Date: Thu, 23 Aug 2007 20:25:30 -0400
From: ronyx <ronyx@woh.rr.com>
Subject: No More Rainbows Chapter 11

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 Ron at
ronyx@woh.rr.com with your comments. Ronyx is a Nifty prolific writer.



No More Rainbows            Chapter 11



Brent looked at my cell phone, and then noticed the strained look on my
face.

"Aren't you going to answer it, Artie?" He said softly. I looked into
his concerned face, and then opened the phone and lifted it to my ear.

"Hello?" I said nervously.

"Artie?"

"Yeah, Dad."

There was a brief pause, and I could hear my father breathing heavily. I
couldn't tell who was more nervous- him or me.

"You still there?" He asked.

"Yeah, Dad. I'm here."

"I love you, Son." Tears welled up in my eyes. Brent noticed and held
my free hand. I squeezed it tightly, trying to draw strength from him.

"Me, too." I could hear him begin to sob. I squeezed Brent's hand
tighter.

After a silent minute, he spoke again. "I'm sorry, Son. I never meant
to hurt you, Randy or your mother." He again began to cry.

"I know, Dad," I whispered softly into the phone. After all the hours
I'd spent thinking about the things I'd scream at him when I first
confronted him, all I felt was a deep sadness. Hearing him break down
over the phone melted away all the hatred I'd felt earlier.

"Are you alright?" He finally asked. "I saw the news, and I've been
worried sick about you."

"I'm fine," I assured him. "It was just a big misunderstanding."

"Good." He paused once again. "How's Randy?" Again, his voice
cracked with emotion.

"He's doing okay," I said. "He doesn't really understand what's
going on."

"Oh, God." I heard him again begin to sob. This time I couldn't hold
back the tears either. Brent wrapped his arms around me and held me
tightly. Occasionally, he would wipe my tears away with his finger.

I knew the first time I would speak with my father would be difficult,
but I didn't know it would hurt so much. I felt a pain in my chest. I
was afraid that my heart was going to burst listening to him cry.

"I'm so sorry," he mumbled into the phone, and then he hung up. I
continued to cry for another minute while Brent held me.

"Are you alright?" I looked at his eyes, moist with tears. It was at
that moment I truly fell in love with him. He cared so much for me that
he was willing to share the pain I was feeling. I leaned in and gave him
a quick, gentle kiss.

"I love you," I whispered. He fell against me and held me tightly.

"I love you, too," he mumbled into my chest.

We spent the next hour talking about my feelings for my father. Since he
shared a close relationship with his father, he could understand the
emptiness I was feeling. He told me he would feel the same why if the
same thing had happened to his father. At one point, he encouraged me to
call my father back, but he had turned his phone off. I thought about
leaving a voice mail, but I didn't know what I should say. Therefore, I
quickly hung up.

We continued talking a few more minutes when my cell phone rang. I
thought it might be my father, but it was my mother.

"Do you know what time it is?" She asked. She didn't seem angry, but
there was an irritation in her voice. I looked at the clock and realized
it was after midnight.

"I'm sorry, Mom," I apologized. With everything that had happened, I
had neglected to call her and ask if I could spend the night again.

"Are you staying at Brent's house tonight?" I gave Brent a puzzled
look. She was asking me like it was a choice that I could make on my own.

"I'd like to if I can," I said.

"Is it alright with his parents?"

"I think so," I said. I'm not sure if Brent had discussed it with his
father or not.

"I'll call Mr. England." She quickly hung up. Brent waited about five
minutes, then snuck downstairs to see if it was okay for me to spend the
night. He came back a minute later and said his father was still on the
phone with my mother. We watched television for about ten minutes, before
my cell phone rang again.

"Why didn't you tell me you saw your father tonight?" My mother asked
before I even had time to speak.

"I'm sorry," I replied. "I've been trying to deal with it all
night."

"Are you alright?" She seemed very concerned about my feelings. "Would
you like me to come get you?"

"I'm really okay," I assured her. "Mr. England and Brent have been
talking to me."

"Mr. England told me you were very upset," she said. "Are you sure
you're alright?"

"Yes, Mother." I considered telling her that Dad had called me, but
quickly decided it would probably upset her more. The last thing I wanted
her to do was come and get me.

"What time will you be home tomorrow?" Again, it felt strange that she
was letting me decide, instead of dictating what I should do.

"Is six o'clock too late?" I asked. I glanced at Brent to make sure it
was okay with him for me to stay that long. He grinned and nodded.

"Don't be too late," she insisted. "You do have school Monday
morning." She said goodbye and then hung up.

I looked over at Brent. He was sitting patiently, waiting for me to say
something. I surprised him when I leaned in and kissed him.

"What was that for?" He asked after I pulled away.

"Just because," I smiled.

He pulled back the covers and we climbed into bed. Unlike the night
before, neither of us thought about sex. We had been through so much that
all I wanted him to do was hold me. I lay on my side and he spooned me
from behind. He threw his arm around me and held me tightly. I soon fell
asleep listening to him snoring gently into my ear.

