Date: Mon, 13 Mar 2006 12:53:33 -0500
From: Scribe 1971 <scribe1971@hotmail.com>
Subject: Substitute Dad Chapter 3

Substitute Dad
By Scribe 1971 (scribe1971@hotmail.com)

Author's note:

Welcome back constant readers.  This is the third installment of my story
"Substitute Dad".  I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you did the
first 3.  I have had a surprising amount of time lately to work on this
story so that chapters have been flying out.  I don't suspect that I'll be
able to keep up this pace long term, but I will continue to tell the story
of Josh and Tom.

As always, your continued feedback is always welcome.

This story is copyrighted 2006 to the author, please don't repost it without
my permission.

Cheers!

Chapter 3 -- Payback and a Road Trip

I shouldn't have been surprised.  I knew he wasn't going to let my laughing
at his embarrassment in the restaurant go without a suitable response.  I
just didn't expect it so quickly.  I woke up to the sound of the alarm clock
on Monday morning.  That actually surprised me since I didn't need to be up
early and I was pretty sure that I hadn't set it.  I could hear Josh and
Susan in the kitchen having breakfast and I decided to go up and join them.

I made a quick stop at the toilet to relieve my bladder, threw on a bath
robe and a pair of slippers and headed up the stairs.  I figured I'd wait
until after breakfast before dealing with my morning ablutions.

Josh and Susan were seated at their usual places around the kitchen table
talking quietly as I entered the kitchen.  As I came into view, they both
looked at me and their conversation cut-off in an instant.  Susan just
stared gape-mouthed at me and Josh looked as though he was struggling so
hard not to laugh that I thought he might actually explode.

"What?" I asked quizzically as I looked down and verified that I had
remembered to put on and tie up a bath robe.

At that moment, Josh could no longer hold it in and he burst out into
raucous laughter.  Susan wasn't far behind him.

"Alright, does someone want to fill me in on the joke?" I asked.  I wasn't
quite sure what was going on, but I was almost certain that Josh was behind
it.

At this point, Josh was virtually rolling on the floor clutching his sides.
Susan managed to get herself calmed down enough to reach into her purse and
produce her compact mirror.  She handed me the mirror and then burst out
laughing again.

I opened the mirror and was startled to see what looked like a demented
street-walker version of myself staring back at me.  It seemed that Josh had
got out of bed extra early and managed to do me up in his mother's makeup
while I was still asleep.  He had covered my face with some kind of white
base and had done my eyes up so much eye shadow that I looked like Tammy Fae
Baker.  He had covered my lips with tons of an almost shockingly red
lipstick and plastered my cheeks with some sort of rouge which was of a
similar shade.  I looked like a reject from the corner of Queen and Jarvis --
the hooker capitol of Toronto.

I stared at my reflection for a moment in utter disbelief before I started
laughing just about as hard as Josh was.  I sat down next to Josh and
noticed that he was all dressed and ready for school.  I contemplated the
consequences of starting a practical joke war with him and figured that I
was sure to loose.  I debated my response and then decided to ignore the
little voice in my head that said "let it go" and I turned the tables on
him.

Knowing how much electric red lipstick he had plastered onto my lips, I
reached over and grabbed his head in my hands and placed big sloppy kisses
on his forehead and each cheek, each one leaving brilliant red lip-marks
behind as evidence.

"Hey!  No fair," he squawked as he tried to get way.

Susan took one look at us both and once again started laughing her head off.

"What was that about payback bud?"  I asked him with a grin.

Josh flashed me one of the wide and friendly grins that I had come to love.
"This means war," he said with a giggle.

I put my arm around him and hugged him.  "You got me good, kiddo!  I
couldn't resist," I said with a chuckle.

He pretended to frown and then returned the hug with a smile.

"Alright, you two clowns," Susan said with a smirk.  "Follow me to the
bathroom and I'll show you how to get that gunk off your faces!"  She looked
as though she wanted to get angry with Josh for wasting so much of her
makeup, but I figure she just found the whole thing too funny to get angry.

We managed to scrub off all the makeup, but it left Josh a little late for
school.  Susan had to leave for work so I raced downstairs to my apartment
to throw on some clothes in order to drive him.

We piled into my Jeep and made it to his school with a couple of minutes to
spare.

