Date: Mon, 22 Jan 2007 22:21:50 -0800
From: fritz@nehalemtel.net
Subject: I Love Corey, 91

	Once again it is time to warn all you poor people about the evils
of stumbling across and reading this story.  Such evils are many and you
need to take them into consideration before scanning down the page and
reading further.  So moving right along, here goes.

	For those of you below the age of majority, the law says not to
read such despicable things.  Now remember, the law is there to protect
you.  What, you don't think you need protection?  Well the do-gooders think
you do.  They are firmly convinced that if only everyone held their high
and lofty ideas, the world would be a better place to live.  That might be
true, but sadly there are many who do not hold such lofty ideas and since
we need to factor them in, I've always felt that people were better off
knowing about things than sticking their heads in the sand.  Besides,
sticking your head in the sand only causes you to sneeze when the sand
trickles up your nose.  It's kind of like them, the do-gooders, saying that
it is wrong to defend yourself.  They have it all figured out that if you
don't resist, the police will protect you and you will have no need for
self-defense.  I am left wondering how many police it will take to defend
everyone (twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week) in a manner that
would eliminate the need for self-defense.  Don't believe me?  Check out
what the trusty United Nations and some of its people are saying on the
subject.  Anyhow, if you read this story you may learn enough to know what
you need to be protected from.  Just don't let anyone catch you doing it.

	Yes, occasionally there are some descriptions of gay sex, but if
that bothers you what were you looking for when you found this story?
Sorry, I don't believe you found it accidentally.  Not only that, I have a
hard time believing that someone grabbed you and is forcing you to read
this.  In other words, quit your bitching.

	Since the do-gooders have had such poor luck protecting anyone from
anything, why is it that they pass silly laws prohibiting the reading of
certain things?  Are they really so stupid as to think those laws will do
any good?  I thought we believed in free speech and all that, but I find
that to many, that means only free speech to them and not to me.  Sorry,
but it is a two way street.  If you want free speech, then you have to
allow everyone the right to free speech.  That means no one is allowed to
prohibit people from saying or reading what they wish.  Granted that in
certain areas of the world governments, either by themselves or with the
aid of various religious groups, feel they have the right to limit speech,
but I don't and won't live there, nor will I obey such rules.

	This story is the product of a somewhat deranged mind.  How do I
know that?  Well, if you had to live in my mind you wouldn't ask such a
silly question.  Anyhow, I promise it is not based on any actual people or
happenings within my knowledge.

	Since I wrote it, please be nice and accord me all the rights and
privileges of any other author.  I know I'm not very good at writing, but
still, it is the best I can do with my limited ability.  You are free to
read and enjoy it, but please credit me for any quotes you use from it, and
share with me the money you make from any commercial use of it.

	Once again Don has helped by editing and he deserves thanks from
all of us.

	Ah yes, now is the time to tell you that should you have any
questions, suggestion, complaints, or comments to send them to
fritz@nehalemtel.net, and be sure to put "I Love Corey" in the subject line
of the email so I don't delete you.  (I wasn't going to put that part about
putting "I Love Corey" in the subject line, but Don worries that you might
not remember, and he is likely right, at least judging by my own memory.)
I like this part because it means I am approaching the end of this silly
warning.  All I have left to say is that should you wish to be notified
when chapters are posted, drop me an email and ask to be put on the chapter
notification list.  I hope you enjoy the following chapter.  Fritz
***********************************************************

			I Love Corey, Chapter Ninety-one

	Sometime during the night there had been a shuffling of position on
my bed.  When I woke up I had David in front of me and Dog was now where he
had been.  How those two switched position without waking me I don't know,
but sometime after I had gone to sleep they'd managed it.  As I started to
get up David hung onto my arm, which was draped across him, and he wouldn't
let go.  I needed to make a pit stop badly and he was making that
difficult.  I managed to get my arm loose and dashed for the bathroom.
Blessed relief.

	When I came back into my bedroom Dog raised his head and wagged his
tail.  Other than that it was like everyone was dead.  Not a boy was
moving.  I blinked a couple of times and could see they were all breathing,
but beyond that nothing.  My clock said five twenty, ten minutes before it
would normally go off on a Monday.  I knew it wouldn't do me any good to go
back to bed so I headed for the kitchen to plug in the coffee pot.

	One hour, two cups of coffee, and most of the morning paper later
Dog came out.  I figured I would soon have company and sure enough, Corey
came walking out.  Before he made it to the kitchen he was passed by two
little bodies and the next thing I knew I had my arms and lap full of kids.
I started reading the funnies to them while Corey squeezed oranges.  When
it looked like he had enough squeezed, I got up and served the oatmeal,
which I had cooked this morning.  For the next forty-five minutes people
came wandering out and eating their breakfast.  The toaster was busy and
Corey had to squeeze more oranges because Uncle Matt, Aunt Sandy, and I
needed some liquid after last night.  I only had part of another glass, but
Uncle Matt poured two glasses down almost without taking a breath.  He
settled back with his third glass and just sat there quietly.  The wine had
been good, but I think we drank just a little too much of it.  I wasn't
what you could call hung over, but I was not at my best.

	Kyle was almost ready to catch the bus when Kath came running into
the house, apologizing for oversleeping and not fixing breakfast.  She
finally slowed to a halt when she noticed the giggle boxes playing with
their bowls of oatmeal.  By now I'd had one and a half glasses of juice,
three cups of coffee, and some oatmeal, so I felt pretty good.  It was time
to plan the day.

	David had a nine o'clock appointment to see Dr. Logan and then I
planned on taking him and Andrea shopping.  Kath wanted to know why I
wanted Andrea to go shopping with me, and I don't think she believed me
when I told her that I thought she would do a good job of helping David
pick out some new clothes.  I probably wouldn't have gotten away with it
but she was still feeling guilty about being late to fix breakfast so her
mind wasn't really thinking about what I was saying.  Everything was going
well until Uncle Matt wanted to go with us and I couldn't think of a good
reason to turn him down.  I knew he wanted to work on me and try to get me
to change my mind, but I hadn't made up my mind and didn't want to talk
about it yet.

	We had no more than pulled out of the driveway when Uncle Matt
started in.

