Date: Tue, 8 Dec 2015 19:05:23 -0500
From: Jim <zarek@roadrunner.com>
Subject: Another Chance: Chapter 58

Disclaimer: This story is fictional.  Some of the things that happened or
will happen with Jim are inspired by bits and pieces of my life.  Parts of
the character are fictional as well. All other characters were made up and
any similarities are just coincidental.  This is gay romance between
teenage boys, there may be sex, but for the most part, it's about their
true love of each other so if that offends you, please discontinue reading.
Also, if it is illegal for you to read such material, you have been warned.
Continual reading could cause a knock at your door.

I hope you're enjoying it so far and that the story draws you in wanting
more.  This story was "inspired" by another story, a great story, here on
Nifty, "Riding Lessons" by Andrew Todd.  Some people have compared my
writing style to that of Mr. Todd's and for that, I am flattered.  While
Another Chance does pay tribute to "Riding Lessons", it is a story of its
own and has its own plot and agenda.  If you have any suggestions or
concerns, don't hesitate to email me at zarek@roadrunner.com
<mailto:zarek@roadrunner.com> .  Thoughts and suggestion are always
welcomed and may or may not be implemented.  Concerns will be considered
and addressed as much as possible.



AND, if you enjoy the stories on Nifty.org, please give a donation to help
cover their expenses.  While the site is currently free, only donations
from loyal fans can help keep it that way.  Any amount will help.



Another Chance

Chapter 58

Two weeks went by quickly.  Scott and Brandon had spent nearly every day
together becoming closer friends.  They would join Jim and his group for
lunch, but totally seemed lost in their own little world.  Classes were
preparing the students for finals, with exception of the seniors who were
already taking their finals so they can practice for graduation afterwards.

At home, Jakey sat on the bed with Marilyn while she read, and then he
played with his toys, sometimes in her room, but when she wanted to sleep,
he had no problem going to Zac's old room to play.  Either place, he kept
his ears open for Zayne.  When the baby started to cry, he was quick to
make sure that Vince was aware.  And Vince was always quick to let Jakey
know he was appreciated in helping.

It was Saturday, the ninth of May and the boys were working at the ranch,
Jim looked at Joe, who had his shirt off and hanging from his back jean
pocket.  "Dude, have you looked in the mirror lately?"

Joe smiled, "I take it that you approve."

"Hell yeah, I do.  More importantly, what does Buster think of it?" Jim
smiled.  Joe smiled so big that his face had to hurt but he didn't say a
word.  "OH, he likes it that much, eh?"

"I didn't say anything, and besides, that is personal," Joe retorted.

"I'm just happy for you and Buster," Jim grinned.  "You really might want
to cover it back up in an hour, Matt and Gina will be here and Matt might
get jealous," Jim teased.

"Will Mom be riding again today or just dropping Jakey off?" Joe asked.

"That may depend on if she has other things to do and if Jakey asked her.
Any word on when Jackson is planning my party?" Jim asked.

"Your birthday isn't until Monday and since we go to the dojo on Mondays, I
don't think Jackson is planning one this year.  He didn't have a surprise
party for me," Joe reminded him.

"That's true, but I bet he has one for Zac, his next birthday will be his
eighteenth," Jim conceded.

"I'd be surprised if he doesn't," Joe grinned.

Heather was pulling into the parking lot a half hour early.  She was
dressed in a knee-length navy blue skirt with a light blue blouse.  As she
got Jakey out, she carried him to the corral.  "Is it alright if I drop
Jake off early?  Nick has a reservation at that new Italian restaurant for
ten o'clock.  He tried getting a little later but took what they had,"
Heather remarked.

"Not a problem, we were just getting the horses ready for grooming.  Have
fun, Mom," Jim responded.

"Thank you, I'll try," Heather smiled. Then she teased Joe a bit, "And Joe,
you may want to put your shirt on, you might turn Matt gay."

"That'll be his problem, I'm already spoken for," Joe grinned.

"I'm worried that he'll break up Matt and Gina's marriage before they even
get married," Jim stated.

"Or worse, what if Zac sees him and dumps you?" Heather quipped.

"Don't you have a reservation to get to?" Joe asked, then reaching to lift
Jim's shirt he added, "Besides, have you seen Jim's abs?"

"Yes, I need to go, you boys have fun as well," Heather stated before
kissing Jakey on the forehead.

