Date: Mon, 18 Jul 2016 20:01:32 -0500
From: Eric Trager <trager2275@gmail.com>
Subject: It Is What It Is: Chapter 21

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CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

"Well, if we advertise his real name I'm afraid that some of these Mexican
drug lord people, or even his real father might show up and try to claim
him. The boy begged us for a chance at life. He swore that he'd never live
that way again. He was almost dead when Sean found him," Joe said shaking
his head. "I'm not letting him go. No way."

"Here's what we'll do, Joe, and we never had this conversation. We're gonna
advertise, but not in the Janesville Gazette. It so happens that the Beloit
paper is acceptable, too, but it's circulation is much smaller. Now judging
from what you told me, it sounds like John found himself on a road
somewhere north of Johnstown Center toward Milton. That's not in the Beloit
newspaper's circulation area even though it's still Rock County. We'll also
make this a John Doe case in that we'll claim we don't really know his
name. Besides, he's still a minor. I'm the Attorney here, and let me put it
this way: if I talk to the D.A. he'll let that slide as it's really a mercy
case. You can trust me on that.

"In the meantime, I've already got John's statement and photographs of his
injuries. As it is, I'd rate the chances as ninety-five percent or better
in John's favor. I'd take those odds.  Here's another thing I never told
you: if anyone shows up and says they want him back, offer them money to
disappear. If they say they'll take it, you let me handle it. If they say
they won't, well, you let me handle that, too... See, I know guys in law
enforcement and the Courts that, shall we say, would not take kindly to
that. They know how to handle thugs roughly and make it look like it's the
thug's fault. It's all quite sub rosa..."

"I get what you say, George," Joe winked, not letting on that he had guys
he could use for muscle, too, of need be. "He's getting to be an expensive
kid, but I'll do what I have to do. All he wants is a chance in life, and I
can't turn him away. I just can't..."

"I didn't think ya could, Joe. I'm glad I got him registered yesterday,
too. By the way, Bill McVay wants you to give him a call direct about
setting up a meeting for Andy's bullying victim fund."

"Jesus, how'dja do all that?" Joe asked,

"Bill and I go way back. Went to St. Mary's Catholic School from first
grade. We played on the Craig football and basketball teams, Class of
`81. I've handled a few estate planning and legal matters for his family
over the years, too. Joe, what is this world anyway if a kid falls on your
doorstep in need, only wanting a fair chance for a decent life and we don't
help?  That's God telling us we damn well better help, and if you and I are
better placed than most, well, guess what, it is what it is. God forbid
John went into the juvenile system. Lord only knows what kind of a house
he'd end up in, or with whom, how they'd treat him, or what kind of a
chance he'd have at life... It's a government racket is what it is most of
the time and it's just like every other government racket: it doesn't work,
but no one can get rid of it, either. That kid fell on your doorstep for a
reason, Joe, so fuck it, we're gonna help him. Like God intended us to."

"You're right, George. I never questioned that. I just didn't know how I
was gonna deal with the Courts on this. I'm a business guy, not so much a
legal guy. I gotta tell ya, I'm indebted.  For sure."

"Bullshit! Your sons helped my son when he really needed it. That's how we
roll in a small town like this. That's who we are. There's no debt here. By
the way, I gotta tell ya, that Sean, he's the balls. Lemme tell ya about
the joke he hatched..." George told Joe all about the duplicate clothing,
and the fooling Brett and Danny story. Even though Joe already knew about
it, he pretended not to, and laughed with his friend about the hijinks
their boys got up to.

"George, I gotta tell ya, so far I'm really glad we moved here. These past
couple of months, or so, have been a huge upheaval. I haven't had a
minute's rest, but now that we're here, I feel that I have real friends, I
feel like I fit in, and I feel like I'm a family man again. Nothing will
ever replace Val's loss, but I know I can't bring her back. The addition of
Andy and John to my life has filled a huge gap. I've seen so many things
fall into place..."

"Glad ya feel that way, Joe. Wanna know what I think? I think it's gonna be
fun watching these kids finish growing up. I dunno, but I have a feeling
they're gonna be together a lot longer than High School. And that's gonna
include John."

"Yeah," George laughed, "I suppose they are. Listen, the boys are coming
over for dinner tonight. You know Tim's cousin is in town, and they all
want to get together. We're just gonna let'em have the back yard for the
night. Why don'tcha stop over?"

"Sounds good. I know Sean and Andy were excited to see Jim and Danny. OK if
John tags along with them? I could use a night off after this..."

"Sure thing, George! And if the boys end up staying over, no sweat, we got
the room..."

Earlier that morning, Brett's dad called him on his cell. "Brett, it's
dad. What time should I pick you guys up for breakfast?"

"Dad, just let us know where to meet you and a time. We all got emails and
texts last night that there's a mandatory team meeting at school for the
Varsity squad. Yeah, it's 1:00 this afternoon, so it'd probably be better
if Tim and I met you and then we can get going to where we need to be."

"That's fine. Let's meet for an early lunch then. How's Chinese? How about
Cozy Inn on West Milwaukee about 11:00?"

"That's great, dad. We'll see you then!" Brett hung up and hollored for
Tim, "Tim! Hey, Tim!"

Tim appeared with wet hair and a towel wrapped around his waist giving
Brett an instant boner. Brett still could not help but gape at his lover's
taut, jock body with the dusting of dark red chest hair, bubble butt and
muscular legs.

"I see whatcher lookin' at, there, sweet cheeks. So what's the plan?"

"Dad says we should meet him at 11:00 at the Cozy Inn downtown for
lunch. That'll let us have lunch and then boogie over to school for the
meeting."

"Sounds good. Hey, is that a hammer in your pocket, or are you just glad to
see me?"

"It's a hammer, Mr. Dickson, so why don't you just shut up and fuck me?"

With that, Tim grabbed Brett's arm and fairly hurled him into the bedroom
like he was a football, for Brett had the same effect on Tim as Tim had on
Brett. Their relationship, while characterized by true love, respect and
tenderness was also one of unbridled animal lust which persisted from the
first hour they met at the Mall.

"Fuck me now, Tim! Fuck me now!" Brett rasped.

Tim had three lubed fingers inside his lover's ass after spending twenty
minutes eating his hole until he could verify Brett's producing a river of
precum. He withdrew all but one finger which he used to massage Brett's
prostate. The river ran faster as Brett writhed under Tim's
ministrations. "Tim! I'm almost there! I think I'm gonna cum!"

Tim withdrew his finger and stopped Brett who was madly jacking his
steel-hard dick. "No jacking, bud! This is gonna last and I want your cum
sprayed all over me!"

Brett trembled on the precipice of orgasm for several moments, but
gradually calmed down. "Sweetheart, sit on my dick. I want to see you cum
and spray all over me. Cum in my mouth!"

Tim twisted around until he was on his back and pointed at his throbbing
cock. "Sit on it, lover boy! I'll paint your insides!"

"Aaaahhhhh!" Brett groaned, impaling himself on Tim's solid member. There
was no hesitation as Brett sat right down on it up to the hilt. For his
part, Tim felt the thick, rubbery sphincter muscle hugging the head of his
dick, then gradually giving way as his lover sat down bathing Tim's dick in
a warm, wet embrace that had Tim right on the edge.

