Date: Sat, 01 Apr 2006 20:58:36 -0500
From: Scribe 1971 <scribe1971@hotmail.com>
Subject: Substitute Dad Chapter 10

Substitute Dad
By Scribe 1971

Author's note:

Welcome back constant readers!  Chapter 10 of the ongoing saga of Josh and
Tommy is here.  Your continued support and encouragement is truly
appreciated.  I have received a mountian of really positive feedback about
this story.  Feedback is the fuel which is driving me on.  I have been
having a blast writing this story and the feedback makes it all worth while.
  Josh and Tommy are like my family, they are like my boys.  I am a big fan
of Stephen King and his book "On Writing - A Memoir of the Craft" sits on my
desk above my computer.  While I don't dare compare myself to the best
selling fiction author of all time, I have learned a few things from him.  I
learned the importance of solid characters and I've learned that the most
satisfying way to write a story is to start with a single seed and let it
grow.

Mr. King NEVER plots out his stories and often has no idea how they will end
until he gets there.  I am writing this story much the same way.  I started
from one tiny seed - the premise that there is a difference between a father
and a dad and I set out to prove that.  That's what this story is all about.

Thank-you all for your continued support and your encouragement.  This story
is dedicated to all of you.

I forgot to include my play list highlights last time around so here it is:

Chapter 9 - "I Will Take Care of You" by Amy Sky, "I'll Be There For You" by
Bon Jovi, "Heaven Let Your Light Shine Down" by Collective Soul.

Chapter 10 - "Holding Out For A Hero" by Bonnie Tyler, "You Lift Me Up" by
Josh Groban, "Shine Your Light" by Robbie Robertson.

Cheers,

Scribe

This story is copyright 2006 - please do not repost or redistribute this
story without my express written permission.

Chapter 10 -- Happy New Year

The first few days after I left the hospital passed surprisingly quickly.
My head was healing nicely and I was less and less reliant on pain
medication to make it through the day.  Josh was a near constant companion
in those first few days.  He virtually waited on my hand-and-foot and he
would not take no for an answer.  He was also a little clingier than he
normally was and I received more than a few of his wonderful massages.  I
certainly wasn't complaining because I loved having him around.  We spent
most of our time curled up together in front of the TV in my apartment.
Another of our favorite pastimes during that period was playing "Doom!"  We
rigged up a mini network in Josh's bedroom and linked our PCs together.  We
spent hours on end playing cooperative and death match games.

During that time, I managed to do some research related to the summer plan
that was rapidly forming in my head.  My dream had always been to spend a
summer visiting every province and territory of Canada and I wanted to do it
this summer and I wanted to take Josh with me.  I wanted to show him every
part of this country.  I wanted to spend 2 months on the road with him.  I
couldn't think of a better way to spend the summer than being on the road
with Josh, just the two of us traveling the country together in my trusty
Jeep.

I had a Canadian Automobile Association membership which allowed me to
request free maps and travel information for just this sort of road trip.  I
called them and requested everything they had on all 10 provinces and all 3
territories.  I used the Internet to research points of interest and I began
plotting out routes and projecting costs.  The more planning I did, the more
excited I became about the possibilities that the trip would become a
reality.  It nearly killed me to keep the plans from Josh before I'd had a
chance to discuss it with Susan.  I had no doubt that Susan would agree to
let Josh go, but I didn't want to see him disappointed if she wasn't
agreeable.

During my research efforts, I discovered a program being offered by the
federal government through the Heritage Department.  In honour of the turn
of the century and the turn of the millennium, they were offering grants to
Canadian Citizens to fund projects which celebrated Canada at the turn of
the century.  That little tidbit of information turned out to be a major
turning point.   I discovered the program at about 11:00 PM one night after
Josh had gone to bed and by the time 3:00 AM rolled around I had not slept a
wink.  Instead I had been putting together a proposal and filling out a
grant application.

