Date: Wed, 22 Nov 2000 16:40:49 -0500 From: Bill Porter <wep363@netzero.net> Subject: My Bodyguard Chapter 15 My Bodyguard Chapter 15 A very special thanks to Ed for editing this chapter. This story is not true. This is a story of love, trust, hope, and commitment. It is not a sex story. However, this story deals with love between two teenagers. If you are offended by stories involving love between two teenage boys, please do not read this story. There will be some sex scenes in this story; however, sex is not the main theme. If you are under age 18 or 21 or it is illegal to read this story where you live, don't read it. New Web Page: http://wpstories.tripod.com/ Thank you for all your e-mails. If I have missed answering you, I am truly sorry. I have tried to answer all of them. Please continue to send me your comments. ************* I woke up the next morning from Mark stirring. "Good morning, Mark, how you doing?" "Good morning, I am doing fine." He leaned over me and gave me a tender kiss on the lips. "I'm going running, want to come along?" "Not today, Mark, it's too cold out there for me. I hate to run and sweat and be cold at the same time." "I know what you mean but I didn't get to run yesterday. You don't want me to get fat and ugly, do you?" "Mark, I love you for who you are, not what you look like." "I love you too. I'll be back in about a half-hour. See you then, love." I went to the bathroom, took a quick shower, and brushed my teeth. I then got dressed and went downstairs. Dad had already left for work and Mom was not up yet. I also saw no sign of my sister, or Paul, or Mrs. Adams. I grabbed a glass of orange juice and went in the living room and sat down. My thoughts were on my relationship with Mark. Mark is this great gentle giant with a heart of gold. But he has one problem I have never been able to help him with. His heart has a deep wound, one that has never healed. Today is the day that, hopefully, that wound can start to heal. Yesterday's revelation was a shock to all of us. Even though Mark has given me his heart and is really starting to open up, he never talks about his father. After our trip to Chicago, perhaps Mark will be willing to share his heart of gold with others again. They say the love you receive is equal to the love you give. I'm not sure but I think that is a song lyric. Perhaps by Paul McCartney, he is always writing love songs. Mark is quiet because he doesn't want to get close to people, whereas I am quiet because I am always listening and evaluating the people around me. I guess you could say I am a deep person. Not that Mark is shallow. But I don't think he overanalyzes everything the way I do. I can tell you why Mark and my relationship works. We don't let anything come between us. My parents' relationship works because nothing comes between them. My relationship with Doug fell apart because my sexuality came between us. Mr. and Mrs. Adams' relationship fell apart because another woman came between them. I can't tell you why Mark and I are so drawn together. Perhaps we were always meant to be together. Soul mates, I think, is what it's called. I know I have never felt this close to anyone except my dad and mom. My dad says that if you find one true friend in your lifetime you are truly lucky. He also said that most people who you think are your friends will desert you in a time of crisis. Even though Mark loves his father, I think it would be a mistake to let him get too close again. I was going over all this stuff in my head when Mark walked in the door. "How was your run?" "You were right. I am cold, hot, and sweaty all at the same time. I am going to go up and take a shower and get dressed. I'll be back in a few minutes." I went in the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. It was about halfway through brewing when Mom walked in the kitchen. "I thought I smelled some coffee. It was nice of you start some coffee for me, Mike." "You're welcome, Mom, and good morning." "And good morning to you too. I think it is sure nice of you going to Chicago with Mark to see his dad. I'm sure your company will be greatly appreciated. After all you have been through, it is nice you can support Mark." "Mark was there for me when I came out to my sister Wednesday night. I hope everything works out for him but I can't help but feel Mark is going to need my help. I want to be there for him." "Well, I'm glad you're not going to Chicago by yourselves. If Mrs. Adams could not have gone I would have gone with you." "I think it worked out great, Mom. You will have a chance to get to know Paul. It would be kind of rude if you left them here for the rest of the weekend with just Dad." "You're probably right there. Paul and your father talked all day yesterday. They seem to be bonding well. So if I went with you guys, your sister would have no one to talk to. Hmmm, perhaps I should go with you guys. But seriously, I want to get to know Paul better too." "Can I help you with breakfast, Mom?" "Sure, get out a dozen eggs, some bacon, some link sausage, and some cheese, onions, and green peppers out of the refrigerator. I think I will make omelets for breakfast." After I got everything out of the refrigerator, Mom told me to get out of her way. I went to check on Mark. I found him coming downstairs. "What do you think we need to pack?" he asked. "Probably an overnight bag with a change of clothes and a toothbrush. Dad also said the hotel we're staying at is high class. We will also need some good clothes should we eat there or go out to some place fancy." "That sounds like a plan." We made our way to our room, when we ran