Date: Sat, 16 May 2015 14:35:28 +0000 (UTC)
From: Jay Carrington <jcee1113@yahoo.com>
Subject: Chapter 24 of My Son and His Friends

This work is copyrighted by the author, J. Carrington and commercial use is
prohibited without permission in writing from the author.  Personal or
private copies are permitted only if they are complete and include the
copyright notice.  Placing this story on a website or reproducing this
story for distribution without the author's permission is a violation of
that copyright.

This is a story of a man's relationship with his son and his son's
friends. The writing is very detailed and is a written representation of
what the author saw as he was writing the story.  It will contain some
sexual scenes, but it is not totally about sex.  The series of chapters are
completely fictional and are the result of the author's fertile
imagination.  Any resemblance to any real person(s) is purely coincidental.
The story contains consensual sexual behavior between young adult males and
an older adult male.  It depicts both unprotected sex and protected sex.
Safe sex practices are the way to go if you plan to be around for years to
come.

If you are underage (below 18) or object to the subject matter, please
leave now as the door that let you in will also let you leave.

If you enjoy this site, you are encouraged to donate to Nifty.org so that
it will continue to operate.  You can buy a visa gift card and use it to
donate to Nifty anonymously or you can use your credit card and you can see
the transaction on your monthly bill.  Anyways, this is a great site which
serves the needs of our select population.

Before I move to the next chapter, I must stop and say thank you to the
readers who have written to me about this story.  Your comments have been
fantastic and it is good to read that you are relating to the guys in this
story. I must apologize for the delay in publishing Chapter 24.  I really
wanted it to focus entirely on the event leading up and including the
Thanksgiving holidays.  The chapter turned out to be longer than any
previous chapter, but it is now ready for you to read, critique and guess
what happens next.

PREVIOUSLY

In the last chapter, Ryan spent the night at Myles' house which gave Doug
and Phil the opportunity to have the house to themselves.  Phil took Doug
out to dinner, but it was a unique experience.  Phil did not have a
particular place in mind, but he had a method to his madness. He assigned
Doug the task of driving, and he sat in the passenger's seat.  As they
approached various intersections, he would say "right, left, or go
straight."  Soon they were out of town and headed somewhere.  Phil directed
Doug to pull into a Southern Bar-b-que joint on the outskirts of a nearby
town.  They ordered their food and were really impressed with the taste and
appearance of the food. The waitress talked them into ordering desserts, so
they both ordered the homemade banana pudding.  It was beyond good, in
fact, so good that Doug was ready to lick the dish.

Finally, they left and returned to Doug's house.  Phil mixed Doug a rum and
coke, they sat in the family room with Doug bringing Phil up to date on his
week, and then, they went to the bedroom.  They both stripped down to their
boxer briefs and got into bed.  Phil told Doug that they would not have sex
tonight as they both needed to be held and cuddled.  They both fell asleep
after a while.

Doug woke up first, sat up in bed, looked over at Phil who was still asleep
and counted just how lucky he was to have this man in his life.  Eventually
Doug drifted back off to sleep, but was awakened later by Phil who was
tracing around Doug's nipple and up to his ear by way of his neck.  They
decided to eat breakfast as they had the house until noon.  They cooked
breakfast naked, and then, they returned to the bedroom for a morning of
sexual pleasure and adventure.  After their morning of pleasure, they took
it to the bathroom and shared some additional sexual moments in the shower.

They finished their shower, dressed and went to the family room to watch
some TV and waited there until the boys came home.  Around noon, the boys
showed up and they sat around talking about their night at Myles' and the
plans for the rest of the weekend.  Soon, it was time to discuss dinner
plans.  Doug opened up the floor to suggestions, and Myles was the first to
respond with a definite menu.

AND NOW CHAPTER 24 of My Son and His Friends

Myles announced in short order that he wanted ribs, baked potatoes, baked
beans, coleslaw, and iced tea.  Phil said "I second that," so I said
"Agreed."

The words were no sooner out of my mouth and then, I was regretting that I
had allowed such a broad request.  Now don't get the wrong idea, it was a
good menu request, but it would be time intensive.  I looked at the guys
and said "Okay, you know what your role is when we have this menu, hit the
kitchen while I go to the freezer in the garage and pull out the ribs."

They busied themselves in the kitchen, Jay cut up an onion for the baked
beans and he pulled out the bacon for me to fry when I returned.  Rob
washed six potatoes, oiled them down in olive oil, sprinkled them with
Kosher Salt, and wrapped them in aluminum foil.  Ryan and Myles emptied two
bags of slaw mix in a large bowl, added some relish, relish juice, and
mixed it with coleslaw dressing.  They finished the slaw and put it in the
refrigerator.  I returned to the kitchen, filled the sink with warm water
and put the packages of ribs in it to thaw.  I told Phil to go lit the
grill so that we could begin to bake the potatoes.  Everybody had a task,
but I must have drawn the short straw because I had more to do than the
others.  Phil put the potatoes on the grill and turned the burners down to
low.

I mixed my bar-b-que sauce and let it sit for a while.  I don't have a
recipe, but I add light brown sugar, lemon juice, coarse pepper, Kraft's
original sauce and Kraft's hickory flavored sauce along with some other
spices.  I do a taste test to see if it is what I want, if not, I add until
I get it where I want it.  I fried four strips of bacon and removed it from
the pan when it was finished.  I then put in the onions that Jay had
prepared and cooked them down.  I added some dark brown sugar, some of both
types of Kraft sauces, and brought that to a bubbly boil.  I added two
large cans of pork `n beans and stirred it up.  I let it cook on low, then,
I added some of the crumbled bacon to the mix.  I began to work on the
ribs.  I cut them up and seasoned them with garlic powder, coarse pepper,
and some salt.  I let them sit until I was ready to put them on the grill.

Myles pulled down the paper plates, cups, and brought out the correct
number of spoons, forks, and knives from the dinnerware drawer.  You cannot
enjoy ribs and baked potatoes with plastic forks and knives, so we used the
real stuff.  Ryan checked to make sure we had enough sweet tea, we didn't
so he began to boil a pot of water so that we could brew two family sized
tea bags in a few minutes.  I worked on cleaning up the mess in the kitchen
area and loading the dishwasher with some of the dirty dishes that I no
longer needed.  The water came to a quick boil and Ryan dropped the tea
bags in it and set the pot off the stove to steep.

After about 40 minutes, Phil checked the potatoes and squeezed them to help
them get soft.  He said that he thought they were cooking like they should,
so he moved them to the top rack and had me bring the ribs out.  I
slathered them with the sauce, and he kept them turned and sauced until
they were done.  I pulled the platters out and carried them out to Phil.  I
then pulled the butter, sour cream, and green onion dip out of the
refrigerator and placed it on the counter.  I called Rob and asked him to
fill the glasses with ice.  Ryan finished making the extra pitcher of sweet
tea and set it in the refrigerator after he pulled the older one out.  Rob
filled the glasses with tea while Phil and I brought in the ribs and
potatoes.

We all gathered around the counter and dished the food onto our plates.  I
paused everyone and I said a blessing for the food that we were about to
eat.  This is something that I usually asked one of the boys to do, but I
had overlooked telling you that in the past.  It is something that was
strongly entrenched in me by my parents, and I have tried to do the same
thing with Ryan and the boys.  Phil said "That brings back so many memories
of my family gatherings with me or my siblings saying the prayer.  I do
have to tell you that having a meal with you guys brings back those
memories and that prayer just gave me goose-bumps."

We ate our meal and everyone talked about anything and everything.  Phil
and I just sat back and let the boys talk among themselves and commented or
answered a question when it was directed to us.  Ryan has always enjoyed
these get-togethers as he, like me, would have loved to have had a baby
brother or sister.  We finished our meal and the boys began to clean the
counter.  They stored what needed to be put in the refrigerator, they put
the left-over slaw in a smaller bowl and lidded it, then, they stored the
three left-over ribs and slathered them in the left-over sauce.  Myles and
Rob wiped the counter and loaded the dishwasher, while Jay and Ryan swept
the floor and carried the trash out for Monday morning pick-up.

When everyone finished in the kitchen, they returned to the family room and
piled around the room, some on the floor, and some on the love seat as Phil
and I were laying on the sofa.  Ryan found a movie that we had not watched
and put it on.  It was titled "Taking Chance" with Kevin Bacon.  It was a
very emotional movie about a young marine who had died in service, and the
officer who escorted him to his hometown.  I was so proud of the boys as
they were very solemn throughout the movie.  I actually saw tears in each
of their eyes, and it was evident that the movie had made a connection to
them.  These boys are going to be great adults when they reach twenty-one.

The movie finished and everyone headed home leaving Ryan and me by
ourselves.  We cleaned up the family room, and in short order were headed
to our bedrooms.  We both took a shower and then I heard his door close.  I
turned on the lamp by my side of the bed, turned out the overhead lights,
crawled into bed, arranged my pillows, pulled my book out and began to
read.  I read three chapters before I felt that I was ready to go to sleep.
I put the book down on the bedside table and turned the lamp off.  I
snuggled against my pillow and soon I drifted off to sleep.

Monday morning arrived, and I was ready to face the world.  I did my
morning rituals, and dressed for work.  Ryan was up and taking care of his
morning rituals as well.  I walked into the kitchen and decided that we
would do cereal this morning, so I pulled down several boxes from the
cabinet and pulled the milk out of the refrigerator.  Ryan entered and made
his cereal choice, poured milk over the cereal, and added some sugar.  You
could definitely hear "Snap, Crackle, and Pop" across the counter.  We
talked about the week ahead, and I told him that I would be running a
little late each day as the department members were starting our practice
sessions in the gym.  He smiled and said "Can't let those guys win, huh
dad?"  I said "Well of course not Ryan, but more importantly the reputation
of the science department is at stake, and we will not go down easy."  He
laughed and said "Well, I know where my competitive spirit comes from."  I
said "Ryan, you got a double dose from both me and your mom.  Your mom was
very competitive about so much, and I guess it just rubbed off on me.  I
miss her so much."

I took the time and said "Ryan, while we are sitting here talking, I need
to run some things by you.  Thanksgiving vacation will be coming up soon,
and I was thinking that we could leave on a Saturday and return the
following Saturday.  How does that sound to you?"  He said "Sounds good to
me."  I said "Well while we are there, I think that it would be a good idea
for you to go spend some time, maybe a half day or longer with your other
Grandmother."  He looked at me and said "I can do that Dad, I really
enjoyed meeting her during the summer, and maybe I can meet some of my
cousins."  I looked over at him and said "Well I am going to call her
tonight and see how things are going, and then I am going to call my mom
and let her know our plans."  Ryan looked up at the clock and said "Dad, we
have to go, or we will be late.  Let me know what you find out."

I grabbed my stuff and headed to school.  I parked, picked up my stuff from
the office and walked with a couple of my department members to the science
hall.  We talked about the walk-run marathon and the practice session later
that afternoon.  We stood there and joked about some of the other faculty
members until the bell rang.  I had not realized that we had talked that
long, but we had, so I hurriedly walked to my room, opened the door, let
the students in, and desperately tried to arrange my materials for
teaching.  I pulled things together in short order, and I shared the scores
from Friday's test with the students. I praised them for their scores, but
most importantly for the details that they used in answering the essay
questions.  They were very receptive to the praise and were eager to begin
the next unit of study.  I introduced the next unit and we began to discuss
what they already knew or had heard about that topic.  I decided to list
their thoughts, ideas, and guesses on the board.  I did one for each
period.

