Date: Tue, 15 Feb 2005 01:07:01 -0800
From: fritz@nehalemtel.net
Subject: I Love Corey, Chapter Forty-five

	I'm tired of writing these stupid warnings.  If you need to read
one, read the one on the preceding chapter.  It said what needed to be
said.
	With that said, it is once again time to thank Ernie.  He
tirelessly edits this story.  Maybe someday he will finally drive some of
the lessons I have forgotten, since I was in school, back into my head.  In
the meantime, he patiently points out the many errors I make and never
complains.  I can't thank him enough.
	You are still invited to send comments, complaints, questions, or
suggestion about the story.  Be sure to put "I love Corey" in the subject
line.  Send them to the same old address.  fritz@nehalemtel.net You can
even request to be included in the chapter notification list.  I hope you
enjoy the following chapter.  Fritz

********************************************************************************

		     I Love Corey, Chapter Forty-five

	God what a mess.  I had a boy with messy briefs, another who had a
strange expression on his face, and kids crawling all over us.  I wasn't
sure where to start.  The way Corey was clutching my chest told me he was
now awake and had figured out what had happened.  He was hanging on tightly
enough that no one would be able to see the front of his briefs.  There
were little hands trying to pull the covers back and Lee had a firm grip on
the ones on his side of the bed.  I suddenly figured he had a problem he
didn't want the younger set to see.  For that matter, so did I.
	"I thought I told you monsters not to bother me before noon," I
growled while hanging tightly onto the blanket.  That didn't seem to faze
Kevin and Kristen.  I will say it slowed the other three down for as long
as it took them to see that Kevin and Kristen were paying no attention to
what I said.  Once they had figured that out, they once again joined the
fray.  The worst part was, I was losing.  There were too many little
fingers finding places on my body that were ticklish.  It was becoming a
real problem to hang on to the covers and try to defend myself.
	"If you don't get out and leave me alone, you won't get any
breakfast," I managed to gasp out.  That seemed to get their attention.
The fingers slowed and they looked at each other.
	"Whatcha gonna cook?" Kristen asked.
	"Hotcakes, I want hotcakes," Kevin's soprano voice piped in.
	I finally managed to chase them off after promising to fix hotcakes
and link sausages for breakfast.  That left me with the problem of what to
do with Lee and I knew I didn't have much time to accomplish that or the
giggle boxes would be back.
	"You get first shot at the bathroom Lee," I told him.  He turned
red and just kept a tight hold on his side of the covers.
	"Come on Lee, we're all boys here, and you know as well as I do
that you don't have any control over that damn thing.  Mine's just as hard
as yours is."  With that I got out of bed and you didn't have to have
twenty-twenty eyesight to see the tent in my briefs.  He turned what must
have been at least a couple dozen different shades of red.  I was trying to
get him in the bathroom so I could hand Corey a different pair of briefs.
"Come on, hurry up."
	Lee got even redder and finally jumped out of bed and hurried into
the bathroom, bent over, trying to make the tent in his briefs less
conspicuous.  As soon as Lee jerked the door closed, I grabbed some briefs
out of the dresser and threw them at Corey.  He kept about half of his
supply of briefs in my dresser so they would be handy.  Corey quickly took
his somewhat messy briefs off and used them to wipe himself down and then
put the clean ones on.  I had even managed to grab a pair that was the same
color so it wouldn't appear that he had changed.
	I knew I needed to talk to Lee but I didn't have time.  The giggle
boxes wouldn't wait.  If I didn't get there soon, they would just come
busting back into the bedroom.  I jerked some clothes on and headed for one
of the other bathrooms.  Hell, I had wanted to sleep in this morning.
	Lee and I got to the kitchen about the same time.  I set him to
work squeezing oranges and I started the rest of the breakfast.  Corey soon
joined us.
	It wasn't long before we had an assembly line set up.  Corey was
cooking the links and Lee was doing the same for the pancakes.  That left
the eggs to me.  We had just about filled the little ones up when Aunt
Sandy showed up.  She was a couple minutes ahead of Uncle Matt.  After that
things slowed down.  A little later, Sara and Bruno and their little girls
showed up.  I finally sent Kevin after JJ and LT.  It took an hour and a
half to get breakfast into everyone.  My day of rest wasn't off to a very
good start.
	The younger set headed for their presents as soon as they finished
breakfast.  I could hear the sounds of games being played on the
Playstation and there were other noises coming from the family room.  Some
of the games and toys were getting a work-out.  When I finally got time to
look around, JJ and LT were acting subdued.  Then I noticed Corey was doing
the same.  Lee was out of sight somewhere.
	People were wandering around, making it difficult to get any one of
the boys alone and talk to them.  I finally got JJ alone in the kitchen
when he came in for some pop.  Before he could get away I put my arm across
his shoulder and guided him over to a chair.
	"What's wrong Jason?"
	"Nothing."  The way he said it and the way he was acting this
morning told me that answer was somewhat less than truthful.  I had an idea
of what might be wrong but really needed a little information from him to
confirm it.
	"Well, if you don't want to talk about it I won't force you.  You
just looked a little depressed and I thought maybe I could help you."  We
were sitting side by side and after telling him that I put my arm across
his shoulders again and gently pulled him close.  He resisted for a few
seconds and then just sagged against me without saying anything.  We sat
there for a while, not saying anything.  Finally I decided to take a chance
and see if I could get him to open up.
	"Miss your family?" I softly asked.