	"Sammy, I'm sorry.  We should have talked with you before we
started planning.  Then Sandy got a little carried away and she hadn't even
told me half of her ideas.  I don't blame you for being pissed, but before
you make up your mind won't you at least take a look at the property?"

	That was the trouble with Uncle Matt.  He was always so reasonable
and I wasn't in the mood to be reasonable.  While my mind wasn't made-up,
it was leaning very strongly.  I couldn't think of any reason I wanted to
be twenty to thirty minutes further from my work, and there was also the
problem of hauling the boys to various activities.  I already sometimes
felt like a taxi service and moving further away would only make it worse.

	"Yeah, I'll look at the property before I decide," I answered.
There must have been something in the way I said that because Uncle Matt
looked at me and didn't say anything more.  Instead he turned to Andrea and
started asking her how she liked her new room.  A couple minutes later we
were at Vince's office.

	There is something about the smell of hospitals and doctor's
offices I don't care for.  Luck was with us and we got in ten minutes
early.  Andrea and Uncle Matt stayed in the Gator to continue talking.

	David was pretty nervous about meeting Dr. Logan, but Vince and I
started visiting away while he was looking David over.  That seemed to calm
him somewhat, and after Vince had given him the once over he got serious
and asked David a whole bunch of questions about his health.  David
answered part of them, but on some things he just clammed up.  Vince didn't
make a big deal of it and just continued on with his questions.  When the
questions were finished Vince asked me to step outside the exam room and
wait a few minutes.  The few minutes turned into fifteen minutes and when I
was invited back in I could see David was very upset.

	"You know he's been sexually abused," Vince said.

	"No, I didn't, but I suspected that might be the case."  I could
see David was getting even more upset and was now unwilling to meet my
gaze.  I continued, "When he's ready to talk about it he will, but for now
it isn't an issue.  How are things looking with his stump?"

	"I'm going to set up appointments with some people.  His stump is
almost healed enough to remove the stitches.  If it hadn't been for the
severity of the infection he would already be being fitted with a
prosthesis, but it took some time to make sure it healed.  By the way, you
need to wrap his arm a little tighter.  That helps keep the swelling down."

	We talked a few more minutes while Vince showed me how tight to
wrap the bandages and his nurse handed me some appointment cards as we were
leaving.  I was almost through the door when Vince called out.

	"By the way Sam, an old friend of mine who specializes in child
psychiatry is moving to town.  I know at one time you were looking for
someone to work with some of your boys and thought I'd mention it."

	"You think he could work with them?" I asked without thinking.

	Vince laughed.  "Yes, I think he ought to be able to work with
them.  He's gay himself so they ought to be able to communicate about some
things and I know damn well he would understand.  He's pretty highly
thought of, but he got tired of the rat race and decided to move here.
He's got a couple of kids you'll likely see in school next year.  He says
he didn't want to finish raising his kids in Detroit.  He grew up in Weed
so this isn't far from where he was raised and his folks still live in
Weed.  I think you'll like him."

	"Let's see if I've got this right.  He's gay and has a couple of
kids, right?" I asked.

	"You got it right, he's just like you," Vince said.  "Although in
his defense I don't think he's quite a silly as you are.  He only took on
two kids, not a whole house full of them."

	I was surprised at Vince's statement.  Suddenly it seemed as if
everyone was willing to mention his or her knowledge of my sexuality.  I
was once again left with my mouth hanging open as I tried to figure out
what to say.  As I was trying to come up with some words I could see a
shocked look on David's face.  He looked like his eyes had doubled in size
and were about two feet in front of his face.  I was reminded of the
cartoons where the character's eyes were on springs and jumped clear out of
his head.

	"Ah—well maybe we could—ah—like maybe—well we might compare some
notes someday," I sputtered out.

	"There's more to the story than that, but I'll let him tell it.
He's a darn nice guy and I think you'll like him.  You'll probably like his
partner too.  Ben's also a doctor, but he specializes in internal medicine.
Ben's going to replace Dr. Simpson who's retiring."

	At least here was something I could talk about until I could get
myself pulled back together.  "I hadn't heard about Dr. Simpson retiring.
He's been here what, like almost fifty years?  The place won't be the same
without him."

	"More like fifty-two years.  He says that's long enough and he and
his wife want to travel before they get too old," Vince said with a laugh.
"I only hope I can do as well as he does when I'm seventy-eight."

	We visited a couple more minutes before I made my escape.  As we
were walking back to the Gator David turned to me.

	"You're gay?" he said.  He sounded incredulous.

	"Yeah, I'm gay," I answered.

	"Why—why didn't you tell me?"

	"Because you didn't ask.  If you had asked, I would have told you.
Besides, it isn't that important.  Being gay is only a small part of who I
am," I answered.

	"Ah—well do—ah do you want to ah—do things—ah—things to me?" he
asked.

	I wasn't sure how to answer him.  I didn't want him to feel
rejected, but I certainly didn't want to do any "things", as he put it, to
him.

	"David, doing things, as you put it, is something that both people
need to want.  I think you're a nice young man, but no, I don't want to do
things to you.  What I would like is to be your friend and help you.
People should only do things with each other when they love each other in a
special way."

	That seemed like a lame answer, but I needed some time to think
about what I wanted to say and so far I was still trying to recover from
Vince's remarks.  At least David didn't pursue the subject and we got in
the Gator and took off for Redding.

	Uncle Matt and Andrea were chatting and Uncle Matt was getting a
lot of information out of her.  As I drove along listening to him, I
realized just how good he was with people.  His questions never seemed like
he was prying, more like he was trying to understand something and people
had a tendency to open up and try to explain so he would understand.  He'd
get a quizzical look on his face and Andrea would then supply much more
information to answer his questions.  I was pretty sure some of the
information she supplied would have never been volunteered had he asked her
direct questions on it.

	We arrived at the mall and it was now time to see about clothes.
Uncle Matt and I gathered both of them up and headed for Macy's.  That
seemed like a reasonable place to start.  I figured we would end up at all
the other places to buy clothing before it was over, but we could start
here.

