Date: Sun, 15 May 2005 08:39:42 -0700
From: fritz@nehalemtel.net
Subject: I Love Corey, Chapter Fifty-seven

	Another chapter, another warning.  That's the way the old cookie
crumbles.  Since I can't seem to get out of it, here goes.  Will those of
you who are not of legal age please leave?  I know you think it's smart to
sneak in here and read stories but you are breaking the law.  I don't want
to make a criminal out of you and if you leave without reading this story
you will be innocent of that particular crime.  Other crimes are up to you
and your conscience.
	In case you haven't guessed, this story sometimes contains
descriptions of gay sex acts.  If the thoughts, of those descriptions,
offend you, I suggest you leave before that happens.  I'm sure you will
feel better.
	Alas, some well intentioned but rather stupid people have managed
to get laws passed that prohibit the reading of this story in some areas.
If you happen to live in one of those areas you best leave before they
catch you.  If you don't I can't help you.  You are on your own.  Remember
that they will try to ruin your reputation.  Then again that might make you
a hero to some people.
	The story is totally complete fiction.  It is not based on any real
people or actual events.  I guess I'm just too lazy to do enough research
to write a real story.  Instead I just sit here at my keyboard and let my
imagination run wild.  This story is the result.  Scary isn't that.
	This story is posted for your enjoyment.  Okay, so you aren't
enjoying it.  None the less, feel free to read and even print it out if you
want to.  Just don't post it on another site without seeking and receiving
permission from me and if you decide to quote part of it, please attribute
the quote to me.  Why anyone would want to quote from it is beyond me but
then maybe there are people out there who are as strange as I am.  Now
that's really scary.
	Once again my thanks to Ernie.  His help and encouragement have
been invaluable.
	Feel free to write and complain, offer suggestions, ask questions,
or just comment on the story.  Be sure to remember to put I love Corey in
the subject line.  Send those emails to fritz@nehalemtel.net I promise to
consider answering them.  Having said all that, I hope you enjoy the
following chapter.  Fritz
*******************************************************************************
			I Love Corey, Chapter Fifty-seven

	It was raining when I finally woke up.  I was thankful that the
rain had held off until after the dinner.  With all the people that had
been in the house it was nice to be able to have the door partially open.
Had it been storming, things might not have been as comfortable because of
all the cooking and people.  That many people give off a lot of heat and
besides, having some of the kids outside playing basketball was a big help
in the room department.  While my house was big, I'm not sure it is that
big.  I would have probably never bought it except for the huge kitchen.
The apartment I had rented my last years in college had a tiny kitchen and
I had fallen in love with the big kitchen the first time I saw it.
	I was just lying there, snuggled up behind Corey and enjoying the
smell of his hair when I felt him start to stir.  He squirmed around and as
usual had a sleepy grin on his face.  A couple of gentle kisses later we
both bolted for the toilet.  After the pause that refreshes and some tooth
scrubbing we picked up where we left off.
	You know how it goes.  One kiss led to another and suddenly we were
back in bed.  The morning was off to a really great start.
	Some time later we were just relaxing when his stomach growled.  I
was just about to say something when it growled again.  I poked it a few
times which elicited some giggles and it was time to go see what we could
find for breakfast.
	Dog was headed down the hall in front of us.  As I walked past the
archway to the family room I could hear the pet door go click, click.  I
just barely had the coffee pot plugged in when Dog joined us, shaking
vigorously.  I was getting the impression that Dog was a fair weather dog.
It sure didn't take him long to do his doggy duties when it was raining.
	Corey squeezed some orange juice while I retrieved the paper.
After that we checked out what was going on in the world.  While I was
doing that, I noticed a warm muzzle on my foot.  After checking out the
headlines it was time to feed the growling monster in Corey's belly.
	Dog was happy to go wake JJ and LT up and between the boys and Dog
we managed to use up some of the leftover mashed potatoes.  I made patties
out of them and fried them in a little butter.  A few eggs, some toast, a
sausage patty and several potato patties seemed to silence that growling
monster.
	I had done a couple of loads of laundry while I was cooking
yesterday but there were still several loads to go.  Also, there was a
bunch of house cleaning that needed doing.  We worked away until it was
time for church and then cleaned up and left.  The service was about like
usual and the boys made their customary raid on the refreshments.  However
it was raining even harder by the time we were headed home.  That pretty
well shot down going to the trap club.  I didn't really mind dodging
showers but a steady rain, accompanied by some wind weren't my favorite
conditions to shoot under.
