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 2018 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
Thursday morning reared its ugly head way too early for any of us, but we still managed to get moving and prepare for our busy day. After a quick breakfast of eggs and sausages, we hustled the boys out the door to meet the bus with our regular reminder to be good and learn something new. As T.J. crossed the threshold, he stopped briefly, turned to look at me and then the thought popped in my head, `It's gonna be really cool to meet Geordi tonight'. My eyes widened in surprise as the munchkin just giggled at me. I put a finger to my lips to tell him to keep it quiet and `My lips are zipped, Dad' flitted through my mind. He then turned back around and jogged to catch up with his brothers, giggling all the way. I could do nothing but shake my head in disbelief at the youngster's growing abilities.
With them on their way, Tom and I headed for the bedroom to get ready for our day out. Along the way, I filled him in on my one-sided conversation with T.J. and he joined me in shaking his head. While the big guy got dressed, I climbed in the shower and let the water run over me to help wake me up some more. As I allowed the massaging jet to pound my shoulders and back, my brain swirled with thoughts about the two meetings we had scheduled for this evening and how they both could, and probably would, drastically change our lives.
The meeting with Ryan would give us the space we'd need to provide a soft landing for kids in need. At one point in my own life, I'd desperately needed such a place, but there were none that I could find. And I would be damned if another kid we knew, or even knew of, was going to have to go through what I had all those years ago.
The meeting with LeVar would also incur changes in all our lives, but changes of an entirely different nature. It's true that with the money I currently had invested and property I owned, we were wealthy enough to continue living the way we are, even if I never wrote another Jake Franklin book. The increase in income we would realize with a successful series of movies could, conceivably, push our means into the stratosphere. And if I continued to write, making even more movies a serious possibility, our grandchildren's grandchildren would never have to want for anything. I didn't see that really happening, though, as when I'd finished the fourth book, I felt as if I'd finished Jake's story and put him to bed, never to wake up and see the light of day again.
But here I am, water sluicing over me, putting the cart way before the horse. I haven't even talked to LeVar yet, and I'm basing my family's future on helping create a possibly successful series of movies. I really need to get my feet back on the ground and the old brain back inside the skull before I explode with eager anticipation. And I knew just the thing that would accomplish that trick faster than anything else, my rapidly approaching session with Jason. After my sudden crash-landing back to planet earth, I turned off the water and climbed from the shower to find Tom handing me my towel.
"Thanks, hon."
"No sweat. Look, I gotta boogie or I'm gonna be late for my first interview. You care which car I take?"
"Thought you wanted the Ferrari?"
"It would be fun, no doubt, but I'll pass today. Besides, I can't find my Tiger's ball cap," he added with a chuckle.
"I figured I need to stop by the store on the way home to restock some supplies, so why don't I take the Flex?" I offered.
"I was hopin' you'd say that," Tom grinned, rubbing his hands together in glee. He leaned in to give me a kiss, then added, "Love you, babe. I should be home by four, see you later."
"Love you, too. Be careful out there." With that, he grabbed his jacket and headed out. I finished drying myself, got dressed and headed to the kitchen to make a shopping list. I finally decided to serve shrimp, baked potatoes, salad and garlic-cheddar biscuits for supper tonight, I just had to make sure I got enough to cover all our guests. I filled out the list with a few other staples to get us to the weekend when we could all go shopping together. That task completed, I headed towards the garage to get my day started.
As I pulled out of the drive and began the thirty-minute drive to Jason's office, a terrifying thought flashed through my brain. Our interview with Ray was supposed to be on TV tonight and our parents, Carl and Lee were coming out to watch it with us. Oh, shit, and Ken was coming after school, too, to talk about his possible future as a member of our little group. I made a quick executive decision as I entered the interstate for the trip to the other side of Springfield and called the catering company that had taken care of the twins' birthday party for us.
"Thank you for calling Justine's Dream. How may I help you?"
"Justine, this is Max Sanders," I replied in a panic. "I'm hoping you can help dig me out of a giant hole I've created before the dirt starts to topple back in on top of me."
"Oh, good morning, Mr. Sanders. It's nice to hear from you, again. It's a little early for the next birthday party, though, isn't it?"
"Way early for that, yes, but I realized I've got a huge problem. Due to some serious brain crampage, I just remembered we're going to have about twenty people at my house this evening – all for different reasons – but right at dinner time, also. Is there any way you can prepare food and deliver it for serving around six? I'll make it worth your while."
"This must be your lucky day as we have nothing scheduled for this evening. Any idea what kind of menu you want for your guests?"
"Well, I'd planned on fried shrimp, baked potatoes, salad and garlic-cheddar biscuits, but when it hit me just how many people were going to be with us tonight, I realized I wasn't going to have the time deal with the food myself and take care of everything else, also."
"No worries. We can bring a large fryer to handle the shrimp, and we'll start the potatoes before we come out, then finish them in your own oven. The salad's a piece of cake to whip up once we're there, and the biscuits will be, too. We can bake them in small batches with the spuds so you'll always have fresh, hot ones."
"You're a lifesaver, Justine. Since my dining table will only accommodate twelve people, can you also bring a couple of tables and twelve to fifteen chairs to handle everyone else."
"Of course, Mr. Sanders. Let me get my crew busy with preparations and we'll see you this evening about five. Thanks for the business."
"Oh, no, thank you for saving my ass. We'll see you later." I ended the call with a sigh of relief and continued on to Jason's office, where I arrived about five minutes early. Tim acknowledged my arrival and asked me to have a seat for a few minutes while I waited. Instead of taking the offered seat, I stood at the counter and asked, "So, did you two survive the afternoon without serious scars?"
Tim laughed and answered, "We're just fine, Max. We had a lovely time at your home and if it weren't for Jason being your therapist, I could see us becoming good friends."
"I'm sure we would. And once I'm cured of my insanity, maybe we can make that happen," I chuckled.
"We'll look forward to it. I must tell you, though, that your boys are absolutely wonderful. When we talked to them, we could easily see how much they care for you and Tom, and we know you two feel the same way about them."
"You bet we do. Our lives just wouldn't be the same without them."
"I can't wait until Jason and I are able to adopt. We've been trying for so long, but you know all too well what we have to deal with and the hoops we have to jump through. We're both looking forward to meeting with Carol and seeing if she's willing to help us achieve the dream of becoming a true family, also."
"If anybody can do it, Tim, it's Carol. Her help, quite literally, has saved my life."
"Whoops, Jason's just signaled he's ready for you. Why don't you go on in and we'll see you next week?"
"Thanks, Tim. Talk to you later." I turned and strode across the waiting room to join Jason for my time on the couch, though I actually selected a comfortable chair instead of the other option.
"Good morning, Max. How are you feeling today?" Jason asked in way of a greeting.
"Not too bad, Jason, how `bout yourself?"
"I'm tired," he moaned. "I was up `til the wee hours of the morning, captivated by the gripping and harrowing tale of a certain young man."
"Really? Anyone I know?" I asked with a grin.
"Rather intimately, I'd expect. And I hate to start our time today with this question, but how the hell did you make it to thirty-four with all that crap bottled up inside you?"
"Not a clue, Jason. I guess I just kept putting one foot in front of the other and moving forward, trying to get as far away from it as I could."
"And I don't blame you one bit for that. I'd certainly have done the same, I just don't think I'd have made it as far and been as successful as you have. Did you have anything special you wanted to talk about today?"
"Well, there is one thing I've been wondering since that fateful day at Walmart. I had a hard time accepting the truth I'm gay, just really coming to terms with it late last year. The thought has popped in my head several times since then that it was so difficult for me to do so because of the abuse I endured. Do you think it's possible the two are related?"
"Not only possible, Max, but highly probable. Since your abuse was centered around the supposed evils of being homosexual, I have no doubt the ideas planted in your young mind by your abusers most definitely had a negative impact on your life. From what we talked about last week, and reading what you've written so far, you knew you were gay well before your abuse began. With your abuse beginning at the same time you were just entering puberty and trying to cope with your feelings towards other boys, anything that followed was severely skewed. And even though you had suppressed the memories of the actual abuse, the words that were forced on you during that time were shaping your life in ways you couldn't begin to understand. Consider it a form brainwashing with the most horrible form of torture available thrown in for reinforcement."
"Well, it's nice to know I haven't completely lost it," I replied with relief that my idea wasn't as far-fetched as I thought it was. "I just had the feeling, after all this came back to me, that what's happened in my life since then, how I've lived, writing the books I did, all of it was because of the Muellers. I guess, in some really sick and twisted way, I should be thanking them for fucking me up."
"Don't you dare!" Jason replied with vehemence. "Those people should never be thanked for you being the person you are today."
"But, if all that hadn't happened to me, would I still have become a reclusive author, afraid to face the world and his fears, afraid of his own fuckin' shadow at times?"
"Who knows, for sure, Max? Would your life have been different had the abuse never taken place? Most definitely. But I don't think those differences would be that dramatic. You were always a writer. And from my reading last night, a bit of a loner, too. For some reason, you always preferred to spend time by yourself instead of with your family or friends. Any idea why?"
"Well, before, it was probably because I knew who I was, and I also knew my parents wouldn't like who I was. So yeah, I tended to stay away from them as much as possible. And after, I didn't want to be around anybody, I suppose out of the hidden fear that it could happen again. Same with my few friends. There was only one kid I would consider to be a real friend, and he lived right across the street from us. He was my best friend growing up and I really liked him. You could damn near say I was in love with him, though I never told him how I really felt. Not then, anyway. And then, I went and fucked that up, too."
"Really? What happened to sour your friendship?"
"Well, we used to be in each other's homes all the time, and David was kinda like the brother I never had. We would take our baths or showers together when we'd spend the night at each other's house, then crawl in the same bed. I slept nude, even back then, and though David didn't like it much, he never really complained about it, either. Then, shortly before the abuse started, I spent a night at David's and he'd finally decided to try sleeping nude, too. Apparently, with him being naked and in the same bed, my feelings towards him took over in my sleep and I got a little too close and handsy with him. Freaked him the hell right out of bed and he spent the rest of night in a recliner. Our relationship was never the same after that night and I didn't know why. I finally got the answer to that question when I called him not too long ago with a question."
