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.
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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
Another day in paradise began as usual with the alarm announcing the arrival of the sun in the east. We both struggled to wake up and become functional. Two months into this grand experiment we called a family, we had finally developed a rhythm of sorts. After our morning visit to the bathroom, it was time to wake the boys and start work on breakfast. Since today was my day for food duty, I peeled off to the left and aimed myself towards the kitchen while Tom peeled off to the right to head on across the house to bounce the boys out of their beds. By the time he'd rejoined me to help with breakfast, the first pot of coffee was brewed, and Tom poured himself a cup before doing anything else.
"What's for breakfast this morning, babe?"
"I think cereal and toast. I'm not awake enough for much of anything else."
"Well, you get the cereal and bowls and I'll take care of the toast. Sound fair to you?"
"Works for me, big guy." We both got to work and by the time the boys started to straggle in, we were ready for them. The eating machines made short work of their simple meal and were soon returning to their rooms to get dressed and ready to go. The two of us were still hanging out in the kitchen when the sensational six-pack reappeared.
"You all ready to roll?" Tom asked.
"Yeah, Pops," T.J. answered.
"Well, I guess one of us needs to pull on some sweats, then," I commented.
"Nah, don't worry `bout it, we're gonna walk today," Logan added.
"You sure you don't want a ride?" I asked.
"Why bother?" Joey answered, "It's nice enough we ain't gonna freeze to death."
" `Sides, we all got our jackets," Alex added.
"Just `cause we gotta get dressed and go out don't mean you have to," T.J. offered with just a touch of sarcasm.
"Well, get over here, give us our hugs and head on out, then," I said.
All six came around the counter so we could share our morning hugs. As we did, Tom and I both reminded the boys to be good and learn something new as had become our daily habit. With assurances from all that they would do their best, we watched them head out the front door to attack the day ahead.
After the front door closed behind them, I turned to Tom and asked, "So, how you feelin' this morning?"
"A helluva a lot better than I was this time yesterday."
"Good. I'm not really looking forward to writing at the moment, you got any plans?"
"Well, I was gonna make some calls and try to set up a few appointments to meet with some folks tomorrow and Friday. What are you thinking?"
"I think I could use a bit of a workout, get rid of some of this tension and stress. Wanna join me?"
"Where did you find equipment to work out? I sure haven't seen any."
"We-e-e-ll, I thought maybe we could adjourn to the bedroom and, uh, improvise some new stretching techniques. You know, get the old heart pumping and the blood flowing."
"So, you wanna do some sexercises, do you?" Tom laughed. "I'm in, babe."
"I sure as hell hope so, wouldn't be much fun if you weren't," I retorted as I grabbed his hand and led the way down the hallway to heaven on earth.
After almost an hour of adding several new kinks to our bodies and then working them back out, we climbed into the shower together to wash away the sweat from our exertions. We were both wearing goofy grins of extreme satisfaction and relaxation.
"So, how's that stress level now, babe?" Tom asked with a chuckle as he washed my back.
"What stress?" I laughed. "You're lucky I can even stand up right now."
"So, you ready to get back to work on the new book?"
"Not really, but what choice do I have? I'm just about ready to tackle the last eighteen years of my life and where I go from here."
"So, you finished with the Muellers?"
"Yeah, but once I started really thinking about the time from then to now, those years are just as depressing as the three I was being abused. Yeah, I survived it all, but I wasn't really any better mentally after that crap ended. I think writing about after is going to be just hard, if not harder, than what I've already done."
"Well, take a break, then. There's no rush on it, is there?"
"Only to get it done and over with so we can all move on. I won't be really happy again until I'm done with the whole damn thing."
"If there's anything I can do to help, just let me know."
"Bet on it, bubba, but there's really nothin' you can do." After climbing from the shower and drying off, I commented, "One of us needs to get in touch with John and let him know who we've selected to design the new house. Am I making that call or do you want to do it?"
"You might as well handle that one, babe. You know him better than I do."
"Fine with me. I'll take care of that before I start back to work. Oh, by the way, I had one of those flashes of brilliance that scares the crap out of ya."
"Oh, shit, now what?" Tom muttered with a smirk.
"Well, you remember Eric expressed some interest in architecture during the trip to Chicago, right?"
"Sure. It sounds like a great idea. As long as he's got the aptitude for it."
"What would you think about including him in our meetings with Ryan when we discuss the project?"
"I don't have a problem with it as long as Ryan doesn't."
"Good. I was serious when I told Eric I'd like to help him realize that dream if that's what he wants. I think having him join us and seeing what goes into the process would give him a good idea if he really wants to follow through on his thought. Maybe he could get some information from Ryan about what he'd need to study in high school to be ready for college in a few years."
"Sounds good to me. I sure as hell don't have a clue what he needs to do, and since the school doesn't seem to have any counselors to help guide students, Eric needs to go somewhere else to get that help. You think Ryan would be willing to share some information?"
"We'll have to ask him but considering why he wants to be involved in the project, I don't think he'd have a problem letting Eric watch over his shoulder. I'll talk to John about the idea when I call him."
As we left the bedroom to head for our separate offices, we shared another hug and a kiss along with an agreement to meet in the kitchen at noon for lunch. After sitting at my desk, I fired up the computer and tried to get my thoughts in order. But, since my brain wasn't being very cooperative this morning, I decided to call John before I did anything else. As I waited for John to answer the phone, something really weird happened, the words `I love you, Dad' popped in my brain. I spun in my chair expecting to find one of the boys standing behind me and playing a prank, but I was all alone. I had no clue where that had come from and was still struggling to figure it out when John finally answered.
"Morning, Max, how ya doin'?"
"Um, I'm not sure right now, John."
"I'm guessing y'all have made a decision on the architect you want to work with."
"Uh, yeah, we have," I muttered as my confusion persisted. "We've decided to go with Ryan."
"I expected as much. Was it his designs or his offer of free labor that swayed your decision?"
"His designs. The boys all liked what he'd come up with, also, and they don't know about his offer."
"Sounds good to me, Max. I'll get in touch with him and let him know. I know he's anxious to get started. But then, so am I. We've got a lot to accomplish in a short period of time if we're going to have it completed by November."
"Yeah, I know. I do have a request I'd like you to pass on to Ryan when you talk to him."
"What's that?" John asked.
"On our trip to Chicago, one of the boys that went with us said he thought that architecture might be something he'd like to do. Would you ask Ryan if he has a problem with him sitting in some of our meetings? I'd like for Eric to see some of the process."
"Sure. I don't think Ryan would mind, but I'll make sure."
"Thanks, appreciate it, John. When do we want to get together and get started?"
"I'll give him your number and let you and Ryan discuss that. It'll be easier that way since I don't know your schedules. Besides, I don't really need to be involved in the design aspect of the project, though I wouldn't mind sitting in a few of your meetings. Once you guys have agreed on a time and place for your first meeting, let me know and I'll be there."
"Sounds good. I'll wait to hear from Ryan, then. We'll talk to you later, John."
"Have a good one, Max."
After ending the call, I sat there for a few minutes and pondered the question of where the `I love you, Dad' had originated. There was no doubt in my mind that I'd actually `heard' it, and yet I was the only one in the room. Just where the hell had that come from and what the fuck was going on? After stewing on the problem for several minutes and coming no closer to answering the riddle, I finally left the study to head across the house and let Tom know about my call with John.
When I got there, he was on the phone, "Thank you, sir, for your time. I'll look forward to meeting with you and your wife tomorrow afternoon ... Yes, I have your address ... No problem at all, I'll see you then." He hung up the phone and turned his attention to me. "Got an interview at three tomorrow and a couple more for the next day, so far. Hope you don't need me for anything."
"Oh, I think I can survive a few hours without you. Have fun."
"Unlikely. Digging into people's lives is not known to be much fun."
"Yet, you've chosen to do just that, haven't you?"
"Yeah, I guess I have. You call John?"
"Yep. He's going to call Ryan and have him get in touch with us to set up our first meeting."
