DISCLAIMER:
M/M, m/m, M/m
This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
This story contains descriptions of explicit sexual acts of boys and men discovering their sexuality. It contains graphic scenes of sex between consenting underage boys, consenting adult males and boys with adult males (eventually). If this type of content offends you or you are under the age of 18, do not read it.
If it is illegal to read such material where you live or if you find the topic distasteful, then please stop reading now. You have been warned.
This story is the property of the author. It can be downloaded for personal reading pleasure or sending to a friend, but if you wish to re-post them at your own site, please contact the author for permission.
Copyright 2016 WSC, all rights reserved.
A copy of the story has been assigned to the Nifty Archives under the terms of its submission agreement. Comments on the story are appreciated and may be addressed to enderwiggin61@outlook.com
All flames will be politely ignored.
If you have enjoyed this or other stories on Nifty, consider donating to keep the service free. http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html
Author's Note:
I started writing this story, never intending it to grow into what it has become. It seems to have taken on a life of its own. I hope you enjoy.
Also, if you are enjoying this story, my first story can be found here:
https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/adult-youth/moments
Friday began like all the other days this week, alarm blaring at 6:00AM. Of course, if it wasn't blaring, it wouldn't wake me up. I hopped out of bed, took care of my morning bathroom needs and shook Tom to wake him.
"C'mon, big guy, rise and shine!"
"5 more minutes, please," he grumped as he rolled over and pulled the covers over his head.
I headed to the other end of the house to wake the boys, receiving much the same greeting I had just gotten from Tom. When I finally managed to get the boys moving in the right direction, I headed back to work on Tom some more. I found him sitting on the edge of the bed holding his head in his hands.
"You okay, Tom?"
"Yeah, just a freakin' killer of a headache. You got Advil or anything?"
"You bet. Behind the mirror in the bathroom. Bring some with you and I'll have some coffee ready for you when you get to the kitchen, okay?"
"Sounds good, I'll be there shortly," he moaned.
I pulled on some sweatpants and headed to the kitchen to get the coffee and some breakfast going. After looking over the available options, I decided on scrambled eggs this morning. I was just dishing the eggs onto plates when the boys straggled in to join me. I got them set up with their eggs, some toast, and glasses of milk and juice, then headed back to check on Tom since he hadn't made it to the kitchen yet. I found that he'd managed to get dressed, but that was about it.
"Are you sure you can work today?"
"No, I'm not, but I can't call in sick during my last two weeks on the job."
"Sure, you can. Want me to dial the number for ya'?"
"Nah, I'm okay, just need some caffeine and Advil and I'll be fine."
"If you're sure, then you better get a move on."
"Yes, dad," he said, oozing sarcasm.
I grabbed a shirt, socks and shoes so I could be ready to drive the boys out to meet the bus and headed back to the kitchen to check on their progress. They were just finishing their breakfast when I returned. While I pulled on my shirt, they started rinsing and stacking their dishes in the sink. As Tom came for his cup of coffee, they took off to their bedrooms to finish getting ready for school. Tom grabbed his mug, popped the Advil into his mouth and followed it with a big gulp of the coffee.
"Holy shit, that's hot, why didn't you warn me?"
"It's coffee, Tom, it's supposed to be hot."
"I know, but still, you coulda' warned me."
The boys picked that moment to come back, all seemingly ready to go meet the bus.
"You don't look too good, Uncle Tom."
"Just a bad headache, Joey, I'll be fine. Well, I better get going or I'll be late." We each got our hug and kiss, the boys on their foreheads and mine on the lips, much to the delight of four whistling boys. "I assume it's okay to take the Shelby, again?"
"Get outta' here, ya' big goof."
"I gotta tell ya', Max, that is one fun car to drive. All the guys at the cop shop think I musta' won the lottery or something."
"We both won the lottery, Tom. When we met on Saturday."
"Yeah, I guess we did. I need to go to my old place this weekend and get some things. We can get my car then."
"So, you're really moving in?"
"Can't think of any reason not to, can you?"
"Not a one."
"Good. Love you guys and I'll see everybody tonight." With that, he headed down the hall.
"Bye, Uncle Tom, be careful out there," Alex called to his back.
"Thanks, I will."
"Okay, you boys got everything you need?"
"Yes, dad, coats, gloves, hats and backpacks," T.J. answered.