My idea was to turn the planned summer vacation into a Millennium Heritage
Project.  The plan was to travel to every part of the country take pictures
and write stories and then compile a book which would document the "Great
Canadian Road Trip".  It would not only satisfy my desire for taking Josh on
such a road trip, but it would also give us a project which we could work on
together and which could offer some real tangible benefits down the road.  I
had just submitted the proposal via the web when Josh crept down into my
apartment.

"Are you ok?" Josh asked.  He sounded worried.  "I woke up and I could hear
the clicking sound as you typed."

"I'm fine, son," I told him.  "I was just reading something on the net and
got carried away."  I disconnected from the net as Josh came up behind me,
wrapped his arms around me and rested his head on the back of my neck.

"Time for bed," he said in a sleepy voice as he helped me up and led me
towards my bedroom.

Josh climbed into my bed as I undressed and brushed my teeth.  A moment
later I climbed in beside him.  He was already half asleep but it didn't
take him long to roll over and snuggle up to my side, tangle his legs up in
mine and toss an arm over my chest.  I hadn't realized just how tired I was
until I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him close to me.  I didn't
even get a chance to say `good-night' before I drifted off.

The next day was New Years Eve.  Josh and I slept in until almost 11:00 AM.
I figured it was just as well since it would make it easier for us to stay
up and see in the New Year.  I broke the news to Josh that we weren't going
to be able to keep out New Years plans and he took it surprisingly well.  In
actual fact, it hadn't surprised me at all given his maturity.  Susan had
plans with her new boyfriend Bob, so Josh and I were left to fend for
ourselves.  We decided to hit the Mandarin for lunch and then spend the
evening camped out in my apartment feasting on all the pizza and Coke that
we could hold.

We headed out to the Mandarin for a late lunch at around 2:00 PM.  I was
glad to be back in the driver's seat after 3 days of not driving at all.  I
love to drive and it would have been traumatic had my condition mandated
that I surrender my driver's license.  I loved my Jeep and I kept it in
tip-top shape.

"Are they going to have lobster again, dad?" Josh asked as we hit the road.

"I hope so, bud," I chuckled.  "I love lobster."

"Me too!" Josh replied.

I loved seeing him that happy.  His grin was positively radiant.  I have no
doubt that his grin could melt even the hardest of hearts.  He had certainly
melted mine.  Thinking back, Josh had come into my life for the first time
just as I was recovering from what was my darkest hour.  The accident which
had ended my military career had dropped me into a deep depression.  Had it
not been for the efforts of my family, Andrew in particular, I don't know
what would have become of me.  I was still very much in recovery mode when I
met Josh and he really helped to bring back the old Tommy.

Just a few short months before the lasting effects of that accident made
themselves known, Josh had come back into my life and I couldn't be happier.
  Had Josh not been around, things would not have finished up so well.  Josh
was evidently my good luck charm.  Come hell or high water, I was not going
to let him out of my life again.

I glanced over at Josh as I pulled into the Mandarin parking lot.  He was
just about bouncing up and down in his seat from the excitement.  He was
licking his chops constantly and I could see his small Adams apple bobbing
up and down.  You'd think he was starved or something!

"Holy crap!  Look at the crowd," Josh exclaimed.

"Good thing we have a reservation," I replied.  The restaurant was packed
like I had never seen it before.  Despite the higher than usual prices I
wasn't surprised in the least.  December 31, 1999 was a memorable occasion
and people wanted to celebrate.  In exchange for the higher price, they had
a lot of special items on the menu.  Lobsters, crab legs, shrimp and all our
other favorites were there and they also had grilled steaks and plenty of
exotic looking dishes.

We were relieved that we didn't have long to wait before we were seated.
Once we were shown to our table and gave the waitress our drink orders were
assaulted the buffet with the precision of JTF2 commandos.  I hadn't eaten
all that much since leaving the hospital and I hadn't eaten anything before
heading out so that night I was able to pack away a lot more than usual.  I
still couldn't keep pace with Josh, but I did an admirable job.  Josh must
have been on the verge of a growth spurt because he put away even more than
he normally did.  The sight of Josh dismantling and devouring about 4
lobsters was a truly awesome spectacle.  Thank God it was all you can eat!