	The boys whined like crazy when I told them we needed to get all
our housework caught up.  They did it but I think it would have been easier
to do it myself.  The amount of energy I used making them work seemed
almost like a losing proposition.  They seemed to find a million reasons to
stop and do something else. I spent a lot more of my time keeping them
working than I did in doing any work myself.  I guess they were turning
into typical teenagers.  When they first started living with me they had
been on their best behavior.  I had only been required to suggest something
and they jumped right to it.  Now I sometimes had to threaten them to get
anything done.  I would have probably wrung their scrawny little necks but
I could remember Mother nagging me.  I guess what goes around comes around.
Mother always said she couldn't wait until I had kids.  That thought
saddened me.  I was sure she would have liked the boys.
	Roast beef sandwiches seemed to keep them going.  However they
seemed to spend more time taking in food than working.  In the end we got
the housework done and even reloaded a bunch of shells.  A couple of
thousand 12 gauge shells should keep us going for a few weeks.  I made a
note to order some more primers and shot.  Another keg of 700X wouldn't
hurt.
	For all their bitching and whining we still enjoyed the day.  We
exchange wise-cracks and just generally kidded each other.  We finally got
all the shells boxed up so we could use them and headed for the kitchen.
It was time for dinner.  I grabbed some Au Jus mix and, after mixing it up,
put some roast in it and put it on the stove.  As it warmed up Corey got
some of the potatoes out, along with some gravy.  He nuked the potatoes and
then put the gravy in the microwave.  JJ and LT had set the table and put
some of the salad on when the doorbell rang.  LT answered it.
	He came back to the kitchen followed by Mrs. Babcock.  Corey froze
when he saw her.  I didn't do much better.  A pretty nice day had just gone
to hell.
	A bunch of expressions washed over Corey's face, none of them
happy.  However, Mrs. Babcock didn't seem to notice.  She started babbling
about how happy she was to see all of us.  JJ and LT had strange
expressions on their faces and my mind was racing, trying to figure out how
to handle the situation.  I could see one of the muscles in Corey's cheek
start to twitch, a sure sign he was angry.
	"What are you doing here?" he snapped before I could think of
anything to say.  "What do you want, some money?"
	That seemed to stop Mrs. Babcock in her tracks.  She had a stunned
expression on her face.  By now Corey was glaring at her.
	I could see her take a breath before she answered.  That, and a
little pause, told me she was trying to think of what to say.
	"No, I just wanted to see you and make sure you're all right."
	"Why the sudden concern?  You wouldn't even stick around and
apologize for your boyfriend?"  The bitterness in his voice almost covered
up the question.  "You took off as soon as you got out of jail.  You didn't
even say good-by."  His voice broke on the last few words.  This had gotten
out of control before I had a chance to try to do anything and the worst
part of it was I couldn't think of what to do.  The only thing was I knew I
needed to do something.
	I stepped between them.  Stepping up to Corey I asked him if he
would go to his room for a few minutes.  Out of the corner of my eye I
could see JJ and LT abandoning the kitchen and heading for their rooms.  It
was clear they didn't want to get in the middle of what was shaping up to
be a real shouting match.  Corey glared at me for a few seconds before he
turned and stomped off.  I wasn't too happy at being alone with
Mrs. Babcock but knew I had to try to do something.  When the boys had all
left I turned to her.
	"You didn't answer his question.  Why are you here?"
	"I told him.  I wanted to make sure he was okay."
	Somehow I couldn't believe her.  Outside of a few nights last fall
she had shown no desire to make sure he was alright.  She had taken off
several times without even telling him.  I was at a loss on how to proceed.
Being angry didn't help me.
	"I have a hard time believing that.  You took off and never said
good-by.  You haven't paid any attention to him.  He's seen you what, twice
in the last three months?  That doesn't paint much of a picture of a
worried mother."
	"I was trying to find a job," she whined.  "I needed the money."
	I could have asked why she needed the money but didn't.  I already
knew.  It wasn't that she needed the money to live, although of course she
needed some for that, but rather she needed money to support her drug
habit.  As I continued to glare at her, trying to think of some way to get
things straightened out, her expression changed.
	"I don't have to explain myself to you."
	In many senses she was right.  She really didn't have to explain to
me.  Maybe she had to explain to Corey and Judy but she didn't have to
explain to me.  My anger left and with its disappearance a feeling of
sadness came to replace that anger.
	"You're right.  You don't owe me any explanations.  You do owe
Corey one.  You're the one that has to explain why you took off, leaving
him alone.  You're the one that has to explain why you couldn't even say
good-by or at the least leave a note.  Do you have any idea of how many
nights he cried himself to sleep over that?  Did you ever think about how
much it hurt him to think his mother didn't even care enough to tell him
why she was leaving him alone?"  I stopped talking, trying to think of what
to say next when she interrupted.
	"I knew you'd take care of him."
	I was caught in the middle.  I thought he still loved her but after
the last few minutes I wasn't sure.  How much does it take to turn love to
hate?  Had she managed to do that by more or less abandoning him?  Was it
hate I'd seen in his face or just a broken heart?  I didn't have any
answers to those questions.