"Good, get in the car, let me get my shoes and coat on and we'll be off." I met the boys in the garage to find them buckled in and ready to roll. When we got to the end of the drive, we still had a few minutes to wait for the bus to arrive.
"So, you're still not gonna tell us what's going on over here, are ya', dad?" Joey asked.
"Nope it's still a secret."
"It looks like you're having something built," Alex said.
"Maybe, you'll just have to wait to find out."
I saw the bus coming up the road and we got out of the car. When it finally stopped, I gave each boy a hug, reminded them to be good and learn something new, then pushed them to board the bus. I waved hi to Carl and bye to the boys as I got back in the car and headed to the house. I had a busy morning ahead with several calls to make. After I got undressed, my first call was to John, my builder.
"Good morning, John, Max here. How are you this bright and beautiful Friday?"
"Great, Max, how `bout yourself?"
"Just dandy. How's working going on the bus shelter?"
"We have the walls built, insulated and ready to assemble. Once we get that done, we'll get the roof framed and shingled. I'm going to leave the siding off and the door and window separate until we have it sitting on the slab and anchored. Don't want to have to deal with all that extra weight while trying to position the framework and anchor it to the slab."
"That sounds great, John. Is the slab and sidewalk still going to be poured Monday?"
"That's the plan. I'm glad you thought about adding the sidewalk from the shelter to the drive. I should've thought of that myself."
"Well, it didn't make much sense to have a nice warm and dry place for the boys to wait for the bus and then force them to walk through mud to get to it. Now, I've come up with a couple more projects for you and wanted to see if you're interested."
"I'm always looking for work this time of year, Max. What's on your mind?"
"I need some modifications done to a couple bedrooms in the house so they'll be more what the boys want and actually look like a kid's room."
"What kind of changes you thinking about?"
"I have two boys in each room and they've asked for separate desks and a space they can call their own. I also want to get some painting done in whatever colors they choose."
"That sounds simple enough. How soon do you want this done?"
"The twins' birthday is coming up on the 13th next month and I'd like to get their room done and have them moved into it by then. Once they're settled in their new room, we can redo the room they're in now for the other two boys."
"Sounds like you've given this some thought, Max. And it sounds like a workable plan. How soon can you have the furniture out of the first room?"
"I plan to move it out this weekend."
"Perfect. I'll be out Monday morning for the pouring of the shelter slab, anyway. When that's done, I'll come on up to the house and you can show me the rooms we'll be working on. I'll draw up a few options and come back that evening so we show it to the boys and see what they think."
"You're a good man, John. I can't thank you enough for making this happen so quickly."
"Don't worry about it, Max. It's not like I'm really that busy at the moment. I'll take any work I can get right now, even busy work. Still got to pay the bills, ya' know."
"I know, John. I still appreciate the way you've jumped on these projects. Well, have a great weekend and I'll see you Monday."
"Thanks, Max, you too."
My next task was to try and locate a lifeguard for the twins' birthday party. I didn't have a clue where to begin, so I started my search by calling the YMCA in Springfield.
"West Iles Y, this is Brad, how can I help you?"
"Good morning, Brad, my name is Max Sanders, I'm looking to hire a lifeguard and I was hoping you could point me in the right direction."
"Good morning, Mr. Sanders, I'm sure I can help you. Are you looking to fill a permanent or part-time position?"
"Definitely part-time. Very part-time. My twins' 9th birthday is coming up on the 13th and they want to have a pool party at our home the afternoon of the 15th with about 10 or 12 of their friends from school along with my other 2 sons. I feel comfortable with watching my four, but I think 14 or 16 will be a bit much for two adults to handle."
"You got that right, especially if they're all boys. I deal with that here all the time and they can certainly be a handful. What hours did you need somebody?"
"I'm thinking from maybe 1:00 to 4:00. Three hours in the pool should have them all pretty well worn out and ready to relax for a movie."
"I would hope so. How much were you thinking about paying?"
"In all honesty, I hadn't thought about it and I have no idea what a lifeguard should be paid."
"Well, sir, we usually get 25 or 30 dollars an hour when we're actually pulling lifeguard duty here. That offsets with 10 bucks an hour to answer phones and greet members."
"I'd be willing to pay $50 per hour for the three to four hours of the party."