"There you are son," I said as I reached over to give him a quick hug before
he got out.

"Thanks dad.  I love you, "Josh said as he hugged me back and opened his
door.

"I love you too kiddo," I said warmly.  "Don't forget, we're leaving
tonight.  I'll pick you up right at 3:00 and we'll hit the road."

"I can't wait," he replied as he shut the door and ran into the school just
ahead of the bell.

I spent the rest of the morning skimming through the portions of my
textbooks that I was supposed to read.  There wasn't really anything in
there that I didn't already know and it didn't take me long to cover all of
the necessary material.  I ended up closing out the morning playing Doom on
my PC.

I grabbed a quick sandwich and then prepared for the trip to Bracebridge.  I
wasn't looking forward to the funeral.  I really don't like funerals in the
best of times and I knew this was going to be worse than most.  I didn't
know George and the extent of my feelings towards him was anger over his
treatment of his son.  I knew I was going to be uncomfortable amongst people
who, according to Susan would probably be hostile.  I knew, however, that I
had to be strong and I had to be there for Josh.  I wouldn't let him down.

I gassed up the Jeep and ran it through the car wash.  I also spent some
time cleaning out and vacuuming the interior.  I did a pretty thorough
walk-around inspection, checking the oil and the tires, including the spare.
  When I returned to the house, I took a moment to put a few emergency
supplies into the back.  I never drove up north in winter without my
emergency kit and mobile power pack.  The emergency kit contained essentials
such as candles, hand warmers, a first aid kit, emergency blankets and some
high energy food like chocolate bars.

With my Jeep prepared, I packed my overnight bag with enough casual clothes
for 2 days and I packed a dark coloured suit into a suit bag.  I also made
sure to pack my dress shoes; I didn't want to appear at the funeral wearing
a suit with running shoes.  I grabbed a dark blue tie for myself and then I
selected another, similar tie for Josh.  I knew all he had was a clip-on tie
and I wanted to make him feel as grown up as possible.  The tie that I
selected for him was a little small for me and I figured it would fit him
just fine.

I intended to spend some time this week-end discussing the facts of life
with Josh.  I was disappointed but not surprised that nobody had taken the
time to talk to him about puberty, sex and all that other stuff related to
growing up.  Clearly he had started puberty recently and he was bound to
have a lot of questions and confusion.  I wanted to give him the straight
goods without embarrassing either one of us so I intended to keep the
conversation as light as possible.  I figured that passing on the art of
tying a tie as if it were some sort of right of manhood would provide a good
segue into that discussion.

I loaded my own bags into the Jeep and then went to retrieve Josh's bag from
his room.  He had packed, but knowing what boys are like, I did a quick
double check to ensure that he had everything that he needed.  I was glad I
did, he had probably thrown his clothes together at the last minute this
morning and had let out some key articles such as socks and underwear.  I
completed his packing and added his bag to the back of the Jeep.

With the packing done, I retreated to my apartment and checked the weather
reports for the next few days.  If Environment Canada was to be believed, it
was going to be perfect road trip weather for most of the week.  Before
settling down to resume the virtual mayhem that was Doom, I made a quick
call to book a motel room for Josh and I.  Being November, it was going to
be dark by the time we arrived in Bracebridge and I didn't want to have to
go from motel to motel trying to find a place to stay.

After spending about 30 minutes blowing various virtual demons to hell with
a rotary cannon, it was time to make the final preparations for the trip and
to go pick up Josh.  I grabbed a couple of Thermos bottles and filled them
with hot chocolate.  I also grabbed some bottled water, fruit and granola
bars and loaded them into a cooler which I usually kept in my Jeep.  I
figured that Mr. hollow legs Josh would like a snack between now and when we
had dinner in Bracebridge.

By the time I was ready to go and get Josh, I was excited.  Despite the fact
that we were going to what was likely to be a very unpleasant funeral, I was
looking forward to taking my first road-trip with Josh.  I wanted to include
him in the trip so I retrieved my Ontario road atlas from the glove box and
placed it on the passenger seat.  I knew exactly where I was going, but I
decided that Josh would be delighted to be the navigator.  I also thought
giving him something to do would help to keep the mood light and as much as
possible keep his mind off tomorrow's funeral.