"Were you asking about what happened to your friendship?"
"No, unfortunately. I called him to find out why he'd sicced the Muellers on me."
"Excuse me?" Jason asked with confusion.
"Well, once my brain re-engaged and my memories came back, I got to thinking about why the Muellers picked me for their torture sessions. Out of all the kids in our church, why me in particular. In my mind, twisted the way it was, I decided that David had to be one to tell them I was gay, and he wanted them to make me straight, so we could still be friends. I linked the two because it wasn't too long after that night at his house they started fuckin' me."
"And was it David?"
"He says no, and I think I believe him. But, he did tell another kid about me. The other kid lived close to us, and he was really gay. And David thinks that kid might have told the Muellers about me bein' gay to try and keep them away from himself."
"And have you tried to get in touch with him?"
"Can't, he's dead," I answered flatly. "Committed suicide several years back. Tom's going to dig into it and try to find out why for me."
"So, still no answer as to why you? Is it really that important to know the answer to that question?"
"I suppose it isn't, but it still vexes me. Don't get me wrong, I know the Muellers were part of a whole group of sick people, and they ruined a lot of other kids' lives, too, but I just need to understand why me."
"Have you considered asking them the question?"
"Fuck no!! If I ever see them again, it'll be too damn soon."
"If I could arrange a meeting with them, would you want me to ask the question?"
"Why the hell would you want to talk to them?"
"To see if they could provide any information that we might use to help you."
"I highly doubt they'd be willing to do it, but if you think it might help, go for it. But you better hurry, though. I think they're being transferred to their new prison homes pretty soon."
"I'll see what I can do. Now, I wanted to ask you about the other books you've written. How'd they come about?"
"I don't know, really. I had this crazy idea about a young guy, just trying to be himself, all while struggling to do the right thing, for himself and others. And surviving that struggle against everything that was stacked against him. It had been churning in my head for a while, and one day I just started writing. And writing. And I kept on writing until I had a damn book. I was about twenty when I started, thinking if I wrote this short story, I could get it out of my head, be done with it and move on with the rest of my life. That's not what happened, much to my surprise."
"Do you think there's any chance Jake Franklin is based on your own life?"
"What!?" I asked in surprise. "Not hardly, Jason. We couldn't be more dissimilar."
"Think about it for a minute, Max. The character Jake had to come from somewhere. After reading the first book a few years ago, I was struck by the idea of this young guy, a tortured soul, doing everything he can to find his place, and make his mark, in this world. He joins an organization that he believes is fighting the good fight, doing what's right to make the world a better place to live in. And yet, despite that youthful idealism, he's fighting some serious demons from his past, and hiding the fact he's gay from the people around him."
"You caught that, did you?" I chuckled lightly.
"Of course, I did. It's my job to follow the trails of breadcrumbs people leave behind and help them find solutions to their problems. And at the end of the first book, Jake is the hero, he's found his place and he's made his mark, the world is better off than it was, and all seems well. And even better for Jake, nobody knows who he is, and he's still the loner he was at the beginning. Then, we get into the second book and we find Jake is still in the closet, just as scared of life as he was at the beginning of book one. All four books have the same theme, a young gay man, struggling with his own feelings and denying himself what he desires the most, someone to love who will love him back just as much."
"Holy fuck!" I yelled as it finally sank into my thick skull.
"I guess you see it now, don't you?" Jason laughed.
"I'm Jake Franklin," I muttered in disbelief. "Or he's me. What the fuck ever. I don't know what to believe any more," I added as I held my head in my hands and stared at the floor.
"I'm surprised you hadn't realized that before, Max."
"Guess I'm still in denial about a few things, huh?" I asked, shaking my head.
"Without a doubt. But now that you know that you've actually been writing about your own internal struggles for the last fourteen years, you can start to move past that time and embrace your future. And with Tom, the boys and your families coming together the way they have these past several weeks, I feel pretty confident it's going to be a bright time for all of you."
"I sure as hell hope so. I really don't know how I never connected me and Jake. But, now that you've pointed out the obvious similarities between us, it's impossible to escape the truth of it. I obviously never thought about it that much, I just kept writing whatever popped in my mind. I knew part of me was in Jake, what with him bein' gay and hiding it, but it still didn't sink in how much alike we are until just now."
"The subconscious mind can pull some rather devious tricks on you when you let it run free. I'm sure that's where most of Jake comes from, your subconscious trying to assert itself and become part of your conscious thoughts. But your continual suppression of your past wouldn't let that happen. But now that the two have melded, you've crossed a major hurdle in your recovery."
"Back to the track metaphors, huh?" I chuckled.
"Sorry, couldn't resist, Max," Jason laughed. "But, I think it's appropriate to the circumstances, also."
"Yeah, I suppose it is. You've really opened my eyes today, Jason, to some things I've refused to face for a long time. All those years of hiding myself in the fantasy of Jake Franklin's world, only to discover that it wasn't all a fantasy. That just blows my mind. But it also makes some sense out of something I said during the school workshop a few weeks ago."
"What was that?"
"Well, I was telling the school's staff some background about myself and I said something along the lines of putting my heart into my books. That if you read between the lines of the story, you could see what I was feeling and dealing with. That wasn't something I'd planned to say, but did it anyway, just on the spur of the moment. I thought about it later when I had a few minutes to myself, and I couldn't figure out where it had come from. Now I know, it's what I knew all along and was afraid to admit to myself. Maybe my brain isn't quite as crippled as I thought it was."
"Hey now, don't be jumping the gun," Jason laughed. "You still have some serious work ahead."
"I'm well aware of that, Jason, but it seems to me that it just got a bit easier. Knowing that all of this stuff, in some way, is connected to the what the Muellers did to me, all those weird-ass puzzle pieces I've been dealing with for years are finally starting to fill in the middle of the framework. I can't wait `til it's put back together, stuffed back into the freakin' box and stashed in the back corner of the closet."
"We'll get there, Max, in due time. But you're right, the job ahead has been somewhat simplified now."
We spent the rest of my time digging into the origins of Jake and how writing about him had altered my view of the world, and more specifically, the people in my life. Or, more importantly, the people who weren't in my life that I'd wanted for so long. At the end of our time, Jason finally asked, "Anything else you wanted to talk about before we break up today?"
"Can't think of anything. Oh, yeah, except to let you know to watch Channel 17 tonight at eight."
"What's happening then?"
"The interview Tom and I did with Ray is being aired. And the boys' interviews are tomorrow night at the same time."
"Thanks for letting me know. We'll be sure to watch both of them. I guess if you don't have anything else, we'll end for today."
"No, that was more than enough for one day, Jason, believe me. But thanks for that kind offer to continue the torture."
"Oh, c'mon, Max, I thought you just said it got a lot easier."
"Yeah, okay, I said it, but I was lyin' to ya. I've just added a whole new layer that needs to be peeled from the onion. And I'm sure I'll end up cryin' before it's all over."
"I don't doubt that a bit. But you do realize it's okay to cry, right?"
"Sure, I just don't wanna make a habit out of it."
"Well, I need to get ready for my next appointment. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day and I'll see you next week."
"Thanks, Jason. You've given me a lot to think about."
I left his office by the side door and then stepped outside into the sunlit April morning, brain awash with all kinds of things. Jake is me, LeVar coming, Ken and Ryan dropping by, I'm Jake, `rents, sister and brother-in-law gonna be at our house tonight, along with Josh, Eric and Rich. Shit, Rich! How am I gonna tell him that while he's portraying Jake in the movies, he'll really be playing me. Oh, what a tangled web we weave ... I was still trying to sort through everything as I pulled onto the interstate and was so absorbed in my mental machinations that I damn near missed the exit to stop at Walmart on the way home. Fortunately, my brain kicked back into gear and I hung a quick right so I could take care of my shopping.
After choking down a burger and fries at the McDonald's to relieve my hunger, I pulled out my list and dove into the aisles that seemed rather crowded for a Thursday afternoon. I was lucky that my list was shortened since Justine and her people would be dealing with our supper tonight. I tried to make quick work of my tour of the food aisles but got held up selecting cereals when a stranger meekly approached me.
"Excuse me, aren't you the dude who writes the Jake Franklin books?" the young man quietly asked.
This was exactly why I hate to leave my home, but I still greeted the guy with a handshake and a smile anyway, and said, "Yep, that's me. Nice to meet you."
"Look, I'm sorry to intrude, but I needed to let you know how much your books have helped me."
"Oh, how's that?" I asked with serious curiosity.
He leaned in close and whispered, "I'm gay," before moving back and continuing. "I know what Jake's dealin' with `cause I was, too. But seeing how he deals with his life has helped me understand myself better. He makes me want to go out and live my life the way I should, the way it's meant to be."
"Well, I'm happy for you and glad we could help."
"That's all I wanted to say. I'll leave you alone now. Thanks for being so nice about my interruption."
"No problem. I didn't get your name."
"Oh, sorry. Chris, Chris Johnson."
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Chris, and I'm really glad to have been of some help. Good luck."
"Thanks, Mr. Sanders."
With that he turned and disappeared into the next aisle. I continued my shopping and was soon ready to hit the road for home. About halfway there, my phone rang, and I punched the button on the steering wheel to answer the call.
"Hey, bubba, what up?"
"Just between interviews and wanted to see how your session with Jason went."
"It was fine, but I got some really interesting shit to tell you when you get home."
"Tell me now. I got time."
"No, you don't. What Jason helped me piece together will take too long. But, I promise to spill it all when you get home, okay?"
"You damn well better."
"One thing I do want to remind you, though, we're gonna be on TV tonight. And our parents, Lee and Carl will be joining us. Also, Ken's stopping by after school to talk about our idea."