	He sighed.  "Yeah."  He didn't say anymore.  He just leaned against
me a little harder.  Finally he continued, "I don't know why, they didn't
treat me very good.  I wonder what happened to them."
	"I don't know Jason.  I know the police still have warrants out and
are looking for them.  My guess is that they went to another state and
changed their names."  I massaged the shoulder I had my arm and hand on.
"I don't know how you managed to work your way through that.  I'm not sure
I could have.  I had enough problems when my parents were killed in an
accident.  For a couple of years I hated holidays.  All I could think about
was how much I missed them."  I continued massaging his shoulder while I
tried to think of how I wanted to continue.  "For you it has to be worse.
Your parents are no longer in you life and the worst part of that is that
they rejected you.  I can't begin to imagine how that makes you feel.  I
know that they were wrong in doing so but I wonder how you manage to
convince yourself of that.  How you and LT manage to go on amazes me.
You've got so many reasons to be angry, yet you don't seem to let it bother
you."  I continued massaging his shoulder while I thought some more.  "It
gets easier after a while.  You forget the bad things and remember the
good.  For a long time I felt bad that I hadn't told my folks how much I
loved them enough times.  Every time I thought of that, I felt bad.  It
still makes me feel bad but anymore I'm more inclined to think of the good
times we had, the jokes we shared, the things we did together.  I don't
think you ever get completely over it but you get to where it doesn't
bother you as much.  After a couple of years I started trying to look at
the good things and forget my mistakes.  I still feel bad once in a while
but not very often.  I guess what I'm trying to say is you have to keep
trying, going on with your life and doing the best you can.  Look at
Mrs. Clammer, she doesn't have it very good but she keeps trying.  She's
got three kids to raise when she should be spoiling them and then sending
them back to their parents.  I only talked to her once but she didn't
complain.  The only thing left to say is that I'd like to help you if I
can."  With that I was out of words.  I just left my arm around his
shoulder and continued the gentle massage I was giving that shoulder.
	He didn't say anything for quite a while.  When he did it wasn't
what I expected.
	"How come you never tried to make love to me or LT?"
	"Oh boy," I sighed.  "You don't believe in asking easy questions.
I'm not sure how well I can explain it."  I leaned back and took a deep
breath before continuing.  "There are all kinds of love.  There's the love
a parent feels for a child or a child feels for a parent.  There is nothing
sexual in that love.  There's the love people feel for their country.  Once
again there is nothing sexual about it.  I mean after all, how are you
going to make love to a country.  There's the love brothers and sisters
show for each other when they aren't fighting.  You watch, two siblings
might fight like cats and dogs but if something happens, the one will rush
to the aid of the other and defend that sibling like a lion protecting its
cubs.  Some people claim they love things like chocolate.  There's nothing
sexual about it, it's just something they really like.  Then finally we get
down to the type of love two people have for each other, the type where
they want to make love to each other, I guess you could say the type of
love where they are in love with each other.  I love you but I'm not in
love with you.  You're more like a son.  I want to help you and protect you
but I don't want to make love to you.  I want to help you grow-up and be
the kind of adult that everyone can like and be proud to call a friend.  I
want to make it as easy as I can for you but there are a lot of things I
can't do.  You're going to make mistakes.  I can't stop that.  All I can do
is try to help you when you do make them.  As soon as you get yourself back
under control, I have to let you try again.  Hopefully you'll learn from
your mistakes and won't repeat them but I can't stop you if you do.  You
have to grow up your own way and all I can do is try to help you and love
you like a son."  I wondered what to say next.  "You know, it's funny.
Corey is the first person I ever fell in love with.  Don't get me wrong, I
thought I fell in love several times but it was lust.  With Corey, it's
different.  I'm in love with Corey and I love you.  Two different types of
love for two different people."  I couldn't think of anything more to say.
I just continued to hold him and gently rub and massage his shoulder.
	JJ just sat there for a while, not saying anything.  He didn't
drink any of the can of pop he'd gotten but just continued to hold it in
his hand.  I was beginning to wonder if I should try to say anything more
when he finally moved.  He twisted under my arm and surprised me again.  He
leaned up and kissed me on the cheek.
	"Thank you," he almost whispered.  That was the end of our talk.
He got up and headed for the family room.  I was left wondering if I had
helped him or harmed him.  About all I could do was wait and see.  The way
he was moving, when he left, was as if the weight of the world was on his
shoulders.  I just wanted to help in any way I could but I was left with no
idea of how to help.  Judy still hadn't come up with any recommendations
for a counselor.  She kept telling me that the ones she was familiar with
probably didn't understand how to help gay people and she thought that
unless they did, the boys were probably better off without them.  I vowed
to see if I could find someone on my own.  Maybe some counseling would help
the boys see that the problem was not their fault.
	Lee seemed to be avoiding me.  I mean it's not like he ran when he
saw me but he seemed to make sure there were other people around every time
I saw him.  I kept getting some strange looks from him.
	The next one I got a chance to talk to was Corey.  All we could do
was console each other about the way we had handled his mother.  By now we
had both accepted that we had screwed up but neither of us could think of a
way to fix it.  Why is it that it is so easy to see what you should have
done but so hard to see what you should do?  By the time we talked for a
while, it was time to fix lunch.  The Besslor's would soon be arriving.
	When they arrived it was like a breath of fresh air.  Both
Mr. Besslor and his son were simply radiant.  Their smiles stretched so far
it was hard to believe they could get them on their faces.  Jamall and
Trevor were grinning and trading wise-cracks with Mr. Besslor.  Aaron just
stayed in the background with a big grin on his face.  This part of
Christmas had gone better than I could have hoped.  Mr. Besslor acted at
least ten years younger.  There was a bounce in his step that I had never
seen.  That had to be the best fifteen hundred dollars I had ever spent.  I
still couldn't believe I had gotten by so cheaply.