Several times during the meal I noticed Josh looking past me with a slight
frown on his face.  I didn't really think much of it until it happened the
third or fourth time.

"What are you looking at lady?"  Josh asked in a perturbed voice that caught
my attention.

I turned around and there was a woman who appeared to be in her late 20s
sitting at the next table.  She looked at Josh and me and then quickly
turned her head away.  "What's wrong Josh?" I asked with concern.

"That woman keeps staring at your shaved head and making comments," Josh
said angrily.

"It's ok kiddo, don't worry about it," I said trying to calm him down.  Josh
was having none of it.

"Lady, my dad just had an operation on his head to treat an injury that he
got when he was in the army serving this country.  I was always taught that
it's rude to stare at people.  I guess you didn't learn that lesson.  Why
don't you mind your own business?"  Josh was livid.  I had never seen him
that angry before.

"Just ignore her, Josh."

Josh ignored me and kept at it.  "I love my dad and I won't just sit here
and watch someone like you act like that towards him."

"I--I'm sorry, I didn't know," the woman stammered.

"Of course you didn't know; that's why you should have kept your mouth shut
and acted like an adult.  Please don't let it happen again."

I reached across the table and squeezed Josh's arm and gave him a smile that
communicated volumes to him.  He smiled back and winked at me before diving
back into his plate.  As I watched Josh enjoy his meal I wondered how many
other 12-13 year olds would have the courage and the confidence to do what
he just did and stand up to an adult.

We rounded out the meal with plates of warm, fresh waffles topped with
whipped cream and strawberry sauce.  I barely got through half of mine
before turning the plate over to Josh who happily inhaled the rest.

By the time we waved the white flag and I paid the cheque, the table was a
shambles.  The carnage was unbelievable.  The formerly clean table cloth was
littered with countless broken up sections of crab legs, picked clean
lobster shells and stains from various sauces and toppings.

"I can hardly walk," I moaned.

"Me either," Josh said and then laughed.  "I hope the waitress doesn't come
back and offer us wafer thin mints!"

I immediately picked up on the Monty Python reference and joined his
infectious laughter.  The two of us were soon roaring like a couple of
lunatics.  Other diners looked at us like we'd both lost our minds.
Predictably, the woman that Josh had told off kept her head down.  We
probably were out of our minds but we were having fun and enjoying each
other's company too much to care what anyone else thought.

We finally waddled out of the restaurant and made our way back to my Jeep.
It was still early and still bright and sunny so I decided it was time for
Josh's first driving lesson.

"Hey kiddo, how would you like your first driving lesson today?"  I asked as
we climbed into the Jeep.

He answered by giving me a bear hug and plating a kiss on my cheek.
"Awesome!" He crowed.

"Great!  Let's head over to the GO Transit station.  They have a huge
parking lot and it'll be virtually empty today."  The local GO (Government
of Ontario) commuter train station had a parking lot which could accommodate
a couple of thousand cars and it would be as good as deserted on New Years
Eve.

It took us all of 10 minutes to make our way there.  As it turned out, I was
right.  There wasn't a car in sight for Josh to crash into.

"Alright bud; before we get started you need to remember that I am teaching
you this so that you can drive in emergency situations.   You aren't to go
out and drive the Jeep, your mom's car or any other car.  Understand?"  I
really didn't think I needed to say that, but I was just being prudent.

"I know dad," Josh replied.  I was amazed that I didn't detect even one
single iota of attitude in his response.  He simply accepted the rule as
reality and I knew I'd never have a problem with him breaking it.

"Good."  I spent the next 5 minutes demonstrating the various controls and
instruments that were employed in driving the Jeep.  "Josh, the Jeep has a
manual transmission.  That means that you have to manually select the
appropriate gear for the speed and conditions of the road.  Driving a manual
transmission is more involved than driving an automatic.  You're going to
have an advantage over other drivers because you're going to learn how to
handle a manual tranny first.  Once you master that, you'll be able to drive
an automatic like your mom's without a second thought."

"My mom tried to learn how to drive a standard once but she got frustrated
and gave it up," Josh laughed.