"Oh, crap, I'd forgotten all of that was happening. Do you want me to cancel an interview and come home early?"
"Nah, it'll be fine. I called Justine on my way to Jason's and she's gonna bring supper for us, so we don't have to worry about that while we try to take care of everything else we've got going on."
"Good thinkin', Max."
"Yeah, every now and then, those flashes that scare the shit of you are actually good."
Tom gave me a quick laugh and said, "Love you, babe. See you about four."
"I'll be there. Love you, too, hon."
We ended our call just as I reached the exit that would take me home. After parking the Flex in the garage, I got busy unloading and putting away everything I'd bought. That task completed, I gave the house a quick once-over to make sure it was clean enough for all our guests this evening. After taking care of a few minor details, I was satisfied I was as ready as I could be and had nothing else to do until the boys got home. So, I got comfortable, grabbed a book and settled in by the fireplace to read.
I parked the Shelby in the drive and headed for the home's front door to get today's last interview done, hoping it would go a lot quicker than the last one, but feeling I wouldn't be that lucky. I really needed to get home and find out what Max had to tell me, wishing for some good news for once. I rang the doorbell and waited patiently for someone to let me in. The door finally opened to reveal a nice-looking woman with gloves on her hands.
"Hi, sorry it took so long to get here. Fred and I are working in the backyard. You must be Mr. Wright."
"No problem, and Tom's fine, ma'am. I assume you're Lynne Robertson."
"I am, won't you please come in."
"Thank you, ma'am." She let me in the recently built home and closed the door behind me.
"Do you mind if we talk outside, Tom?"
"That's fine with me, but if you don't mind, I'd like to take a quick look around your home before we sit down. Since I'm here, I need to check the house to verify the living conditions are acceptable, though from looks of the foyer, here, I don't think it's really necessary."
"Oh no, please, feel free to wander. We expected someone to come do so at some point. Fred and I will be outside in the backyard, straight through the house there," she added while pointing in the direction I'd need to go.
"Thank you, ma'am. I shouldn't be too long." As she turned to follow her own directions, I stepped into a formal living room to the left of the foyer, then headed to the other side of the foyer to see a beautifully appointed dining room. Next, I headed up the curving stairway in the foyer to the second floor where I found four fully furnished bedrooms, one of which had been decorated to be a nursery. It was obvious to me the Robertsons were well off financially considering the size of the home and the subdivision in which it was located.
I returned downstairs, headed towards the back of the house and on my way, found a well-appointed kitchen with granite countertops and stainless-steel appliances. On the other side of the route to the outside, I discovered a large great room with a fireplace and all your regular entertainment equipment. I continued my tour by opening the door and stepping out onto a large patio of paving stones laid out in a herringbone pattern, containing tables with umbrellas, lots of chairs and chaises, and a covered outdoor kitchen. Beyond the patio looked to be about half an acre of yard surrounded by a six-foot tall privacy fence. Fred and Lynne were working along the fence, clearing weeds from the flower beds surrounding the yard's perimeter and creating a nice contrast to the other planted areas in the middle of the yard.
"Mr. and Mrs. Robertson, do you have time to chat?" I called across the yard.
"Be right with you," Fred answered. The two dropped their tools and joined me on the patio.
"Would you like something to drink, Tom?" Lynne asked.
"Thanks, tea or water would be fine."
"Be right back."
As Lynne headed for the house, Fred extended his hand and said, "Nice to meet you, Tom. We're hoping you can help make our dream come true."
"I'm hoping to do that, also, but I have some hard questions you have to answer truthfully before we cross that bridge."
"We'll answer everything we can," Fred replied.
"Mr. Robertson, I don't think you fully understand how this interview is supposed to work. You and your wife are asking for help to bring a child into your home, to be your son or daughter. It's my job to make sure that whoever child it is, he or she will be provided for properly and protected from harm as much as possible. If you refuse to answer any of my questions, you won't get that opportunity. Do you understand what I'm saying?" Lynne had returned at the tail end of my speech and looked at me with confusion.
"What's he talking about Fred?"
"Well, he says if we don't answer all his questions, we're not going to get a kid."
"Then do it, damn it," Lynne replied. "Or don't you want to have a family?"
"I do, dear, you know that, but you also know there are certain things we can't discuss."
"You will, or I will, it's your choice." Lynne turned to me and added, "Go ahead, Tom, what would you like to know?"
"Keep in mind that I already know the answers to most of these questions thanks to the background checks I've already done, so I'll know if you're not being truthful with me. So, to get started, you have a very nice and seemingly almost new home in a rather exclusive subdivision. Would you mind telling me how you can afford such a comfortable place?"
"I inherited a fair sum of money when my dad passed a few years ago," Lynne answered. "It took a while to get the house built, but we've been here almost a year, now."
"And is the house paid off or do you have a mortgage?"
"It's fully paid for."
"What type of work do you both do?"
"I work as an auditor at the I.R.S.," Lynne answered. "I've been there for about fifteen and a half years, now."
"Ouch, remind me to never lie on my taxes," I chuckled, which elicited a tight grin from Lynne. "And what about you, Fred?"
"I'm the Service Manager at the Dodge dealership on Wabash. Been there a little over three years."
"And what did you do before then?" I asked.
"I can't answer that" Fred said quietly.
"I guess we'll come back to that, later."
"Won't make any difference, but suit yourself."
"Is there a particular reason you're looking to adopt?"
"This is somewhat embarrassing, but we can't have children ourselves, though we've tried," Lynne replied. "Fred had a serious injury some years ago that has rendered that option impossible. We've looked into using a sperm donor, but that option's just not for us. I don't want to have a child that another man could ever claim was his. We both feel adoption is our best alternative."
"What age child are you hoping to adopt, and are you hoping for a boy or a girl?" I asked.
"At this point in our lives, Tom, we'd be happy for any child. While we hope to be able to get a baby, if the child is older, that would be fine with us, also."
"Are either of you expecting any major changes in your lives in the next few years? Besides welcoming a child into your home, of course."
"No, we're not," Fred answered. "We'd like to do some traveling, but I have a hard time scheduling a full week's vacation due to the demands of my job."
"So, no plans to rob a bank and run off to Europe, nothing like that?"
"Heavens, no," Lynne laughed. "Though I wouldn't say no to tour of England, we'd definitely be coming back here when the tour was over."
"Good to hear. How and when did you two meet?"
Lynne giggled quietly, and Fred answered, "Well, she'd bought a new car, what, three years ago, wasn't it?" After a nod from Lynne, he continued, "Turns out, the thing was subject to several recalls for some pretty serious issues. I was struck by her beauty the first time she came in," to which Lynne blushed, "and when she came in for the third recall eight months later, I'd finally worked up the nerve to ask her out to dinner. She accepted, and the rest, as they say, is history."
"That's a cute story. Now, let's backtrack. Where did you work before the dealership?"
"I told you, I can't answer that."
"Damn it, Fred, tell the man."
"I already know that no Fred Robertson with your Social Security Number existed until shortly before you landed in Springfield, sir. My two best guesses for that are, A, you are either a plant from aliens who is here to investigate humankind, or B, the more likely option, you are in the Federal Witness Security program. Personally, I'm hoping for the alien thing," I chuckled.
Fred and Lynne both laughed aloud before he answered. "You are very good at your job, Mr. Wright."
"Thanks. It's my first week and I'm really trying to be thorough and make sure I do it right. Whatever you tell me next will not be repeated to another living soul, but I have to have something in my report for the agency to explain your lack of traceable history."
"Yes, I'm a part of WitSec," Fred finally admitted after what seemed to be some seriously painful internal debate. "I was, shall we say, an accountant, of sorts, for a certain family that shall remain nameless. Unbeknownst to the family in question, a copy of my ledgers somehow found their way to the Attorney General of a state on the east coast. In appreciation for that act of generosity, the government felt it was prudent for me to disappear, hence my sudden appearance here. Since the family has finally been relocated to more secure living arrangements in a federally funded repository for such miscreants, Lynne and I now feel it's time for us to move on with our lives and for me, specifically, to start making amends for some of my former misdeeds."
"Is the family you don't speak of in a conversation we're not having responsible for your inability to have your own children?"
"Yes. It was shortly after that incident the ledgers mysteriously appeared on the AG's desk."
"Do you have any concerns as to your safety from this family?"
"Not anymore, we don't. Those who aren't in prison were killed by a rival family who wanted to take over their various enterprises."
"I know I shouldn't ask this, but I'm going to anyway. Is there anyone I can contact at WitSec to verify your story?"
"You could try, but I highly doubt they'd even acknowledge I exist."
"That's what I figured. I want to thank for being truthful with me. I'm not exactly sure what to put into my report, but I'll think of something. I should be turning your information in early next week and, with luck, you'll be hearing from them soon after. Thanks for your time today."
"We're happy you could come out, Tom," Lynne replied. "We'll look forward to hearing from the agency." As I stood to leave, Fred and Lynne joined me, and we shook hands. "Would you like one of us to walk out with you?"
"That's not necessary, thanks. You two enjoy the rest of your afternoon." I left them alone on the patio and headed back through the house. As I climbed in the Shelby, I began to think about what to put in my report to Carol and Anna. After leaving their drive, I hopped on the interstate and aimed the car towards home sweet home, hoping Max and I could talk before the house got overly crowded. I was dying to find out what he had to share.
I'd just finished a chapter in my book and looked at the clock to discover the boys should be getting off the bus at any moment. I was debating driving out to pick them up when the front door flew open and the sensational six-pack plus two charged through the open portal. While T.J. paused to close the door, the other seven flew across the house and began my mugging. By the time T.J. had tried to join the group hug, the others were already disappearing down the hallway to drop their things in their rooms and change.
"Shorts tonight, guys, we're having company." Loud groans of protest to that announcement emanated from their rooms.
"So, when's he getting' here?" T.J. whispered with gleeful excitement.
"I don't know, kiddo."
"Is he why we have to wear shorts?"