	Jamall and Trevor soon had my boys out playing basketball.  The
next time I looked, there were a bunch of neighborhood kids also playing.
The young ones were still playing their video games and that left the
adults to visit with each other.  We just batted the breeze, talking about
nothing in particular and everything in general.  It was a relaxing
conversation.  I finished getting lunch ready and called the boys.  Six
boys had turned into eleven.  It's a good thing I had lots because it was
beginning to look like I was feeding half the neighborhood.  Billy and
Larry didn't think anything about eating at my place and neither did Fred
and Mike.  One of the cousins of Fred and Mike was visiting and so he was
included.  I saw Mr. Besslor's eye get big when boys started filling their
plates.  Then he looked over at Steve and started grinning.
	"I forgot how much you used to eat."
	Steve wasn't fazed.  He just looked over and told his dad that if
he hadn't been starved, he might have grown up.  It was pretty apparent
that they were getting along well.
	The boys ate and soon were back out playing basketball and the
younger set returned to the video and board games.  Well, all except Lisa
and Candy and they were taking a nap.  That left the adults free to talk.
In one sense it was kind of funny.  Mr. Besslor and Steve were busy talking
to each other and it was like the rest of us were not even in the country.
Yet, they seemed to be the center of our conversation.  I don't even know
how to describe it.  They answered and interacted with all of us but their
eyes were almost always on each other.  The happiness that radiated from
their eyes was contagious.  Sometimes one of them would say something that
caused a flash of pain on the other's face but soon both would be grinning
at each other.  The flashes of pain were always about something regarding
the period of separation or the late Mrs. Besslor.  We'd been talking about
forty-five minutes when David came into the room.
	"When can we go see Grandma?" he asked.
	That brought the conversation to a halt.  I told him in a little
while and he left.  For the first time Mr. Besslor looked like he was
really aware of where he was.  We all got an apology from both him and
Steve for dominating the conversation, which was un-necessary.  We had all
been enjoying it.  The happiness that seemed to flow from them made us all
feel good.
	"You know, I probably should remember who that boy is.  He was here
yesterday but I can't seem to remember what you said about him,"
Mr. Besslor asked while turning to me.
	"It's a long story.  Short version, his grandmother is in the
hospital with a broken hip and he and his brothers didn't have anyone to
take care of them.  The boys and I had selected their names for the
Christmas program we have to help those less fortunate so when she broke
her hip, I decided to watch out for them during Christmas.  It's a kind of
sad situation.  Their father is dead and their mother is in prison.  The
grandmother is raising them by herself," I answered.
	"How long will she be in the hospital?" Steve asked.
	"Well, I'm not sure.  Mrs. Clammer said something about she could
get out sometime this weekend if she had somewhere to stay that has no
steps.  The apartment she has is the up-stairs part of a duplex."
	"Clammer, Arlene Clammer?" Mr. Besslor asked.
	"Yes, that's her name.  Do you know her?" I asked him.
	"Not that well.  My wife knew her when we first moved here.  They
knew each other when they were young.  I haven't seen her since Helen
died."
	The conversation had now shifted to Mrs. Clammer.  I filled them in
on what I knew and Mr. Besslor added some things that he knew about her.
He even mentioned that his wife had told him that she used to baby-sit
Arlene.  When I mentioned the lack of health insurance, Bruno suggested
that the landlord should have insurance and it should cover something like
the accident.  I decided to call Russ Young and check that out.  He was in
his office and said that the landlord should have insurance and that it
would cover Mrs. Clammer's injuries.  We were all feeling pretty good about
that piece of information when Aunt Sandy grinned at me.
	"Sammy, what's going on in your pointed little head?"  Aunt Sandy
and Uncle Matt were the only ones who ever called me Sammy except for my
parents.
	"I was just thinking."
	"I'll bet it was about how you can take care of her and the boys."
By now the grin had gotten bigger.
	She had me.  That was exactly what I had been thinking about.
	"You're right.  The boys shouldn't be a problem as soon as I get my
dead-beat relatives out of the house.  They're eating me out of house and
home and occupying all the beds," I grinned back at her.  I continued, "The
problem is, she's going to need help during the day.  I'll be at school and
the boys will be also.  That doesn't leave anyone to take care of her.  I'm
not sure how long it would be for, but I suppose I could hire a nurse to
take care of her during the day."
	"That would probably be covered under the insurance," Bruno
offered.
	"Yeah, I guess it would.  I should have asked Mr. Young when I was
talking to him," I responded.
	Most of us continued the conversation but Mr. Besslor seemed to
drop out of it.  We kicked things around for a few more minutes and I then
said I needed to take the boys to see their grandmother.  That is when I
got a surprise.  Mr. Besslor asked if he could ride along.  I didn't have
any problems with that so in a few minutes we had the boys gathered up and
were headed for the hospital.  Mr. Besslor was quiet during the trip, but
the three boys made up for it.
	The boys were wearing some of the new clothes they had gotten for
Christmas and they had to tell their grandmother all about the games they
were playing and all the food they had eaten.  For a while it was hard to
get a word in but the boys soon ran down and we got to talk a little.  I
mentioned that her landlord should have insurance and that it should cover
her medical bills and her face suddenly looked relaxed.  I hadn't realized
how much she was worrying about the bills.  I still hadn't figured out just
what I was going to do so I didn't mention anything about my somewhat
tentative plans.  We had a nice visit and finally it was time to leave.