	So I was wrong about it.  Macy's turned out to be having a sale, as
usual, and once I'd convinced Andrea she needed to pick out one outfit for
herself, her clothing problem was soon solved.  She was a girl after my
heart.  She didn't fiddle around and worry about which item to choose, she
looked it over and if she liked it, she took it.  In about ten minutes she
was done and her outfit was paid for.  I would have told her to get more,
but I figured I was already in enough trouble with the one.  I hoped to
calm Kath down by telling her the outfit was payment for Andrea's help.

	David turned out to be the problem.  He was so afraid of offending
us that it was hard to get him to voice an opinion.  I was left having to
make the decisions and all I had to go on was his body language.  I didn't
get him as many clothes as the rest of the boys since I knew he was likely
to gain some weight, but we did manage to get him a respectable starting
wardrobe.  Andrea was a big help with him since she quickly eliminated many
things, saying they weren't in or cool.

	One interesting occurrence was in the underwear department.  Andrea
told him he should have a specific kind of underwear because they were
sexy.  David blushed bright red, but she was right, they were sexy.  I
really don't know why he was bothered by it because they were the same kind
Corey frequently wore, and as far as that went so did I, so he had seen
them before.

	I couldn't believe it.  We had everything we needed picked out,
purchased, and in the Gator just in time to have lunch.  The rest of my
knot heads would have spent much more time picking out clothes.  At least
Andrea wasn't as shocked over prices as the boys had been on their first
shopping trip, and David still was trying to adjust and I don't think he
even noticed prices.

	The food court was on the other end of the mall from Macy's.  David
was starting to look tired so I sent them on their way towards it while I
took the last of the purchases to the Gator and then moved it closer to the
food court end.  When I got inside, no kids or Uncle Matt.  I stood there
for almost twenty minutes before they showed up.  They had stopped and
looked at CD's and had to listen to a few.

	After lunch we headed home.  Andrea was happy with her clothes and
was bubbling on while Uncle Matt encouraged her.  I could tell Uncle Matt
was still uncomfortable with the way I was being quiet, but I was in no
mood to talk about the property or moving there.  Every so often he would
look at me and then go back to talking with Andrea.  David just dozed in
the back seat.  I think Uncle Matt was glad when we got home and he could
get away from me.

	Once the tags were all off, I headed downstairs to wash David's new
clothes.  I knew I was in trouble when Aunt Sandy followed me down.

	"Sam, what's the problem?" she asked.

	Since she was well aware of what the problem was, she was trying to
get me upset and then make me feel guilty.  I'd seen her work that on Uncle
Matt and wasn't falling for it, so I patiently answered, making sure to
keep my voice in a conversational tone.

	"How would you like it if I had walked in and told you that you
were moving and where you were moving without any warning?"

	I don't think that was what she expected since she didn't have an
immediate answer.

	"That wasn't the way we meant it," she finally said.

	"Then it won't bother you if I decide not to move out there?" I
answered her.

	Once again she was silent as I finished loading the clothes in the
washer and getting it started.  Once that was finished I turned to her.

	"Look Sandy, there's nothing wrong with this place, and it's close
to work.  I can be there in ten minutes.  Now I'm not saying I won't move
out there, but I haven't even seen the property yet and it would take what,
twenty or thirty minutes longer to drive to work.  Those thirty minutes
aren't much except for the fact that it is thirty minutes for everything.
That means hauling the boys everywhere instead of letting them ride their
bikes or walk.  When they get driver's licenses it won't be as big a deal,
but right now that's a strike against it.  I may look it over and decide
that it's worth the extra driving, but it won't do any good to try to
pressure me until I've at least seen it."

	"I just thought you'd like to be close the Kevin and Kristen," she
replied.

	"Of course I want to be close to my favorite niece and nephew, but
do you really want them running in and out with me spoiling them rotten?
Be careful what you wish for, it might come true."

	Aunt Sandy started to smile.  "I hadn't thought of it like that.  I
wonder where they'd sleep?" she asked while her smile was turning into a
smirk.

	"No fair unless you buy me a double king-sized bed," I said.
"Those two turkeys get any bigger and there won't be room for me in my own
bed."

	"When are you going to look at the property?" she asked, changing
the subject back after I'd managed to get it away from, the whole property
thing.

	"I'd planned on going this afternoon, but so far I keep getting
sidetracked.  What are the boys up to?"

	"They said something about going downtown."

	"I guess I can go look now.  If they get home Kath will be at her
place."  With that I headed upstairs.  I left a quick note for the boys,
gathered up Uncle Matt and David, and we were off to see the property.  I
had no problem gathering up the giggle boxes, but I hadn't planned on Dog.
Oh well, there was plenty of room for David, the giggle boxes, and Dog in
the back, but it was a little crowded with Uncle Matt, Aunt Sandy, and me
in the front.

	I was impressed.  The setting Uncle Matt and Aunt Sandy had
selected was on a slight knoll, and since the property was higher than much
of the surrounding area, there was a nice view.  When I stood there and
looked around I realized that there was a logging road not that far from
where we were standing.  A little more thought told me that if we got
permission to use it, the actual distance from my house was less than a
mile.  I didn't say anything about that because I didn't want to get
anyone's hopes up, but I was pretty sure that there would be no problems
using the logging road since the gate was further up it and there were a
couple of other homes above where we were and whose owners had permission
to use it.  I wasn't even sure that the place we could put a driveway in
was on the actual logging road or if it was part of the county road system.

	The little stream was about ten feet wide and a couple hundred
yards from where they wanted to build.  The property was rectangular and
the stream ran through it the long way.

	When we walked over to where the original buildings had been, I
could see the remains of the house, which had collapsed, a barn, and a
couple of other buildings and several rusting old cars sitting around.  One
of the smaller building's roof had fallen in and it was resting on another
old car which I could just see a small part of through a place where one
board had popped open when the roof collapsed.  The building had no windows
and there was the remains of an old padlock on the door.  I wiggled far
enough into the remains of the building through the missing board to see
what kind of car it was.  I couldn't see much, but I did figure out I was
looking at a Duesenberg.  It didn't look like that much damage had been
done to it by the collapsed roof, but there was a dent in the car's roof.
I thought the Gator was big, but I didn't know what big was.  That sucker
was huge.  I'd only heard about Duesenbergs and that was the first one I'd
ever seen.  There wasn't enough room to get a door open, but outside of a
dented roof it looked to be in pretty good shape.