"Exactly," I answered. "Well, him and the caterer who's bring supper for us. Plus, Rich and Stan will be here, too."
"I figured as much since nobody else coming would care if we was dressed or not."
"Also, Ken will be dropping by shortly to talk about our proposition, and I'd just as soon not have him nervous or uncomfortable when we do that."
"But, he's gonna have to get used to it sometime, isn't he?"
"I suppose so, but not tonight, okay?"
"Okay, Dad, whatever." T.J. turned to join the others, only to find them already filtering back in.
"Josh, Eric, good to see you again. Glad you guys could come over."
"Good to be here, Max," Eric answered as he gave me another hug and light peck on the cheek.
" 'Sides," Josh added, "what else we gonna do? Sit at home and twiddle our thumbs?"
"I got somethin' you can twiddle, Joshy," Joey said with affection.
"Yeah, I just bet you do," Josh laughed. "Later, okay?"
"Bet on it."
"Enough, you two. Let's get going on any homework. See if you can get it all done before too many people start showing up." Their bright smiles quickly turned into frowns and, with another round of grumping, they gave in and headed for the dining room to get set up. I turned for my bedroom to pull on some shorts and a t-shirt. I could hardly expect the boys to maintain their cover if I didn't, also. The ding of the sensor announced an arrival just as I was leaving the bedroom and I hoped it was Tom so we could talk before any others arrived.
As I rejoined the boys in the dining room, the door to the garage slammed shut and `Honey, I'm ho-o-o-me' echoed throughout the house. The herd jumped out of their chairs and met the big guy as he crossed the living room, then proceeded to hug the stuffing out of him. I was pretty sure we'd be seeing a lot of these hug muggings through the night as the rest of the family joined us. When he was finally released from their grasp, Tom came over to me and we shared a hug and kiss.
"Hey, babe, how ya doin'?" he asked with concern.
"I'm great, how `bout you?"
"Finer than frog's hair. Do I have time to change before Ken gets here?"
"I'm sure. Be right behind you." I turned to the boys who'd retaken their seats and asked, "You guys okay for a few? I need to talk to Tom about something."
"Sure, Dad, go ahead," Alex replied.
"Thanks, we'll be back out soon." I turned and followed in Tom's footsteps, closing the bedroom door behind me.
"Okay, what happened this morning with Jason that got you all freaked out?"
"Who says I was freaked out?"
"The tone of your voice when I called you."
"Okay, okay, maybe I was a bit weird, but the more I think about it, the more I realize Jason's right."
"What the hell are you talkin' about?" Tom asked as he pulled on his shorts and t-shirt.
"Sit and I'll fill you in. But trust me, you ain't gonna believe this shit." Once we were comfortably ensconced on the bed, I related the story of my morning session and everything we'd discussed. Tom silently nodded his agreement with Jason's thoughts. When I'd finally run out of things to say, I asked, "So, what do you think?"
"I think I like Jason and where he's going. He's really gonna help you put it all together. And he's right, you are who you are, regardless of what the Muellers did. How you could ever think they should be thanked for that is beyond my ability to comprehend."
"Yeah, all right, that thought is a bit out there, but what about the whole Jake Franklin is me thing?"
"Well, I've read the first two books, and after thinking more about it, I'd have to agree with Jason. Looks like I'm gonna have to read the other two now," he added with a grin.
"Well, I should hope so," I pouted before quickly adding, "But doesn't that idea blow your mind just a little bit?"
"Yes and no. When you first told me that part, it seemed to be pretty crazy, but the more I thought about it while you told me about the rest of your session, it does make sense. You didn't feel you could be yourself in your real life, so you created another one. The only sad part to that is Jake couldn't be his true self either. I mean, you created this dude as kind of an alter-ego, but then you saddled him with the same insecurities, phobias and problems you have. What was the point?"
"Not sure, really, but don't worry. I can fix all that with the next book or two. Now that I know where the idea for Jake came from, I can pick up where I left him four years ago."
"Now, there's someone who's truly looking forward to the future. It's really good to hear you say that."
"What can I say, I'm just your regular ol' cock-eyed optimist."
"There ya go, talkin' dirty to me, again," Tom laughed, and I joined in with him.
"C'mon, let's get outta here. We need to make sure the boys are done with their homework before Ken gets here." We left the bedroom for the dining room and were surprised to find it empty when we arrived. We continued on to the living room to find the herd returning from their rooms. "Homework all done," I asked.
"Yeah, Dads," Joey answered.
"Good, we've got a lot going on tonight and we don't want to have to worry about it later."
"What's goin' on besides the house dude comin' out?" Mike asked.
Well, Ken's stopping by in a bit to talk about being a teacher here when the new place is done," I answered and that was greeted with a round of cheers.
"Then, later," Tom began, "Our interview with Ray is going to be on TV tonight. And your grandparents, Aunt Lee and Uncle Carl are coming out to watch it with us. Also, Rick will be dropping by to pick up Josh and Eric, but we need to talk to him for a bit when he does. I think that covers it all."
"Wait, what about Rich?" T.J. asked. "Isn't he coming out, too?"
"Yes, he and his dad are going to be here so we can talk to someone else about making movies out of my Jake Franklin books. Oh, and Justine is bringing us supper since we're going to have so many people here."
"Man, that's a lot of people," Joey surmised. "Who you talkin' to about the movie thing?"
"Can't say at this moment, but you'll find out soon enough," I deflected.
"I know," T.J. giggled quietly. After a stern look from me, he quickly added, "But I can't say nothin', I promised Dad I'd keep my mouth shut." The boys all turned to glare at T.J., but Joey and Alex quickly closed their eyes and seemed to focus intently on him. After a quiet moment they opened their eyes which radiated anger towards their brother.
"Hey, that's not fair!" Joey yelled.
"Yeah, quit blockin' us, ya butthead" Alex added.
Victory firmly in hand, T.J., in perfect childish manner, stuck his tongue out at the twins and blew raspberries in their direction, overjoyed at having prevented the twins from burgling our special guest's identity from his mind. The phone chose that moment to announce a call, so I left Tom to referee while I answered in the slightly quieter kitchen.
"Max Sanders," I greeted.
"Max, Ray Snell from Channel 17. How're you guys this afternoon?"
"We're great, Ray. Looking forward to seeing ourselves on TV tonight."
"Glad to hear it. You'll be joining up to fifteen to twenty million other viewers, too."
"WHAT!?"
"That's why I'm calling. I wanted to let you know that word has spread about your story and we've picked up a bunch more markets. It now looks like we're covering from Madison, Wisconsin, east to Indianapolis, south to Memphis and West to Kansas City."
"Holy crap, Ray."
"Tell me about it. I knew we'd pick up at least few more stations that felt your story was worth airing, but we're way past my highest expectations."
"I sure as hell hope we don't flop."
"That's not gonna happen, Max. Every station we've talked to loves what you, Tom and your boys had to say. And just to forewarn you, we've included a few clips from the disc Alex gave give me from the thing you all did at the school. What you said there was heartfelt, powerful and important. We've done the same with boys' interviews tomorrow night and included their entire speech from the school at the end of their interviews."
"That sounds great Ray. I hope it turns out as well as you think it will."
"I'm sure it will, Max. Oh, and one other thing, call it the cherry on top of the sundae. One of the stipulations we have for all the broadcasters is they're not allowed to broadcast any commercials during the show. They can have four thirty-second spots before and four after, but none at all during the interview itself. Surprisingly, they all agreed to that without hesitation. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get station owners to broadcast anything without a flippin' commercial? Let me tell ya, it's damn near impossible."
"Sounds like you all have pulled off a minor miracle, then."
"More like a major coup, but I'm not complaining. Not one bit. Well, I think that's all I wanted to pass on. Have a great night and enjoy your show. I'll talk to you again sometime next week."
"Thanks for the heads up, Ray. Good luck."
We ended the call and I stood in the kitchen for a moment to regroup. My recovery was interrupted by the drive sensor announcing one of our many guests for the evening. As to who it was would remain a mystery until we got to the front door. I headed that direction and was joined by Tom as he left the boys by the fireplace, two of whom were still grumping about being blocked. I looked out the window to try and get a clue as to who was coming in and was surprised to find a stretch Mercedes Benz limo pulling up to the front porch. I hadn't expected our most important guest of the evening to arrive quite this early, yet there was no denying the limo parked on the circle drive.
I elbowed Tom in the ribs and whispered, "Quick, grab some rope and corral the herd." Tom laughed heartily, and I turned to the living room, calling out, "Boys, get your butts over here." After they'd hustled over to join us, I quickly gave them instructions on the behavior I expected from them for our visitor. I was still handing out my directions when the doorbell rang. Tom was opening the door as I stood back up and turned back around.
"Hi, I'm hoping I'm in the right place. I'm looking for Max Sanders."
"Holy shit, it's Geordi La Forge" Alex whispered.
"No wonder the little turd wouldn't tell us," Joey added.
"You're in the right place, Mr. Burton. I'm Tom Wright, please come in."
"Thanks, Tom. And please, it's LeVar." He stepped inside, and Tom closed the door behind him.
Having LeVar in my home, I was too dumbstruck to speak properly and couldn't seem to make my voice work. Tom caught on very quickly to my issue and continued, "LeVar, this is my fiancé, Max Sanders, the man you're here to talk to." I extended my hand and dumbly shook hands with LeVar. "Behind Max are our sons and a couple of their friends. From left to right, we have Alex, T.J., Mike, Logan, Andy, Eric, Josh, and Joey. Boys, say hi to LeVar Burton."
Each stepped forward, one at a time, and shook hands as they said hi.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Burton," Alex said as they continued in the same order in which they'd been introduced.
"We've been watching The Next Generation and we love it," T.J. added.
"Wow! A real movie star, in my house," Mike squealed with delight.
Logan was next with, "You look different without your VISOR," which elicited a chuckle from LeVar.
"Mark and Billy ain't gonna believe this," Andy muttered when it was his turn.