"Great. As long as it's not tomorrow or Friday afternoon."
"Don't worry, big guy, I'll work around your schedule. Besides, I need to get in touch with Rick about Eric joining us. I'm hoping Ryan won't mind meeting in the evening."
"You starting work, then?"
"Not just yet. Something weird just happened to me and I want to bounce it off you."
"Bounce away, babe," Tom replied as he leaned back in his chair and propped his feet on the desk. I proceeded to tell him about what had happened while I waited for John and to say he was freaked out would be putting it mildly. "What the fuck!? Has anything like that ever happened to you before?"
"Absolutely not. But, I've only been a dad for a few months," I chuckled.
"Yeah, real funny. You go right ahead and laugh it up, but this shit's just gettin' weirder and weirder."
"Do you think there's a chance one of the boys sent the message?" I asked in all seriousness.
"Well, who the hell else would be callin' you Dad? You got a kid floatin' `round out there you ain't told me `bout?" Tom asked with laugh.
"Not that I know of. Seems highly unlikely since I've never had sex with a woman. Or donated to a sperm bank, either. So, there shouldn't be any little Maxes or Maxines running loose in the world," I answered with a crooked smirk.
"The question is, which one of them did it. I mean, sure, Alex and Joey can have a silent conversation, and we know T.J. can pick up a bunch more than the twins, but this is the first I've seen any of them could do somethin' like what you described."
"Yeah, me, too," I said. "I guess we'll have to talk to them tonight and see if one of `em fesses up. You didn't receive a little message, too, did you?"
"Hell no. You would've heard me scream bloody murder if I had."
"Well, that's just weird. If it was T.J. or the twins, why wouldn't they send it to both of us?"
"Not a clue, but I'm glad nothing popped in my head while I was talking to someone. I woulda freaked `em out." The phone rang and interrupted our conversation. Not recognizing the number on the caller ID, Tom answered the call with, "Hello?"
"Good morning, is this Mr. Max Sanders?"
"Not, but he's right here. Hang on just a sec."
He handed the phone to me and I answered, "This is Max."
"Mr. Sanders, this is Tim from Dr. Biggs' office. The doctor asked me to call and verify it was still okay for him to come out this afternoon and, if so, what would be a good time for his visit?"
"That's fine, Tim, we're expecting him, and any time is fine with us."
"Well, his last scheduled appointment is at one and he should finish up with that about ten `til two. We could be there about two-thirty, if that's okay. I think he'd like to talk to you and your partner before your sons are home from school and get added to the mix."
"No problem, Tim. We're not going anywhere."
"Excellent. I'll let the doctor know and we'll see you later." We ended the call and I let Tom know when Tim and Jason were going to be here.
"Good thing I remembered they were coming today and didn't schedule any interviews for this afternoon. Any idea why he's coming so early?"
"Tim said Jason wanted to talk to just the two of us for a bit before talking to the boys."
"Whatever, I guess. We still meeting at noon for lunch?"
"You bet, hon. See you soon."
We shared a hug before I headed back to my office to start writing. I'd just opened Word and my book when the damn phone rang again. After checking the caller ID to see if it was someone I really wanted to talk to, I saw it was the architect, Ryan, calling. Since I did want to talk to him, I answered the noisemaker on the desk.
"Is this Mr. Sanders?" he asked.
"It is, Ryan. How're you this morning?"
"I'm great, thanks to you guys. I truly appreciate the opportunity you're giving me, and I look forward to working with you on your new home."
"We're looking forward to it, also. I guess my first question is when you would like to meet?"
"Tonight would be great. If you're available, that is?"
"Sorry, we already have something going on tonight, but tomorrow night would be fine."
"Excellent, Mr. Sanders. What time works for you?"
"Any time after four or so. That way our boys will be here, also."
"What about the kid you'd like to join in your meetings? Will he be there, too?"
"Well, I haven't had a chance to talk to his dad just yet, but it shouldn't be a problem for him to be here. Are you sure you don't mind him sitting in?"
"No, I think it'll be great. This will be a perfect opportunity for him to see what goes into designing a house and really decide if it's something he thinks he wants to pursue."
"We appreciate your willingness to help him, Ryan. After seeing Frank Lloyd Wright's home and studio a couple weeks ago, he was really hyped on the idea."
"I can understand that. Wright was a genius, and architecture and design can really be a lot of fun, despite what a lot of people might think. It's always cool to see a completed building and think, `I did that'. I know there's a lot of other people involved in the actual construction of the building, but they wouldn't have done it without my plans."
"I'd imagine it is. Kind of like the feeling I get when I finish a book. There's a certain sense of satisfaction in completing it."
"You bet. Well, I'll let you go and see you all tomorrow, probably around five or so."
"Sounds good, Ryan. Hope you have a good day."
"I will, believe me. And thanks again for the opportunity."
After ending the call, I called and left a message for John to let him know when to be here for the meeting. I then reviewed what I'd written so far to make sure I hadn't missed any of the major points I had planned to include in the book. I made a few quick corrections and additions, and once satisfied with what I had at that point, I printed the whole thing to hand over to Jason later this afternoon. I really wanted him to see what we had to work on. I also wanted to get his honest opinion as to whether he felt the book might truly help others who have survived the trauma of childhood sexual abuse. To me, it seemed unlikely in the extreme that anyone would find solace or peace of mind or much of anything else in my writings, except to know that they were not alone in dealing with such life- and mind-altering violence.
Still not in the frame of mind I needed to be to continue writing, I took some time to check my social media pages. After seeing nothing of importance there, I dove into my e-mail that I hadn't checked for a week. Thanks to some serious filtering, only a couple spam messages showed up, along with several real messages. The one that really caught my eye came from a `levarburton@burtonproductions.com' with the quizzical subject line of `Greetings from a fan'. I, of course, knew who LeVar was since he played Geordi La Forge in the TV series, Star Trek: The Next Generation. What I couldn't comprehend was why he would be writing to me. That answer was revealed as soon as I read his e-mail. I quickly hit the print button, then waited impatiently as the inkjet churned out the page while the laser printer continued to spit out my book. With paper in hand, I headed back across the house to talk to Tom. Since he wasn't on the phone this time, I didn't waste a second of time and laid the e-mail in the middle of his desk.
"What's this?" he asked.
"Just read it, you'll see," I answered with a wide grin. He picked up the piece of paper and began to digest Mr. Burton's message. By the time he finished and laid the page back on the desk, he was too stunned to speak. "So, what do you think?" I asked.
After a few moments of hesitation, he finally found his voice again and answered, "Sounds like too sweet a deal to pass up, but I have to admit I'm not very well-versed in these types of things."
"Well, neither am I. Especially since I've turned down all the other offers over the years. But, not only does he want to buy the rights to film adaptations to the `Jake Franklin' books, he wants me directly involved in the project. None of the others ever said they wanted my participation, they just wanted to make the movie in whatever way they could that would make them money. What do you think I should do?"
"Hey, they're your books and Jake's your character. You do whatever you want to."
"Oh no, you don't. Once we're married, half of those rights belong to you. I'm not making this decision on my own."
"Well, since you asked for my opinion, here it is; you'd be crazy to say no. From what he says in his e-mail, he's going to allow you to be involved in the casting for the movies, which is good since you've already promised Rich the role of `Jake'. Next, he wants you to work with someone else in creating the screenplay to ensure nothing super important gets left out. And it'd be great to be able to do that since I've seen a lot of books get totally fucked up when they hit the big screen. Add to those two things, the amount of money he's willing to pay for the rights, plus a percentage of the profits, how the hell could you say no?"
"I don't know. I'm just afraid of how much time I might have to be away from you guys during the process. I imagine I'd have to go out to L.A. to deal with a lot of this, but I don't want to leave you."
"You don't have to, do you? You did say you have a condo in L.A. Nothing says we couldn't go along for the trip, does it?"
"Hell, I didn't think about that. I guess as long as we could go during the boys' summer vacation, it'd be cool. I don't want to mess with their schooling any more than we have to, but I sure don't want us to be in different parts of the country for that long, either. But what about your work for Carol and Anna?"