	"Okay," I sort of sighed.  "I'll go talk to him.  You better figure
out what you're going to say to him.  I'll warn you though, you're about to
lose him.  You need to come up with some way to explain your actions that
he can understand.  If you don't, I don't know what will happen."
	Corey was face down on his bed.  I could see his fists clenching
the bedspread and his body shaking.  I really didn't have any idea of what
to say.  Instead I just sat on the edge of the bed and started rubbing his
back and shoulders.  When it appeared that he was calming down we talked a
little.
	There really wasn't much to tell him.  I tried to point out that
she left because of her need for drugs but that was about all I could do.
Finally he sighed.
	"I guess I better talk to her."
	"Do you want me to go with you or do you want to do it alone?"  He
considered my question for about a minute.
	"I'll do it alone."
	"You're sure?  I can go with you," I told him.
	"It's my mother.  I need to do this."
	There I sat, on pins and needles.  I was angry and sad and worried.
I wished I could hear what was being said but another part of me didn't
want to know, perhaps fearful of what I might learn.  Time just seemed to
drag.  I kept checking my watch and every time I looked, only a few more
seconds had passed.  I worried that something might be said that either or
both would always regret.  I was angry at the way she had acted towards
him.  The sadness was because I wasn't sure there was a good answer to this
situation.  All I could do was sit and stew.
	It seemed like forever but was only about ten minutes until Corey
returned.  There were tears running down his face and he fell into my arms,
crying on my shoulder.  I heard a car door slam as I started patting his
back.
	It took him a while to calm down enough to tell me what had
happened.  She had come to try to get money.  How he got that information
out of her I wasn't sure but somehow he had.  They'd exchanged words about
the use that money would be put to and she stomped out, telling him it was
her life and she could live it any way she wanted to.
	I just wanted to kill her.  I know that's wrong but that was the
way I felt about it.  Why did she keep hurting him so?  It seemed like
every time he managed to pull himself back together after one of her
visits, she would show up again.  Each time it was like she had a knife in
him and was twisting and probing with it.  I wanted so badly to protect him
but how do you protect someone from his own mother.  For that matter, why
is it that the ones we love are the ones that hurt us the most.  If he
hadn't loved her it would be like all the other drug problems.  Sure you
feel bad that people have problems with drugs but it doesn't tear you
apart.  Only when you love someone can they hurt you so much.
	The sad thing was that she had left me with no way to comfort him.
When she walked out she in effect said that drugs were more important to
her than her son.  There was no way I could explain to Corey that his
mother was caught up in something she couldn't help.  Sure, I could tell
him that but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't seem to make him
believe it.  In his mind she had traded him for drugs.  He wasn't important
enough to her to be worth more than the next fix.
	For all the problems he was having dealing with it, maybe JJ was
better off.  At least his parents didn't keep jumping back into his life
and disrupting it.  They were still on the run somewhere.  I was left
wondering if I should try to keep Mrs. Babcock away from Corey and even if
I tried, could I be successful.  I had no idea if that would be the right
thing to do or not.  All I could do was hold him and try to comfort him.  I
just felt helpless.
	Corey finally stopped crying.  Sometime after that I suggested
maybe we should have something to eat.  Eating sounded like as good a thing
as anything to suggest because I was out of ways to try to comfort him.
All the things I had said sounded hollow to me.  No matter how hard I
tried, there didn't seem to be a good way to spin her actions.  It was hard
to try to tell him she loved him when her actions didn't back that up.  The
last two times she had seen him weren't about him but rather about trying
to get money.
	The roast in the pan was ruined.  I pitched it and started all
over.  It wasn't like there wasn't plenty more of it.  JJ, LT and Dog soon
joined us.  Soon I had things heated up and we were eating.  Corey didn't
seem to want much but neither did the rest of us.  It had turned into a
depressing evening.
	After dinner Corey said he was tired.  He headed for my bed.  I
mucked around for a while, trying to think of someway to help him or
straighten out the mess we now found ourselves in.  I finally called Judy.
Maybe she would know someway to help.
	We talked for almost an hour.  While she didn't have any ideas on
how to help Corey, just talking to her helped me.  I guess just having
someone listen to you is a big help.  I opened up a lot more than I had
ever done before.  I told her about my fears for all the boys and my
worries that maybe I wasn't doing the right thing by them.  Maybe you could
say I just cried on her shoulder.  This whole thing sometimes just seemed
overpowering.  It was like I never got a chance to rest, always finding
myself in trouble and scrambling madly just to survive.  Just when things
started to look up, something would happen that upset my whole world and I
was once again struggling with things I had no control over.
	Her final words really helped me.  They were that I should stop and
think.  If I really loved him, it would all be worth it.  In that she was
right.  Things were once again back in their proper perspective.  When I
hung up I knew I would go through everything all over again for Corey.  No
matter what happened, he was worth it.