I talked to Landon, Dakota, Tanner, and Blake during their class time and
told them that I would meet with them during their lunch on Tuesday.  This
was not exactly what they wanted, but I explained that with the challenge
that they had made to the faculty, and the fact that the science department
had accepted it, I had to practice with them every afternoon.  They said
that they understood, and that, they would use that time to practice as
well.

The end of the student day arrived sooner than I had thought it would
because we were having such an involved discussion about our next unit of
study.  The bell sounded and they began to put their books and notes away.
I assembled my stuff together and put it in my bag.  I grabbed my gym bag
that contained my workout clothes, walking shoes, and a towel.  I walked on
over to the gym and began to change from my teaching clothes to my workout
clothes as did several other members of the faculty.  Just as I stepped out
of my slacks and was standing in my boxer briefs, in walks the "posse".
They gave me a thumbs' up and moved down to another set of lockers and
began to change into their workout clothes.  I decided to not take off
anything further as I had planned on taking off my boxers and putting on a
jock, but those plans were now cancelled.  I grabbed my shorts, pulled them
on, put on my walking shoes, took off my school shirt, and pulled on my
workout shirt.  I looked down the row and they were all stripped down to
their underwear, Dakota in bikini briefs, Tanner and Blake in boxer briefs
and Landon in boxers.  I then turned, grabbed my towel and joined the rest
of the department in the gym.

We all met as a group, talked about how we needed to proceed with our
workouts, set a goal of four times around today after doing some stretches
and jogging in place.  We finished our practice session and everyone was
complaining about being tired and having achy leg muscles.  We encouraged
one another to hang in there and everyone promised to be back at practice
tomorrow.  We returned to the locker room, I grabbed my clothes from the
locker, and changed into them quickly.  I finished dressing and walked out
to the Denali.  I got in and looked at the clock. It was 5:00 so I decided
that I had time to run to the sports store to pick up some workout clothes
as I needed something with long sleeves and some pants as I had plenty of
short sleeves and shorts.  I walked into the store and made my choices,
then, I spent some time looking at sports underwear.  A salesman came over
and talked to me about various brands and types.  I settled on a three pair
of compression shorts and two pair of boxer jocks.  I finalized my
purchases and headed home.

I arrived home and Ryan was there.  He had a lot of questions about the
practice session and was eager to see what I had purchased.  I laid the
bags down, and he began to go through them.  He liked the colors that I had
chosen and wanted me to take him to the store so that I could purchase him
some of the compression shorts.  I told him that we would do that later in
the week, as I had to get started with our evening meal.  He was fine with
that as he said that he also wanted to do some other shopping and that he
had a ton of homework to conquer tonight.

I started towards the kitchen while he went to the dining room and pulled
out his books.  In a few minutes, the front doorbell rang and the house was
full of boys.  I decided to do hamburgers on the grill, so I mixed the meat
mixture and patted it out into patties.  I turned the grill and oven on so
that they could warm up.  I pulled the frozen fries from the freezer,
spread them on two cookies sheets and put them into the oven. I wrapped the
hamburger buns in aluminum foil and laid them on the counter.  I placed the
patties on the grill and then I began tend to them.  I pulled them off the
grill when they were cooked appropriately.  I returned to the kitchen
covered them with aluminum foil, and tended to the fries.  I put the buns
in the oven and let them warm up.  In the meantime, I sliced an onion and a
tomato, pulled a few leaves off the lettuce, and got the ketchup, mustard,
mayonnaise, and pickles out of the refrigerator.  I called the boys to the
counter, and they began to fix their hamburgers and dished themselves a
helping of fries while I opened everyone a Coke.  I fixed my plate, and
they began to quiz me about their science assignment.  I answered their
questions and gave them a brief lesson on the topic.  They listened
attentively, and then, they were back at the table working on their
homework while I cleaned the kitchen and put the condiments up.  As I was
finishing Rob called out to me.  I walked into the dining room and he said
"Pops, you have been slipping lately."  I looked at him and he said "We
have not had a dessert in weeks. I am so ready for something sweet, what
can you whip up fast?"  I chuckled and said "I think I can do something for
you guys tonight."  I returned to the kitchen and searched the pantry.  I
pulled out a jar of applesauce, some light brown sugar, oatmeal, ground
cinnamon, and some all-purpose flour.  I mixed the oatmeal, brown sugar,
and flour together and then I added some melted butter.  I put the
applesauce in an oblong casserole dish, sprinkled it heavily with cinnamon,
and then, I added the other mixture over the top.  I placed this dish in
the oven and allowed to cook for about 30 minutes.  The smell of cinnamon
began to spread around the house.  I pulled the dish out after it was
finished cooking and allowed it to cool for about ten minutes, then I
scooped some into small bowls, pulled out some spoons, and called the boys
to the counter.  They ate the apple crisp, and then, they finished their
homework.  They gave me a "thumbs' up" on meeting their request.  I cleaned
up, and then, I went to my bedroom to pack my workout clothes for the next
day.

I returned to the family room and sat on the sofa.  I picked up my phone
and made a phone call to Barbara, my ex-mother-in-law.  She answered on the
second ring.  I told her who it was, and she was so thrilled that I had
called.  She wanted to know how Ryan was and I told her that he was doing
fine.  I managed the phone call so that I could talk to her about
Thanksgiving.  I told her when we coming and asked if she would be
available for Ryan to spend some time with her.  She said "Doug, I will
turn heaven and hell upside down to be with him, you tell me the day and I
will make it happen."  I laughed as I knew she meant what she said.  I told
her I was thinking of Monday, and she said that she would contact Anthony
and Amy, Allison's brother and sister, to see if they could bring their
kids over for a get-together.  I told her I thought that Ryan would enjoy
that, and that, I would leave him at her house for about 5 to 6 hours if
that was okay.  She said "It is more than okay, and I want you guys and
your parents to come over for Thanksgiving Supper at my house, please
mention this to your mother and I will follow up with a phone call
tomorrow."  I hung up and then I placed a call to my mother.

I called mom's and Dad answered the phone.  We talked about a few things,
mainly football teams and who was probably going to go to what bowl.  He
told me that he had been doing a lot of fishing and that he had a freezer
full of fresh water fish.  I laughed, and asked him when he was going to
fry them up?  He said "Doug, I am thinking during that week that you guys
will be here."  I said "Sounds like a plan to me."  He then said "Well your
mother has figured out who I am talking to, and she is pulling at the phone
so I better give it to her, or I won't be getting any tonight." I could
hear him laughing, and when, mom came on the phone she was sputtering and
saying "That crazy old fool, don't know why I stay with him! Oh hello
Douglas, how are you?"  I told her that I was fine, and so was Ryan as I
wanted to hurry this phone call along.  I told her that we would be coming
up on a Saturday the 22nd, and then, return on the following Saturday the
29th.  I told her that I had talked to Barbara and that Ryan would be
spending Monday with her and her family and that she had invited us to
supper on Thanksgiving night.  Mom started to tell me that it would not
work, but I told her that we were going to make it work as Ryan needed to
know that side of his family.  I reminded her that we had Thanksgiving
Lunch and Barbara always had the night meal.  She finally relented, and
said that she would talk to Barbara and see if she wanted her to bake a
cake or pie.  I said "Mom, that sounds like a good idea.  Now remember, I
have some stuff that I have to take care of while I am there, so I will be
in and out.  Do not plan my week for me."  She said "Doug, I have no idea
what you are talking about, I do not meddle."  I almost choked and I am
sure that she heard me as she said "Douglas, that is not funny, you know I
mind my own business, but I tell you what, you go ahead and believe
whatever it is that you want to believe."  We talked about a few things,
and then, I hung up with her.  I stretched out on the sofa and was just
about to drift off to sleep when Ryan walked in, had me move over, and
then, he cuddled against me.  I held him close and we both drifted off to
sleep.  I woke up when for some reason he jumped, I looked at the clock,
and it was 12:30.  I nudged him awake and sent him to his room, while I
locked up the house and went to my room.  I got into bed, and then, my
bedroom door opened and Ryan entered.  He said "Dad, it felt so good to lay
there with you awhile ago, your warmth felt so good along my back.  I want
to sleep with you tonight so that I can have more of that special time with
you.  I told him to get in bed.  I turned off the lamp and we were snuggled
up in a few minutes.

We woke up the next morning and headed to our separate bathrooms to take
our showers, and then to get dressed for school.  I decided to wear my neon
blue compression shorts under my slacks rather than my regular boxer
briefs.  Ryan met me in the kitchen and we decided to do a simple
breakfast, so I popped a pan of cinnamon rolls in the oven, while I
scrambled a few eggs and made some grits and toast.  Ryan pulled the
glasses down and filled them with orange juice and another with ice water.
We ate breakfast, and I told him about my calls to both of his
grandmothers.  He was excited to hear that he would be meeting his cousins
on his mother's side for the first time.  We talked about the Thanksgiving
Day schedule, and he wanted to know how my mom took the news that we would
be having the evening meal at his other grandmother's that night.  I told
him that I really did not give her a choice.  He smiled and said "Good for
you.  I love her Dad, I honestly do, but she can be so dominating."  I
smiled and agreed with him.

We finished breakfast, and did a quick clean-up.  I headed to school while
Ryan headed to Jay's as it was Meredith's week to pull car pool duty.  I
drove in and parked in my assigned spot. I walked in and took care of stuff
in the office.  As I was leaving the office, I met the department head from
the math department and she said "Douglas, it was so sweet of your
department to challenge the math department, but you need to know there is
no challenge sweetie, we are going to cream your azzes."  I looked at her
because this was so out of character for her – she could not bring
herself to say asses but she came close.  I laughed and said "Well
Dah-ling, it looks as if there is, it is written all over your face!"  She
grabbed me and hugged me tightly and said "Douglas, you have so much been
had."  I laughed and pulled away.  I continued on out the door and headed
to my room. I opened the door and began to set up for the day.  The bell
sounded and soon, I had started my classes and the day was breezing by.
Soon it was lunch, and I kept my promise.  I had lunch with the "posse."

Everyone grabbed their choices for lunch and were seated at the designated
table.  I told the guys about the competition with the math department, and
they said that they thought the science department could beat them.  Tanner
then said "Mr. Brunson, we need to talk some man talk here."  I said "Okay,
Tanner, what is on your mind?"  He said "Like I told you the other day, I
have no male in my life and well I am having a few issues that I need some
advice about."  I looked at him and he continued "My balls hurt sometimes
and they hurt so bad at times that I can hardly walk.  I heard some guys
talking about blue balls, could this be my issue?"