"Ride me, Brett! Ride me rough! Fuck yourself on my pole!" Tim hissed,
bucking his hips, thrusting his cock in and out of Brett's ass making sure
to drag it back and forth over Brett's receptive prostate. Brett seethed,
riding his bucking bronco for all he was worth.  Tim massaged Brett's
sensitive nipples with his left hand and began to jack Brett's blood-
engorged member with is right. Brett's river of precum flowed onto Tim's
hand which Tim insatiably lapped up. "I'm eating your precum, hot
stud. Mmmm you taste so good! I wanna taste your cum in my mouth."

"Fuck! I'm getting hotter!" Brett raggedly mouthed as he slammed himself
onto his lover's pole. "Jack my dick! Fucking jack me! Faster! Do it!"

Tim did as he was bidden, but suddenly Brett grabbed his dick out of
Brett's hand, beating it like he stole it. He clamped down hard on Tim's
dick buried inside him. "Cum for me, Tim!  I want your hot cum in me! Oh
shit, I'm gonna fuckin' cum! Uhhhhh, fuck! Yeah! Shit! I'm cummmmming! Cum
in me, Tim! NOW!" Brett's already swollen dick seemed to Tim to increase in
girth at least an inch, then throb a few times before forcefully spewing
Tim with rope after rope of hot, steamy sperm. Two shots landed in Tim's
mouth. Tim tasted and smelled his lover's musk and salty-sweetness.

"Fuck! Shit! Take my load, Brett! I'm cumming inside you! Take my fucking
load! Fuck!  Ohhhhhhhhh! Shit!" Tim's body quaked, coating Brett's
intestines with what felt like a half gallon of cum that wouldn't stop
shooting from his cock. Brett felt each and every contraction and the hot
spots of his lover's load ever higher in his abdomen. Brett almost shot
another load. "Fuck me, Brett! What you do to me!"

"You do to me, too, Tim... I love you so" Brett whispered as he leaned down
taking Tim's broad shoulders in his hands and lifting him up for a tender
kiss. "I love you so..."

The two lovers held fast to each other, their hearts beating through their
chests in unison, their breathing gradually returning to normal, fastened
together by Brett's cum. After some minutes, Tim whispered, "Hey, hot
stuff, we better shower up and get going to meet your dad, hey?"

"Yeah, let's get ready and get this over with..."

"Brett, now I toldja everything would be OK, and I toldja I always win `em
over. Just wait and see! You'll see!"

"Oh, I'm not worried. But I do want to just get it over with so I know what
the lay of the land is, ya know?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right... OK, let's get ready!"

Showered and dressed, Tim and Brett piled in to Peg's car and took off for
the little Chinese restaurant downtown. Tim chose to dress fairly
conservatively in beige cargo shorts, a burnt orange polo shirt to set off
his auburn hair, and leather sandals. As a sporty touch, he donned his
Milwaukee Brewers cap but chose not to wear it backwards. Brett was
similarly dressed in dark blue cargo shorts, and a white wife beater with a
white short-sleeved Oxford shirt over the top left untucked. For shoes he
chose a pair of Tim's white leather trainers with ankle socks.

"Hey, Brett, how much money you got? I got about $80.00 but I just wanna
make sure that we both play whip-out with our wallets when the bill
comes. Dads respect that."

"I got about the same. Don't worry, dad will probably insist on paying I
bet, but if he doesn't then we pay stag. That's fine."

Once downtown, the boys walked into the restaurant. At a corner booth, Herb
Dowling was already seated. "Over here, guys..." Herb called out. Brett
felt a little bit of a cold sweat. Not Tim. To Tim, ever uncomplicated,
this was just meeting someone for lunch and however it went it wasn't up to
him anyway, so why be bothered about it?

In his open way, Tim stuck out his hand saying with a genuine smile, "Hey
there, Mr.  Dowling! Good to see you again!"

Meeting Tim's hand Herb replied, "Good to see you, too, Tim. Call me Herb,
OK?"

"Sure thing! So are we all hungry? I could eat a horse!" Tim replied.

Brett could see that his dad looked a bit uneasy, like someone who knew
what they had to say but just wasn't finding the words. Brett decided he
might as well get the ball rolling.  "Well, dad, thanks for inviting us to
lunch! We should do this more! I was just wondering...well...you look like
you have something you want to say. I guess...well...go ahead if you
want..."

Herb, still not speaking, looked quizzically at the two boys.

Tim looked at Herb, then over to Brett, then back to Herb. This was an
uncommon instance where Tim measured the situation and did not say the
first thing that came to mind.

Herb took in a deep breath, finally beginning, "OK, guys... Right... This
isn't easy for me, so I might just as well get down to brass tacks. I know
you're both, um, well...gay. I can't say that I totally get this because if
I said I did I'd be a liar. Don't have any experience with it.  What I mean
is... Alright, look, Brett this was about the last thing I ever expected. I
don't get how two guys can be attracted to each other, I really don't get
it. And I'm not gonna lie to ya, I'm not ecstatic about this whole thing,
either. But it is what it is and I gotta deal with it. I just gotta ask ya
both if you're sure about it. Well, maybe that's not the right way to put
it, but you get the point. I'll let you guys talk now and I'll shut up."

"OK, dad," Brett opened, "Before we start, I don't know if you or mom heard
yet, but I made the Varsity football squad. First string.

"You did?" Herb replied, chuckling. "Well, Jesus Christ... Congratulations,
son. I mean that."

"Thanks, dad. I hope you and mom come watch me play. I'd be real proud if
you did, too.  But, to answer your question as I understand it to be, well,
dad, I've known I was gay for sure since I was maybe thirteen, fourteen, or
so. I didn't choose to be, but I am. It doesn't define me, but it, well,
let's just say it narrows the field of potential mates a little bit, and
they won't have tits. I never said anything because I kinda knew you'd have
a hard time with it. I was gonna wait until I was out of the house and in
college to tell you. I didn't mean for you to find out the way you did, but
I guess that's just one of those things that happens.  I'm still your son,
I'm still a straight-A student, and I still have the same goals in life. It
just means that I'll be with a guy. That's all it means. As much as I've
enjoyed staying with Tim, it'd be nice if I could come back home and we
could get back to normal. I love you, dad...  And yes, I'm sure about it
and I'm sure I love Tim, too. He'll win you over, dad. You'll see!"

"OK, what about you, Tim? What's your two cents here?" Herb asked.

"Well, I dunno how much I have to add here, but I can tell ya how I figured
out I was gay. I need to talk about that anyway, so here goes..." Tim then
recited his inner turmoils, his loneliness, and his despair until Brett
came into his life. "And, so yeah, that's about the size of it. As for
winning you over, Herb, I absolutely intend to do that, and I never fail."
Tim then added, looking down and with eyes just perceptibly misty, "And I
hope I'm good enough for your son..."

Herb sat stone-faced and silent. The waitress came with their food, and the
three men ate in virtual silence. Brett worried inside that the lunch
meeting was turning out to be a fiasco.  Tim wondered to himself just what
the hell was going on, but reasoned that his role was to stand behind Brett
and to be there for him, but not to try to lead conversation. Finally,
Brett could take no more and broke the silence. "OK, dad, I guess you heard
what Tim and I had to say. So...can you...um...you know, let us know what
you're thinking? I mean, it's just that nobody's said much for about 15
minutes here..."