	After I slipped into bed it didn't take Corey long to assume his
usual position.  I just wrapped my arms around him and held him.  I didn't
have words to offer him but hopefully he would feel the love I felt for him
and that love would strengthen and help him.  Right now that was all I had
to offer.  I just hoped it would be enough.
	I must have looked bad.  Several of my colleagues asked me what was
wrong during the morning meeting.  I just told them Corey and his mother
were not getting along and that answer seemed to satisfy them.  At least
they didn't press me for anymore details.  Even the students seemed to pick
up on my mood because they weren't their usual boisterous selves.  I tried
to act normally but probably wasn't carrying it off that well.  Just before
the end of second period Mr. Mathers came in and told me someone wanted to
see me in the office.
	You guessed it.  Mrs. Babcock was waiting for me and she had to be
the last person I wanted to see.  However I was caught and had to talk with
her.
	The conversation didn't start out very warmly.  She was trembling
and looked ghastly.  She looked like death warmed over.  We grudgingly
exchanged the usual greetings and I tried to tell her that Corey was the
one she should be talking with.  Then she threw a real bombshell at me.  If
I would give her ten thousand dollars she would get out and stay out of my
and Corey's lives.
	I was tempted.  I was sorely tempted.  If I had been sure that she
would do what she said I might have done it but I knew I couldn't depend on
her and besides, I wasn't sure that would be best for Corey.  If I could
solve the problem for Corey I would be willing to spend many times that
amount.  Like hundreds of times.  However having her disappear probably
wouldn't be the best answer.  He needed some kind of solution, not just her
disappearance.  All that would do was leave him wondering what had happened
to her and feeling rejected.
	I started to explain why that wouldn't work.  I was just telling
her how Corey loved her when she interrupted me and asked me if Corey loved
her, why had he told her to get out of his life.
	Since Corey hadn't been willing to tell me what they said to each
other this was news to me.  I led Mrs. Babcock to an unused office, picking
up some coffee on the way.  I needed the time that took to try to think of
what to say.
	I just told her the truth.  There wasn't really much else I could
tell her.  I explained that he loved her and was so worried about her that
he couldn't stand to see her kill herself by using drugs.  What else could
I say?
	The conversation didn't go that well because I've never been good
with people that try to use tears to get their way.  It really pisses me
off.  Honest sorrow I can understand and deal with but to try to influence
me with tears, which could only be described as false, only hardened my
resolve.  It took her a while to understand that the tears weren't working.
She didn't have any better luck by trying to make me feel sorry for her
because of her many problems.  After all, a good share of those problems
was the result of her drug addiction.  When she finally sort of ran down it
was my turn.
	I offered to help her if she was willing to attend a rehabilitation
center.  I offered to pay all the costs and help her get enrolled in any
treatment center she wanted.  When she completed treatment, I would pay for
any educations she wanted and help her find a job.  All she had to do was
agree to go and I promised to take care of everything from arranging
transportation to paying all costs incurred in her treatment.  The only
problem was she didn't want treatment, she wanted money so she could buy
more drugs.  When she finally realized I wasn't going to budge on that, she
left.  She made one last attempt to influence me by telling me I was cruel
and I didn't understand her problems as she was leaving.  That didn't work
any better than the crying had.  When the door slammed behind her I just
felt tired.  I'd been somewhat depressed this morning and I now felt worse.
	Mr. Mathers must have been watching the door because he showed up
before I had time to even get out of the chair.  I ended up explaining what
the problem was.  He knew a little about it but this time I filled him in
on more of the details.  Maybe I shouldn't have done that but I needed
advice or maybe I just needed to talk about it.  Jerry listened to me and
then spent a couple of minutes thinking before telling me he didn't know
what else I could have done.  Somehow that made me feel a lot better.
	By now lunch hour was about over.  It was hard to believe we had
talked that long.  As far as I was concerned lunch it didn't matter.  I
wasn't hungry.  My nerves were stretched tight and my stomach was churning.
I just needed some time to relax and unwind.  I managed to drink another
cup of coffee before it was time to go to my next class.  I just hoped I
was calm enough not to jump down some poor student's throat.
	The afternoon dragged along to its conclusion.  I got through my
two classes and even got caught back up on my grading and lesson plans.
Still that didn't seem to help my mood.  I was just depressed.  Corey was
upset and I had no idea of how to help him.
	It was quiet on the way home.  There wasn't the usual chatter
amongst the boys and since there were still plenty of leftovers I didn't
have to stop at Downie's They might not have been making much noise but
that didn't stop the boys from heading to the refrigerator as soon as they
got into the house.  It just meant they were a little more quiet in their
plundering of it.  There were still occasional rain showers so that
eliminated playing basketball.  In other words, there we were, all somewhat
depressed, and cooped up in the house with nothing that we needed to do.
