Date: Wed, 5 Jun 2019 01:11:40 +0000 (UTC) From: Jay Carrington Subject: Chapter 14 - My Sons and Their Friends This work is copyrighted by the author, J. Carrington and commercial use is prohibited without permission in writing from the author. Personal or private copies are permitted only if they are complete and include the copyright notice. Placing this story on a website or reproducing this story for distribution without the author's permission is a violation of that copyright. This is a story, and it may contain some sexual references or detail some sexual activities, but it is not totally about sex. It is an expansion of a previous story - My Son and His Friends which was written by this author. This is a story of a man's relationship with his sons, their friends and a variety of other characters. The writing is very detailed and is a written representation of what the author saw as he was writing the story. The series of chapters are completely fictional and are the result of the author's fertile imagination. Any resemblance to any real person(s) is purely coincidental. The story contains consensual sexual behavior between young adult males and older adult males. It depicts both unprotected sex and protected sex. Safe sex practices are the way to go if you plan to be around for years to come. If you are underage (below 18) or object to the subject matter, please leave now as the door that let you in, will also let you leave. If you enjoy this site, you are encouraged to donate to Nifty.org so that it will continue to operate. You can buy a visa gift card and use it to donate to Nifty anonymously or you can use your credit card and you can see the transaction on your monthly bill. Anyways, this is a great site which serves the needs of our select population. NOTE: This is a story, and it may contain some sexual references or detail some sexual activities, but it is not totally about sex. It is an expansion of a previous story - My Son and His Friends which was written by this author. Chapter 55 of My Son and His Friends was posted on June 21, 2017 in the Adult/Youth section of Nifty. You may use this link to access the earlier chapters. - https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/adult-youth/my-son-and- his-friends/ BRIDGE TO CHAPTER 14 In the previous chapter Doug, Phil, Ryan and Myles traveled to Atlanta to do some Christmas shopping. Chapter 14 - My Sons and Their Friends - The Freshman Year We finished eating and were soon on the road home. Phil had taken the keys from me and put me in the co-pilot's seat. I sat and listened to the banter between Phil and the boys, and interjected a comment or two every now and then. It seemed like only a few minutes when Phil placed his right hand on my left thigh and squeezed. I lifted my head and found that we were in the driveway at home. I guess, I was more tired than I wanted to admit. Phil directed everyone to grab their stuff, their shopping bags and take them to their rooms. He told me to shower, and get in bed. I didn't argue. I had rarely seen the take charge side of Phil, but tonight it was fine with me. I walked straight to my bathroom, stripped, and got in the shower. I thoroughly enjoyed the hot shower and just stood there and let the water run over me. I got out, dried off, found a pair of my bamboo boxer briefs and got in bed. Phil followed my lead with a shower and then, he joined me in bed. There was no playing around, and very little talk, as I fell asleep with no effort. It seemed that Monday morning arrived sooner than I wanted. I just didn't feel that I had the energy to get up and go, but knowing that I had a lot of material to cover with my students, I pulled myself out of bed and began my morning rituals. Phil joined me in the shower, and we did a little more than shower. We finished, dressed and left our bedroom. I looked at the clock and panicked. We had spent too much time in the shower, so I pulled out the cereal and asked Phil to knock on Ryan's door. It seemed as though everybody was having a hard time getting into action that Monday morning, but we finished eating, and soon Ryan was dressed and ready for school. Meredith called to say that Jay was sick and would not be going to school, so we waited on Rob. Rob showed up, and I could tell that he too, was tired and not his usual self. On the way to school Ryan and Rob talked about how lucky Myles and Jay were because they didn't have to go to school and could spend the day lounging around watching TV and sleeping. As I listened to their conversation, I too, began to feel the same way. I pulled into my parking place, and we headed to our various parts of the school. I checked my mailbox and found that I had a letter from the district advising me that our school had been allotted one teacher slot to attend the State