I woke up the next morning when I felt someone sit on the side of the
bed. I groggily woke up, aware that Brent was still wrapped around me. I
looked up and saw Jared smiling down at us.

"You guys better get up," he warned. "It's after 10:00. Dad just went
and got a bucket and filled it with water." He tousled my hair, and then
got up and walked out of the room.

I turned around in the bed, and faced Brent. His eyes were still tightly
shut. When I kissed him on his lips, he slowly opened one eye and looked
at me.

"Can't we sleep a little longer," he whined.

"Jared came in and said your dad just filled a bucket with water,
whatever that means." Brent's eyes flew open and he sat up quickly.

"Shit," he exclaimed, as he jumped from the bed. "Get up, Artie," he
shouted. "Dad doesn't play around. He's soaked me with water over a
dozen times when I've overslept. He gets Jared almost every other
week."

We had no sooner gotten up and thrown on our shorts, when Brent's
bedroom door flew open. Mr. England entered carrying a small green pail.
He started laughing when he saw us quickly dressing.

"Damn it," he grinned. "Jared must have warned you." He closed the
door and a minute later we heard Jared holler, "Don't Dad!" Brent and
I fell on the bed and roared with laughter.

I felt bad a little later as Brent and I sat at the breakfast counter
eating a bowl of cereal. Jared came walking in with his hair still damp
from the drenching his father had given him. He had protected us, but in
the process, got himself soaked.

He looked at me with an amused look when he entered. I was surprised when
he gave me a quick wink. He walked over and made himself a bowl of
cereal, and then returned and sat down beside me.

He leaned over and whispered in my ear. "I watch out for Brent. That
goes for you too." He lifted his hand and made a fist. I raised my fist
and met his.

Sunday morning breakfast was no different from the pizza we had shared on
Friday night. Everyone came dragging into the kitchen, but soon it was
filled with lively conversation. Amber was alone when she entered. I
guess Linda had gone home sometime last night.

"Do you boys have any plans for today?" Mr. England asked. Brent looked
questioningly at me. We had never discussed what we were going to do.

"I don't know, Dad," said Brent. "I guess we'll just hang around the
house and watch television."

"If you don't have plans," he looked over at me, "your mother called
and she wants you and Brent to spend the day with her. She says it's up
to you."

I looked over at Brent. He shrugged his shoulders. "Did she say why?" I
asked.

"She just said she wanted to spend some time with you, Brent and your
little brother. If you're interested, then go call her." I again looked
at Brent and he shrugged his shoulders. He wasn't being much help.


I really wanted to spend the day alone with him. After seeing my Dad at
the mall, our night had been ruined. I was hoping I could make it up to
him.

"At least call her and see what she wants to do," Brent whispered. I
got up from the table and went out onto the back patio so I could talk to
her without anyone listening. She had seemed alright with me being with
Brent last night, and now I was afraid she'd changed her mind. This
could be her way of checking up on me.

She answered the phone on the first ring. It was as if she was waiting on
my call.

"Artie?" I couldn't believe she had called me by my nickname. It was
the first time she had ever used it without hesitation.

"Hi, Mom," I said. "Mr. England said you wanted me to call you."

"If you don't have any plans for today," she said, "I thought I'd
take you boys somewhere."

"Where?"

"It's a surprise."

"Is Brent invited?"

"Of course, Dear."

"What time do you want to leave?"

"Can you be ready in a half hour?"

"Yes." I went back inside and told Brent we'd be leaving soon. He
asked me where we were going, but I didn't know myself. I had
experienced some of Mom's surprises before. It was hard to figure out.
It could be as simple as going out for ice cream, or it could involve a
trip across two states.

She pulled up to the house, and Brent and I went out to the car. Randy
jumped out of the front seat and jumped into my arms. He then looked over
at Brent.

"Who are you?" He asked. Brent knelt down and spoke to him.

"I'm Brent England." He said. "And your name is Randy, right?"

"Yep," he said proudly. "I'm Artie's little brother."

Randy turned to get into the back seat, but I grabbed his collar and
pulled him to the front passenger side. He gave me a puzzled look. This
was the first time I had ever let him ride in the front whenever we went
somewhere with Mom together.

"I get shotgun?" He asked excitedly.

"Shotgun," I replied. He quickly jumped into the front seat and buckled
up before he thought I might change my mind. My mother looked on with an
amused smile.

"Where are we going?" I asked, after we'd pulled off.

"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you," she insisted.

We drove for about an hour when I suddenly realized where we were going.
She was taking us to a theme park about a hundred miles away. It had been
about three years since we had last been there. Randy was too young to
ride any rides. He spent most of the day in a stroller.

He started squealing when he saw the rides from about a mile away. Brent
looked at me and gave me a wide grin. I could see his eyes twinkling with
excitement. From the things his father and Jared had said about him, I
figured it was probably his first visit.

He reached over and squeezed my hand when my mother pulled up to the pay
booth.
"I can't believe she brought us here," he said excitedly. "Jared has
been trying to get me to come with him for years."

"Why didn't you?" I asked.

"I'm scared of heights," he said timidly. "I hope I don't ruin the
day for you."

