Date: Thu, 27 Jan 2011 18:56:25 -0700
From: dnrock@rock.com
Subject: Delta Cubed 7

Delta Cubed
by: dnrock(dnrock@rock.com) edited by Hap.


7: No! Not On My Watch

Toward the end of June the four of us went out to the lake for a picnic. It
was one of those hot and humid late June days, clear skies with a few big
puffy white clouds drifting lazily across the azure sky. A gentle breeze,
birds singing and fields of corn growing so fast you could almost see
it. We pulled in to the little parking spot where we often came to make
love in the dark. We pulled the car into the shade of the large pines
growing just to the west.

Alex and I spread a blanket along the lakeshore hidden from the road by a
grove of elders and Judy and Alexandria got the drinks and food. We laid in
the sun laughing and relaxing. The Alex crew began kissing and fondling,
and when this happens they drop into another dimension.

Judy and I laid next to each other staring up at the sky. It was like we
were in the wilderness, a thousand miles from any place or anyone. I took
Judy's hand in mine and kissed it tenderly. Slowly a sound came into my
conscious. What the hell is that I wondered? It was nothing I guess.

"Judy, listen, do you hear that?"

"Yes, it sounds like someone sobbing and groaning at the same time."

We saw no one or anything out of the ordinary when we arrived. I listened
again to get a direction. I pointed to the east toward the bushes that grow
along the lakeshore.

I slowly got up and crept toward the place from where I thought I heard the
sound. Nothing at first, but as I got closer I heard it again, a little
louder this time. I was getting closer. I parted the bushes and my heart
just about stopped. A flood of long suppressed memories came flooding back,
as if it was yesterday, like a knife piercing my heart. I screamed, "No!
No!"

Judy and the Alexes came running toward me.

I reached down and my hand reached out to touch the forehead of a child, a
child that was lying in the thicket with blood stains on his shirt and
face, clothing torn and legs bent and bruised.

"Who...who did this, who would dare to do this?"

I began to cry; the tears were streaming down my cheeks. I remembered being
beaten and bloody, I remembered running from that bastard, but I could not
run now. The tears blinded my eyes.

"Oh, little one," I said, "who has hurt you? What kind of demented or
deranged animal would hurt this child?"

I was openly sobbing now; I lifted the child's head. When the others
reached me, they were as incredulous as I.

"How badly is he hurt, Sam?" Alex asked.

"I don't know yet."

Judy and Alexandria were at my side touching and asking the child where he
hurt. I scooped him up. His arm was limp and black-and-blue--broken, I
figured. He didn't scream or yell, but he winced. The girls began cleaning
the blood from his face and other body parts. We offered him our soda,
which he quickly drank. No doubt he was thirsty and no telling how long he
had been in the bushes.

Alex called 911; the ambulance and sheriff were both on the way. We put our
first-aid training to use--training I thankful I have but which I hoped
never to need. We asked his name just before he shuddered with fear at the
sound of a car on the gravel road. He said his name is Wilson.

"It's okay, Wilson" I said, "you are with friends now and no one will ever
hurt you again, no one, I promise."

"He is looking for me, if he finds me..."

"Who is looking for you, the person who did this?" Alexandria interjected.

"Yes, Rathborn--he's my mom's pimp. Rath did this and he will hurt you all
if he finds me and finds you helping me."

"No, Wilson, he will never hurt you again and he can't hurt me any more
than his hurting you already has," I assured him.

The car pulled into the parking area and now that our car was visible it
was just a matter to time until we were discovered. This was neither the
sheriff nor the ambulance.

Wilson was very afraid and Alexandria and Judy had all they could do to
hold him. I was on one knee next to Wilson and Alex was a few feet away on
my right. This hulking, dirty figure came toward us. He could not see
Wilson, the girls blocking his view.

"Have you see a rat-assed boy around here?" he boomed as he approached.

Alex seemed to know what I was about to do, or he figured I was at least
about to do something. He moved a few feet closer, about two feet up,
toward to the advancing child molester.

"Yeah‚" I called out, "right over here."

Wilson look terrified.

Judy told him, "Trust Sam he will protect you, he will!"

"So will we all," Alexandria added.

