Date: Sun, 22 May 2011 08:19:59 -0400
From: Ronyx <ronyx@woh.rr.com>
Subject: It's Not Easy Being a Tree     Chapter 21

The following is a work of fiction. Any similarities to anyone are purely
coincidental. The story is intended for a mature audience. It may contain
profanity and references to gay sex. If this offends you, please leave and
find something more suitable to read. The author maintains all rights to
the story. Do not copy or use without written permission. Write
ronyx@themustardjar.com with your comments. Ronyx is a prolific Nifty
author. Visit my personal website at www.themustardjar.com for more
stories.


It's Not Easy Being a Tree                Chapter 21


Pastor Sparks led Lucas and me down a narrow hall to what appeared to be a
conference room. The wall facing the hallway was made of glass with thin
blinds. The blinds were opened, so anyone walking past could see
us. Lucas's father had us sit down at a long table, and he scooted a seat
beside his son. There was a briefcase opposite us, so I assumed that was
where Detective Davis would sit.

We waited for about five minutes for her to arrive. She entered, smiled at
us and then took a seat. "Welcome," she said smilingly. She looked at
Lucas. "You are Lucas Sparks?" She appeared to be about fifty. Her hair was
cut short, and she made no attempt to cover the grey hair that was
beginning to appear, unlike my mother. She seemed rather pleasant and
friendly, not what I was expecting a detective to be like. I had been
expecting someone like Mr. Calloway- big and mean.

"Yes, Ma'am," he replied politely. She then looked at me.

"And you are Woodward Fields?" I glanced over at Lucas when he started
giggling.

"I'd like to be called Woody," I requested as I cast Lucas a nasty glance.

"Very well, Woody," she replied. She then looked over at Pastor
Sparks. "Reverend Sparks has been asked to be present to represent you."
She looked at me. "Do you object? Your mother waived her rights to be
present and agreed to this arrangement."

"Okay," I said sadly. Even though I didn't want to have my mother present,
it still hurt to know that she didn't want to be. Since Dad hadn't even
bothered to show up, I was certain they both now resented me.

"For the record," she stated firmly, "I need you to state clearly if you
agree or disagree."

"I agree," I replied.

She opened her briefcase and took out a folder. After thumbing through it
for a minute, she sat back and stared at Lucas and me before speaking. "I
jotted down some of the information your father provide me last night on
the phone." She glanced over at Pastor Sparks. She leaned forward. "I don't
have to tell you how serious these charges are. Lives are at stake here. I
don't want any innocent person to be subjected to false accusations."

I gulped, and in the silent room it echoed off the walls. Even though her
demeanor was friendly, it was obvious that she took her responsibility very
seriously. "I don't want you to say anything or accuse anyone of something
that you are not sure of beyond a doubt." She stared intently at
us. "Understood?"

"Yes, Ma'am," we said in unison.

"Very well," she replied. "Let's begin." She pulled out her phone and
called someone. "You may come in now." A minute later, the secretary at the
front desk entered carrying what appeared to be a tape recorder and sat
down beside Pastor Lucas.

Detective Davis looked over at her and nodded. The secretary turned on the
recorder. Detective Davis then looked at us and ordered, "Raise your right
hands." Lucas and I looked at each other and raised our hands. "Do you
swear that the testimony you are about to give will be truthful and it is
being given without any duress or force?"

"Yes, Ma'am," we again said in unison.

"For the record, Ms. Ortega, a court secretary, is present and will record
your testimony. We looked over at the young secretary. "Also for the
record, Mr. Jeffrey Sparks, father of witness, Lucas Sparks, is
present. Mrs. Fields, mother of Woody Fields, a complainant, has waived her
right to be present."

And the interrogation began. She questioned Lucas first. For the third time
I had to listen to him explain how Mr. Dewberry had been molesting him
since he was twelve. Detective Davis was thorough, and much came out that
he hadn't told his father or mother earlier. It was particularly difficult
to listen to him relate tearfully how he had first been forcibly penetrated
when he was fourteen. He reluctantly gave the names of other boys that
Mr. Dewberry had forced him to have sex with at summer camp. A few of the
boys' names I recognized from church, although none I considered
friends. His testimony was emotional, and Detective Davis had to stop
several times until he could continue.

