Date: Thu, 19 Dec 2002 23:55:21 +0000
From: Enrique Smits <wideeyedone@hotmail.com>
Subject: Never is a promise Chapter 4

Disclaimer:

The author of this work of fiction does not assume any responsibility for
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you will not reproduce, copy, sell or distribute this fiction without
author's expressed permission.

In the following story you will witness two consenting individuals who may
engage in sexual activity. If you do not approve or like to read such
material, don't move on.
________________________________________________________________________


CHAPTER 4

"Where the hell have you been?"

My mother was pissed. I had expected this and felt as though I was prepared.
  I would reason with her and provide logic as to why I didn't come home.  I
however was very unprepared to deal with her logic.

"Mom...." I began.

"You know what Tucker, save it." "I am so angry with you right now I don't
even want to hear what clever little excuse you have come up with"

My mom gestured for me to sit down at the table opposite her.  Aaron stood
in the doorway not knowing whether to stay or to go, waiting for some signal
from me or my mother.

"Hello Aaron" my mother said.  "Goodbye Aaron"

"Ms Jensen, really it was an accident."  Aaron said, valiantly trying to
defend me and save me from some horrid punishment that was about to be
delivered to me.

"Oh, I am sure it was Aaron, and I am sure that Tucker will explain it all
very well."  "Maybe later he can call you to tell you if he will ever be
able to leave this house again..."  She shot me a nasty look and said wickedly
"Maybe."

"Call me later Tuck" Aaron said as he exited out the side door.  Yep, that
was my hero, taking that bullet for me like he promised.

"Ma, I am so sorry."  I was sorry, and I think that she could hear it in my
voice because her stern look softened slightly.  Only slightly.

"Tucker, I don't ask for a lot out of you, do I?"  She asked.  It was a
rhetorical question.  My mother really didn't ask me for much at all.

"Aaron and I went out to the pit and got stuck out there in the mud."  "I
wanted to come home, but the mud was so thick that the car wasn't going
anywhere." "We were too far away to walk and it was raining out" "You didn't
want me to get sick did you?"

It was a desperate attempt for pity and some sort of mercy.  I was hoping
that it would work to my advantage. It didn't.

Mom got up from the table and started to put her shoes on and her coat.  She
had to be to work shortly and was getting ready to leave.  I started to get
up.

"Sit!"

I stopped mid movement and plopped back into my chair.

She finished tying her shoes and sat back down at the table.

"I understand what happened and I believe you that the car got stuck in the
mud."

"Thanks mom" I said.

"Oh, don't thank me yet" She said "Just because I understand what happened
doesn't excuse the fact that you ran off without even leaving a note as to
where you were going to be Tucker."  "If you had at least done that, I could
have figured out what happened and gone and picked the two of you up."
"Instead I sat up the entire night thinking you had gone out in your new car
and wrecked the thing somewhere."

I hung my head down.  "I am really sorry mom"

"You should be Tucker."  "It disappoints me because you are usually so much
more responsible than that." "You will have the next week to think about it,
because you are grounded." "You can call Aaron and let him know that he can
see you in school on Monday if you want to, but that's it"

"That's not fair!" I whined

"Guess what son, life isn't fair"  My mom replied  "Is it fair that I have
to sit up all night worried about what has happened to my only son,
wondering if he is in some ditch somewhere?"

I sat there stoically with my hands folded across my chest

"I didn't think so" she said, as she walked toward the door. "I am going to
visit your grandmother tonight right after work and I will be home sometime
tomorrow morning.  Make yourself something to eat I bought some groceries so
I am sure that you will find something, no visitors, I love you even though
you are mad at me."

She kissed me on the forehead and then walked out the door and headed off to
work.

I was so mad.  Actually I was mostly just disappointed.  My mom was right
and I knew it, and that seemed to piss me off even more. Here I was the day
after the best night of my life, and now I couldn't even see Aaron for a
whole week.  Yeah, I know that I got to see him at school, but that wasn't
going to be enough, especially not now.

Finally I resigned myself to the fact that I would have to suffer through my
punishment and decided that I would use my final act of freedom to call
Aaron.  I grabbed the telephone, sat on the floor and leaned my back against
the wall, pulled my knees to my chest and dialed the number.

"Hello?"

"Hi Ms. James, is Aaron there?" I asked.

"Nope, he aint here."

"Do you have any idea where he went?" I asked

"I don't have any idea where the hell that kid goes or what he does."  "I
told that boy that if he didn't......."