Placing his fork down, wiping his mouth with his napkin, Herb took a slow
drink of ice water and began. "Brett, Tim, like I said, I'm not ecstatic
about this. I can't hide that, and I won't lie, but I guess I have to deal
with it in the sense that there's nothing I can do anyway even if I wanted
to. I don't want our family torn up over this, Brett. I really
don't. You're a son that would make any dad proud in a lot of ways. And I
am proud of you. Tim, I like you, kid. You got cajones. I can see that. And
I don't think you're playing games here. I can't pretend to see what it is
that you guys see in each other in terms of...um...being...um...uh...a
couple, if that's what it is, but I'm not you. So, there's no sense in me
being a dick about it. In time I might feel better about it than I do
now. But the bottom line is I ain't gonna stand in your way. You're both
almost eighteen anyway. Besides, Brett, your mother pretty much told me to
get my head out of my ass..." Herb chuckled, "...so I guess that's where I
am with it. That OK?"

"That's fine, dad. That's all I could have asked for today and not been a
prick myself."

"What about you, Tim? That OK with you?" Herb asked.

"Yeah. Yeah it is. Say, my cousin's in town and we're having a bunch of the
guys over later.  Why don't you and Brett's mom come over, too? I really
want you to meet my mom and dad. Brett's gonna be there. You're gonna meet
them anyway, so why not tonight?"

"I'll ask Brett's mother and let you know. I appreciate the invite. Well,
guys, it's 12:30 and I suppose you better get over to the school for your
meeting. Let's settle up the tab here. I know that you both want to pay
your own bills, and I ain't gonna say no, either. You're growing up, and
that hadda happen, too."

"Well, I sure hope you guys make it tonight!" Tim smiled. "Our address is
502 Seminole Road. I think 6:30 would be good."

"Well with an invitation like that, we'll be there!" Herb said. "OK, guys,
money and tip's on the table so let's vamoose!"

"Tim, you go on ahead to the car. I just want a quick word with my dad
before we go." Brett waived Tim off. Once Tim was a good distance away
Brett turned to his dad and extended his hand. "Shake my hand, dad. I know
this took a lot for you. You said you were proud of me, well, I'm proud of
you, too. I won't let you down and neither will Tim."

Herb clasped his son's hand, looking up at him because Brett was now almost
four inches taller than his dad, "I'll get through it, son. And I'll see
you guys tonight. Now, go on! You got a team meeting!"

One in the car, Tim looked over at Brett asking, "Well, what's the verdict
there, stud muffin?"

"Dad's gonna be OK. He doesn't wear his heart on his sleeve a lot, Tim, but
he likes you. He said so, and that never would have come out of his mouth
if he didn't. He said he won't stand in our way, and that's as much as I
could have hoped for today. Sometimes progress is only measured in inches,
but it's still progress, you know?"

"Yeah, I kinda got that, too... See, I toldja it would work out OK! I never
doubted it for a minute. Say, there's someone I wantcha to meet
tonight. I'll make sure they come over.  They'll break the ice with your
dad once and for all, I guarantee it!"

"Oh boy..." Brett sighed, rolling his eyes, laughing. "You and your bright
ideas, Timmy, I tell ya...."

"You'll see!" Tim grinned.

At school the Varsity football team gathered in the gym. One section of the
basketball bleachers was pulled out to allow for seating. The players were
milling around, exchanging greetings, the first stringers congratulating
each other, high-fiving and basically behaving like any group of high
school jocks. Presently, Coach Slater and the rest of the coaching staff
strode in.

"Gentlemen, be seated!" Slater began. "Thanks for coming in on short
notice, guys. I'll make this as brief as possible. I called the meeting for
today because we've got a short week to get ready for our first game. As
you know, due to a problem at the WIAA offices the schedules weren't out
until late yesterday afternoon. I'm going to go over the schedule quickly,
and preview the game plan for Week One in some more detail, but again as
quick as I can. Men, we've drawn Madison LaFollette first. We play
away. Now, I'm not gonna bullshit here, on paper they're a weaker team than
we are. But they're gonna be out to win just the same way we are. The game
plan, which we will drill this week, is gonna come down to running our
high-level offense to begin with and as long as we can. If we find that
doesn't get us where we need to be in the game, we'll settle back to the
conventional read option that I'm sure you can all run in your sleep. Both
of our Quarterbacks will see play.  Dickson will start. Wyman, you will
call the plays when Dickson is in. Dickson you will call the plays when
Wyman is in. Defense is going to be straightforward. We can switch out
between 3-4 and 4-3, but nothing fancy. We're just gonna shut down their
offense. Their Quarterback was Jayvee last year, so I wouldn't expect a
whole lot of passing out of `em. If it looks like we're gonna be ahead
enough to invoke the mercy rule, I'll pull the starters and put the second,
and maybe third stringers in. I intend we shall play the full game time. As
always, gentlemen, the biggest mistake any team, or player can ever make is
to underestimate their opponent. I want you guys mentally ready. I fully
expect us to beat LaFollette, but you guys have gotta want it more than
they do. If you don't, you'll be in for a rude awakening, trust me."

Coach then went on to briefly go through the rest of the season's
schedule. Sean was surprised that they'd again drawn Kenosha Tremper for
their non-conference game, played this year at Kenosha. Coach finally wound
up, "And last, but certainly not least, we finish the regular season with
probably our toughest conference opponent, the Madison West Regents. We get
a break here, guys. It's a home game. Our whole season between today and up
to, and including West will be based on one thing: winning. That will be
the goal every time we take the field. Winning every time and all the
time. I can tell you that we'll need an undefeated record to get past
West. They're that good. That's all I have for this afternoon,
gentlemen. See you at practice on Monday. You are dismissed."

Brett and Tim ran into Sean, Andy and John on the way out. "Hey, Wymo!
Cass! J.R.! You guys are coming over tonight, right?"

"Yeah, Dix! 7:00 right?"

"Yuppers. I think about 10-12 other guys from the team will be there, and
you know Danny and Jim will be there!"

"Sounds awesome!" Andy said. "Do we need to bring anything?"

"Nope, we got it covered! Mom's working away on the food as we speak, and
dad said we'll have a few cases of beer, so we're all set!"

"See ya then, Dix! See ya then, Dowls!" Sean called.

Once in the car, Tim turned to Brett, "Hey Prince, this just popped into my
head, but I think when we get home you better call your mom."

"Why's that?"

"Well, your dad agreed to come over tonight, but what about your mom? I'd
really like it if they were both there, ya know?"

"I hadn't thought of that, but you're right. I think we got this whole
thing 90% behind us, but why don't we just put it to bed. I never would
have got through this without you, Tim.  You were a rock at lunch."

"Hey, I just did my job and told it like it is. Oh, tell your mom & dad to
dress casual. You know how things are around my place..."

"Yeah, I better do that. I'll call as soon as I get home. Love you!"

"I love you more, sweet cheeks..."