His testimony took about forty five minutes. It was almost 10:30 when he
finished. "I think we should take a break now," Detective Davis
declared. "There's a coffee shop downstairs if you'd like to get something
to drink or eat." She looked at her watch. "Let's meet back here at
11:00. I think we can wrap this up by noon." She then left the room,
followed by Ms. Ortega.

When we rose, Pastor Sparks reached out held Lucas tightly. "Are you all
right, Son?" Lucas nodded and then looked sadly at me. "Let's go
downstairs. I think we all need a break."

On the way to the elevators, Lucas grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the
restroom. Once inside, he locked the door, turned to me and opened his
arms. "Hold me, please?"

He looked like he was about to break. I rushed over, took him in my arms
and held him tightly. It felt strange because he was much bigger than
me. "I've never been so scared in my life," he uttered mournfully. He then
pulled back and looked tearfully at me.

"Why did he do it, Woody?" Tears were falling down his cheeks. "Why did he
have to do those horrible things to me." I couldn't give him an answer. To
say that bad things happen to good people sounded shallow. Mr. Dewberry was
a monster. What he did was much more horrific than being bad.

He asked sadly, "Why didn't I have the courage to stop him?" I pulled him
into me and hugged him tightly. "I knew what he was doing was wrong, but I
couldn't tell him no."

I couldn't understand it, either. Lucas wasn't small like me. Perhaps when
Mr. Dewberry started messing with him, he was too small and scared. But
now, he was no longer a child. He was almost a man. I had been wondering
why he didn't tell Mr. Dewberry to stop.

However, Lucas was ashamed of anyone finding out what had been
happening. Over time, Mr. Dewberry had convinced him that telling anyone
would lead to embarrassing consequences. I had almost been prepared to
follow the same path. Ironically, Lucas, who could not save himself from
Mr. Dewberry, was the person responsible for rescuing me.

We jumped when someone pounded on the door. "Are you boys all right?"
Pastor Sparks shouted out. I walked over, cracked the door slightly and
assured him we were okay. He tried to peer in, but I closed the door and
locked it.

Lucas was at the sink drying his face with a paper towel. He looked in the
mirror and smiled. I remembered back several weeks ago when we'd been in
the restroom in the church basement.

I smiled at him when he stared at me and said, "I'm such a baby." He blew
his nose and then stepped over to the urinal. As he unzipped his pants, I
walked over to the sink to wash my hands. I took a quick glance at his
cock.  Like I had done earlier in the morning, he took a slight step back
so I could get a better look.

I could tell he was nervous, because he was straining hard to piss. His
cock appeared rather small as he pulled on it. "Must be a grower, not a
shower," I giggled to myself.

He looked over, then stepped back toward the urinal so I could no longer
see him. "I'm pee shy," he announced embarrassedly. "I can't go if someone
is watching me."

I laughed and told him I'd be outside. He nodded appreciatively as I walked
away.

"Is Lucas all right?" His father asked when I entered the hall.

"He's really upset," I informed him, "but he'll be all right."

Pastor Sparks smiled warmly. "I'm glad he's got a good friend like you to
help him through this."

"Thank you, Sir," I replied just as Lucas came out of the restroom. We then
took the elevator to the first floor. After finding the small café, Lucas
and I ordered hot chocolate and a danish. His father had coffee and a
bagel.

I was too nervous to eat. I nibbled on my danish, but I was too afraid I'd
get sick if I ate much. After watching how upset Lucas had been during his
testimony, I was afraid I'd never make it through mine. My hands were
shaking so bad, I could hardly take a sip of my chocolate without it
spilling on me.

"Relax," Pastor Sparks said after I'd put my cup down after a second
attempt to drink. "You're going to do just fine. Perhaps it would help if
you got up and walked a bit."

"Do I really have to do this? I asked. "Doesn't she have enough on
Mr. Dewberry without me saying anything." After seeing the hurt look on
Lucas's face, I regretted making that statement. He had helped me from the
sexual advances of Mr. Dewberry; now I was ready to abandon him after he'd
put so much on the line.