"No sweat. First, most of what I do can be done over the internet, except for the face-to-face interviews, of course. Second, by the time we'd be going, Dylan will be here and well-trained in what needs to be done. He could certainly handle any interviews that need to be dealt with. He's a better interrogator than I am, anyway. Third, Ron will be here, too, to keep the place clean and livable while we're gone. And if that's not enough, I bet we could talk either or both sets of parents into house-sitting for a while."
"So, you think I should accept Mr. Burton's offer?"
"I think you owe it to yourself to at least talk to him, make sure he's serious and doesn't have any qualms with any stipulations you might have. You should probably have James look over the deal, too, just to make sure everything's kosher."
"Good idea, I hadn't thought about that. I don't know how hip he is with entertainment deals like this, but if he can't handle it, I'm sure he can find someone he trusts who can. So, I'm making the call?"
"If you don't, I will. Remember, half those rights are mine," Tom laughed. "GO!"
"You don't have to tell me twice. I'll let you know what I find out." I stood to leave but before I could take a step, Tom grabbed me and pulled me into a hug. I whispered, "I love you, bubba," into his ear as I melted into his body.
"I love you, too, babe. Now go make that call." He swatted my bare ass as I left him alone to continue his work digging into the private lives of people he didn't know.
After sitting back at my desk, I took a few minutes to gather my wits and catch my breath before picking up the phone and nervously dialing the California number for Mr. Burton's production office. I soon realized that my hands were shaking so much, I couldn't keep the receiver securely pressed to my ear, so I punched the speaker button on the phone and set the receiver back in its cradle.
"Burton Productions, how may I direct your call?" a receptionist answered.
"Good morning, I'd like to talk Mr. Burton, please."
"May I have your name and the purpose of your call?"
"My name is Max Sanders and I'm responding to an e-mail I received from Mr. Burton last Friday."
"One moment, please." My nerves refused to settle even a little bit as I waited for him. If anything, I was becoming even more twitchy, and when he did finally pick up the call, I almost fell out of my chair with surprise to be talking to a man whose work I'd admired for a long time.
"Mr. Sanders, are you there?"
After a bit of hesitation, I finally stammered out, "Ye-e-ess, Mr. B-burton."
"Oh, please, my name's LeVar. Is it okay with you if I use Max?"
"Th-that's f-fine with m-me," I stuttered in response.
"Great. Thanks for calling, though I just expected a reply to my e-mail. I have to assume that my proposal has caught your interest."
"It certainly has. You should probably know I've turned down several very nice offers over the past few years from others interested in the movie rights to my books. What makes you think I won't say no to you, also?"
"There's always that possibility, Max, but I've done my homework and talked to some of the people who've made you those offers. And they all told me that two of your major sticking points in moving your books to the big screen was the lack of control you would have over the final product and the selection of the actor to portray Jake Franklin. I really want to produce a quality movie and I structured my proposal to you to reflect my willingness to have you involved from square one. I was hoping you'd be enticed by that."
"I am, for sure, but I have another major worry I don't believe I've ever told the others."
"And what's that?"
"I have a serious concern that too much of the story would be lost by trying to pack it all into one ninety-minute show. I also don't believe even two hours would be long enough, either."
"After reading all the books, I agree with you wholeheartedly. I'd be willing to split each book into two shows to ensure we don't lose any more of the story than absolutely necessary. I thought I included that possibility in my e-mail."
"If you did, my fiancé and I missed it. But if you're willing to go that route, then I'm very interested in working with you. I have one more thing that's important to me before I could commit to the project, though, and you probably won't like it. I've already selected the person I want to play Jake."
"Well, the character is fairly young in the first book. As I recall, maybe twenty-two or twenty-three. A couple of young men I've thought could handle the role very nicely are Daniel Radcliffe and Josh Hutcherson. I briefly thought of Asa Butterfield and Freddie Highmore, also, but I feel they're both still too young for the part. Am I close?"
"Not by a longshot, LeVar. The young man's name is Rich Weaver."
"Don't think I've ever heard of him. What's he been in?"
"Absolutely nothing. He's a local kid one of my sons helped out recently and when I met him, he fit the image I've had in my mind for years as to what Jake would look like. Add to that, his inexperience in the acting profession could easily be turned into the needed inexperience of Jake in the first book, you know, the slightly inept and bungling young man, just trying to survive his first mission and doing so, more by luck than skill."
"Have you talked to this kid already and is he interested in the role?"
"Yes, to both counts. And he also hits on one more aspect of the character that's only hinted at in the books. Jake Franklin is gay."
"Interesting, I never picked up on that."
"Like I said, it's only hinted at, but I'd like to make that fact more apparent in the movies."
"We can sure do that, but I'll be honest with you, Max, I hadn't considered using an unknown in the main role. But before I make that final decision, I'd like to meet with you and the young man in question. How soon do you think we could arrange that?"
"I'm not sure. I'd have to talk to him to see when he'd have time to make the trip. Since he's still in high school and we're getting close to the end of the year, I wouldn't want to interrupt his regular schedule any more than absolutely necessary. And, of course, we have our own sons to deal with, also. I suppose we could fly out to California this weekend or next."
"I've got a better idea. One that will alleviate your concerns and avoid interruptions to anyone's schedules. Instead of you coming out here, why don't I come to you."
"Oh, I can't ask you to do that."
"You're not, I'm offering. Besides, I'd planned to fly to New York for the weekend. I can easily stop in Springfield on the way there. That's one of the conveniences of having your own plane, go wherever you want, whenever you want."
"I'm aware of that since I have my own plane, also," I agreed.
"Here's what I'll do, Max. I'll head your way tomorrow and stop in Springfield so I can meet with you and Rich late in the afternoon or early evening. I'll stay in a local hotel Thursday night and leave Friday morning for New York. That will actually make the trip a bit easier to handle, and I'll get the added bonus of arriving in New York earlier in the afternoon."
"Well, if you're willing to do that, then I'd be happy to have you stay with us tomorrow night. No need for you to stay in a hotel when we have the space available. How does that sound?"
"Like an offer I can't refuse. I want to thank you for calling me and I look forward to meeting with you tomorrow. Please try to make sure Rich is there with you."
"I'll do that, LeVar. Have a safe flight."
We ended our call and I sat for a moment, astounded at the conversation I'd just had. LeVar had addressed all my concerns and seemed more than willing to do whatever's necessary to create a quality movie. Considering the other work I'd seen him involved with before, I had no doubt this was going to a fruitful endeavor that we'd all enjoy. I finally got up and headed back across the house to clue in the big guy. He was on the phone this time, so I sat on the corner of his desk to patiently wait for my turn to talk.
When he finally ended his call, he looked up at me and asked, "So, what's the scoop?"
"You won't believe it. He's serious about the movies, including my request to split each book into two separate shows. He said he agreed with my concern about losing too much from each book to try and do it all in one."
"Did you tell him about wanting to use Rich?"
"Sure did, and at first, I thought Rich and I were gonna have to go to California this weekend to meet with LeVar. Not anymore, though," I added with a sly grin.
"Well, how you going to get together?"
"Would you believe he's coming here? And spending the night with us?"
"No shit!? The boys are gonna love that."
"No shit, Sherlock. LeVar said he was already planning to be in New York on Friday, so he changed his schedule a bit. Now, he's going to fly to Springfield tomorrow, come out here to meet Rich and me, then he accepted my offer of spending the night here instead of trying to get a hotel in Springfield. I can't believe Geordi La Forge is gonna spend the night with us. I'm in geek heaven, right now."
"Oh my god, would you chill out? You don't want to scare him off."
"I'll be good, I promise, but I can't vouch for the boys when they get to meet him."
"I hope they can handle clothes for a night."
"Oh, shit, I didn't think about that."
"Bet you are now," Tom chuckled.
"We'll just lay down the law, and if they break it, clothes for a month."