I smiled and said "Yes, Tanner that is what it sounds like."  He said "Well
how do I stop it, what do I do?  It is so painful and my balls look
bigger."  I said "Tanner, it is very easy, you need to spank the monkey,
jack-off, jerk-off, or if you can have sex."  Blake started laughing and
said "Tanner, you are so stupid.  Don't you jerk off?" Tanner turned a deep
red and said "No, I heard the preacher preach on that one Sunday, and he
said that it is in the Bible that it is a sin to spill your seed."  I said
"Tanner, that reference is there, but in this case, your body is needing
release so you have to address its needs.  Get you some lube from the
store, dribble it on your pecker, and jerk-off. I promise that you will
feel better."  He said that he would.  Landon said "Mr. Brunson, you looked
really good in your boxer briefs the other day.  I have to say, I hope that
at your age I look that good."  It was now my time to turn beet red.  I
said "Thank you Landon, I am sure that you will."  Blake said "Mr. Brunson,
"Do you think that you are born gay, straight, or bi?"  I said "Boys, that
is a hot topic with many people taking varying opinions.  My feelings are
that you are born with certain dispositions.  People have likened it to
liking some foods, but that does not hold water as people change their
opinions over time.  I think that people are born pre-programmed, and it is
not a choice for them."  Dakota spoke up and gave his differing opinion,
then the rest of them engaged in a cross table discussion.  I sat back and
listened to their discussion, in due time, the bell rang and lunch was
over.  I said "Same time, same place next week."

I left and returned to my classroom and worked on a few things during my
planning period.  I taught my last class and then I met the department
members in the gym for practice after we changed into our workout clothes.
We practiced, and then, we went home.  I prepared a quick dinner and took
time to do some reading in my room while Ryan worked on his homework.  I
walked the house around 9 o'clock to make sure that it was secure.  Ryan
stayed up working on his English and said that he would go to bed by 10
o'clock.  I returned to my room and continued to read.  Later, I heard his
room door close, and then, I turned out my light and curled up to my
pillow.

The next two days were busy, yet very good days at school and home.
Everyone did as they were expected to do, and then, on Thursday when I got
home, I had to get ready to go over to Jay's for his "family" birthday
party.  I showered and dressed in chinos and one of my Henley shirts.  Ryan
and I walked over to Jay's house with our gifts.  We rang the doorbell, and
Meredith answered the door.  She welcomed us into the house, and we walked
on in to the family room.  Jay was seated on the love seat, and I could
tell he was not happy.  I walked over and sat by him.  He looked up, and I
could tell that he had been crying.  I reached over, grabbed his knee, and
gripped it.  He tried to smile, but it was too much of an effort, he was
really upset.  I pulled him to me, and he grabbed me and hugged me hard.
The rest of the gang showed up with their presents and came over to speak
to Jay.  He tried to be social, but his heart was not in it.  Meredith came
in and read him the riot act close by his ear and the tears really flowed
then.  I felt so sorry for him.  I leaned over and said "Jay, you need to
man up and put the tears away.  It is what it is, and you can make it
better.  It feels like the end of the world, but it isn't.  Do not give
people negative things to talk about, play this as positive as you can.
You can act this out for an hour and a half."  He looked at me, smiled and
said "Pops, you are right, I can do this."  And he did.

After the get together was over, I stayed and helped Meredith and Justin
clean up.  Jay received a bunch of nice clothes, and he loved the boxer
briefs that Myles and Ryan gave him.  He liked my gift too, giving me a
hug, and a "thank you."  Ryan and I walked home and called it a night.

The next day, the following weekend and the next week were busy as we
scurried around after school trying to make purchases to take to mom's as
well as, doing our various chores and school work.  I met with the "posse"
on Tuesday and we discussed a variety of things related to men's fashion –
didn't' see that one coming, but we talked about men's clothing and
accessorizing.  I continued to meet with my department and we ramped up our
walking course.  We began to notice a difference in our breathing, and we
were no longer stiff in our legs.  We decided to try to find ways over the
holidays to walk just to keep our stamina up since most were traveling out
of town.  I worked on getting the house cleaned so that we could leave it
spotless as is my requirement for travel.  Michelle called me and wanted to
know what we were doing for the holidays.  I told her that Ryan and I were
going to my mom's.  She hesitated, and then, I asked "Are you having to
work over the holidays?"  She said that she was, but that she would ask
Christina if Myles could stay with them.  I told her "No way, I will take
him with us, as he is more of our family than he is with Rob's family."
She pushed me to make sure that I was okay with it, and I really, really
was.  I enjoy his company, and so does Ryan.  I called my mom and told her
to add one more for dinner.  She was pleased to add Myles as she really
liked him.

Finally, the Friday before our travel arrived, and I had Ryan and Myles on
cleaning detail.  I had them wash all clothes that were dirty, and begin to
lay out their clothes on the bed, so that I could see what they were
taking.  I had to suggest a few more long pants as they were packing a
large number of shorts.  We finally got the clothes washed, some hung, and
the rest packed.  I vacuumed and cleaned the non-traffic rooms saving our
bedrooms, the family room, and the kitchen till Saturday morning.  We
packed the Denali on Friday night, and everybody went to bed early.

We woke up the next morning, stripped our beds and put the sheets and
pillow cases in the washer and then dried them.  The boys took quick
showers after making their beds while I did the same.  They then gathered
the towels, washed and dried them while I vacuumed the bedrooms and the
hallway.  I sent them outside and I mopped the kitchen and utility room
walkway.  I finished the mopping, emptied the water outside, rinsed the mop
and bucket, stored them, and washed my hands.

I got in the Denali and backed out of the garage.  The boys jumped in, and
we were off for our Thanksgiving Holidays.  Ryan sat up front with me as
the co-pilot, while Myles took the middle seat.  We stopped at McDonalds
for a quick breakfast.  We went through drive-through and ordered four Egg
McMuffins and two egg, cheese and bacon biscuits, two hash-browns and three
large cokes.  I pulled out of the drive-through, and we were definitely on
the road to mom's house.

We stopped midway and had a quick lunch, got additional gas, and everybody
took a bathroom break.  We resumed our travel, and the boys traded places.
Ryan took the middle seat and Myles sat up front with me.  Ryan told Myles
about going with fishing with his grandfather and his neighbor, the
restaurant that we would go to tonight for dinner, and some of the fields
and play areas around the town.  Myles was excited to be able to go on this
trip, and I was excited to have him as he would help keep Ryan entertained.

We drove up to mom and dad's house, and I called mom on the cell phone.  I
asked her if she was ready for company, and she said she most definitely
was.  I said "Well then, act like it and welcome us at the front door!"
She opened the front door and we got out.  She hugged Ryan and also hugged
Myles as she had met him on many visits to our home.  She looked me over
and said "Doug, looks like you are putting on some weight!"  Leave it to my
mom to shatter my ego.  I smiled and said "Well I decided that I had to put
some weight on to put my foot down with the boys and with you."  She
frowned and then she said "Douglas, you look good. Come on in here."  I
said "Mom, we need to unpack and store our stuff."

We returned to the Denali and began to unload our suitcases and packages.
Mom directed Ryan and Myles to their bedrooms.  Ryan looked at mom and said
"Grandmother, we will share a room as we always do at home.  We are used to
one another."  Mom looked at me and I said "One less bed to make-up, and
yes, when they are all at the house the guys use one bedroom, but when I
have all four they spend the night in the family room on pallets or air
mattresses."  Mom just shook her head and showed the boys to their room,
while I made my way to my room.  I unpacked and stored my stuff in the
closet and the drawers of the chest of drawers and dresser.  I took my
toiletries to the bathroom and stocked it.

As soon as we had finished that, we returned to the kitchen and sat down at
the table.  Mom had baked some cookies.  I tried a peanut butter cookie, a
sugar cookie, and a chocolate chip along with a glass of milk.  The boys
feasted on the cookies and drank two glasses of milk.  I asked mom where
was Dad? and she said "It is Saturday and he is fishing, he will be home by
5:30."  I looked over at Ryan and said "Boys, it is time to tour the
backyard to see what all they have done since we were here in the summer."
We got up and walked out the back door.  Mom walked with us and showed us
the lighted area that dad was putting in around some of the large oak trees
along with several of the new blueberry bushes.

I was impressed with his design.  I told mom that it looked good and that
the berry bushes looked healthy.  She said "They should, they were about
forty dollars each, but he wanted them, so here they are."

We continued to walk around the backyard with mom narrating about the
various plants and other projects that dad had put in place.  I was
impressed with the birdhouses that he had built and the squirrel corn
feeder.  Mom said that the back yard really looked good when the lighting
was turned on and the various trees and shrubs highlighted.  I could not
wait until tonight to see this, as I wanted to do a little more at the
house.  This is something that I would have to talk to Phil about when I
returned home.

We returned to the kitchen, and the boys were off to the family room to
watch a movie.  Mom and I sat in the kitchen and talked about the upcoming
week.  She divided out the duties that I would help with for the
Thanksgiving mealm and she told me that she and Barbara had talked about
the evening meal.  I ask her what were we taking and she said that we were
doing two cakes, a sour cream pound cake and a thirteen layer chocolate
cake.  Both were my specialties, so I knew what this meant, it was a nice
way to punish me for obligating us to the evening meal at Barbara's.  I did
not complain, as I enjoyed cooking these two cakes. Mom then said that she
would be taking over a couple of vegetable dishes.

About that time, Dad walked in the kitchen from his fishing trip.  He was
all smiles, and we knew that he had a good day.  He said that they had
evidently pulled up on a shell-cracker bed, and they had caught a cooler
full.  As soon as Ryan heard his grandfather's voice, he and Myles joined
us in the kitchen.  He wanted to know how many fish were caught and Dad
told him the same thing that he had told us.  Ryan and Myles went outside
to see the fish as Dad had to go back outside to clean them.  Ryan and
Myles stayed with him while he cleaned the fish.  Mom began to get the
freezer bags ready to store them, and she began to pick out a few for
Sunday night's dinner.  I went to the bathroom and freshened up for our
trip to The Oaks Restaurant.

Eventually, mom and dad finished with the fish, and the boys found me in my
room.  I told them to get a quick shower and dress to go out to eat.  They
took separate showers and were soon ready to go.  Myles evidently bathed in
his cologne, so I had him go back and wash it off.  I then showed him how
to apply cologne.  Dad took a quick shower, and then, he and mom dressed
and joined us in the kitchen.  We all walked out, and I drove us to dinner.
Dad was very impressed with everything about the Denali.

As is the usual custom at The Oaks Restaurant, Mr. Vince Cook, the owner
was at the front counter when we walked into the restaurant.  He took it as
his duty to find us a good place to eat.  He is very attentive to his
customer's needs, and I feel that he is very attentive to my family.  I
introduced him to Myles, he welcomed him, and told him that our family was
one of his favorites.  He sent over Helene, who would be our waitress that
night.  She took our drink orders, five sweet teas and then she
disappeared.  She returned with our drinks and was ready to take our
orders.  Dad and the boys ordered a New York Strip steak with a baked
potato and a trip to the salad bar, Mom ordered a petite filet mignon with
a baked potato, and a trip to the salad bar while I ordered nine fried
shrimp, a baked potato and a trip to the salad bar.  We all went to the
salad bar and made our salads.  Mr. Cook has a special deal with some
nearby farmer, and he always has the freshest tomatoes year round.  We
returned to our table and began to eat our salads.  Shortly thereafter, our
entrees arrived, and we were soon enjoying them.  Ryan kept looking over at
me and finally he said "Dad, who is that?"  When I looked to where he was
pointing, he took one of my shrimp from my plate.  I smiled and said "Be
careful as to what games you play, you never know when I will retaliate."
He smiled and made a big show of eating my shrimp.