I pulled up outside Josh's school and within seconds he came bounding out.

"Hey dad!" he crowed as he piled into the Jeep and hugged me tightly.  "I
love you."

"Hey kiddo, I love you to," I said as I returned his hug.

"All set for the big road-trip?"  I asked.

"Oh yeah!  I couldn't concentrate all day, I was so excited."

I was pleased that he was happy about the trip and didn't appear to be
thinking too much about tomorrow.

"What's this for?"  He asked, picking up the map book.

"It's a road atlas, you're going to be the navigator on this trip," I told
him smiling.

"Cool!"  Josh rewarded me with a bright and sunny grin and then cracked open
the book to find the route.

The drive was a lot of fun.  It wasn't all that long, only about 2 hours,
but Josh and I enjoyed every moment.  I let him navigate and even when he
picked a route other than that which I would have taken, I took his route.
It probably extended the drive a little bit but it made him happy.

We spent a good portion of the trip reminiscing about our camp days.  I was
amazed to hear about some of the capers that those kids pulled off behind my
back.  I was also gratified to learn that I was considered to be the "cool
counselor" that all the kids liked and admired.  Josh said there were quite
a few disappointed kids at camp this past summer when I wasn't there.

When he wasn't navigating, Josh was fiddling with the stereo.  Thankfully,
we not only shared a taste for off-the-wall humour, but was also shared a
common taste in music.  Both Josh and I were partial to rock.  Metallica
ranked among our favorites.  He managed to find a station which had just
started playing "Two Steps Behind" by Def Leppard.  I had always liked that
song and I watched Josh out of the corner of my eye.  His brow was creased
in concentration as he listened intently to the lyrics.  His eyes lit up and
he broke into a broad grin when he heard the chorus:

(Whatever you do)
I'll be two steps behind you
(Wherever you go)
And I'll be there to remind you
That it only takes a minute of your precious time
To turn around and I'll be two steps behind

"That song's about us," Josh almost in awe.

"It sure could be, bud.  The singer is telling someone that that he cares
about that he'll always be there for him or her no matter what happens or
wherever they end up all he or she'll ever have to do it reach out and he'll
be right there."

"That's us!"  Josh exclaimed excitedly.

I had a lump in my throat.  "You bet bud, that'll be out theme song."

Josh leaned over and gave me a quick peck on my cheek.  "You need a shave,"
he said with a laugh.

We made short work of the snacks and drinks that I had packed and by the
time we rolled into Bracebridge, Josh was ready to begin eating the padding
in the Jeep's seats.

"Here we are kiddo," I told Josh as we pulled into the motel.

"When do we eat?" Josh asked.

"Let's get checked in and get our gear stowed and then we'll grab a bite."

"Okeydokey," Josh said with a grin.

It only took a moment for me to get us registered.  I was glad that I had
made a reservation; the motel was actually booked right up I figured it must
have been ice fisherman heading over to Georgian Bay.

Our room was towards the far end of the motel so we climbed back into the
Jeep and parked the car in the space right outside the door.  I backed in to
make it easier to unload our bags while limiting the amount of time we had
to spend out in the cold.

The room contained 2 double beds, a dresser, a nightstand with lamp between
the beds and a reasonably large colour TV.  Josh took the far bed near the
bathroom and I took the one nearest to the door.  We plunked down our
overnight bags, I hung up my suit and Josh hung up the slacks and dress
shirt that he was planning on wearing.

"Oh shit!" He exclaimed.  "I forgot to bring a tie."

"I've got you covered," I told him as I ruffled his hair.  I reached into my
suit bag and produced the tie that I had brought for him.  "Your first real
tie."

"Thanks dad," Josh said as he hugged me.  "How do I tie it?"

"Tell you what, lets use the can and then grab some food and I'll teach you
tonight," I replied as I hugged him back.

"Sounds like a plan," Josh replied as he headed to the bathroom to dispose
of the hot chocolate and water that he'd consumed during the long drive from
Toronto.

I was stretching and flexing my neck a little when he came back into the
room.

"Are you ok, dad?" He asked with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine son; my neck's just a little stiff from the long drive."

"I'll take care of that for you later if you want," He said with a warm
smile as he reached up and gave my shoulders a firm squeeze.