"Yeah, right," Tom snorted in laughter. "We've always had such a rousing success when we've tried that, haven't we?"
It was my turn to snort now as I recalled what happened when Mark, Andy and Billy came over. And then we had the whole pool party debacle. So much for layin' down the law. "Yeah, I get ya, easier said than done. Well, look, you need to get back to work and I need to wash the sheets in the spare bedroom. We didn't do that after Josh, Eric and Brent spent the night. Then I'm gonna do a quick bit of cleanup around the place. Lunch in forty-five, bubba."
"I'll be there. Congrats, by the way. This is a big deal for you."
"For us, you mean. You ready to get even more filthy rich?"
"I'll try to live with it," he grinned as I left his office.
I headed across the hall to strip the bed and get the sheets in the washer. That task completed, I made a quick run through of the rest of the house's main areas, picking up miscellaneous items that had been forgotten and giving surfaces a quick dusting. Next, I grabbed the dust mop from the utility room and gave the floors a quick once over, neglecting to include the snarling motor and squealing tires noises the boys usually added when they took care of the task. Fortunately, we were all pretty careful to clean up things as we went through our daily lives, so the work didn't take too long. We were lucky the boys were as vigilant as Tom and I were in keeping things straightened up and put away, as I know a lot of kids aren't like that.
It suddenly hit me that, even after our conversation a couple weeks ago, we still had not followed through on our promise of an allowance for the boys for doing their part around here. And after fully realizing how little I had to do to prepare for LeVar's visit tomorrow, we were going to have to rectify that oversight. I'd be surprised if the boys had forgotten that conversation. I was actually amazed that Joey or Alex hadn't brought it up. And with six boys at a buck a day rate for fourteen days, we were looking at what, almost a hundred bucks we owe them already. Geez, good thing I was rich, or these guys would break me. I put the dust mop away and turned around for the kitchen and lunch, knocking on the hallway wall outside Tom's office as I passed by.
"Right behind you," he called out as I continued on past the doorway.
After joining me in the kitchen, I asked as I started rummaging for something to eat, "So you make any more progress today?".
"Yeah, got a few more interviews to deal with the next couple of days. How `bout you?"
"Not a damn thing. Between printing what I've already written to give to Jason, the call with Ryan, and then with LeVar, my morning's been pretty well wasted."
"Maybe your afternoon will be more productive," Tom offered with some hope.
"That's a nice thought, but unlikely, hon. I'm too wound up to be able to concentrate on anything else right now. In fact, after we're done eating, I'm gonna take a swim and see if I can work out some of this nervous energy."
"Mmmm, that sounds like a good idea. Mind if I join you?"
"If you want to, I'd be happy to have company. I haven't swum alone since y'all moved in and I think I'd be pretty lonely if I was out there by myself."
"You might enjoy the quiet, though."
"Not that much, I don't think. I've gotten used to noise levels and I kinda miss the constant background accompaniment when the boys are gone to school. I swear, I don't know how I lived out her for twelve years without going stark raving crazy."
"Wait, who's to say you didn't?" Tom laughed. "I mean, you did decide to adopt kids by your lonesome, didn't you? Sounds pretty damn crazy to me."
"Laugh it up, fuzzball. Ya can't really claim to have that much sanity, either, can you? I warned you what it was gonna be like around here and yet, here you are."
"You bet. I'm just a glutton for punishment. Besides, I love a good challenge."
"Oh, so I'm a challenge, am I?"
"You have no idea," Tom chuckled. "But, I don't love you any less because of it."
I smacked him on the back of the head for that crack, then grabbed our now empty plates and dropped them in the dishwasher. With our simple sandwich and chips lunch completed, I grabbed the key for the pool shelter and we headed out for our swim. As we dropped our towels on the table, I said, "I hope you don't mind me actually swimming some laps. I used to do it almost every day, but really haven't been able to follow through lately. The pool's always too crowded."
"You go right ahead. I'll hang out in a corner while you wear yourself out."
"You could join me, you know? I'd hate to see you waste away without your exercise," I chuckled.
"I already got plenty of that earlier today, thank you very much," he replied with a grin. "I burned more calories than I have for a while, so I'm good."
"Have it your way," I retorted just before making the shallow dive to get started. I slowly swam four laps to loosen up a bit before I started increasing my speed. While I'm no Olympic class swimmer, I still managed to maintain a respectable pace for sixteen more laps. When I'd reached the end of my normal twenty laps, I added another slow one to cool down before joining Tom in his quiet corner.
"You feeling better now?" he asked once I'd settled in next to him.
"Yeah. Nothing like a good swim to relieve stress. I really need to get back in the habit of doing laps, though. I could really feel the lack of my regular routine by the time I finished."
"You do realize, I hope, there are other, more enjoyable ways to relieve stress," Tom retorted with a lascivious smile.
"Well, yeah," I laughed. "I've learned a few of those tricks recently, but I still need the pool."
"Knock yourself out, babe. I sure won't stand in your way. Besides, if it helps increase your stamina for our other workouts, I'm all for it," he laughed. Having earned another smack to the back of his head, I dished out his punishment then settled back into the corner to wind down. We spent the next hour just relaxing and talking about anything and everything. I hadn't realized we'd been in the pool as long as we had until we heard the ding of the drive sensor from the outdoor speaker.
"Whoops," I said, "Looks like Jason's here. We should probably get decent." We climbed from the pool and quickly dried off before heading inside. As we crossed through the house towards our bedroom, the doorbell rang. "Why don't you go hop in the shower real quick while I let them in. I'll be right behind you."
"You're gonna answer the door in just your towel?"
"Why not? We've already told Jason we're nudists. Besides, I've answered the door wearing less. And so have you, remember?"
"True that," Tom laughed as we went our separate directions.
I opened the door and greeted our visitors. "Afternoon, Jason, Tim. Come on in."
"Um, we aren't interrupting anything, are we?" Tim asked as they stepped over the threshold.
"Not at all. We were just enjoying some quiet time in the pool, and lost track of how long we'd been," I answered as we shook hands. "Welcome to our home. Make yourselves comfortable while we get a quick shower. We'll be right back." I headed for the bedroom to clean up, leaving Jason and Tim on their own to explore a bit. As I stepped into the bathroom, Tom was just stepping out of the shower. "Do me a quick favor while I wash up, would you."
"Just name it, babe," was his answer as he dried off and I stepped under the shower.
"I left what I printed for Jason in the printer," I said loudly to be heard over the noise of the running water. "Would you grab the three-hole punch from the bottom, right desk drawer and start punching pages. I want to put it into a binder before I give it to him."
"You got it. See you in a minute."
I finished my quick rinse, dried off, and pulled on a pair of shorts and t-shirt before joining Tom in the study. While he finished the task of punching the pages for me, I grabbed a new binder from the cabinet behind my desk and started filling it. With the book assembled, we headed out to find Jason and Tim. We located them in the living room looking at the family pictures hanging above the fireplace, and, on seeing their state of dress, we both laughed as we drew closer. They turned to face us and when they saw we were dressed, both flushed with embarrassment as they dropped their hands to cover themselves.
"I'm so sorry," Jason apologized. "Since you told me last week that you live and enjoy a nudist lifestyle, I just assumed we'd be expected to join in that while we were here. We've been trying it at home the last week, just to get used to the idea and be ready for our visit today."
"Ha, no worries, Jason. Whatever you guys feel comfortable with," Tom replied.
"Well, it seems such a shame to have all that practice go to waste, so, if it's all the same to you, I think we'll remain as we are. I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all," I answered. I turned to Tom and said, "I told you we need to be more careful about telling people to make themselves at home, didn't I?" With a grin, we both shed the second skin we detested. "Before we get started with anything, would either of you like something to drink."
"We'd be good with water," Tim answered.
"Be right back," Tom replied. "Max, you want something?"
"Pepsi for me, please. Thanks, Tom." Tom turned for the kitchen to retrieve our drinks while the three of us picked a comfortable place to sit. Once Tom had returned and we were all settled in, I handed over the binder containing my book to Jason.
