugged him.  He was babbling about how happy he was to meet
his son's partner.  Then an arm snaked out and drew Steve into the hug.  I
figured things were going to be all right.  I headed for the kitchen to
finish dinner about the time Steve and Aaron started introducing Jamall and
Trevor to Mr. Besslor So did everyone except Mr. Besslor, Steve and Aaron,
and the two boys.
	My family knew what was going on but I had to explain to Vern and
Nancy.  When I finished, Nancy just grinned and told me I was just an old
softy.  Bob Asher showed up about then and I got busy finishing dinner.
Everything seemed to happen all at once after that.  Billy's mother and
sister showed up, followed by Larry's mother.  I was busy trying to cook
and get acquainted with Mrs. Mason and Mrs. Gillium.  Somehow we all
managed to get the potatoes peeled and in the kettle.  When things seemed
under control, we all went to the family room.
	Things seemed to be going well there.  Trevor and Jamall were
calling Mr. Besslor "Gramps" and there were smiles everywhere I looked.
Periodically I could see Mr. Besslor's eyes get a shiny look as he looked
around the room.  That was always followed by some blinks.  It sure didn't
look like I would have to worry about finding beds for Steve, Aaron and the
two boys.  Well, if I did I would probably have to add another because it
was apparent that Mr. Besslor wasn't going to let them get away from him.
	Every time I looked at them, I got a lump in my throat.  I could
only wonder if other parents and children, who had fought and lost touch
with each other, would ever make-up and be as happy as they appeared to be.
The thought kept going through my mind that I wished I could get all
children, who had lost touch with their parents, to take a chance and call
their parents.  Some of them, maybe a lot of them, would be disappointed
but I was sure, in my own mind, that there were other cases where the
result would be similar to what I was seeing right now.  It just seemed
like such a shame that parents and children could stay away from each other
because of something like sexual orientation.  Sure, that orientation might
result in a lack of grandchildren but, if the parents had loved their child
before they learned of the child's orientation, what had really changed?
The child was still the same child.  Alas, I knew of no way to accomplish
the task of getting people to take a chance and find out if things had
changed.  I didn't even have any idea of how many cases there were in which
the parents had finally realized that they had made a mistake.  On a day
that was supposed to be a celebration of the birth of Christ, I had a sad
spot in my heart for all those parents and children who had gone separate
ways and were no longer in touch with each other.  All I could do was
quietly wish that somehow they would make contact, and forgive each other.
I was so thankful that Uncle Matt, and I was sure Aunt Sandy, had accepted
me as I was.  I'm not sure how I would have handled it if the results had
been different.  Aunt Sandy had never mentioned anything about sexual
orientation to me but I was sure she knew.  Uncle Matt never could keep a
secret from her.  Thanksgiving might have been the first time Uncle Matt
and I had discussed it with each other, yet from things that he had said I
now knew he had known for a long time.  Thinking about it, I was sure Sara
knew and if she knew, so did Bruno.  All had accepted me and that made me
one of the luckiest people in the world.  The lump in my throat got bigger
as I counted my blessings.  It was turning into a truly, great Christmas.
	I had originally been planning on having dinner around four but
since Carl and Ellen Downie were going to come, it had been pushed back to
six.  They had been going to close the store for Christmas day but, with
the sudden jump in business, they had decided to remain open and close
early, at five o-clock.  I blinked a few times and went back to the kitchen
to see how things were going.  I was checking some things on the stove when
Aunt Sandy gave me a kiss on the cheek and a big hug.
	"Thank you," she told me.
	"What for?" I asked.
	"For being such a great, caring person."
	About that time Kevin came running into the room, bragging about
how he had won some video game.  More of the younger set started showing up
from the computer room and looking longingly at the stove.  By this time
there were some really good smells coming from the food that was cooking.
I glanced at my watch and saw that the Downies should arrive shortly.  I
took the roasts out of the oven and turned it up.  The rolls were ready to
go in as soon as the oven got up to temperature.
	The Downies showed up just as I was ready to put the rolls in the
oven.  I started the gravy while they were introduced to everyone.  It
wasn't long before dinner was ready.
	Since I didn't have a table big enough for everyone, I served it
buffet style.  People were everywhere, eating and laughing.  It was a
festive occasion and we were all enjoying it.  The roasts were out of this
world.  I have never had any that had as good a flavor.  They had turned
out with quite a lot of pink in the middle and were just about as perfect
as I could hope for.  The gravy was good and the rest of the meal pretty
well matched the roast.  I had frozen some corn on the cob and while it
wasn't as good as if it was fresh, it was still excellent.  There was a big
green salad, along with a tomato aspic.  I was sure I had cooked enough
food to last for a month but people kept taking seconds and the pile of
food kept going down.  Eventually people stopped eating.  After that we all
sat around, grinning at each other.