She thanked me for looking out for the boys and I assured her the pleasure
was all mine.  That wasn't even a stretch of the truth as I had thoroughly
enjoyed having them around.  They were a lot of fun to watch and Kevin and
Kristen were enjoying playing with them.  The three boys had kept Kevin and
Kristen out of our hair and made things better for everyone.  As much as I
loved the little giggle boxes, they could be a little overpowering at
times.  They were either sleeping or going hell bent for election.  I just
couldn't seem to keep up with them.  I could only marvel that Aunt Sandy
and Uncle Matt seemed to take them in stride.
	All the basketball players were raiding the refrigerator when we
got back.  By now there were a dozen of them and they were all hungry.  I
told them not to eat so much that they spoiled their appetites but it
seemed to fall on deaf ears.  Besides, I have no idea what it would take to
spoil that bunch's appetites.  On the plus side, I rarely had to throw
anything out.  It was eaten almost before it got cooled off in the
refrigerator.
	We all visited some more.  It was finally getting dark and it was
time to think of dinner.  The left-overs from Christmas had taken a major
hit at lunch so it was either fix something else or go out to dinner.  I
wasn't in the mood to cook so I suggested we should all go out.  LT
suggested we try the new place in town.  It was called Old Texas Ribs.  I
laughed and said I didn't want old ribs and I didn't care where they were
from but in the end, everyone agreed we ought to try them.  A few calls and
Vern and Nancy decided to join us.  I called and got reservations.
	It wasn't that big a restaurant and we occupied over half of it.
The food was pretty good and the prices reasonable so I decided to add it
to the places I would go to again.  Lee seemed a little tentative at first,
but when he saw everyone else just grabbing the ribs and gnawing on them,
he finally joined right in.  He soon had just as much barbeque sauce on his
face as the rest of the boys.  The ribs came with beans, coleslaw, and
rolls.  The beans were pretty good and the coleslaw okay.  All in all, a
pretty decent meal.  I wouldn't mind having the recipe for the beans.  When
we finished, everyone headed for their own place.  Things were a little
crowded in the Gator and Uncle Matt's car but we all made it.  Billy and
Larry headed home as soon as we got to my place.  It was now down to family
and the Clammer boys, well as long as you consider the boys living with me
as family.  I did, so I guess that takes care of that.
	People seemed to run out of gas.  The next thing I knew, everyone
was watching some program on the tube.  I finally caught Lee and started
trying to talk to him.
	Talking about raging hormones was somewhat less than successful.  I
finally gave that approach up and got a little more direct, that is if you
call talking about wet dreams direct.  That he understood.  I again offered
him the use of a bedroom and he surprised me by accepting.  Things were
looking up.  We actually had quite a little talk.  I tried to fill him in
on what I thought Judy was doing and what might happen to him.  I was
surprised that she hadn't called or stopped by to talk to him today but he
seemed thrilled with my telling him he wouldn't have to go home to his
parents.  The fact that no one yet knew where he would end up didn't seem
to bother him as long as it wasn't with his parents.  He was just grateful
that he was no longer there.  He actually seemed quite cheerful by the time
we finished talking, most of which seemed to stem from the fact that I
assured him he was now safe from his parents.  Now the only thing left was
to finish my talk with Corey.
	I never got a chance to talk with Corey before bedtime.  I wasn't
worried about that because I knew we would be alone and could continue our
talk then.  When we were in bed we talked about some more about his mother
and he ended up crying himself to sleep.  His tears dripped onto my chest
and ran down my ribs.  I wanted to find a way to comfort him and tell him
that things would work out and everything would be okay but I couldn't.  We
both knew we no longer had any control over what would happen with regards
to his mother.  All the decisions were hers to make and all we could do was
hope that she would forgive us and give us another chance.  I spent a lot
of time praying after he fell asleep.
	Sometime during the night I felt the bed shake.  I finally figured
out it was Lee.  When I managed to ask him what the matter was, he told me
he just felt safer in bed with us.  In my sleepy state I had no answer for
that and just dropped back off.  Corey was still curled up with his head on
my chest and that presence felt so right that nothing else seemed to
matter.  Some place in the back of my mind I knew I needed to talk some
more with Lee but that was tomorrow, tonight I just needed to sleep.
	The giggle box attack was relentless.  I couldn't understand how
three nice boys, like the Clammer boys, could be corrupted so quickly by
Kevin and Kristen.  David, Lonny, and Mark had seemed like such nice boys
when I invited them to stay with me and in just a couple of days they had
turned into fiendish little monsters.  Their fingers were busy trying to
tickle me and I needed some help.  Unfortunately Corey and Lee were busy
trying to protect themselves and couldn't offer me any.  I thought I was
going to be a permanent soprano when one of the giggle boxes decided to use
a certain part of me for a knee rest.  They were squirming around so much
that I couldn't even see which of the five was guilty.  Needless to say, I
was wide awake after that.  When things calmed down there were kids between
us, on top of us, and everywhere else on the bed.  I was glad I'd bought a
sturdy bedstead.  After some serious negotiation over breakfast they left.
You know about how that went; they negotiated and I gave in.
	When I walked into the kitchen, Aunt Sandy and Uncle Matt were
drinking coffee.
	"You could have protected me from your kids," I whined.  "I was
sleeping sooo good."
	Aunt Sandy giggled.  "You like it and you know it.  Quit bitchin."