	I just had a fresh pot of coffee made when the doorbell rang.  The
boys were just finishing their snack so I answered it.  Once again there
was Mrs. Babcock.  She was the last thing I needed.
	I probably wasn't real polite.  I didn't invite her in and instead
just asked what she wanted now.  She hemmed and hawed around and finally
asked me if I had meant it when I offered to pay for rehab.  I suddenly
paid more attention and even invited her in.  The computer room seemed like
that most private so I escorted her there and we talked about her
situation.  We actually talked quite a bit about it.  When she appeared
sincere about taking rehab I called Dr. Logan and inquired about rehab
centers.  Of course he wanted to examine her before making any
recommendations so that entailed a trip to his office.  It was just about
his quitting time but he stayed late and checked her over and talked with
her a little.  By now the trembles and shakes I had observed earlier were
getting worse.  He recommended that she check into the hospital where they
could treat her for the worst of her withdrawal symptoms and that would
also give him a little time to decide which rehab center might be best for
her.  It was almost nine before I got home but at least I had hopes
Mrs. Babcock might be getting some help.  Whatever drug it was they gave
her had stopped the shakes.
	The boys had heated up some more of the roast and eaten.  I fixed
some more of it for myself while I filled Corey in on what was happening.
He was thrilled.  His depression was immediately gone and he was bubbling
over with the thought that his mother was getting some help.  Of course I
felt better because of his sudden happiness.  We all were a lot happier
than we had been just a few hours ago.  By the time we headed for bed the
world looked brighter to all of us.
	Tuesday was a breeze.  Classes went well and I felt good.  I even
managed to once again get all my grading done during the free periods.
After school we hurried over to Dr. Logan's office to see what he was going
to recommend.
	There were several centers he recommended.  However, he didn't feel
that the one in Redding would be the best one for Mrs. Babcock.  Instead he
thought that she would be better off in either a rehab center in Sacramento
or one in Oakland.  He said that while there were many good centers, the
problem was matching the patient with the proper one.  The perfect place
for one patient might not be the best one for a different patient.  With
that we all walked across the street to the hospital and explained the
options to Mrs. Babcock.
	After listening to all the options Mrs. Babcock didn't seem
thrilled with his suggestions.  That didn't slow Dr. Logan down and he
offered a couple more choices.  She finally chose one in the Napa valley.
I really don't know what her reason for picking it was or her reasons for
not liking the others was but I was happy she was willing to accept any
treatment facility.  Dr. Logan said he would get the ball rolling and in
the mean time she would probably be better off staying in the hospital for
at least a couple more days.  She did look a lot better which only meant
she didn't look like some witch from a cheap horror movie.  Her color was a
little better and her eyes didn't have that glazed look.  We left Corey
visiting with his mother while we stepped into the hall to clear up a few
details.  Dr. Logan made a quick call on his cell phone and then explained
that she would need transportation on Thursday and he could fax the center
all the records and most of the information they would need.  He also said
that they would probably start with a ninety day residence program and
decide what needed to be done after that.  I learned that more was needed
than just getting the patient off whatever substance was the problem.  The
patient also needed counseling to help them change their attitude so they
no longer felt as much need for drugs.  While that need could never be
completely overcome, shorter programs didn't seem as effective in directing
the patient in the right direction.  Even if they thought she was ready to
leave after ninety days she would still need support for a long time before
she would be able to resist drugs by herself.
	Dr. Logan left to complete his closing rounds and I gathered the
boys up and headed home.  We had to stop and shop because the leftovers I
had thought would last all week were now almost gone.  The boys had seen to
that.  Dog had gotten a few bites but the boys had been the ones most
responsible for that state of affairs.
	After dinner I called Mr. Mathers and asked if it would be possible
to get Thursday off and explained why.  We kicked it around for a while and
he wondered if I could get it changed to Friday.  The teacher he had in
mind to use for a substitute would not be available on Thursday.  A quick
call to Dr. Logan and the change in schedule was approved.  In fact he had
just been going to call me and suggest the same thing.  The center had
called back and requested the delay although they hadn't given a reason.
	When I told the boys about the change in plans they got all
excited.  The next thing I knew they were busy checking out what we might
do in the Napa area.  When I brought up there wouldn't be much time because
they had to get back to work on Saturday there were so many groans I
thought I was going to be buried.  Finally LT wondered if they could ask
permission for the day off and I just told them it was their jobs and I
didn't have anything to do with it.  It was up to them if they wanted to
call Mrs. Downie and ask.
	That brought out a short discussion on if they wanted to continue
working.  By now the novelty of it had worn off and they were no longer as
thrilled to have a job.  They retreated to Corey's bedroom and I could hear
them talking for a little while and soon they were back.  They wanted to go
talk with Mrs. Downie.