Science Conference on Jekyll Island. I glanced at the brochure and noted that the conference would be in February, so I made the decision to hold off calling a departmental meeting until we returned from Christmas Break. I checked the copy room to see if my materials had been copied, and they had. I gathered them and headed to my classroom. I entered the room, placed the copied material on my desk, and rearranged the classroom to make it easier for group work. As I finished moving desks and tables, the bell sounded and the students began to enter the classroom. At first, there was some confusion, but I told them that they could choose their seat for now, however, that would change as I established the groups. After the last bell rang, I began class by giving an overview of the upcoming assignments. There was some grumbling, but that disappeared when I told them that if they didn't want to do group work; that I could always have them do a research paper. They hastily endorsed the group project idea. My classes ran smoothly throughout the day and at the end of the day, I was ready to go home and begin the task of decorating the house while Phil and the boys decorated the outside. As I drove home, I was reflecting on the events of the day and making plans to modify tomorrow's activities while listening to Rob and Ryan chatter about their classes and assignments. I pulled into the driveway to find that Phil had already arrived at the house and had started to pull Christmas decorations out of the attic and had already brought some of his over from his storage shed. As we got out of the car, he told Ryan to go change clothes, call Myles, and join him in the yard. I decided to go in a prepare supper while they worked on the outside. I entered the kitchen and decided to do something fast and easy so that I could begin the process of decorating inside. I decided on fish sticks, macaroni and cheese, green beans, and cornbread sticks. I started everything cooking and while that was happening, I changed clothes, and pulled several boxes of decorations out of the hall closet. I sat the boxes in the living room and returned to the kitchen. I walked to the garage door and called Myles, Ryan and Phil to come eat. They came pretty fast, so I took it that they were hungry. I placed the evening meal components on the island, and they fixed their plates. Phil said that he didn't think that he was going to pull out all of his decorations, but Ryan and Myles told him that they wanted Grandmother and Granddad to see everything. He shook his head and said "I can do that, but that will mean that you two will have to help me for the next two nights." They told him that they would. He looked over at me, and I said "Don't look my way; I have the house to decorate as soon as you get the trees up." "Trees?" He said. I said "Yes, I want to have one in the formal living room and one in the entry way." He said "Isn't that going to be too much for the entry way?" I said "The tree that goes there is slender and tall rather than full like the one that will go in the living room." They finished eating, and while I cleaned the kitchen, they returned to the yard after turning on the outside flood lights. I finished in the kitchen and began to decorate the formal dining room table, the foyer, and the living room. As I was finishing the living room, Phil entered the house with the boxes containing the two Christmas trees and placed them where I wanted them. He told me that he would have them put up tomorrow by the time I got home from school, and that he was now headed for a shower. I thanked him and directed the boys to get their homework finished. I reminded Myles that he would return to school after Christmas, and he made a face. I said "Myles, it is time for you to be in class and know first-hand what your teachers want you to do." He said "I know Dad, but I have enjoyed just relaxing around the house and not having to be so formally dressed." Ryan said "Yeah Dad, he lays around naked all day long after his Mom has gone to work." I laughed and said "Well, he will definitely have to change that." I finished setting up the living room, told the boys that I was going to bed and to lock up before they went to bed. They said that they would, and I headed to my bedroom. I walked in and found Phil in the bed reading a novel. I walked to the bathroom, took my shower, dressed in boxers and joined him. He put his book down, and we talked about the upcoming week, Mom and Dad's visit, and Christmas, in general. As we were talking, I heard the front door open and close, so I knew that Myles had decided to go home and Ryan had locked up. I told Phil that I was tired and ready to go to sleep. He said "Doug, I concur." He turned out his lamp when I did mine, and assumed our initial sleeping positions. The