As soon as we had finished our meal, Helene returned and wanted to know if
we would like dessert.  Ryan asked what kinds of cakes were available, and
she began to name off the types.  There were: seven layer chocolate cake,
caramel cake, red velvet cake, applesauce cake, carrot cake, butternut
cake, and Italian Cream Cake.  I ordered a slice of butternut, mom ordered
a slice of applesauce cake, dad ordered a slice of the carrot cake and the
boys ordered slices of the Italian Cream Cake.  Helene refilled our drinks,
and we sat there and enjoyed our slices of cake.  I looked over at Ryan's
plate and when he was down to just one chunk, I swooped in and took it with
my fork.  His face was priceless, and I said "Told you!"  Myles looked over
at mom and dad and said "I can't take them anywhere and expect them to
behave."  Everybody laughed with mom giving me that `I know I taught you
better look.'

We finished our slices of cake, and our drinks.  I paid the bill over
protests from dad, but I won this time.  We returned to the Denali and
drove home.  Dad wanted us to see the backyard at night, so we walked out
there.  It really looked nice with the highlighted trees and the low
voltage lighting around the fountain.  We returned to the house, and
everyone went to their rooms with mom reminding us that we would all go to
Church in the morning.  I went to my room and stripped down to my boxer
briefs, turned on the bedside lamp, turned off the overhead lights, went to
the bathroom, crawled into my bed and picked up my book to read.  As I lay
there reading my book, I could not but overhear the boys in the next room.
They were giggling and making comments about each other's cocks.  I picked
up my phone and texted Ryan.  I sent him the message `the walls are not all
that sound proof.  Lower your voices.  I do not care to be a part of your
event.'  I heard them discuss my text and then more giggles.

I returned to reading my book and in about thirty minutes, I put it down
and turned off my lamp.  I settled into my pillows, and then, I heard my
bedroom door open.  I heard underwear coming down and then I felt two
bodies join me in bed.  I said "What are you guys doing in here?"  Ryan
said that they had decided that they wanted to sleep with me tonight.  I
said "Don't let your grandmother find you in here, or we will never hear
the end of it."  Ryan promised that they would get up early and go back to
their room.  They cuddled up close to me with one of their legs thrown
across mine forcing me to sleep on my back.  I also felt two hard cocks
pressing into my thighs.  After a while, I moved so that the cocks fell
under my thigh rather than laying on my thigh.

True to their word, the boys were up and back in their room when dad made
his morning call to breakfast.  We got up and headed to the kitchen for one
of mom's Sunday morning breakfasts of scrambled eggs, grits, fresh homemade
biscuits, hash browns, bacon, and link sausage.  She also brought out some
of her homemade grape and strawberry jelly.  We finished breakfast and mom
began to hurry us along.  She said that she really wanted us to be there
for the morning service as Reverend Fred Lee would be preaching as a
visiting pastor this morning and for several Sundays as the regular pastor
was dealing with his sick parents out of town.  I looked up, and mom said,
"Yes, Doug the very one and same, he was the pastor here when you were a
teenager."  I developed a knot in my stomach.

We all returned to our rooms, laid out our clothes, showered and dressed.
We met mom and dad in the kitchen, and then, we went to Church.  Mom
pointed out a number of people to me and introduced me to many of her
friends as well as, some of my former classmates.  We then took our place
in mom and dad's usual place near the front of the church.  The choir
director directed us to open our hymnals to several songs, and we all sang
along.  Then he directed the choir in one of their special presentations.
I really enjoyed the music.  Then Reverend Lee walked to the podium.

I looked at him, and even though it had been over twenty years, he had not
changed that much, and my stomach began to hurt more than ever.  He made
his opening remarks with "Good Morning Fellow Believers!  It is so good to
see each and every one of you this morning.  I am very happy to see so many
of former members here with their parents and their children.  I know that
this is the Sunday prior to Thanksgiving, and I had prepared a sermon which
would focus on being thankful for what we have been given, but the
political climate in two of our surrounding states dictate that I address
that issue here this morning.  I am talking about the so called Gay Rights
Movement in Florida and South Carolina.  This movement is Biblically wrong,
and we as Christians must stop it.  Let me share some verses with you
before I expand on this".  He then opened his Bible and began to read a
portion from various chapters of the book of Leviticus (18: 21-22; 20:13)
and Romans (1:27) in his booming hell fire and damnation voice.  I tapped
Ryan on his leg and motioned for him to get up.  I tapped Myles and
directed him to do the same.  I joined them, and as I got up, I glanced at
mom, and she gave me that look that told me that I would have hell to pay
later, but I had made myself a promise years ago that I would not sit
through another of this man's sermons and I meant it.

Since we were seated near the front of the Church, we had a long walk to
the back doors.  I walked with my head held high and with determination.
As soon as we were into the foyer, Ryan asked me "Why did we leave?"  I
said "Son, I will not subjugate myself or you two to his thoughts and
actions.  I have made your grandmother mad, and I will pay for that later
today.  Do not say anything on the ride home."

After sitting in the foyer for about thirty minutes, I heard the
benediction.  Soon the doors opened, and the Pastor walked out so that he
could greet the congregation as they left the sanctuary.  I nudged the
boys, and we walked on out to the outside without shaking his hand.

Mom and Dad made their way to us, and Mom looked at me with her look.  I am
so thankful that she did not say anything especially in front of the boys.
We walked to the Denali and got in.  I drove us home and we got out.  We
all went in and changed clothes.  I heard mom in the kitchen clanging pot
lids and slamming things on the counter tops.  This was her dramatic touch.
I told the boys that when we went to the table to keep a low profile and
only ask for the foods to be passed.

Lunch was a fresh beef roast with gravy, mashed potatoes, field peas with
boiled okra, homemade yeast rolls, and chocolate pie.  There was not a word
spoke at the table except "please pass the..." and "Thank you."  I looked
up several times, and mom was glaring at me.  I didn't say a thing ,as I
will not argue with her in front of the boys.  After lunch was finished, we
all took our plates to the sink, rinsed them out, and put them in the
dishwasher.  I asked the boys if they wanted to go to a movie, and they
said that they did, so I took them to see Dumb and Dumber To.  I did not
stay, but returned to the house.

I walked in the front door, and I heard "Douglas Blake Brunson, you and I
need to talk."  I walked into the living room and there sat mom.  I don't
know where Dad was, but mom was there, and I could tell that she had worked
herself into one of her anger fits – we call them "stews".  I walked
into the living room and sat in a chair across from her.  I was not even
settled into the chair when she started.

"I have never been as embarrassed as I was this morning when you walked out
of the sermon.  You showed disrespect for the pastor, your family, and your
God.  I do not know what has gotten into you, but I am here to tell you
that you will not do that again, and I don't care how old you think you
are!  Do I make myself clear?"

I looked at my mother and said "Mom, I am an adult, and I will not sit in a
church service where hate is being hurled at me.  I sat in his services as
a teenager, and I swore that I would never do that again.  He is a hate
monger, he does not preach, nor speak of the God that I worship, and I will
not have my son and his friend poisoned by his rhetoric."

The temperature in the room went up by about fifty degrees.  She continued
"I cannot believe that I am hearing you talk this way about a man of God.
I know that your dad and I raised you to respect the Church and its
pastors.  You have always had a wild hair.  You left this house when we
told you that Allison was not the person for you, nor was it time for you
to marry.  You are head-strong, and your sinful ways will find you living
in hell when you die.  I will make it my priority to pray for you each
night, and I will enlist the help of Reverend Lee and the entire Church
Family.  I can only think of what people thought when you walked out of
that service this morning.  I think you owe me and your father along with
Reverend Lee an apology."

I looked at my mother eye to eye and said "Mom, I owe no one and let me
make that absolutely clear - no one an apology.  Your entire song and dance
when I was growing up dealt with I should think for myself, and not be
influenced or dictated to by others.  Well, I took you at your word, and I
made this decision.  I stand by my decision, and as far as my marriage to
Allison, you made your thoughts very clear then, and I can see that they
still linger.  You no longer have to deal with Allison as she has passed
away, but you will have to learn to respect me as an adult and as a father
who will put his son's best interest in front of all things.  You have had
your say, and I will not participate in this discussion again."

I watched mom continue to boil, and she mumbled what sounded like "So you
think."  For the next five minutes, we sat there and glared at each other,
until I got up and went to my room.  In a few minutes, I heard mom in the
kitchen slamming drawers and cabinet doors.  I have never loved disagreeing
and fighting with my mom, but I was adamant about this pastor.  I checked
my phone, and it was about time for the movie to end, so I looked around
the backyard and found dad.  I asked him if he wanted to ride with me to
pick up the boys, and he said he did.  I think he wanted out of the firing
range.

We picked up the boys and then I drove to Wal-Mart.  We got out and I told
the boys and dad to go on in as I needed to do some walking so that I could
keep up my stamina, so I walked the length of the shopping complex four
times.  The boys explained to dad about the walk-run marathon as they
wandered through the store looking at things.  I completed my walk, went
in, found the, and made a few purchases.  We returned to the Denali and
went back to mom and dad's house.  We got out and went in, mom seemed
pleasant to the boys and to dad, but she was still icy cold to me.  I have
dealt with that in the past, and I knew I could deal with it now.  Dad
asked the boys if they wanted to help him set up the tables and fryer for
the fish fry.  I asked mom if she needed help in the kitchen and I was
informed that she did not, that she had done this many times on her own and
she could do it again tonight.  I said "Fine, I offered, but since you are
capable of handling it on your own, I will go watch a movie," and I left
the kitchen.  I heard her muttering and slamming a few things.  I smiled as
I had not invested myself into her mood.  Ryan and Myles came in later and
informed me that Dad needed me to help with something.  I got up and went
outside.  Dad needed me to help him set up the serving pans and to go buy
some ice from the convenience store.  I grabbed the cooler, but made the
decision to go to Sonic Drive-In and buy three bags of their pellet ice.  I
returned and stored the cooler on the back porch.

Mom was out with dad and they were getting the fish, fries, onion rings,
and hushpuppies ready to be fried.  Mr. and Mrs. Rogers came over and she
had made some coleslaw, and a banana pudding.  She and mom began to talk
about some neighborhood events, and soon mom's mood seemed to change.  She
even said a few nice things about me to Mrs. Rogers.  I made out like I did
not hear and continued helping them get ready to fry the stuff.  Dad has a
large fryer, so we could fry all of the fish at one time.  As the fish were
finishing, I dropped the onion rings in, then the fries and finally the
hushpuppies.  We all gathered around the table, and Dad asked the Blessing.
Everybody began to fill their plates and were around one of the tables in
the backyard.  A cool fall breeze sent shivers through us, so Dad lit the
large propane heater, and we were soon toasty and very comfortable.

Everyone enjoyed their meal and there were a few left-overs.  Mom decided
to feed the left-over fish to the neighborhood cats, while she put the
remaining fries, hushpuppies and onion rings in the trash.  Mrs. Rogers
took home two empty bowls because we all enjoyed her coleslaw and banana
pudding.

Ryan and Myles helped Dad store the tables, and chairs.  I helped Dad drain
the cooker when the grease had cooled, then he stored it in the storage
house.  We all went in the house and watched a movie with the boys laying
either in my lap or against me in the family room.

I reminded the boys that we would have breakfast here at mom's tomorrow,
and then, I would take them over to Barbara's for the day.  I could see
that Myles was a little nervous, but Ryan told him that it would be okay,
so he relaxed.  We got up and straightened up the sofa before we left to go
to our rooms.