"Bye Gwrandma." Jakey said.

"Your speech is getting better, Jakey. You actually used an r there, now
you just need to drop the w sound," Jim said as he picked up Jakey and
hugged him.  Jim smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Gwrandma Marilyn and Gwrandpa Vince have been working wif me.  Dey say dat
I am a smart little boy," Jakey grinned.

"And you are, but don't grow up too fast, I want you to have fun being a
boy for as long as you want," Jim said hugging Jakey some more.

Zac headed toward the corral as Heather pulled out of the lot.  "Looking
good, Joe," he smiled.

"Fine, I'll put my shirt back on," Joe stated.

"You don't have to on my account, I was just commenting that you look good.
Buster should be very happy when he sees how good you look," Zac watched as
Joe started to blush.  "OH, I'm guessing that he does.  Jakey, you're a
little early."

"Gwrand... Gwrrand... Grandma has a date wif Nick," Jakey explained.  Jim
hugged Jakey for his effort and gave him another kiss.

"I take it that my mom and dad have been working with you on talking," Zac
smiled.

"Uh huh, and dey said dat once I conquer de r, dey'll starting working on
my t h sound," Jakey explained.

"Well, you're doing a good job, I'll kinda miss how you currently talk, but
it'll make you sound as smart as you really are.  You're probably already
ahead of most of the children you'll be in kindergarten with," Zac smiled.

Jakey was watching Zac's mouth as Zac spoke.  He tried to mimic how Zac
placed his tongue as he said with, "Widf."

"That's close, but you'll get there soon enough," Zac said, taking Jakey
from Jim's arms. "Wanna go with me to get Silver?"

"Uh huh." Jakey grinned.  He just loves the feeling of being wanted by
everyone in this family.

"You want to ride on Silver with me today?" Zac asked

Jakey just grinned real hard as Zac handed him the reins.  "Now, he should
be fine to walk with you, but if something spooks him and he starts to run,
let go of the reins, okay?"

"Uh huh, but horsey Gold, I don't need to hold the reins," Jakey answered.

"I know, and Silver may walk with you without reins as well, but I don't
know for sure," Zac explained.

Zac and Jakey got to the corral just as Matt and Gina pulled up.  Looking
at Jim, Matt said, "We're missing someone."

"Yeah, my mom has a date," Jim declared.

"Are you sure?  If I'm not mistaken, someone has a birthday in a couple of
days," Matt grinned.

"That's true, but to my knowledge, there isn't any party planned this
year," Jim stated, studying everyone to see if there was a surprise party
planned.

"No, nothing planned for today, but I think we're having a family thing
when Jim, Joe and Chris get home for their training class on Monday," Zac
stated.

"I know that Jackson has been invited, you're welcome to come as well," Jim
offered.

After Jim got on Gold, he was expecting someone to hand Jakey to him, but
instead, Zac pulled Jakey up to ride on Silver.  "Hey!" Jim said with a
smile.

"I wride horsey Silver widf dis daddy," Jakey stated. "But I will wride
widf you on way back, K?"

"I'm glad you want to be with him, too.  I'll miss my riding buddy, but I
know you're in good hands," Jim smiled. "Just know that you never have to
choose between us, you can love us the same and we both will love you just
as much."

"Thank you Daddy, I love you both" Jakey said, not even realizing that he
spoke it correctly.

"Did you hear that?" Jim caught it.  He had a tear run down his cheek.

Zac looked at Jakey and gave him a slight hug, "You did it, Buddy. You said
the t h sound in thank and both correctly."

"I did?" Jakey questioned.

"Yes, you did.  I'm so proud of you," Zac stated.

"Yeah, Bud, you make us both so proud," Jim added.  Jakey was grinning from
ear to ear.

"You are so cool, Bud.  Suppose I can steal you and your dads away after we
go riding and take the three of you out to eat?" Matt asked.

"Stealing is wrong," Jakey averred.

"Yes it is, but in this sense, I'm not really stealing, it's just a phrase
meaning I want to take you and your dads," Matt admitted.

"Then why didn't you say that?" Jakey asked.  He smiled knowingly that he
was getting his words pronounced better.

"You keep that up and Cousin Austin might get jealous.  He was still having
trouble with his t h sounds, too," Jim laughed.  "He'll be here for Mom and
Nick's wedding."

