Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2015 11:27:19 +0000 From: David Lee <dlee169@hotmail.com> Subject: Family Matters, Chapter 12 Chapter 12 ---------- Rory's first day in his new school got off to a good start because he already knew the layout and had a personal guide in case he couldn't find something. Unfortunately, Austin and he were not assigned to the same homeroom currently. However, there was a good chance that he could be placed with Austin because his grade-point was high enough to qualify for the "gifted" program and he was already enrolled in honor's classes. Mrs. O'Grady had given him a form to fill out to petition for the change when she'd first made out his schedule. At the time, he'd been hesitant about "standing out" from the general population because of his abilities, and had nearly tossed out the form. With his recently adopted attitude, and the chance to be in homeroom with Austin, he had made the decision simply to be who he was and not worry if that brought him unwanted attention. Their first-hour class was chemistry and, thankfully, Austin had saved him the seat next to his. The trek from homeroom to the lab was arduous, and he slid into the seat seconds before the tardy bell. "Boy, you called that close!" "Hey, try running here in five minutes from the backside of hell through a herd of stampeding animals before you judge me!" Rory grinned. "I know. I'm gonna make sure Gladys gets the homeroom change made quickly," Austin said. "I have an in with her because she likes me." "Gladys?" "Yup, counselors have first names too, you know." ---------- By mid morning, Rory felt as if he had spent his whole high school career at Washington. The classes had dove-tailed with his former ones so well that he didn't feel at sea in any way. In fact, he was a bit ahead of the rest in American History, so he was able to contribute to the discussion when the teacher asked the class to talk about ways in which the American Revolution and the Civil War were similar. One kid behind him whispered, "Showoff!" but did it with a giggle that let Rory know he wasn't serious. Being teased in a friendly manner was a new and welcome experience. He had another interesting encounter which gave him a little further insight into Austin's life. Having finished his assignment in language arts, he asked for a restroom pass so that he wouldn't have to take the time to pee on the way to lunch. He had hoped that Austin could follow him there, but was disappointed to discover that this teacher never let more than one student for a potty break at the same time. On the way, someone behind him heading the same direction called from down the hall. "Hey Tyson, I thought you... Oh, sorry, I mistook you from someone else." "Yeah, I'm Rory and I'm the new kid." Rory said, offering his fist to bump. "I'm Don Bosco. From the back, you reminded me enough of Tyson Barker that I thought that's who you were." "Was he a buddy of yours?" Rory asked as they stood side by side at the urinals. "Not really. He was kind of a prick. He acted like he wanted to be friends with this kid and then treated him like shit. It made me mad and I'm sorry to have assumed that's who you were." "Well, I'm not him, and I sure don't treat people that way." "Cool! I'm glad we met. I think I saw you earlier in chem, but you came in last minute and sat by one of my buds. Hmm... Maybe that explains why you reminded me of Tyson." ---------- As Austin and Rory sat down at Austin's customary table, a few kids at neighboring tables took only a passing notice of the new guy. When Austin's usual companions came to sit, they quickly introduced themselves to Rory. All treated him as if he were already a part of their circle. They included Derek Eames, Bert Rogers, Bert's girlfriend, Teresa Vasquez, her 9th grade brother, Pepe, and Don Bosco whom he was meeting for the second time that day. Everyone shook his hand or dapped fists and welcomed him, especially Don. "And so we meet again. It must have been destiny that caused our paths to cross!" Don announced dramatically. "Um, what's this?" Austin questioned. "Rory and I met in the bathroom in third hour and now we're piss-buddies." "Watch your language, Don!" Bert admonished. "There's a lady present." "I'm sorry if I offended you, Teresa, but somehow I thought girls performed the same bodily function, and they always seem to have to go in pairs." "I'm not offended," Teresa assured him. "Being the only girl with four brothers, I hear a lot of bathroom humor, right `Pee-pee'?" "Teresa, you promised!" Pepe said, turning a bright shade of red." "Don't worry kid, we're not going to screw with your name," Don said. "Bert, you'd better have a talk with your lady." "I'm sorry, Pepe Miguel," Teresa said. "You know I can't leave a pun lying around." "I'm going to go by Mike from now on and you'd better all call me that! So far most of my teachers call me Mr. Vasquez so maybe I can get it officially changed on their class lists and no one will know." ----------- On the way to their 4th hour class, Austin quizzed Rory further about his encounter with Don. When Tyson's name came