	She was right and she knew it.  I just loved her kids and
frequently got chewed out over spoiling them.  I just hung my head and got
a cup of coffee.  So far I was zero for two for the day.  It's hell being
defeated by a bunch of kids and then my aunt.
	After part of a cup of coffee I gave up and looked in the
refrigerator.  The giggle boxes were becoming insistent.  After looking
things over, I started Lee squeezing oranges, Corey chopping mushrooms, JJ
dicing ham, and LT mincing some green onions.  That, along with some cheese
should make the omelets that the giggle boxes wanted.  I thought biscuits
would be good with that and everyone agreed.  I made a huge bunch of
biscuits while the others were fixing what I had set them to work on.
Corey got the mushrooms sautéed in some butter about the time the biscuits
were ready for the oven.  JJ was just finishing cooking the diced ham and
LT had the onions done.  Then Fred walked in.
	"Mom gained two pounds."  He didn't have to say any more.  About
that time the phone rang.  It was Vern, telling me to send his son home.
	I started in on Vern.  He kept telling me that he didn't want to
interfere with my guests.  When I mentioned biscuits, his voice wavered.  I
told him I didn't want them to go to waste and there was a pause.  I knew
I'd hit him below the belt, so to speak, with the mention of biscuits.  He
finally agreed to bring Mike and come for breakfast.  Things were looking
up.  I was now one for three.
	Finally it was time to start the omelets.  A little ham, some
mushrooms, a few onions and some grated cheese went in a pan.  A bunch of
eggs, beaten with a little cream, followed.  A quick stir and I sat them on
top of the stove.  After a brief period on top of the stove, under the
broiler they went.  Soon they puffed up nicely and were ready to serve.  I
also had a big bunch of hash-browns cooking and soon people were eating.  I
couldn't serve everyone at once but I didn't have that much room at the
table anyway.  People ended up eating in shifts.  I cooked a slug of
omelets.  There was a little ham left when I was done.  The onions and
mushrooms were gone.  The boys cleaned up the kitchen while the rest of us
drank some more coffee.  I decided to see if I could win another one.
	"Vern, didn't I see a gallon of WD-40 at your place?"  Sara turned
bright red, Bruno gasped and coughed, and Uncle Matt and Aunt Sandy
collapsed in laughter.  Poor Vern, he looked like he thought we had lost
our minds.
	Sara was now glaring at me.  I took the easy way out.
	"I'll explain it later Vern," I laughed.  That sent Aunt Sandy and
Uncle Matt into more all out laughter.  If glares could have killed, I
would have already been buried.  Bruno was starting to chuckle but Sara
didn't look all that happy.  Oh well, I was now two for four.  The day was
off to a good start.  I seldom got the better of Sara.
	The laughter was dying down when the phone rang.  I was still
chuckling when I answered.  Mr. Besslor wanted to know if he could talk to
me.  By the time I finished inviting him over, Bruno was giggling.  Sara
was now glaring at him.  I always thought it was priceless when Bruno got
the giggles.  That great big man with those little high pitched giggles
always amused me.  At least Sara was now directing her anger at her husband
so I figured I was safe.  The only thing I had to worry about was the old
saying, payback is hell.  I knew Bruno and I had better be on guard.  God
only knew what Sara's revenge would be and He probably didn't want to know.
	Mr. Besslor and clan showed up after about twenty minutes.  He was
all business.  He wanted to know if I thought the Clammers would consent to
stay with him.  He even mentioned that his wife had been in a wheel-chair,
before she died, and that he'd had one of the bathrooms remodeled to make
it wheel-chair accessible and that would be better for Mrs. Clammer.  I
told him it was fine with me but that I hadn't mentioned anything to her
and he would have to ask.  I finally consented to go with him so he could
ask her.  We decided to do that in the afternoon.
	I had a hard time believing the change in Mr. Besslor.  The
somewhat aloof and courteous person I had known had turned into a warm,
funny person with a very dry sense of humor.  You really had to watch his
eyes or he would get you.  The twinkle in his eyes always gave him away.
The more I was around his son, the better I liked him.  His partner was now
more relaxed and was also a lot of fun.  We all spent the rest of the
morning enjoying life and visiting.
	Vern said he had to get home before his honey-do list got so long
he couldn't handle it.  I walked him to the door and explained about the
WD-40.  He left chuckling.  I should have wiped the grin off my face before
returning to the kitchen because Sara once again started glaring at me.
That produced more of the high-pitched giggles from Bruno.
	Steve looked at us like we were nuts.
	"Do you mind telling us what's going on?" he asked.
	"You'll have to ask Sara," I managed to gasp.  That sent Bruno,
Uncle Matt, Aunt Sandy, and myself into hysterical laughter.  Bruno was
laughing so hard the tears were running down his face.
	"Give me a minute and I'll tell you," Bruno gasped.
	"Don't you dare!" Sara snapped at him.
	"It's an inside joke.  I'll explain it as soon as I catch my
breath," I wheezed.
	Of course that produced more laughter.  Sara glared at all of us.
	"Oh hell, I might just as well tell it," Sara again snapped.  "You
clowns will just screw it up."  With that Sara told them what we were
laughing about.  She was even chuckling by the time she finished.  I
thought Steve would pee his pants and the rest of them laughed almost as
hard when Sara explained it all.  Sara finished by telling us that if we
wanted to remain male, there had better not be any more comments about
WD-40.  From the tone of her voice I decided not to test her on that
statement.  I figured I'd better give her a year or so to calm down before
bringing it up again.  Hmmm, maybe that would make a good Christmas present
next year.  I will have to think about that.