"So, can I steal, er..., I mean take you guys out to eat?" Matt asked.

"I don't know, you have to ask my daddies," Jakey grinned.

"Sure, once we get the horsey put away, we can take a lunch break," Jim
agreed.

"You're welcome to join us, Chris and Joe. We're going to Cassie's," Matt
offered.

"Thank you, I appreciate it," Joe grinned.

"Or, would y'all like to check out that new restaurant with the renaissance
flair?" Matt suggested.

"You mean Ye Olde Taverne?" Jim asked.

"Cassie's has a dance floor, but they have a live show with jousting
knights, even realistic sword fights," Matt explained.

"Cassie's have been around for almost a hundred years, their food is really
good, but I wouldn't mind checking out the Tavern," Zac admitted.

"I hear that they offer you a chance to dress up as you dine.  You can be a
knight, wizard, rogue or whatever other class from the medieval era," Joe
announced.

"Yes, you can rent clothing of the era for a small price to cover cleaning,
or buy it and they have a locker room in which to change.  Does everyone
want to go there?" Matt asked.  "Since Monday is your birthday, Jim, if you
want to go there, we will.  And, you will have the right to dress regal."

"No, I think you and Gina should be regal, Zac can dress as your knight,
Joe would look good as a wizard. I want to be a rogue," Jim stated.

"What about me, Daddy?" Jakey asked.

"You can either be a little rogue or a page, depending on what they may
have in your size," Jim answered.

"I wanna be a wizard," Jakey said.

"You will make a cute wizard," Gina spoke.

They actually cut their ride short as everyone was getting excited about
going.  When they told Jackson where they were headed, Matt invited him as
well.  "Since, you don't have a party planned, we're celebrating Jim's
birthday," Matt told him.  "Grab Ryan and Colt, as well."

As everyone got into vehicles, Matt started calling people that he knew Jim
knew.  "Hey Dust Man, grab your wench and head to Ye Olde Taverne.  We're
going to celebrate Jim's birthday.  Yes, I know it's on Monday, but since
no one planned a party, I'm throwing one, Everything is on me, so pick out
a costume that you like when you get there.  It'll be yours to keep."  He
called up Heather and Nick and then Buster.  Matt wanted to make this a
special day.

When they walked in, the hostess greeted Matt as though he had been there a
few times.  Jim was a little surprised.  Matt told her how many they were
expecting and she led them to the costumes they could purchase.  "And who
is the birthday boy?" she asked.

"That would be Jim," Matt stated and pointed him out.

"Will you be the king for the day?" she inquired.

"No, I think Matt should be the king. He's paying for all of this.  I want
to be a rogue," Jim declared.

"And will Miss Gina be the queen?" the hostess asked.

"I take it that you and Gina have been here a few times," Jim commented.

"Well, we usually come after we go riding ever since they've opened," Matt
confessed.  "I do have my own locker established."

"Look Jake, they have a purple mage outfit in your size," Chris announced.

"I wanna be a wizard," Jakey stated.

"A mage and a wizard are the same thing, for the most part," Joe informed
Jakey.

"Cool," Jakey responded.

After everyone arrived, there were fifteen people in the party altogether.
Vince and Marilyn were appreciative of being invited but decided they
should stay home with the new baby.  Matt insisted that Nick be the king
for the day since he was the oldest male there.  He agreed and Matt stuck
with his knightly garb.  Heather dressed as the queen.

As they dined, the hostess walked over to the table with two guys dressed
as men-at-arms.  "Is everyone done eating?" she asked and everyone said
that they were.  Then looking at Nick, she said, "Your Majesty, I
understandeth that someone here is guilty of having a birthday coming up.
Dost thou desire for me to place the culprit in the stocks?"

Nick got a big grin on his face, "Indeed."  The two men-at-arms walked over
and stood on either side of Jim.  Jim didn't resist or anything, and got
up. He walked over to the stocks and the hostess placed him in it.

"Ladies, knights of the realm and subjects of his royal highness, this boy
hath been found guilty of having a birthday coming up.  As punishment,
wouldst thou all joineth us in singing happy birthday to him and then the
king will administer the birthday spankings, mightest grant another party
member to do so, or he mightest pardon the lad and free him."

Zac looked at Jim, "For the record, we are NOT coming here for MY
birthday."

