Date: Sat, 13 Aug 2005 00:00:19 +0000
From: Zack McNaught <bwriterb@hotmail.com>
Subject: Tay part 3

The news came at about midday, I suppose. We were in English, I remember
that much, and it was just before lunch, too, so I guess midday would be
about right. The headmistress came into the room, a grave look on her face,
and spoke very quietly to our teacher, whose features soon dropped to mirror
those of the head. Very quietly, the headmistress walked over to Tay and
asked him to leave the room with her so that she could talk to him in
private.
I didn't see him again that day, and as soon as I got off the bus I ran as
hard as I could for his house. I knew something was wrong as soon as I
entered their road. People were gathered all around, being nosey in a way
that only the English can, and when Tay's house came into view around the
corner, there were two police cars and another one, all black, unmarked but
obviously associated with the others. A policeman was standing outside the
front door, and as I approached, two more officers came out carrying clear
bin liners full of paper. When I first saw the police cars, my mind leapt to
the worst possible conclusion -- murder. But upon closer inspection, it
wasn't quite right for that. I'd seen plenty of reports about murders on TV
and they always had some sort of forensic team around in silly overalls, and
there was nothing of the sort there. I was maybe twenty metres from the
house when a policeman stopped me.
`Sorry, son, you can't go any closer.'
I started to protest that I needed to get in there to see Tay, but I didn't
have the chance to finish the sentence, because he came flying out of the
side of the house and crashed into me, grabbing me in a hug that threatened
to crush my ribs.
`I'm so glad you're here. I'm so glad. It's all gone wrong,' he said, before
burying his head into my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around him and held him
tight, while the policeman just walked away shaking his head.
It took me half an hour to get anything sensible out of Tay, and when I
finally discovered what had happened I was in for a bit of a shock. In
short, his dad was to be deported to America to face an absolutely massive
fraud trial. Apparently they had all the evidence they would ever need, and
his dad was going to have to plead guilty just to avoid spending his whole
life in prison. The rest of the family was in limbo. Because the house was
in his mother's name (which I discovered later was a precaution for this
very outcome), she could retain it, and most of their stuff. But she had no
job, and their visas would run out. That meant going back to America, where
they would have nothing. The last bit was the real shock for me. For the
first time in my life, I risked losing what was most important to me in the
world.
I was numb for the next few days. I had to keep going to school, but Tay
wasn't there with me. I saw him maybe once in the evening, but there was so
much going on that there was little time for me in his life. His dad was
fighting the extradition, but his appeal ,which was fast-tracked because the
American authorities wanted him on trial as soon as possible, failed a week
later. Tay came to me then, in tears again, inconsolable. His father was
leaving on a plane the next day, and he had just five minutes to say goodbye
before losing him for years to come. He stayed with me that night, and the
one after, my parents accepting of the fact that he needed comforting. He
didn't want to go back to his mother, for fear of hearing more bad news, and
just let her know where he was. During the day, he would stay at home, and
one the second day I bunked off school to be with him, prepared to face the
consequences later on. Strangely, when I went back to school, there were no
repercussions. The head asked me into her office for a while, and I was
convinced I was about to get into serious trouble, but she just wanted to
know how I was feeling, and how Tay was. I found out from a friend later
that he had confessed my deepest secret to the headmistress, who, despite
coming across as a very stuffy old woman, was actually remarkably forward
thinking about the nature of our relationship. I was offered support, and
nothing else. No punishment, no rebuke, just a gentle reminder that I
couldn't allow my schoolwork to suffer through all of this.
Days passed, became weeks, became a month. Tay was still depressed, still
unable to concentrate at school, so he didn't go until the summer holidays
hit us. I was acutely aware that things were about to get worse though, as I
spoke to his mother one day, who informed me that their visas would be up at
the end of August. It was the fourth when she told me, giving them just
under four weeks left before they would have to leave the country. I
couldn't bear to lose Tay. I needed so desperately to make him better, and
if he went back to America, that would never happen.
The thinnest of rays of hope was on the horizon, though, the smallest chance
that they wouldn't have to leave. Tay's mother didn't want to uproot her
children, and had tried, unsuccessfully, to get a job and keep them in the
country. She would be able to make a certain amount of capital from the sale
of their home, but that money wouldn't last for ever, and the government
knew it. They were given one last chance, the one chance that everyone in
the UK gets -- the opportunity to go to arbitration. They would have to go in
front of a magistrate to plead their case, though with three dependents and
no sign of income, their chances were fairly slim. Tay grew increasingly
anxious as the day of the hearing approached. He stayed at my house the
night before, and I held him as he cried himself to sleep, soaking the
shoulder of my t-shirt with his tears. When he left in the morning with his
mother, his face was one of utter dejection. He was sure of the result
before they'd even attended the hearing, and my father had privately
expressed his own opinions about their chances of staying in the country,
which he assessed as pretty poor. When I got back to my room, I lay face
down on my bed and burst into tears.
My father must have heard me, though I'd tried to be as quiet as possible.
He was off work that week, having taken a little time off to work around the
house. A recent promotion meant that he didn't have to travel so much any
more. It would have been something really worth celebrating if I had felt
like celebrating during those few weeks. The upshot was that he had more
money, more time for me, and more time off. We weren't exactly going to be
rich now, but suddenly things were a lot more comfortable. Anyway, he must
have heard me sobbing into my pillow because without me realising it, he
crept into my room. The first I knew of him being there was the big hand
that rested on my shoulder, followed by the rock of the bed as he sat down
next to me.
`He's a good friend, isn't he?'
I rolled over onto my side and looked up at my dad through tear-clouded
eyes. I nodded slowly, wiping the tears from my eyes as best I could. I must
have looked a complete mess.
`Perhaps more than a friend, though, right?'
My heart leapt into my mouth. "Busted!", as Tay would have put it. I tried
valiantly to deny it, but my dad hushed me and grabbed me into a hug,
crushing me against him. He'd never been a physical kind of guy, but he
overcame his own inhibitions to comfort me then, to try to heal my hurts.
`Do you have any smart clothes clean?' he asked after a few minutes. I
couldn't work out why I would need them, but I didn't get the chance to ask.
As soon as I had nodded my head my dad leapt into action.
`Get into them, and get your school shoes on. I'll see you downstairs.'
With that he all but ran out of the room and into his room. I could hear him
rifling through his suits in his wardrobe, and wondered what on earth he
could be up to. When he joined me downstairs a few minutes later, he was
smarter than I'd ever seen him. I'd seen him going off to work sometimes,
occasionally wearing a full suit, but never this well dressed. He looked
amazing, like a proper businessman, and grinned when he saw the look on my
face.
`Still got it then,' he said, half to himself. I didn't realise what I was
thinking at the time, but in retrospect part of my gay little brain must
have thought that he was incredibly good-looking.
He walked out to the car, leaving me to lock up the house, still not saying
where we were going. It was only when we were on the dual carriageway
heading into town that he finally revealed what he was planning.
`The reason that Tay's family can't stay here is that the government is
worried they won't be able to support themselves, so they don't think they
should be here. They need some sort of promise that his family won't just
start asking for benefit when they don't even come from here, and could get
by in their own country. But if someone gives them that promise, and can
prove it, they might be allowed to stay.'
`So?' I said. I still didn't have a clue what he was planning, which, in
retrospect, was bloody stupid of me.
`So, I'll go in there and tell them that I'll support them if Tay's mum
can't get a job.'
I was stunned.
`But why would you do that?'
`Because,' replied my dad, somewhat exasperated with my stupidity by this
point, `you love him, don't you?'