"You were good as Geordi, Mr. Burton, but I think you were better as Kunta Kinte," Eric commented.
"Thank you, young man," LeVar replied to the compliment.
"Hi, Mr. Burton, nice to meetcha," Josh greeted.
"Come on in and make yourself at home, Mr. Burton. Would you like something to drink?" Joey asked as he rounded up the greetings.
"In a bit maybe, thanks. I just had a water in the limo, so I'm good for now."
"Why don't we go sit in the living room?" Tom asked, then led the way.
As we crossed the house, I asked, "Eric, would you mind putting LeVar's bag in the room you guys used the other night?"
"Sure, no problem." As Eric relieved LeVar of his minor burden and turned down the hallway, we continued on.
Once he'd rejoined us and we'd all gotten comfortable, Tom added, "We have several different things happening here tonight we should warn you about."
"I hope my visit is not interfering with your other plans," LeVar replied.
"Not at all," I reassured him. "It's just that when we talked yesterday morning, my mind blanked on all the other stuff."
"So, what I have put myself in the middle of?"
"Well, we did an interview with a local news station last week that's going to be aired tonight, and our parents, along with my sister and brother-in-law, are all coming out to watch it with us. That happens at eight and we'd be happy if you'd join us. We also have a meeting with an architect about five to start plans for a new home were going to have built to better accommodate us and the other kids we plan to help. That's why Eric is here, to sit in on that meeting."
"Oh, why do you want to do that, Eric?" LeVar asked.
"We saw Frank Lloyd Wright's home and studio a couple weeks ago and I think I want to be an architect. The guy they picked to design their new home said he'd be happy to have me join their meetings, see what goes on, and then I'd have a better idea if I really want to do it."
"Are you interested in design?"
"Yeah, I think it's cool. I even drew up a few plans and brought `em with me so I can show `em to Ryan, see what he thinks."
"It sounds like you have a good plan for your future. Anything else I'm interrupting?" LeVar asked, looking back to Tom and me.
"Well, one of the boys' teachers from school is coming by soon to talk to us about doing home-schooling when our new house is done. We don't want to make any changes this close to the end of the school year and figured this fall will be the right time."
"Any particular reason you want to switch to home-schooling? Are the boys in a bad school?" All eight of them snickered lightly and looked at me to see how was going to answer that question.
"No, not at all. We actually have a very nice education system here, but there are other reasons for the change we'd just as soon not discuss."
"Fair enough, Max. So, with everything going on tonight, when will we have a chance to talk about the movies and meet the young man you'd like to take on the role of Jake Franklin?"
"Well, I ended up calling a caterer this morning to deal with our supper tonight. She's supposed to be here about five and be ready to serve at six, which is about the time Rich and his father could be here. I figure we'll be done eating about seven, and we could take the next hour for our meeting, between supper and watching our interview. And somewhere in the middle of all that other stuff, we need to talk to Eric and Josh's dad when he comes by to pick them up, but that will only take a few minutes."
"That should work out just fine. I don't expect our meeting will take too long tonight. Especially since it's our first one. I just want to make sure we're both in agreement on terms and conditions before I start making additional plans."
"Excellent. And, if time allows and you've brought shorts or something, you're welcome to take a swim. I have no doubt the boys would be happy to join you for a quick dip."
A round of cheers filled the house as the boys went crazy with anticipation. At that moment the drive sensor dinged, and Tom got up to answer the door.
"What the heck was that?" LeVar asked.
"We have a sensor at the end of the drive to let us know when somebody is coming. This should be the teacher we're meeting. Would you mind excusing us for a bit so we can talk in my study?"
"Not at all, Max. I'm sure your boys will keep me occupied and entertained."
"No doubt of that, LeVar," I laughed. "Thanks, we'll be back as soon as we can." I joined Tom at the door and after greeting Ken, then Joey, Alex and Logan coming over to say hi, also, we retreated to the study so we could have our chat.
After Alex, Logan and I sat back down with Mr. Burton and the others, he asked, "Okay, which of you are sons and which are friends?"
The five of us all raised our hands and said, "Sons."
Then, Logan, Josh and Eric raised theirs and said, "Friends."
After lowering their hands, Logan added, "But I'm living here, too. For now, anyway."
"So, you're one of the kids Max and Tom are helping, huh?"
"Yeah, if it weren't for them, I don't know where'd I'da gone when the cops arrested my dad."
"How do you get along with all the others, Logan?" LeVar asked.
"Oh, we get along just great. Joey and Alex and me were already friends at school, and T.J., Andy and Mike are great little brothers."
"I already know why Eric is here. What about you, Josh."
"Well, I'm Eric's brother, but our dad didn't want me home alone until he gets home from work, so I came along for the ride. But I'm also here `cause I'm Joey's boyfriend and we haven't been able to spend any time together lately," he added.
LeVar did a bit of a double-take on hearing that piece of information and when he recovered from his surprise, commented, "Well, I quickly surmised Max and Tom must be gay, but you are too, Joey?"
"Me three," Alex said as he raised his hand.
"Four," added T.J. with a wave and a smile.
"Five," Mike chimed in with a giggle.
"Interesting," LeVar mused. "What about you, Andy?"
"I don't think I am, but ya never know, do ya?"
"No, I suppose not. How did ...?" LeVar began.
T.J. started answering before he could finish the question. "Our dads are only being allowed to adopt us `cause we're gay, too."
"But what abou ...?"
"Andy?" Alex asked. "Even though he's probably not gay like us, they're letting him stay `cause we're all such good friends, anyway. He moved in the week after we did when his mom got sent to jail."
"What? How?" LeVar sputtered in astonishment.
"He's really confoozled now, guys" Joey giggled, looking to the others.
"Yeah, I can feel it, too," Alex agreed.
"Sorry, Mr. Burton," T.J. apologized. "But the three of us can read minds sometimes."
"Yeah, and yours is awful easy right now," Alex added with a chuckle.
"Where are you boys from, Betazed?"
"Nah, we were all born in Springfield. Where's Betazed?" T.J. asked.
"Betazed is a planet from Star Trek," LeVar answered. "You all know Deanna Troi on the show, right?"
"Yeah, she's pretty," Andy replied, causing all the other boys to giggle.
"Well, she was from the planet Betazed and she's what we called an empath. That means she was able to pick up feelings from most other people and species. But when she and her mom are together, they can talk to each other, mind-to-mind. Of course, that's just pretend for TV."
"Yeah, but Alex, T.J. and me can all do the same thing for real," Joey countered.
"Hey, maybe we're aliens from another planet," Alex said, quickly adding, "We're all Betazedans."
"Actually, you would be Betazoids," LeVar corrected. "People from Betazed were referred to as a Betazoid."
"Cool," T.J. grinned, "that's us, Betazoids one, two and three." The three shared a high five to celebrate their newfound planet of origin.
"You guys want to know an interesting thing about Betazoid culture?"
"Sure, Mr. Burton," Mike answered.
"Beyond their telepathic and empathic abilities, the one thing that really sets them apart from other humanoid species is the fact their weddings are performed with everybody nude." The herd just could not contain their chortles and snorts after that comment. "What did I say that was so funny?" a very confused LeVar asked.
After closing the door and taking seats, I started our conversation. "Ken, we want to thank you for coming by this afternoon."
"No problem, Max, but I gotta ask, is that really LeVar Burton out in your living room?"
"It sure is," Tom answered. "Bet you weren't expecting to see him today, were you?"
"Not a chance."
"Well, when we're done here, we'll introduce you," Tom replied.
"Look, Ken, we know Alex caught you off guard when he talked to you, but to be honest, he caught us off guard, too. I figured if any of them would say something, it would be Joey."
"No big deal, guys. We teachers are always hearing things we probably shouldn't, but we also tend to keep those things to ourselves, unless they sound like someone is getting hurt or they're going to hurt someone else. So, don't worry, your secret's safe with me."
"Thanks. We really appreciate your discretion. Before we get to the main topic at hand, let us tell you a bit about what we're planning to do here so you can understand the full picture. First, you already know about four of the five boys we're adopting being gay. Then we added Andy to the household when his mom and her boyfriend were arrested."
"And Logan Campbell is staying with us while he and his dad sort out some problems," Tom added. "We expect he won't be with us too long, though. But like Logan, we want to be able to help other kids who are having problems."
"To help us accomplish that goal," I continued, "we're having a new home built that will be about three times the size of this one. One of the things Tom and I have talked about is who we're going to need to have on-hand to make sure all these kids will be taken care of properly. One of those people we've agreed on is a teacher of some kind. Since we expect kids will be rotating in and out, it doesn't make sense to enroll them in the school for a few weeks or months, hence having a teacher come here to make sure they don't fall behind in their studies."
"And, of course, we have our own boys who would much prefer to do their schooling here, for obvious reasons," Tom commented. "Plus a few others, I guess, since they've told their boyfriends and a few others about the possibility. Does that sound like something you might be interested in doing, Ken? And can you handle the varied ages without any problems?"
"Well, I'm certified as elementary only right now, but it wouldn't take much to update that. And I wouldn't be here if I wasn't interested. While I appreciate the school board stepping up and doing the right thing, I'm still paranoid about something like that happening again. I have some questions before I can make a decision, though."
"Shoot," Tom replied.
"First, I guess, is what would be the salary and benefits. Second, when would all this happen? Third, would I be expected to be nude, also, `cause I'm not too sure about that?"
Tom and I both chuckled lightly before I provided his answers. "We'll offer more in pay than what you're getting at the school now, with annual raises, and probably better benefits than they have, also, including retirement. We'll also pay for any books, supplies or equipment you'll need, including computers or tablets. We don't expect to start until the beginning of the new school year this fall. We don't want to make such a major change this close to the end of the school year, and while the new place won't be done then, we figured you could get a running start with just our boys and a few of their really close friends. That would give you a chance to get organized before you have start dealing with other kids."
"Which friends are you talking about?"