"I'll tell you what, Mr. Sanders, I'll ask for that afternoon off from here and I'll be your lifeguard. I'm fully trained and Red Cross certified. I'd love to do it, sounds like it'll be fun. And very different to being here all day."
"That's great, Brad, let me give you my phone numbers and address." I passed on the info he would need to get in contact if needed. "If anything happens that you won't be able to make it, just let me know. Otherwise, we'll see you about 1:00 on the 15th, Brad."
"Looking forward to it Mr. Sanders. Thanks, and have a great day."
My next call was to a bakery I'd used before to talk about the birthday cake. After about 10 minutes on the phone, we had everything settled and the cake would be ready to pick up Saturday morning. After the bakery, I called a catering service to arrange for them to provide and serve the food and drinks for the party. I didn't want to miss any of my sons' first birthdays with me because I was too busy with food and other things. The last call was to Party Creations to arrange for some decorations to be delivered and set up Saturday morning. Wes was happy to hear from me and quickly agreed with my plans to decorate for the party. My last call was to Carol.
"Good morning, Carol," I said when she answered.
"Morning, Max, what's up?"
"Thanks for telling me about the boys' birthdays. You'll be happy to know that the twins are ecstatic about getting to have a party."
"That's great, Max. When's it gonna happen?"
"Well, since their actual birthday is on a Thursday, we're going to have the party Saturday afternoon, starting about noon. I know you wanted to be there."
"Oh, I do, but I can't make it that afternoon. I already have plans with my parents that day."
"Well, do you think you might have time to come out Thursday night? I was going to have something small then."
"Oh, that'd be great. I really want to see how the boys are doing, anyway, and that will be a good time to do so."
"Perfect, Carol. They'll be happy to see you."
"I'll look forward to it, Max. See you then."
"Bye, Carol, have a good day."
I had just hung up the phone when it rang. I recognized the number as the school's and answered, "Max Sanders."
"Max, Steve here, how are you today?"
"Doing well, Steve. How about yourself."
"Not bad. I wanted to call and let you know I've talked to the three boys in Mike's class who are causing problems for him. I've also talked to all their parents so they know what's been going on."
"How did that go?"
"I'm pretty sure I've impressed two of them, Mark and Billy, that their treatment of Mike is unacceptable and I expect it stop immediately. Andy, however, is going be a tougher nut to crack."
"Why is that?"
"After our talk this morning, I'm pretty sure Andy is being abused at home and he's taking it out on someone smaller than him who likely won't fight back. I just don't know what I can do about."
"Have you reported the situation to the authorities?"
"I don't have any evidence abuse is happening, so no, I haven't."
"What kind of evidence do you need?"
"Bruises or marks of some kind, but I just can't have him lift his shirt up here at school and check him over."
"Maybe I can help out with that."
"How do you propose to do it?"
"Why don't you give me the parent's names and phone numbers of all three boys? I can have Mike invite all three over tomorrow afternoon. I'm pretty sure we could talk the boys into going for a swim and that would be a good opportunity to check him over."
"That sounds pretty devious, Max. But, I like it. Here ya' go." I wrote down the parent's info as Steve gave it to me. "You'll let me know if this works."
"Bet on it."
"The other reason for my call was to see if you'd made a decision as to whether you'd be joining us in the workshop I want to have."
"I'll be there, along with Alex, Joey and T.J. Mike was adamant he wasn't coming, which is fine. I didn't expect him to want to be there. I'm not sure about Tom at this moment."
"Oh, Tom will be there."
"Really, does he know that?"
"I don't know. But I did talk to Dylan before calling you and he's agreed to participate. He's the one who told me Tom would also be there."
"Ah, the old five-watt bulb just flickered to life. Okay, I guess that makes five out of the six of us. Have you picked a date and time yet?"
"Wednesday, March 12 at 1:00PM. That day is already scheduled to be a half-school day for other reasons. That way, nobody has to give up an evening to attend."
"I'll have to have my sister stay with Mike that afternoon, then. That's all right, though, she's been wanting an excuse to hang out with the boys, anyway. She'll only have one that day, but she'll still be happy to do it and she can have supper with us that night."
"Sounds good, Max. I'd like to talk about it some more before it happens, see if you have any ideas beyond what I already have."
"I have one now you may not know exists. My sister is the assistant director of an organization called ICASA. While they deal mostly with rape crisis centers throughout the state, they may have some resources and information we could use."