After the singing was finished, the hostess handed a paddle to Nick who in
turn handed it to Zac.  "Your Majesty, if it pleaseth thee, I wouldst like
to pass it on to the youngest addition here," Zac grinned and looked at
Jakey.

"Then by all means, and someone get a camera.  This should be cute," Nick
laughed.

Zac handed the paddle to Jakey.  "What do I do?" Jakey asked.

"Take this paddle and spank your daddy for his birthday.  He'll be
seventeen on Monday," Zac informed him.

"Me don't like spankings," Jakey stated flatly dropping the paddle.

"This is just for fun, they're birthday spankings, not in trouble
spankings," Jim said, letting Jakey know that it would be alright.  "It'll
be okay, Jakey."

"No, I no wanna spank," Jakey refused.

"Someone, let me out," Jim barked.  The hostess jumped by his sudden tone
change and let Jim out.  Jim knelt down to look Jakey in the face.  "Are
you alright?"

"Uh huh, but spankings hurt, they not fun," Jakey demanded.

"Yeah, when you do something wrong, spankings do hurt," Jim agreed.  "Do
you trust me?"

"Uh huh," Jakey admitted.

"Can I show you how I would give you a birthday spanking so that you can
see it's just for fun and not a punishment?" Jim asked.

"If you want," Jakey looked like he was about to cry.

"It's up to you, you're not in trouble and this is just for fun, but if you
don't want it, I won't do it," Jim told him.

"Can I have a hug?" Jakey asked.

"Always, I love giving you a hug.  Have you been given a lot of spankings?
Is that why you don't want to do them for my birthday?" Jim asked as he
wrapped his arms around Jakey.

"I sorry," Jakey sniffled.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, you didn't do anything wrong," Jim said
kissing Jakey on the cheek.

"I'm sorry, Jakey.  I didn't know that anyone had spanked you so much that
you wouldn't think it was fun giving birthday spankings," Zac offered as he
knelt down beside Jim.  "How about kisses and hugs?  You want to give your
daddy seventeen kisses and hugs instead of spankings?"

"I love kisses and hugs but I don't know how to count," Jakey explained.

Everyone chuckled, "It's alright, we'll count for you," Zac grinned.  Jakey
started giving Jim hugs and kisses and everyone at their table started
counting.  After his seventeenth, Zac reminded him to give one to grow on.
Jakey gave Jim the biggest hug and hardest kiss that he could.  After he
was done, everyone who could see what happened stood up and applauded.

The hostess apologized for any trauma she may have caused to Jakey but Jim
dismissed it, telling her that there was no way she could have known since
their own family didn't.  "Regardless, I'm giving this bill a discount for
it," she insisted.

"That will be appreciated, but he'll be fine," Jim told her while he was
still cradling Jakey against him.

"Can we go home now?" Jakey asked.

"If you want to, but don't you want to watch the show?  They're getting
ready to joust." Jim told him.

"What's a joust?" Jakey asked.

"It's a game that knights used to play on horseback as a test to see who
was better at it," Jim explained.

"Can we watch it?" Jakey asked.

"Sure, but be ready, while it may look like one is getting hurt, they are
only acting," Jim smiled.

"Like on TV?" Jakey asked.

"Just like on TV," Jim grinned.

As Jakey watched, he was getting into it.  When two guys fought with
swords, Jakey looked at Jim, "They look more wreal on TV.  You can see that
they not wreally stabbing the other."

"Yeah, but on TV, they use tricks to make it look real," Jim explained.

After everything was done, Matt looked at everyone, "Other than the one
incident, did everyone have fun and enjoy themselves?"

"We sure did," Everyone agreed.  Jakey walked up to Matt, "I know you not
wreally my uncle, but Daddy Zac says that you like a brother, can I call
you Uncle Matt?"

Matt started tearing up at this. He knelt down so he could look Jakey in
the eye, "I would like that very much.  Your dads mean the world to me and
so do you." Jakey threw his arms around Matt and hugged him.  Matt returned
the hug.  "When Gina and I have children, I hope they are just like you."

"You trying to steal my boy from me?" Jim kidded.

"I would like to, but no, can I at least carry him to the lockers?"

"If Jakey doesn't mind.  You will make a great dad when you and Gina have
children," Jim grinned.

"And I wouldn't have any problem with you watching them whenever Gina and I
want to go out.  At least I would know they are safe with you and Zac.
You're already a great dad and technically, you don't have to be yet."