"She isn't the first person to do that and she won't be the last," I said
with a smile.  I was actually aware of at least one marriage that had ended
over a poorly executed lesson in driving a stick-shift!  "Now there are a
few golden rules for you to remember whenever you drive.  First, always look
before you move.  If you're going to turn or change lanes you must look to
ensure the way is clear before you signal and then make your move.  Second
of all, you must always look where you're going.  If you're going forwards,
you look forwards.  If you're backing up, you turn around and look
backwards.  When you turn, always look in the direction of your turn."

"That all makes sense.  I've heard that you have a `blind spot' when you
drive.  What's that?"

"Excellent question, Josh.  You actually have 2 blind spots; one on each
side of the car.  The size of the blind spots varies with each different
vehicle.  The only way to see what, if anything is in your blind spot is to
turn your head and look.  You MUST always check your blind spots before you
turn or change lanes.

"Cause someone could be there without you knowing it, right?"

As usual, Josh amazed the hell out of me.  "Exactly!  Now there are a couple
more golden rules to go over with you.  The third rule is that must always
maintain a high degree of situational awareness.  That means that you must
be aware of everything that is going on around you and you must be
constantly scanning your mirrors and keeping an eye on things.  It also
means that you're always thinking ahead.  You must always have a plan `B'
which will get you out of trouble.  You need to constantly look for and
identify potential sources of danger."

"Like drunk drivers or kids running into the road, right?"  He said the
phrase `drunk drivers' with more than a little distaste and bitterness in
his voice.  I knew I'd never have to worry about Josh driving drunk.

"Exactly right, kiddo," I replied proudly.  "It's too late if you have to
decide what to do when you're confronted with a danger.  You have to know
what you're going to do before the situation arises and you have to take
that action automatically.  The final golden rule is this... The driver is
in command.  The driver gives the orders and the driver makes the
decisions.  When you are driving, no matter who is in the car with you, you
are in charge.  You have to take responsibility for your vehicle and for
your passengers."

"Just like the captain of a ship."

"Or the pilot of an airplane," I grinned at Josh.  "Today's lesson is going
to be all about the clutch and shifting gears.  When you drive a vehicle
with a manual transmission, you have to use both feet and both hands.  Your
left foot operates the clutch which is the left most pedal.  Your right foot
operates the gas pedal which is the skinny pedal on the right and the brake
which is the middle pedal which looks the same as the clutch."

Josh leaned over and looked at each of the pedals with interest.

"You must always have either the gas pedal pressed or the clutch pressed.
If you release both pedals, the vehicle will stall.  That means that when
you stop and you release the gas, you must press the clutch.  You also have
to push the clutch when you shift gears.  When you push the clutch, you have
to be sure to push it all the way down and you have to keep it down until
you finish shifting."

"Sounds pretty easy so far," Josh said.

"It is pretty easy once you get used to it.  Now, the gear shift is used to
select the appropriate gear.  When you're in neutral, which means that you
are not in a gear, the stick is in the middle and you can wobble it
back-and-forth," I said as I demonstrated the neutral position for Josh.
"You see the diagram on the top?"

"Yeah, 1-2-3-4-5-R.  Those are the five gears and reverse."

"Bingo.  It's the shifting pattern.  To shift into first gear, you pull the
stick all the way to the left and push it forward.  To shift into second,
you pull it to the rear.  For third gear, you push it to the front and a
little further to the right.  Fourth and fifth work the same way.  We'll
forget about reverse for now since it's a little more complicated."

"Sounds pretty clear."

"Separately, working the clutch and shifting the gears are dead easy, but
it's a little more complicated when you combine them.  I'm going to teach
you each part separately and then we'll combine them.  To start with, I'm
going to drive around the lot and work the clutch and you're going to shift
the gears for me.  Let's go.  Shift us into first."

Josh shifted smoothly into first gear and flashed a delighted grin.

"This is the most challenging part of driving a manual transmission.  In
order to get moving, you have to be very smooth on the clutch and gas pedal.
  As you ease off the clutch, you have to ease the gas in.  If you're too
slow, you'll stall and if you're too fast, we'll lurch forward.  Imagine it
as a pivot from one foot to the other."  I demonstrated proper clutch
control and explained the "sweet spot" and how to identify it.  "Most of
this is just a matter of learning the vehicle and memorizing its
characteristics."