	A quick call to the store confirmed she was still there and would
be happy to talk with them so off we went.  I wandered around the store
while they talked with her.  I wasn't about to get involved with whatever
kind of scheme they had dreamed up.
	The boys were all bubbling over on the way home.  The end result of
the conversation was that they would be on call if the Downies needed any
help but for the next few weeks they would not be working.  Mrs. Downie had
been happy to let the boys off and keep Billy and Larry.  That didn't
surprise me because it had looked like they weren't really needed since the
Downie's had gotten enough help hired.  I think the boys had been kept on
in a sense of obligation for the help they had supplied when the Downies
really needed it.  I warned them that they wouldn't have as much money but
that didn't seem to worry them.  Mrs. Downie had told them there would be
some weekends coming up in which they would be needed for both Saturday and
Sunday.  When I asked why that was, they told me that the Downies were
going to make some changes in the store and would need help moving things
around.  That made sense to me because with the increase in business I had
noticed there were several bottlenecks in the store.
	The boys were immediately busy checking out what was available in
the Napa area.  In the hour left before bedtime they came up with enough
things to see that would take us at least a month.  I just told them they
needed to cut things back a little.  Somehow they had gone from a simple
trip to take Corey's mother to the rehab center to a full fledged three day
vacation.  They didn't even ask me.  I was just expected to furnish
transportation.  To them it was a foregone conclusion that we would take
the trailer and stay until late Sunday.  If we did everything on their
list, we would have to stay until late next month.  Ah the enthusiasm of
youth.
	The rest of the week rushed along.  What with getting a few last
things for the trailer and stopping to visit Corey's mother it seemed like
we were really busy.  Corey was on cloud nine because his mother was
finally getting some help for her drug problem.  JJ and LT were happily
planning the weekend.  I barely had time to keep up with them.  Dr. Logan
had even arranged for Mrs. Babcock to be ready to leave at 7:00 a.m.  I
didn't know anyone ever checked out that early.  I thought getting out of a
hospital before noon took an act of God.  Dr. Logan just assured me it only
seemed that way.  I even managed to get Friday's lesson plan done by
Thursday afternoon.  The boys had all their homework assignments for Friday
when we headed home.
	Dog knew something was up.  He bounced around as we packed clothes
and things out to the trailer.  However, I could see I was going to have to
have something done about a place to park the trailer.  The path was
starting to get muddy.  Since I had lots of room maybe I needed to have a
shop built so I had a place to park it and I could also have a walk put in
to get to the shop and trailer.
	The boys were zombies Friday morning.  They definitely were not
used to getting up that early.  Still I managed to get them moving and to
the hospital in plenty of time.
	Wonder of wonders.  Mrs. Babcock was ready and so was all the
paperwork.  We were out of the hospital before we were scheduled to arrive.
Not by much but I had figured we would be lucky to be out of there by
eight.  Mrs. Babcock was scheduled to check in after lunch and this would
give us a little time to stop and buy her a few clothes.  She really didn't
have any.  I had gone through her things and managed to get most of them
cleaned but according to the brochure she needed casual clothes.  The early
start would give us lots of time for that.
	The first problem we encountered was where to put Dog.  I was
driving and Mrs. Babcock would ride in the front passenger's seat.  The
boys would get the back so they could watch a movie and that left nowhere
for Dog.  We settled that with Dog and LT joining me in the front seat and
Mrs. Babcock in the back with Corey and JJ.  Dog seemed happy in the middle
with his head on LT's lap.  While Dog appeared to like all of us, he and LT
had seemed to bond.
	Traffic didn't present any problems and I'd even managed to get the
bars on the equalizing hitch right so we made good time.  When it was late
enough we found a shop and Mrs. Babcock picked out several outfits for her
stay in the rehab center.  We even had enough time to stop for lunch.
	We got to the center just after one and the check-in went like
clockwork.  I had to fill out a few forms over the payment and give them a
deposit on the treatment while they went over Mrs. Babcock's paperwork.
Then it took about an hour for them to give her a quick check up and a
brief interview.  At half past two it was all over and we were free to
leave.  This was a lot faster than I had planned.
	I'd already checked out trailer parks and made reservations at one.
We drove over and registered.  It didn't take long to get everything set up
and the pickup unhooked.  I was getting better at this.  I didn't even have
to back up because my site was a pull through.  That probably speeded
things up.
	After checking the time I saw that it was still early enough to
stop at a few wineries.  While the boys didn't drink much, still my supply
was going down much faster than normal.  There were several wines I needed
to stock up on and I had planned on dining at one of the wineries.  We
jumped in the pickup and took off.