	As we continued visiting, I started throwing a few things in a
large kettle.  There were the remains of the roasts we'd had on Christmas
day, a bunch of different vegetables like onions, carrots, celery, frozen
peas and the like, and some barley.  A dash of this and a pinch of that
followed, along with a few glug's of wine.  I was about out of stock but I
used some Au Juice mix, followed by a few more pinches of this and that and
a few squirts of Tabasco.  I chopped up the last of the mushrooms and threw
them in.  I let it simmer for a couple of minutes and tasted again.  Hmmm,
it needed something.  A few seconds thought and I got a few chocolate chips
and tossed them in.  I added a little more garlic and let it simmer some
more.  I then sent Uncle Matt to get a few loaves of French bread.  While
Uncle Matt was getting the bread I diced up some potatoes and tossed in,
along with a little more salt and a lot more pepper.  It was starting to
smell pretty good.
	Just as Uncle Matt returned with the bread, the phone rang.  It was
Judy and she wondered if she could stop by late in the afternoon and talk
with Lee.  I told her no problem.
	The potatoes were almost done so I took some garlic, butter, some
chopped chives and, after mixing them together, spread it on the bread
which I had split lengthwise.  I gave the bread a good dusting of Parmesan
cheese and popped it under the broiler.
	We didn't even have to call the basketball players.  They were now
standing around the kitchen, sniffing like a bunch of hounds trying to pick
up a trail.
	It's a good thing Uncle Matt got four big loaves of bread or I
wouldn't have gotten any.  The boys inhaled their soup and way over half
the bread.  Well, there were a bunch of the neighborhood boys helping.
There were so many boys milling about I never did get a good count.
	I felt like writing my dishwasher a thank you note.  The poor thing
seemed to be running almost continuously.  As soon as one load was done,
someone filled it and turned it on again.  The man that invented that
machine deserves a bonus.
	Things were almost back under control when Mr. Besslor and I headed
for the hospital with the Clammer boys.  I will say I was somewhat amused
by their descriptions of what they had eaten.  I wouldn't have described
the omelets as funny scrambled eggs with strange brown things in them.  I
suppose Mark was referring to the mushrooms.
	When the boys ran out of things to say, Mr. Besslor started a
regular sales pitch.  He explained all the advantages of having the
Clammers stay with him until Mrs. Clammer was once again able to get
around.  About half-way through his sales pitch, it dawned on me.  I had a
hell of a time keeping from giggling.  I'd never thought of myself as a
match-maker.  I gave up on the conversation and took the boys to get a can
of pop.  I knew if I didn't get out of there I would bust out laughing.
Mr. Besslor was almost like a high school kid, asking for his first date.
Mrs. Clammer was playing coy.  It was just too much for me.
	The sun was now out so I took the boys outside and we walked around
the grounds while they drank their pop.  I killed about as much time as I
could before we returned.  I don't think either of them had noticed we were
gone.  I finally had to almost pry Mr. Besslor loose, pleading I had to get
home and meet with Judy.  I don't know what all they said but Mrs. Clammer
had agreed to stay with Mr. Besslor until her hip healed.
	We made it home and as soon as I could, I got Steve aside.  I
didn't know any easy way to break it so I just asked if he wanted to give
his father a son-father talk.  He got a blank look until I explained.
	"No shit!"
	"Yes, shit," I replied.  "I thought maybe I ought to tip you off.
After all, it has been around ten years since your mother passed away.  Do
you think it will be a problem for you?"
	Steve got a funny look on his face.  He stood there, thinking for a
while.  "Well, I'm kind of surprised.  I guess I'll have to wait and see."
	"Think about it this way.  If for some reason Aaron had been gone
for ten years, wouldn't you be ready to look around again?" I asked.
	A little more thought and his expression changed.  I couldn't read
what was going through his mind.  Finally he looked up at me and grinned.
	"It's funny.  I never thought of my father as a sexual person."
	It was my turn to think.  "Does anyone think of their parents that
way?" was my reply.
	Judy's arrival broke that conversation up.  She asked me to get Lee
and we retired to the computer room.  I had to chase Kevin and Lonny out.
They were playing some game.  You would have thought I was killing them if
you had listened to all the whining I got over that.  Lonny was ahead and
Kevin wasn't willing to admit defeat.  I had to promise not to close the
game before they finally left.
	Judy started by asking me if I would be willing to let Lee stay
with me if things didn't work out.  I replied that it was fine with me as
long as Lee was comfortable with that arrangement.  Her next questions were
really strange.  She never gave Lee a chance to answer the question she had
asked me but instead asked him if he could remember living anywhere else.
Lee got a puzzled look and told her he didn't remember living anywhere but
here.  She asked several more questions along the same lines before she
dropped the bombshell.
	"Lee, the woman your father is living with is not your mother.
Your mother had custody of you and your father kidnapped you.  He and your
mother are divorced.  She was awarded custody."  She gave him some time to
assimilate that piece of information before she continued.  "Your mother
lives in Kentucky and you have a step-father and a half brother and
sister."  Lee's mouth was hanging open and I'm sure mine was also.  Judy
continued, "They're on a trip right now and we haven't been able to contact
them.  We have learned that your mother has a serious case of cancer.  I
haven't been able to find out what the prognosis is.  As soon as we are
able to contact them, I'll let you know what's going on."  She then gave
him a little time to digest that information before continuing.  "Your
father and step-mother, I guess, are in jail right now.  Actually we can't
find any record of them getting married.  I don't think he will be out very
soon but your step-mother will probably be out tomorrow.  Anyhow, the court
has terminated their parental rights so you never have to see them again if
you don't want to."