"How do you know when to shift?" Josh asked as he watched me intently.

"That's the easy part.  You can watch the tachometer or you can listen to
the engine.  You want to shift before the needle gets too close to the red
line on the tach."  I pushed the gas and revved the engine.  "Hear how the
engine sounds as the RPMs go up?"

"Yeah, it gets louder and faster.  If I learn what the engine sounds like
when it's time to shift, I won't have to look at the tach."

"Exactly right, kiddo.  That's how most people do it."

We spent the next few minutes doing laps of the parking lot and Josh did an
excellent job of shifting the gears.  Finally it was time for him to take
the wheel.

"Alright bud, it's time for you to take the wheel and try operating the
clutch," I said as I pulled over and set the parking brake.  I climbed out
and walked around to the passenger side as Josh slid across the seat.  "Ok
kiddo, press the clutch down and then start her up.  Keep the clutch pressed
after the engine starts and put your other foot on the brake."

Josh did as he was instructed.  I smiled as I noted the look of intense
concentration that he wore on his handsome face.

"Nicely done, Josh.  Now release the parking brake and I'll shift you into
first gear."  I could tell that he was excited and nervous at the same time.
  "You're doing fine, bud," I said trying to reassure and relax him.  "Ready
to go?"

"Let's do it!"  He said with a radiant grin.

"Alright, take your foot off the brake and gently start pressing the gas as
you release the clutch."  I braced myself for the expected `bump start' but
it never came.  I was utterly amazed as we began to move forwards.  "WELL
DONE JOSH!  Let's shift to second gear, off the gas and on the clutch."  As
soon as he had the clutch all the way down I shifted and without even being
told to do so, Josh properly released the clutch and went back to the gas
pedal.

"How am I doing?" he asked anxiously.

"You're doing amazingly well, bud."  I was so proud of him that I could
hardly contain it.  I had never taught anyone to drive a stick-shift before
but I knew how difficult it was for some people.  I learned pretty quickly
but it took me a couple of lessons before I mastered it.  Josh was picking
it up as if it was second nature.  I was increasingly interested in learning
his IQ; it had to be well above average.

He was doing so well that I had him start shifting the gears on his own and
I taught him how to down-shift as well.  He did it without skipping a beat.
We spent over half an hour circling the large parking lot.  Josh didn't
stall a single time and had only a few very minor "bump-starts" I was
utterly floored at how quickly he had picked it up.

"Ok bud, it's time to head home.  I'm really proud of you.  You learned even
faster than I did."

"It was really easy," Josh replied through his massive grin as he pulled
over and we switched back.  This time he exited the vehicle and met me
behind the Jeep.  "Thanks dad, I love you so much," He said as he through
his arms around me and gave me an incredibly tight octopus style hug.

"You're welcome son and I love you too," I replied tenderly as I returned
his embrace.  We drove home and Josh bounded into the house.  I think he
wanted to tell Susan all about his exploits, but she had already left on her
date with Bob.  It was nice to see her getting out but Josh didn't seem to
think much of it or of Bob for that matter.  She already had little time to
spend with him and now that Susan was dating a new man, she had even less
time than usual.  I certainly spent as much time as I could with him, but he
still wanted to spend at least some time with his mom too.

I was a little tired and my head was a little sore so I took one of my
painkillers as soon as I got to my apartment.  I didn't like taking those
pills because they made me sleepy but they did help with the pain.

"Your head hurts?" Josh asked with concern.  Since the night that I went to
the hospital, Josh has been particularly sensitive towards my headaches.
Whenever I had one, I could see the usual concern on his face, but I could
also see a touch of fear.  It would take time before he would lose that
fear.

"Yeah, it's not too bad though, I just need to lay down for a while."

"Do you want a massage?" He asked as he walked over to me and began to rub
my shoulders.

"I'd love one, but you don't have to, son."