"Sounds like a plan, bud.  What do you want to eat?"

"How about some food?" He replied with his trademark grin.

"Why I oughta^Å" I said doing a presentable "Moe" imitation which delighted
him.  I reached out and tickled his ribs causing his to giggle and squirm
away from me.

"How about some hot wings?  I know a place not far from here that has
amazing chicken wings."

"Sounds good.  How hot is the `hot' sauce?" He asked.

"Hot enough to put hair on your nether regions," I said with a laugh
recalling the infamous wasabi incident.

Josh turned red, smiled and then lunged at me, tackling me onto the bed.  He
then proceeded to tickle my ribs without mercy.

I flipped him over with a nicely executed wrestling move, pinned him down
and proceeded to tickle torture him right back.  Finally the need for food
convinced us to give up our wrestling fun.

We headed off in the Jeep and returned about 15 minutes later with enough
chicken wings to feed a horse.  Well, a horse or one pre-teen boy and his
dad anyway.  We decided to grab some plain spice rubbed wings with a
sampling of the hot, medium and blue cheese sauces on the side.  We also
grabbed a sizeable platter of carrot and celery sticks to provide at least a
small semblance of balance to the meal.  Almost as an afterthought, we
stopped at a local corner store and grabbed a roll of paper towels to handle
the mess that would inevitable come from eating such a big load of chicken
wings.  We also snagged a half-dozen cans of pop of various flavors.

We propped ourselves up on our beds, turned on the TV and tuned to the Movie
Channel before digging into our feast.  Over the next hour, we consumed
about 80 chicken wings and God only knows how many carrot and celery sticks.
  At first I kept pace with Josh but I quickly fell behind.  By the time the
wings had been reduced to a picked clean pile of bones, I must have eaten
about 30 wings to Josh's 50.

Josh smiled and let out a loud belch. "Oh man, that was good," he said with
a smile.

"I love chicken wings," I replied.  "Just think how many chickens are
running around without wings so we could have that feast."

"Doofus," Josh exclaimed lovingly and flashed me the warm grin that I loved
so much.

"I know, but you love me anyway," I said returning his grin.

"Of course I do.  Now, lets get cleaned up and I'll rub your neck for you."

"You don't have to Josh,"

"I know I don't, but I want to.  You didn't have to spend your money and
take your time to bring me here," Josh said seriously.

"I did it because I want to and because I love you, Josh.  I don't have a
lot of money, I have enough to get by and I can afford this.  Money and time
are worthless compared to the bond between us."

Josh smiled then came over and hugged me, his sticky barbecue sauce covered
hands leaving hand-prints on my back.  I returned both his loving hug and
the hand-prints.

We both hit the bathroom and washed our hands.  I checked the thermostat to
ensure that the room would stay warm and then we both stripped down to our
briefs to settle in for the night.

"Lay face down, dad," Josh said as he climbed up on my bed with me.

I did as I was told and he straddled my back and began working my shoulders
and neck.  Before long, my shoulder muscles were loosening up nicely and I
began to relax.  He kept up his loving ministrations for about 10 minutes
and I loved every second of it.  I'd had professional massages before and
while the people giving them knew all about pressure points and muscle
groups, but of course that was professional and impersonal.  Josh didn't
know much about the mechanics of massage, but he knew he loved me and that
came through loud and clear as he worked.  I'd trade a 3 hour professional
massage for a mere 10 minutes of Josh's somewhat clumsy, but none the less
living handiwork.

"Feel better?" he asked.

"Oh yeah, much more of that and I'd be asleep," I replied with a chuckle.

He got off me and I rolled over.  I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and
pulled him into a bear hug.  "Thanks son."

"Anytime dad," He said as he hugged me back and gave me a peck on the cheek
before grabbing the TV remote and returning to his own bed.

We watched TV for a couple of hours until we decided to call it a night at
about 11:00.  The funeral was set for 11:00 AM the next morning.  I called
the motel office for a 9:00 AM wakeup call just in case we slept in.  I
wanted to give us about 2 hours to get ready and to allow time for me to
show Josh how to tie a tie.

"Goodnight son," I called over to Josh.

"Goodnight dad," came his tired reply.