I could see the looks on their faces and it was not so much fear but
questioning: Okay, Sam, how? Rathborn stopped about two feet from me and
began to say something to Wilson. I sprang up from my crouch as if jumping
for a basketball my right hand smashing into Rathborn's face, my left into
his gut and my right knee into his crotch. He went down, out cold. Wilson
was beside himself with joy, but even that hurt.

"Wow, mister you sure took care of that asshole."

Alex kept an eye on our downed "friend" as I reached down to touch Wilson's
cheek.

"I told you no one would ever hurt you again and I keep my word."

At that moment I remembered--oh, how I remembered, as if had just
happened--when Fred put his arm around a cold wet little boy and said,
"you're safe here and no one will ever hurt you again." I remember how that
dog licked my hand and made me stay on the porch until help came. I
remembered how for the first time in my life, I had an idea what being safe
and protected could even mean.

Rathborn began to come around but as soon as he moved Alex placed his foot
firmly on his arm saying, "best lie still or Sam will kick the shit out of
you again."

Rathborn tried to get up so Alex added, while planting his size 12 squarely
in his face, "and I'll help him."

Rathborn was much more contrite now but still belligerent. We can't do this
to him; he will make us pay, and so on. I just told him to shut up, or by
the time the sheriff arrived he would be nothing but dog meat. I started
for him again. Judy stopped me.

"That's enough, Sam. That's enough."

"No, it's not, nothing is enough. That coward and bully has hurt his last
child. I'll make him pay for every cut, for every bruise, for every hurt he
has inflicted on this boy."

I was mad now. I was more then mad, I was in a rage, and if they would have
let me I would have killed the bastard. None of them had ever seen me like
this. I had never seen me like this. The sheriff and ambulance came just in
time to save the asshole from my wrath.

The sheriff's deputy came up and began asking questions while the ambulance
attendants took care of Wilson. Rathborn tried to defend himself and
accused us of attacking him.

The deputy knew Alex and knew who I was. He assessed the situation quickly
asking Wilson who had done this to him.

"Rathborn," he hissed, "and those men prevented the bastard from hurting me
any more." Pointing at me, he continued, "He said he would not let anyone
hurt me any more and he sure kept his word. Thanks, mister."

"No thanks needed, Wilson, it is my pleasure."

Rathborn tried to say something but I started at him again. This time the
deputy held me off.

"Rathborn," I screamed, "anyone who hurts a child deserves to be hung by
the balls and I'm going to hang you by yours."

"See officer he wants to kill me; see he threatened me."

"Rathborn," the officer said, "one more word from you and I think I will
find a coffee shop and leave you in the care of these
two. Do...you...understand...me?"

Rathborn got that message all right.

Fred and Sara arrived, blocking the ambulance's exit. They took Alexandria
and Judy in their car, Alex and I went in mine, Wilson went in the
ambulance and Rathborn with the deputy. We told the deputy we would drop by
the office after we assured ourselves Wilson was okay.

"Alex, Sam," he said, "good job. We've been trying to nail this bastard for
years."

"Sam and I won't be in any trouble will we," Alex asked.

"Trouble? Hell no! The judge will probably give you two a medal. Judge
Oxford hates child abusers and molesters, with about as much passion as Sam
just displayed. That asshole is dead meat for sure. His life won't be worth
much when he gets to prison. Inmates hate child molesters, and you know
I've got a real big mouth sometimes," he said as he smiled.

>>The following is not in chronological order. I hope that does not cause
the reader too much difficulty.<<

Rathborn tried to get Alex and I charged for beating him up, but the deputy
told the judge that the treads on Alex's shoe's didn't match the marks on
Rathborn's face, and I was just defending the boy. Rathborn plead guilty so
no trial was required.

It turned out that Wilson was the son of a woman that was in Rathborn's
stable of prostitutes and that Rathborn had raped the boy and beat him
badly because he would not go along with Rathborn selling his services. The
mother was packed off to jail, too, for endangerment and a long list of
other charges.

In the hospital, Wilson was examined. His arm was broken, so it would be in
a cast. He was bruised and cut and had been sexually assaulted. His anus
was bleeding but he did not have any internal injuries. I went to see
Wilson twice a day while he was in the hospital. We became friends. He was
absolutely devoted to me from the moment he realized I would keep my word
to him. I guess no one had ever done that before. I, of course, knew
exactly how he felt toward his rescuers--exactly!