"ICASA? Never heard of it."
"Not too surprising. ICASA stands for the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault. I'm sure they'd be happy to be involved. If you'd like, I can check and let you know."
"That'd be great, Max. We might get a better reaction if you made first contact, especially since your sister works there."
"I'll call Lee this evening, then."
"Thanks, Max. Let me know what she says."
"I will, Steve. And thanks for trying to help with Mike's issue. Hope you have a great weekend."
"You to, Max. Adios, amigo."
With all my calls completed, I realized I had nothing to do until it was time to meet the bus after school. I fixed myself a quick bite to eat for lunch and then settled in my chair by the fireplace with my current book. I was about to doze off when the drive sensor announced an incoming visitor a little before 3:00. I zipped to the bedroom to pull on my shorts. Just as I was sliding them up my legs, I heard, "Honey, I'm home!" echo through the house. With a sigh of relief at Tom's safe return, I slid the shorts back off and met him in the living room.
"I like coming home to find a naked man in my living room," he laughed when he saw me.
"And I like an armed man in uniform finding me in such a state. Shall I raise my hands over my head and assume the position?"
"Dressed like that, you can assume just about any position you'd like." We headed to the bedroom where Tom started to get undressed. "When do the boys get home?"
"The bus doesn't get here for another 45 minutes or so. Why."
"Good, come here lover." Tom grabbed my arm and pulled me in a bear hug, grinding his growing hardness into mine. He backed to the bed, pulling me with him, and we fell onto it in a heap when our legs hit the edge of the mattress. We spent the next half-hour intimately exploring every nook and cranny of each other's bodies, culminating with each of us inhaling the other's stiff members and sucking the life force from each other.
As we sprawled on the bed in our post-carnal bliss, Tom mumbled, "God, you're gonna kill me one of these days with that shit, but what a way to die."
"I know what you mean. For a guy with little to none supposed real-life experience, you certainly know how to work wonders with that tongue of yours."
"You're not complaining, are you?"
"Absolutely not. I only hope that someday, you'll teach me some of those tricks." I looked at the clock real quick, "Oh, shit, I've got to meet the boys at the bus." I rolled over and gave Tom a hug and kiss before jumping out of bed and pulling on sweats, shirt and shoes and darting out. My timing was almost perfect as I had just put the car in Park when the bus stopped and the boys flew out, running madly towards me. After they were in and buckled, I made the U-turn to return to the house.
As we pulled in the garage, Joey was first to notice that the Shelby was there. "Is Uncle Tom already home?"
"He is. He had an early end to his day. Any homework for the weekend?"
"Nothing for any of us, dad," Alex answered.
"How'd your spelling test go, T.J.?"
"Got a 100 on it, dad, thanks to your help."
"You could have done the same without my help, but that's what I'm here for. Any time you want help, all you have to do is ask." We entered the house and the boys stopped in their rooms to drop their backpacks and get comfy. I headed to the bedroom to do the same. As I passed the kitchen on the way, I saw Tom rummaging in the fridge for something to eat.
"You hungry, big guy?"
"Starved. What's for supper?"
"I thought we'd get pizza from Capone's tonight. I don't feel much like cooking. Sound okay to you?"
"Perfect. The sooner, the better, too." At that moment, four naked boys ran past me and wrapped Tom in a hug, Alex and Joey on each side, T.J. to the rear and poor Mike got the front, his face buried just above that patch of unruly hair surrounding his penis. I turned towards the bedroom with a laugh as I headed to join the comfort crowd. When I returned, the hug had finally broken up and I asked the boys if pizza was good with them again tonight. With all in agreement, I placed the order and was informed our super would be ready to pick up in about 45 minutes.
"While we wait to pick up supper, let's have a seat guys. I need to pass on some information I learned today."
"I know part of it," Tom commented.
"I'm sure you do."
"I know part of it, too," Mike said.
"How does he know and we don't, dad?" Alex asked.
"Because he's the reason for some of it." We all sat in the living room around the fireplace, boys on the couch and Tom and I in chairs facing them. "First, Mike, some of your problems with Andy, Mark and Billy should be resolved. Mr. Furman told me he talked to all three today and Mark and Billy both seemed to understand that the way they've been treating you is unacceptable and he expects they'll stop."