into Mrs. Adams. "Good morning, boys, what are you up to?" "We are just going to pack." "Make sure you bring some nice clothes with you. We might eat in a fancy restaurant." I had already learned better than to say anything smart like 'we know that'. If I did say something like that to Mrs. Adams, I would probably receive a 20-minute lecture. "Thanks, Mrs. Adams, we will do that. Mom's downstairs making omelets for breakfast. We will be back downstairs as soon as we're packed." "Very good, guys, and make sure you bring a toothbrush too." "We will, Mom, and thanks, we would have probably forgot." Mark replied. When we got back to my room we both giggled. Parents can be so controlling sometimes. At least you can make them think and feel that they are in control. What would we do without them? Mike and I got packed and went downstairs. Paul and my sister were also downstairs. We ate breakfast and talked with everyone. The omelets were good. After breakfast we put our stuff out in the pickup truck. Then we said goodbye to everybody. Chicago is about six hours away from here. There would probably be plenty of traffic today, due to people going home after the holiday. Driving home Sunday will be even busier. We got in Mark's truck and Mrs. Adams got in her car. Mark was quiet on the way to his house. It took us about an hour and a half to get there. Mrs. Adams went in the house. About 20 minutes later she came out to the truck with an overnight bag. She wanted to drive and we drove back up to Flint and got on I-69. We then headed toward Chicago. Mark and I fell asleep on each other's shoulder. The next thing we knew, we pulled into a Burger King in Battle Creek. We went through the drive through and got our lunch, then headed back down the road. "Mrs. Adams, what is Mark's father like?" I asked. "Well, he is a big man like Mark. He is about 6'3", with brown hair and dark brown eyes I used to get lost in. He worked in construction and was handy around the house. He built our house when we first got married. He can be caring and kind when he wants to. He can also be rude and self- centered. I was young and foolish when I married him. I don't know how he is going to react to you guys. I never knew him to be open-minded. Perhaps he has changed. I have not seen or heard from him in 8 years. Our divorce was final 7 years ago. Now that I know where he lives I can move to get him to pay the over $40,000.00 in back child support." I did not make any comment. I didn't want to upset Mark. But I thought to myself that this guy must be a real piece of work. "Have you ever been to Chicago before, Mrs. Adams?" "Yes I have, several times as a matter of fact. It is a fun city. There is much to see and do. They also have some of the finest restaurants in the country." We didn't talk much after that. I could sense that both Mark and his mom were deep in thought. I held Mark's hand. We got to Indiana and the traffic was getting quite heavy. I have not seen so many big trucks in all my life. We have also lost an hour moving into Central Standard Time. Mrs. Adams took the through-way into Chicago, saying that I-94 heading into Chicago would be stop-and-go traffic as rush hour was approaching. We did get back on I-94 but we were near downtown. I never saw so many cars in my life. I was glad that I was not driving. Mrs. Adams didn't seem to be bothered by it. We got on Lake Shore Drive and headed into downtown. We got to the Drake and some guy parked our truck and another guy grabbed our bags. I was quite impressed with the hotel. I have stayed in motels with my folks many times but it was nothing like this. It was more like something I had seen in a movie or on TV. We got checked in and went to our rooms. Mark and I had our own room with a connecting door to Mrs. Adams' room. The room was quite impressive. Although this hotel is about 100 years old, the rooms were quite nice. Mark and I each had a double bed. There was a couch and a 27" TV with cable. There was also a refrigerator stocked with pops and these little bottles of liquor. There was also a cabinet with snacks. It was 5:00 o'clock local time. It had been a long day. About 10 minutes later, Mrs. Adams knocked on the connecting door. "Okay, boys. I talked to your father, Mark, and we are going to meet in the restaurant downstairs in about an hour. I have made a reservation. Dress up nice. This place is not like the diner back home. Also, don't touch anything in the refrigerator or snack bar. It costs about 5 times what it is worth. If you want something, go the vending machines down the hall." "Okay, we will be ready," Mark replied. I could hear in Mark's voice that he was getting nervous. I thought that I would try to distract him. "Want to take a shower and get ready?" I said, "We could take one together." "We do need to take a shower but I think it would be better if we do it separately. I am really nervous right now. Perhaps later tonight we could do something, but not right now." With that, Mark gave me a quick kiss and said, "I love you with all my heart, Mike. Thanks for coming with me." "I love you too and am just glad that we are together. No matter what happens tonight, we will still be together." Mark went in and took a shower. When he finished I went into my shower. We both changed into suits. Mark did take his gun with him. He put it into his shoulder holster. I guess I have become accustomed to Mark always wearing a gun. As soon as we were finished dressing, there was a knock on our door. "You ready, boys?" Mrs. Adams said through the door. "Yes, we are," Mark responded. We opened the door and Mrs. Adams stepped