up, Austin frowned and chewed his lower lip. "You do look a little bit like Tyson. You're the same build and your hair is kinda like his." "Is that why you picked this style?" "Maybe subconsciously, but it really IS you." "I agree that it fits me. I think I'd like to replace him in your life with a better version, so I'm not upset to look a little like him. Did your mom notice any resemblance?" "I'm pretty sure she did, but didn't want to bring it up." "I can believe that; she's a good lady." ------------ Tuesday was a stellar day all around. Michael had a great morning in court, winning his case handily, assuring him future jobs with the company he'd represented. To celebrate, he called Landon to see if Marian had dinner preparations in mind or if he could order carryout from their favorite Greek restaurant. Landon informed him that Marian was in the early planning stages and would be thrilled not to have to cook. The two of them had done a lot of packing and she would rather continue what she'd started than to have to stop to make dinner. Her tentative menu would keep for the next evening. By late afternoon, Marian and Landon had accomplished a lot, and both were tired. Michael's offer was a godsend. Landon went out to the garage to retrieve a bottle of white Boutari to chill for their meal. Then he decided to leave it where it was because the temperature in the attached garage was almost perfect for the wine. Rory got home around 5:30 when Austin and Jennifer dropped him off. He was still in the good mood he'd been in when he left in the morning. "Guess who's on the swim team!" he announced as he came in through the garage. "Hmm..., let's see, I'll bet it's Austin," Landon teased. "Well duh; he's been on it since his freshman year. Anyway, smarty, the coach was impressed and he says I'll probably be the anchor on the relay squad." "Isn't an anchor something that prevents things from moving in the water?" Landon grinned as he hugged the excited teen. "Oops, I guess that's not a good term to use. Perhaps that's what he meant!" "I'm sure it isn't," Michael said, having come in on the tail end of the conversation. "What smells so good?" Rory exclaimed. "It's Greek cuisine," Landon said. "We're giving your grandma the night off and we're celebrating two events, Michael's win in court and now your spot on the team." "Cool! Congratulations, Michael; and Grandma deserves a break." "Thanks Rory; and congratulations to you as well." ----------- Over dinner the men outlined a plan for living arrangements that they hoped would benefit everyone when they moved into in their new house. They invited Marian to come to live with them permanently so that she wouldn't have to make payments on the condo in senior housing and wouldn't have to commute. They offered her the master bedroom suite so she'd have her own private place. If she moved in, she wouldn't be expected to be on call 24 hours a day, and they were definitely hiring a housecleaning service to come once a week to maintain the larger living space. "That's really kind of you," Marian said, "but I will have to decline. It cost Joe and me a hefty down payment to buy into that retirement facility. If I leave, other than being carried out feet-first, I'll lose the care benefits that I'm guaranteed. As it is now, if I need to go into the nursing home or the Alzheimer's unit, my monthly rate won't change and I'll never be a burden on anyone. As much as I appreciate the invitation, I can't take a chance on breaking the contract." "I understand," Michael nodded. "You have been wise in preparing for your future. Please know that we will set aside one of the spare bedrooms to be yours whenever you wish to stay over. We really do think of you as a member of our family." "That's very sweet of you, and I'll take you up on that offer. I don't want to be underfoot too much because you have your own lives to live." "Now we need to get Rory settled," Michael continued. "Rory, if you could have any room in the house, other than the master bedroom, where would you like to sleep?" Rory got a huge grin on his face when he was offered any other bedroom and chose one he'd already had his eye on. "If you're serious, I'd love to have the larger bedroom in the basement." "We thought you might like having your own private space down there, but we didn't want you to be relegated to the cellar!" Landon said. "That's no cellar; it's the coolest place in the house!" Rory exclaimed. "I can't wait to send Austin an email." "Most kids text these days, don't they?" Landon observed. "I think you'd better ask Santa for your own cell phone this Christmas." "Do you think Santa would bring one?" Rory asked, hopefully. "Yup, he's a personal friend of mine. I'll get a list of phones in a moderate price-range for you to choose from." Just when Rory had thought his day couldn't get any better, it had. ---------- In the middle of the week, Rory met several other students. A girl who introduced herself as Dawn Slocum, accompanied by a couple of her minions, flirted with him shamelessly in the lunch line. Austin had been delayed because their language arts teacher wanted to talk