I lay there for a few minutes thinking about what the coming day would
bring.  I tried not to worry about it, but I had a bad feeling that
something was going to happen.  I tried to put those thoughts out of my mind
as I listened to Josh's breathing become slow and even as he drifted off
into sleep.  Not long after I heard him begin to snore softly, the sandman
caught up with me too.

For a second, I thought it was morning.  I snapped awake quite suddenly and
there was a bright light in my eyes.

"Tommy, wake up!"  Josh said urgently.  "I think I'm sick or something."

The sleepiness disappeared instantly.  "Josh?  What's wrong son?"  I asked
in a very concerned voice.  He had turned on the bedside lamp and I was
still squinting from the light.  It took me a few seconds to adjust.

Josh was standing beside my bed with a stricken look on his face.  "What's
wrong son?"

"Something happened to me," he said a little sheepishly.

"Are you hurt?  Were you sick?"  I looked at him and I noticed that the
front of his briefs were wet.  "Did you have an accident?"  I thought that
was strange, Josh had never peed the bed since I'd known him.

"That isn't pee," he said a little embarrassed.

Suddenly it clicked and I could have kicked myself for not having my planned
talk with him sooner.  "I think I know what happened Josh," I said
soothingly as I reached out and grabbed the waste band of his briefs.  A
quick glimpse at the sticky mess inside confirmed my suspicions.  He'd had
his first wet-dream and it had scared the heck out him because he didn't
know what it was.

"Josh, did you have a sexy dream just before you woke up?"

His face reddened a little bit.  "Yeah, how did you guess that?" he asked
tentatively.

I sat up, pulled him over to me and gave him a hug.  "You're fine Josh.  You
just had a wet dream.  It's just another sign that you're growing up.  In
fact, it pretty much shows that there is NOTHING wrong with you."

He looked relieved, "I'd heard of wet dreams but I didn't really know what
they were."

"Don't worry bud, you've probably got a lot of questions and I promise that
we'll talk about all this stuff before we go home on Wednesday," I said as I
continued to hold him.  "It's perfectly normal and natural for boys your age
to have wet dreams.  It's nothing to worry about and it's nothing to be
ashamed of.  It might be a little embarrassing sometimes, but you never have
to be embarrassed around me."

He hugged me back fiercely.

"Why don't you go in the bathroom to clean yourself up and then put on some
clean underwear?  Be careful about where you put that pair, we don't want to
get any semen on your clean clothes!"

"Semen?"  He asked.

"Well talk all about it on Wednesday, I promise.  Right now, we need to get
back to bed."  I looked at the clock and it was only 3:00 AM.

Josh removed his soiled underwear and went into the bathroom to clean
himself up.  He came back out a couple of minutes later, fished out a clean
pair of briefs and deposited the soiled pair in a separate pocket in his
overnight bag.

He walked back to his bed before turning around and looking at me.  "My
bed's kind of sticky, can I sleep with you?"

"Of course son," I said as I smiled and raised the covers for him.  "Hit the
light on your way."

Josh turned off the light and then climbed into bed with me.  I was laying
on my side.  Josh rolled onto his side and snuggled up by pressing himself
back into me.  I put my right arm under his neck and wrapped my left arm
around his torso and pulled him close.  I nuzzled my face into the back of
his head.  Josh folded his arms over his chest and gripped my left arm.

"Goodnight son, I love you."

"Goodnight dad, I love you too."

It only took a couple of moments before Josh fell fast asleep.  I lay awake,
listening to him snore and held him close to me.  I loved him more than life
itself and I knew that I would move heaven and earth to protect him.  I was
worried about how things would go at the funeral.  If it were my choice, we
would skip it.  Josh felt he needed to be there, so I was going to be there
with him and I would do whatever I needed to do in order to support him and
protect him.

We both woke up at approximately the same time the next morning.  We had
reversed our positions during the night.  I awoke on my left side with Josh
cuddled up behind me with his right arm wrapped tightly around my chest.  I
sat up and stretched as I looked as Josh who was beginning to stir.  I
flipped on the TV and turned to the local news station.  The clock on the
wall indicated that it was just after 8:00 AM.  I then called the motel
office and cancelled the wakeup call.

"Morning son," I said as I gave Josh's arm a gentle squeeze.