rest of the week seemed to fly by with my student groups functioning effectively and the decorating at the house falling into place. Phil and the boys had most of the outside decorations in place by Wednesday evening, which then, allowed us to decorate the large tree in the living room as a family project. After we had finished decorating the tree Wednesday night, Ryan insisted that we place one of my HO gauge trains under the tree. I agreed, so we spent Thursday night setting up the train and its village. After we finished the train and village, we looked around the house and decided that a few things needed to be reworked, but for the most part, the house was decorated. I had looked forward to Friday, because my students would basically run the class sharing data and research on their various projects. I was very pleased with their results, and I really believe that they learned a lot and that it will stay with them. As I drove home Friday afternoon, I began to develop a list of things yet to be finished before Mom and Dad arrived a week from Monday. I still had shopping to do and then, I had to wrap all of my purchases, clean the house, make sure that the guest bedroom was ready for them, and plan all meals. I arrived at the house and began to write down the things that I had identified on the way home. I had a hefty list in no time, but a lot of what I had written down were small items and/or details. After looking over the list, I organized it by days of the week. I decided that tonight as well as the weekend would be reserved for shopping and wrapping gifts. Phil arrived shortly after I got home, and I told him and the boys about the plans for the weekend. Ryan said "Dad, that sounds good, but you know what would sound better?" I said "No, what?" He said "Something about food." Phil chuckled, and Myles agreed. I said "Well, now that you mention it, my stomach could use some food. Let's go out to eat." The suggestion was made to go to Golden Corral because it offered a great variety, and it was all you can eat. Phil took a quick shower, and I changed clothes and shoes. We loaded up and headed to Golden Corral. We were seated and were introduced to our waitress. She made sure that we understood that if we needed 'anything' that we were to ask her and she would make every effort to get it. We left the table, grabbed a plate and visited the various serving areas. Everyone made their initial selections and headed back to the table. Myles and Ryan bragged on the ribs while Phil gave the prime rib two thumbs up. I started off with a salad of lettuce, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, eggs, Thousand Island dressing and shredded cheddar cheese. The boys made several trips back to the bars while Phil and I were much more discerning, however, I could not pass up their chocolate chess pie. After we had eaten, I drove to one of the shopping centers. I suggested a time to meet back at the car and everyone seemed to agree that they could do their shopping at that center within the time allocated. I headed out to look for a couple of things for Mom, Michelle and the neighborhood ladies. The boys said they had a lot of things to do, so they decided to stay together while Phil said he had a lot of presents to buy and needed to do his shopping alone. We finished our Friday night shopping and headed home. I told everyone where the Christmas wrapping paper and supplies were and that they could take them to their rooms to wrap, but to make sure that they returned what they didn't use to the box. I headed to my bedroom and threw my purchases in the closet and lay down. I was exhausted. Phil in the meantime spent time in the family room wrapping some of his gifts and placed them under the tree, then, he joined me on the bed. We lay there, talked and planned Saturday's shopping trips. Finally, I told him that I was ready for bed and he agreed. We stood up, stripped down to our boxers and lay down. I awoke early on Saturday morning, joined Phil in the shower, dressed and headed to the kitchen. Phil reminded me that he had to work until around one o'clock so that meant that I had to venture out by myself that morning, as I was going to let the boys sleep in for a while. I left a note on the counter saying that I would be back home by twelve thirty and that they were to be dressed and ready to go eat and shop that afternoon. I left the house shortly after Phil and began my shopping. I could now shop with ease for Phil and the boys without worrying about them walking up on me. I made a lot of progress and actually finished my big items for them, but I still had to find that special something for Dad. I returned home and found the boys were ready to go, but we had to wait on Phil. He rushed in, showered, dressed and we were headed out to eat and shop by one