The guard on the door of the court didn't want to let us in. The hearing was
in progress by the time we got there, and apparently it was too late to go
in. My dad told me to go and wait near the entrance to the courtroom, and
started talking to the guard in a very low voice. I don't know what he said,
and he would never tell me, but a couple of minutes later we were inside.
Tay looked round when we came in, even though I thought we had been all but
silent. He was the only one who noticed us coming in. His eyes were dull and
lifeless, and red from crying. He hardly recognised me, but when he did was
able to give me a weak smile, before turning back to face the front. The
magistrate was just summing up when we got there -- it seemed the hearing had
been rather perfunctory.
`In this light of your lack of financial support for your children, Mrs
MacIntyre (CHECK THIS), and the likelihood that you would have to claim
state benefit should you remain in this country, I can see no way that I can
possibly extend your visa. You have demonstrated to me that despite having
to endure hardship when you return to your home country, you will not suffer
to any greater extent than you would in this country, and so unless you can
provide a guarantor at this late time in the proceedings, I expect you to
leave the country as scheduled by the end of the week.'
Tay's mother was resigned by this point. Her last hope was gone, and her
head dropped forwards, and I could hear her sobbing. I was about to urge my
dad to stand up when I felt him moving next to me. He looked so tall
standing above me, with his shoulders back and eyes forward.
`Excuse me, your honour.'
The magistrate, who had been writing notes with his head down, avoiding the
scene in front of him, looked up at the sound of my dad's voice.
`Yes?'
`My name is Paul Milton. I'm a friend of the MacIntyre family. I will
guarantee them.'
I wish I had a camera to capture the looks on the faces in front of us. The
expressions were priceless.
`Please approach the bench, Mr Milton. And you, too, Mrs MacIntyre. This is
most unusual.'
As my dad approached the bench, Tay ran back down the court and grabbed me
into a hug. I wanted to kiss him very hard there and then, but more pressing
was the need to see what was going on at the front of the court. All we
could hear were murmurs. Occasionally one or other of my dad or Tay's mum
would nod their head. By the time they were done, the judge was smiling
slightly, and seemed almost as though there were a tear in the corner of his
eye.
Tay's mum waited at the front of the court, supporting herself on the
railing on front of the benches, and my dad came back to get Tay and I.
`Come on, you two, you'd better get up front with us.'
`Did you make it so we can stay?' asked Tay. My dad nodded and smiled, and
was rewarded by a huge, strong hug that knocked the wind out of him. I
hugged him too, squeezing extra hard to let him know how much I loved him,
and then we both ran off to hug Tay's mum, and his little brother and
sister, who were sitting there confused by the whole ordeal. The judge
banged his gavel, and we all jumped slightly.
`Order, please. In light of this rather late statement of guarantee, I will
grant you permission to stay in the country until your youngest child has
left school, Mrs MacIntyre, though the court will expect evidence of income
as soon as you can possibly manage it. I will set visa review for one year's
time. Good luck, Mrs MacIntyre.'
Tay's mum was crying now, and I could even see a little moisture in the
corner of my dad's eyes as she hugged him and thanked him over and over
again. Tay and I were different. For us, it was release, a finality, a
realisation that we could overcome. Slowly, deliberately, fully aware of our
surroundings and not caring who saw, we leaned into each other and kissed
passionately. I know several people gasped, I heard them, but right then I
didn't care. All that bothered me was that Tay was staying with me, that he
would stay with me for the rest of my life.

The End