Alex, Judy and Alexandria were completely overwhelmed by my display of
courage and my rage. My right hand hurt like hell, but I didn't even feel
it for about four hours. They had no idea I would react with such fury.

I told them, "I knew this little boy once and he was abused. He was lost,
alone and hurt. A young hero came along, put his hand on his shoulder and
told him no one would ever hurt him again." I refused to say more.

Fred told them that he never expected my rage, but he knew I could not
stand to see a child, any child, hurt or lied to or abused in any way, and
that if I ever encountered that I would have no option but to, "put it
right," what ever that took.

Fred also knew I would need lots of support from him and Sara thought
this. He figured I would petition Family and Child Services to be Wilson's
foster parent. I had no choice: someone had helped me in my hour of need
and I could not live with myself if I failed to help in Wilson's. He
gathered support for me and when I announced my intentions I had a whole
community ready to support me, although I didn't know that at the time.

C&FS was not impressed with my petition, but Judge Oxford stepped in and
sent Wilson to stay with me at Wilson's request. C&FS was outraged, but the
judge just signed the order and told them to sit on it for a few weeks.

"That boy and his friends put it all on the line for a child in need,
someone they knew nothing about, except the child was in danger. I think
they should get a medal for bravery and another one for community service."

The head office in Madison subsequently straightened out C&FS. Fred and
Sara had to step up and become the foster parents because I was not old
enough and still a student. They did it without a question or comment. They
took on Wilson knowing that in a few months I would be away most of the
year at university. Sure, it is only an hour away, but I would still be
away. Social Services would provide support money for Wilson and he did
wind up with a small trust fund from the proceeds of Rathborn's and his
mom's assets.

Wilson was delighted when the hospital released him to me. He told everyone
his new big brother was taking care of him, that is after he related--only
about 50 times--how I took down that "old bastard" with one blow, and Alex
planted his foot in the bastard's face. Okay, he exaggerated a bit, I think
the knee to the crotch is what did the trick, but my hand still hurt three
weeks later. I guess my right cross did something. Lucky for me I'm left
handed.

Judy was so proud that Alex and I stood up for what we believed and we
protected not only Wilson, but Alexandra and herself as well. I kept
telling everyone to give Alex more credit, including Wilson. Alex is the
one who kept his cool, made the phone call to 911 and Alex positioned
himself to maximum advantage and controlled Rathborn, not to mention
preventing me from doing something to Rathborn that would have amounted to
taking the law in my own hands. All I did was allow my emotions to rule my
actions.

Fred, upon hearing Wilson's story, just put his arm around my shoulder and
said, "brother, you did what you thought was right at the time. You did
what you had to do to maintain your own self-respect. You two acted like
Deltas men and I'm proud to be your brother."

I think I got real red and just stammered, "I had a good teacher you know."

"No, Sam you had good teachers. It only takes a man and woman to have a
baby, it takes a whole village to raise a child," Fred said.

Enough of this hero stuff. I'm no hero, but I did get a might upset when I
saw what that bastard did to Wilson. I get upset whenever I see a child in
distress at the hands of adults.

Wilson was quite a handful for the first few weeks of the summer. It took a
lot of adjustments for him. May took to Wilson as soon as she saw him. I
guess she is just the motherly type, not that Judy and Alexandria are not,
but May seemed to have a way with kids. She sure had one with
Wilson. Perhaps her childhood prepared her a bit and I guess her mother
being a prostitute also gave her an insight we just didn't have. Wilson was
only eight, and he stuck to Alex and me like glue until his cast came off.

When I say like glue I mean we couldn't even take a piss without him in the
can with us. When we went in different directions he'd get somewhat upset,
running for one then to the other. I guess after three weeks he decided we
were not going to leave him and he did not need our constant
protection. After his arm healed he found lots of kids his own age to play
with, motel guests and future schoolmates.

Wilson's room would not be ready for a few weeks so he was assigned to the
spare bed in my room. Alex was living with me again this summer and we
shared my bed most of the time. After two or three days, well nights, I
realized Wilson was upset by something. I told Alex we needed some time
with Wilson. Sitting on Wilson's bed I placed my hand on his shoulder.

"Wilson is something bothering you?"

"No, no," he protested.

"I'm not convinced kid. We think we need to talk," Alex said.

