Date: Thu, 9 Jun 2011 15:40:03 +0000
From: David Lee <dlee169@hotmail.com>
Subject: Tommy and Tanner, Chapter 19

Tommy and Tanner
Chapter 19

Warning:

This story contains scenes of love and sexual interaction between males of
similar age.  If the reading or possessing this material is illegal in your
country, state, province, county, municipality, etc., please leave this
site immediately and do not proceed further.  If you are under the legal
age to read this, please do not do so.  It is not my intention to offend
anyone or to get you in trouble.

The author retains the copyright, and any other rights, to this original
story.  You may not publish it or any part of it without explicit
authorization from me.

This is not my first attempt at writing fiction.  My longer stories on
Nifty include: "Always and Forever" (March 25, 2004), "Jacob and Jacques"
(May 30, 2004), "Zeke" (August 29, 2005), "Tales from Bentonville"
(November 16, 2008), and "Second Chance" (September 24, 2010) under "High
School" and "Someone to Watch over Me" under "Beginnings" in the gay male
section.  There are a few short stories also: "Brad and Alan's Canoe Trip"
(April 22, 2004 under "Camping", "Of Angels and Dragons" (November 8, 2008)
under "Camping", "A Christmas Tale" (December 22, 2009) under "High
School", "Brazil Affair" (October 1, 2010) under "Beginnings" and "Seth's
Gift" (October 10, 2010) under the Science Fiction/Fantasy category.

I am now listed on Nifty under the category of "Prolific Net Authors" which
will make it easier for you to access earlier stories.  Some of these
stories are also posted at: www.storylover.us along with those of other
writers that may interest you.

My only reward for contributing to Nifty is your emails.  Please write if
you like the story.  Please include the name of the story in the title of
your email because my email service sometimes puts them in the "spam" file.

Finally, thanks and hugs to Tom and David (boxerdude) who edit for me so
that there are fewer mistakes!  They not only proof-read, but make other
valuable suggestions.

David
(dlee169@hotmail.com)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tommy and Tanner,
Chapter 19

Tim took his brothers to church, making a detour along the way to pick up
Ms. Cranston.  She often came by cab, but Tim felt he should try to give
her a ride when he could.  Tuck gave up his seat in front without even
being asked to.  Tim thought maybe there was hope for the boy yet.

They arrived a bit early, assuming that it might take Dorothy a few minutes
to get ready.  Such was not the case, and she opened the door when she saw
Tim bounding up the front steps.

"Please bring your brothers in to see my kitchen in progress," she
requested.

The boys came in to admire the work that had been done.  Their remarks were
more than simply attempts to be polite.  They were truly impressed with the
gleaming new appliances and beautiful floor.  Even Tuck commented on how
nice it looked.  By the time they were through with their short tour, Tim
said they needed to load up if they didn't want to be late.

Lee had saved seats for the boys on one end of the pew and Teri had saved a
place for Dorothy on the other.  Peter and Lee moved toward the center so
the boys wouldn't have to trip over them.  Tanner, Tommy, Tuck, and Tim sat
in that order beside Lee.  Just before the organ prelude began, Tanner
whispered very quietly in Lee's ear.

"Well, did you get some this weekend?"

"Yes, you cheeky boy; how about you?"

"Yup!  It's really convenient for us, sleeping together in the same bed and
all."

"Maybe we did that too."

"Way to go!"  Tanner whispered, a little louder than he'd intended as he
bumped fists with his uncle.

Fortunately the music covered his words.

Pastor Anna's sermon was on the subject of "Who is my neighbor?"  She
applied the parable of the "Good Samaritan" to people in contemporary times
who are marginalized by society like the Samaritans had been in the time of
Christ.  When she illustrated her point by relating the story of a
serviceman whose life had been spared in Iraq by the selfless sacrifice of
a gay comrade, Tommy and Tanner looked at each other knowing the source of
that tale.  They both thought it was cool to have a gay guy held up as a
role model in a sermon.