I hung my head shamefully. "I'll do it," I muttered softly. I looked up
when Lucas touched my hand.

He smiled gently and said, "You don't have to if you don't want."

"No," I assured him, "I'll do it. If you can, then so can I." His father
sat back and smiled at us.

Detective Davis smiled at me as we sat around the large conference
table. "Ready?" She asked. I took a deep breath and nodded.

It wasn't as bad as I expected. Detective Davis was a good
interrogator. She didn't seem surprised at anything I said. She asked me a
lot of questions, however. She wanted to particularly hear about how
Mr. Dewberry had shown his cock to me, and how he had reached out and
stroked me.

"Now, Woody," she asked in a professional tone. "This is extremely
important." She leaned toward me and stared into my face. "Did Mr. Dewberry
at anytime forcibly make you do anything you didn't want to do? Did you
ever feel you were coerced into doing something against your will? You also
said he blocked the door when you tried to leave. Did you feel that he
might hurt you if you did attempt to do so?"

I thought for a second and then related how he had forced me to my knees
and pressed his cock against my lips just before Lucas started pounding on
the door. I told her how scared I was and that I felt he might hurt me if I
didn't do as he asked. I also told her that I was afraid he'd hurt me if I
did try to leave the room. She nodded, sat back and wrote something on a
form in front of her.

She then questioned me extensively about Brandon's involvement. She wanted
to know exactly what he'd said to me and the tone he used. I told her how
he had sent pictures to my brother and the reaction he had when he received
them.

"He only sent pictures to your brother?" I glanced quickly at Lucas.

"No, Ma'am." I then explained how he had sent out the picture to other
students. I told her about Ross, Kate and Jeff receiving the picture.

She looked at Lucas. "Did you get it?" He looked quickly at me and nodded.

"May I see?" She asked as she held out her hand. My face reddened as Lucas
took out his phone, brought up the picture and handed it to her. Her
expression didn't change as she looked at the picture. She then looked at
me. "Do you have it on your phone, as well?"

"Yes, Ma'am," I replied as I took out my phone and handed it to her. She
handed the phones to Ms. Ortega.

"I'm afraid we'll be keeping these as evidence." Lucas and I exchanged
worried glances. My heart stopped beating when she looked at Ms. Ortega and
said, "Prepare an affidavit for the seizure of Jon Fields's phone."

"Do you have to?" I asked nervously. Jon would kill me if someone took his
phone. I also wasn't sure if he'd deleted the pictures I'd taken of him
that he sent to Debbie.

She smiled and nodded her head. "From what you have told me, it contains
some incriminating evidence."

She shuffled some papers together and looked at me and Lucas. "I think we
are finished here, unless you have anything else to say." We looked at one
another and shook our heads.

"What will happen now?" Pastor Sparks asked. Detective Davis looked over at
Ms. Ortega and nodded. The secretary then rose from her seat and left the
room, carrying our cell phones.

Detective Davis sat back and sighed. "It's going to be a very busy
afternoon." I looked up at the clock. It was 11:48. "Ms. Ortega is now
going to fill out affidavits for arrest warrants for Mr. Dewberry and
Brandon Metzger. We will also prepare search warrant affidavits for
Mr. Dewberry's cell phone and his school and home computers. Brandon's cell
phone and home computer will also be seized." As an afterthought, she
looked at me and added, "And your brother's cell phone."

"You're going to arrest Mr. Dewberry?" I asked excitedly.

"Of course," she replied sternly. "I will personally take the affidavits to
a judge as soon as Ms. Ortega has them completed. After the judge has
signed them, then I will make a call to police officers who will be waiting
outside the school to immediately take Mr. Dewberry and Mr. Metzger into
custody."

"What?" I exclaimed. "So soon?"

"Yes, Woody," she replied. "If we don't act quickly, then important
evidence can be compromised." She looked at her watch, then rose from her
chair. "They should be in handcuffs in about an hour." I looked over at
Lucas. His expression must have been as surprised as mine.

"An hour?" I asked.

