Date: Sat, 9 Aug 2003 22:30:36 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jim Wilson <vealskye@yahoo.com>
Subject: JT Part 1

Disclaimer:  The characters in this story are not
real.  I made them up.  Some of them are gay.  Some of
them might have sex.  If you are not allowed to read
this type of material, or if you will be offended by
it, leave now.

JT Part 1

I had been asked to leave. Told to leave, really. It
was probably for the best anyway. It's not like I
could ever be happy around that family, Not when they
could not accept me for who I was; who I am.

Who am I?

A gay man. A man. An incomplete man. Why am I
incomplete?

I don't have a love in my life. Do I need a love in my
life to be complete?

Yes. No. But I want a love in my life. Desperately.

Why?

So that I would have someone to share my thoughts and
feelings and desires with. The family was only ever
interested in influencing my thoughts, feelings and
desires. Only interested it control. Emotional
manipulation.

My father who would not fix his wife's car so that she
would have to be constantly dependant upon him.

The uncle who thought he was cock'o'the walk and
wanted the world to agree with his perspective. Those
who didn't, be damned.

The aunt who had been alone for only one year of her
life. She could not make a decision regarding anything
without consulting someone else. Wanting someone else
to make all her decisions for her so she could have
someone to blame when things were not to her liking.

The mother who constantly offered support while trying
to make me into some ideal she had in her head.

The redneck cousins who ... well they didn't really
matter anyway.

I had been kicked out. She had found out I was gay.
Leaving a dildo where it could be found might not have
been the best idea. But then, really, I wanted to be
found out. It was easier this way. At least I wouldn't
actually have to sit down and Have the Conversation.

Where did I have to go?

Well, home of course. My home. Where my parents lived.
It was mine after all; they had seen to that years ago
when they "separated."

Would she have told them before I arrived?

Yes. The wonders of the US telephone system.

"Get the fuck out!!! I don't want you here!"

"You can't go to heaven if you're queer."

Their thoughts didn't really matter anymore. That was
why I brought the police with me. If they did not
leave peacefully I would have to have them removed.

They did not leave peacefully.

Laying in bed, in the house I grew up in, the familiar
smell of the country, the taste of the night air, the
sounds of the crickets and frogs; my first night of
freedom.


Chapter 1

So began my life. Who would have thought that getting
kicked out of your aunt's house and having to evict
your own parents would have lead to this day?

It had begun as a pretty normal day, all things
considered. No one had done anything overly annoying
at work. The network was still up and running. I
hadn't even had to leave my office all morning. This
turned out to be a good thing as it gave me time to
prepare to train the new guy that was starting Monday.
Some intern was being brought in by as part of the
college's work-study program. I didn't need an intern,
but then, I hadn't been asked.

My cell phone rang. It never rang at work. No one
would bother me at work.

"Hello?"

"Timmy?"

No one called me that, not anymore, and only family
would dare to speak that name to me now. And I
recognized the voice. An aunt. Not the one that kicked
me out, but another, one of my mother's sisters this
time.

"Yes." A statement. I did not want to encourage this
conversation.

"This is your aunt--."

"I know who it is."

"Can we talk?"

"What do you want?"

"Can you take Joshua?"

Joshua was my cousin. Second cousin, or first
once-removed, or whatever. My mind was already
spinning ideas about why she might want me to take
him.

"Why? What's wrong?," an emotion other than bitterness
edging into my voice.

"He is in the hospital. His dad beat him up pretty
bad. He's a queer li--"

"Like me?" I had thought before that he might play for
my team.

"Well. No one wants him. Can you take him?" Just like
that. No one wants him. The grandmother who tried to
convince her son and daughter-in-law, for years, to
let Joshua stay with her. Now she did not want him.
She practically raised him for the first 5 years of
his life, but now she did not want him.

"When does he get out of the hospital?"

"The doctor is letting let him go tomorrow so if you
want him you need to come and get him now."

"I will need papers. Birth certificate. Custody
agreement. Power of attorney. All that st--"

"It's ready for you when you get here. The damned
judge took him away from Chuck and put him in jail!
I've got the twins. You gonna take him or not?"

"Of course."

Click. She hung up on me. Just as well. I was stunned.


Chapter 2

She hadn't told me where to meet her. Where was I
supposed to go when I got there? The hospital? The
court house? Her house?