"What's this?" he asked.
"The first sixteen years of my life, as best as I can remember them."
"Wow, I hadn't expected this. Whatever possessed you to do it?"
"Well, when Jean first suggested I write about what I was feeling, I really didn't want to do it. But Tom and I talked about it more, and he suggested that since I was probably going to do some of it anyway, I might want to consider turning it into an actual book."
"And what do you hope to achieve by writing a book about your experience?"
"First, I guess, is the chance to help others who've been through the same ordeal, just to let them know that you can survive such horrible abuse and become stronger from it. Second, and this was the big guy's idea, to use any profits from the book to support the charitable foundation I intend to create."
"That sounds like a rather ambitious goal for a person at this stage of recovery. Are you sure you're ready for that?"
"Well, the main purpose for the foundation will be to provide assistance to the kids we'll take in for however long they'll be here. We plan to do everything we can to help abused kids, whether the abuse was sexual, physical, mental, or any combination of those. Even if the kid just needs to get away from a tough situation for a while, divorce, death in the family, anything, we'll do whatever we can. While we intend to focus on gay kids who need help, we won't limit our assistance based solely on their sexuality."
"God, if only I'd had a place to go like that when I was sixteen," Tim opined.
"Yeah, me too," I agreed. "I think my own experience is one of the reasons this means so much to me."
"Will you just be housing these kids, or do you plan to provide counseling, too?" Jason asked.
"Funny you should ask that, Jason," Tom chuckled. "Even though it's months from becoming real, we have talked about it. At the moment, we plan on having a full-time lifeguard on-site because of the pool. We also know an EMT who might be interested in providing any minor medical care these kids will need. And we've discussed having a counselor available for any kid who wants to talk to one. And your name has been tossed into the hat to fill the position, alongside Dr. Kirkland."
"Oh, my," Jason muttered in surprise
"Look, Jason, we don't know if you'd be interested or not ..." I started.
"Oh, no, I'm very interested," he interrupted.
"... but we want someone available who knows the issues these kids will be dealing with. And since a lot them will be gay, we just think that a counselor who's also gay would be more apt to connect with them, draw them out and get them to really open up about their problems."
"I think you're right. Gay kids almost always have problems speaking their truth. Whether it's with family or friends, they tend to believe the worst of the people around them. Not that they don't have multiple reasons to feel that way. My own family was less than thrilled when I let them know who I was, but they've finally come to accept me for who I am and they've embraced Tim as a true family member. We'll both be happy to help out in any way we can."
"That's good to hear, Jason," I responded. "We'll look forward to it. Now why did you want to come out so early this afternoon?"
"I just wanted to talk to you two without the formality of being in my office. I've found over the years that some folks tend to be a bit more reserved when we're in the office and I like to try to break down those barriers down as soon as possible with new patients. Meeting in my patients' homes tends to put people a bit more at ease and they're more willing to discuss the issues plaguing them."
"Well, you don't have to worry about that with me," I replied. "After telling Paul, Tom, the police, my family and now you about what happened to me, and then writing about it, also, I'm pretty much over trying to keep things inside any longer. I know all too well what happens when you internalize your feelings."
"Before your sons get home from school, can I ask about what they know of your abuse?"
"Well," I started, "we tried to keep their knowledge to the bare minimum, and that seems to have worked for Andy and Mike, but not with Joey, Alex and T.J."
"So, you told those three more than the others?" Tim asked.
"Absolutely not," Tom replied. "We didn't have to. The other three picked it all up because of what they can do."
"You're referencing their supposed ability to read minds, I assume?" Jason queried skeptically.
"It's not `supposed', Jason. It's all too real. Here's one example for you. The people who abused me were foster parents for Joey and Alex for over four years. After all this shit came back to me, I knew I had to talk to them to see if they'd suffered through the same thing. I asked them, in very general terms, if the Muellers had hurt them in any way. And when I did, Joey said he caught a flash of an image from my mind that told him exactly what I was talking about. Alex went even further than that when he figured out why I was asking. He picked up even more than Joey did and knew what they'd done to me.
"With T.J., it went even further. He told me the morning of the twin's birthday party that he'd seen everything that I'd thought about the previous couple of days. And it was some really nasty shit he doesn't need to know about, but I couldn't control my thoughts or feelings and he said he just absorbed it. He even told me it was too bad Tom didn't let me kill Frank in Walmart like I wanted to do. Neither one of us had said a word to any of the boys about what almost happened that morning, so there's no other way he could have known about that without picking it straight from my mind."
"I still have a hard time believing seven and nine-year-old kids have the abilities you claim," Jason said.
"Go ahead, babe, tell them what happened to you this morning," Tom interjected.
"Let's wait until the boys get here and I ask them about it. Maybe that will cure Jason's curiosity."
"Boy, is he in for a surprise," Tom muttered quietly. I couldn't help but grin at the truth of that statement.
The four of us continued our chat until ten to four when the front door popped open and the sensational six-pack returned home from another grueling day at school. They hurried across the house to give us our afternoon hugs and when they finally completed their greetings with us, T.J. asked, "Hey, Dads, who's the two new nude dudes?"
"Boys, meet Jason Biggs and Tim Gordon. Jason is my new counselor and Tim is his partner. He wanted to talk to all of us before I go for my next session tomorrow. Why don't you introduce yourselves?" They turned as one and Alex got the parade started, each one shaking Jason's and Tim's hand as they greeted them.
"Hi, I'm Alex, nice to meetcha."
"Joey, how a doin?"
"Hi, I'm T.J."
"My name's Logan."
"I'm Andy."
"Mike. Nice to meet you."
"Wait, where'd Logan come from," Tim asked in confusion. "You haven't mentioned him before."
Logan shot us a dirty look at the unintentional slight while I explained his presence to Jason and Tim. "Logan is a friend of the twins. He had some issues with his father and he's staying with us until he can move back home." I turned to Logan and added, "Sorry, Logan, for not including you earlier."
"That's all right, you guys. It ain't like I'm living here or nothin'," he retorted sarcastically.
"Come here, buddy." When he drew close enough, I pulled him into another hug and whispered, "You know we love you, too."
"Yeah, I know. Thanks, Max."
"Why don't you guys go drop your things in your rooms and then come back," Tom said. "Jason would like to talk to you all for a bit." The mini-herd disappeared into their rooms and returned very shortly. As they filtered back in, the four older boys sat on the couch while Andy crawled into Tom's lap and Mike crawled into mine.
"Watchu wanna talk about with us?" T.J. quizzed our guests.
"Just how things are around here now that you've all had a chance to settle into your new home," Jason answered.
"But before you start talking with Jason, I need to find out somethin'," I interrupted. With all eyes focused on me, I continued. "This morning, about nine-thirty, I called John to let him know who we'd selected to design our new home. While I was waitin' for him to answer the phone, `I love you, Dad' popped in my brain from out of nowhere." T.J.'s eyes flew wide open in surprise. "Anyone know anything `bout that?"
"It worked!? It really freakin' worked? Hot damn!" T.J. crowed. Alex and Joey stared at their brother with disbelief filling their faces.
"Yes, T.J., it worked. And it scared the crap outta me. I had no idea you could do that little trick."
"Well, I didn't either. Not for sure anyway, but I had to try. Since you first remembered all that nasty crap, the connection between us has grown and I've felt our link getting stronger every day. And this morning, when we was supposed to be reading our social studies book, I could just sense you weren't looking forward to whatever you was getting' ready to do. I thought you could use a little positive vibe. I wasn't sure if you even got it."
"Oh, I got it, all right."
"Dude, you gotta teach us how to do that!" the twins chimed with enthusiasm.
I looked back to Tim and Jason on the loveseat and saw the two of them were stunned at this new development. "So, what do you think now?" I asked in an attempt to break their silence.
"I still don't believe it," Jason mumbled. "You could have planned that whole thing this morning before he left for school, just to make me think it's real."
"I'm amazed," Tim answered, "but intrigued beyond belief."