"Yeah, I think they will. At lunch, they both came over to sit with me and they told me they were sorry. They were just following Andy because he's their friend."
"Did Andy do or say anything?"
"No, not today, anyway."
"Well I have an idea that may help smooth things over with him, too."
"Really, what's that?"
"I think you should invite the three of them over for tomorrow afternoon and give all four of you time to get to know each other better."
"Wait, you want me to have those meanies over so they can pick on me here?"
"I think once you four spend some together, they'll quit picking on you. They'll see you're just another kid like them. You might actually end up liking each other."
"Don't think that's gonna' happen."
"Mike," Tom interjected, "There's an old saying, `keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer'."
"What's that mean, Uncle Tom??"
"It means, if you become friends with these three, they won't be your enemy anymore and should stop picking on you."
"That kinda' makes sense. I guess it won't hurt to try. But I don't know how to get a hold of them."
"I do," I said. "Mr. Furman gave me their parents' names and numbers this morning. Why don't we call them after supper and see if they'd like to come over?"
"Okay, if you think so, dad," Mike grumbled. "I don't think it's gonna' work, but I'll try."
"Good. The other thing Mr. Furman and I discussed was the workshop. I let him know that Alex, Joey, T.J. and I would be there and he told me that Tom would be there."
"Yeah, thanks for that."
"Hey, don't blame me. From what he said, it sounds like Dylan volunteered you."
"He did, told me this morning right after he got off the phone with Steve. Told him he had the `perfect guy' for him."
"Well, you are the perfect guy for me. For the workshop, I'm not too sure. We'll just have to wait and see."
Tom leaned over, smacked the back of my head and laughed.
I turned back to the boys and continued, "You three who are going need to think about what you want to say between now and then."
"When is it?" T.J. asked.
"March 12th, the day before the twins' birthday. It was going to be a half-day at school already and Steve thought it would be a better way to spend the afternoon than what was already scheduled."
"What about me?" Mike asked. "If you're all going to be over there, what am I gonna do?"
"I'm going to call Aunt Lee tonight and see if she'd be willing to spend the afternoon with you."
"Oh, goody, that'll be fun."
"Wait, if Aunt Lee's gonna' be here, I don't wanna' go."
"Sorry, Joey, but you've already committed to being there and we don't back down from our commitments."
"Dang it."
"Maybe we can convince her to stay for supper when we get home."
"Yeah, okay."
"I think that settles all that for the moment. Why don't you guys get the table set for supper and I'll go pick it up?"
"Hurry, dad, we're hungry," T.J. called to my back as I headed to get dressed again for the trip out.
"Be as quick as I can." By the time I returned with supper, Tom and the boys were sitting at the table, silverware in hands, looking at me with hunger written on their face as I placed the pizzas and breadsticks in front of them. "Dig in, I'll be right back." I went to the bedroom to get comfy again and returned to find all five of them stuffing their faces.
"Oh, I see how y'all are. You're just here for the food and to heck with me."
"Gotta' have your priorities straight, Max," Tom laughed. "Food first, souls second."
I filled my plate and joined the others in chowing down. When we were done eating, the boys cleaned up the table while I retrieved the names and numbers of Andy, Mark and Billy's parents so we could make our calls and invite them for tomorrow. While Tom and the other three headed to the theater to start a movie, Mike and I sat by the fireplace to make our calls. I put the phone on speaker so I could hear the whole call, but told Mike it was up to him to do the talking.
"Let's call Billy, first," Mike said. "Even though he was with Andy and Mark, he really never did much and I think he's the nicest."
"Billy, it is." I dialed the number and we waited as the phone rang.
"Hello?" an adult answered.
"Hi, is Billy there?" Mike asked.
"Just a sec."
"Hello," came a timid voice.
"Hi, Billy, it's Mike, from school."
"Oh, hi, Mike. I was wonderin' who's callin' for me. What's up?"
"Look, I know I'm not, like, your best friend or anything, but I wanted to find out if you wanted to come over tomorrow."
"Really? After what we done to you? You want me to come over?"
"Yeah, I think we could have some fun."
"You askin' Andy and Mark, too?"
"Plannin' to. I wanted to start with you. Figured if you'd want to, they would, too."
"Cool. What're we gonna' do?"