She continued on with her rambling, but I hung up on her midway through
because I had only heard this a million times and this wasn't the first time
that I had hung up on her.

Aaron's family was not a loving one.  I had found this out very early on in
our friendship.  I was absolutely shocked at the verbal abuse his mother
dumped on him because even when my mom was mad at me, she never made me feel
like I was worthless or a burden on her like Aarons mom constantly did. He
didn't have a father (neither did I) and he had two other younger brothers
who were both in constant trouble.  The youngest, who was only 13, was in
juvenile detention for the second time and the middle brother, who was 15,
had just been expelled from school for fighting and was living currently
with his 14 year old girlfriend's family after he got her pregnant.

As screwy as his family was, it didn't outwardly seem to affect Aaron.  He
was never in trouble, his grades weren't exceptional by any means, but they
were pretty decent.  Aaron loved his family very much, which I never
understood because they were so horrible to him.  He would go out of his way
to do things for them, buying them things for the house that his mother
couldn't afford to, or taking them places that they never would have been
able to go.  Aaron spent most of the money that he earned over the summer,
doing things for his family.  The same family that never appreciated one
thing that he ever did.   Of all the things that impressed me about Aaron,
it was his heart and giving nature that impressed me the most.  I think he
had every right to be selfish if he wanted because he never had anything,
but he wasn't selfish at all.

I picked myself up off the floor and hung up the telephone.  I have no idea
how long I sat there daydreaming, but the sun was beginning to set and my
tummy was grumbling so I made myself something to eat and sulked back to my
bedroom to get comfortable and watch some television.  Nothing was on except
some infomercial about some mop and I was getting sleepy.  The telephone
rang.

"Aaron?"  I said as soon as I picked up the phone

"Yeah, good to hear your voice too Tuck" Tobey replied

"Sorry Tobey, I was expecting a call from Aaron" I said.

"Whatever, I just called to see what you are up to tomorrow."  "My dad wants
to know if you want to go to church with us and then maybe play 18 holes
afterward."  "What do you think?"  "Jimmy is going to come along."

"Um, tell your dad that I said thank you, but just like the last 85 times
that he has invited me to church I am going to have to decline." I said

"You know that he just cares about you right?" Tobey said

"Yes, I am aware of this Tobey, but I don't think that I need someone to
save me or anything and sometimes I swear your dad thinks that I am going
straight to hell or something."

"Well, can't you at least meet us to go golfing?"  "Don't worry about the
money, I'll cover ya."  Tobey said.  He was really so generous when it came
to me.  He knew that I didn't have any money.

"I would love to, but unfortunately I am kind of grounded at the moment."

"Great, what kind of trouble did he get you into?"  Tobey groused

"He didn't do anything Tobey, it is my own damn fault." "I was inconsiderate
to mom and she called me on it." I said.

"I'll bet that Aaron had something to do with it."  "I have tried to tell
you about him a million times, but you never want to listen..."  Tobey began

"Tobey, it has been well documented how you feel about Aaron, so let's not
even go there today, I am not in the mood."  I interrupted "Tell your dad I
said thanks for the offer, and I will see you on Monday."

"Alright, I'll let him know." "Are you picking me up on Monday for school in
the new ride?"  He asked.  It was an honest request, but he said it so
sarcastically, which is totally like him.

"Yes" I replied just as sarcastically as he had asked. "Be ready at about
7:20 am."

"Ok, I will see you then, bye."

I hung up the phone and climbed into my bed to watch a little more tv.  The
infomercial was still on and it bored me right to sleep.

I woke up to the sound of something tapping my bedroom window.  It was dark
outside and the moon was full lighting half of my bedroom in an eerie glow.
I tried to roll over and go back to sleep, but the tapping continued. I got
up out of my bed with one eye open and walked over to the window.

Aaron was outside tapping on the window wanting to be let inside. He had
climbed up the tree on the side of the house and crawled on the roof to my
bedroom window.  I opened the window to let him in and he crawled through
and fell on top of me.

"You are such a damn klutz, you know that?" I said jokingly

"This seems to be happening to us so often lately." Aaron said with a smile.

Aaron got up and pulled me up slowly pressing himself into me.  He put one
arm around my waist and one behind my head and gave me a slow kiss. We broke
the kiss but did not move.  I just leaned my head against his and looked
into his eyes.

"Hi" I said

"Hi yourself" he said and gave me his grin.
________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 5 will be out after Christmas.  I am sorry, but that is as fast as I
can write at this time with the holidays upon us.  Happy holidays to all.

All comments are welcome at wideeyedone@hotmail.com