"Nonsense," I said as I squeezed his hand tightly. "We'll just stay
low to the ground." He looked at me and grinned.

After parking, my mother told me that Brent and I would be on our own.
She was going to take Randy to ride the children's rides. He whined at
first, saying he didn't want to ride the `baby rides.' He wanted to go
with us and ride the `big boy rides.' He relented when she threatened
to make him sit for the afternoon and wait for us.

"It is just after two," she said looking at her watch. "Why don't we
meet back here at seven? Does that give you boys enough time?" She
grabbed my hand and pressed $50 into it. I leaned in and gave her a quick
kiss.

"You bet," I responded. "Come on." I grabbed Brent's arm and led him
away.

The next few hours were the best I had ever spent in my life. Everything
was new to Brent. At first, we rode rides that weren't too dangerous;
but as the day wore on, so did his confidence. We were soon riding the
most thrilling rides in the park. I liked it because he held on to me
tightly.

He was not kidding about being afraid of heights, though. When I talked
him into going on Drop Zone, I was afraid he was going to have a heart
attack. I had never seen anyone so scared. When we reached the top, he
said he thought he was going to pee his pants. He giggled when I reached
down, pinched it, and told him I would help.

After that, we rode some of the water rides. He looked so cute when the
water sprayed us and wetted his hair. It seemed weird to think of sex at
that moment, but I could only imagine what he'd look like if I ever did
take that shower with him.

With the money my mother had given us, we managed to make ourselves sick.
There is only so much junk food you can eat while riding on rides that
spin and swirl. It is not a good combination.

"I think I'm going to be sick," exclaimed Brent as he grabbed his
stomach after our latest ride. I roared with laughter when he walked over
to a trash bin and threw up the peanuts, cotton candy, nachos and soft
drinks he'd been consuming all day.

"It's not funny," he pouted when he was finished.

"How about some more cheesy nachos?" I asked. I fell to the ground
laughing when he rushed back to the trash container and spit up some more
food.

"It's almost six forty-five," I frowned after looking at my watch.
"We'd better go meet Mom."

"I wish this day would never end," he said sadly. "It's been one of
the best days of my life."

"Mine too," I said. I wanted so desperately to kiss him, but there were
too many people around. We did manage to touch hands lightly on the way
back to the entrance to meet my mom.

Randy was knocked out when we approached. My mother was sitting on a
bench, and he was sprawled out beside her with his head on her lap. He
was fast asleep.

"Did you boys have fun? My mother asked.

"I've never had a better time in my life," answered Brent excitedly.
"Thank you so much, Mrs. Thomas."

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," she got up and gave Brent a hug. I
leaned down, picked up Randy, and held him in my arms. He groaned
slightly, and then threw his arms around my neck and held on tightly as I
carried him to the car.

I crawled into the backseat with him and placed his head in my lap. He
was so tired that he didn't even wake up. I felt guilty leaving Brent
sitting in the front seat with my mother. After the fun time we had
shared, I would have preferred to sit with him and hold his hand all the
way back home.

I don't think that he and my mother stopped talking on the trip home. My
mother did most of the talking- about me. In the two-hour drive, I think
she had related every embarrassing story about me. He kept turning around
and grinning at me. I guess he had enough ammunition on me to last a
lifetime. I couldn't wait until the next time I was invited over to his
house. I'm sure an hour with Jared would even up the score.

I was happy, though, that my mother had so willingly accepted Brent.
After her initial impression of him, I was worried that she would still
find him too feminine. However, she seemed really impressed with him. I
had always been a good student and brought home good grades, but they
were nothing compared to his. How in the world can someone have a 4.2
GPA? Isn't that mathematically impossible?

By the time we arrived at his house, they were talking as if they had
known each other for years. She even leaned in and kissed him on the
cheek before he exited the car. I wanted to see him to his door, so I
managed to move Randy from my lap without waking him.

Do you have any idea how awkward it is to walk your boyfriend to his
front door when your mother is watching? As we stood under the porch
light, Amber pulled a curtain back and peered out the window. She
puckered her lips several times and laughed before closing the curtain.

"I've really had a great day, Artie," said Brent. "Thanks for
everything."

"I'm glad," I replied nervously. I kept looking over at the car to see
if my mother was watching us. It surprised me when she suddenly backed
out of the drive and drove slowly down the street. A few seconds later,
the porch light went out. We were finally standing alone in the dark.

"I guess that's our cue," I giggled. I then leaned in and kissed him.
He threw his arms around my waist and pulled me into him. We continued to
kiss for about a minute before the porch lights started flashing on and
off.

"I guess our time is up," Brent giggled.

"Tell Amber I said thanks," I replied. I knew she had to have been the
one who turned off the lights so we could be in the dark for a minute. He
gave me another quick kiss, and then opened the door and went inside.

I walked off the porch, just as my mother came pulling up slowly in front
of his house. She was grinning when I got in the car.

"Don't say anything, please," I begged. I could tell by the amused
look on her face, she wanted to say something to embarrass me.

"What in the world would I have to say?" She laughed. I am glad it was
dark outside, because she couldn't see how bright my face became when
she started making kissy sounds.

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