"An hour," she stated assuredly. "Time is extremely critical." We stood and
she shook our hands. "You boys are very brave," she said smilingly. "Your
testimony is very reliable. I don't think we'll have any problem getting a
felony conviction against Mr. Dewberry."

"What about Brandon?" Since Brandon was sixteen, like me, I wasn't sure
what they would do to him.

"He's an accomplice in this matter," she said. "I guess it will be up to
the prosecutor how he wants to charge him." She looked at her watch. "I
must be going." She turned to Pastor Sparks. "Can you keep these boys in
your charge for at least the next two hours." He nodded his head. "And
don't let them make any phone calls." She looked at us. "To anyone." She
then hurried from the room.

Pastor Sparks took us to a nice restaurant downtown. The owner was one of
parishioners of the church, so we received special treatment. We were
seated at a table nearest the street window so we could look out.

"I'm proud of you boys," Pastor Sparks remarked as we were eating a
spaghetti lunch. I'd already eaten a large salad and three bread
sticks. After all the emotion of the past week, I was finally able to eat
without feeling I was going to get sick.

"I don`t feel very proud," replied Lucas. I looked at him and started
laughing. He had a piece of spaghetti hanging on his chin. He sucked it
into his mouth with a big slurp.

"Well, you should," his father responded with a smile after watching his
antics. "You did the right thing by putting a dangerous man behind bars."

"What will happen now?" Lucas looked anxiously at his father. "If they
arrest Mr. Dewberry, won't it be all over the news tonight?"

My heart sunk when he said that. I'd only been thinking about the
interrogation with Detective Davis. I hadn't even had time to think about
what the next few hours could bring. The clock on the wall read 1:20. We'd
left just a little after noon. She said they could have the warrants signed
by a judge in an hour.

If everything went according to plan, Mr. Dewberry and Brandon would now
have been arrested...at school. Rumors would be flying, and by school's
end, everyone would know what happened. I wondered how long it would take
people to piece everything together.

Sensing what I was feeling, Pastor Sparks reached for my arm. "It's going
to be a rough couple of days."

"Thanks," I remarked sarcastically as I glanced over at a worried Lucas.

"I've helped many people through a crisis," he said "I'll be with you all
the way on this." I nodded appreciatively, but I was still scared. How
could I even begin to walk down the halls of school with everyone knowing
that I had been the one responsible for getting Mr. Dewberry
arrested. Brandon was one of the most popular boys in our school. People
would hate me for telling on him.

There were two women seated at a table beside us. I'd noticed them when we
sat down, but I hadn't paid much attention to them until one of their cell
phones started to ring. Suddenly, I heard her exclaim loudly, "Oh, my God."

"What's wrong?" Her friend asked worriedly. The woman on the phone raised
her finger to silence her. A minute later she shut her phone.

"You won't believe this," she said excitedly. "That was my daughter on the
phone. She's in class at the high school. She says the place is on lockdown
and police are everywhere."

I looked worriedly at Lucas when the other woman asked, "What's happened?"

"I don't know," she said as she threw her napkin on the table and stood
up. "She says no one is allowed to leave the room. I better get over
there."

"Oh, Dear," exclaimed her friend. "I hope it isn't one of those school
shootings." They went to the cashier, paid for their meal and hurried from
the restaurant. When I looked back at Lucas, he was visibly upset.

After lunch, we returned to the church. I guess, being a minister, Pastor
Sparks felt it was necessary for us to pray about what had happened to
us. We quietly entered the sanctuary and followed him. We sat beside him on
the front pew. It was eerie to be in the church with no one around but the
three of us. I could hear the gentle wind blowing against the stain glass
windows.

"You're going to need a lot of strength," Pastor Sparks said in a whisper,
"to face the evils of an unjust world." He turned to us and gently smiled.

"I don't want you boys, however, to think that everyone in the world is
bad." He reached out and held Lucas's arm. "I've taught you that the world
is filled with wonderful, marvelous people." Lucas nodded his head.

"Unfortunately, I never prepared you for people like the Nathan Dewberry's
of the world." I watched as tears filled his eyes. "I was hoping you'd
never have to experience their evil."