"If I remember what Alex said, he told Josh, Eric, Logan and Brent about his little scheme."
"So, nine of `em, huh? I know Logan and Brent, obviously, but Josh and Eric were before my time. Now, let's backtrack to the question you didn't answer yet."
"Right, being nude. We'll leave that up to you, Ken," Tom answered. "If you think you'd be too uncomfortable or feel weird about it, then you're welcome to remain clothed."
"Really? You won't require me to be nude, also?"
"Absolutely not," I replied. "But, keep in mind, most of the other people here won't be dressed, either."
"What other people are you talking about?"
"Our parents will be four of them. Once we get moved into the new house, we're giving them this one. Then there's Ron and Dylan, possibly Rick, who we hope will be on-hand for any medical issues, then Jason and Tim, also, who we're pretty sure will be here to counsel any kids who need it. I think that's everybody, so far, anyway."
"Wait, don't forget about the lifeguard," Tom added.
"Wow, you guys are really going all out. Mind if I ask why?"
"Sure. Did you read the story about me in the paper a couple weeks ago?"
"Who didn't. We were all talking about it at school during lunch and breaks. Especially since all that came out after the workshop. We've all read about crap like that before, but, somehow, it feels different when it happens to someone you know."
"Well, I, actually, I should say we, have decided to do everything we can to help any kid who needs it, regardless of the type help they need. I went through hell for three years because I felt like there was nobody I could turn to. I'm not going to just sit here with a thumb up my ass like an idiot when I can do something to help out. To me, not doing something to help others in need is just as bad, if not worse, than being the person inflicting harm on another. I won't have my failure to take action weighing on my conscience. Not any longer, anyway."
"What are you talking about, babe?" Tom asked with concern.
"Sorry to surprise you, Tom, but it's something I've been thinking about and haven't shared with anybody yet. I was going to talk to Jason about it today, but we got sidetracked by other things. Out of all that's come to light recently, the one thing that keeps coming back to haunt me is this; how many kids could I have saved from being abused at that church if I'd only had the balls to speak out? Over 3,000 of us were victimized by those people, but how many of them were after me? A hundred, five hundred, a thousand? More? All of them could have been spared from that nightmare if only I'd said something twenty years ago. You have no idea how heavily that failure weighs on me."
"Max, you were only thirteen when it happened. And you can't blame yourself for what those people did. They're responsible for their own actions, not you. Besides, you'd been traumatized by what they did to you, so it's no surprise you stayed quiet."
"My brain agrees with you, hon, but in my heart, I still feel like I should have done something to stop them. And I can't stop thinking it. But we'll deal with that another day, let's get back to why we're here. What do you think Ken, does this sound like something you'd be interested in doing?"
"You bet. I'd start tomorrow if you were ready for it."
Tom and I laughed at Ken's eagerness. "That's good to hear, Ken," Tom replied. "Considering how we live, we have to be careful about who we bring in to work with us. We both felt you'd be a good choice."
"Thanks, guys, I appreciate you thinking about me and offering me the job. I'll tell you right now that I accept, and I'll look forward to working with you. This should be interesting."
"Good to hear Ken. We'll look forward to it, also. Now, what say we rejoin the family and give them the good news?" I asked.
It didn't take long to tell Mr. Burton why what he said was so funny to all of us. And despite his surprise, he told us it was okay with him if we got comfortable. Well, you didn't have to tell this group of wild ones twice, so we ran to our rooms, got undressed and came back to sit with Mr. Burton and wait for our dads and Mr. Thomas to come back out of the study.
"You sure you're cool with us bein' naked, Mr. Burton," Alex asked after we sat back down.
"You guys are fine, Alex. It is Alex, isn't it?"
"Yeah, I think so, or am I Joey?" Alex giggled. He then stood, aimed his butt towards my face and asked, "Is the birthmark still there, bro?" he asked.
"Yep, right there," I answered as I poked the red spot on my brother's ass.
"Phew, good to know," Alex sighed. "Okay, I'm Alex," the crazy kid said as he sat back down.
"You guys are something else," LeVar laughed. "It's nice to meet kids who know who they are and aren't ashamed of it."
"We got nothin' to be `shamed about, Mr. Burton," T.J. offered.
"No, I don't guess you do," LeVar agreed.
"Why are you here, anyway," Eric asked.
"I want to talk to Max about adapting his Jake Franklin books into movies."
"Cool," Josh replied.
"Dudes," T.J. interrupted with a whisper, "they're comin' back, act natural."
"Well, duh, how else can we act, ya goober?" Alex giggled as the rest of us cracked up.
As the three of us left the hallway, I knew something was up as all the boys were laughing and LeVar was shaking his head. As we drew closer, it finally dawned on me all eight of the wild ones had lost their clothes.
Before I could say anything, LeVar turned and said, "It's cool, Max, I told `em they could be themselves."
"That may be, LeVar, but they know better," I replied. "At least I thought they did." I turned to the herd and said, "Okay, explanation, please."
"We was just talkin' `bout Star Trek Dad," Joey answered, "and Mr. Burton was telling us about the planet Deanna's from, you know, Betazed."
"And what about Betazed gave you the idea you should all lose your clothes."
"Well," T.J. began, "after he told us about how Betazoids don't wear nothin' when they get married, we told him that sounded cool since that's how we lived all the time."
"Yeah, and now we think you and Pops should do what they do when you get married," Joey added helpfully. "It'd be really cool to have a naked wedding." Tom and Ken began laughing heartily at the suggestion.
"While that sounds like it might be interesting, guys, I don't see it happening. Beside Mama Rose and Grandma Estelle are in charge of the wedding plans. Now, Ryan and John should be here soon, so go get your shorts back on, please. I do not want our first meeting about our new house being derailed. GO!" While they stalked back to their rooms, grumping all the way, I heard Joey comment, `told you guys he'd poop all over the party'. After the grumbling could no longer be heard, I introduced Ken to LeVar. "LeVar, I'd like you to meet Ken Thomas. He's just agreed to be our teacher when we get moved into our new home. Ken, LeVar Burton."
LeVar stood and shook hands with Ken while saying, "Nice to meet you Ken. You sure you're ready for this? Looks like it could be a rough assignment," he added with a laugh.
"It's nice to meet you, too, Mr. Burton. I'm a big fan of all your work, both in front of, and behind, the cameras. And, yeah, I'm ready for it."
"That's good to hear since it looks like you're gonna have your hands full," LeVar laughed again. "And thanks for the compliment. I never get tired of hearing from people who've enjoyed what I've done."
The drive sensor dinged to announce our next guest and I excused myself to answer the door. As I crossed the house to the front door, the boys were returning with their shorts back on, for which I gave them a thumbs-up sign despite the surly looks shooting my way. When I opened the front door, I found Justine and her crew ready to go to work.
"Hi, Justine. Thanks for coming on such short notice."
"No problem, Mr. Sanders."
"Well, since you've been here before, you know where everything is. I'll get out of your way and let you folks get to work."
"Good plan there, sir," she replied as she led the team through the front door and aimed for the kitchen. "Where do you want the extra tables set up?" she asked just before disappearing around the corner.
"Out here, between the door and the living room is about the only place there's room," I answered, closing the door and following in her footsteps.
"Would like us to set the tables for you after they're in place?"
"That's fine, just don't do the table in the dining room just yet. We have a meeting to deal with in just a bit and we need that space."
"You got it, sir. Now, skedaddle and take care of your guests," Justine ordered while swinging a hand towel above her head. "Leave the food to us."
"I'm outta here," I retorted before I got snapped with a towel. I'd just made it back to the living room where the boys had found their sense of humor again, when the drive sensor went off. I looked to Tom and said, "Your turn, big guy."
"Yes, boss," he replied as he got up to meet whoever was coming in. While I was hoping it would be Ryan and John so we could get that meeting dealt with, it turned out to be my mom and dad. After a flurry of hugs from the boys, we introduced them to LeVar and Ken. Next to arrive was Ryan and John and after the introductions to everyone, Tom, Eric, Ryan, John and I adjourned to the dining room, leaving my mom and dad to keep the boys in under control and greet anyone else who showed up.
Our discussion tonight was pretty basic, just giving Ryan a good idea of the room sizes and locations. What we ended up with was very similar to the layout of the current house, but much larger, of course, to handle the additional people we'd have living with us. A four-car garage would anchor our end of the home but be separated from the house itself to allow for private decks between the garage and the house, and a covered walkway would connect the two. The bedroom for Tom and I would be next to the garage, with my study across the hallway from that, much as it is now. The hallway, though, would be extended to the end of the area and Tom and Dylan's office would be at the front end of the wing. We also planned for a small parking area to accommodate four cars for any clients who might come to their office. Four bedrooms for the boys and Ron would be located where the theater currently is, so they would all be on the same end of the house as us. Each of our bedrooms would have their own bathrooms, and private decks so we could get away from it all for a bit and enjoy some quiet time.
The central area for the living room, dining room and kitchen was enlarged to create enough space for up to twenty-four people to all be in the same space without feeling like sardines in the can. The opposite end of the home would contain six bedrooms large enough to accommodate two queen-sized beds each, three on each side of a wide hallway. Each bedroom would also have its own bathroom to minimize the need to share. The garage would be replaced with the gymnasium and workout space we wanted, and another four-car garage would be appended to the very end of the home. The theater and gaming room would be at the back of the house where the pool is currently located, and the pool would be moved to be behind the gym. Shifting the pool made sense since we planned to include two small locker rooms in the gym, though I really hated to lose the glass wall of the living room to the theater. But, I also wanted the theater centrally located and that was about the only place it could go.
Ryan was rough sketching the layout as we discussed it and when we'd finally accomplished the basic design, it was passed around for all us to review. Tom and I took the longest time and he suddenly realized we hadn't allowed for any laundry space. After some quick discussion about the inadvertent omission, two laundry rooms were added to the rough plan, one for our own needs on our end of the home, next to the large pantry, and another in a corner of the gym to handle towels, sheets and clothes for our temporary guests. The laundry spaces would be large enough to hold two washers and dryers in each room, giving us a total of four of each machine. While it seemed to be a bit of overkill at the moment, I'd rather be prepared for more than less.