	When I scrambled back out of the remains of the building I turned
to Uncle Matt.  "Did you know what kind of car is in there?"

	"No," he laughed.  "You're smaller than I am and I couldn't get in
there.  What is it?"

	"A Duesenberg."

	"What's a Duesenberg?  I seem to remember hearing that name
before."

	"Probably one of the most famous makes of cars ever built," I
answered.  "They were made in the late nineteen twenties and part of the
thirties."

	Uncle Matt just looked blank.  So did Aunt Sandy and David.  The
giggle boxes were paying no attention and were busy chasing Dog around.  I
was the only one who was excited, and I was happy just to see a Duesy.  I'd
seen a program on television on Duesenbergs and that was all I knew about
them, but I knew there weren't very many of them and that they had cost a
lot of money when new.

	I was just about to explain all that to Uncle Matt when my cell
phone rang.  It was Ralph, and he had decided on what to ask for the
property.  I was surprised he'd called me on my cell phone since I didn't
even remember giving him the number and commented on it, but he told me
that one of the boys had answered and given him my cell number.

	Anyhow, the price he wanted was $350,000.  When I reported that to
Uncle Matt, he told me to tell Ralph he would take it.

	I put the phone back to my ear.  "I guess you've sold it.  I do
have a question though, what about the old cars? There--,"

	"For that kind of money you'll have to remove them yourself," Ralph
interrupted me.  "I'm not going to come up there and find someone to remove
them."

	"With most of them that isn't a problem.  The one I wanted to talk
about is the one in the old building--,"

	Once again I was interrupted.  "That goes for all the cars," Ralph
said.  "Don't try to talk me down on price because I won't go down.  You'll
just have to get rid of them anyway you see fit.  Now do you want the
property or not?"

	"Ralph, I think you need to listen for a few seconds.  There's a
Duesenberg in a building and you need to decide what you want to do about
it."

	"I told you I'm...  A Duesenberg?  I don't know anything about a
Duesenberg and it isn't mine.  Now are you going to quit trying to Jew me
down?"  Ralph was starting to sound upset and almost panicked.

	"Okay, we'll worry about the cars.  Now how do you want the money?"
We can arrange a bank draft or whatever you want.  The money can be put in
escrow so it's yours as soon as the title search clears," I said.

	"Oh...," was what I heard in reply.  After a bit Ralph continued,
"How long will that take?" in a much calmer voice.

	"I don't know.  It shouldn't take over a few days.  It's getting
too late to get anything done today, but first thing tomorrow I can get
people started on it.  Will you be home in the morning so they can call you
if they need any information?"

	There was a short pause before Ralph answered, "I'll be home until
three.  I've got a doctor's appointment and I need to leave by three to get
there."

	We finished up our call and I turned to Uncle Matt.  "There's
something funny going on here.  Ralph gets upset at the mention of any
cars, especially the Duesenberg.  I don't know what the deal is, but do you
still want to go ahead?  We've got the rest of the evening to think about
it before we have to commit."

	"What do you mean something funny?" Aunt Sandy asked.

	"Well," I paused, "He seemed to be getting almost hysterical when I
brought up the cars, and when I mentioned the Duesy, it was even more so.
I don't know; it was more of a feeling.  It was like he was afraid to even
talk about them."

	None of us could come up with any thoughts on the subject so we
walked on over and looked the barn over more closely.  It had obviously
been built much later than the house and appeared in surprisingly good
condition.  The barn must have been about fifty feet wide by ninety feet or
so long and was an old-fashioned type barn with a hip roof. It needed a
paint job and a new roof, but otherwise appeared sound from the outside.
We couldn't get into it because of blackberries growing around the doors,
but where we could see the building it looked pretty good.  The whole area
had a bunch of blackberries growing in various clumps and other brush was
scattered around, but it looked like it wouldn't take much to get it back
into pasture again if Uncle Matt and Aunt Sandy were serious about getting
some horses for the giggle boxes.

	While we continued to look things over, David went back to the
Gator and rested.  I needed to take some time and try to talk with him, but
this weekend had been too busy to find time to do so.  I wished Uncle Matt
and Aunt Sandy would go home and leave us alone for a while, but that
didn't appear to be on their list of things to do at this moment.  I'd
mentioned Kevin and Kristen were missing school, but that didn't worry them
either.  I appeared to be stuck with them and Bruno and Sarah would arrive
Wednesday so things weren't getting any better.  Then my cell phone rang
again.  It was Russ and he had just filed the adoption papers for the boys
and he didn't yet know when the hearing would be scheduled, but said it
would probably be within the next few weeks.  We didn't talk much, but he
told me he would let me know as soon as he heard when the hearing was set.
I was surprised to learn he'd even managed to file papers for LT although
it had only been a couple of days since I'd called him and told him that LT
had decided he wanted to be adopted also.  Jeez, I felt like I was on a
treadmill or something.  I kept getting further behind and nothing I did
seemed to help.

	We finished looking the property over and headed home.  Uncle Matt
was driving and I was in the back with the kids and Dog.  The giggle boxes
were squirming all over, but David was saying nothing and sitting hunched
up in one corner next to a door.  I wished I could just hold him and try to
talk with him, but between the giggle boxes and Aunt Sandy and Uncle Matt I
was busy talking and answering questions.

	Kath was cooking when we got home.  It would have been better had
she waited for us since she still didn't understand enough about the use of
spices, but it was better than her efforts had been when she was first
here.  The macaroni and cheese needed more salt and a lot more cheese, but
it was the worst of her efforts.  The hamburger patties were slightly flat
and slightly overcooked, but pretty decent, and the green beans and the
salad were good.  I still wasn't used to someone putting plain bread and a
dish of butter on the table, but the boys inhaled it like they thought it
was great.  The thought went through my mind that perhaps I didn't need to
make such a big production out of things, like making biscuits or fixing
garlic bread, when I was serving a bread course.  Then again, maybe they
ate that much bread and butter because she was still not used to cooking in
such large quantities.  Even Dog got short-changed at dinner.  I would have
increased the macaroni by at least a pound and the hamburger patties by a
like amount, if not more.  When the beans and salad bowls were completely
empty and the boys were still eating bread and butter, to me that was a
good indication that they were not filled up.  The macaroni and hamburger
patties had bit the dust long before the boys were down to beans and bread.
I had suspicions that there would be a big run on ice cream and popcorn
tonight.  Thank goodness I had just bought another three gallon container
of ice cream and the popcorn supply, while not as big, should be
sufficient.  About all I could say was that Kath was trying and I
appreciated her efforts.