A quick call settled that, she would be at the
hospital. I was surprised she answered the phone.

I didn't bother to tell anyone I was leaving. It was
Friday, the staff, and even faculty, were lax about
coming in on Friday. There was no one around to tell.

In moments, I was on the interstate for the 3 hour
drive. I didn't think it would take quite 3 hours
today as I noticed I was already hitting 85 with the
accelerator no where near the floorboard.

Interstate driving lends itself to contemplation and I
did a lot of that as I drove to the mountains. By the
time I drove into that little eastern Kentucky town I
knew I could finish raising Josh.

As I pulled into the hospital's parking lot I saw the
aunt's car, my mother inside. She looked old, much
older than I imagined.

"Sign these so we can get `em to the courthouse!"

I nearly jumped out of my skin. I had not seen my aunt
coming.

"Don't we need witnesses? Shouldn't we sign them at
the courthouse?" I had to raise my voice to cut her
off as she tried to interrupt me.

She stormed to her car. She followed me to the
courthouse.

I followed her to the office of the woman who clerked
for the judge and within 3 minutes I had a son. A
foster son really, but a son.

I thanked Sallie Ann, the clerk, as my aunt stormed
out of the office and down the stairs. Sallie asked
why my aunt had been so upset.

"Her husband died in 98 and she hasn't had sex since!"
I heard laughter coming from the judge's chambers and
blushed when I realized I had said that a wee bit too
loudly.

Sallie just said, "I thought it was something like
that," and went on entering information into her
computer.

Maybe not everyone in this town is a redneck, I
thought as I walked to my car. I did not see my aunt's
car anywhere. Her arthritis doesn't bother here when
she's pissed off, I mused, as I drove back to the
hospital.


Chapter 3

I didn't even know which room my cousin was in. The
volunteer at the information desk gave me a funny look
when I told him who I was there to see. He told me to
wait as he disappeared into an office. "It will be
just a minute, Sir. You can wait there in those chairs
if you want."

"Why do I need to wait? I am here to see my cousin. He
has been hurt and I need to see him."

"I am sorry sir. There was some sort of commotion
earlier and I was told I had to call the floor if
anyone showed up wanting to see that patient."

With a security post just feet away, I decided to play
the good child and fume while sitting in hospital
furniture. A full 10 minutes later, I saw a policeman
walking down the hall. Not a police man, a police
woman. I did not pay her much mind until she stopped
in front of me.

"You are here to see Joshua?"

"Yes . . ."

"I am Officer Wilder; could you explain your
relationship to Josh?"

"I am his cousin. I live in Northern Kentucky and JT's
grandmother called me earlier and told me his father
had put him in the hospital and that I needed to get
down here. I just drove in and the woman whisked me
off to the courthouse and now I seem to have a son and
am being given the run-around trying to get in to see
him! Could you please tell me what the hell is going
on here?" It all came out in a rush. Officer Wilder
did not seem to appreciate being yelled at.

"You are Mr. Watson?"

"Yes! Wha--"

"Timmy Watson?"

"Grrrr...Call me Tim!"

"Yes, Tim. I'm sorry. We had an altercation earlier
with some of your family and --"

"They disowned me. And I have disowned them. They are
no family of mine!"

"Sir, please calm down. I will explain everything.
Let's head upstairs to see Joshua."

I followed her to the elevator, taking deep breaths
all the way. Trying to calm down enough so that I
could stop yelling at the policewoman who was
obviously only doing her job and did not need me
turning into a drama queen on her.

"I'm sorry. I can carry on a rational conversation
now," I said, giving her my
I'm-sorry-I've-been-an-ass-will-you-please-forgive-me
smile.

With a raised eyebrow, and a sarcasm laden voice, she
said, "I should hope so." When I saw her holding back
the tiniest bit of a grin I knew I was not going to be
arrested, at least not today.

Officer Wilder, Jenna, went on to tell me that Josh
had been brought into the hospital last night by some
Good Samaritan after he had wandered into a
convenience store parking lot. She said that his
injuries were really quite minor but that his face
looked very bad from the bruising.

In the emergency room Josh had told the nurses, then
the on-call doctor, and then Jenna what had happened.
And then he had clammed up. Not one more word.


End of part one.  Should it be continued?  Comments to vealskye@yahoo.com