Due to the size of the house and the rearranging of rooms, I was concerned about the loss of natural light reaching everywhere and I voiced that to Ryan. He assured me that I needn't worry, and that clerestory windows and strategically placed skylights would resolve the problem very nicely. After one last round of questions and answers, we began to break up.
Before Ryan could put his stuff together, Eric said, "Mr. Sebring, I really want to thank you for letting me join you guys."
"No problems, Eric. Did you learn anything tonight?"
"You bet. It was really cool to watch you sketch the floorplan while everyone was talking about it. How do you keep all that stuff straight in your mind and make changes the way you did?"
"Practice, Eric, lots and lots of practice. But I also had a pretty good idea what Max and Tom were looking for before we got started tonight. During our first meeting with the other two architects, they'd said they wanted the basic layout of the new house similar to this one, so that's where I started in my mind, making adjustments as they were needed."
"Well, I think you did great. Hey, before you go, would you be willing to take a look at a couple plans I've drawn since we got back from Chicago?"
"Sure thing, buddy. Where are they?"
"In my backpack. I'll be right back." Eric zipped out of the dining room and was back in a flash with several sheets of paper. "Here ya go, what do ya think?" Eric asked anxiously. Ryan took a few minutes to look over Eric's simple drawings and it appeared he was impressed. Those appearances were proven to be right when he spoke.
"There are pretty good, Eric. Especially from someone who doesn't have any experience. The room locations and open layout are conducive to traffic flow throughout both houses. And I like how you separated the master bedroom from the other bedrooms, and you don't go straight into the master from a kitchen or great room the way a lot of architects do. Overall, these are good starting points and with a few minor tweaks, they'd be really good plans."
"You're not just sayin' that, are ya?"
"Absolutely not. How'd you come up with these plans?"
"Well, I bought one of those plan magazines at Barnes and Noble, then found a couple different ones that I kinda liked, but I didn't think they were quite what I'd want in a house. So, I used them as a base, I guess, but shifted things here and there so they made more sense to me. Like swingin' the master bedroom door into that small hallway instead of having it just off the kitchen. That just didn't seem right. If it was my house and I wanted to sleep in some day, I sure wouldn't hear a bunch of noise from somebody cookin'."
"Well, you're certainly thinking along the right lines. Do you mind if take these with me?"
"Sure, go ahead. I was just playin' around."
"Thanks, Eric. I think you're going to learn a lot as we work on Max and Tom's new home."
"I hope so. Thanks, Mr. Sebring."
"Tell you what, what don't you just use Ryan? It's a lot easier."
"Cool, thanks. I'll make sure Max lets me know when you guys get together again so I can be here."
"I'll look forward to it, Eric. Let me talk to Max, Tom and John now, okay."
"Sure thing. See you soon." With that, an ecstatic Eric floated out of the dining room to rejoin the others in the living room.
After he was gone, I asked, "You really weren't just saying that to make him feel good, were you?"
"Absolutely not," Ryan replied. "I can tell he put some serious thought into what he drew and I'm pretty impressed with what he came up with."
"So, why are you taking his plans with you? Afraid of some competition?" I laughed.
"Not at all. I want to blow his mind when we have our next meeting."
"How ya gonna do that?" Tom asked.
"I'm going to have one of my draftsmen redraw them as actual house plans. From my initial assessment, he won't have to change very much. Then after our next meeting, I'll show them to Eric and explain what we did. I think it'll be good for him to see the finished product from his rough drawings."
"That's very nice of you Ryan, but you don't have to do that."
"Yeah, I kinda do. I want to help Eric realize his dream."
"Well, join the club, then." I turned to Tom and commented, "I think we definitely picked the right guy."
"No doubt about it."
"Anything else we need to talk about tonight?" I asked.
"Don't think so, guys," Ryan answered. "John, you've been pretty quiet. You got any questions?"
"Yeah, how fast can I get complete plans so I can get started? This place ain't gonna build itself and I'm runnin' out of time." We enjoyed a quick laugh with John on that comment.
"I'll have a preliminary plan by next Friday. Think we can all get together then, same time?"
"Works for us," I answered.
"Fine with me," John agreed.
"It's a date then, fellas," Ryan said. "Let's get out of here, John, and let them entertain their guests."
"You two sure you don't want to stay for supper?" I asked.
"No thanks, Max," John answered. "The wife is waiting for me to take her to Longhorn for supper."
"I have other plans, also, but thanks for asking," Ryan added.
"Then we'll see you next Friday," I replied as I got up from the table to walk them out. "Tom, would you let Justine know we're done in here so they can get the table ready?"
"Sure. Meet you in the living room."
After seeing John and Ryan out, I turned towards the living room to find Tom's parents had also arrived. As I drew closer, I discovered Lee and Carl had also joined the party and were sitting on the hearth in front of the fireplace. All we needed now was for Rich, Stan and Rick to put in their appearances and the guest list for tonight's gathering would be complete. As I surveyed the crowded space, I decided that the completion of the new house could not happen fast enough, especially if this was to be the size of our regular get-togethers.
I slid in close to LeVar and interrupted his discussion with four of the boys, "So, have you been introduced to everyone?"
"Yep. You have a great family, here, Max. It's nice to see your parents are so supportive of you."
"They haven't been that way for very long, LeVar, but I'm glad to see it, too. I'm sorry for arranging our meeting for tonight. I'd completely forgotten everybody else was gonna be here."
"No worries, I haven't had this much fun at a party in quite a while. Most of them I have to go to, everybody wants to talk about nothing but business. It's a lot more interesting to hear people talking about their families and real life than who's going to be in the next big blockbuster."
"I'm glad to hear it. Rich and his father should be here shortly."
"Good, I'd like to meet the kid you think is going to take Hollywood by storm."
"Well, I don't know about that, but I'm sure he thinks he will," I laughed. "Would you excuse me so I can say hi to everyone."
"You go right ahead. I'm just gonna sit back and enjoy myself."
"Thanks. Supper should be ready soon."
As I made my rounds, T.J., Alex, Logan and Joey continued chatting up LeVar, trying to get more of the scoop on Betazed and the people that live there, I'm sure. Mike and Andy were regaling Lee and Carl with tales from school, and our parents were talking with Ken, sharing horror stories of their years in the classroom. Eric and Josh were sitting with Tom, discussing our new home and their excitement at being able to join our sons this fall. The only kid missing from the equation was Brent, but he'd be here tomorrow night with his parents to watch the airing of the boys' interviews. Just before I could sit down and get comfortable, the drive sensor went off, so I headed back to the front door. When I opened the door, I found Stan, Rich and Carrie extricating themselves from their car.
"Hi, Rich, good to see you again," I greeted them as they crossed the front porch. "And you must be Stan and Carrie," I added as I shook both their hands. "Come on in," I added while closing the door after they'd all crossed the threshold.
"I hope you don't mind Carrie coming along," Stan offered.
"Not a problem, Stan. Nice to meet you both." I turned towards the crowd and started to lead them across the house to meet everyone else. But, before I could take a step, Rich pulled me into a hug and said, "Thanks for having us over. I'm really looking forward to meeting Mr. Burton."
"No problem, Rich. You ready for this?"
"I sure as hell hope so," he chuckled. As we turned back to face the group, Rich was immediately mugged by Tornado T.J. who'd run across the house and jumped into Rich's arms, wrapping his own around the older boy's neck. "Hey, T.J., how ya doin'?"
"Great, Rich, how `bout you?" T.J. asked as he planted a peck on Rich's cheek.
"Nervous as a long-tailed cat in room full of rocking chairs," Rich chuckled. "But other than that, I'm doin' okay." T.J. finally unhooked his arms from Rich's neck and he was slowly lowered to the floor. "Might as well get this over with," Rich muttered.
"Well, c'mon, dude. And don't be scared, he's a regular guy, trust me." T.J. grabbed Rich's hand and pulled him across the house, the three of us following in their wake. When they'd reached the couch LeVar was sharing with Alex, Joey and Logan, T.J. interrupted the ongoing conversation with, "Mr. Burton, this is my friend Rich Weaver. Rich, say hi to Mr. Burton. He's gonna make you famous."
LeVar stood and the two shook hands while Rich said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir."
"It's nice to meet you, too, Rich. And it's LeVar, okay?"
"If you say so. LeVar, this is my dad, Stan, and my sister, Carrie," Rich said as he continued the introductions.
LeVar shared handshakes with both before turning back to Rich and commenting, "I can see why Max likes you for the part."
"Thanks, I think," Rich laughed.
"I'm going to check in on Justine, see if they're ready to serve yet."
I turned towards the kitchen and left everybody visiting. I reached the kitchen and before I could ask my question, Justine said, "I was just coming to find you, Max. You weren't reading my mind were you."
"Not one of my known talents, Justine. No, that bit of magic belongs to three of our sons."
"I was just kidding," she retorted.
"That may be, but I wasn't. So, you ready to go in here?"
"I believe we are. As soon as everyone finds a place to sit, we'll start serving."
"Excellent. I'll get people moving in the right direction." I returned to the living room and gave a loud whistle to get everybody's attention. With all eyes focused on me, "Boys, oh, and girl, wash hands and find somewhere to sit. The rest of you, grab a chair, food's ready to go." The herd rumbled down the hallway to follow my instructions while the rest of us filtered towards the tables. As most of the adults staked a claim at the dining room table, Rich looked a bit lost, unsure if he should sit with the adults or the kids. I stepped over to him and offered, "Why don't you sit in here, Rich? I'll sit with the boys to make sure they don't get too wild."
"Oh, no, Mr. Sanders, I can't kick you out of your chair."
"You're not, I'm giving it to you. Besides, whoever sits at the head of the table gets to pay for dinner."
"Yeah, right," Rich laughed. "Now I know you're pullin' my leg."