"I know, but I want to," Josh said firmly as he took me by the hand and led
me to the sofa.  He sat down in my usual position, put his feet up and
directed me to lie down on my stomach with my head resting against his belly
and chest, essentially using him as a cushion.  I did as I was told and
wrapped my arms around him.

"I really love you Josh and I'm so proud of you."

"I know, dad.  I love you and I'm proud of you too.  I don't know if I've
ever told you this, but you're my hero," Josh said as he began to firmly
massage my shoulders.

I had a lump in my throat.  "Thanks Josh.  You're an amazing young man and
I'm honored that you consider me to be your hero.  I hope that I can measure
up to the challenge."

"You really are, dad.  I want to grow up just like you.  You've had so many
things happen to you and you've kept on going.  Not only that, you do all
sorts of amazing things like flying planes and work miracles with computers.
  I want to learn all of that stuff."

"I had a lot of help, Josh.  My family helped me through some tough times.
That includes you kiddo, you helped me out a lot.  Back when we first met
you were helping me.  I probably wouldn't be here today if not for the way
you handled yourself the other night.  In many ways, you're my hero too.
I'll teach you whatever you want to learn."

Josh hugged me firmly for a second and then resumed his massage.  Before
long, the combination of the painkillers and Josh's loving treatment caught
up with me and I drifted off to sleep.

When I awoke and hour or so later, I was lying on my side stretched out on
the couch and Josh was curled up with me.  After I had fallen asleep, he had
finished the massage, climbed out from under me and then stretched out with
me on the sofa.  As usual, I had wrapped my arms around him as I slept.
Josh didn't sleep; he just lay there with his back against my chest and
watched TV with the volume turned down.

The rest of the evening was pretty quiet.  Amazingly Josh was hungry again
by around 7:00 so I gave him my Visa card and had him order a pizza with
whatever toppings he wanted.  Being a carnivore after my own heart, Josh
ordered a large heart-stopping meat lover's pizza which the two of us
polished off in no time at all as we sat in our usual positions on the sofa
and watched movies.

We watched "True Lies" with Arnold Schwarzenegger.  It was a really good,
fast-paced action movie with lots of guy stuff like fighter planes, nuclear
weapons, explosions and gun-fire.  When that was over, we watched "Seven"
with Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey and Brad Pit.  That movie also featured
one of my favorite character actors named R Lee Ermey.  Ermey had played the
maniacal drill instructor in "Full Metal Jacket" which was one of my
all-time favorite movies.  I decided that I would eventually have to
introduce Josh to that movie.

I had taken Josh to see "Saving Private Ryan" and he loved it so I figured
he'd enjoy "Full Metal Jacket" as well.  I was actually amazed to notice
that Josh actually had moist eyes at the end of "Saving Private Ryan".  The
cemetery scene at the end was pretty emotional and it certainly pulled his
heartstrings.

As midnight approached, we switched on the local station to watch the
festivities live from Nathan Phillips Square.  The place was packed with a
sea of people.  I would have loved to be there but I was glad that we had
stayed home.  I didn't think I could have handled the crowd with my head
still being sore.  Besides, we were both happy as could be cuddled up
together on the couch.

Just before I got sick, I had picked up a mini bottle of Champaign from the
local LCBO store.  I wasn't a big drinker and I didn't think that Josh had
ever tasted Champaign before.  It was a very special occasion so I decided
that nobody would mind if he had a small glass.

I untangled myself from Josh briefly as I went into the small galley kitchen
and put the Champaign in the freezer to get it good and cold quickly.  I
also took a moment to retrieve some glasses from the cupboard.  I didn't
have any Champaign or wine glasses but I was pretty sure that Josh wouldn't
consider it gauche to drink Champaign out of a regular drinking glass.

"Well son, any New Years resolutions?"  I asked as I sat back down with him
on the couch and he snuggled back up against my left side.

"What's a New Years resolution?"

"It's sort of a pledge that you make for yourself.  Something that you
intend to do in the New Year.  Some people resolve to lose weight, to stop
smoking or to get in shape."

"I can't think of anything," he replied.  "How about you?"