"We could walk through the woods, watch a movie, play a game, swim, whatever."
"Swim!? It's way too cold for that."
"We got a pool that's covered, Billy, and we swim all the time. It's great. C'mon, it'll be fun."
"Let me ask my mom, hang on." He set the phone down and came back in a minute. "My mom says it'd be okay, but she wants to talk to your mom or dad, first."
"My dad's right here."
"Hi Billy. Put your mom on," I said.
"Who's this," she asked.
"Hi there, I'm Max Sanders, Mike's dad. How're you?"
"Oh, hi Max. I'm Sarah White, Billy's mom. You really want him to come over tomorrow?"
"I assume you know of the problems the boys have had."
"I do, and Billy's been grounded because of his involvement. He knows better than to treat people like that."
"I'm glad to hear that Sarah. But, I'd like you make an exception in his grounding for a day. It's my hope that if all four boys involved spend some time together, they might become friends. Do you think you'd allow that?"
"I think so. Now, Billy said something about swimming, but it seems the wrong time of year for that." I explained about the pool and its heated shelter. "Aha, now it makes perfect sense. But, he's not a very good swimmer."
"That's all right, Sarah, if we do swim, I'll be there, too. The boys can't use the pool if I'm not there."
"You have more boys?"
"Four. And I'm sure they'll all be swimming."
"Sounds like you have your hands full."
"I do, but I'm loving it. Why don't you give me your address and we'll pick up Billy about 1:00 tomorrow? Would that be okay?"
"That'd be just fine, Max. And thanks. Billy doesn't have many friends."
I got the address and thanked Sarah. We called Mark next, and then, Andy. Both were surprised at being invited, but accepted after talking to their parents. Everyone would be bringing swim trunks to use and I just hoped I could convince my four to wear theirs.
"See, Mike, that wasn't so hard, was it?"
"I guess not. I really hope we have fun."
"I do, too. Now, there's something I want you to do for me tomorrow."
"What, dad?"
"When Mr. Furman talked to Andy, Mark and Billy this morning, he got the impression it might be difficult to get Andy to stop his bad behavior."
"Did he say why?"
"He thinks Andy is being abused at home, but he has no proof to call the authorities. He thinks he might be picking on you because he's being abused."
"Oh."
"I'd like you to talk to him and see if you can find out anything, then let me know."
"You bet I will. After what I been through, I don't want anyone I know to go through it."
"I knew you'd help me out. Thanks, buddy. And please, don't tell your brothers. I don't want them riled up about it, okay."
"You got it, dad, thanks. It'll be fun."
"Great, now let's go join the others and watch a movie, okay?"
"Can I get a ride?"
"Sure thing, munchkin, come here." I grabbed him under the arms, then lifted and spun him so he could sit on my shoulders. I obviously wasn't thinking about his genitals being mashed into the back of my neck, but he didn't' seem to have a problem with it. When we rejoined the others, I set him down and he hopped in the chair with T.J. while I sat next to Tom.
"How'd that go," he whispered.
"Well, it took a little convincing, but all three of the little troublemakers will be here tomorrow. I'll go pick them up about 1:00. I'm hoping Steve's concerns about Andy are unwarranted, but we'll find out tomorrow."
"What are you talking about?"
"Sorry, I was gonna' tell you when you got home, but I something distracted me and I forgot. Not that I'm complaining." I filled him in on Andy and his possible situation.
"I hope you're not forgetting what I do for living for the next week. If I suspect anything, I'm obliged to investigate."
"No, I haven't forgotten. In fact, I'm counting on it. I'm hoping you might pick up a hint of something the rest of us might miss."
"I'll do what I can. And if I suspect anything, I'll let you know, right after I call Dylan."
"Good, it's nice to have some backup."
We settled back to enjoy the rest of the movie and when it was over, I asked if they wanted to watch next Star Wars movie. After boisterous agreement from the boys, we headed to the kitchen to get popcorn and drinks for the show. While we waited for the popping to end, I explained to T.J., Alex and Joey about our visitors for tomorrow afternoon.
"Okay, guys, Andy, Billy and Mark are coming over tomorrow after lunch to play with Mike. If Mike wants it to be just the four of them, I expect you to honor that. If he wants all of you all to play together, I expect you to join in. Any problems with that?"
"That's cool, dad," T.J. answered.