Once again, Lee felt it had been almost providential that he'd found this
church through his search for his nephew.  He was seriously considering
inquiring about new members' classes.

After social hour, Tark and Teri took Dorothy home.  Teri had a motive for
it besides letting Tim out of that duty.  She wanted Tark to see the
results of her suggestions for Dorothy's kitchen.

Tark was well impressed and said so.  On their way home from Dorothy's
house, they again discussed how much they loved the place.

"I'm going to make an appointment this week to see a loan officer at the
bank.  With interest rates as low as they are, we might be able to handle
buying it."

"I don't know, dear.  We'll have another little mouth to feed and Tim will
be in college next year.  Perhaps we shouldn't think about it.  I wasn't
pushing you to buy it.  I wanted you to see my ideas coming to life."

"Maybe you should quit teaching and become a decorator.  You certainly have
a gift for it."

"I'd enjoy it, but there's no job security and no pension down the road.
And, I really do love working with kids."

----------

The fall semester didn't begin until Wednesday for the students.  The
teachers had meetings on Monday and Tuesday, so the boys were left on their
own for a couple of days.

On Monday, Andy came over on his bike to accompany Tommy and Tanner to the
park.  The guys got Tim to drive them to the Baker's home to pick up
Brendon for a morning of playtime.

His mother met them at the door with lunches packed for all.  She even had
one for Tim, although he wasn't planning to stay the whole time.  Brendon
was very excited about going.

Tim ended up staying a while because Brendon took to him quickly and wanted
him to play.  Tim always seemed to have that effect on little kids.  No
doubt he'd make a great dad someday.

But, after about half an hour, he said he needed to head for the pool and
he got Brendon interested in going down the slide with the other boys.

By the time Tim came back for his passengers, Brendon was still full of
energy, but the older boys were nearly worn out from all the activities
despite having taken turns entertaining him.

The following afternoon, Andy, Tommy, and Tanner accompanied Brendon to the
pool.  Jennifer drove them and stayed in the parking lot long enough to
make sure Brendon wasn't going to freak out.  He seemed to be fine, so she
left when he waved to her through the chain-link fence.

As he had been the day before, Brendon was full of piss and vinegar.  The
boys channeled his energy into swimming laps.  They helped him with his
strokes because he was eager to improve rather than just to play around.
They were impressed by his attention span and determination.

"You're going to be a great swimmer in high school if you keep this up,"
Tanner told him.  "In fact, I'm gonna talk to your mom about the Y
programs.  If you get a head start, you'll kick butt!"

The other two guys agreed.  Brendon was on cloud nine.

When it came time to shower and change, the older boys weren't sure how to
handle being nude together with the young boy.  They wondered if he would
have flash-backs, but decided to go ahead and do what they normally did
without making a big deal out of it.  They hoped he'd be as comfortable as
they were around their friends and brothers.

As they were showering, Brendon checked each of them out unabashedly.  It
was kind of difficult remaining completely soft when someone was looking
that closely at their junk, but they managed.

"Wow, you guys have big penises!"  Brendon exclaimed.  "Mine is really
little."

"That's how it is with everyone when they're your age," Andy explained.
"Look at how much smaller your hands are than ours.  When you grow to be as
big as we are, you'll grow all over.  Your hands, feet, and even your penis
will be bigger."

"That's cool," Brendon said.  "I hope mine gets as big as my dad's."

"It probably will," Tommy said, remembering how impressed he'd been with
his father's when he was Brendon's age and knowing he must be nearing his
father's size now.

When Jennifer took the boys home, she left Brendon inside the car with the
AC on for a couple of minutes, out of earshot, to ask them how things had
gone.  They said he was fine and briefly told her about the conversation in
the showers so that she would know they weren't doing anything untoward
with her son.  She smiled about Brendon's assessment of his father's
equipment, saying that it was true, and then she blushed from the
realization she'd been so frank with the teens.  They loved her openness
and her embarrassment.