"I have one.  I resolve to pay more attention to my health and to listen
more to people who love me, people like you, when they try express
concerns."

Josh smiled at me and leaned his head against my chest for a moment.  "I
resolve to learn everything I can from my dad so that I can grow up to be as
good a man as he is."

I smiled broadly and leaned down and kissed him lightly on the top of his
head.  "You will be a great man, Josh.  You're going to go far in this life
and I the funny feeling that we're both destined to be part of something
really big."  I was thinking about my dream from the other night.  I didn't
believe for a moment that I had any sort of psychic abilities but something
about that dream made it seem so real that I couldn't ignore it.

We sat quietly and watched the final moments of 1999 slip away.  Larry Gowon
was on stage in Nathan Phillips Square singing John Lennon's "Imagine".
With about 1 minute left in the year, I went and retrieved the tiny bottle
of Champaign from the freezer.  By then it was good and cold.

"What's that?"  Josh asked.

"It's Champaign.  I don't usually drink and I know you're a little too
young, but it's a special occasion so I thought we'd both have a small glass
of this stuff to see in the year 2000."

"I don't see why not," Josh said. "I don't want to drink a lot and be like
my father was."

"Joshy, you'll never be like he was.  It is possible to drink responsibly
and not end up like him.  You see, alcoholics drink because they're
addicted.  They drink to get drunk.  Social drinkers, people who drink
occasionally, drink on social occasions or on special holidays like this."

"I always think about my father being such a drunk whenever I think about
alcohol," Josh said sadly.

"You don't have to drink it if you don't want to, Josh.  You always have the
right to say `no' when you don't want to do something.  Don't ever let
ANYONE pressure you into drinking or doing anything else.  In fact, one day
you might find yourself in a situation where people are drinking or doing
drugs.  If you ever do find yourself in that situation, you can call me at
any time of day or night and I'll come get you."

"Thanks dad.  I trust you and I want to have a small drink with you."

"I'm glad, kiddo."

The final countdown had started.  Josh and I counted down the last ten
seconds along with the crowd in the square.  At the stroke of midnight, I
popped the cork on the Champaign and poured each of us a glass.

The crowd was belting out "Auld Lang Syne" as I handed Josh his glass and
raised my own.

"Happy New Year, son.  May the New Year and all the years that follow be
filled with happiness, joy and good health.  I love you kiddo."

"Happy New Year, dad.  I love you too.  This year is going to be amazing.
We'll be together and that's all that counts."

"Always, Josh," I said as we clinked glasses and drank.  After sipping our
Champaign, we sat back down on the sofa and watched the fireworks display,
cuddled up together in our usual positions.

We watched the worldwide coverage for a little while longer before the
Champaign began to take effect and we both decided to turn in for the night.
  We took turns in my small shower stall and then climbed into bed together.
  I lay on my back and Josh lay on his belly up against by side and chest.
He rested his head on my shoulder and draped an arm across my chest.  I
wrapped my arms around him and gently rubbed his back as we both drifted off
to sleep.

That night, I had another dream about Josh and me.  As with the previous
dream, all that I could recall the next morning was a series of fleeting
images and emotions.  That dream, like the last one, seemed to be set 25 odd
years in the future.  I couldn't recall any specifics, but I did remember
standing on a stage with Josh in front of a large crowd of cheering people.
A lovely blond woman was on the stage with us and so were the same 2
children from the earlier dream.

I recalled vividly that the boy, who appeared to be about 13 or 14, was the
spitting image of Josh.  He had lighter hair, but he had the same eyes and
they same warm and friendly smile.  The little girl was incredibly pretty
and she was a miniature replica of the blond woman.  She also had Josh's
gray eyes.  One detail that I did remember quite clearly was that Josh
referred to the boy as Tom.  The boy was clinging to my right side and the
girl was clinging to my left.

I also remember that Josh, who had to be in his late 30s or early 40s in
that dream was talking about the summer of 2000.  I knew then that it was
time to discuss my plans with Susan and to reveal them to Josh.  I had a
very strong feeling that the planned trip had some greater significance than
simply a summer of fun.