	After dinner Uncle Matt and Aunt Sandy wanted to talk, but I begged
off and instead got David aside to talk with him.  The talk was less than
successful.  David still wasn't willing to trust me, and no matter how I
explained things I got little information.  After a while I was about to
give up, but I tried one last thing.

	"David, you told me you don't think you deserve to live.  Is that
because you're gay, or is there another reason?  If it is, then most of us
in this house don't deserve to live by that standard because outside of my
relatives, only one person living here is not gay and he's only twelve."  I
hated to out everyone like that, but I wasn't getting anywhere and David
needed to understand that people could be gay and lead happy lives.

	"You—you mean—like Jason's gay?" he stammered.

	"Yup, and so is LT and they're boyfriends."

	"But, well I thought..." he trailed off.

	"You thought what, that gays were some kind of evil people who did
terrible things?  That's what some people want you to believe, but it isn't
even close to the truth.  I don't know what people have told you, but being
gay isn't bad.  The problem with being gay is some people think it's bad
and they tell outrageous lies about gay people.  Those people are ill
educated and bigots."  I took a deep breath before continuing.

	"There are many people who say gays commit all kinds of horrible
crimes such as raping boys, but the truth is that when actual statistics
are looked at, gays are no more likely to commit such crimes than people
who identify themselves as heterosexual.  The truth is there are a few bad
people in any large group, but those who seek to demonize gays conveniently
overlook the heterosexuals who commit the same crimes, instead blaming it
all on gays.  There have been a number of studies done, and the results are
that crime patterns are about equal between gays and straights.  So if
someone has been telling you that gays are evil people because they're the
ones who commit all those type of crimes, that person is either misinformed
or lying.

	"Then there are the religious bigots who pick a passage from a
religious work and twist it to say things it was never intended to say.
Many Christians pick passages in the Old Testament to make their arguments
against gays, but they conveniently overlook the passages which tell them
to make sacrifices, hold slaves, or treat women as property just to name a
few.  They claim that the Bible is the word of God and we must obey it.
Well fine, then let them obey all of God's laws as stated in the Old
Testament, but they don't do that.  For example, the Bible clearly states
in the Old Testament that you can't eat pork or shellfish, yet they
overlook that.  They glorify such things as when Jephthah burned his only
daughter Adah as a sacrifice to the Lord for helping him win battles over
the children of Ammon as told in Judges, chapter eleven, verses 29 through
forty, representing it as an example of people being so religious that they
were willing to kill their own children and that we should all be that
religious.  In Deuteronomy we are told to investigate anyone who leads
people from the path of God and if they are found guilty of that, we are to
put them to the sword and burn them and the city to ashes.  It goes on and
on, but the fact is they are not willing to obey all the laws they find in
the Old Testament.  Instead they are merely hypocrites who chose to believe
and follow those laws which they select and the result is that they can
only be accurately described as bigots.  So if you don't think you deserve
to live because of what some religious bigot has said, tell him you will be
happy to follow his teachings as soon as he follows all the laws in the
Bible—"

	"But my step-dad never told me about any of that stuff," David
interrupted.  "He just told me how bad I was."

	"He told you that you were bad because you told him you liked boys
instead of girls?" I asked.

	David couldn't even speak, but instead nodded his head. We were
sitting on the couch in my office and I reached over and pulled him to me.
He started crying and all I could do was hold him and tell him he wasn't a
bad person just for liking boys.  When he was somewhat calmed down and the
tears had stopped, I fired up my computer and spent the following hour
looking up Bible quotes about such subjects as slavery, murder, human
sacrifice, and so on, all the while pointing out that none of those things
were now approved of even though they were said to be the laws of God in
the Bible.

	"I don't want to be a Christian," David said.

	"David, you need to look at it differently.  Yes, there is much
wrong with many religious organizations, but there is much good in them
also.  For example, many religious charities spend large amounts of money
helping people.  They help provide medical care to many people, or food, or
clothing.  You also need to understand that not all members of any religion
believe everything in that religion so there are many religious people who
are good people and should be respected and admired.  Many people who
consider themselves Christians have grown up and now wouldn't dream of
supporting many of the things which are supported by the Bible.  Yet there
are always a few who refuse to understand that the Bible is not really the
word of God, but instead a book, written by men, about a story that was
handed down by word of mouth for hundreds of generations.  There are good
ideas and bad ideas in that book.  It is up to us to understand which is
which.  It is not that religion itself is bad, only that some men use it
for bad purposes.  The Christians are no different than many other
religions, such as Islam.  Both have things in their Holy Books which can
only be described as bad and evil, yet they also contain many things which
are good.  For example, in many places in the Christian Bible we are told
to love thy neighbor as thyself.  That means we should treat people fairly
and honestly.  I don't think anyone can disagree with that, but in other
places it tells us to kill them because they may not follow the exact
teachings of that same Christian Bible.  Even worse, there are so many
contradictions in the Bible that it is impossible to follow it.  In one
passage we may be told to kill people, and in another told not to kill
those same people.

	"As for not wanting to be a Christian, no one says you have to be.
Oh sure, there are those Christians who think you have to belong to their
faith, but they have no right under our country's laws to force you to
belong.  You are free to belong, or not belong as the case may be, to any
religion you wish.

	"For reasons I can't really explain, I choose to believe there is a
God, but I certainly don't believe much of the Christian Bible.  I suppose
I believe because that's the way I was raised, but I'm not even sure of
that.  More likely it is because there are so many things in the world that
I can't explain any other way than that of a God.  People seek to
understand things, and when they have no way to understand something, they
invent ways to explain them.  God, or gods, is one such explanation for
those things we have not learned enough to understand.  Yeah, it's an
intellectual cop-out, but I can't break my belief that there is a God who
started the whole universe going.  I remember sitting around when I was in
college and debating this subject while drinking beer.  None of us ever
changed anyone's mind, but we had a good time drinking beer and debating."