	Mr. Besslor finally got up and went to the organ.  He started
playing Christmas carols.  You know, it's funny.  He always played
beautifully but now there was a feeling of joy in the music.  I can't
really describe it but that feeling came through loud and clear.  The more
he played, the bigger Steve's grin got.  He finally joined his father at
the organ and they started playing together.  As they switched from song to
song I knew they had done that many times in the past.  They would play for
a while, and then stop.  The stop would contain a bunch of button pushing
on the organ while they changed settings, and then they would play some
more.  I grabbed my video camera and taped part of it.  They looked so
comfortable, crowded together on the bench, their shoulders rubbing as they
played.
	I hadn't noticed that Aaron was alongside me until he started
talking softly.
	"You know, I didn't think this was a very good idea.  Boy was I
wrong."
	I stopped taping and looked at him.  There was a look of sadness on
his face.
	"Don't you get along with your parents?" I asked.
	"Not really," he sighed.  "We used to talk occasionally, but
haven't for several years.  I quit calling because it was too painful."
       I couldn't think of anything to say.  Instead, I went back to
taping.  A few more minutes of that and I happened to look at my watch.  I
interrupted and told everyone I had a date at the hospital with a lovely
lady.  Amongst laughs and comments I gathered up David, Lonny, and Mark,
along with some pie, and headed for the hospital to visit their
grandmother.
	Mrs. Clammer was a typical grandmother.  She was a little plump and
had a soft, kind looking face.  The three boys were busy, telling her about
all the stuff they had gotten.  She just seemed to glow while they were
excitedly telling her how great Christmas had been.  When they slowed down
a little I handed her the lottery ticket, telling her it was Mark's.  She
looked at it for a few minutes and tried to give it back to me.
	"No, it was in Mark's stocking and it's his."
	"But you gave it to him."
	"That's right."  I just smiled after that comment.  She looked at
me for a couple of minutes and started to cry.
	For the next hour I got a rundown on the boys and their family.
The father had been killed in a car accident and the mother was in jail
over drugs.  Mrs. Clammer was the father's mother.  As she continued to
fill me in I got this horrible feeling that I was about to end up with more
house guests.  I just couldn't see any way out of it.  I learned she could
go home this coming weekend if she had a place that had no stairs.  She had
also suffered a broken arm, along with the broken hip, and since she
couldn't use crutches, she had nowhere to go.  Then there was the matter of
health insurance.  She had none.  What a mess.  All she had was her Social
Security and a small pension from her late husband.  She had dropped
Medicare because of the cost of raising the boys.  I couldn't understand
how she had managed to survive and take care of three boys on such a small
amount of money.  In the end, I told her not to worry, I would help her
work something out.
	As we drove home I was furious with myself.  I couldn't seem to
keep my nose out of other people's business.  I mean here I was, worrying
about how to help some people I had never met until recently and I didn't
even have enough time for those I had already agreed to help.  There were
three boys I was directly responsible for and I was beginning to think the
correct number was really four.  I hadn't heard anything from Judy and had
no idea of how things were going with her investigation into Lee's parents.
The most depressing thing was that I hadn't even been able to make love
with Corey for several days.  At the rate things were going I was going to
have to rent a motel room for a few hours and see if we could help each
other "relieve ourselves."  Jeez, what a mess.  Still, all you had to do
was look at Mrs. Clammer and the boys and you could see they needed some
help.  Sometimes I just wanted to pound my head against the wall.  It was
so frustrating.  I really needed a couple more of me to keep up with all
the things my big mouth kept getting me into.  I just couldn't ignore the
Clammers.  Mrs. Clammer had all the problems she could handle and yet she
just kept doing her best.  Her boys were well mannered and polite.  It was
obvious she was trying hard to raise them to be good citizens.  People like
that not only needed, but deserved some help.  What with all the budget
cuts, a lot of people fell through the cracks.  I'm not sure they would
have accepted any help from the government anyway.  Mrs. Clammer was a
proud and determined woman and somehow I thought people like that really
should be encouraged and helped.  Life had dealt her a shitty hand and she
just kept trying and doing her best.
	By the time I got home I knew I would do what I could to help her.
I just hoped that didn't cause any problems for my boys.  I had a few days
to try to get things under control before she would be released from the
hospital.