"Yes I do, regardless of what anyone says, Jakey belongs with me.  Our
hearts intertwined from that very first moment.  As far as I am concerned,
he is my son now," Jim explained.

"And it shows.  I hope that I can be half the dad that you are, you really
care about this little man," Matt grinned.

"I not a man, I just a boy," Jakey corrected.  Matt and Jim laughed.

In the locker room, Jim just grabbed his clothes.  "I think I'm just going
to wear this home.  Anyone for a game of DnD when we get home?"

"DnD?" Nick looked puzzled.

"It stands for Dungeons and Dragons, Dad" Chris informed him.

"I'm in, I'll see if Chey wants to join us.  If not, I can take her home,"
Dusty stated.

"I'll check with Gina," Matt added.

"I think Ryan and I are just going back to the ranch.  Colt, you're welcome
to join them if you like. When you're done, if you need a ride, just give
us a call," Jackson said.

"I'll give him a ride if he would like to play," Matt offered.

"No, I think I need to study for the final on Monday," Colt replied.

"Can I play?" Jakey asked.

"You might be a little young, but we'll help you, or you can help me play
my character," Jim offered.

"I wanna play a character," Jakey said.

"You are a character," Chris teased.

"Can I be Harwrey Potter?" Jakey asked.

"What if you created your own name and play a mage?" Jim asked.  Then
looking on his phone under draconic names, Jim found one, "What about Hewa,
it's dragon speak for mage?"

"I like that," Jakey said, "I'll be Hewa the Mage."

"Sounds almost like you're trying to say hero," Zac chuckled.

"Kinda, but he's getting better with his r's. He's been consistent on the t
h sound since he first tried watching your mouth as you said it," Jim
commented.

"True, but I was talking about you.  Hewa sounds like whoever is saying it
is trying to say hero.  As for Jakey, he is the most awesome boy ever," Zac
explained.

"I couldn't agree with you more," Jim said nodding his head.

When they got to the house, they filled the driveways and some vehicles
were parked on the street.  Heather looked at everyone, "We have Cokes,
lemonade, orange juice and water in the fridge.  If anyone wants a snack,
we have Cool Ranch Doritos, Chili Cheese Fritos, Scoops and potato chips.
I made a fresh batch of that taco dip that Jim likes.  I'm going to check
on Vince, Marilyn and the baby."

"And if anyone wants iced tea, I can make a batch of that, it'll just take
about twenty minutes to brew," Jim offered as everyone was heading for the
house.  "Gina, you play DnD?"

"Sometimes, but I just want to watch today, maybe help Jakey play," Gina
offered.

"You can help me play," Jakey said looking up at Gina.

"That would be awesome," Jim responded.

"Can I help Jake play, too?" Cheyenne asked.

"You can fill out his character sheet and keep track with it.  I'll help
Jake figure out what he wants to do, let him know which die or dice to roll
and he can roll them," Gina suggested.

"Sounds like a plan," Jim stated.

"Sounds like a plan," Jakey mimicked.  Everyone laughed.

"OK, everyone set up, Dusty, are you being the DM again?" Jim asked.  "And
who wants what to drink?"

"I'll get the drinks so you can set up as well.  I don't want to play, but
I watch until Heather comes back.  What would everyone like to drink?" Nick
offered.

"I have some metallic mugs in the cupboard, I bought them for when I played
DnD in Montana.  They're not steins, but they make me think of something
that would be used in a simple tavern during medieval times," Jim
explained.

Everyone told Nick what they wanted to drink.  He found the mugs that Jim
was talking about, filled them with the various drinks and placed them on a
platter.  Carrying them out, Jim kidded him saying that he'd make a good
serving wench.  Everyone chuckled, including Nick.

As they were playing, Matt spoke up, "If you're wanting me to be your best
man, I need to know the date.  Gina and I are getting married on thirtieth
of this month and will be returning possibly on the thirteenth of next."

"That'll give you a week to rest up, Jim and I have set our date for the
twentieth of June.  Jackson said that we are not allowed to show up at the
ranch that entire week.  He wants us to be surprised when we see how he
decorates," Zac announced.

"Yeah, I made a comment about riding Gold and he said that IF I want to
ride Gold, I have to make arrangements through Joe or Chris, that's going
to be a hard week," Jim chuckled.  "I don't know why we can't be there at
least for the first part of the week."