	I knew there was lots more I could say, but I was out of words to
say it.  David continued to lean against me and I continued to rub his
shoulder with my thumb.  It felt good to have my arm across his shoulders,
holding him and hopefully helping him come to understand he wasn't a bad
person.  After ten minutes or so I turned to him.

	"Feel better now?" I asked.

	He didn't answer with words, but nodded his head.  I thought about
asking him some questions, but decided to give him time to digest what I'd
said.  Judy wouldn't be back until the weekend so I wasn't pressed for
time.

	I hadn't closed the door to my office completely and I could smell
the odor of popcorn wafting in.

	"David, I think if you go find the rest of the boys you might
discover some popcorn," I told him.

	He didn't move for a couple of minutes.  Then he hugged me and went
in search of the boys, well actually the popcorn I think.  When I joined
them he had a bowl of it and was eating away just as fast as the rest of
them.  He was getting much better left-handed.  Andrea was right in the
thick of things, giggling and helping Kevin and Kristin with feeding Dog
popcorn.

	The giggle boxes were having fun throwing popcorn to Dog.  Dog was
catching part of it, and even when he missed you could hear his teeth snap
shut.  I could only marvel that he would take bites so gently from a fork,
yet snap his mouth shut when trying to catch a bite of something.  Not
seeing any adults in the family room, I went in search of them with a quick
trip to the kitchen for a cup of coffee.

	The adults were in the living room.  I made a big mistake when I
asked Kath how the house was going.  I knew better and was only trying to
make conversation, but she took it seriously and started telling me all the
things she needed to get done yet, like curtains and drapes, some different
furniture, and I soon lost track of it all.  I didn't need a point by point
discussion on what each room should have for curtains, or that she needed
to acquire more dishes.  As far as I was concerned, you needed dishes, who
cared what brand or color they were as long as they weren't ugly.  While I
had my mother's good china, what I used for everyday was stuff you could
buy from a restaurant supply store.  It wasn't fancy, but it was easy to
get more if a piece got broken and it looked okay.  As I listened to Kath
drone on about all the things she needed, I realized that I hadn't used
Mom's good dishes since the boys came to live with me.  When all the family
was together there wasn't enough of it, and the rest of the time I didn't
want to take a chance on breaking it.  How silly was that?  Why have
something if you won't use it?

	Kath finally ran down even though I made the appropriate sounds
along the way.  When she was done, Uncle Matt and Aunt Sandy started in.

	They were wondering about the Duesy.  For that matter, so was I.  I
was still puzzled over Ralph's reaction when I mentioned it.  We kicked it
around for a few minutes and I finally decided to call Vern and see if he
could shed any light on the subject.

	The next thing I knew he said he would be right over.  In fact his
whole family came right over.  Fred and Mike joined the rest of the young
people in eating popcorn while Vern and Nancy stopped with us in the living
room. Somehow everyone decided that a beer would go well, so after I got
some out and served everyone, Vern filled us in on what little he knew,
which was mostly rumor.  Rumor had it that the car had belonged to a fellow
who had made plenty of money boot-legging during prohibition.  It was also
rumored that he was wanted for murder and that he was some kind of relative
of Ralph's family.  The only actual information Vern had was that Ralph
thought the car was associated with a crime and that Ralph's father had
stored it for many years.  Vern also said that old man Beeler, Ralph's
father, had been very faithful about taking care of it and had made it a
point to roll the engine and drive train over several times a year and to
squirt a little oil in the cylinders so they didn't freeze up.  He didn't
know if Ralph had continued that, but even if he had it had been almost
fifteen years since Ralph had lived in the area.

	As interesting as all that was, it still didn't answer everything.
If the car actually had been used in a crime such as murder, far too many
people knew about it, at least according to Vern, for it to need to be kept
secret.  Vern had mentioned a lot of people in telling about the various
rumors, and if all those people knew about it, any crimes associated with
it would have also been known.  The more Vern talked about the Beeler's,
the more it sounded as if they were somewhat strange.  It seemed they had
stuck pretty much to themselves and had few friends.  I wondered if that
was the reason for many of the rumors.  I remembered one elderly lady where
I had grown up who never went anywhere and some really strange stories
circulated about her.  One time I had asked Mom about one of them and
quickly learned that none of them were true.  In that case the truth was
that Mrs. Cathers had suffered a stroke when young and was ashamed to be
seen in public owing to the paralysis on one side of her face and her
slurred speaking, so she had pretty much stayed in her house.  She had very
few friends, but the rest of the people wondered and talked about her.
Then I had become old enough to do things like mow lawns and wound up
mowing her lawn and getting acquainted with her, and had learned that she
was very shy and wrote novels for both money and as a hobby.  Yet no matter
how many times I told my friends all that, they never completely believed
me and always continued to think she was weird.  I suppose she was to some
extent, but not in the ways they thought she was.  I also remembered trying
to read one of her novels and quickly giving up because it was a romance
novel and not something a fourteen year old boy was interested in.  I even
had several signed copies of her books, but still had never read them.  I
hadn't thought of Leona Cathers in several years, but I couldn't help but
wonder if some of the rumors about the Beeler's were about as accurate as
those which had circulated about Mrs. Cathers.

	When I told Vern of my suspicions about the rumors, he agreed and
said that he had known the family and saw nothing very strange about them
except that they didn't socialize much.  After a while Aunt Sandy went and
put the giggle boxes to bed while the rest of us continued talking.  Our
conversation then turned to if the sale went through, what was needed to be
done next.  I asked Vern if Mr. Bledsoe, the owner of the logging company,
owned the logging road where the property adjoined it, or if it was county
road, but he didn't know.  That meant I would have to talk with Lincoln
Bledsoe and find out if my idea about putting in a different access road
might be possible.  It sure would make it a lot faster to get to town if it
could be done.  Vern didn't have any good suggestions on whom to get to fix
up the existing driveway or put in a new one if we decided on that, saying
that he hadn't been around any road construction or maintenance companies
for years and the ones he knew of were no longer in business.  We'd driven
through several places where limbs were rubbing on both sides of the Gator
and Vern had been forced to cut some to clear the way on the first trip
with Uncle Matt, so something needed to be done no matter which way the
access was decided.