"What would it take to prove the point to you, Jason?" Tom asked.
"A live demonstration," he answered matter-of-factly.
"How `bout it, T.J.? You willing to give it a try?" I asked.
"Sure, why not?"
"Okay, Jason, here's your chance to disprove what you don't believe. Think of something that none of us could possibly know about. We'll see if T.J. can pluck it from your mind." We sat quietly for about forty-five seconds before a very large shit-eatin' grin developed across T.J. face. "I think you're about to lose your bet, Jason. What've you got, T.J.?"
"He thinks it's cool Andy and I are uncut, and he's pissed off at his parents for mutilatin' his dick when he was a baby."
Jason jerked in surprise and he squeaked out, "Holy shit, kid, how'd you do that?"
"Not a clue. I didn't know I could do any of that stuff `til I moved in here with Alex and Joey. Once I started bein' `round them all the time, things just started happenin'."
"Unreal," Jason muttered. "And Joey and Alex can do the same thing?"
"Pretty much," Alex answered. "But we need to be around someone longer."
"Yeah, T.J. can pick up thoughts with new people almost right away, but not us."
"All we can sense that quickly is emotions, usually when they're really strong, like your confusion right now. For real thoughts, it takes us more time to tune into someone."
"And we can push thoughts into each other's minds, but nobody else's. Not yet anyway," Joey added with a smirk. "But we're gonna start workin' on that."
"Okay, okay, you've convinced me. This is marvelous, absolutely miraculous. I'd love to work with your boys to see just how far their abilities go."
"You'll have to get in line for that, Jason. We already know someone who wants to do the same," Tom replied.
"Who?" Jason begged.
"A professor of abnormal psychology in Bloomington met the boys a couple weeks ago and came to the same conclusion you did, that they're the real deal. He said he'd like to work with them this summer after he moves to Springfield."
"Are you talking about Dr. Malcom White? He was one of my profs."
"Small world, eh?" I commented.
"But it may not happen this summer. Not after Max's call this morning," Tom said.
"What call was that, Dad," Andy asked.
"We'll talk about that later, boys. Right now, why don't Tom and I disappear for a while so Jason and Tim can talk to you?"
"Yeah, without us around, you won't have to lie about how rough you all have it," Tom chuckled.
"You guys are great to us," Joey countered.
"Besides, we always tell the truth," Alex added.
"Yes, you do," I complimented them. "And we appreciate it. Let us know when you're done." Tom and I got up and left Mike and Andy in our chairs as we moved into the kitchen to start working on supper.
"So, what'd you want to talk us about, Mr. Biggs," Joey asked.
"You all know your dad has some problems he needs to work through, right?"
"Yeah, thanks to those scumbags the Muellers," Joey vented with intense hatred.
"At least they're in jail, now," Alex added with disgust.
"Well, I wanted to see how you guys are dealing with it and what you can tell me about how Max seems to be doing. I especially want to make sure you three with your special abilities aren't being adversely impacted by what he says you've seen."
"He's doing a lot better than he was," Joey answered.
"Yeah, he seems to be a lot calmer than he was at first," Alex added.
"That's good to hear," Jason replied. "Anything else?"
"Well, I've picked up that he hasn't been thinking about it as much as he was. I think him writing a book `bout it has helped him more than he realizes."
"That's what I usually see from people who do write about their experiences, though most of them aren't writing an actual book. Facing their past does help them ease the pain they've been dealing with and they tend to have a quicker and smoother recovery. What about you, Logan? Do you have anything to add?"
"Well, he scared the crap outta all of us that one day in the pool, screamin' about bein' raped and not wantin' to be touched, but it looks like he's gotten over that. So far, anyway."
"Max may have times where he doesn't want to be touched, or just wants to be alone. Do any of you have a problem if that happens?"
"Nope," was the answer from all six.
"We all need some alone time even though we ain't been screwed over like Dad was," Joey added.
"We just want to do whatever we can to help Dad," Alex said.
"What about you, Mike and Andy? How are you two dealing with everything?"
"I'm okay," Mike answered. "It just stinks that there's people who do those things to kids. At least my parents only beat me."
"Especially in a church," Andy added. "What's wrong with people that makes them hurt kids like that?"
"I don't know, Andy. If we knew the answer to that question, we could stop it from ever happening to anyone else. Unfortunately, nobody knows."
"Tim, did you have anything you wanted to ask?" Jason asked.
"I'm curious about the way you guys live. Just how did that come about?"
"Whatchu talkin' `bout," T.J. asked.
"The whole not wearin' clothes thing. Is that your idea, or your dads'? Are you okay with it? Are they forcing you to run around without clothes?" All the boys cracked up with laughter at the questions and seeing Tim's look of confusion, tried to clear the mists from his mind.
"Nah, man, we love bein' naked," Alex answered.
"Hell, we'd go to school this way if we wouldn't get in trouble," Joey helpfully added.
"Yeah, don't think the school wants a bunch of naked kids roamin' `round the halls all day," T.J. laughed.
"Why do you think they'd force us to be naked?" Mike asked.
"Well, I don't know, I guess I just assumed it wasn't your idea."
"Look, mister," Joey started, "the first night we was here, and it was just the four of us `cause Andy and Logan hadn't shown up yet, we'd gone swimmin'. Dad had gotten us all new shorts to wear in the pool, and we did. When we was done, he told us to get a shower, get in our pjs, and come back to the kitchen for a snack."
"Well, Joey and I ain't worn nothin' to bed for years," Alex continued, "so we came into the kitchen naked. Dad about shit a brick right there. Ms. Ward, our case worker, just laughed and told him if we were comfortable in our own skin, then he should leave us alone. We been naked at home ever since."
"And you don't have a problem being nude around two gay men?" Tim asked. That question elicited another round of raucous laughter from the boys. When they finally quieted down again, Tim added, "I think you'd be worried about them doing things they shouldn't since they obviously like guys."
"Mmph, he don't know," T.J. snickered.
"At least four of us are gay, too," Alex stated flatly as he, Joey, T.J. and Mike raised their hands and Tim's face filled with even more surprise.
"We ain't too sure `bout Andy, yet, but he might be, too," Joey added as Andy shrugged his shoulders in a noncommittal way.
"But that's all right with us," Mike giggled. "It's okay to be straight, ya know."
"Damn good thing, too," Logan laughed.
"You don't have any issues with the nudity or most of the other people in the house bein' gay?"
"Nope," Logan retorted. "Can't say my old man was real happy `bout it, but I think he's comin' `round. `Bout time, too."
"Were you forced to join in the nudity when you arrived?"
"Hell, no. I spent most of my time at home naked, anyway, and my dad never complained `bout it, even though he was always wearin' his boxers. So, when I got here, I felt like I'd moved into the best place on the planet."
"Can I ask you somethin', Mr. Gordon," Alex asked. After receiving a quick nod from the still slightly confused man, he continued, "Did our dads force you to get undressed when you got here?"
"Um, no, we did that all on our own," Tim answered with a slight blush flooding his body. "After your dad told Jason last week this was a nudist home, we just assumed we should join in while we were here. You can imagine how surprised we were when your dads came out dressed and we weren't."
"So, there's your answer. If you wanna be naked here, go for it, and if you don't, don't. Depends on who's around whether or not we wear somethin'."
"What's that mean," Jason asked.
"Well," Joey began, "when it's our grandparents, or Uncle Carl and Aunt Lee, we can be naked when they're here, and they'll probably join us. But if it's the Kirklands, the Hamiltons, or some other folks we don't know very well, we'll stay dressed. We call that `other people rules'."
" 'Sides," T.J. interjected, "not like none of us got anything special to hide, do we? `Specially when you compare us to Uncle Dylan and Uncle Malcom."
"What?" Jason asked. "I didn't know Malcom was a nudist."
"Don't think he was `til he came out here to see Uncle Dylan again," Joey answered.
"Don't forget the other night when they showed up with Uncle Malcom's son, Damon," Logan said.