"Heather and Marilyn said that the invitations will be going out on
Monday," Chris stated.

"And I get to be a ring bear," Jakey giggled.

Heather had stayed over talking with Marilyn and Vince for hours.  She was
surprised at how well Vince handled taking care of the baby and Marilyn,
especially with this being his first baby.  She told them what they missed
at the restaurant and caught them up on everything else.  She was enjoying
the visit so much that she didn't realize that it was getting late until it
was almost nine.

Walking into her house, everyone was still around the table, playing.  Nick
looked over at her and got up.  He walked towards her, placed his arms
around her and kissed her.  "Did you have a nice visit?" he asked.

"Vince surprises me.  I would swear that he's been a father before, but
then maybe being in the military and having young men, some fresh out of
high school under him helped," Heather explained.

"I know with Chris, I was a nervous wreck.  Here I was, a new father who
just lost his wife and I didn't know the first thing about changing a
diaper, feeding him, or anything.  I always considered myself lucky,
though.  I had many ladies that I worked with who took turns coming over to
show me what to do," Nick reflected.

"Jim slept most of the time as a baby and he hardly ever cried," Heather
added.  Heather could hear Jakey yawning, "I think it's time for someone to
get a bath and go to bed."

"Yeah, I think it's time that we wrap up for the night.  If everyone wants
to come again next Saturday, we can do this again.

Monday was Jim's seventeenth birthday.  "Just a reminder, you don't need to
pick Jake up today. I'll be home early and then he's going to help me
decorate for your birthday?" Heather informed him.

"But he looks so cute trying to mimic the moves we are practicing," Jim
complained.

"He's cute all the time, can't you let me have him this one afternoon?"
Heather debated.

"Fine, but I will miss my little mimicker," Jim conceded with a chuckle.

In school, everyone who knew him wished Jim a happy birthday.  The day
seemed longer than usual and Jim was starting to get tired of hearing it.
When it finally let out, Jim looked at Joe and Chris as they were getting
into Jim's car, "If I hear one more `happy birthday', I might scream.  I
can't even begin to tell you how many times I've heard it today."

"Happy birthday," Joe chuckled.  "And we share all the same classes now,
other than gym, so I was there for most of them.  Besides, there will be
students at the dojo who haven't seen you yet."

"Yeah, Happy birthday, Jim" Chris added and grinned.

"You sure you were adopted?  I mean, if you would have made the same
comment I did, I would have said `happy birthday' too," said Jim as he
lowered his head and started to laugh.

"A, I am probably just as ornery as you in that manner, and b, I have lived
with you long enough to have picked it up even if I weren't," Joe
explained.

"That is true."

Jim pulled into the dojo parking lot and noticed more cars than usual.
Dusty pulled in beside him.  "You didn't drop Cheyenne off?" Jim asked.

"Since we're going to your house when we leave here, we thought it would be
silly.  Besides, she decided that she wants to watch.  I've been trying to
talk her into joining ever since her attack, maybe watching how much fun we
have will convince her," Dusty grinned.

Jim, Dusty, Joe and Chris went into the locker room to change.  Cheyenne
went to let Sensei know that Jim was here.  Jim didn't even notice the
decorations or happy birthday banner that were hanging.  As Jim was
changing, Chris, Joe and Dusty kept talking to him, causing him to take
longer to change.  As they finished changing, they told Jim that they would
see him when he was done.

Jim was the last one out of the locker room and as he came out, everyone
yelled, "SURPRISE!!!" causing Jim to jump.

Jakey ran up to Jim, "Do you like the decowrations? Gwrandma and me put
them up."

"Yes I do, how did you reach so high?" Jim kidded.

"Gwrandma held me up and Sensei helped, too" Jakey explained.

Jackson brought out a cake and Matt started singing the birthday song.
After that was sung, Zac looked at Jim and the music for New Kids on the
Block's birthday song started.  "Happy birthday to you, this is your day.
On this day for you, I'm gonna love you in every way.  This is your day,
your day, so happy birthday to you, to you, to you..." Zac sang.  No one
said anything until Zac completed the song.

"So you all knew about this?" Jim asked.

"I confess, Saturday's impromptu party was originally planned as a
distraction," Matt admitted.

"So was everyone in on the distraction?" Jim questioned.