"Morning dad," he replied sleepily as he sat up and stretched his arms.

I seized the opportunity to catch him off guard and tickle his underarms.

"Hey!" He squawked in pretend outrage as he pulled me into a headlock and
tickled my ribs.

"We had better cut this out before one or both of us wets the bed," I said
with a chuckle.

Josh thought about it for a second and then we both bolted for the bathroom
to drain our full bladders.

"I've got first dibs on the shower," I announced as I peeled off by briefs
and started the water.

"Oh alright, age before beauty," he said with a laugh as he retreated into
the room to watch TV.

I took a quick shower and then climbed out and began to dry off before
taking care of my other morning rituals.  Josh re-entered the bathroom,
removed his underwear, turned the water back on and hopped in.

While he showered, I brushed my teeth and flossed.  I was just putting the
shaving cream on my face when Josh climbed out of the shower stall and began
to dry himself.  When he was finished, he folded his towel and then sat down
on the toilet lid to watch me shave.  I don't know what the fascination was,
but for some reason he enjoyed watching me shave.  I glanced at him out of
the corner of my eye and saw that he was watching me with almost the same
expression that I wear when I watch him when he is unaware of it.  It was a
look of adoration.

"It won't be long and you'll have to start shaving, bud," I said with a
grin.

"Will you teach me how?"

"Sure.  You might want to start with an electric razor-"I started to say
when he cut me off.

"No way," he said.  "I want to use the same kind as you do."

I smiled at his as I wiped the traces of shaving cream from my face.

"Want to try it?" I asked.

"I don't have any hair on my face to shave off."

"That's ok; you can still try it out."

"Ok," he said with a grin,

"Come over here then," I said as I pulled him up and stood him in front of
me.  "First, splash some water on your face to start with."

He bent down and turned on the faucet.

"Now hold out your hand," I said as I shook the can of shaving cream and
sprayed a blob of it onto his hand.  "Spread that over your face."

He smeared the shaving cream over his face from his neck up to his cheeks.
I reached down and wiped it away from his lips.

"Ok, now take the razor," I said as I handed it to him.  I placed my hand
over his and moved it to his face.  "Don't push too hard, just let it glide
down your face.  Be gentle so you don't cut yourself" I gently guided his
hand as he moved the razor down his smooth cheek.

"That's it kiddo," I said with a smile.  "When you start to grow facial
hair, you'll discover a `grain' of sorts.  You want to shave with the grain
so it doesn't hurt." I told him as I placed my hand tenderly on his shoulder
and watched him work.  He had a studious look on his face as he concentrated
on what he was doing.

"Careful when you do your upper lip, it can be tricky," I said.

He finished the job like a pro.  I turned him around and wiped the traces of
shaving cream off his face then gave him a quick peck on his forehead.
Shaving might appear routine or trivial, but learning to shave made Josh
feel grown up.  It also provided one of those special dad and son moments
that we'd both cherish forever.

"Not so bad, eh?"  I asked him.

"Piece of cake," he grinned.

"Ok, last step is the aftershave," I opened my bottle of Old Spice, poured
some into my hand and then rubbed it into my face.  "It might sting a bit
since you aren't used to it," I cautioned him.

He repeated my actions and I saw him tense up a bit when he applied the
lotion to his face. "Yikes!  That smarts," he chirped.

"You get used to it after a while," I told him.  "It actually takes away the
burning feeling that you get when you shave."

We finished up in the bathroom and retreated to the main part of the room.
We threw on some clothes and went across the street to McDonalds for
breakfast.  After Josh inhaled a couple of "Big Breakfasts" and I made short
work of a stack of pancakes, we headed back to the room to get ready for the
funeral.

The first order of business was to teach Josh how to tie a tie.  It was
actually surprisingly easy.  Josh was an eager learner and a good student.
It actually only took all of about 10 minutes for him to be able to tie a
very respectable Windsor knot.

I demonstrated it for him first using my own tie.  I did it slowly, showing
each move.  I then stood behind him and demonstrated it again around his
neck so that he could see each step from the proper perspective.  Finally, I
had him attempt it as I walked him through the entire process.  I was amazed
when he tied it on his own with no assistance of any kind.

"Nicely done, little man," I said with pride in my voice.

"That's so easy," he said.  "I thought it would have been harder than that."