"Malcom's got a son, too?" Jason muttered. "I hadn't heard that."
"You bet," T.J. replied. "And he's cute as all get-out, too. Just too bad he ain't gay like us."
"Wow, the things you never learn in college," Jason groaned. "Well, I have to say you guys seem to be in good shape and pretty well-adjusted after living here only a fairly short period of time. I'm impressed with the way you've all accepted these recent changes to your lives."
"Hey, our dads saved us from living in hell," Joey retorted. "We owe them."
"We just want to see Dad get better," Alex added.
"And we're gonna do everything we can to help him through this crap," T.J. uttered.
"That's right," Andy agreed.
"No matter how hard," Mike said.
"Me, too, for as long I live here, and longer if possible," Logan completed.
"Well, look, we need to get moving," Tim started, "but we really want to thank you for talking to us this afternoon. It looks like Max is in good hands as he progresses through his treatment."
"Only the best," Alex replied proudly.
"I can see that, guys," Jason replied. "We'll say goodbye to your dads and let you all get on with your normal routine." The group got out of their seats and the boys led the way to the kitchen to find us.
I was just sliding the garlic bread into the oven to join the lasagna when the boys led Jason and Tim into the kitchen.
"So, you guys done?" I asked as they rounded to corner.
"Yep," Alex replied.
"Y'all didn't lie your skinny little asses off, did ya?" Tom asked.
"Not a chance, Pops. The truth, the whole truth and nothin' but," Joey answered.
"And did you learn anything, Jason?" I asked.
"That this is an amazing group of young men, engaging, observant, caring and super-smart. I think you two are the luckiest men on Earth."
"Thanks, Jason, we think so, too. Did you learn anything to help me?"
"A bit, yes, but I'll know more after I read what you've given me. Hopefully, I can get through that tonight and be ready for your session in the morning."
"Sounds good. Can't say I'm looking forward to it, but I'll be there."
"Would you two like to join us for supper? We're having lasagna," Tom asked.
"Oh, no thank you," Tim replied. "We have supper in the crock pot at home. Thanks for asking, though."
"Another time, then," I said. I turned to Jason and asked, "Are you serious about helping us when our new home is completed?"
"You bet!" he answered with enthusiasm. "I'll look forward to working with Dr. Kirkland. He's the best child psychologist in town and I think I can really learn a lot from him."
"That's good to hear, Jason. We'll look forward to it. I guess I'll see you in the morning," I added as I followed him and Tim back to the living room so they could retrieve their clothes. "I hope you didn't feel too awkward here this afternoon, though we obviously didn't expect to be nude this afternoon," I said as they started to pull on their clothes so they could leave.
"Well, like we told the boys, since you told me last week this was a nudist home, we just assumed we'd be expected to be nude, also," Tim answered. "You and Tom really caught us off-guard when you came back from your shower dressed and we weren't."
"Sorry for the confusion, Tim," I chuckled. "Like all nudists, we'll remain covered when circumstances dictate we should, even in our own home. But I was happy to see you two feel comfortable enough to give it a fair shot."
"Well, I have to admit, it wasn't quite as weird as I thought it would be," Jason admitted. "I thought I would be very uncomfortable being nude around anyone but Tim, but the more we talked, the more it seemed like the most natural thing to do."
"That's the whole point, Jason, it's natural and normal. Clothes are just a way to force conformity and shame on people. We obviously don't care to conform, and we don't have any shame, either," I laughed.
"Well, we enjoyed our time here today, despite the reason for our visit," Tim offered. "I've never been as relaxed in my life as I was this afternoon. I can see us continuing to enjoy our newfound freedom in our own home."
I led the way to the front door to see them out while saying, "Glad to hear it. Thanks for coming out this afternoon. I'll see both of you at ten tomorrow morning."
"Thanks for letting us come out. It was nice to meet the whole family," Jason commented. "Hope you guys have a great night."
"We will, Jason." I closed the door behind them and aimed for the kitchen where I was hit with questions and comments the moment I turned the corner.
"Did we do good?" Andy asked.
"Tim's kinda cute. For an old fart, anyway," T.J. commented.
"What's going on this summer?" Joey and Alex asked together.
"Whoa, calm down, guys. I'm sure you all did just fine, Andy. As for what's happening this summer, we're not completely sure yet. But Ryan is coming out tomorrow evening to start discussing the design of our new home, so there's that project that will be starting soon." I smacked myself in the forehead and turned to Tom to add, "I forgot all about that when I was on the other call. Think I should reschedule Ryan?"
"Why bother? Both meetings are important, babe. I'm sure we can handle it," Tom answered.
"I hope you're right. Remind me to call Rick and Rich after supper."
"Why ya callin Rick, Dad?" Joey asked.
"And Rich," T.J. added.
"Well, we thought Eric might like to see more about what an architect does and this would be a good time for that to happen."
"Cool, can Josh come over, too?" Joey interrupted.
"We'll see, Joey," I answered. "As for Rich, someone else is going to stop by on his way to New York for the weekend. He wants to talk to me about making movies from my books and wants to meet Rich."
"Who else is comin'," Alex asked.
"I'm not tellin' ya. You'll find out when he gets here." I turned back to Tom and asked, "You really think we can deal with both on the same night?"
"I don't see why not. It shouldn't be too bad."
"I hope not. I really want to get both projects going, but our meeting with Ryan shouldn't take too long. That will leave most of the evening to deal with our other meeting."
"Boys, food's about ready," Tom said. "Think you can get the table set? Please and thank you." The six munchkins jumped off their barstools and got busy. By the time they had the table ready for us, Tom and I had the food ready and we all sat to enjoy our meal. With mouths filled with pasta and bread, it was temporarily quiet in the house. That quiet didn't last very long as we emptied the lasagna pan and polished off the bread in short order, at which point, the boys started their cleanup.
And if there's one thing they haven't learned yet, it's how to rinse dishes and load the dishwasher quietly. But, we'd grown use to the background noise associated with six happy, healthy, growing boys being in the house. I silently shuddered as I recalled how quiet the house had been just a few short months ago and was glad I wasn't still living that cold and miserable life any longer. Tom and I added our efforts to the cleanup and we soon had the kitchen back in shape for the boys' snack later.
"Good work, guys. Since we didn't ask when you got home, any homework to deal with," Tom asked.
"I've have to go over my spelling words for our test tomorrow," T.J. answered.
"Me and Joey want to work on the other math book for a while."
"I've got to do some reading for science," Logan added with a grump.
"None for Mike and me," Andy crowed happily.
"Well, get your stuff and get crackin' then," I said. "Mike, Andy, what are you two gonna do while they deal with their school work?"
"We're gonna go play in our room," Andy giggled as he and Mike turned tail and disappeared across the house.
"Looks like a good time to make my calls." Tom and I settled in the living room and I dialed Rick's number first.
"City morgue, you stab `em, we slab `em," Eric answered with a laugh.
"Hi, Eric, how ya doin'?" I asked.
"I'm good, Max. How `bout you guys?"
"We're doin' great. Hey, you got any plans tomorrow, around five or so?"
"Not that I know of, what's up?"
"Well, the architect we've selected to design our new home is coming out to meet with us. I wanted to find out if you'd be interested in joining us."
"Yeah! That'd be cool," he answered with enthusiasm. "But why do you want me there? It's not like I'll be living in it once it's built."
"Well, after our trip to Chicago, you seemed to be really interested in architecture as a career. I thought you'd like to see what's involved and talk to a real architect, find out what you need to do to live that dream."
"Really!? You was serious `bout helpin' me? Oh, man, thanks. Hang on, let me ask Dad real quick." Eric set the phone down with a clunk and hustled off to find his dad. In a minute, Rick picked up the phone.
"Hey, Max, Rick here. What's this about Eric comin' over tomorrow?"
"Like I told him, we're having our first meeting about our new home tomorrow and we thought Eric might like to sit in."
"Well, I don't have a problem with that as long as the guy you've picked doesn't mind."
"No, Ryan said he's fine with it and he'd be happy to help Eric."