I went to my room and fell into bed as it had been a very stressful day.
The boys went to their room, then to the bathroom, and back to their
bedroom.  I picked up my book, and I could hear them talking through the
wall.  I lay there for a while and tried to read, but some of mom's
comments just kept coming to the surface, and I became very angry.  I
finally calmed myself down and put my book aside.  I turned off the lamp,
adjusted my pillows and soon drifted off to sleep.

I woke up early the next morning, walked over to the boys' room, and roused
them out of bed.  I sent them to get their showers and talked to them about
how they should dress for the visit to Barbara's.  I told them that they
would meet several of Ryan's cousins.  I told Myles that he would meet
Ryan's Uncle Anthony and his Aunt Amy who were Ryan's mom's brother and
sister.  Myles told me that he had that down.  I didn't know the name of
the kids, or the names of their spouses, so I could not clue them in on
that at that time.  They finished their showers and dressed, then I took my
shower and dressed as well.  We walked into the kitchen and mom had
prepared a good breakfast.  She was unusually friendly after our words on
Sunday, I was a little skeptical, but I had to focus on our trip to
Barbara's.  We finished breakfast, and the boys and I headed out to the
Denali and loaded up.  I drove over to Barbara's around eight o'clock.
Ryan was excited with the possibility of meeting his cousins and see
Barbara again unlike the previous trip over there.  I felt more relaxed,
too.

I drove in the driveway and there were two other vehicles there.  We got
out and walked to the front door.  I started to ring the doorbell, but
Barbara opened the door, swooped down and hugged Ryan.  She released him
and hugged Myles too, then, she looked over at me and pulled me into her
and pecked me on the cheek.  She asked us to come on in the house.  She
directed us to the living room, and there sat Anthony, Amy and four
children.

Barbara introduced Ryan and Myles to the group, and then Anthony introduced
his three children, Eric, age 14, Logan, age 12, and Josh, age 10, then Amy
introduced her son, Nathan, age 12.  Ryan turned, looked at me and smiled.
He was so happy to have some boy cousins around his age.  I had to smile
too, as I was secretly jealous of what Anthony had.  Barbara directed the
boys to some cinnamon rolls that she had baked and glasses of cold milk
that she had on the kitchen counter.  Anthony, Amy and I sat in the living
room and caught up.  They told me that their spouses would come in on
Wednesday, but that Barbara had wanted them to be here today along with the
children to meet and be with Ryan.  I thanked them for that, and told them
that Ryan was looking forward to seeing them and his cousins.  Barbara
joined us about that time, bringing in some cinnamon rolls, milk, and
coffee.  We began to talk about a number of things from the past.  I really
enjoyed sitting there talking about the old times when Allison and I dated
reliving all kinds of interactions with her family.  They brought up a lot
of stuff that I had forgotten, but it made me miss Allison that much more,
and I really thought that I was over her.  I guess you never get over your
true love.

I looked at my phone and it was ten thirty, so I excused myself as I had
things at mom's that I needed to do.  I drove back to mom's knowing that
dad would not be there, as he and his gang of old men gathered at Hardees
each morning to talk about things around town, and discuss life in general.
As I approached the house, I saw another car in the driveway.  I did not
recognize it, but I got out and walked in the house.

As I closed the front door, Mom called for me to join her in the living
room.  I walked to the door, and almost fainted.  There sat Reverend
Freddie Lee.  I looked over at mom, and she just smiled.  She said "Doug, I
called Reverend Lee and asked him if he could come over so that we could
have a talk."

I looked at my mother, and a thousand thoughts went through my head.  I
walked in and sat down in a wing chair that faced both Reverend Lee and my
mom.  Reverend Lee said "Doug, I was so happy to see you in the service
yesterday morning, but I was really puzzled as to why you walked out of my
sermon."  I looked at mom, and then, I looked at him and said "Reverend
Lee, I am going to tell you some things this morning that you are not going
to like, but mom has provided me with the opportunity, and you have opened
the door.  I looked at mom, and I could tell that she was not happy with
me, no, let's make that she was furious with me again.

"When I was a young teen, you came to our church as the pastor.  Your
sermons and your voice had what I have always felt to be a negative impact
on my religious training."  Mom inhaled a deep breath of air.  Reverend Lee
sat up in his chair.  I continued "You preach of a damning God, and of one
who is vengeful and everything is about hell fire and damnation. I have
done some reading on my own, and in my readings, I find that the God, I
serve and believe in, is a loving and forgiving God.  In fact, I have done
a lot of reading about people who are in the last stages of living and who
give accounts of seeing visions of heaven.  They always talk about a
smiling and loving God that welcomes them to heaven."  Mom said "Douglas, I
think you are being rude, and I will not have you talk to a guest in my
house like that."  I said "Mother, you are the one who set this up, and you
thought that once again I would lie down and allow you to walk all over me,
but I am tired of that, and what I have to say needs to be heard by the
Pastor."

I continued "As I looked around the Church Sunday morning, I noted that a
large number of my generation was not present, that could be due to family
travel, but I think it has to do with the fact that they do not feel
welcome in that church with you as the preacher.  Mom started to say
something and Reverend Lee said "Ginnie, I would like for Douglas to
continue, as I may need to hear this."  I said "You chose the wrong topic
to preach about on Sunday morning.  You knew in your heart that you should
address the meaning of Thanksgiving, but you wanted to plant fear and
hatred in the congregation so you brought up gay rights.  I am well versed
in the Bible, and you quoted several scriptures which speak to
homosexuality in the Old Testament.  But you know Pastor, the Bible says
one thing in some of the chapters and verses, and readdresses it
differently in other chapters and verses.  My generation questions things,
we live in an age where we do not believe everything that is told to us and
especially about our religious views.  For me the Bible says "to love one
another as I have loved you', how can you do that when the pastor of a
Church preaches hate from the pulpit?  There is a Psalm that we learned in
Sunday School one year, I think that it is Chapter 103 that has verses to
the effect that `The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and
abounding in steadfast love.'  Why do you not preach on that?  Why must you
continue to divide the congregation and feed the hate? There are numerous
quotes that I could give you as Allison and I studied this before our
marriage ended.  I want to give you one more reference and it comes from
the Book of Luke when Jesus is talking to a group of accusers about a woman
caught in adultery, he said "Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which are
many, are forgiven – for she loved much" and then he told her that her
sins were forgiven.  That is an amazing message, which needs to be told
from the pulpit, we need to hear that our Savior loves us rather than he
wants to send us to hell for every little thing we do wrong.  I walked out
of your service Sunday for three reasons: #1. I promised myself many years
ago, that I would not sit in a service that made me uncomfortable and went
against my beliefs; #2. I will not subject my son and his friend to the
teachings of hatred; and 3. I will not sit in a service and be yelled at."

I then looked at mom, and she was sitting there with her mouth open and a
glazed over look.  I then returned my attention to the pastor and said
"Reverend Lee, there are many things that we will not understand here on
earth, and there may many books of the Bible which have not been found,
read, or translated yet, but I do know how I feel about my God, and that is
not going to change."

Reverend Lee sat up in his chair and said "Douglas, my views on
homosexuality will not change as they are rooted in the Old Testament, but
you have made some valid points with regard to how I deliver my sermons.
There is an old saying of `you can attract more flies with honey than you
can with vinegar.'  I guess I need to give that some thought."

I said "I am glad to hear that, as I believe that you have studied the
Bible for many years, but I stand on my statements that your message and
your delivery style need to change."  He said "Doug, I have heard you" and
then he turned to my mom and said "Ginnie, I want to thank you for asking
me over this morning.  It seems as though there was a message that I needed
to hear and believe you me, I have heard it loud and clear and Doug did not
have to yell and holler to get my attention."

I began to get up so that I could excuse myself as I had other things that
I needed to do, but Reverend Lee stood up extended his hand and said "We
did not shake hands yesterday, but I need to shake your hand today as I
need you to know that I truly love you as a child of God, and I need to
tell you that I will give your words some additional thought."  I looked
towards mom, and for once in a long, long time, she looked lost for words.

I took that opportunity to excuse myself from the room and left mom and the
Reverend there to do some additional talking.  I went to my room and
decided that I needed a shower to refresh myself after that battle.  I laid
out a pair of shorts and polo as it was a warm fall day.  I went to the
bathroom and took my second shower of the day.  I returned to my room,
dressed, and then, headed to the front door.  Mom intercepted me as I
opened it and she said "Douglas, you amaze me sometimes, I am not sure
whether I should hug your neck or wring it.  I sat there and listened to
what you had to say this morning and much of it is true however, I disagree
with you on the hate mongering."  I said "Mom, I don't want to get into
this topic with you anymore, but I will say this, "You grew up with that
style of preaching, and you expect it and approve of it, I don't and I
won't.  Let's make a deal to talk with God about it in our after-life."
She did not have a response again, my second blessing of the day.  I looked
at her and said "Mom, I am going to see if Randy is in town and if he is
then, we are going to ramble around until I have to pick the boys up.  You
need to rest and have a good afternoon until Dad gets home" and I walked
out and closed the front door.

I got in the Denali and drove down to Randy's house.  I walked up to the
front door and rang the doorbell.  Randy's mother answered the door and
invited me in to the living room.  She told me that Randy was assembling a
small bookshelf for her, and that, he would be finished shortly.  She and I
sat and talked with her asking questions about my parents, me, and my son.
I answered her questions and soon Randy appeared.  We did our typical shake
and manly hug.  He sat down, and we continued to talk with his mom about
life in general.  He asked me what I had been doing and I decided to tell
him about life at home, my teaching, the boys, and then I told him that I
had dropped the boys off at Barbara's for the day.  He said "Boys?"  I
smiled and explained about how Myles was a part-time family member.  He
thought that was cool for Ryan to have a part-time brother.

Randy's mom excused herself to go to the kitchen as she said she had to
prepare several desserts for not only her family's Thanksgiving, but also
for some social events that she had been invited to attend.  Randy and I
took her leave to be a signal that we too should leave and ramble around
the town.  We walked out and he had to give the Denali a good looking over.
He liked the color that I had chosen.  We got in, I started it up, backed
out of the driveway and headed to town.  Randy said "Doug, let's take it
out on the interstate, I want to see how it performs."  I agreed always
being one that liked to show off my toys.  We were soon on the highway, and
I floored the gas pedal, it reared up, and we were zooming down the road at
ninety miles an hour.  Randy looked over and me and said "Sweet, but we
better slow it down, or we might have to deal with a patrolman."  I slowed
down, and it was a good thing too, as about a mile ahead there sat a
patrolman in the median.

We turned around at the next exit and returned to town.  I told Randy about
the walk-run marathon and that I needed to do some walking to keep my
stamina up, he suggested that we go to the new walking track, so he
directed me to it and we walked it for about forty minutes.  We returned to
the Denali and rode around town.  We stopped at one of the small cafes to
have a mid-afternoon snack, as I had not eaten lunch.  We went in to find
that one of our old classmates owned it.  Shelia McBride shouted out our
names as we entered, rushed over, and hugged us.  We told her that we
wanted a mid-afternoon snack and she said "You guys just name it, and I
will whip it up for you."  I looked at the menu and decided that I wanted a
cheeseburger with fries and Coke.  Randy ordered the same.  We sat there
talking and soon Shelia returned with our cheeseburgers, fries and Cokes.
I bit into mine and I have to say, it was one of the best cheeseburgers I
had ever eaten.  Randy was impressed with his too.  Shelia pulled up a
chair and joined us as we ate our cheeseburgers.  She asked about our lives
after high school, and we shared our highs and lows.  She told us some of
her life experiences, too.  We sat there and talked for about an hour.  I
looked at my phone and noticed that it was 4:30.  I told Shelia that I had
to go and pick up my son and his friend.  I paid our bill with Randy
protesting.  I told him that he could take me out for dessert before I went
home, he was okay with that.