to him about his current essay, so Rory was on his own in dealing with the unwanted female attention. He might have looked cute and confident outwardly, but inside he was rather timid around girls. He didn't have enough experience with them to know how to handle flirtation. As a result, he didn't say much, which made him more irresistible because they perceived him to be the strong, silent type. When he had at last disentangled himself and put his tray on the table, he was immediately accosted by a bigger guy who looked like the football jock that he was. Thad Murray seemed even more menacing flanked by two of his buds. "Are you the new queer in school?" Thad said almost under his breath. "Who, wha' ?" "I asked if you were the new fag boy," he continued in a quiet, ominous tone. "I AM new here, but that's not a very good pickup line if you're planning to ask me out," Rory grinned, knowing he might pay the price immediately for his smart-ass remark. "You've got to admit he's right," one of Thad's associates laughed. "And standing up to you proves he no pussy." The turn of events amazed Rory, who had full well expected to end up knocked out cold on the floor. In the split second before answering, he had decided he'd rather have a very public confrontation, with teachers around to witness it, instead of having to sneak around school in fear of a bully. He was surprised when Thad broke into laughter too. "My name's Thad Murray and I'll be a co-captain on the football team next year. I think I recognize you and, if so, I want you on the team. If I made a mistake, I apologize for the words I used. Well, I guess I should anyway because the school has a zero tolerance policy about harassment, but I wanted to act like a big shit and see if you had balls." "Huh? I don't get it. I think you have me mixed up with someone else." "Maybe, but I have a good memory for faces and I'm pretty sure you were the place-kicker for Central this fall; the one who made the field goal that kept us out of the championship." "Um, yup, that was me," Rory admitted. "Are you pissed off?" "Nope. Sure I wanted us to win, but it was a great game and you were the man of the hour. I'll bet the team threw a party in your honor." "In your dreams," Rory shook his head. "The quarterback got all the raves at school and in the sports columns. I barely got a mention. But, in reality, the rest of the guys really did more to win than I did." "If you join our team, you'll find it IS a team. I'm big and I might be able to crack more heads, but that's not the only thing it's about. Please come and meet with Coach Ferguson after school some night this week. He already knows what you can do from the videos of the game we've studied. Oh, these two are my homies, Paul and Evan." "Um, okay. Nice to meet you guys. Um Thad, you're different from my first impression of you, so maybe you would be okay to date," Rory teased. "Sorry, I'm going with Dawn; she's one of the girls who messed with you in line. I hope you're not going to be a rival for her attention." "Don't worry; I'm not looking to find a girl to date at present. I'm too busy concentrating on other things." "That's smart," Thad said. "Sometimes going steady makes me feel claustrophobic, honestly. Anyway, please join us at our table if you like." "I'm fine with my friends here, but thanks for the invitation." Austin arrived with his tray just as Thad and his buds were leaving. "Did I miss something?" he frowned. "Just the most awesome exchange ever!" Teresa exclaimed. "I thought Rory was going to be road-kill, but he's got balls!" "Watch your mouth; there are gentlemen present," Don giggled. "Sometimes you have to call `em like you see `em," Teresa grinned. "Did you know we have a football hero at our table?" "Who?" Austin asked with a blank look. "You're new buddy, Rory. He evidently has a reputation for helping win games, or to defeat our team in this case." Bert informed him. "What position did you play, quarterback?" Austin asked, thinking it must be a joke. "I was a place kicker; don't you remember when Mrs. O'Grady asked me if I played sports? Oh, that's right; you weren't in the room at the time." "Seriously?" "Yup." "Are you going to go out for football next fall?" "I'm considering it. What do you think I should do?" "That would probably put you in the elite crowd, if that's what you want." "I'm not looking for status, but I do enjoy the game. If I did join the team, it wouldn't mean ditching the friends I've already made." "Don't be too sure about that," Austin warned. "Some of them are partiers who get pretty wild. I've heard rumors about beer, pot, and sex." "Every locker room has rumors. "Besides, I'm not into alcohol or drugs," Rory smiled enigmatically. ---------- "Were you keeping your football playing a secret from me?" Austin asked at the end of the day. "Nope," Rory answered. "I thought you'd heard me talk about it in the counselors' office. The subject hasn't come up since. I don't plan to keep ANY secrets from you. Are you upset that I might be on the team?" "No, not really. I guess I'm jealous of anything that could take away from the time I get