----------

When the first day of the term arrived, everyone at school looked happy and
raring to go for another year.  Well, almost everyone.  Mason Frey was very
leery of how he would be received.  Although his name hadn't been published
in the newspaper about lascivious acts with a child, he was certain that
everyone knew.  No doubt Tommy, Tanner, and Andy had told the world.

The three boys had actually been very tight-lipped, but Mason didn't know
that.  His paranoia kept him on edge.  He was relieved that the first day
was only a half-day because he dreaded facing other students in the
cafeteria where things were more causal than in the classroom and there
weren't many adults around to prevent verbal asides.

As Mason was heading for the bike rack, he met the trio that he'd been
blaming for his presumed notoriety.  When they saw him, they neither
ignored him nor greeted him as a long lost buddy.  Their "hellos" were
polite, but brief.  Mason breathed a sigh of relief.  At least they weren't
taunting him.  He would discuss the encounter with his therapist later in
the afternoon when his mother took him for his appointment.

Mason was looking forward to his session because he really liked his
counselor and it was at a facility in another town so that no one would be
likely to see him going there.

----------

"Mr. Ratliff, you're 4:30 appointment is here," the receptionist announced.

Lee came out to greet Mason and his mother.

"Mrs. Frey, Mason and I will spend the first 45 minutes or so together and
then we'll invite you in and see what he is willing to share and what you
have to contribute."

"That's fine.  I trust you to do what is best.  I don't think I could add
much."

Mason spent several minutes talking about things in general, avoiding what
he wanted to say.  Finally, he took a deep breath and opened up.

"I was molested by a babysitter when I was about Brendon's age.  At the
time, I didn't know it was a bad thing.  The guy began by doing things to
me that felt good – play wrestling, tickling, and stuff like that."
Mason began.  "But later, he forced me to do things I didn't want to do.
He said he'd kill me if I told and I believed him," he began to sob.  "I
can't believe I tried to force that little boy to do the same things.  I
wish I could die!"

"Mason, look at me!  I feel you're not telling the whole story.  Having
been molested might be the cause of why you did it to someone else, but
this better not be a ploy to get off easy.  I can tell that you're holding
something back and I want the truth."

"They'll k-k-kill me," Mason continued to cry.

"Who will kill you?"

"My m-mom and dad."

"If you need to be taken from your home and put into a safe environment, it
can be arranged.  We have to get to the bottom of this in order for you to
heal.  Now please tell me."

"It was my uncle Lonny, Dad's brother.  They'll never believe me because he
has a girlfriend and a kid."

"Wait a minute, you told me you were an only grandchild on either side of
the family.  Something isn't adding up."

"I'm not lying.  He had the kid with another girlfriend and my grandparents
refuse to accept the girl as part of the family.  She's also half Hispanic
and my grandfather is very prejudiced about race."

"Okay, do you have any proof?  If you do, that would help convince your
parents."

"I have a couple of old fashioned Polaroid pictures that he took.  One of
them shows me, uh, giving him oral sex."

"That might not prove a lot because how would anyone know it's him?"

"He has a birthmark on his right thigh that looks like a PFC stripe."

"Whew!  That's a very lucky fluke.  But, how did you happen to end up with
them?  I'd think he'd have been smart enough to have destroyed them or kept
them hidden."

"He took a bunch and I slipped two of them under the throw rug.  He thought
there were more, but I convinced him that he had them all.  I wanted to
keep some for souvenirs.  I know that's weird, but after a while I kinda
liked what we were doing and I'd feel him up the minute we were alone.  I
wanted to make him feel good because he said he loved me.  I'm so warped!"

"I know it sounds twisted, but it's not uncommon.  It's like when people
who've been held captive for a long time begin to bond with their captors.
You're not weird."

"Thanks.  Can I have a hug?"