He turned his head toward the front, bowed his head and began to pray. I
didn't know what to do. It seemed like such a personal moment for him I sat
quietly as he put his arm around Lucas, pulled him into his chest and held
him tightly.

A few minutes later, he said, "Amen," and they both sat up. Lucas reached
over and took my hand, squeezing it tightly.

His father looked down at our entwined hands. "You boys need to be
careful," he warned. "It's obvious you are becoming close. This has brought
you together." Lucas nodded at his father as he squeezed my hand again.

"Most people today understand that love doesn't have boundaries," he
said. "That has been my main message as a minister of the Lord's
word. Jesus, our Christ, told the world to love each other as I have loved
you."

He sighed deeply. "However, some people pervert the word of God to their
own standards." He looked down at our entwined hands. "Some people won't
accept your love." We both nodded our heads.

"So be careful," he warned again. "If you need me, I'll always be here for
you." He stood and opened up his arms. Lucas and I stood as he pulled us
into an embrace. After a minute, he pulled away.

"When this thing is over," he said as he looked into our eyes, "I want to
sit down with you and discuss what is beginning to develop in your
relationship." He stopped and gave us a puzzled look "I'm assuming that a
relationship is forming between you?"

Lucas looked down into my eyes. He squeezed my hand as I smiled and nodded.

"Good then," his father replied when he saw us staring at each other. "I
will talk to you as I would if a young man and woman came to me wanting
advice." Lucas released my hand and hugged his father tightly.

"I love you, Dad," he muttered softly. His father looked at me and motioned
for me to join them. For the second time, we hugged each other tightly.

We broke our embrace when his cell phone started ringing. He looked at who
was calling and walked toward a side door. After he left, we sat down and
held hands again.

"You okay?" I asked as I looked over at Lucas. He looked beautiful as a
stain-glass window as a sun ray cast a glow behind him.

"Are you?" He asked. I nodded my head.

"I think so," I replied as I took his hand in mine. "Did you really mean it
when you said you wanted a relationship with me?"

His face reddened. "Yeah," he replied as he smiled gently. "I do."

"Me, too," I giggled slightly as I squeezed his hand. I was starting to
lean in to kiss him when his father entered the sanctuary. He looked down
at us worriedly.

"Is everything all right?" Lucas asked as his father sat down on the pew.

"I was just on the phone with Detective Davis," he informed
us. "Mr. Dewberry and Brandon Metzger were arrested just a little while
ago. She says that detectives are questioning them now. She couldn't tell
me much, but it appears that Brandon has confessed to everything."

"Good," I said. At least no one would dispute what I'd told them. One of my
biggest concerns was that everyone would think I'd made the whole story up
and they would try to protect Mr. Dewberry.

He turned toward me. "She says it is probably safe for you to go home now."

"Do I have to?" I asked nervously. I wasn't looking forward to facing my
parents and Jon. Mom's reaction at the police station indicated that I was
probably not going to be welcomed. In fact, I was scared they might not
want me to stay after everything I'd done.

Pastor Sparks smiled and put his arm around my shoulder. "I'm afraid so,"
he said. "If things become to difficult for you, you can always call me and
I'll come get you." Lucas grabbed my hand and squeezed it.

"Great," I thought. His remarks didn't assure me that my parents would
accept me. If he thought they would, he would have said so. Instead, he
told me to call him if it became difficult. I was more disheartened than
ever.

On the way home, my heart was pounding. I was sitting in the back of the
SUV, and Lucas kept turning around and looking at me worriedly. When we
pulled into my driveway, I was afraid to exit the car. At least I didn't
see Dad or Mom's car in the driveway.

Sensing my fear, Pastor Lucas got out and came around to the passenger's
side door and opened it. "You're going to have to go through a lot of
things the next few days that you won't want to," he said as he took my arm
and gently pulled me from the car. "This will perhaps be the worst."

"Thanks," I remarked sarcastically as I stepped out.

"Just remember," he replied as he gave me a hug. "It is times of adversity
that makes us stronger."

I waved to Lucas as I headed to my house. "I'm a little sapling," I said
softly to myself as I walked onto the porch. "I'll never be strong."

* * * * * * *

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