	Lonny and Mark were about asleep and David wasn't much better.  I
got them in the house and found Uncle Matt and Sandy putting the giggle
boxes into their sleeping bags.  We soon had the Clammers in theirs.  I
took the time to inform the younger set that tomorrow was my day to sleep
in and that I didn't want to be bothered before noon.  From the giggles I
received from the young ones, and the snickers from their parents and the
other adults, I was left with the thought that they didn't believe me.
	The Downies left, after thanking me and the boys for all the help
and the dinner.  Carl told us he wouldn't have been able to make it through
the aftermath of the storm without our help.  I think he over-estimated our
help but he seemed sincere.  Bob left about the same time.  The crowd was
thinning out.  Both Larry and Billy and their mothers had already left.  I
was down to my family and the Besslor clan.
	I thought Mr. Besslor was going to crush me when he hugged me and
thanked me.  He was babbling and didn't make much sense but I got the
general message.  He was so happy that he finally had a chance to try to
make up with his son and from the looks of things that wasn't going to be
much of a problem.  The grin on Steve's face told me that.  I invited them
over for lunch, to help finish off the left-overs.  They agreed and left
with Mr. Besslor keeping his arms around the shoulders of his newly
discovered grandsons.
	Boys headed for the showers and I got a cup of coffee.  I collapsed
in a chair and took a sip.  I was beat.  Vacations were supposed to be a
time to recharge your batteries and at the rate things were going, mine
would be dead by the time school started back up after the first of the
year.
	We were all sitting in the living room, drinking coffee and
unwinding.  There were comments about how happy Mr. Besslor and Steve
looked and about how good the dinner had been.  About that time Uncle Matt
looked over at me.
	"Great Christmas Sammy, you done good."  The smile on his face told
me more than the words.  He was proud of me.  If nothing else, that smile
made it all worthwhile.
	"Done good," I snickered.  "I better get you out of here before the
boys hear you talking like that.  I already have enough troubles trying to
get them to use proper English.  A few more days around you and it'll be a
lost cause."
	"Well," he said, throwing his hands in the air.  "Look how you
turned out.  I did my best."  The big grin on his face filled me with
happiness.
	"Oh God, how will I overcome that handicap?" Sandy giggled.  "Kevin
and Kristen are around him all the time."
	"Duct tape, use lots of duct tape," Bruno laughed.  "That way he
can't say anything."
	"Hmm, I think I know where to put some duct tape on you," Sara said
with a somewhat wicked gleam in her eyes.
	Bruno put on a lost little boy look.  On that great big man it
looked ridiculous.  "Yes dear," he whined.  That broke the rest of us up.
The fact that he was clutching his groin helped.
	"I know who's on gander pasture," Sara shot back.
	Bruno changed expressions.  "Do you have any WD 40 around?" he
asked me.  Before I could answer he continued, "The bed squeaks and I don't
want to wake the kids up.  It's sort of difficult to explain what all the
noise is."
	Bruno ducked as Sara made a swipe at his head.  The rest of us were
giggling too hard to offer him any help.  Another twenty minutes of light
hearted banter and we headed for bed.  I had a hunch there were going to be
some happy people in the morning and I wasn't going to be among them.  I
really needed to get Lee into another bed.  He was definitely fouling
things up.  A quick glance and I saw that Corey had put Lee in his place
and Corey was now in the center of the bed.  That looked better so I took a
quick shower and went to bed.  Corey soon assumed his usual position.  It
just felt so good to have him cuddled up against me.  A quick kiss to the
top of his head and I drifted off to sleep.
	I was in that in-between state, neither awake nor asleep.  My mind
was struggling, trying to figure out what was going on.  I could feel Corey
humping my thigh.  I wanted to wake-up and participate but before that
happened, I felt him stiffen and could feel a wet spot appear against my
thigh.  Then he went limp.  It seemed like forever but I finally kissed him
on the top of the head.  "I love you too, Babe," I murmured.  As I lay
there in that foggy state, my mind drifted.  Suddenly I remembered Lee.  My
eyes snapped open and I looked his way.  The night lights didn't give much
illumination but I could see him staring at us.  Now what should I do?
	As I was trying to come up with something to say, the door burst
open and five pajama-clad kids came charging in.  "I'm hungry," I heard
several little voices yell.  They had flipped the light switch and I was
trying to get my eyes to work under the sudden increase in illumination.
Kids started swarming all over the bed.  Oh God, here we go again.

		To be continued...