"Next, since they obviously won't know about our dress code out here, I'll expect you all to be wearing shorts and if we swim, you'll wear shorts in the pool, also.
"Oh, man, that sucks," moaned Joey.
"Mouth, son."
"Sorry, dad, but it does."
I looked to Tom for some support. What I got was, "Don't look at me, he's right, it does."
"Fat lot of help you are." He just shrugged his shoulders. I looked back to the boys and continued, "Look, it's going to be their first visit here and I don't want them freaking out and telling their parents we're all a bunch of sickos."
"Okay, dad, we'll be good," Alex said.
"Thank you. Now, let's go watch a movie."
We headed back to the theater and I started the movie. T.J. and Mike were sitting together and the twins were sharing another chair. Before I sat, I remembered I needed to call Lee and let Tom know I'd be back shortly.
I headed back to the kitchen and got on the phone.
Lee's husband, Carl, answered the phone, "Joe's bar and Grill, what's your pleasure?"
"Hey, Carl, how ya' doing?"
"Great, Max, how about yourself? You surviving the week as a new dad?"
"Barely. These guys are keeping me on the run, but we're all still kicking, so there's that."
"Glad to hear it. I thought Lee had dipped into the good shit when she told me you were adopting four boys. Never imagined that happening."
"Ha, neither did I, Carl. Maybe we both snuck into your stash."
"Sh-h-h-h, careful what you say, Max, you never know who's listening."
"Mum's the word. Hey, is Lee there? I need to run a couple things past her."
"Yeah, hang on just a sec." I heard him call Lee to the phone and he came back, "She'll be right here, Max. Good talkin' to ya'. Hope to see you and meet my nephews, soon."
"Anytime, Carl."
"Here's Lee. Talk to you later."
"Hey, Max, what's up?"
"Got two things for you. First, I need to find out if you'd be available to stay with Mike the afternoon of March 12th. The rest of us are going to be involved in something that Mike doesn't want to go to."
"Yeah, I could probably do that. I have some time I can take from work for an afternoon."
"That's great. I don't know who else I could call to do it."
"Well, if it turns out I can't, maybe Carl would do it."
"Either one of you will be great, Lee. Thanks. That's one down, now for the second thing. The reason I need someone to stay with Mike is the rest of us are going to be involved in a workshop at the school that afternoon."
"What's that all about?"
"Well, there was some excitement at the school this week and now the board president has asked me to be involved in a workshop with the school's staff to discuss the issues faced by gay people in general and, more importantly, the problems gay youth face while growing up. Coming to terms with who they are and the risks of suicide related to that."
"That sounds like a great thing to be involved with, Max, but, are you sure you all are ready for that level of exposure?"
"Not really, but this sounds way too important to ignore."
"Oh, don't get me wrong, it's super important. Suicide among gay youth is on the rise. What's your involvement supposed to be?"
"Well, I think our main purpose of being involved is to let the school staff know of the issues and problems gay youth face that they are most likely unaware of and may not understand. As Steve said, despite the smallish size of the school, my four boys can't be the only gay students in the school and he's hoping bringing the subject out in the open will help. Tom's boss Dylan is going to be there to provide a law enforcement point-of-view and I thought maybe ICASA might want to get involved, also. I know this isn't normally the type of thing your office deals with, but you might be able to provide some important insights into other issues."
"I'm sure we can. Let me talk to Allison about it tomorrow and see what she says. I can't imagine her not wanting to help out, but we'll see."
"That'd be great, Lee. Thanks for not telling me to take a hike. And thanks for staying with Mike that afternoon. Maybe we can all have supper afterward."
"I'm sure Carl would like that. I know I would, too. We can talk more between now and the 12th to come up with a real plan."
"Great, sis, I knew I could count on you. You two have a great night. Talk to you later." We ended our call and I headed to the theater to rejoin my family for the rest of the movie. I sat next to Tom and took his hand in mine. When the movie finally ended, we discovered we had four snoozing boys again. We got Joey and Alex in bed first, then took care of T.J. and Mike. Once they were all safely tucked in their beds and snoozing, Tom and I headed to bed, also.
"You ready for sleep?" Tom asked. I shook my head, grinning madly. "Good, I'm not ready for sleep, either. What's on your mind tonight, lover?"
"I want to see what else was hidden in that little box you snuck in the house."