fifteen. We actually began shopping around two thirty and before Phil and I split, I asked him about a couple of things for Dad. He gave me some ideas of where to find them and the possible price range for each item. I sat down at one of the tables in the food court and made several phone calls. I made a few purchases based on Phil's recommendations and then, my shopping was complete. I waited on the boys and Phil. They arrived and Phil said that he thought he had his list wrapped up, but the boys said they were still looking for gifts for Rob and Jay. I suggested a sports store, but they weren't too keen on that, so we sat and did a group think. We finally settled on an electronics store. I took the boys to the store, but Phil and I stayed in the car while they shopped. They returned with smiles on their faces. I backed out of the parking space and headed home. Ryan and Myles placed their purchases in Ryan's room and headed over to Jay's house. Phil returned to the family room while I worked in my bedroom. I take wrapping gifts pretty serious so I took my time and worked to make each gift unique and festive. I told Phil that when he finished he could let me know and that I would bring my presents out and place them under the tree without invading his secret wrapping session. After about two hours, he yelled for me and said that he had finished with his "here" gifts and that he still had gifts to wrap for his family. I took my gifts out and we placed his and mine around the tree. I asked him if he needed help with his other gifts and he said "Oh Thank You Jesus, Yes!" I walked into the family room with him and we spent another two hours wrapping and talking about each person and their gift. As the afternoon turned to early evening, I knew that I had to start thinking about supper. As I was wrapping gifts with Phil, I decided to make a homemade vegetable soup and corn muffins. As the number of gifts to be wrapped dwindled to a few, I got up and began to work in the kitchen. I started boiling the meat to season the water, and then I added a variety of vegetables. I allowed them to cook for a while on medium heat, then, I mixed the corn muffin batter and placed it in the oven. I called the boys and told them to come home to eat. They arrived and were ready to eat some soup. We talked for a while and I told them that Phil and I were going out for a while so that they could wrap their gifts without any distractions. After I had cleaned the kitchen and stored the leftover soup, Phil and I left the house. We were headed down the road and he said "Doug, when did we decide to go out?" I said "I made that decision all by myself, and I think that you will be happy." I drove to the mall and we headed into the theater. I bought our tickets, some popcorn and a drink and then, we walked into our theater. We found decent seats as the theater was about half full of other people. We shared the popcorn and drink and occasionally made a sly move to grab and rub each other's crotch. I started that which took Phil by surprise. He jumped and made some loud noise. He was embarrassed, but he got over it as he was into playing around throughout the movie. We left the theater and headed home. We entered the house to find that the boys had finished their wrapping and had gone down to visit with Rob and his family. We walked back to our bedroom, closed the door, stripped completely and got into bed. I decided to start things so I flipped into position so that I could play with Phil's goods and give him some pleasure. I began to play with his balls and tried to ignore his cock, but it started enlarging and began leaking a lot of pre- cum. I licked the drops off of my hand and then, I began to lick his cock head and that eventually led to me sucking him slowly and deeply. He began to do the same to me, but he decided to slide his hands between my legs and rub my taint and around my hole. As much as I would have loved for things to escalate, I knew that they couldn't. I just didn't feel in the mood to go there. Phil honored my feelings, but reminded me that we had to have quality time to make up for what we would lose when Mom and Dad were here. I said "Oh, Thank You, just one more thing for me to have to schedule." I looked over at Phil and I could tell that my comment did not go over good with him. I apologized, and said "Phil, I just have a lot to get done over the next few days and I feel like everything is caving in on me, but I can promise you that we will find some quality time some way, somehow. I woke up before Phil did on Sunday morning, and I just lay there watching him sleep. I raised the sheet and looked. He was sleeping on his back and his cock was just lying across his pubes. I was thinking about sliding down and giving him a wake-up blow job when he said "What's on your