through. "Wow, Mom, you sure look nice tonight." "You boys look just as handsome as you can be, too." We made our way to the elevator and down to the lobby. The restaurant was an elegant place with fancy table settings and hanging chandeliers. We went into the restaurant and Mrs. Adams told the hostess our name. She took us to our table and we sat down. We sat looking at the menu and I couldn't believe the price of the food. After about five minutes, the hostess brought over this tall man who looked to be about 40 years old. He had brown hair with gray around the temples. Mark looked up and saw him and a tear ran down his cheek. "Dad." Mr. Adams held out his arms and Mark stood up and pulled him into a hug. When they pulled away from each other, I could see a tear in Mr. Adams' eye too. "My, you have grown, Mark. If your mother was not sitting with you I would not have recognized you." "I sure did recognize you, Dad. It is so good to see you again. I had given up hope that I would ever see you again. And now, here you are. I have missed you so much." "You have to be at least three inches taller than me, Mark. Looks like I can't take you over my knee any more either. I would sure hate to get to fight with you." "Actually, Dad, if you got to fight with me, I would have to arrest you. I am now a deputy sheriff. If you resisted arrest, I would have to shoot you," Mark said with a big smile on his face. "Wow, deputy sheriff. You're not even out of high school yet. Are you going into law enforcement for career, Son?" "No, Dad, actually I want be a doctor." "My son, the doctor, what more could a father ask for? And you must be Mike. I was told you're the reason that has brought us back together." "Let's sit down and talk, Dad." I got up and shook Mr. Adams' hand and he sat down. "Hello, Grace, how are you?" "I'm fine, Pete, and you?" "I'm fine, thanks." The waitress came over and we ordered drinks. Mr. and Mrs. Adams had coffee and we had pop. "You're right, father, if it were not for Mike, we would not have gotten back together. If it were not for him I would not even have a desire to see you again. For many years after you left, I didn't trust anybody. Uncle Sam tried to be a father to me but I never let him in. Mike has opened up my heart and I am happier now than I ever have been before." Mr. Adams studied his son as he spoke. I could see this strange look cross his face as Mike talked about me. "How did you become friends with Mike?" "Mike got in trouble with some bullies of school. His father was best friends with Sam when he was in school. I had worked for Sam as a deputy the previous summer. Mike's father hired me to protect Mike. Sam made me a deputy sheriff." "What kind of trouble did you get into, Mike?" "My best friend found out I was gay and told the whole school. I was beat up and told to either drop out of school or plan on getting beat up every day." "And how do you feel about Mike being gay, Mark?" "Seeing as how I am also gay and in love with Mike, I guess you could say it is not a problem for me, Dad." Mark's dad was quiet for about a minute. The waitress brought our drinks in the meantime and took our orders. After the waitress left, Mr. Adams spoke. "And are you okay with this, Grace?" "What I think is not important. But if you want my opinion, Mike is the best thing that has ever happened to Mark. In the six weeks that he has been together with Mike, he has grown more emotionally than in the last six years. As you can see, Mark is not a boy any more. I don't love Mark any more or less because of who he likes. Mark isn't going through some phase. I have known he is gay for some time now." Mr. Adams seemed to be deep in thought. The table was quiet for about another minute. "Mark, I don't approve or agree with such things. I am not a liberal or open-minded person. My values were beat into me with a belt. Perhaps that is why I am such a hypocrite. I turned my back on my values and I turned my back on you. It is easy for me to judge someone else's actions, and hard for me to judge my own. It is easy for me to say I don't agree or approve of gays, and hard for me to say that I am not any better. I abandoned you and your mother when you needed me most. I have no one to blame but myself." "Dad, no one is to blame for the fact I am gay. I believe I was born that way. I would probably have turned out this way even if you hadn't left. So don't blame yourself. Anyway, we did not come all this away to talk about my sexuality. We came here to heal a broken relationship. I need you in my life, Dad. I need you to love me unconditionally. I need you to tell me about your life. I need to learn to trust you again. I need my father back." More tears were running from Mark's eyes. Tears were also collecting in Mr. and Mrs. Adams' eyes too. "Very well, then, let me start by telling you about the last eight years," Mr. Adams said. He went on to tell us about his job, working in construction in Chicago. He told us about the high cost of living. He told us about traffic. He told us about his apartment, $800.00 a month. He told us about his loneliness. He told us... Dinner came and it was excellent. After dinner, Mrs. Adams said that she needed to talk to Mr. Adams alone. They were to make plans for us to be together Saturday. Mark and I said goodbye and even Mark's dad gave me a big hug. Mark and I went upstairs and he was ecstatic. He finally settled down and watched some TV. Then we enjoyed some mutual masturbation and called it a night. Even though we had separate beds, we ended up sleeping in the same one. I fell asleep safe and warm in Mark's strong arms.