	Aunt Sandy rejoined us, giggling about Corey having to read to the
giggle boxes and David.  It seemed that David wanted to hear more of
Huckleberry Finn and he was lying beside Kevin and Kristin and listening to
Corey read.

	We talked a little more about who might be good to clear some of
the brush in the area Uncle Matt envisioned as pasture, but again Vern said
he didn't know of anyone.  Uncle Matt surprised me by saying he saw no
reason that he couldn't do it, and even thought it might be a good project
for the boys to help with.  I hadn't thought of that, but it sounded like a
good idea to me.  Since they were no longer working at Downie's, the boys
had been complaining that they weren't making any money.  It wasn't like
they needed more money, but they were still charged up over their
investments and kept checking to see how they were doing.  When the market
went down, you would have thought they had lost a fortune rather than a few
dollars, but when it went up they were all smiles.  It would solve some of
the discussions which had been going on over what they might do during the
summer to earn money, plus I was quite sure Uncle Matt would be flexible
and allow them time off for some of the trips I had planned for them.  It
also solved the problem of something all of the boys could do to earn
money.  Kyle and Mark had not been here during the periods when the boys
worked at Downie's, and then there was Danny who probably wanted to work a
little, and of course Andrea who I was quite sure would want to join the
boys in their quest for dollars.  I wasn't sure that Uncle Matt and I could
stand up under the strain of trying to keep that many kids lined out and
working, but it sounded like a good idea even though it was frequently
easier to do things myself than get the boys to do them.  Sometimes they
would hop right to a task, but other times it was worse than pulling teeth
to get any work out of them.  They would charge through the house like a
stampede of buffalo when having fun, but when it came to work, they
frequently moved with glacial slowness.

	It was becoming apparent that Uncle Matt had been thinking about
this because he then started in on what size tractor he would need, but
Vern quickly told him that he would have to decide that himself as Vern
swore he knew nothing about tractors.  I knew that wasn't exactly true as
he had some kind of an old tractor at his place, but he explained that
having an old Farmall Cub did not make him knowledgeable about new
tractors.  When pressed, he suggested that Uncle Matt look into John Deere
or Kubota tractors, but would offer no more than that as to what he should
buy except to say he probably should get a four wheel drive model.  He did
agree to go with Uncle Matt to look at some when Uncle Matt was ready.  The
way Uncle Matt's eyes were sparkling over the idea I was surprised that he
didn't drag Vern off right then to see if they could find a tractor dealer
who stayed open all night.  I'd known Uncle Matt all my life and I'd never
seen him quite this excited before except when Kevin and Kristin were born.
He was really getting into the `Gentleman Farmer' thing.

      By the time Vern and family left for home, Uncle Matt and Aunt Sandy
could see no reason not to go through with the purchase of the property.
That meant that we would have to start the process tomorrow and the thought
went through my mind that perhaps Russ, my attorney, might be able to tell
us what to do.  I knew there would have to be various things taken care of,
but wasn't sure what all they were.  Always before I had dealt with a
realtor when buying property and he had handled all those things, but in
this case we were dealing directly with the owner and I was at a loss as to
what needed doing and in what order.

   	Kath gathered up Andrea and Danny and headed home for the night
after assuring me that she would not be late in the morning.  Uncle Matt,
Aunt Sandy, and I spent a little more time talking and planning out what we
needed to accomplish tomorrow before everyone decided it was bedtime.  I
made the usual check to make sure everything was locked up and when I got
to my bedroom, there was a fully dressed David, once again occupying my
place in my bed.  It was bad enough to have the giggle boxes interfering
with my Corey's and my personal time, but I hadn't expected David to do the
same.

   	I never managed to get David completely awake.  I got him upright,
suggested he needed to go downstairs to what was now his room, and all that
happened was he leaned against me and started softly sobbing.  He wasn't
very awake because after a few sobs he was once again asleep.  I laid him
back on the bed and debated just what to do, but finally gave up and pulled
his clothes off and tucked him in next to Kevin.  Once again I was sharing
the foot of the bed with Dog and a blanket.  Dog stretched out beside me,
gave a big sigh, and thumped his tail on the bed a couple of times.  I
didn't even get a tongue kiss from him as he quickly went back to sleep.
As I slowly drifted off to sleep my mind kept turning over how to have a
talk with David and convince him that he needed to sleep somewhere besides
my bed.  He was still so frightened that I didn't want to do anything which
might upset him, but I wanted my place in the bed back.  Besides, as much
as I had come to love Dog he just didn't feel right when I draped my arm
over him.  I wanted my arm draped over Corey, not a hairy dog.

   	I was sleeping very well when something started bothering me.  It
was nudging my face, and I could hear some whining.  As I struggled to
wakeup enough to understand what was going on, a warm tongue swiped across
my face and the whining became more insistent.  As I slowly started to
become more aware of what was happening, I could hear other sounds besides
Dog's whining and I was having a hard time understanding what they were.
It almost sounded as if someone was trying to say something, but the words
were muffled and indistinct.  The nudging, which I had figured out was
Dog's nose, kept occurring and the whining got louder.  Something was
making it impossible for me to sleep and I finally roused myself enough to
see what it was.

   	Dog was upset and bothering me, but that wasn't all.  The muffled
sounds were coming from David and they were getting a little louder and
more distinct.  I could now make out a word or two, and those words finally
fell into a pattern of "No, please don't hurt me."

   	My mind crossed the line between sleep and consciousness and put
things together enough to understand that David was having a nightmare and
talking in his sleep.  The words were sort of slurred, but there was no
mistaking the fear in them.  I was starting to sit up in preparation of
doing something when instead of words there came a scream and both of us
sat bolt upright.  I couldn't see very well by only the light from the
windows, but the screams continued and I hit the floor running to his side,
which was all of two steps.

   	"Easy David," I said as I wrapped my arms around him.  "It's only a
nightmare and you're safe."

   	He clearly wasn't awake yet and as soon as I touched him he tried
to get away.  I didn't know whether to let go of him, or hold onto him and
I wasn't awake enough to reason it out.  I ended up clasping him to my
chest since the direction he was pulling away was towards the giggle boxes
and Corey.  I didn't want them bothered, but it made no difference as Corey
reached out and turned on his reading lamp.  After blinking a couple of
times at the sudden brightness I could see not only Corey sitting up and
looking around, but also the giggle boxes were rubbing their eyes and
trying to sit up.  Since Dog was still standing on the foot of the bed it
appeared that all of us were now awake except for David and he was still in
the throes of his nightmare and still screaming.