"Original plan was you, Zac, Gina, Jake and I going out, but then I just
started inviting and calling everyone and how could they say no?" Matt
replied.

Jim watched Joe whisper something into Jakey's ear and the little boy
walked over.  "Happy birthday, Daddy," Jakey grinned.  Jim chuckled and
looked in Joe's direction.  Joe shrugged his shoulders, trying to act
innocent.

"And it is a happy one, too.  I have you in my life and that makes me very
happy.  Did you have any cake yet?" Jim asked.

"No, I told Gwrandma that I wanted to eat it with you," Jakey answered.

Jim carried Jakey to the cake.  Heather was cutting the cake and looked up,
"I see you have him, are you ready for your cake now?"

"Uh huh, and ice cwream," Jakey grinned.

"He really wanted to wait and eat his cake with me?" Jim asked.

"That's what he said and then he headed for you until Joe stopped him,"
Heather declared.

"Wow, I feel so flattered," Jim stated as he wiped the corner of his eye.

"He really loves you," Heather pointed out.

"I know, and I really love him.  I don't know what I did to deserve people
like him, Zac and you in my life," Jim told his mom.

"We are just as lucky to have you in ours, lucky or blessed," Heather
smiled.

Jim spotted Vince and Marilyn coming in the door with Vince carrying Zayne
and Marilyn holding his arm as she walked.  He set his cake down beside
Jakey and went to meet them.  "I'll be right back, Buddy," he informed
Jakey.

"Marilyn, you didn't have to come if you're still not feeling up to it; and
is it safe for little Zayne to be out already?" Jim voiced his concerns.

"If nothing else, he'll start strengthening his immune system a little
early.  Women used to work in fields right up to having their baby and
going back to work as soon as the baby was born, with the baby beside them.
With all of our technology and modern medicine, we've gotten weak in
comparison," Marilyn explained.

"In that case, would you like to hold my arm to free your husband's up to
take care of Zayne better?" he offered.  Marilyn held onto Jim's arm
instead of Vince's and Vince mouthed a thank you to Jim.  He led them to
the table where Jakey was sitting.

"You're not eating your cake, Jake?" Vince asked.

"I wanted to eat it with Daddy, so I waited for him to wreturn," Jakey
explained.

"Your ice cream is melting," Jim stated.

"That's okay, it'll melt in my mouth anyway," Jakey responded.

"You are so smart," Marilyn complimented as she sat down.

"Does Zayne want any cake?" Jakey asked.

"No, he's too young to eat cake, but thank you for asking," Vince informed
Jakey.

"Would you and Gwrandma Mawrilyn like some cake?" asked the boy.

"I'll go grab them some," Jim responded, "but you can help me if you want."
Jakey got up and grabbed Jim's hand.  "You like helping them, don't you?"

"Uh huh, and they're helping me learn before I start school," Jakey
responded.

"Have I told you yet today how much I love you?" Jim smiled.

"Yes, and you told Daddy Zac, too," Jakey answered.

"I wish you could stay five forever, but then I also can't wait until you
are a little older.  I want to teach you everything I can about horses,"
Jim mussed Jakey's hair.

"Here for more cake?" Heather asked as Jim and Jakey got to the table.

"We want some for my other gwrandma and gwrandpa," Jakey replied.

"He offered to get some for Marilyn and Vince so they could stay seated
with the baby," Jim said.

"You, young man, should be President when you get old enough.  The way you
try to help everyone, I bet you'd get elected," Heather giggled.

"When he's old enough to be President, you'll be seventy-three years old,"
Jim chuckled.

"Did you have to remind me of that? I'll be ancient," Heather grimaced.

"But you'll still be very pretty," Nick said, surprising her.

As the time was nearing for the dojo to close, the party wrapped up.
Nobody complained that they didn't learn any martial arts this time for
they all had a good time helping Jim celebrate his birthday.

As the week wore on, Zac felt confident about his exams.  While he knew
that he didn't ace everyone, he was sure that he at least passed all of
them.  Jim was a little anxious as he, Joe and Dusty were being prepped for
theirs.  Jakey sat on Jim's lap as he asked Dusty and Joe questions that
might be on their finals.

Everyone was anxious that Monday.  Seniors who passed their finals were
practicing for graduation until lunch and the rest of the students were
taking finals.  The only classes that they had were their finals for that
day.  For Jim and Joe, that meant all of their tests were finished before
lunch each day and they had study hall after lunch.

