Date: Mon, 08 Apr 2002 19:06:21 -0400 From: Tom Cup <tom_cup@hotmail.com> Subject: The Innocents by Richard Dean - Part 2 Chapter 4 Gay - A/Y Copyright 2000, 2001, 2002 by the Paratwa Partnership: A Colorado Corporation. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, except in the case of reviews, without written permission from the Paratwa Partnership, Inc, 354 Plateau Drive, Florissant, CO 80816 This is a fictional story involving alternality sexual relationships. If this type of material offends you, please do not read any further. This material is intended for mature adult audiences. Names, characters, locations and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. *********************************************************************** The Innocents By Richard Dean Part 2 Chapter 4 Our new home We scoured the advertisements from all sorts of sources, and after viewing any of the apartments or homes which we felt might serve our purpose, came to the conclusion that the prices were either too high, or didn't quite fulfill our wish list. We were like a bunch of mice, running from address to address, visiting Realty concerns, all to no avail. Time was quickly being expended as it was nearing time for me to return to work. I had so hoped, we would have, at least, found a place before I had to leave. I knew that the boys and Gran would manage to get the moving done without my presence. We were all disheartened and mopped about in the evenings. It was Paulo who gave us the good news! He came home from work in great excitement. Without changing his clothes or bathing, he told us to get ready and join him. He had a lead from one of his customers at the restaurant, who told of a place in Leblon that was available, and from what Paulo had said of the necessities we wanted, he thought it would be perfect for us. Eagerly he led us to "Herbie". In excitement he explained about the conversation he had with his customer. "He told me he has a friend who had recently transferred to Germany. He took his entire family with him. His home is empty now, but wants to rent it out to a family of good culture and breeding. My customer called his agent, who awaits us at the home in Leblon, if this damnable traffic will let up." It was difficult to withhold our excitement of the possibility that our search might prove effective. As Paulo expertly slowed down and came to a complete stop in front of the address of the house, our faces were nearly glued to the windows. At first glance, as we looked upon the scene of the grounds and the home, I excitedly exclaimed, "I want it!" "What?" Gran protested, "its too grand. Can we afford this, Ricardo?" "I don't know, Miss Flávia. What I do know is that I want it." "Come on folks, there's the realty agent," exclaimed Paulo. The vision before our eyes disclosed a wide graveled drive leading to a small villa in the Italianate Style with a "porte d'cochere". A picturesque scene which took my breath away. The agent came up and introduced himself, as Paulo made our introductions, as the family, Dean. "Excellent, may I show you the home, please Sirs and Madame." Through the double doors, we entered the foyer with marbled floors, a staircase led to the upstairs. To the left of the foyer, was a study, next to it the living room of good size. To the right a powder room, next to it the dining room of yet still good sized for seating of 8 to 10. Ahead beyond the staircase, led us into the kitchen and butlers' pantry, which led back into the dining room. Upstairs, we encountered the Master bedroom en suite, next to it another bedroom en suite. There were two more bedrooms with a full bath between them with entry doors to each of the bedrooms. He led us to the backgrounds, which included a swimming pool of medium size and an individual tennis court. A high wall covered in English Ivy enclosed the grounds. Scattered throughout were small beds of flowers and flowering bushes of Jasmine, Hydrangea, Hibiscus, Fascias and Gardenias. I would not have been able to identify them had it not been for Gran pointing them out. Several Forsythia and Jasmine were espaliered along the sidewalls. All in all it was an agreeable and comfortable sight. There were several areas grouped for seating. I managed to get the agent alone and inquired the asking rents for this piece of quiet and solitude. I had expected that the rents would have been more, but the agent remarked that from the information that Paulo had provided, his firm had already made inquiries into my letters of credit and found me agreeable as a potential renter. We made arrangements to meet at his offices in the next morning to "seal the deal" and pick up the keys to our new abode. He left after shaking hands and I returned to my wide-eyed entourage. With sweeping arms circling the entire area, I informed them, "our new home." Squeals of delight and murmuring of awe and wonder ensued, into large smiles. I walked up to Paulo, and hugged him to me, kissing him on both cheeks and remarked to him, "Once again, my dearest friend, you've saved the day." Several days later, I returned to Fortaleza to resume my work. Gran, Paulo and Toninho were left with the chore to move our family and contents to our new home. ************ Paulo Remembrances It's always sad to see Ricardo leave. An empty feeling invades my heart and doesn't fill up until his return. I had to take charge of the move and keep time available for my work. It was an enjoyable chore though, as I could see in the faces of Gran and Toninho, the pleasure of satisfaction that we as a family remained even though the absence of Ricardo was evident. By the end of the week, we had cleared out of the apartment, clean, neat and ready for occupancy by its' new tenants. "Herbie", by this time knew his way automatically to our home. The largest items to be moved had to be transported by