"About payin', I am, but not about sitting there. Go ahead."
"Thank you, sir. I appreciate it." With that, he turned and happily took the spot I usually used.
I turned back for the living room and was just settling onto a folding chair when all the kids started returning from their visits to the bathrooms. Eric picked the spot to my left, strange look flooding his face. As the rest of them staked their claims at the two temporary tables, I leaned over and whispered, "You okay, Eric?"
"Uh, yeah," he muttered as he looked up to me. "But who's the girl?"
"That's Rich's sister, Carrie."
"She's cute," the smitten lad giggled.
"Yes, she is. Would you like to meet her?" I asked.
"Yeah!" he answered with eagerness. "Uh, wait, no," he muttered.
"Well, which is it, yes or no?" I asked.
"I don't know," Eric whined.
Not one to let sleeping dogs lie, I called to the other table, "Carrie, would you like to join us?" Eric practically dove under the table with embarrassment.
"Uh, sure, Mr. Sanders," she replied, then left her seat to join us and sit on my right. After she'd gotten situated, she added, "Thanks for not gettin' upset about me comin' with Dad and Rich. He's still worried about what Mom might do and didn't feel comfortable leaving me at home."
"No problem. Carrie, I'd like you to meet Eric. He's a friend of our sons."
"Hi, Eric, how are you?" she asked politely.
"Um, okay, I guess," he answered sheepishly. "What grade you in?"
"Ninth, what about you?"
"Eighth. I'll be in ninth next year. I hope I will be, anyway."
"Cool, we could hang out at lunch, then."
"I s'pose so. If you really want to, that is."
"I think I would. You're kinda cute, you know?"
"You are, too," Eric replied while flushing pink with embarrassment.
All conversation halted at that moment as one of Justine's people wheeled over a cart loaded with food and our hunger became more important than words. The server asked what each of us wanted and then filled our plates and salad bowls with our choices. A basket of fresh out of the oven garlic-cheddar biscuits was placed in the center table for all of us to share. As we tucked into our meals, all that could be heard were moans of delight. As I enjoyed my supper, I noticed Eric and Carrie, while silent, were sharing quick glances with each other that spoke volumes. The other boys sharing our table, Josh, Joey and Alex were giggling quietly as they witnessed the same thing I was. They calmed down a bit after I gave them `the look', but they just couldn't seem to control themselves and the giggles continued.
Tom seemed to be having it a bit easier at his table with Mike, Andy, T.J. and Logan. How both of us managed to avoid sitting at the same table with the rest of the adults would be a mystery to be solved at a later time. I'd reached my fill when the drive sensor let us know someone else was coming in. I assumed this would be Rick and he'd be just in time to enjoy supper. I reached the door as the doorbell rang, and opening it, I greeted Rick and let him.
"Hey, Max, sorry I'm so late."
"No worries, Rick. You're just in time. Grab a seat and dig in." When we turned to join the crowd, I noticed my plate had been removed and Rick promptly took the empty space next to Eric.
"How ya doin' Eric? Hi Josh, Joey, Alex. And who might you be?" he asked of Carrie.
"Hi, my name's Carrie. Who're you?"
"I'm Rick, Eric and Josh's dad. Nice to meet you."
"Good to meet you, too," she replied, then quietly asked, "but I gotta know, is Eric really shy?"
Rick chuckled and answered, "No, not normally. I guess it depends on who's around."
"Okay, I just wondered `cause he hasn't talked much."
While a subdued conversation took place, I decided to roam and mingle with the others. Seeing that Tom and his group were still chowing down, I turned for the dining room to see how things were going in there. I arrived just in time to be assaulted by an uproarious round of laughter that spilled from the room. I cautiously stepped in, afraid of what had just happened. Dad quickly cleared the air.
"Oh, hey, son," Dad began, "LeVar was just telling us about the boys bein' themselves while you and Tom were talking to Ken. You really weren't surprised, were you?"
"Well, I shouldn't have been, I guess. Give them an inch and they're gonna take the mile every time."
"Sounds just like you and your sister at that age," Mom laughed.
"Tom, too," Bill added with a chuckle.
"Kids will be kids," Stan admitted," no matter how much you try to reel them in."
"I'm finding that out," I agreed. "So, how's everybody doing in here?" I asked.
"We're doin' just fine, Max," Estelle answered. "Mr. Burton fits right in with the rest of us."
"I told you it's LeVar, Mrs. Wright," he retorted.
"And I've told you it's Estelle, so get over it young man."
"Not quite as young as I once was," LeVar lamented.
"But still younger than us," Bill pressed.
"Well, I'm glad everyone's getting' along okay. At least there haven't been any food fights."
"Not yet, Mr. Sanders," Rich laughed. "Still plenty of time to fix that."
"Please try to control yourselves, okay. If you make a mess, you have to clean it up," I admonished the young man.
"I'll be good, Mr. Sanders. I promise," Rich replied as LeVar flipped a shrimp the length of the table that landed on Rich's plate, causing another round of hilarity to erupt from the group.
"I think that's my cue to move on. I'm going to see if Tom and I can talk to Rick real quick before we talk to LeVar, okay?"
"We'll be ready for you, Max," LeVar answered.
I headed back towards the other tables to find the kids had all moved to sit by the fireplace and Tom had joined Rick while he ate his meal. I joined the two and their ongoing conversation.
"So, two injured, but not seriously," Rick was saying. "Still, we had to take them to the hospital to get checked out. Then had to wait around for some family member to show up. That's why I was so late."
"We're just glad you made it in time for food, Rick," Tom replied. "And while we have a few minutes, we'd like to talk to you about something."
"Shoot. If my mouth's full, I'll either nod or shake my head."
"Well, you know about our plans to build a new house, right?" A quick nod from Rick and I continued. "Well, we're thinking about the other people we'd like to come in and help us. We talked to Ken earlier and he's agreed to be here to help the kids we're going to take in keep up with their educations, along with taking over our boys' studies." Another nod and Tom took over.
"We've also talked to Max's therapist about him and his partner coming in to help with counseling for the kids who need it. They seem interested in the prospect and we expect them to be available on an as-needed basis."
Rick swallowed his mouthful and asked through his confusion, "So, how does all that affect me?"
"Well," I began, "I'm sure Josh and Eric have already talked to you about joining our boys in their new clothes-free school environment." With a nod after taking another bite, I added, "We were thinking you might be interested in coming in to take care of any medical needs we might have." Rick's eyes flew wide with surprise and he started to choke a bit.
After coughing several times to clear his throat, he asked, "Are you shittin' me? Please tell me you aren't."
"Not a bit, Rick," Tom answered. "The way we figure it, with up to twenty-five kids being here around the clock, we know someone's going to get hurt. We're trying to be a bit pre-emptive by having someone on-site to handle those things. And we figured with you already knowing about our lack of dress code around here, you'd be the perfect candidate to fill that position."
"Oh, man, that sounds great. I like what I do, but I hate the schedule we have. Especially those nights I have to leave the boys home alone. That just scares the shit out of me."
"Why?" Tom asked.
"Well, I'm pretty sure they won't do anything stupid `cause they're both smart kids, but I worry about other people. Our house has been hit by a car before since we live on a bit of a curve, and I always worry that's gonna happen again, with disastrous results. Not that I could stop it from happening, even if I was at home. But, at least if I was, I could take care of whoever needed it? I'm also worried about some loser breakin' in when I'm not there."
I looked to Tom really quick and raised my eyebrows in question. After receiving a quick nod from him I said to Rick, "Um, what would you think if we sweetened our offer just a bit? How would you, Eric and Josh like to move here with us. We have plenty of land and I'm sure we could find the perfect location for another new house. That's what our parents were gonna do before I had my flash of brilliance and talked the big guy into us building a new house and giving them this one."
After another round of coughing in surprise, Rick, said, "You're serious, aren't you?"
"As a heart attack," I replied.
"I don't know, man. That's a lot to take in. I need to think about it. And talk to the boys, too, though I'm sure they'd love the idea."
"Take your time," Tom replied. "But let us know what you decide so we can get John started on your new place if you accept our offer."
"Yeah, I will," Rick breathed in relief. "Thanks, guys. I really appreciate your offer and I'll give it serious consideration."
"Well, we'll let you finish your dinner in peace, Rick. I need to talk with LeVar, Stan and Rich before our interviews come on at eight."
"Who're they?" Rick quizzed me.
"LeVar is LeVar Burton from Star Trek, Rich is the kid I want to play Jake Franklin and Stan is his dad. LeVar's made me an offer to turn my books into movies that's awfully hard to ignore."
"Wait, you tellin' me Geordi's in the house? Right now??"
"Uh, yeah, he's in the dining room with my parents and a few others."
"Oh my God. I've always wanted to meet him," Rick panted with excitement.
"And if you hang around for a while, you'll finally get your chance."
"I ain't goin' nowhere," Rick enthused.
"Glad to hear it. You're family, you know." I turned to face Tom and asked, "Do you wanna join us?"
"I don't think so, Max. I'll stay out here and keep everyone occupied."
"That's fine, but I won't agree or commit to anything without your approval."
"I trust you to do the right thing, babe, for everybody. That's how you operate."
"Well, I've tried, that's for sure. But we're still gonna talk about it before I sign anything."
"If that's what you want."
"It is. Okay, we'll be back out as soon as we can. No later than five `til eight. I don't want to miss our interview with Ray."
"We'll be here, go on and take care of your meeting."
Before I left Rick and Tom, I gave my honey a hug and a kiss, then aimed for the dining room to collect the other three.
"LeVar, Rich, Stan, you guys ready to talk?"
"Sure thing," LeVar answered. "Did you take care of the other conversation you wanted to have?"
"Just now. Looks like it's our turn, finally," I answered with a smile.
"Then lead the way, Max." The three left their chairs and followed me to my study so we could talk in private. After closing the door, we settled in around the small table away from my desk to begin the discussion that could change even more lives than I already had.