"Hey, mom?" Brett opened. "Yeah, mom, Tim and I met dad for lunch today. It
went OK, it really did. Listen, we invited you and dad over to Tim's house
tonight at 6:30. Please come!  You're gonna meet Tim's mom and dad sooner,
or later and since we had a good lunch with dad today it's probably best to
do it now. Besides, George and Peggy are great people.  They'll put dad
right at ease. You can meet a bunch of my team mates, too! Oh, and dress
casual. The Dickson's do informal."

"You're right, honey... I already know Tim's mom, but that's a great
idea. I'll call your dad and make sure we're on for 6:30. I wanna get the
hell out of this hotel anyway!"

"OK, bye mom!" Brett then turned to Tim, "Hey, how come we're telling mom &
dad to be over at 6:30 and everyone else at 7:00?"

"Easy, weedhopper!" Tim replied. "I want at least a half an hour between
when we introduce the in-laws until there's a teenage guy party going
on. You and I need to be there to steer things along if we have to, and to
make sure that everyone's a happy camper. We just need to be available..."

"I gotta hand it to ya, Tim, I might get straight-A's but you're better at
what makes people tick than I am."

"Hey, I'm not givin' up any secrets, there, honey bunches! We both need
each other. Just remember, together we're more than the sum of the
parts. Your brains outshine my people skills any day. I just get people to
do what they should do on their own anyway, but I'm not the one with a
chance of being Valedictorian..."

"That's right, Dickson and don't you forget it, either! Let's put it this
way: I'm the book, you're the street..."

"Yeah, I wouldn't have left my cell phone lying around where mom and dad
could see it!"

With that, Brett punched Tim in the shoulder.

"Jesus Christ, fuckhead! That hurt!" Tim laughed.

"Good, it was meant to. Even if you were right."

"Yeah, but look at it this way, Golden Boy, all's well that ends well, and
just like I said it would, it ended well. Anyway, you help me, I help
you. That's how this whole thing works!"

"I know, and I love you more than you know. You pushed me to see my
potential in some ways that I wouldn't have thought possible, but you
didn't try to mold me, or change me.  You let me be me, and you made me see
that's pretty damn good. I fucking lucked out, my dear..."

"We both did. Now let's face the future. We got in-laws to get together, a
championship to win and then after that, who knows. Let's do this!"

"Let's do this!"

Back at the Dickson's Tim and Brett walked in. "Hey, mom! Dad! We're home!"

"Oh, there ya are now, you two little shits!" Peg said coming around the
corner from the kitchen. "Well, whadya got for me, now! Tell your mom what
the deal is here, why don'tcha!"

"OK, mom, is dad here?"

"He just got back from golf. I'll tell him to get a move on! You two look
like you got somethin' to get off your chests, I can see that now! George,
getcher ass in here! Timmy and Brett wanna talk to us, once!"

"I'll handle this, Tim" Brett sideways mouthed.

Tim nodded once. None of this went unnoticed by Peggy.

George came in, hair still wet from the shower and looking mildly perturbed
at being interrupted.

"Make it fast, I gotta take a dump!"

"OK, George, I'll make it fast." Brett answered, "As you know we're having
friends over starting at 7:00 but my mom and dad are coming over at
6:30. Tim and I had lunch with my dad today. It went OK. So, I guess
there's gonna be an in-laws meet-and-greet tonight.  That's it. You can go
take your dump now..." Brett grinned, deeming his last remark to be one
George would get a kick out of.

"You're top-shelf, Brett!" George replied. "OK, I'll be ready a half hour
early. You OK with that Peg?"

"Oh, ya, don'tcha know! I figured this would happen anyway so I been ready
for it for a while now! Go take yer dump! And clean up yer skid marks when
yer done! We're havin' company and I got too much cooking to do to be
cleanin' out toilets! Now, Tim and Brett, you guys be ready, too. I
wanthcha just to go along with Old Peg here..."

"Don't worry, Peg, we know how to turn on the charm, and how to show some
testicular fortitude! How come you think I fell for Tim in the first place,
other than he gets tongue- tied?" Brett said.

"Well ya got me there, Brett. Timmy's mouth always did start talkin' before
his brain told it what to say..."

"You two both suck!" Tim said, red-faced yet laughing. "My mom and my
husband both ganging up on me! Well, screw the both of ya's!"

"Oh, go on now, Timothy, ya can't take a joke now..." Peg said.

"Of course I can, mom! Now, Brett and I are gonna disappear for a
minute. We gotta talk about some shit before his parents show up!"

"Tim..." Brett said once they were away, "You referred to me as your
husband. What did you mean by that?"

"Um...yeah...about...that...." Tim stuttered. "Let's go out back." Once on
the back patio, Tim continued, "Sit down, hun... Look, I just wanna not
only concentrate on today, but I wanna plan for the future, too. My future
is with you, Brett. I turn eighteen on October 23rd. When's your birthday?
Can't believe I don't know when it is, but we never talked about that..."

"Shit, Tim! Mine's October 21st! We're gonna be eighteen right at the same
time! Anyway, what are you planning, a birthday party?"

"We could do that, too, but that's not why I wanted to come out here and
talk. I...um...what I mean is...uh...um...um...fuck it! Will you marry me,
Brett? I mean once we're eighteen? Will you marry me?"

Brett's mouth almost hit the patio deck. He began stuttering
unintelligibly, then looked at the ground, then speechless and with big
eyes looked back up at Tim.

"I knew it! You're gonna turn me down!" Tim blurted out, tears in his
eyes. "You're gonna tell me no, aren't you..." With that, Tim got up and
started to run into the house.

"Timothy Bruce Dickson! Stop right there! Now!" Brett commanded.

Tim halted, turned 180 degrees and still with tears in his eyes faced
Brett. Brett strode over to Tim, took Tim's chin in his hand, looked him
dead in the eye, softly saying, "Ya big galoot!  Of course I'll marry you!
You think you're gonna escape my clutches? You just surprised me is all..."

"Wow!" Tim said, smiling through the tears. "Fucking wow! Husband..." Tim
and Brett pulled each other into a warm lover's hug seeming to last
forever.

"Husband..." Brett returned with a whisper.

Peggy saw the two boys enter from the patio. Something about the way they
looked struck her as odd. "OK, you two hoodlums! Yer up to somethin'! Ya
both look like the cat that ate the canary, now... Spill it, boys! Ya can't
fool me, nosiree! Now what's goin' on over there..."

"Uh, it's...uh...nothing, mom...um, really...nothing..."

"Oh sure, Timothy, and a bear's Catholic and the Pope shits in the woods,
too..."

Brett looked at Tim, giving his head a short nod indicating that Tim should
spill it. "Well, mom, ya see, it's...um...it's, well... Screw it! Brett,
you tell her!"

"OK, Peggy. Here's the deal. Tim asked me to marry him after we both turn
eighteen and I said yes."

"I thought he was gonna turn me down for a minute, mom, but he said yes! He
really loves me, mom! Mom?"

Peggy was gobsmacked. Tim had never known his mother not to have a pithy,
snappy comeback but this time she simply stared. Time that felt like an
hour passed before Peggy opened her mouth. "I see... No, that's whatcher
father would say... OK, let's sit down for a minute. Go on, the both of
ya's, over to the table and sit down."