"Well, that's cool of him. Eric's done nothin' but talk about house design since you came back from Chicago. Even drawn up a few plans of his dream house. And it's not like I can help the kid with it much. The only trick is, I've got to work until about seven tomorrow and I'd hate to have Josh home alone. Not that I don't trust him or anything, I just don't like the idea much."
"Funny you should mention that, Rick. Joey asked if Josh could come over, too. Why don't you just have both of them ride the bus home with our boys after school. Then you can swing by and pick them up on your way home after work. Tom and I have something we'd like to talk to you about anyway.
"Yeah, that'll work. I'll send a note to the school to let them know so they don't have problem with the boys gettin' on the bus."
"Good thinkin', Rick. And make sure they bring shorts or a swimsuit. There might be time for them to take a swim, but we have another guest tomorrow night and I'd as soon not have the normal happenin' while he's here."
"Not to be too nosy, but who's the guest?"
"Somebody from L.A. who wants to talk to me about my books and movies. I'd just as soon not freak him out with random acts of nudity," I chuckled.
" 'Nuff said, man. Hope I get to meet the mystery guest."
"You will. Since he's spending the night with us, he'll be here when you stop to pick up Josh and Eric."
"Cool. Always wanted to meet a famous person, now's my chance," Rick Laughed. "Well, I guess we'll all see you tomorrow. And thanks for helpin' Eric."
"No sweat, Rick. That's what friends and family are all about. Talk to you later."
After hanging up the phone, I turned to Tom and said, "Okay, Josh and Eric are set, and Rick will pick them up on his way home from work. You got Rich's number by any chance?"
"Nope, never asked. T.J. might, though."
"T.J.!" I yelled.
"Yeah, Dad," he called out as he came to join us with his word list in his hand.
"Do you know Rich's phone number?"
"Not a clue. Guess you're gonna have to look it up," he giggled in response.
"Fine, fat lotta help you are, young man," I retorted. "Bring me the phone book from the kitchen, would you?"
"What's the magic words, old man?" he giggled again.
"You mean `please and thank you'? Happy now?"
"You bet, be right back," he answered with a grin. He returned to the kitchen and came back with the book in his hand. After handing it to me, he crawled in Tom's chair and handed over his word list. "Would you quiz me, Pops? Please and thank you," he quickly added as he stuck his tongue out at me. I just shook my head as I dialed Rich's number.
"Hello?" a man greeted.
"Hi, I was trying to get in touch with Rich and I'm guessing this isn't him," I replied.
"Nope, I'm his dad, Stan. Can I tell him who's calling?"
"Sure, this is Max Sanders."
"Oh, yeah, T.J.'s other dad. How ya doin?" Stan asked.
"I'm good, Stan. How're things goin' there?"
"A damn sight better than they was a couple weeks ago. I can't say thanks enough for T.J. gettin' Tom involved with helpin' Rich. You guys should be proud of him."
"Oh, we are, every day. And Tom was happy to help. We're glad to hear Rich is doing well."
"I haven't seen him this happy in years, my daughter either. They're both changed kids."
"So, your daughter decided to stay with you instead of going with her mom."
"Yep. Turns out it wasn't me she hated, like I thought, it was the Wicked Witch of the West. Now that she's flown the coop, life is much calmer `round here."
"Well, I'm sorry that what's it took, but I am glad to hear you're all doing well. So, is Rich there?"
"Oh, yeah, hang on." I heard Stan yell for Rich, letting him know I wanted to talk to him, and he must have picked up a phone elsewhere in the house.
Stan hung up just as Rich said, "Hey, Mr. Sanders, how ya doin'?"
"I'm good Rich, how `bout you?"
"Hey, tell him I said hi," T.J. prompted between spelling words for Tom.
"Oh, and T.J. says hi."
"Tell the shrimp I said hi back. And if I was any better, you couldn't stand me. Dad's been great since T.J. and Tom were here to help come out to mom and dad. There's no amount of thanks I can give them that would ever be adequate for making me see I want to live. And Carrie thinks it's cool to have a queer older brother. Course, for some reason, she now thinks I'm the go to person for style and makeup ideas, like I'm RuPaul or somebody," Rich chuckled.
"Just one of those stupid stereotypes we're forced to deal with, Rich."
"Yeah, I know, but it's still pretty funny. Someday, she'll figure out not all gay guys are like that. So, what'd you call about?"
"Well, you remember our talk the other night about movies being made from my books?"
"How the hell could I forget that? You made me the offer of the lifetime that night. The same damn night I was gonna kill myself. Damn, was I bein' stupid or what."
"Not stupid, Rich, just confused and hurt. But from what your dad said, you're doing a lot better."
"For sure. So, what's up with the movie thing?"
"I had a phone call with someone in L.A. this morning who is very serious about puttin Jake Franklin on the big screen. He's going to come here tomorrow night to talk with me some more about the project. One of things I told him this morning was that I'd already selected the person to fill the role of Jake, so he says he wants to meet you, also, before he makes any other decisions. Are you free and can you be here?"
"Hmm, let me think a second." After a brief silence, Rich screamed, "OW! Son-of-a-bitch, that hurt."
"You okay?" I asked.
"Yeah, fine, I was just pinchin' myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming."
"So, you can be here?"
"Hell yes! What time?"
"Well, I'm not real sure when he'll arrive, and we have another meeting set for about five, so why don't we say sixish? We can have supper while we talk."
"Sounds great, Mr. Sanders. I'll be there. You think Dad should come?"
"I'm sure it wouldn't hurt for him to be here with you. Our guest may have some questions only he can answer."
"Cool, I'm sure I can talk him into it. So, who we talkin' to?"
"Um, I can't say at the moment since I want the boys to be surprised when he gets here."
"No sweat, I understand. Guess I'll be surprised, too," Rich chuckled.
"Probably. We'll see you tomorrow night, then."
"We'll be there, Mr. Sanders. Thanks for callin'."
"Okay, Rich and Stan should be here tomorrow night, too. I think that's everybody."
"How'd Rich sound?" T.J. asked.
"Pretty decent, especially when you consider where his mind was a couple weeks ago."
"Good," T.J. replied. "I've talked to him a couple more times at school since that night and he seems a lot better to me, too. I just wanna make sure he doesn't slip."
"Do you have any idea how proud we are for you helping him?" Tom asked while hugging T.J.
"Yeah, I know," the youngster blushed.
"Okay, why don't we watch another Star Trek or two before bed? You go get Mike and Andy and we'll have the others stop on their work if they're not done with it." T.J. hopped out of Tom's chair and disappeared down the hall while the two of us headed for the kitchen. Rounding the corner from the dining room, we found Alex, Joey and Logan still bent over their books. "Okay, you three, time to pack it up and get ready for some TV with the family."
"Good timing, Max," Logan said. "I just finished what I needed to read."
"What about you two," Tom asked of the twins.
"Two more problems, Pops," Joey answered.
"Fifteen seconds," Alex added.
We looked at each other and shook our heads before turning to get the popcorn ready to go. We'd no sooner started the microwaves than the twins had slammed their books closed and hopped off their stools to follow Logan to their room and put them away. As the boys started to filter back in, they got out the bowls and drinks and in no time, we were ready to enjoy a couple hours of some of the best science fiction to ever hit the airwaves. When the shows were over, we hustled the boys to their rooms to brush teeth and go to the bathroom before they jumped into bed.
After loading and starting the dishwasher, Tom and I followed to say our goodnights and dole out the kisses and hugs that were a very important part of our nightly routine. With the sensational six-pack covered, comfy and ready for a good night's sleep, we retreated to our own bedroom. Before climbing in bed, we decided a quick run through the shower was called for so we wouldn't offend ourselves or each other when we curled up together. What was supposed to be quick turned into extended as we found a few inventive ways to entertain ourselves under the pounding water.
Finally cleaned up and dried off, we crawled under the covers for a good night's sleep. But not before sharing another kiss and hug while sharing an `I love you' between us.