mind?"I jumped and dropped the sheet. I said "Just looking at the man that I love." He smiled and said "I bet you were thinking about something else." I said "In all honesty, I was, but you woke up so that put a whoa to that." He grabbed and pulled me to him and began to nibble on my neck and down to my nips. I immediately had to surrender to his will. He continued to lick and nibble my ears, my neck, my nipples, my abs while caressing my back, running his hands through my hair, and kissing me. He had me soooooo wanting him. I began to feel him move between my legs. I raised my legs around his waist and he moved tighter against me with his cock looking for my hole. He moved his cock up and down my crack and as he moved across my hole, I tried to capture it. Finally, he stopped and pressed into me. He slid in and I wrapped my legs tighter around him and let one of my hands travel up to his neck where I began to grasp his neck and run my other hand through his hair. As he bottomed out in me, he began to make long strokes in and out, and I began to move around under him. As I moved, I positioned myself so that he hit my prostate as he entered and exited me at times. Every time that he hit my prostate, I moaned and bucked. Things heated up and soon he was making many small strokes into me, and I was pulling him down for a soulful kiss. He moved his head down and was kissing and tonguing my nipples. The feelings he was generating in me were strong, and I tried to pull him back to me for a kiss, but he nipped my nipple and pushed hard into me. I felt my hole begin to tighten around him and then, I felt him begin to take short thrusts in me and then, he stopped. I knew that he was unloading his cum. He collapsed on me, and I ran my hands up and down his back from his butt to his neck until he recovered. He kissed me and rolled me over on top of him. I clinched my hole several times tightening it around his cock which was still semi-hard. After, I did that several times, he popped me on my butt and told me that the ride was over. I reluctantly pulled off of his cock and lay down beside him. He said "Doug, that was what I needed this morning, and now, I think I need some food." I got up, pulled him up and we walked to the shower. We took a long leisurely shower and he gave me a mind-blowing blow job. As we were wrapping things up in the shower, the hot water began to dwindle and it became cooler. We took that as a sign that we needed to finish the shower and get on with our day. We dressed in just boxer briefs and I headed to the kitchen after knocking on Ryan's bedroom door. I told him to get up so that we could have breakfast and that it was a casual morning. He said "Dad, what is a casual morning?" I said "Boxers only." It was quiet for a few minutes and then I heard him mumbling and grumbling so, I walked back to the kitchen and began to make pancakes. Phil turned on the news while I cooked. I glanced into the family room and saw him laying on the sofa in just his boxer briefs. I was so tempted to quit cooking, but I didn't. As I began to cook the pancakes, Ryan entered and sat down at the counter. Phil joined him and Ryan made some wisecrack about him in his boxers. Phil said "Ryan, you do know that I can eat breakfast without the boxers, right?" Ryan said "You wouldn't." Phil stood up and dropped his boxers and sat back down. Ryan looked at Phil, then me, and back to Phil's cock. Phil looked over at Ryan and said "Do you have balls enough to do that this morning?" Ryan looked over at me, stood up and dropped his. I shook my head and said "Would you two grow up?" Phil said "I think we have, look at the size of our cocks." Ryan said "Yeah, Dad, we have balls do you?" I said "I do, but I don't have to prove anything." Phil got up, walked around the counter, grabbed my boxer briefs and pulled them down. He and Ryan high-fived, and I stood there with a semi. I stepped out of my boxer briefs which were gathered at my feet and continued cooking. Ryan and Phil continued to banter and occasionally made some reference to me. I finished cooked, placed several pancakes on my plate, pulled my stool up to the counter and began eating. Phil punched Ryan and said "I love that hairy chest of his." Ryan said "I thought you loved something else." Phil blushed and then, he responded "I do." I blushed. We finished breakfast and Ryan returned to his room. Phil walked into the kitchen and kissed me while running his hands through my chest hair and playing with my nipples. As you can expect, I began to get hard. He moved down to play with my cock and balls. I pushed him down on his knees in front of me and told him that he needed to satisfy me this morning. He did not hesitate. He licked the pre-cum that had run down my shaft and then circled his tongue around my cockhead. He played with