Upon being seated, Peggy went on, "OK, well I wasn't ready for this but if
that's what you guys are gonna do, then you just made me the happiest mom
in the world. I love ya both, and Brett like you were my own son, too,
don'tcha know. When were ya thinkin'?"

"Well, Peggy, my birthday is two days before Tim's, and he literally just
asked me, so we didn't talk about that yet, but now that we are, I'm
thinking sometime in the Spring would be good. Maybe just before, or just
after graduation?"

"Yeah, I guess I hadn't thought about that part..." Tim said sheepishly.

Both Peggy and Brett looked at Tim, laughed and rolled their eyes. "Don't
suppose ya did, now, Timmy!" Peggy half chided her youngest son.

"OK, you two, I'm not sayin' a word to anyone about this, including George,
and neither are you! We gotta get through tonight without any more
surprises... We can tell everyone when the time is right, but not before
then. Now, Timothy, I don't suppose ya thought far enough ahead to get
Brett an engagement ring before ya popped the question... Am I right?"

"Um, no...I mean, yeah... You're right, mom, I didn't..."

"OK, guys, here's my credit card. You two go pick yerself out matching
rings. No more than $1,000 each, and no diamonds, or stones. Just simple
men's rings. You give me the card back when you made the purchase."

"Um, Tim?" Brett asked, "Believe it, or not I already gave some thought to
if we ever got married what our rings would be, and I think I already know
what we should get. You gotta agree, but I think you'll like it. And,
Peggy, they'd be maybe $250 each, no more than that."

"What did you pick?" Tim wanted to know.

"Go get your iPad and I'll show you..." Upon returning with the iPad, Brett
called up a webpage and showed Tim and Peggy a stunning black tungsten
men's Claddagh ring with Celtic decorations. The style was called
Helios. Both Tim and Peggy nodded approval.

"Very masculine, Brett!" Peggy said. Tim concurred, adding, "I really like
it... It's very understated, but it's elegant. I agree. I never liked
bling. Yes, that's it!"

"OK, you, two, that's fine but we still gotta figure out when you're gonna
make the announcement. You're not gettin' up `till we got a game plan,
here..."

"OK, mom," Tim said, "I don't think we should say anything during football
season. I mean, I'm not worried about any of the guys on the team, and I
really don't give a rip what anyone at school might say but I just think it
could be a distraction. If we're gonna get married in June, then we should
make the announcement around Easter. Sometime around there..."

"I agree." Brett said. "Where should we have the wedding? Wow, we got a lot
of shit to think about..."

"Well, I think I'd like a church wedding. We go to St. John Vianney, so
let's have it there!"  Tim beamed.

"Timmy..." Peg chimed in, "you know that you're not gonna get a gay wedding
in a Catholic church."

"We'll just see about that, mom. I'll talk to Father Taylor and I'll make
it happen. Are you OK with a church wedding, Brett?"

"Well, yeah. That's fine. I dunno what mom and dad will say because we're
Episcopal and St.  John's is Catholic, but as long as we have a nice
ceremony, and as long as we end up married it could be on the
moon. Marrying you is what matters to me, Tim."

"Now, Timmy, Brett, we gotta get through tonight and this is one of those
times where less is more. No telling even your friends tonight, OK there
you two?"

"I'll be fine," Brett said, "but, um, Tim you better try, just this once,
to engage your brain before your mouth..."

"I won't say a word," Tim said, laughing. "I know I have no filter, but
mum's the word tonight. I promise!"

"I just wanna tell you two, I was gonna hafta say it sooner or later, but
you have my blessing. I see how you two look at each other, and how you
support each other. Brett, you're gonna make the best son-in-law ever!"
Peggy said, clasping both of their hands across the table. "I never thought
my youngest would be the first to get married, but here we go! Listen, you
two Indians, I gotta get to work so stuff will be ready for dinner. You
guys disappear for a while, OK?"

"OK, mom. Brett, let's go! I said I had someone I wantcha to meet, so let's
go do that now!"

Brett and Tim exited the house out the front door, "Follow me, it's just
across the street!"  Tim said. Arriving at the front door of Ginny Miller's
home, Tim pressed the residential doorbell.

"Timmy! I haven't seen you all Summer! C'mon in! Well, well, well...who do
we have here!  Say, you're a cutie! You guys want a beer?"

"Sure, I'll take one, Ginny! You want a beer, Brett?"

"Oh, so your name's Brett now is it... Well, there gorgeous Brett, how
`bout a cold one?"

"Sure..." Brett answered thinking that this woman was, at minimum, a bit
eccentric.

"OK, here's your beers, guys!" Ginny said, handing both boys a can of PBR
each. "Say, I know that look! You guys both have it! Now, Timmy, Brett, I'm
not usually wrong about this kind of stuff. I knew Sean and Andy were a
couple before they did... You guys are together, aren'tcha... C'mon, spill
it... Tell Old Ginny what the deal is here..."

"OK, Ginny, but first I gotta tell Brett something... Brett, Ginny's been
our neighbor forever.  She lived here even before I was born. I've known
her all my life, and there's not a better neighbor on the planet. Any time
I needed a friend, Ginny's always been there. So, let me introduce you two:
Ginny Mills, Brett Dowling. Brett Dowling, Ginny Mills."

"Well, pleased to meetcha there, Brett! If I was 45 years younger, I'd
figure out how to get in your pants, you! You're a hunk! Now, you tell Old
Ginny what the deal is here..."

"Tim, I mean, like, is she for real?" Brett laughed in a friendly way. "OK,
Ginny, yeah, Tim and I are a couple. We met by accident at the Mall..."
Brett went on to tell Ginny how they met as a result of Andy's crutch
impaling Brett's toes. "And, so that's how it happened, Ginny!"

"Brett, I want you to listen to me when I say this to you. Off and on in my
life, I see things most people don't see. Always have. I don't know what it
is. Call it intuition. Now, I wasn't there at the Mall that day, but I can
tell you what happened was no accident. You have to believe me. It was
meant to be. You two are the wind beneath the other's wings. I see that
your hearts beat as one heart. They always will. You two are a power
couple. Andy and Sean, now they're a practical couple. They'll sail through
life no muss, no fuss. You are a power couple and you're gonna rock `n'
roll through life. In ten years you tell me if I wasn't right. I see what I
see. Now, whadya say, let's drink up!"

Tim and Brett drank their beers, talking with Ginny about general stuff
such as what they saw themselves doing after High School, the refurbishing
of the Alamo, and off beat topics like how to invest money, what the best
way to grill salmon is and other things that just flowed from normal
conversation. They told Ginny of Brett's dad's difficulty in accepting the
situation, and bid Ginny to come over about 10 minutes after she saw
Brett's dad's Buick LaCrosse pull up.

"Never fear, boys, Ginny's here! I'll charm the shit out of `em, don't you
worry about that!  Besides, I need to set up an appointment with your dad
for next week anyhow."

Finishing their beers, the boys took their leave. "Wow, that old broad it
totally whacked!"  Brett said once they were outside.