"Of course," Lee said, giving Mason a shoulder squeeze, being careful not
to be too intimate.

"I suppose I have to tell my parents..."

"Eventually, but I'd like to have you bring the photos next time so that we
can keep them safe.  What if your father denied that his brother could do
such a thing and tore up the evidence?"

"You're right; he could do that.  He's always made excuses for Lonny, even
insisting that Maria couldn't be Lonny's child regardless of the paternity
test."

"So, what will we discuss when your mother comes in?  We don't want to
reveal any of this until the evidence is safe.  Since we've already run
your session into the time allotted for her, I can probably put her off
until next time.  Do you think that would work?"

"Definitely.  She'll be happy that she doesn't have to face reality yet.
You saw how she wasn't eager to participate."

When Lee made his apologies to Mason's mother, she seemed relieved that
he'd used up all the time with her son.  On the way home, she didn't ask
Mason what had been discussed.  He knew her well – she'd be happy to
remain with her head buried in the sand.

----------

"It was kinda strange running into Mason today." Tommy said as the boys
were getting ready for bed.  "I thought maybe he'd be in reform school or
something."

"I think they try to rehabilitate kids in regular society these days,
unless they murdered someone.  He's not a vicious criminal."  Tanner
observed.

"He certainly has some redeeming qualities." Tommy grinned.

"Does he give better head than I do?"

"I'm not saying that, but he is good.  Ask about anyone on the basketball
team.  You're way better because you love me and only me."

"Yeah I do.  Would you like a demonstration to see if I'm still number
one?"

"Could we maybe practice on each other?" Tommy said, licking his lips.

"Mais oui, mon ami!"

"Oh I love it when you speak French to me.  How about doing some
`Frenching'?"

"Certainment!"

Talking ceased as the boys explored each other's mouth with their tongues
while rubbing their naked bodies together.  As horny as both were, they
would accomplish their mission without losing too much sleep, but a lot of
cum, of course.

----------

On Thursday afternoon, Tuck came bouncing into the counselors' office to
talk to Mr. Parker about changing one of his classes.  He was determined
not to take the home economics part of the electives rotation.  He was fine
with art, music, and computer, but the woman who was supposed to teach them
simple cooking and sewing was an idiot as far as he was concerned.  She had
spent the first full day of class showing a video on kitchen safety
followed by having each student go to the electric range and practice
turning it on and off.  Tucker had helped with countless meals, and while
not as proficient in the kitchen as his brothers, had once cooked the major
part of dinner by himself.

"Hi Ms.  Thompson.  May I talk to Mr. Parker if he's not busy?"

"Didn't you know that he doesn't work here anymore?"

"Why?  What happened?  He didn't get fired did he?"

"No, the district had to make budget cuts and he would have been laid off,
but Mrs. Freeman at Coolidge decided to take early retirement, so they
moved him to high school."

"When did this happen?  I saw him Sunday and he didn't say anything?"

"He didn't know it then.  He was probably agonizing about the possibility
of not having a job.  How well do you know him?"

"Pretty well.  We belong to the same church and he's our uncle's friend."

"Tell me," she said in a conspiratorial tone, "is he gay like I suspect?"

"He's never discussed his sexual orientation with me, and I for one feel
that it's his business and no one else's either way."

"Tucker Torrance, please come in and tell me what you need." Ms. Jones
called from the small inner office.  "You've been assigned to me since
Mr. Parker left."

Tuck went into the office and Ms. Jones closed the door quickly.  She had a
big grin on her face.

"I should probably chide you for verging on dissing your elders in that
little scene out there, but I won't because you did what needed to be done.
Peter and I have discussed his orientation, but I'm not going to gossip and
that secretary out there shouldn't either.  Just like you said, it's no
one's business!  You put her in her place rather smoothly without using any
bad words or yelling or whatever.  I'm not sure she even knew she was being
chastised.  You'll make a great politician or diplomat someday.  The world
needs people like you who aren't afraid to speak up against prejudice and
do it in a way that won't cause a backlash."