We returned to the Denali and I started driving to Barbara's.  I asked
Randy if he wanted to go with me and he said "Sure, I remember Anthony from
school, but I don't remember his sister."  I told him a little of what I
had learned that morning from my conversations with them.  He brought up a
few stories that he remembered of all of us getting together and having
great times.  I had to smile as I had forgotten about some of them, but as
soon as he started telling his story, my mind created a great visual of the
event.

We were driving along one of the roads, when all of a sudden a police car
pulled in behind me, flipped on its light and siren.  I looked over at
Randy and said "What did I do?"  He said, I don't know Doug, but we are
about to find out."  I pulled over, and so did the police car.  He got out
and began to walk to my vehicle.  I looked in the mirror and saw that it
was Bobby Joe Spencer.  He walked on up to the car and said "Well, well,
well looks like I have two hardened criminals here."  I said "Okay, Bobby
Joe, you've had your laugh, I need to get a move on as I have to pick up my
son and his friend from Allison's mom's house.  He smiled and said "I drove
by your mom and dad's Sunday and saw that you were in town.  I am so glad
that you and Randy are together as I need to conduct a little business with
both of you on this trip."  I looked at Randy and then back to Bobby Joe
and said "What kind of business?"  He said "I know more about you two, and
it is time for you guys to pay up.  Oh, I see that both of you are playing
dumb, so I will just say this – I know about the summer trip to the ball
field."  I swallowed hard, and I am sure that I paled.  I said "Bobby Joe,
I have no idea as to what you are talking about."  He said "Doug, you have
never been a good liar, so let me tell you this "Both of you better be at
the ball field tomorrow evening around seven thirty.  Park in the parking
lot, and I will get with you then."  I started to say something, but he
said "I have delivered my message and you two have a mission, so I would
advise you to get on with it. I will see you tomorrow evening."

I pulled back into the traffic and then I looked over at Randy.  I said
"What now?"  He said "Doug, I have no idea, I didn't think he saw anything,
but now, I am worried."  I said "I know, my thoughts exactly, but I can't
worry about it now, it is a done deal, and we will see what he wants
tomorrow night."  I continued driving, and in a few minutes I was pulling
into Barbara's driveway.

We got out and went to the front door.  I rang the doorbell, and Anthony
answered the door.  He welcomed us into the house, and then, he looked over
at Randy.  He said "Randy, my God man, it is so good to see you, what has
it been?  About fifteen years?"  Randy said "I think you are right
Anthony."  I said "Anthony, how has the day been?"  He said "Doug, the boys
have had a great time together, and they are talking about getting together
during the summer at your house" and he started laughing.  I looked at him
and said "Anthony, that is the normal operating procedure for weekends and
holidays.  I usually have two more than I have now with me, and I love it."
He said "Well, they are plotting and planning."  I said "Well, they need to
get ready to go back to mom's house as I am sure that she has supper ready
for all of us."  He walked to the back of the house and told the boys that
I was here to pick them up.  They followed him to the living room and
started telling me about their day.  Barbara joined us and told me how much
she had enjoyed having both Ryan and Myles.  She said that they had eaten a
very good lunch and that everyone had gotten along really well.  I restated
that we needed to get going, and I began to point the boys to the door.  We
made it to the front porch with Barbara following.  She called Ryan and
Myles over and hugged them one more time.  She told them that she was
looking forward to having them join her and the rest of the family for the
Thanksgiving evening meal.  We headed out to the Denali, got in, and I
backed out and headed to mom's house.  I dropped Randy off at his mom's,
and then, I headed on to my mom's.

We pulled into the driveway, got out, and headed into the house.  Mom
called us to the kitchen and told us that she would be finished with
cooking supper in about thirty minutes.  She suggested that we all go take
our showers and join her and dad in the dining room.  We accepted her
suggestion and headed to our rooms.  We were soon showered and sitting at
the dining room table.  Mom had fixed a large pot of spaghetti, a fresh
salad, toasted garlic bread, and sweet tea.  We fixed our plates and had a
very nice meal with mom and dad.  Mom was extremely pleasant during the
meal and reminded me that I had a lot to do in the kitchen tomorrow.  I
told her that I had my day planned out, and that, I would start with a run
to the grocery store.  She said "Doug, I think I have most of what you will
need as I went to the grocery store this afternoon." I thanked her, and
said that I would check her purchases against my list.  She was pleased
that I was happy with her assistance.  Ryan and Myles talked about their
day with Ryan's cousins, and they talked about the lunch that Barbara had
prepared for them.  I saw mom's lips tighten and she said "Ryan, your
grandmother Barbara is a well known cook in our area.  I am looking forward
to joining her family on Thursday evening for their Thanksgiving evening
meal."  Ryan did a slow turn and looked at me with raised eye brows.  I
almost laughed but didn't.  I was as surprised as he was and I was thinking
"Who is this woman?"  The conversation around the table continued with mom
being extremely pleasant and light-hearted.  We finished and everybody
helped clean up.  I cleaned the kitchen after sending mom and dad to their
room.  I checked in the refrigerator and the pantry.  Mom had purchased
everything that I needed to do my baking.  I finished cleaning the kitchen,
and then, I went to my room.  I got in bed knowing that I was clean and
didn't have to have another shower as I had taken three showers that day.
I turned on the lamp, and pulled out my book.  I began to read when my
bedroom door opened and the boys entered.  They sat on the side of the bed
and talked to me about Ryan's cousins.  They told me that they thought it
would be cool if all of them could get together during the summer for a
week at our house.  We talked, and I told them that I did not have a
problem with that, but they would have to work things out with Amy and
Anthony.  They finished talking and returned to their room.  I heard them
get in bed, and then, I heard some giggling, and I heard Ryan say "let's
69."  I pulled the pillow over my head as I had heard more than a dad
needed to hear. I feel asleep and things got quiet in the room next door.

I woke up early the next morning and beat mom to the kitchen.  I prepared
breakfast and had it waiting on everyone when they wandered into the
kitchen.  Everyone finished their breakfast and mom cleaned up while I got
my morning shower, and the boys got theirs.  Dad said that he was going to
go to Hardees later as the group would not have a get together until after
the holidays.  Mom said that she had to go to do some last minute grocery
shopping for Thanksgiving dinner, so I soon had the house to myself after I
sent the boys down to the park.

I decided to cook the Sour Cream Pound Cake first as it required a cold
oven to start off.  I pulled everything that I needed and grouped it around
mom's Kitchen-aid mixer.  I mixed up the batter, and in about forty
minutes, I was pouring it into the tube pan.  I placed it in the oven,
programmed the oven to 300 degrees and allowed it to cook for one hour and
thirty minutes.  I used the cooking time to clean the bowls, the
preparation area, and some of the dishes that I had used to measure and
store my ingredients in prior to adding it in the batter.

I began to mix the batter for the thirteen-layer chocolate cake when the
pound cake was about thirty minutes from being finished.  I had that batter
finished when the pound cake was finished.  I adjusted the temperature of
the oven to 350 degrees and began to add a small amount of batter to two
cake pans.  I put them in the oven and cooked them for about eight minutes
each.  In the meantime, I had added some of the batter to two additional
pans and when I took the first batch out, I replaced them with the second
set of pans.  I turned the cooked layers out on cooling racks and repeated
this process until all of the batter was used, and I had fourteen layers
cooked.  Midway through this process, I began to cook the chocolate fudge
icing.  It was ready about the time that the last two layers were finished.
I placed one layer on the designated cake plate, punched holes in it, and
then, poured some of the icing on it.  I repeated this process, until I had
thirteen layers finished and most of the icing was used.  I took the final
layer and used the remaining icing on it.  I placed both cakes on the
dining room table to set up and cool.

After I finished both of my cakes, I cleaned the kitchen and put everything
back in it proper storage area.  I had just finished cleaning up when mom
returned bearing several bags of groceries and she said that there was a
bunch of other stuff in the car.  It seems that she did more than grocery
shopping.  I helped her bring everything in and store it.

As soon as we had things stored, she pulled out two tubs of pulled
bar-b-que pork, some bakery fresh hamburger buns, frozen fries and several
ears of frozen corn.  I wrapped the buns, pulled two cookie pans out, and
spread the fries on them after heating the oven up to 400 degrees.  While I
was doing my thing, she filled a large pot with water and added some butter
and brought it to a boil.  She then added the corn and allowed it to cook.
She then emptied the pork into a pot and warmed it up.  I called Ryan on
his cell phone and told him to head home for lunch.

About the time that Ryan and Myles entered the front door, Dad also arrived
and we had lunch ready.  Mom hurried everyone off to wash their hands, and
then, we had a quick and delicious lunch.  After a quick clean-up, mom and
I began to chop pecans for her pecan pies, the sweet potato casserole, and
one of her special cakes.

I cleaned the area and helped mom review the menu. Most of the preparations
would be completed on Wednesday with everything being finished Thursday
morning.  I took the afternoon off to go out and do a two-mile walk.  I
returned, showered, and then, went to my room to do some more reading.
Ryan and Myles opted to use their time to go visit a couple of boys that
they had met at the park that morning.

Mom fixed a Beef – Mac and Cheese dish for supper.  I talked to Ryan and
Myles and explained to them that I was going out with Randy.  They were
cool with that, and said that, they would spend time with mom and dad
watching some TV.  I left the house around seven o'clock and drove down to
Randy's.  He had been watching for me, so when I pulled into his driveway
he came on out without me having to get out and go ring the doorbell.

He got in and said "Doug, do you have any idea as to what we are going to
have to do tonight?"  I said "I don't have an idea, but in about thirty
minutes, we will both know."  I continued to drive, and soon, we were in
the parking lot of the baseball field.  I parked and looked around.  I did
not see anyone, and then, a car pulled in by me.  I looked over and it was
Bobby Joe.  He got out and walked over to us.  He said "Well, well my boys
are right on time."  I said "Okay, Bobby Joe we are here like you wanted,
so what is on your mind?"  He said "Well, we are going to play things safe
tonight, so we will be going into the locker rooms since I have a key to
the gym."

I looked over at Randy, and he was as clueless as I was.  We got out and
headed to the gym with Bobby Joe.  He gave us a tour of the new building
and pointed out the boards touting the various sports records.  My name, as
well as, Randy's were there for several track events.  Our records were
still standing.  I began to feel so much better about things when he
suggested that we go to the dressing room.  We walked in and toured the
men's dressing room and showers.  After we had walked through the showers,
we returned to the locker area.  Bobby Joe said "It is now time for the
main event men, strip completely."  I looked at him and said "What?"  He
said "You heard me, and it was a simple statement to which you will do, or
I will spread a certain video to Facebook."  "What video?" Randy asked.  He
said "Oh yeah, you two did not know that I videoed you two sucking each
other off in the dugout back in August.  Randy said "That did not happen."
Bobby Joe said "It did, and no,w you are two going to do what I want or you
will suffer."  I looked over at Randy and began to kick my shoes off, then,
I pulled my shirt off and slipped my jeans off.  I stood there in my socks
and boxer briefs.  Randy had done the same thing at about the same speed.