"That she is, sweetheart, but she's as good as gold. She's the one that
sold Wymo's dad the Alamo. She's been around forever, and when they made
her they broke the mold. She's rich as fuck, but you don't know how much
she's given back. You remember when they remodeled the school? Remember
when they couldn't get the bond issue through on referendum to include the
athletic field house? Lemme tell ya something, and this is just between you
and me. Ginny went to the school board, wrote them a check for ten million
dollars and told `em to either get it done, or, and these were supposedly
her words, "I'll just buy the fucking school, do it myself, and you people
will be out of the picture." If you look where the bricks are from folks
who gave donations, she's got one. It's the first one, and all the bricks
say how much everyone donated. Except hers. The rumor's always been that
her husband, he died about ten years ago I think, had shit tons of money
and that his dad made the money from rum running all through the Midwest
during prohibition. Supposedly, he was Al Capone's supplier. I kid you
not. The story is they'd ship the booze in to the GM plant here with
engines and shit that came from Detroit because Detroit's right next to
Canada that never had prohibition, and then ship it out in the finished
cars. No one ever thought to look, I guess... I heard one time that when
the old fucker died he had like $400 million in cash in a bank vault
downtown, never mind whatever else he had, and that Ginny had no idea about
it until they opened the vault. It's all hearsay, but Ginny DID say she'd
buy the fuckin' school, and I've never known her to bullshit. My dad
handles all her legal stuff, but never at the office. He only does it in
her house, and never comes, or goes with any papers.  He's never says
nuthin' about it, either."

"What the fuck?" Brett stammered. "Wow. I guess I'll just have to turn on
the charm then, huh..."

"You got nothing to worry about. She likes tall, good looking blonde
guys. You and Wymo are right up her alley! She told Wymo he made her
moist."

"No, Sir!" Brett giggled.

"Uh-huh! She did, too!"

At exactly 6:30 p.m. the doorbell on the Dickson home rang. "You nervous,
Herb?" Marilyn Dowling asked.

"Not really," Herb answered. "Brett says Tim's parents are nice people, so
I'll just go with that. You know I don't say much anyway until I get the
lay of the land. I'm fine. From the looks of this place, they've got more
money than we do, that's for sure..."

The door opened with George Dickson standing behind it. "Well, there, you
must be the adult guests for the evening! C'mon in! George Dickson by the
way! Good to meetcha!"

"Nice to meet you, too, George. I'm Brett's dad, Herb, and this is his
mother, Marilyn. Thanks for inviting us..."

"Yes, thank you, George. I was wondering when we were going to meet!"
Marilyn said, giving George a covert wink. George nodded knowingly, and
showed the Dowlings in. Both Herb and Marilyn were duly impressed by the
Dickson home's spaciousness and clean, mid-century modern Eichler-style
design and accoutrements. George called Peggy out from the kitchen.

"Peg, these are Brett's parents, Herb and Marilyn Dowling. Herb, Marilyn,
my wife Peggy."

"Well, good to see you two, don'tcha know!" Peggy said, smiling. "I
remember Marilyn from Parent-Teacher conferences when Brett was in my math
class over at Marshall! Seems like yesterday!" not letting on their recent
behind-the-scenes doings. "Ya know, that boy was straight-A's back then,
and I hear that sure hasn't changed, now! Well, Jesus on a stick!  C'mon
in! George, why don'tcha get `em a beer, or a cocktail there once!"

"Peggy, do you need any help in the kitchen? I'd be happy to lend a hand,
and George and Herb can get acquainted!"

"That's great! I sure could use the help, ya know! That OK with you guys?"
Peggy asked George and Herb.

"Sure" Herb replied, smiling just a bit at Peggy's down-home manner. "Say,
Peggy, do I detect a Milwaukee accent there? You sound a lot like my
Grandmother. She grew up on the South Side."

"Oh, ya..." Peggy replied. "I grew up on the South Side, too! I'm a West
Allis girl. `Stallis, don'tcha know! West Allis Central High, class of '83!
I grew up down by 74th and National!"

"My Grandmother grew up around 20th and Lincoln. That was back in the day,
for sure.  Whole different ball game now..." Herb replied.

"Oh, ya, you can sure say that again!" Peggy smiled. "OK, Marilyn, let's
get to the kitchen and put the pedal to the metal!"

"Care for a beer, or a drink, Herb?" George asked.

"I'll take a beer if ya got one. Thanks..." Herb replied.

"Well, let's go to the family room, right this way over here! What's your
pleasure for beer? I think I got Miller Lite, PBR, maybe an IPA, or two..."

"Lite's fine, thanks."

"Glass?"

"Nah, I'm a straight-from-the-can guy, George!" Herb replied beginning to
feel at least somewhat more at home.

"Here ya go, then! Well, let's drink to the boys! Gotta tell ya, Herb, this
is new for me, too, but whaddya gonna do? You and Marilyn got a fine son
there, Herb. I wantcha to know every time he's been here he's been a
pleasure to have around. First time I met him, he didn't hem and haw and
act like most kids do that adults are best avoided. No sir, when he talked
to me he looked me straight in the eye like a man."

"Thanks, George. I guess he is a good kid at that... I wanna apologize for
any inconvenience that there was by him staying here for a few days. That
was all my fault."

"Eh, it is what it is. Ya know, these things happen in families sometimes,
and it's just how it goes. No harm, no foul. Anyway, I hear Brett made the
first string Varsity! Tim says he never played football before, either! Ya
know, Herb, Tim seems to think this year's team has a real shot to win
State. That'd just be the fuckin' balls!"

"George, I never figured Brett would go out for sports, never mind
football. You know, not even a year ago he was about 8 inches shorter than
he is now, and way too shy for anything like that. I guess I hafta admit
now that I think about it, Tim's really brought him out. And I wanna tell
ya, too, I like your son. He seems pretty self-assured, and he's got good
manners."

"Well, Timmy wasn't always so self-assured. Before he met Brett, Peg and I
thought he might need counseling. He was depressed for about the last nine
months or a year. Oh, sure, he tried his best never to show it, but we
could tell. Peg and I wondered where our normally happy, go lucky son was,
but the day he met Brett all that vanished and we had our son back
again. We had an idea what was going on, but we felt Tim would come to us
if he needed to. He did that, but it was already after he met Brett. He was
honest with us, and once they get to this age, that's all you can ask. I
gotta say, because someone has to say it, that those two are good for each
other."

"I wasn't thrilled about it. I guess that's an understatement. Honestly,
I'm still not totally thrilled. I might never jump up and down about it,
but it's just reality, I guess. And like I said, I like Tim. I really
do. If Tim were a girl and they were dating, then I would jump up and down,
but he's not, I'll accept that, and like I told those two at lunch today,
I'm not gonna be a dick about it. My wife reminded me, in saltier terms,
that life is too short...  Anyway, they're both fine young men, a hellluva
lot better than some of the kids ya see around these days, that's for
sure."

"That they are, Herb. That they are..."

George was interrupted by the doorbell. "Must be some more guests. Tim and
Brett have some team mates coming over, and one of their dad's is coming,
too, so lemme get the door.  Be right back."

Opening the door, George saw, as expected, the Wyman clan on the stoop and
a surprise in Ginny Miller. "Well, Joe, guys, Ginny, c'mon in! Right this
way! Guys, Brett and Tim are out back so you go right ahead. Joe, Ginny,
this way! Peg! Joe and Ginny are here!"