Monday was Calculus class, both Jim and Dusty were positive that they aced
that one.  Joe was confident that he passed, but not sure how good he
actually did.

On Tuesday, the boys had their Spanish exam.  Jim thought he may have
missed one question but was still holding an A.  Joe felt more comfortable
with this test than he was with Calculus.  During lunch, they were speaking
in Spanish and those around them were giving them a funny look.

On Wednesday, their final exam was to write an essay.  The essay was to be
a minimum of a two hundred words explaining what they thought about the
Supreme Court's current topic at the time, gay marriage.  They had to write
their view as to whether they were for it or against it and find facts to
support their beliefs.  And the conclusion of the essay was to give their
opinion on how they believed the decision would turn out.  They were
permitted to use computers to fact check and write their essays.  All work
had to be properly cited using the Chicago Sixteenth Edition Style of
Citation.  "And just so you know, I don't care whether you are for or
against.  That is your business.  You can be for it but decide to write a
paper against it for all I care, or vice versa.  I will be checking for
proper citation, proper usage of grammar and correct spelling.  I have seen
some of you use words like `prolly' in place of `probably'.  If you do on
this essay, that's fifty points off automatically. You have three hours to
write these essays beginning now," the teacher instructed.

Jim had trouble finding information to support his beliefs but he kept at
it, not backing down.  When the three hours were up, he turned in his
paper, barely meeting the criteria.  "I hope I don't offend anyone, but I
had a heck of a time finding anything to support gay marriage that wasn't
just someone's opinion," Dusty stated.  "I mean, I have no qualms about
anyone getting married, if I did, I wouldn't be your best man."

"I know what you mean.  I wrote against also for the same reason," Joe
explained.

"It wasn't easy and I did quote people's opinions in my paper, but I
believe the main purpose of the essay was to see how we cited, not whether
it was fact or opinion.  Even with that, it seems most people are against
gay marriage.  I just hope that I had enough content," Jim explained.

Thursday's exam was in Science.  They were given an hour for a
multiple-choice exam and then two hours to do a task in the lab.  The test
was worth half their final exam with the lab being the other half.  Three
stations were set up and the students were allowed to choose the station
they wanted until that station had a third of the class.  Jim and Joe were
able to work together and Cheyenne was with them.  Their station was the
first to fill up.  Since science was one of the areas that Joe excelled at,
he led the group.  This was one of the classes that Joe challenged Jim in.
Jim was happy letting Joe shine with him assisting.

Friday's class was History.  After they finished that class, they ate lunch
and then school was history for the summer.

Saturday came and it was time for the high school graduating class of 2015
to commence they ceremony.  Principal Duncan took the stage and welcomed
everyone who was in attendance, "We have a lot going on tonight.  Our
Valedictorian, Matt McCrery will be speaking, then we'll be discussing some
of the things that went on this year, and finally, we'll be giving out
diplomas to our graduates.  First, to start the night, we have a musical
group named R5 singing a new song called All Night and an older song named
Pass Me By.  Some of you may have seen one of them recently on Dancing with
the Stars.  My opinion, he should have won."

R5 sang their songs and then Matt stepped forward.  "This is both a happy
day and a sad day.  Many friends we have made, and for some, this may be
the last day that we see them.  Some will go off to college, some may join
the military, and some will stick around.  We all have dreams of some sort,
some of us will fulfill them, some will attempt and come short and others
won't even try.  Remember dreams can change so if you change yours, that
doesn't mean you failed.  I dreamt of being a doctor and I still have that
dream somewhat, but the love of my life got me interested in horses, so now
I want to become a vet.  I think that we all can agree that Mr. Duncan and
the teachers here did the best they can to prepare us for what's ahead.
Now it is up to each and every one of us to use what we were taught and
make our school and our families proud.  It's time for us to be proud of
ourselves and accomplish great things."

As Matt took his seat with the rest of his class, Mr. Duncan started
discussing the year's events.  Finally the diplomas were being passed out
to each student, called in alphabetical order.  When Zac's name was called
out, Jakey shouted out as loud as he could, "THAT'S MY DADDY!!!"  Jim
laughed and asked Jakey if he was proud of his daddy graduating.  Jakey
just grinned from ear to ear.



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