I was not sure but I figured he was aware of our sexual activity, even
though we tried to keep it from being too obvious.

"You and Alex, you do things to each other, you hurt each other."

The light bulb in my head went on full wattage.

"No, Wilson we don't hurt each other, we love each other, I would never
hurt Alex or him me, we are the closest of friends."

"Sam is my best buddy, he is like my brother, we would never hurt each
other," Alex reassured him.

"But I know how much it hurts to have a fat cock rammed up my ass,
Sam. Alex was hurting you last night, I saw it."

I thought he was afraid that Alex or I would hurt him. Fool, he was afraid
for me, for us. I scooped him up and held his little eight-year-old body
against my chest.

"Oh, Wilson, thank-you for being concerned but I would never let Alex hurt
me or anyone else, even if he wanted to and we both know he would not. I
would not hurt him either, I fuck his ass too you know."

"I know."

"Wilson," I said kissing his forehead, "you know neither of us would ever
force ourselves on you or anyone. Right?"

"Yes, I guess so, but..."

"But what, are you afraid one of us, any of us, would hurt you?"

"Well, no."

"Well then, Wilson, let's look at the situation. You were raped and it
hurt, physically and emotionally, and you will suffer with the emotional
part for a long time. I know that, but I also know sex with my best friend
is as good as sex with Alexandria and it does not hurt me either way," Alex
said.

"I am so proud of you kid, because you were more concerned with our well
being then your own." My eyes started to tear and Wilson reached up and
wiped them away. "Wilson, that shows that you respect and care for us as
much as we care for you. Thanks, buddy," I said as my arms gently pressed
him to me.

"You know more about sex then any eight-year-old should know, but that does
not make you an expert," Alex commented. "Being raped is a violent thing;
willingly sharing physical love is a gentle and wonderful thing. Do you
understand what we are saying?"

"I think so, Sam, Alex."

"Look, you can talk to me about anything at any time, and Alex,
too. Anytime you have a question, complaint, or whatever, just talk. You
will find this family is anything but normal. Your old family was not
normal either. I'm not sure I can even tell you what normal is, but I can
assure you no one in this family knowingly hurts anyone else, especially
other family."

He kissed my cheek and hugged me, leaned over, and kissed Alex too.

I helped him dress; it's hard to put on a shirt with your arm in a cast. He
has a real skinny little eight-year-old body that you just want to eat up
he is so cute. I tickled him and we played around for a few minutes. Wilson
stopped me at one point saying.

"I like to play with you, Sam, but please keep your hands off my butt."

"Sure thing kid, I will never touch your butt again, without permission
that is." We both laughed.

Wilson took to Fred too. I think he realized how much I respected and cared
for Fred and Sara, so he warmed to him quickly. It took a bit longer with
Sara, but she wore him down. By the end of August, Sara had made the living
quarters larger so Wilson could have his own room and expanded the family
room so more space was available. May would keep him busy reading him
stories and telling him about her childhood in Malaysia. Sara started
taking Wilson with her whenever she went shopping or on other trips. Soon
they settled into a kind of mother-son relationship. Now, this kid was wise
to the adult world and soon figured out who was sleeping with whom and
why. He liked Judy's parents and treated them like grand parents. They
liked the role and always welcomed Wilson into their home. He played with
Judy's younger brothers some, but they were 10 and 12 so a bit to old to
pal around with.

I gave him my bicycle and most of my old boy stuff. The bike was just a bit
big for Wilson, but since it was mine, well, it could have been anything
and he would have thought it the best in the world. Alex and Wilson
established a kind of intellectual rapport. Alex never showed much overt
affection to the boy, but he would play chess and listen to music with him
and they would talk about stuff, kind of like I did with my Delta
brothers. Wilson would often press against him or put his head on Alex's
leg while he read to him. Alex often placed his hand on Wilson's shoulders
when they stood near each other. Wilson would often move in close to Alex
too. We taught him to swim and the kid became our resident fish.

Alexandria and Judy could not seem to keep their hands off the lad. They
dressed him like a doll and were always touching and pawing him. Not in a
sexual way, just in a girl way. Wilson was starved for affection, that was
clear, and he seemed to appreciate any and all touching except pats on the
butt.