truck. The transfer of utilities are a formidable task, however. With the exchange of money to the right people, we had little or few problems. The telephone was a different matter. I wanted to keep the same telephone number and it took several frustrating days to realize nothing I could do would save it. Once again the payment of money "under the table" gave us telephone service with a new number. It can take up to two years to be hooked up from the huge waiting list of applicants. Again, one of my customers who had his eyes on me...ahem...managed to work his wonders in getting things accomplished. I wonder how I'm going to pay him back for his kindness to me. In a way I feel that I prostituted myself to get it done, but you told me once that everyone prostitutes themselves on a daily basis, if we consider exchanging favors for money i.e. work. We got Gran's freezer installed in the butler's pantry. We purchased another computer so that one will always be available when Toninho is using the other one, which seems to be constant, these days. With Gran's encouragement and my prodding his studies are coming along quite well. His entrance exams are scheduled within the next two months for his eligibility to join senior levels. He gets so frustrated at his English lessons, but he's doing much better than I did when I first started to learn that damned language. Gran loves her bedroom en suite. She says she feels like a grand lady. "You are a grand lady, Gran," Toninho and I tell her. She is-- she really is. She makes us all feel special and loved. It's the way she smoothes the back of her hand on our cheeks as she walks by us. Or walks up from behind us, circles her arms about us, and hugs us, cooing and whispering soft words. Her smiles caress us. She is always cooking or baking something special for us. It makes me giggle when she asks each of us, when we enter the kitchen for breakfast: "Did you have a bowel movement? Now you tell me, when you don't. Its not healthy if you don't, you know!" We both wonder if we ever tell her we hadn't, if she would give us an enema. I'm certain she would. Toninho says he doesn't think so, but on the other hand, he wouldn't put it past her. She is an amazing lady. She even knows that Toninho will often come to my bedroom at night, and sleep with me until morning. She knows that the three of us have had combined sex with each other. Her comment about that to me was something like, "What the three of you are about is not frivolous sex, you share and care as a family, you love as a family. There is no jealousy between you. Whether Ricardo is here or at work you include him in your hearts as you conjoin. That is a good thing, Paulo. There is no shame about true love. You share a communion. I'm proud of the three of you. Think no more about it. It's good for you, for Toninho, for Ricardo. For others it may seem like its gratuitous or sex swapping. They will never understand. Be yourselves. You're good and loving people. I'm certain God sees and knows that, too, Paulo." What a lady! Every couple of weeks we take her to the Oncologist. While I wait for her, Toninho is given to leave and stroll the street, window-shopping. Somehow he doesn't let "Herbie" out of his sight, as he arrives as we do. I guess he doesn't like the confined feeling waiting for Gran, as if he fears bad news will be forthcoming. Lately, he has been joining me on my nightly jogs. It's good to have his company. He says sometimes he has to get out of the house, no matter how wonderful it is. He told me that lately he had been thinking of some of his friends that he left on the streets. He admitted he had seen a couple of them from a distance and wanted to catch up to them, but could not as he was waiting for Gran and I. ************ "Ton, why don't we go out someday and see if we can find them, so you can have a reunion and see how they're doing?" "Can we, Paulo, can we? I feel guilty sometimes when I think I left them out there, when I escaped." Toninho silently gave thought on his memories. "I want you to see and understand what they have to endure. You don't know do you, Paulo? Do you really know what it's like out there?" "I can only imagine, Ton. I see them, but it embarrasses me to see them, so I look away or avoid them as if they had the plague. I feel guilty because I have a job, and live in a good home. It isn't that I'm uncaring Ton, I simply don't know what I can do to help them. Offering them a couple of Reals is only a drop in an ocean. What about next Saturday?" "Huh? What about Saturday?" "After you've done your chores Saturday, we'll go out and see if we can find some of your lost friends." "Oh, Paulo, have I told you I love you?" sweeping me into a hug, and squeezing me to death. "All the time, Ton, all the time." ************************************************************************ News: Name Change: Beginning March 1, 2002 access to the Tom Cup Library can be gained by going to http://www.tomcup.com. Access to the site will also remain available through http://tomcup.iscool.net. Calvin in Paperback We are pleased to announce the pre-ordering sale of Tom Cup's Calvin. This is one of the fans of Tom Cup's writing favorite stories. Being released in paperback, this story has been newly edited with new additions to the story. For more details visit http://tomcup.iscool.net or http://www.tomcup.com New sites, New Stories, Old Favorites added to the Tom Cup Library: If you haven't visited the Tom Cup Library in a while, you're in for a treat. Calvin - Book 2 is in production, Kevin is back (as well as Antonio) in Kevin Part 3 - Donna, along with other new stories and sites. Check it out! All my best, Tom Cup "Why is it that the words we write for ourselves are so much better than the words we write for others?" Sean Connery as William Forrester in the film "Finding Forrester."