He was pleased with himself and I was happy to give him something to think
about other than the funeral.

We stretched out on my bed and watched TV for an hour to kill some time.  I
lay down and propped my back up against the headboard.  Josh did the same
thing and snuggled right up to my side.  I wrapped my arm around him and he
leaned his head against the side of my chest.  I could tell that he felt
safe and content in that position.

Finally, it was time to get ready.  As I dressed in my suit and Josh put on
his slacks and dress shirt, my feelings of dread returned with a vengeance.
I didn't consider myself to have any sort if psychic abilities, but I knew
enough to trust my instincts.  I didn't share my concern with Josh, but I
made a mental note to keep a very sharp eye on him and to stay within arms
reach of him the whole time.  We let the Jeep warm up for a couple of
moments before we headed off to the funeral home.

We arrived a few minutes later and the place was nearly deserted.  Evidently
a life of alcoholism and abuse had left George Chambers with few friends.
The beaten up cars parked in the lot led me to believe that it was mostly
relatives in attendance.

Josh was clearly tense and I placed my hand on his shoulder to comfort him.
"It's ok son.  I'm with you."

He smiled briefly at me and grasped the hand I had placed on his shoulder.
"Thanks dad."

After a couple of minutes, we climbed out of the Jeep and walked into the
funeral home.

The funeral home was like any other funeral home that I ever been in.
Pastel coloured walls, the smell of flowers and soft organ music providing a
somber mood.  Josh was close by my side as we walked into the small chapel.

The chapel contained seating for around 50 people, but there were only
around 4 or 5 people present.  I noted an older woman who appeared to be in
her late 60s sitting in the front row of the right side of the room.  Beside
her was an older man.  I assumed that they were Josh's grandparents.  Beside
the older couple was a woman who looked to be around 40 who I guessed was
Josh's aunt.  Sitting a few rows back on the same side was a man who also
appeared to be in his 40s.  He was unshaven and poorly dressed.  I figured
him to be Josh's uncle.  The only other person in the room was a neatly
dressed man who sat on the opposite side of the isle from the family
members.  Josh's father lay in a dark wooden casket at the front of the
room.  I was somewhat relieved, for Josh's sake, that it was a closed casket
service.

As we entered the room, Josh's grandparents glanced at us and then simply
turned around.   I was shocked and disgusted that they didn't even
acknowledge their grandson.  His aunt didn't turn around at all.  I couldn't
say the same thing for his uncle.

"Well, well, well, look who's here," his uncle said in a slurred and drunken
voice.  "The little bastard decided to grace us with his presence."

I felt Josh tremble and push himself into my side.  I wrapped my arm around
him and glared at his obviously inebriated uncle.  "Its ok son," I whispered
to Josh as I pulled him close.  I was hoping that his uncle would forget
about us.

"Aren't you going to say hello to your uncle Joe, you little prick?" The
drunken man roared.

The neatly dressed man on the opposite side of the room looked uncomfortable
while the rest of Josh's relatives ignored everything that was going on
behind them.  I saw the funeral director, a petite neatly dressed woman;
look into the chapel with concern evident on her face.

I directed Josh to a seat on the back row of the opposite side of the room
from his drunken uncle.  I placed him in the seat nearest the wall and I sat
down beside him, placing myself between him and the drunk.

"Just ignore him pal," I said soothingly.

Josh put his arm around me and hugged me firmly.  I could see that he eyes
were damp and he was trembling.

"Don't worry son," I whispered.  "I'm here, you're safe.  If you want to
leave, just say the word."

"I'll be ok," he replied in a shaky voice.

As I continued to try to comfort Josh, I caught movement out of the corner
of my eye.  Josh's uncle was crossing the floor and heading right at us.  He
got within a couple of feet of us and raised his hand towards Josh.  Josh
cowered against me and I felt a pure rage that I had not felt in a very long
time rising in me as I stood up to defend my boy.  I swore to Josh that as
his dad I would protect him and I wasn't about to break that sacred vow.  I
was never a violent person, but the one sure fire way to drive me to
violence was to threaten someone I loved.  The world seemed to be moving in
slow motion.  The drunken uncle ignored me and kept coming.  I reacted
quickly and decisively to protect my son.