We looked at Bobby Joe and he said "I said strip and I still see clothing,
I want you both naked as the day you were born."  So I lifted my right foot
and took off my sock, then I lifted my left foot and took off that foot's
sock.  I straightened up, put my fingers in the waist of my boxer briefs
and slid them down to the floor.  I stood back up, and I was standing there
naked.  Randy had followed my lead, and now, we were both naked.  Bobby Joe
looked us over and made some comments about the fact that both of us had
trimmed pubes.  He reached out and jostled Randy's balls, and then, he
moved in front of me.  He looked me in the eye and said "You know Doug, you
have always acted so high and mighty and it is going to be a great night
for me being able to order you around, so let's start with you sucking
Randy's cock."  I did not move, and then, Bobby Joe pulled out his phone
and said "This thing is my answer to a lot of things, do what I told you,
or else I will begin to take pictures of you standing here naked."  I knew
better than to argue with him, so I walked over to Randy, got down on my
knees and took his cock into my mouth.  I began to suck him, and Randy
began to feed me his cock.  I soon forgot about Bobby Joe until I heard a
button snap, and a zipper make its way down.  I glanced over and he was in
the process of stripping down too.

As soon as he was naked, he told me that I could stop.  I got up and looked
at his naked body.  It brought back some memories of seeing him naked in
the showers after track practice.  I had forgotten about his cock.  It was
large, but the head looked like it had a crabapple attached to the shaft.
It was definitely unique.  He looked over at Randy and said "Okay, Randy it
is now you time to pleasure me, so on your knees, and get me really wet and
hard."  I watched Randy lick around the head, and then, he took most of the
length down his throat.  Bobby Joe grabbed Randy by his ears and began to
face fuck him.  I could see that Randy had tears in his eyes as Bobby Joe
was very rough.  I said "Bobby Joe, you are being too rough on him," and he
said "Oh Doug, don't get so worried about Randy, you should worry about
yourself.  Randy is getting me ready to plow your high-flouting ass."  Well
that shut me up.  Soon he pulled his cock out of Randy's mouth and turned
towards me.  He motioned for me to straddle one of the benches.  I did as
he wanted, and then, he pushed me down and had me spread my legs.  He
fingered my hole and made comments about it.  He moved up close to me and
began to swab my hole with his cock which was leaking a lot of pre-cum.
When he felt that he had it lubed enough, he moved in really close and
began to press his cock into my hole.  I tried to resist him, but he
finally broke through.  The pain was intense as his head was so unique.  He
slid on in, and the, he reached around and started pinching my nipples.  He
then ordered Randy in front of me and had him suck me while he fucked me.
He soon reached a point where I knew he was about to cum and so was I.  He
pushed Randy off my cock.  He grabbed it and began to jack me off to the
beat of his fucking.  In a few minutes, I felt that both of us were about
to cum, and we did.  He came up my ass and I came all over Randy, who was
still kneeling near me, the bench, and the floor.  He stopped and kept his
cock inside me for a few minutes then, he pulled out and said "Doug, you
are one good fuck.  I am sure that I will get to enjoy that ass on future
visits.  Just remember, I am your master when you are in town."  I looked
at his wilting cock that was still leaking some cum.

He said "It is now time for showers, we cannot go back home smelling of
sex.  We walked into the shower area and turned the water on to a warm
setting.  We got quick showers and I made sure that I washed my crack out
after trying to expel his evidence.  We finished in the shower and used a
few of the team's towels to dry off.  We redressed and Bobby Joe said "I am
so glad that I have you two to help me out from time to time as Kathy Jo
has begun to shy away from my bad boy."  I looked at him and said "Bobby
Joe, this is and was a one-time event.  You had better have enjoyed it
because it will not happen again."  He said "Doug, you are not in a
position to deny me.  Your mom would be the first one that I show the video
to and don't think that I won't."  I looked at him and said "You may have
the video, but your participation tonight has been recorded, and I will use
it too.  You are not dealing with a fool."  He looked at me as if I was
crazy, until I pulled out my phone and showed him that the camera was
active.  He shut up, and then, decided to turn the lights off and lock up
the gym.  We walked to our vehicles and he said "Well it was fun while it
lasted, and Doug, I think you are more active than you would lead me to
believe.  Your ass was really welcoming to my cock tonight."  I did not say
anything in response to his late statement, but I did say "Bobby Joe, in
the future your dealings with me and with Randy will be on a professional
basis as you have severely damage whatever personal relationship we had in
the past.  I really feel for Kathy Jo, as you are truly an asshole and she
deserves so much more of a husband than you."  He said "Doug, I have always
hated you because you dated and married Allison when she truly wanted me."
I said "Bobby Joe, Allison never wanted you, she knew she had the best and
that is why we got married, but all of that is in the past, and it will not
do you any good to rehash it now or ever."  I then turned, unlocked the
Denali and we both got in.  I cranked up and drove back to the neighborhood
leaving Bobby Joe standing there in the parking lot.

On the way, Randy and I talked about our time with Bobby Joe.  Randy said
"Doug, he really had it in for you tonight, he was vicious when he was
fucking you."  I said "Yes, he was, and I am glad that I am not a virgin,
or I would have had some major damage, but I can tell you he was stroking
my prostate and that is when I knew I was about to cum."  Randy said "I
felt you begin to boil, and your balls rose up in your sack just before you
shot all over the place."  I said "I cannot for the life of me figure out
his hatred for me.  As far as I know he never tried to date Allison, and I
know that she would have told me if he had made an attempt.  He was always
so stuck on Kathy Jo.  This just does not make sense."  Randy said "I
wonder if that is a cover for something else.  You do remember that he came
from really poor parents, and his dad died when we were in like seventh
grade.  It could be that he used a different reason rather than the real
reason so that you would not know.  In fact, the more I think about it, I
think I am right.  You were seen by many as having a golden road, although
you don't think so, some of our classmates did.  Everything came easy for
you, and you had very supportive and giving parents."  I looked at Randy
and said "Sometimes perceptions are so off base, but that makes more sense
than him being jealous of me and Allison."

About that time, we pulled up in front of Randy's mom's house.  We sat and
talked for about twenty more minutes.  I finally said, "I have got to go
home and take a long hot shower and get him out of me.  I can still feel
some of his load in me."  Randy said "I would suggest a garden hose enema
outside, but the weather is too cool for that."  I laughed and said "Can
you imagine me explaining me doing that to my parents?  Mom already thinks
I have lost it even though she has been most helpful last night and today."
Randy said "Doug, I am going to get out, I will see you before you go home,
and we will not go back to the school."  He got out and I drove on down and
parked in the driveway at mom and dad's.

I went in, and everyone had already gone to bed.  I went to my room,
grabbed some clean boxer briefs, then I went to the bathroom.  I sat on the
toilet and tried to empty my bowels of his juices, I was able to get some
out, but I felt that some was still coating my insides.  I got in the
shower and took a long hot shower.  I could still feel his hands pulling on
my nipples and jacking my cock.  I finally finished my shower, dried off,
and put on my boxer briefs.  I walked into my room, closed the door, and
got in bed.  Ryan texted me and said `Someone might be on curfew for being
out so late."  I shot back `Someone might want to remember that in a few
years – LOL" and I heard laughter from the next room.

I lay there, and finally, sleep over took me.  I woke up the next morning a
little later than I normally do at mom and dad's.  I got out of bed and
took care of my morning rituals.  I dressed in a pair of jeans and a polo.
I walked into the kitchen, and we all had breakfast which mom had prepared.
As soon as everybody finished breakfast, I cleaned the kitchen while mom
began to organize the kitchen for the many tasks that had to be performed.
I made a large pone of cornbread, and a skillet of fresh buttermilk
biscuits.  I would use them in the dressing tomorrow, but they had to be
cooked today and allowed to sit overnight.  Mom pulled out the onions,
green onions (scallions), celery, pecans, and cherries so that we could
chop them for the various dishes that we would create later in the day or
tomorrow.  I pulled the ham out of the refrigerator and got it ready to go
in the oven early Thanksgiving morning.  I poked it full of whole cloves,
and injected it with my special sauce.  I placed pineapple and cherries on
it with toothpicks and then I covered it in light brown sugar.  I wrapped
it tight and returned it to the refrigerator.  I then prepared the turkey
for Dad to put on the smoker as he likes smoked turkey, and this is his
specialty.  I returned the turkey to the refrigerator in the garage, so
that he could retrieve it without interfering with out cooking on Thursday
morning.  Mom began to boil a pot of sweet potatoes, for the sweet potato
dish.  She then began to clean and devein the green tops of some fresh
turnips.  She then peeled the white roots and chopped them into chunks.  As
soon as she had them cleaned, deveined, and chopped, she bagged them and
put them in the refrigerator.  This took us the better part of the morning,
but it had to be done to make things run smoothly on Thanksgiving.  We
finished our tasks sometime around noon and then we decided to do simple
sandwiches and have iced tea.

We spent the rest of Wednesday afternoon looking at the various serving
dishes and discussing other menu items.  I finally decided that I need to
get out of the house so I left and rode out to Wal-Mart.  I got out and
walked the length of the shopping center six times, and then, I went in the
store.  As I wandered around, I ran into a couple of people that I knew.
We talked about the good ol' days and how much things had changed in the
town.  I finally finished my additional shopping and returned home.

Mom had made a pot of vegetable soup using some of the left-over vegetables
that she had in the refrigerator and by adding a few new ones from the
freezer.  She always uses smoked pork neck bones to season her soups, and
it is so good.  She had also baked some corn muffins.  We ate our soup and
buttered corn muffins, in fact, each of us ate two bowls of soup, it was
that good.  We finished eating, cleaned the kitchen, and gathered in the
family room to watch TV.  Around ten o'clock, mom and dad went to their
room, while us guys sat up and watched another hour of TV.  At eleven
o'clock, I called it a night.  We all went to our rooms, and went to bed
after I set the alarm on my phone for four o'clock.

I could not believe that time flew as fast as it did that night, it seemed
as though I had no sooner rolled over than it was time to get up and put
the ham in the oven.  I eased into the kitchen, turned the oven on 275
degrees, pulled the ham out of the refrigerator, placed it in the oven when
it was appropriately preheated, set the timer and returned to my bed.  I
snuggled back into the bed as it was beginning to get chilly in the house
and outside as well.  I woke up around six o'clock, showered and dressed
for the day.
 I joined mom in the kitchen as she already had several things already
under way.  We cooked a large pot of oatmeal and served it to everyone.  I
sent the boys down to the park with directions to be home by noon.  I then
crumbled the cornbread and biscuits, added some of the broth that she had
created by boiling several turkey thighs.  I then added some of the chopped
onion, green onions, celery, a few raw eggs, and some chopped turkey.  I
mixed that up, and then, I added some salt and pepper after tasting it.  I
turned around and started a dozen eggs boiling as I would use some in the
dressing, and the others would become deviled eggs.  Mom was busy preparing
the vegetable dishes: cooking the turnips, making the sweet potato
casserp;e, a baked corn dish, a green bean casserole, and a squash
casserole.  I used my time to prepare my special fruit salad and a
congealed blueberry salad.  After the eggs had boiled and cooled, I peeled
them, chopped up four to go into the dressing and added them to the
mixture.  I then halved the remaining eggs, mashed the egg yolks and mixed
them with mayonnaise, yellow mustard, salad pickle juice, some seasonings,
and a smidge of sugar.  I then spooned them into the vacant egg halves.
After I finished with the eggs, I put them in the refrigerator and took the
ham out of the oven.  Dad came through the kitchen to see how things were
progressing and he said that he thought he would have the turkey finished
around eleven-thirty as it was browning nicely, and we could smell it in
the house.  Mom and I alternately placed various dishes in the oven with
the dressing being the final dish that we cooked that day.  I wrapped some
store- bought yeast rolls and warmed them in the oven while mom did a quick
gravy using some of the turkey juices, flour and other turkey parts.