Wilson never knew his dad or even who he was; he never had a dad. He just
adopted Fred. He never told Fred he had done that. Fred and I were in the
office one day in late August just before we were to head for Madison. The
grade school had just started and Wilson had several of his new classmates
in the family room. We could hear his voice above all the others. He is a
bit of an extrovert. Anyway, Wilson was relating his story of Alex and I
defending his battered and broken body (his words; perhaps he knew the old
Meatloaf song) and then he said, "my new dad and mom rescued me from Social
Services to live here, isn't this place cool?" I figured Sara would be
pleased and Fred just smiled a broad grin.

"Well, brother," Fred said, "I think you have been replaced."

"No, Fred, a brother is a brother for life, but new dads and moms, well
they come and go you know."

Fred kissed me hard and long on the lips while in the office. He never did
that before.

"I love you brother," he said, "and the way you, Judy, Alexandra and Alex
handle Wilson just makes me love you even more."

I looked a little puzzled.

"Look kid, you four often give up your time together to be with him. You
are free with your affection, money and time. Wilson will miss all of you
when you go and I am sure he will insist that we visit Madison
frequently. You kids gave him hope and pride; you gave him a real sense of
self worth. That gives me pride; I know I did my job well and right."

"Your job?

"Sam, I've never told you or anyone else, but when you came to live with me
at the Delta house, I was scared as hell."

"Scared?"

"Sure. I never had a brother and I never even had much interaction with
little kids. Then suddenly I was responsible for you. You were afraid of
the unknown, just like he is. Remember how you stuck to that dog and me
like we were your only friends in the world? I was afraid I would screw
up. I didn't know what to do, but I gave my word and was determined to do
it, and Batta was right there to make sure I did right."

"And you did, Fred, you did. Look man, I had a good teacher and well
remember what you always said: we teach the way we were taught. I'm scared,
too, but I know all I have to do is what you did and everything will be
okay. Look how good I turned out! Besides, you and Sara are right on the
spot to make sure I do it right."

Fred was the one with the red face now.

"How is Judy handling the situation?"

"Well, I guess you said so yourself, they are friends and he treats her
like a sister." I could see the look on his face. "Not like we treat our
sister, like Alex threats his sisters."

Fred just smiled.

"You know, Sam? You two are not even married yet and you have an
eight-year-old."

"Yeah, instant family, and she never even had to change diapers or go
through labor."

"Sam, I'm trying to be serious."

"I know, and since I don't really know, I use humor. I guess Judy has a lot
of the same qualities as Sara. How many girls would be willing to share
their man with his best friend, his brother and sister and never bat an
eyelash or suggest in any way a bit of jealousy. I figure if she can live
with me the way I am, Wilson's added stress is really minor, if it's stress
at all."

Wilson was less then happy at our heading off to Madison, but he knew from
the start that it would happen. He tried all day to express himself but he
just didn't know how to say what he had to say. Sara recognized the
situation, and over dinner with just the five of us she started probing
Wilson's emotions. It finally came out he did not understand why he had to
stay at the motel and not go to live at the Delta house with me and Alex,
like I did with Fred. I was at a loss for words. I wanted him, but I knew
it was in his best interest to stay with Fred and Sara. We were not the
same people; our needs are different and the circumstances are
different. How could I say anything about this without sounding like I
didn't want him?

Sara took up the challenge. She just said, "Since Fred and I are your
foster parents you must live with us. That is how it works, we cannot
change that. If we try, Social Services will take you away from us. What we
can do is make sure Sam comes home as often as possible and that we visit
him whenever we can."

"When you are older, perhaps you can visit for weekends and overnights with
Sam," Fred interjected.

Sara gave him the long suffering, "what the hell are you saying that for"
look.

Fred went on, "You can visit Alexandria in Chicago, too. I'll take you
down..."

May interjected that she needed his company because without Sam and Alex
she would be lonely.

"Wilson," I said, "Alex and I want you to come with us, but you see that
just won't happen. We will just all have to study extra hard, so on
weekends and off days we can come home and be with you. I need you to be a
brave little guy and you will see that the fates will reward your bravery."

"How will the...the fates," he asked with a puzzled look, "reward me with a
metal or certificate?"

"No, Wilson, not with a visible reward, but with something better: the
knowledge and self-satisfaction that only the bravest of the brave can
feel. I'll tell you all about the fates when we do our bedtime story,
okay."