	Lee just sat there; a stunned look on his face.  I wasn't any
better.  I couldn't think of a thing to say or a question to ask.  There
were all kinds of ramifications running through my mind with regards to
what Judy had said.  I couldn't think of where to begin.
	Lee broke the silence.  "Am I going to live with my mother?"
	"Normally I'd say yes.  With your mother's cancer, I don't know.
The family is having a hard time making ends meet.  The law says yes but
I'm not sure they are able to take on another son right now."  Judy's voice
got real soft.  "Look Lee, sometimes people can't do what they want.  I'm
sure they want you but the information I have is that is they are really
desperate right now.  We'll learn more just as soon as we can get in touch
with them.  I almost didn't tell you.  Then I decided you probably needed
to know.  Remember, if they don't feel they can take you on right now, it
is not because they wouldn't want to.  At the present time I don't know how
it will work out."
	Neither Lee nor I could really think of anything else that was
important to ask.  Judy volunteered a little more information.  The
half-brother was ten and the half-sister twelve.  They lived in a town
named Walton which was north of Lexington Kentucky.  Judy suggested that
Lee should write down any questions he had and she would try to find the
answers for him.  By now it was almost time to fix dinner and Judy left for
her home.
	I put some potatoes in the oven to bake and started fixing a salad.
About then I decided I should check and see how many I would have for
dinner.  The boys were all in the living room so I checked and only Bobby
and Larry were staying for dinner.  In fact, the rest left for home right
after that.  I went out and started the barbeque.  As the charcoal was
catching on fire, I went back to work on the salad.  The Besslor's had left
right after Judy came so, outside of Larry and Billy, it was just family.
Well, I suppose you should throw in the Clammer boys with Billy and Larry.
I was starting to get used to them.  It was going to be pretty quiet when
the Clammer boys and Kevin and Kristen left.  Tomorrow I was going to take
Bruno and Sara to the airport for their flight home.  Uncle Matt and Aunt
Sandy were leaving on Sunday.
	We were just finishing dinner when Judy called.  The information
wasn't good.  Lee's mother was in the hospital in Cincinnati.  They hadn't
been on a trip but had been at a hospital.  That left the problem of what
to do.  For the next three hours I about melted the phone lines.  My
fingers were tired from pushing the buttons.  The end result, the Clammer
boys would stay with Mr. Besslor, I would take Sara and Bruno to the
airport, along with all the boys and while Sara and Bruno went home, the
boys and I would fly to Cincinnati.  Aaron was going to drive my pickup to
the airport and then return it to my home.  Uncle Matt and Aunt Sandy would
help the Clammer boys pack all their things and get them off to
Mr. Besslor.  God, what a mess.  I packed clothes until two.  We had to
leave at six so I just fell into bed.  Two hours later I was in gear again.
At least I could sleep on the flight.
	Aaron showed up right when he said he would.  People were stumbling
around, trying to get organized but we finally made it.  I led off and he
followed.  As far as people, all of us could have fit in the Gator but all
the Christmas presents wouldn't.  JJ and LT were riding with Aaron and a
bunch of the suitcases and presents were in the back of the pickup so there
was plenty of room for people to relax.
        Sara and Bruno's flight left about noon and ours was an hour later.
I was still trying to figure out if I had remembered everything.  I had
called the Downies and told them the boys would not be able to work this
weekend.  Judy was aware of all the plans and had contacted the family.
They had said to go ahead and come, that Lee's mother wanted to see him.  I
had checked the weather and hoped the clothes we had would be warm enough.
I was assured we had seats on the plane.  I would have rather not been
forced to buy first class fares but that was all that was available.  At
that price I can see why.  I could have gotten cheaper seats but the flight
would have been twelve hours longer and gone through Florida.  We still had
to change planes in Salt Lake City.  As it was, we should arrive in
Cincinnati around ten.
        I got a big hug and kiss from Sara.  Bruno, well I got a big hug
from him also.  That man is so strong it scares me.  While he was hugging
me my feet were dangling about a foot off the ground and I thought my ribs
were going to break.  I even got a hug and a kiss from Lisa although the
kiss was a little sloppy.  One thing did surprise me though.  Corey got
kisses from Sara but JJ and LT got handshakes.  After parting with Sara and
Bruno and kids, we headed on over to the Delta counter.
        I'm not sure why they wanted us there quite so early.  Maybe it was
the boys and maybe it was because of first class tickets but we got checked
and screened much faster than I expected, considering all I had heard about
the effects of 9/11, and then we sat and waited.  The boys had gotten a
little more sleep than I had and also slept on the trip to the airport so
they were doing better than I was.  When you added in that none of them had
ever been on an airplane, they were wound up and asking questions.  I had
only flown a few times but had found it boring so I wasn't excited about it
and would have rather dozed but that was not to be.  I tried to answer
their questions as best I could and finally we boarded the plane.
        It was a lot nicer in first class than the other times I had flown.
The seats had more leg room and were also wider.  The service from the crew
was impeccable.  The boys kept switching seats so each got a chance to sit
by the window for part of the time.  Being in first class even made it
easier to change planes in Salt Lake.  We got to deplane first.  When all
was said and done, it was a pretty good flight.  The meal was better than I
expected, the service excellent, and the seats comfortable.  The boys even
left me alone long enough to get a little sleep.  The bad part was that we
didn't get to the hotel until midnight.  It wasn't that anything went
wrong; it was just that by the time we picked up a rental car, drove to the
hotel, and got checked in it had been a long day.  I collapsed.  If it
hadn't been that I woke up first, I would have had no idea of who slept
where.