"Marilyn, let's go meet the others!" Peg called.

Marilyn, for her part, didn't mind but wondered how her husband would react
to more people around in a rather delicate situation.

George, as host, performed the introductions, "Herb and Marilyn Dowling,
this is our friend Joe Wyman, and our neighbor Ginny Miller. Joe, Ginny,
meet Herb and Marilyn."

Joe laughed, "George, Herb and I know each other from down the plant. He's
a Foremen.  Good to see you, Herb! Pleasure to meet you, Marilyn! Say, my
son Sean is on the team with Tim and Brett, too! Tim beat Sean out for
first string Quarterback, but he's only a Junior, so there's always next
year! We're gonna have a housewarming at the Alamo one of these weekends,
and I'd like to see you all there! You'll be stunned at what Andy did with
the place, Ginny. It looks like a million bucks!"

"Good to see you, too, Joe." Herb replied.

"Oh, that sweet little Andy! How's his leg doing? I lost sleep over that,
Joe... And that Sean!  If I was 45 years younger, I'm tellin' ya, Joe, he
wouldn't be safe! Now you two must be Brett's mom and dad! Tim introduced
me and Brett this afternoon! I gotta have a contest between him and Sean to
see which one makes me cry more! Those two could do a swimsuit calendar!
Just the idea of it," Ginny said, fanning herself, "I need a drink,
George!"

Herb and Marilyn secretly thought to each other in their own ways this was
not a hundred percent what they expected. Between George's
hail-fellow-well-met demeanor, Peggy's homespun kindness and Ginny's brash
outrageousness this might just prove to be an interesting evening. Herb
felt gratified, at least, that all of the other adults seemed to uniformly
take to Brett.

"Here's your cocktail, Ginny, Glenfiddich and water I believe?" George said
handing Ginny a highball glass.

"You know it, George! I need to cool down!" Ginny then retired to the
living room where she had a clear view of all the young men in the back
yard.

"George, I'll be right back. Just a sec!" Joe said. Stepping to the patio
door, Joe called out, "Sean, Andy, John! C'mere for a minute!" Once in the
house, Joe told the boys, "OK, I'm just gonna introduce you to Brett's mom
and dad, so just say hello, make nice, and you can go back outside."
Following Joe into the family room, Joe lined up his boys. "Sean, Andy,
John, I want you to meet Herb and Marilyn Dowling. They're Brett's
parents. Herb and Marilyn, this is my son Sean, my ward Andy Churchill, and
my soon-to-be adoptive son John. Sean and Andy are Juniors at Craig this
year and John's a Sophomore."

The boys shook Herb and Marilyn's hands, Sean with his smirky grin, Andy in
his straightforward fashion, and John with his dark eyes and angelic
smile. Marilyn was enchanted. Herb was impressed, although he took Sean to
be at least somewhat cocky.

"Well, I better get the burgers started. You guys wanna give me a hand?
George said to Herb and Joe.

"Right behind you, George!" Joe said. "Just tell me where you need me!"
Herb replied.

Once the burgers were on, the older men made the rounds meeting the
football teammates that had come that night. Herb was pleased that they all
had good things to say about Brett.  Herb spied Tim, and went over to say
hello. "Hey, Tim, I see you changed your clothes there!" Herb said.

"Excuse me? Oh, I'm sorry, I'm not Tim. I'm Tim's cousin Danny from
Kenosha. And you are?"

"Oh, sorry! I'm Herb Dowling. Brett's dad. Jesus Christ, you..."

"I know, I know...I look just like Tim... Me and Tim, we've gotten that all
our lives... Nice to meet you Herb, and this guy here's my boyfriend, Jim
Nolan. Jim went to school at Tremper last year with Sean Wyman. We're just
here visiting over the weekend, but I was born here and lived here until
8th grade. I'm a year older than Tim. We lived just a couple streets over
back then... Hey, gotta tell ya, we met Brett earlier today. You should
know Tim's a lucky dude. Brett's first class."

"Nice to meet you, too, Herb!" Jim Nolan said. Yeah, I'm a Senior at
Tremper this year.  Played ball with Wymo up until last year. We're havin'
a really good time! Met a lot of nice guys from the Craig team tonight. I
guess we'll be playin' `em again at some point this season. They'll crush
us."

"Well, thanks, guys. Ya know, I'm kinda new to this, I mean this gay shit,
and, well, I mean, what do I need to know about it? I mean as a dad? I
kinda blew my stack when I found out about it, and I'm not real happy about
it, but is there anything I need to know?"

"You mean like secret handshakes and stuff?" Danny winked.

"OK, OK, Danny. Very funny! No, I mean just as a dad..."

"Well, not really. I mean from what Tim's told me, Brett's on the football
team, has a job, and is probably gonna end up as the Valedictorian this
year. So, I mean, I don't think there's too much to add to that. He's a
good guy as far as I can see. He can bring Tim to heel, which ain't always
easy. And they're good together. I think ya just gotta let nature take its
course here."

"Herb?" Jim cut in, "I'm gonna give you the two minute story of my family
life..." Once Jim was done, he continued, "So, I can see you're a dad that
really cares. I never had that. I think maybe it's best left that
way. Brett's lucky. And so are you."

"OK, thanks, guys. Maybe you're right... Guess I'll get back to helping
George out over there.  Thanks again."

George, Joe and Herb got the burgers and brats on for the boys, then
retired inside to have the adult dinner in the dining room. The
conversation strayed to what Brett and Tim, who were the Senior boys this
year, were planning after graduation. "Well, Timmy's already applied
several places," George began, "but he'll probably end up at
UW-Madison. Our other two boys aren't interested, but it's always been
Tim's plan to take over the law office. He says he wants to do Summer
School and get it over with as fast as he can. He thinks it will take him
five years that way."

"What about Brett?" Ginny asked, sensing that the Dowlings didn't have
resources equal to the Dicksons, or Joe Wyman.

"Well, Brett's said what he'd like to do is to be an Attorney and an M.D.,"
Marilyn answered.  "That's going to take years and cost a lot of money.  We
told Brett he better apply for every scholarship there is in the world. Oh,
I think he could do it if that's what he sets his mind to, but I couldn't
even start to add up how much that'd cost."

"That's certainly ambitious!" Joe said, "How'd he come up with that?"

Marilyn continued, "Last year in one of his classes they had to do career
research, and Brett kinda stumbled on it, but he found out that in the
entire State of Wisconsin there's only four people that are both Attorneys
and M.D.'s. With litigation the way it is now, he thinks he could write his
own ticket..."

"He could," George deadpanned. "Take it from me, an old Country Lawyer, he
could. He'd probably be a millionaire by the time he's 35."

"That reminds me, George," Ginny said, "I've got a matter I'd like to see
you about. Think you could stop by tomorrow morning before you go to the
office?"

"Oh, sure, Ginny. I'll be over about 8:00. How's that?"

"I'll have the coffee on for ya, just walk in and come to my office..."

"What about Sean and Andy, Joe?" Ginny asked.