	The boys were not happy campers.  They didn't get to taste the
wines.  Still I managed to keep them under control long enough to pick up
several cases of wine.  By then it was getting late enough for dinner.
	While they didn't get any wine, the boys were impressed with
dinner.  They should have been because the price could only be described as
somewhat expensive.  Still, the meal was simply delicious.  I had eaten at
this particular winery before and knew the food was good so didn't worry
about the cost.  It was a nice leisurely dinner, served in courses, and
took almost two hours.  We were all sated by the time it was over.
	Dog was thrilled to see us when we got back to the trailer.  LT
took him for a walk.  Dog didn't really need a leash but the rules called
for it so LT got out the one with the long lead that rolled up into its
housing.  By the time they got back it was time for bed.
	Saturday we drove into San Francisco and I took the boys for a tour
of the Castro district.  Their eyes about bugged out from seeing open
displays of affection from gay and lesbian couples.  In a short while I
felt Corey's hand take mine as we continued walking.  Soon I noticed that
JJ and LT were also holding hands.  As we walked along occasionally we
would receive little smiles from some of the other people walking.  The day
had turned out sunny and the air was sparkling clean after the tail end of
the storm had pushed out last night.  There were so many things to see that
were different than most other cities.  I suppose part of it is because it
is one of the older cities in California and part of it is because there is
such a shortage of space.  Most other American cities had room to sprawl
where San Francisco had no such room.  The boys were more familiar with the
typical California cityscape.  You know, the kind of city where people just
kept moving a little further from the center and soon built shops in those
areas they moved to, quickly leaving a person with no clearly defined idea
of what a city actually is.  I guess kind of like Los Angeles, you know, a
great big area which once had a lot of little towns and now is just a mass
population center that has filled in all the area between those little
towns.  I pointed out a few things I was familiar with and explained what
little I knew about the city.
          Corey complained that he felt like some of the men were
undressing him with their eyes and JJ and LT agreed.  They weren't the only
ones to notice that.  I just told them now they had some idea of what I had
meant when we talked about chicken hawks.  We stopped at several shops and
everyone seemed friendly and for the most part we all enjoyed it.
        We were all ready for lunch.  We had gotten an early start and by
lunch time had walked the equivalent of several miles.  The café we
selected had a young waiter who flirted shamelessly with the boys.  They
giggled and blushed and kept sneaking peeks at him.  When he'd catch them
watching him, he'd grin and the boys would again blush while dropping their
gaze.  He appeared to be about eighteen to twenty and was what I would call
damned good looking.  He was about five foot ten and slender, had his black
hair spiked and was one of the few people I thought looked alright that
way, and his tight ass looked great in the skin tight jeans he was wearing.
When he was walking away from us, the boys almost drooled.  His long
eyelashes set off his blue eyes and the perpetual grin he wore showed off
his brilliant white teeth.  I think the boys also thought he was good
looking.  I was just enjoying watching them.  This was clearly the first
time they had ever seen anything like a gay district.  It sure was
different from our little town which had started out as a mill town for a
lumber company.  The mill had been closed for years but there were still a
large number of the residents who worked for that same timber company.  I
don't think they thought anyone would ever flirt with them but they were
really enjoying it.  I know something like this would have never happened
at home.  Our town was much too conservative.
        The boys actually dawdled over their meal.  I had a hard time
keeping a straight face as they invented all kinds of ways to stall and get
glimpses of the waiter.  He helped them all he could and I ended up
rewarding him for his efforts.  A twenty-eight dollar lunch earned him a
twelve dollar tip.  It was worth every penny of it to watch the boys
interact with him.
        Dog was glad when we got back to the pickup.  He'd been happy
enough when we left him there about half way through the morning but he now
wanted to walk some more.  I had put his bed in the back and we left the
canopy windows open for him but he was clearly bored and wanted to do
something.  We walked around a little more before deciding to do something
else.
        I had originally planned on having the afternoons free to visit
with Corey's mother but the rehab center had suggested that it would be
better to give her a couple of weeks before we visited and then we could
start to visit and offer support.  They thought she needed the time to
start to get her thoughts in order.  That meant that we had all the time to
ourselves.  We decided to check out The Presidio.
        The boys were impressed with Battery Chamberlin.  They made several
comments about how if they had a gun that big, those clay targets could
never get away.  I laughed and asked them how they would manage to shoulder
and swing it but they didn't seem to worry about little things like that.
I also asked how much shot it would take for a six inch gun.  They seemed
to feel a twenty-five pound bag or so would work for each shot.
        The pet cemetery amused them.  None of them had ever thought about
having a place to bury pets.  The old Spanish cannons close to Pershing
House also interested them.  Those three century old cannons were a lot
different from the six inch rifle at Battery Chamberlin.  We walked part of
the trails and just enjoyed the lovely weather and the interesting views.
As we explored I couldn't help but wonder why I had never done so before.