"But I'm not brave, Sam, you are."

"Oh, yes you are, little buddy, you are very brave. I don't know any other
boy who would just tell a judge what you expected him to do with his life
and he did it. I don't know any other boys who, having been abused by men,
would just go and adopt Fred, a relative stranger, as his new dad. I don't
know many boys who showed such bravery, bleeding and arm broken, in the
face of danger. Wilson, you are brave about those things that count and
that's all that counts."

Later when we alone and I was saying good night--after explaining the Greek
ideas about fate--he told me, "I know why you were so brave, you know."

"Oh," I said, "and why was that?"

"You had been beaten when you were a kid. I could see it in your eyes when
I first saw you. I could hear it in your voice when you cried. I figured
you knew just what I was feeling."

"Wilson, you are so right..." I held his hands, "you are so right. When I
saw you lying in those bushes I remembered things I had not thought about
for ten years, things I thought I would never remember again. I also vowed
to avenge this, to stand up for you and make the bastard pay."

"Did Fred stand up for you like you did me?"

"Yes. He never had to protect me physically, but he did in every other way
a small abused boy needs protection. He would have, I'm sure of it, but the
occasion never happened. All my Delta brothers, Sara, Batta, and lots of
people I will never know, protected me, and they still do. The only thing
they ever asked of me was to do my best, be a good person and, most
important, be a boy, be myself. Now part of all that is being brave enough
to get that job done. You can do that for me, can't you?"

"Sure can, Sam, I sure can. Do you think Fred minds if I call him dad?"

"Hell no, little brother, he is proud a punch, and if he is half the dad to
you, as brother to me, you can ask for nothing better. You know Sara would
be proud to be mom, I'll bet."

"Yeah, I know, she told me."

"Sara is just the best sister this boy could ever want. I figure she would
be a great mom; mine was sure nothing special."

"I'm a bit confused by all this, Sam. Who hurt you? Are you really Fred and
Sara's brother? You and Sara and Fred, you're not like other families. You
do sex together. Brothers aren't supposed to..."

"I understand your confusion, but I just can't talk about it now. Sara and
Fred and I do lots of stuff most people don't do, but we never did any sex
with each other until I was old enough to make that choice. As a boy, like
you, they made sure I was not abused or molested to the best of their
ability. We will do the best of our ability for you too, Wilson, you can
count on that. For now, you know all you need to. The fates have decreed
that our lives paths would cross; what we make of that crossing is
completely up to us. Someday, when you are older and we have both come to
terms with our past experiences, we will talk about it. I can't say if
either of us will ever understand it. Whenever you do have sex with girls
or boys, it will--and must be--because you want to and you are old enough
to make that choice."

"Do you want my ass, Sam? Should I come to your bed like Alex does?"

"No, Wilson, not like Alex does. I told you that you are under our
protection, Fred's and Sara's--well all of us. A boy and his brother or
sister have special, and sometimes different, bonds and
relationships. Someday you and I may share sex, but now, at this time in
your... our lives, our relationship, brother-to-brother should not, it must
not, include sex. Our love is the love one brother feels for another, not
the lust of one lover for another.

Being brave is not doing something that may be painful physically or
emotionally just to prove ourselves--it is more. Being brave is doing the
right thing, that which is best, not just for us, but for others. Being
brave is not offering yourself for something you don't want because you
think I do or you think it will make me love you more. I can't possibly
love you more then I do right now, and its partly because I love you,
Wilson, that I could never bring myself to harm you."

"Being brave is saying no to me because it is the right thing to do."

"I love you, Wilson," I cooed I held his little body and kissed his
forehead.

"I love you too, brother Sam."

"Thanks for being brave, kid."

"Thanks for showing me how, Sam."

"Will you lie on the bed and hold me until I fall asleep?"

"Sure, kid."

I pulled off my clothes and snuggled in with his little body. "You know
Fred would snuggle with this nine-year-old whenever I was lonely and
afraid. Not that you are either, but it sure feels good to have your big
brother next to you some times doesn't it?"

"Yeah, sure does, bro."

We both fell fast asleep. Fred came in early and touched my shoulder to get
me up. Wilson was still asleep. As soon as we cleared his room I said, "I'm
sure going to miss him."

"I know exactly what you mean Sam. Been there and done that, remember?"