"Well, I haven't heard them say anything definitive, they're only Juniors,
but Sean's kinda moving back and forth between UW-Madison and joining the
Navy, believe it, or not... I think wherever he goes, Andy will go. Those
two are like Mutt and Jeff. I always pushed Sean toward the Business
School, but I've learned he'll make his own decisions.  John is anyone's
guess. I need to make sure that boy has some stability first and then I can
figure out what's the best way to work with him on his future choices. By
the way, since we're talking about people's careers here, Herb, I got some
news for you and Marilyn!"

Herb looked up, somewhat surprised.

"Yeah, Herb, I was gonna call ya in Monday morning and everything, but
we're all here, so why not now? OK, Herb knows this, but the rest of you
probably don't. Our General Foreman down the plant is retiring and I've got
to replace him. I interviewed Herb and all the other Foremen for the
job. Herb, the job's yours if you want it. You had by far the best
interview, but you also showed me that when things might not always go the
way you anticipated, you're willing to find solutions and are good at
teamwork. You also listen. I need a guy with those talents, you know, a guy
who can see the big picture. So, yeah, the job's yours. If you agree, then
on Monday I'll put the paperwork through to start as soon as the current
General retires."

"I'd be glad to take that opportunity, Joe. And I won't let you down. Of
course, I won't say a word about it to anyone. I'm not sure that would be
smart."

"No, probably not..." Joe replied. "But I'll let you know tomorrow the date
I'm gonna announce, and a month before that I want to see both you and
Marilyn taking a two week vacation. I'm gonna need you rested up and ready
to go!"

"Herb would never turn down a vacation!" Marilyn laughed.

"Brett's welcome to stay with us, don'tcha know!" Peggy chimed in.

"If he was single, I'd figure out a way to get him to stay with me!" Ginny
chuckled.

In the back yard, Danny and Jim approached Sean. "Hey, Wymo!" Jim said, "We
wanna ask ya somethin'..."

"OK, shoot! Whatcha got?" Sean asked.

"Is your dad really gonna rent that apartment over the garage?"

"I assume so, why?"

"Well, Danny and I were talkin'...now, I'm gonna be on the Tremper team
this Fall, and Danny's at Carthage ya know..."

"Wait a minute, you're gonna play this year?"

"Well, yeah...I mean none of the guys that pulled that shit over at Brade's
are allowed to play. Brade's still in jail. I didn't like the way the
School Board tried to hang Coach out to dry, either. Coach never did
anything wrong, and I only told him I wouldn't play with any of those other
guys. Rege is playing, too, but I gather Andy and Rege made their peace, so
I kinda felt it was a duty to Coach... You OK with that?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I am. I won't question your judgment, Noles. And I think
you're right. None of it was Coach's fault... Coach handled it all the
right way."

"Oh, ya hear? That bitch, the Superintendent, tried to have some paperwork
put in Coach's file and Coach blew his stack. He had his Lawyer go to the
Board and tell `em that they'd end up with a ginormous lawsuit if that
happened. The Superintendent bitch insisted and the Board fired her! When I
talked to Coach he was still going on about you telling her the truth is
the same old story! He thought that was hilarious!"

Glad he did! And nah, I get whatcher sayin'! I guess I'll see ya later this
season, man!  Anyway, what about the apartment?"

"Well, Danny and I were talkin..." Jim then relayed all that had happened
with his living situation, his `parents,' Danny's Grandmother, and Jim and
Danny's plans for the future, "I wanna transfer down here for the second
semester of Senior year, and Danny's going for a business
degree. UW-Whitewater has a good Business School, and it's way cheaper than
Carthage. Whitewater's only 20 minutes away, and it kinda makes
sense. There's nothing in Kenosha any more, and we can rent out Granny's
house for a good price, or sell it when we want, but Danny owns it now
anyway... Can you see if your dad would consider it?"

"Jesus, Noles! That'd be awesome!"

"Yeah, I mean, we couldn't move in until the end of the year, but if your
dad wanted a deposit on it and for us to pay the utilities from now until
we move in, we'd do that! And I mean, it's not like it's a tenant you don't
know! Depending on the rent, we could pay a whole year's rent up-front!"

"That's awesome, Noles! I'll bring it up with my dad sometime in the next
week, or so.  How's that?"

"Cool, man. I already got my stuff ready to transfer to Craig next
semester, and Danny's application at Whitewater is already in."

Inside, the adults were winding down the evening. Joe walked Ginny to her
door across the street, and the Dowlings took their leave, Peggy having
suggested that Brett was more than welcome to spend the night, but not
before Herb verified with Brett that he'd be home Sunday night. The
Dowlings thanked George and Peggy for an enjoyable time, both couples
agreeing to get together at some point in the near future.

Out back on the patio, some of the guys were leaving, and the rest pitched
in to help Tim and Brett clean up. Once done, and with all the other boys
having gone, Tim, Brett, Danny and Jim made sure the outdoor lights were
out, and satisfying themselves that the yard was clean retired into the
house. "Hey, I'm not tired yet! You guys wanna maybe go downstairs and
catch a movie, or something?" Tim asked.

"Sure, sounds good..." Jim Nolan replied. "You got Netflix? If not, we do
and we can sign in on our account... I think there's about a case of beer
left, too!"

"OK, let me just go tell mom and dad where we're gonna be..." Tim
said. Entering the living room, Tim spied his parents. "Mom, dad, we're
gonna go downstairs and watch a movie.  There's about a case of beer left,
so we'll take that with us. We already cleaned up the yard and everything,
too. OK, night!"

"Night, son! Just keep it down a little bit if you can!" George answered.

"Sure thing, dad! See you tomorrow!"

Bounding downstairs to the basement entertainment room, Tim saw Jim setting
up Netflix on the TV, and the other two sitting in two of the big La-Z-Boy
recliners. "So, what are we watchin?" Tim asked.

"Get over here, Timothy!" Brett said, patting the wide seat on his
chair. Tim was there in a flash, his arm around Brett's shoulder, locked in
a kiss and his free hand at Brett's crotch noting how Brett instantly boned
up. "Think we should tell `em?" Tim whispered into Brett's ear. Brett
merely nodded his assent, and whispered back, "OK, but you hafta tell `em,
not like with your mom when you got all tongue tied and I hadda do it... Go
on, Tim, tell `em!"

"Alright, what's goin' on over there..." Danny said with an evil grin.

"Hey, we got something to tell you guys. Besides my mom, you're gonna be
the only ones who know so no telling anyone, even George!" Brett said with
a serious look. "You gotta promise!"

"Which one of you is pregnant?" Jim asked.

"Fuck off!" Tim laughed. "OK, I'm gonna tell ya, but first I need a beer!"
Tim went to the refrigerator, got himself a beer, chugged it and gave birth
to a belch that could have awakened the dead.

"Nice one..." Danny deadpanned. "That was about 8.0 on the Richter
Scale. Now what were you gonna say?"

Tim popped another beer open, took a long swig, and began, "Well, this
afternoon I asked Brett if he'd marry me after we turn 18. And Brett said
yes! So, probably next Spring we'll be married!"

"Are you fucking crazy!" Danny said, standing up. "You're nuts, Tim. I
mean, I know you go off half-cocked a lot, but really? You're insane!"

Tim and Brett's mouths hung open in shock.

END CHAPTER TWENTY ONE