We finished all of our cooking around eleven forty-five.  The boys came in
the front door around eleven fifty, I directed them to the bathroom to wash
up, and we were all seated at the table by noon.  Dad said the traditional
Thanksgiving Blessing, and then, we began to pass the various dishes around
the table.  Myles looked over at me and said "Now, I understand where you
get your cooking skills from Pops."  Mom smiled and said "Myles, I started
training Doug to cook when he was about seven years old, and he really took
to it.  I have to say, even if he is my son, that he is a good cook."  Ryan
cut his eyes at me and smiled.

We finished eating and had some of the desserts that mom had made on
Tuesday evening while I was out with Randy and Bobby Joe.  She had made a
pecan pie, an apple pie, and she had also prepared an Apple-Sauce Cake a
few days earlier, as it is better after it sits for a few days.  I cannot
tell you how full we were, but we finally wiggled ourselves away from the
table and cleaned up.  After we had finished cleaning the kitchen and
dining room, we all went to our rooms and lay down for a good long
afternoon nap because turkey just makes you sleepy.

We woke up around three thirty.  I told the boys that we had to take a
quick walk around the neighborhood.  We returned to the house and everybody
began to get ready to go over to Barbara's for the evening meal.  I packed
the cakes that I had baked in the back of the Denali along with the
vegetable dishes that mom had agreed to cook.  We all loaded up around five
fifteen.  We were getting out of the Denali at Barbara's around five
thirty.  Barbara met us at the door and assisted us with bringing in the
dishes.  Mom and dad were greeted by Barbara, Anthony, and Amy.  They
introduced all of us to their spouses and kids.  Mom and Barbara moved on
into the kitchen so that they could make the last minute adjustments to the
dishes, and soon, they were calling all of us to the tables.  The adults
were seated in the formal dining room, while the boys were seated in the
nook off the kitchen.

Barbara asked my dad if he would say the blessing and he agreed to do that.
As soon as the blessing was finished, everybody lined up and began to add
food to their plates.  Barbara had prepared a traditional baked turkey, a
ham, a dressing, a number of vegetable dishes, some muffins, some home-
made yeast rolls, a variety of salads, and a whole table of desserts.  I
can say that at Barbara's just like at mom's, if you left hungry it was
your own fault as there was plenty of good food to go around.  Afterwards,
we all gathered in the family room and watched some football, and then, we
decided to hit the dessert table at half time.  My thirteen layer chocolate
cake was a hit.  By the time we were ready to go home there was less than
one quarter of it remaining.  I decided to leave it along with the rest of
the sour cream pound cake there as Barbara had more house guests than we
did.

We began moving to the front door and thanking Barbara for the invitation
to her dinner.  There were hugs and kisses and more compliments than you
can imagine as we finally made our way into the Denali.  I backed out, and
mom said "Doug, I truly enjoyed this tonight, and I have to thank you for
insisting that we do it.  I see Barbara every so often, but there is
nothing like talking and celebrating over food."  I had to agree with mom,
the conversations were great, the food was fabulous, and everyone seemed
happy and content.  I know I was.

I pulled into the driveway and everyone got out with me and mom taking in
some of mom's empty dishes.  We loaded them in the dishwasher, turned it
on, and then, we all sat around in the family room talking about how we
would spend Black Friday.  Dad said "If I am not mistaken, they put a lot
of the sales papers in today's paper so let's get it out, give it a
thorough examination, and then, we can plan on how we are going to attack
this shopping.  He brought the newspaper out and put it on the coffee
table.  We all grabbed some of the sales papers and made our mental notes
of what we wanted and where we had to go to get it.  Mom reminded us that
some of the stores had opened at 6 o'clock Thanksgiving night, but she said
that she would wait and go at six on Friday morning.  I felt the same way,
as I was tired and ready for my bed.

We finished looking at the sales papers around midnight and went to bed.  I
felt like I no sooner turned off the overhead light and got into bed than I
was sound asleep.  I don't think I wiggled at all, because I had been going
full throttle all day long.

I woke up around five o'clock Friday morning, took care of my morning
rituals quickly, woke the boys up, headed them to their morning rituals,
and then we joined mom and dad for a quick bowl of cereal.  Mom and dad
took their car and went off on their shopping while the boys and me hit the
mall to do our shopping.  I called mom around eleven o'clock to check in,
and she suggested that we meet at the Oaks for lunch.  I was not about to
disagree as that is one of my favorite places to eat.  We arrived and had
to wait a while as they were very crowded.  We all decided to do the buffet
as the fried chicken was hot, and it smelled so good.  We finished and dad
looked straight at me and said "Douglas, I am paying for this lunch and tip
and don't you even try to do anything about it."  I decided to let him have
this check, and he was a happy camper.

We returned to our shopping excursions with mom and dad doing their thing
while we did ours.  We all met back at mom's house around six o'clock.  Mom
and I pulled some of the leftovers out of the refrigerator, warmed what
needed to be warmed and placed everything on the kitchen counter.  We all
fixed our plates and sat down at the dining room table.  This time, mom
asked me to say the Blessing, and I did.  I will tell you that sometimes,
the leftovers are better than the originals as they have had time for the
flavors to meld together.

We ate at a leisurely pace, and then, we cleaned up both the kitchen and
the dining room.  Mom wanted everyone to meet in the family room to discuss
Christmas.  After everyone was seated, mom said "I have an announcement to
make, and I would like your undivided attention."  So we gave it to her.
She said "I decided when you guys were here in the summer that I wanted to
do something special for Christmas, so I called and made reservations for
all of us and that also includes you Myles to go to Gatlinburg for a week."
I was dumb-founded as mom had always wanted to be at one of the homes for
Christmas.  I said "Mom, that is a wonderful idea and I will check with
Michelle to see if Myles can come with us.  What are the dates and how do
you see this rolling out?"

She said "I checked your school district's calendar, and you are out on a
Friday, so you guys can come on that next day which would be Saturday, and
then, we will leave here on Sunday morning.  We have reservations from
Sunday night until Saturday at noon.  I am not going to say anymore, as I
want the rest of it to be a surprise.  Now, it is time for everyone to go
to bed as you guys have to get up, pack, and hit the road tomorrow morning.
I really don't want to see you go, but I know that Doug wants to get home
so that he can relax before going back to work on Monday.  Douglas, I will
prepare a big breakfast in the morning, and you can use that time to pack
and do your usual stuff.

We all got up, hugged, and went our rooms.  I woke up the next morning to
the smell of link sausage in the oven, bacon on the stove, and fresh
cinnamon rolls cooking.  By the time, I had my luggage packed, and my dirty
clothes sorted and bagged, mom had a big breakfast of link sausage, bacon,
scrambled eggs, grits, a hash-brown casserole, strawberry jelly, grape
jelly, homemade biscuits, and cinnamon rolls on the table.  I ushered the
boys into the kitchen, Dad said the Blessing, we each fixed our plates and
ate at the dining room table.  Mom served all of us freshly squeezed orange
juice while she and dad had their usual coffee.

We ate our breakfast, and when, we were finished, I started to help clean
up, but mom would not allow me to help, so I returned to my room and
started loading the Denali.  Myles and Ryan brought their stuff out to me,
and I had it all placed among our Black Friday purchases within a short
amount of time.  We went back into the house, did a final walk-through and
said our goodbyes.  Mom had tears in her eyes as she hugged Ryan and Myles.
She looked over at me and she grabbed me so hard that I thought my ribs
might break, and she said, "Douglas, I was not so sure about this holiday
with the dinner at Barbara's and you walking out of Church, but I think it
has been a very memorable one for me and your dad.  We love you son, and we
have always wanted the best for you."  I felt myself tear up, and I had a
fleeting thought of who is this woman? But it was short-lived, and I had to
agree with her.

We walked out to the Denali and got in.  I backed out, and we headed home
with a very successful Thanksgiving holiday behind us.  On the way out of
town, Ryan said "Dad, this was one of the best Thanksgivings that I can
remember, and I am so glad that Myles was able to be with us." I told him
that I had to agree.

I stopped in a town mid-way between mom's and our house for lunch.  We ate
lunch and then, I decided to stop at a large western shop that I had seen
advertised on a billboard on the outskirts of town.  I drove there, and we
got out and walked through the store.  The boys wanted a Western shirt so I
bought them the ones that they wanted, and I bought myself a pair of
genuine cowboy boots.  Ryan laughed when I tried them on, and he was really
shocked when I purchased them.  We returned to the Denali, stashed our
purchases and headed home.

I pulled into the driveway, raised the garage door and there sat Phil's
truck in my spot.  I turned the Denali off, put it in park and we all
headed into the house to see Phil.  He was stretched out on the sofa in the
family room.  Everyone hugged everyone and soon we were unloading the
Denali.  I had Ryan begin to sort the dirty clothes and put them in the
washing machine.  Within thirty minutes the doorbell rang and it was Jay
and Rob.  They came in, and they spent the rest of the afternoon talking
about their Thanksgiving Holidays.  Myles called his mom after all the
clothes were washed, and she told him that she would be home in about
thirty minutes.  He packed his stuff and headed to his house while the rest
of the gang sat around the family room waiting for me to prepare something
to eat.

I decided that we would go to Olive Garden, so Jay and Rob called their
parents to see if they could go, and they could.  We loaded up and headed
to Olive Garden for a leisurely supper, and then, we returned home.  Phil
decided to spend the night, and I made the decision to not tell him about
my encounter with Bobby Joe.  The boys, with the exception of Myles, spent
the night in the family room so things were back to normal once again.
Phil and I went to my room, stripped down to our boxer briefs, got into bed
and just spent the next two hours talking about our holiday adventures.  I
spooned him most of the night, but by morning we had switched places and he
was spooning me.

End of Chapter 24 – My Son and His Friends

This has been a lengthy chapter and it took a lot of time to write it.  I
hope that you have enjoyed it and that you now have a little more insight
into Doug and some of the reasons as to why he reacts the way that he does.
Religion is a great thing and I can personally tell you I do not want to be
without it, but religion is a very personal issue for all of us.  Doug took
a stand with his mom and his former pastor.  One of the questions for the
future is – Did the pastor hear him?  Will Doug's mom come over to
Doug's way of thinking?  What will the posse report when school resumes?
How will Christmas go with it being held in Gatlinburg?  Will the total
gang of boys, and the guys get together before they return to school during
the New Year?

As always, thanks for reading and I look forward to your comments.


Jay