I'd spent my life not that far from The Presidio and this was the first
time I had ever been here.  Corey was snapping all kinds of pictures and
finally had my digital camera because he was out of film.  By closing time
everyone had walked enough and we were all happy to relax in the pickup.
        Dinner in Chinatown was quite an experience.  Before we ate I took
them to one of the herbal shops so they could learn a little about some of
the things used in Chinese medicine.  The boys decided they would stick
with plain old American medicine.  It wasn't quite as bad as eye of newt
and bat's tongues but came pretty close.  We wandered around a little
before eating.  It seemed almost like a different world.  We managed to get
seats at the Chinatown Restaurant and pigged out.  The dim sum was
delicious.
        By the time we finished eating, the boys had had enough.  It was
time to head for the trailer.  Dog was tired of being in the pickup but
settled down once we headed out of town.  The boys were in the back seat
and Dog had his head on my right leg.  It had been a fun day and we'd all
enjoyed it.  Of all the things they talked about as we drove to the
campground and the trailer, the waiter at lunch was the winner, hands down.
        Sunday they wanted to go back to the Castro district.  I thought we
ought to see something else and when I suggested that we could have lunch
there, they agreed that we could look at another part of the city.  They
then decided we should check out Fisherman's Wharf.
        Boy the parking is expensive.  The only way I can describe it is
shocking.  $5.50 and hour will do that to you.  Still, the boys enjoyed it.
They looked at the sea lions which had taken over a marina and were
everywhere you looked.  What had been wharfs to tie your boat to were now
just covered with sea lions that just seemed to ignore the people and go
about their business, barking and making lots of noise.  After checking out
the sea lions the boys tried a kind of rinky dink bungee jumping thing in
which you get hooked up in a harness with some bungee cords attached and
jump on a trampoline.  Their whoops and hollers were almost as loud as the
sea lions.
        I did manage to buy some live crabs.  I got a bunch of them and
bought one of those Styrofoam containers and some ice to pack them in.  The
boys were fascinated with the crabs but were willing to keep their fingers
away from them.  By now it was time to go have lunch.
        The waiter wasn't there.  It was one of his days off.  I had three
crestfallen boys.  The lunch was still good but not nearly as enjoyable as
yesterday's.  One of the other waiters looked quite attractive but he
didn't spend his time flirting with them so they ruled him out.  After
lunch I figured it was time to head home.
        We hooked up the trailer and started for our little part of the
world.  Some clouds were starting to drift in so it looked like we had
really lucked out with the weather.  Corey was in front with me and Dog was
between JJ and LT.  The boys picked out some CDs and with the stereo
blasting we just drifted up the highway.  I figured we would get home just
in time to eat dinner.  I stopped at Downie's and grabbed some French bread
and some deli potato salad on the way home and once the trailer was parked,
it was time to unload everything.
        While the boys were packing things into the house I put a big
kettle filled with water and some salt on the stove.  By the time they had
everything in the house, the water was almost up to a boil.  I had the
garlic bread fixed and soon was popping crabs in the boiling water.  By the
time the crabs were cooked, the butter with a few cloves of garlic in it
was melted and it was time to eat.
        I'd grabbed some beer at Downie's and we sat and ate crab and drank
that non-alcoholic beer.  The Dungeness crabs were delicious, dipped in the
butter and washed down with a little beer.  We managed to eat all but two
of those crabs.  We cracked and picked the meat out of the remaining crabs
for a salad.  We were all stuffed.  I don't think there is anything better
than fresh cooked crab, washed down with a little beer.  It had been a real
fun weekend.

        	To be continued...


        For what it's worth.  If you have access to live Dungeness crab, I
don't think there is anything better.  I've had other crabs and even
lobster but to my taste the Dungeness is still the best.  They are best
cooked in sea water but you can just use salted water.  For live but cool
crab, about fifteen minutes for nice big crabs in boiling water is about
right.  Cool just enough to handle and peel back off.  Start cracking and
dipping the crab meat in a little melted butter (I like a little garlic in
mine) and enjoy.  If you peel the back off before cooking, you can cut the
time down by three or four minutes.  Smaller ones cook a little quicker but
not much.  You still need to get the shell hot before the heat actually
cooks the meat so you only save a minute or so.  Dungeness is a lot better
than King Crab, or for that matter Chesapeake Bay crabs.  I've also tried
Tanner crabs and a couple of others I have forgotten the names of.
However, a word of warning.  Once the crab has been cooked and allowed to
cool, the magical taste is lost.  Once cooled there are several crabs that
are almost as good.  They must still be warm to hot to be fully enjoyed.
The cooked ones you see in the markets are alright.  Sorry but that's the
best I can say for them.  Of course if you can't get live crabs, the cooked
ones are a lot better than no crab.