   	The giggle boxes were clearly scared by all the noise and were
starting to cry and Corey was looking wildly around as though trying to
figure out what was going on while I was attempting to get David awake
enough to understand that nothing was wrong and no one was going to hurt
him.  I could tell when he started to come awake because his struggle
became more focused instead of just random jerks and pushes against me.
The screaming suddenly stopped and all that was left was his attempts to
get away from me.  All the time I kept telling him it was alright and no
one was going to hurt him and it finally got through to him. He quit
struggling, sagged against me, and burst into tears.

   	"What's wrong Uncle Sammy?" Kristen sobbed out.  "I'm scared."

   	"Nothing sweetheart.  David just had a bad dream and was scared.
There's nothing to be afraid of," I managed to answer in the midst of
trying to calm David.  About that time I had three kids in my arms, all
crying.

   	For once Corey was not very alert.  Normally he woke up wide-awake
and happy, but right now he was trying to pull himself together and get his
mind working.  I was busy trying to calm kids down and the whole thing was
a mess.  Even Dog was getting in on the act, nosing kids and attempting to
give them a few reassuring tongue swipes.  When Corey finally got his act
together he immediately scooted across the bed and started helping with the
giggle boxes who were now calming down.  It only took a couple more minutes
for Corey to have the giggle boxes back in bed, but I wasn't having as much
success with David.  However, a few more minutes and even he started to get
himself back under control.  Then I made the mistake of suggesting some
coco might be nice and help everyone go back to sleep.  I didn't get much
response from David, but the giggle boxes were out of the bed like a shot
and headed for the kitchen, Dog right behind them.  Corey shrugged and
started after them, and with a little effort I got David headed that way
also.  Pretty soon I was going through the cupboards, looking for
marshmallows for the coco while it was heating on the stove.  I was
beginning to think they had all been used on the fishing trips when I found
a package hidden in the back of a cupboard.  They were a little on the firm
side, but I figured the hot coco would soon take care of that.  I also
noticed I was getting low on a couple of other items and decided I needed
to make a list and stock up again.  Having Kath do part of the cooking
meant I didn't always notice when things got low.

   	The marshmallows didn't want to melt very well, so I hurried the
process along by nuking each cup of coco a few seconds.  Seeing how they
acted and where I had found them, I wondered just how long those
marshmallows had been hidden in the cupboard.  I needed to go though the
cupboards and rid out things and replace some.  I normally did that over
the Christmas holidays, but last Christmas had been too busy for it.  Since
the weather was frequently bad at that time of year, it was a good stay-dry
project.

   	Even though they spent more time playing with their coco than
drinking it, soon the giggle boxes were ready to go back to bed.  David was
still upset so I sent Corey off with Kevin and Kristin and decided it was
time to see if I could get anything out of him.


   			To be continued...


   	I should explain about a politically incorrect expression I used in
this chapter.  The expression, "Jew down."  It is an expression that isn't
heard much anymore, but was very common not that long ago.  I suppose it
got started because many members of the Jewish faith were in business and
quite good at it.  According to what was told to me by a great uncle, it
was considered bad luck for a Jewish store owner not to make the first sale
on Monday morning, so some people would try to be the first one through the
door on Monday and then attempt to get a better deal by appearing to think
the price was too high.  Anyhow, while not an expression that I would now
normally use, Ralph would be even older than I am and he would have grown
up with the expression and likely would think nothing of using it.

   	Which brings up a thought on political correctness.  In many cases
such expressions were used and the ones using them never realized that they
might be hurtful.  Political correctness has raised our awareness of the
fact that words can hurt, but by the same token many people are now busy
looking and charging hurt over simply ridiculous little things.  I'm all
for trying not to hurt peoples feelings, but some people are now being
unreasonable and look for ways not to stop such things, but to try to claim
power over those who they think have slighted them by use of some word or
expression which they deem demeaning.  My rule of thumb is how was the word
intended?  If it was not used in a manner intended to hurt, why are some
people upset?  And don't give me that baloney that you can't tell, because
it is quite easy to tell if only you will listen.  For those of us who grew
up long before political correctness, occasionally we slip and say
something which might appear hurtful if you only heard the word or phrase,
but was certainly not intended that way and when listened to objectively
that is apparent.

   	In the end, I am a product of my upbringing and sometimes I might
say something which people with a chip on their shoulder will take offense
at.  My answer, if I intend it to be offensive you will damn well know it
and be unable to mistake my intentions.  The rest of the time, give me a
break and I'll do the same for you.  Many times I've had people say things
at which I could have taken offense, but it was apparent the person did not
intend it that way and so I ignored it.  On a very few occasions I've
questioned the persons choice of words and almost always found they didn't
realize how what they said came across.  The very few times offense was
intended, I took offense.

   	To give an example, when I was young there were a bunch of jokes
known as the "Little Moron" jokes.  One which sticks in my mind was about
one moron sending another moron to buy a board, specifically a 2X4.  He
goes to the lumber yard and tells the salesman he needs a 2X4.  When asked
by the salesman how long, meaning how long the 2x4 should be, he replied "A
long time, we're building a house."  Anyhow, those jokes were not intended
to disparage the truly mentally handicapped.  Anyone who thinks they were
has a chip on his shouldn't and needs to get a grip on reality.  What they
did point out is that all of us sometimes make stupid replies when we don't
think or listen properly.

   	Political correctness is a great thing as long as it is used with a
little intelligence, but as I said, some people have gone overboard and are
trying to use it as a club to try to gain power.  They lift words out of
context to try to make their point, but to me they are the ones with the
problem.

   	Lastly, for any group of people, whether they are based on race,
religion, sexual orientation, or whatever, to demand respect they, in turn,
have to be willing to offer respect to those they are demanding it from.
That means that I will respect your religion as long as you respect mine: I
will respect your orientation as long as you respect mine: I will respect
your race as long as you respect mine, and so on.  If you are not willing
to extend respect to me, then you have no right to demand it from me.