"Thanks," Tuck grinned.  "I wish my brothers could hear you say that.  They
think I'll never become civilized."

"Well, they're all perceptive boys, but they're wrong in this case.  I'm
proud of you!"

"Thanks again!  Since you know about Mr. Parker, I guess I can tell you
that he's dating our uncle – well Tanner's uncle actually, but we've
adopted him like we did Tanner."

"Oh, you're talking about the boy I knew as John Leads.  Yes, I was aware
that your parents had adopted him, but I'd heard he had no living
relatives."

"Everyone thought that, but Lee is his dad's brother and they were
separated as children when their family was split up.  He found us this
summer and he's really cool!"

"Thanks for trusting me with those bits of information.  I'm delighted to
know that Peter's found someone.  I hope it works out.  He's such a sweet
man!

Now what was it you wanted to see me about?"

"It's about that stupid cooking class!  I know how to turn on a frig, uh
sorry, darn stove without wasting a whole class period when I could be
doing something more constructive like picking my nose.  Can you rescue
me?"

"Hmm, you're not the first to complain and I will, despite your review of
Mrs. Logan's teaching abilities.  You're good with computers aren't you?"

"Yeah, I could've tested out of the class, but I like it."

"How `bout I make you an office helper during that period and give you
credit for it?  I think you can be trusted to enter data into the computer
and help ease the secretaries' work load.  I remember the brownies you
baked last year, so I can vouch for your cooking skills."

"I think I can bring you some this week," Tuck smiled.

"Are you bribing me?" Ms. Jones asked, with a twinkle in her eye.

"No ma'am.  Like any good politician, I'm rewarding my supporters."

"Get out of here before you talk me into letting you out of all your
classes!"

----------

The first week of school literally flew by.  By the following Wednesday,
summer was a fading memory as students plunged into their new term.
Everyone looked a bit more mature than they had the previous year.  A
number of the sophomore boys had grown several inches taller over the
summer.  Some had lost the last vestiges of baby fat and were beginning to
show muscle definition.

The girls hadn't changed as much since puberty tended to hit them earlier
than their male counterparts.  Tanner thought that Sibyl's bust-line was
fuller than it had been, but it didn't hold any particular interest for
him.  He felt like "been there; done that" instead of lusting or even
having any curiosity.

Tommy and Tanner were still a duo, but now were often part of a trio with
Andy along side.  The three of them had more in common than orientation.
They had kempo instruction, several classes in common, cross country, and
being Brendon's big brothers as well.

After school, on that second Wednesday, Mason ran into all three as they
headed for the bike racks.  He was again relieved that the boys maintained
a rather neutral attitude toward him.  He was aware that they disapproved
of his conduct with Brendon and had made statements to the police about
what they saw him doing, but he also noticed that they were still keeping
silent about the incident.  It gave him a little hope that he might have a
normal life without having to be shipped off to live with his grandparents.

He went to his appointment with Mr. Ratliff feeling pretty good.  He had
the photos in his backpack and was ready to face his demons.  He needed to
be cured so that he wouldn't hurt children.

----------

"How do you feel today, Mason," Lee asked the boy.

"A lot better.  See this picture?  I hadn't looked at it for a long time.
It used to make me feel sexy, but now it makes me sick.  That fucking
bastard took away my childhood!  But now that I've stared at that problem
head-on, I do feel better.  I think I can beat this thing."

"This photo is incriminating.  That birthmark should be proof positive of
who was doing this to you.  It makes me sick too.  I want Dr.  Chandler to
be in on this."

Lee picked up the phone to have the receptionist check on Dr. Chandler's
availability.  Within a couple of minutes, the chief psychiatrist was
viewing the pictures with Mason and Lee.

"We need to make several copies of these and we need to contact the
authorities.  I hope we can get this man locked up.  If not, we can
certainly make his life Hell and do our best to see that he doesn't molest
other boys."