to spend with you." "That's sweet," Rory grinned. "I want to do stuff with you too, but we are individuals, after all." "I know, and even married people need to have some separate interests, or so my mom claims." "So, you're okay if I go see the coach about joining the football team?" "Of course. It's not my place to keep you from doing what you want. I suspect the quickest way to scare you off would be to hold on to you too tight." "You're cool!" Rory said, as he leaned in closely, nearly forgetting where they were. "So, I guess I'll meet with Coach Ferguson tomorrow night." ---------- While, Landon, Marian, Michael, and the boys were packing up their possessions in the condo, Aunt Mildred was supervising a crew of workers at her house. She had a lot of decisions to make in paring down her possessions. She asked her employees to divide things into three categories. They put definite keepers in one set of boxes, "maybes" in others, and the "no's" in a pile to offer to the men and Marian, before sending them to the thrift store at church or the Goodwill. She had the packers place the giveaway items in the closest garage so they would be easy to load up. The keepers were placed in a second garage with the questionable items stored behind them. The third garage became the temporary home of the larger pieces of furniture which would go with her to the condo. By Wednesday, all that was left in the house was her bed, the huge entertainment center in the rec room (which she was leaving), and a couple of stools at the breakfast bar. On Thursday morning, she took Charlie and a few changes of clothes in order to stay with Terry and Marie until her things were moved into the condo. Seeing that the walls didn't look as good when the furniture was removed, Mildred hired a painting company to give them all a fresh coat. She checked with the men first to see what colors they would prefer. There was no sense in having it done twice. Landon and Michael were very pleased with her thoughtfulness, and hired the same company to repaint the condo to her specifications when they had most of their things in the garage. During the time everything was torn up, Rory stayed with Austin, and the men took Corbin's crib and set up housekeeping in Michael's father's penthouse apartment. Thomas Day was on an extended vacation in the Caribbean "auditioning a new trophy wife" according to Michael. Saturday was a big day for everyone. The moving company carefully loaded up Mildred's possessions while Landon, Michael, and the boys put theirs in a U-Haul rental truck. They made several trips from the condo to the new house, bringing essentials through the front door in order to stay out of the way of the professionals who were loading from the garage. By bringing several small loads rather than one big one, the guys were able to place much of furniture directly into the appropriate rooms as they went. They had everything out of the garage at the condo just before the van got there with Aunt Mildred's possessions. It all came off like clockwork. Marian had entertained Corbin at her place the whole day, and she was rather tired by the time Landon and Michael came to pick him up. Her fatigue was due mainly to stress. Although the baby hadn't made a lot of noise, she had held her breath that someone in the facility might complain about having him there. Of course everyone else was exhausted by Saturday night too, and they still had a lot of arranging to do. The men would spend another night at the penthouse. The only downside of moving that weekend was that the men missed the December symphony concert. Fortunately, Landon had a colleague from work who was delighted to use the tickets. At least they didn't go to waste. Rory wanted to sleep in the new house on Saturday night because, true to her word, Mildred had given Charlie to him, after clearing it with the men, of course. Rory was certain that the little dog would want to stay in the home he'd always known and that Austin and he should keep the pooch company. The adults agreed to allow the boys to be there alone, trusting that they wouldn't get into trouble or burn the place down. Jennifer did have a few words of admonition for Austin before dropping him off for the sleepover. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Author's notes: I heard from the following this past week: Harry T, Wayne, Epi, Geoff, Tony W, Scott M, Walt S, Jim L, Bill K, Bill T, Jim W, Ash T, Dick M, Johan D, Dave F, Jay E, Trish R, Tom A, Dick M, Paul R, Bryce W, and Paul F. If I have accidentally omitted you, please let me know! Here are some links I found interesting: https://www.yahoo.com/parenting/two-dads-adopt-their-seventh-child-a-gay-teen-121781515352.html http://www.out.com/lifestyle/2015/8/05/100-best-beach-bodies-2015-edition http://www.gay.net/news/2015/06/17/meet-first-gay-couple-graduate-boston-police-academy Oh, please! I must have done something bad enough to be arrested! Thanks to you who have donated to Nifty. Thanks to my faithful editors, Tom and David. Please keep the people of the Mother Emanuel AME church in your thoughts and prayers. Peace and love, David