        Boy my bladder was full when I awoke.  I struggled out of bed and
headed for the bathroom.  When I figured out what time it was, I decided on
a shower.  I'd been so busy packing and getting clothes ready that I had
skipped taking a shower.  In fact my last shower had been two days ago and
I felt really cruddy.  I just got the water adjusted when Corey came in for
his turn at the toilet.  When he told me that the rest of the crew was
still sleeping, he got jerked into the shower before he could react.
        Now I will confess to loving to shower with Corey.  However, I will
say today was special.  It had been a week since we had done any playing
around and we were both really, really ready for a little fun.  I don't
think he had even realized he was getting wet before I had my arms around
him and was kissing him.  Let me tell you, it didn't take long to get a
response on a couple of fronts.  Neither of us was worrying about morning
breath and he started kissing right back.  The other response was very
predictable.  He had pretty well softened up, from relieving his bladder,
but those kisses changed that.
        It was not the gentle, loving type of encounter that we normally
shared in bed but a more driven one.  While the bed encounters might get to
the driven stage, they always seemed to start slower, and more softly.
This morning however, both of us were, to put it bluntly, horny.  As we
strained together, kissing, our arms wrapped around the other and clasped
that other close.  I mean really close.  It wasn't as tight as Bruno might
have squeezed, but then, neither of us was as strong as Bruno.  Our mouths
were locked together and we shared the same air, breathing back and forth
until we almost passed out.  I'm not sure whether it was from lack of
oxygen or just the raw passion of the moment.  All I knew was that he felt
so perfect in my arms.  My hands ran up and down his back, my fingers
tracing each vertebra, tenderly trying to memorize and claim each little
bump as their own.
        We drew back, almost two inches, and stared into each other's eyes,
our lungs straining to get some much needed oxygen.  Then we kissed again.
This time it wasn't as desperate.  It was more loving and gentle.  My hands
began rubbing his back, slowly working their way towards his ass where
those two lovely globes awaited.  Another pause for air and my hands
finally made it to their intended target.  As I started cupping and
squeezing those globes, he strained against me.
        Damn those hotel showers.  You know the kind I mean.  Those ones
that are a combined bathtub-shower all in one.  There was really no place
to lean so we wouldn't fall and it was too narrow to get my feet far enough
apart to lower myself so we could rub together.  We slipped and stumbled
around for a little while, trying to make things work.  Finally I gave up.
I tried lying down so we could do something nice like sixty-nine but it was
too short.  No matter how hard we tried, the ends of that shower-tub thingy
kept getting in the way of our legs.  A few desperate licks, as we squirmed
around on the bottom of the tub, were the best we could do.  Those licks
were not nearly enough to satisfy either of us.  The height difference,
combined with that stupid tub thingy, was really creating a problem.
        I know, if we had ever taken a few seconds to sort things out we
could have figured out a way to overcome those problems.  The sad fact of
the matter is that neither of us was willing to stop kissing and rubbing
long enough to think.  Besides, I'm not sure I had been taking in enough
oxygen for my brain to work.  Certain other parts of me were not having
that problem.
        I gave up and rolled out of that tub thingy and fell on the floor,
dragging Corey with me.  He ended up on top of me.  That was a lot better.
We had more room.  I got my hands on his ass and started kneading again.
He started humping.  We were both dripping wet and we slid back and forth
together real well.
        Needless to say, it didn't take as long as either of us would have
liked but boy it felt good.  When we came down from our high, the floor was
sopping wet.  A few giggles and a few more kisses and we decided to try the
shower again.
        I was washing Corey's hair when the bathroom door opened.  We could
hear LT muttering about the water on the floor.  All Corey and I could do
was giggle.  I guess I had rented the motel, or in this case hotel.  It was
just a little further from home than I had planned.

        		To be continued...

	To make the fluffy omelets described.  Separate the eggs, beat the
egg whites until stiff peaks form, beat the yolks with a little cream until
smooth.  Fold the beaten whites into the yolks.  You can use whatever you
like for additions to the basic omelet.  Some chopped fresh home grown
tomatoes are good.  The ham, mushrooms and green onions describe in the
story are good.  Don't try to load too much into the omelet.  It will not
be as fluffy.  Just experiment until you find what you like.  I've also
used several different cheeses in them.  Be sure to properly salt and
pepper before cooking.  I start the omelet on the stove top and cook until
partly cooked, then put in a 400 degree oven until it puffs and is done.  I
generally cook on the stove top until it is done about a third of the way
up before putting in the oven.  By done, I mean starting to solidify.  In
other words, the first third of the eggs and whatever you have added to it
should be starting to solidify on the bottom before putting in the oven.
To hurry it up, leave them on top of the stove slightly longer and then put
under the broiler.  You have to watch a little more closely but that speeds
the cooking up.  Some people use a little cream of tarter in the egg whites
but I don't bother.  Some avocado diced and a little salsa along with diced
tomato makes a good omelet.  Just get creative and throw in what you like.
Remember, if you don't like it you can always throw it out and try again.
The world won't end.  I've guessed wrong a few times and ended up fixing
something else although never with omelets.  I will admit that I'm not a
happy camper when I've spent a couple of hours cooking something and decide
I can't eat it.  Hasn't happened for a long time because you soon learn
what you don't like by experimenting that way.