"Do you think we should discuss this with Mason's mother at this time?" Lee
asked.

"I do.  Let me call her in."

When his mother came into the room, Mason was suddenly very uncomfortable.
He didn't know how she would react.  He wondered if he'd have a home to go
to when the session was finished.

"Mrs. Frey, we have some photos that we want you to view.  I must warn you
that they will be upsetting.  Not knowing what your reaction will be, I
will show you copies so that the originals will remain safe for a police
investigation."

Brenda Frey's eyes widened in fear of what this could be.

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed.  "That's Lonny and you.  He's making you do
what they're accusing you of doing!"

"He did it to me and I tried to do it to Brendon and would have if my
friends hadn't stopped me.  It's awful that Dad was going to take a swing
at Tark because the boys did the right thing."

"Oh, baby, I'm so sorry!  I should have known Lonny might try something
nasty.  He's always been rotten and the family's covered up for him or
ignored his behavior.  I'll talk to Dad and we'll get to the bottom of
this."

"Thanks Mom.  I was afraid you'd hate me."

"Why would I do that?  You are precious to me.  I can understand why you
might abuse a boy like you'd been abused.  We have to admit what you've
done and continue treatment with Mr. Ratliff until you're cured."

"That may not be possible," Lee said.  "Mason, which boys you were talking
about when you said your dad had a run-in with Tark?" Lee asked,
anticipating the answer.

"Their names are Andy, Tommy, and Tanner." Mason answered.

"Dr. Chandler, I'm afraid I will have to withdraw from being Mason's
counselor due to a possible conflict of interest.  I don't want to do
something unethical."

"Whatever do you mean?" the doctor asked.

"Tanner Torrance is my nephew."

"I don't want you to stop seeing my son," Brenda said.  "You have no idea
how much better he's seemed since coming to you.  He's evidently been
living with a terrible secret for several years and you've exposed it.
You're a lifesaver."

"I know that Lee would keep everything confidential, but he and I will
discuss the implications of this before he sees Mason again.  I'll probably
run it past my lawyer to get her opinion too." Dr. Chandler said.  "If we
don't get an answer by next week, I will take the appointment if that's
okay with you, Mason.  I understand that you've bonded with Mr.  Ratliff
and I will do my best not to jeopardize your progress."

"He's the one I want to see," Mason insisted.  "But I'll talk to you if he
isn't allowed to.  I'm sure you're okay too."

"Thank you for the vote of confidence," Dr. Chandler smiled.  "I'll do my
very best by you if you can't continue with Mr. Ratliff."

"Pray for us," Brenda said as they were leaving.  "I dread how Darrel will
take this news about his brother.  He's always defended and protected him,
like the rest of the family.  Lonny has never had to be responsible for
anything he's done, including fathering a child out of wedlock."

"In this state, the statute of limitations on childhood sexual abuse
doesn't run out until at least 10 years after the victim has turned 18 and
it can be extended, depending on certain circumstances.  Your
brother-in-law isn't going to get off with a slap on the wrist this time!"
the doctor vowed.

-----------

Author's notes: Thanks to all who emailed since last posting: Ott H,
Anthony L, Blake J, Bill T, Roger L, Bill K, Walt S, Rutabaga, Mark H, Bert
H, Wayne, KT, Don R, Tom A, Ethan T, Jim C, Jim W, Bob Z, Hans S, Hal J
(#94), Paul R,John McD, Tom R (#95), Paul F, Tony W, Douglas and Lawrence,
Dennis A, and Vann D.

As you can see, there are a couple of new names on the list.  It's
remarkable to me that I've had 95 new responders since last fall.

Mea Culpa!  I messed up on the title of Hans's story "A Rock and a Hard
Place."  This is the correct one.  In my mind, I added the "Between" part.

Thoughts and prayers for people going through floods and forest fires as
well as those in wars and other disasters.

David