my balls a little rough and that heightened my feelings. I heard Ryan's door open and I froze. Phil grabbed my balls a little rough and I yelled. Ryan asked if things were okay in there and I said "Yeah." Phil continued to suck me and in a few minutes I had to hold onto the counter as I began to fire my cum down his throat and across his face. I stood there and regained my stance as Phil cleaned my cock. He stood up, and we kissed. He said "I need to go take a quick shower because I have a little of you here and here and here. I finished cleaning the kitchen, pulled on my boxer briefs and walked into the living room to see how the gifts were placed around the tree. I made a few adjustments and headed to my bedroom to finish dressing for the day. Phil had finished his second shower for the day and was dressing as I walked into the bedroom. He waited for me to dress and then, we walked out to the family room. He turned on the news again while I looked over my lists. Ryan joined us after awhile, and he pushed us to go to a movie. I didn't tell him that we had gone the night before, but what he did not know was not going to hurt him. I told him to call Myles and see if he wanted to go, and that he could also call Jay and Rob. He made the phone calls and everybody wanted to go. I told him to tell them to be at the house by two o'clock and that we would go at that time. I glanced over my calendar and suddenly remembered that our faculty Christmas party was Tuesday afternoon and that I had promised to do some baking. I got up and checked the pantry to make sure that I had the ingredients that I needed to do my baking. I had everything so, I was somewhat relieved. I pulled my cookbooks out and began to mix three different batches of cookie dough. After I had the dough mixed, I covered and placed it in the refrigerator to chill. I glanced at the clock and decided that I didn't have time to mix and bake a cake, so that would have to wait until we returned from the movie. The doorbell rang and Ryan answered it. It was Rob and Jay. They entered carrying a few Christmas gifts. I told Ryan to take them to the living room and put them under the tree. He did and then, the door opened and in walked Myles. He said "I thought we were going to the movies." I said "We are." He said "Well, let's make out like we are doing it." So, we got in the Denali and I drove to the theater. We looked at the marquee and decided that we wanted to see different movies so Phil and I went to one while they went to another. Our movie ended before the boys' did, so we waited in the lobby for them. They saw us, walked over and wanted to know what else we were going to do. I said "I for one, have to go home and do some baking." Jay said "Do we get to taste test?" I said "Maybe, maybe not." He smiled and said "Awwwwwwww Pops, you know you wouldn't deny your boys a test cookie." I said "Jay, you are probably right, but I really do need to get home." Ryan said "Dad, let's go by the store and pick up some rolls, some BBQ pork, and some French fries, then go home and make sandwiches." I looked over at Phil and he said "Sounds good to me." So, we went to the store and I bought a large bag of crinkle fries, and three containers of BBQ pork and two packages of sesame seeded hamburger rolls. We went home, and I put Ryan and Myles in charge of cooking the fries and warming up the rolls and BBQ while I laid out my ingredients for my first cake. Jay, Rob and Phil went to the family room and began to watch some program on TV while we were busy in the kitchen. Just before the fries were finished, Ryan told Jay to fill the glasses with ice and tea. Ryan placed all of the food on the counter and told everyone to make their sandwich. The meal was good and quick. There was basically no clean-up so, I could start mixing my cake batter and bake it quicker than I could, had I had to stop and prepare dinner for the gang. I was able to mix and bake two cakes that night. I cleaned the mixing bowls and the cake pans after turning the cakes out on the cooling racks. As I was finishing my clean-up, Phil's phone rang and he took the call outside because the boys were quite loud and rambunctious. He came back in and asked when I thought that Mom and Dad would go home. I said "I am not sure, but I would imagine on the Saturday following Christmas as Mom does not like to miss her Sunday School class." I asked "Why?" He said "That was Troy and he said that his parents were coming in and would be able to watch over his boys while he and I went to South Florida to make contacts with some of the wholesale nurseries. I said "Well, that is not the best of times to try to do business, but I guess you have to do what you have to do." He said "Exactly. I might be able to call and schedule some time with somebody there or at least get a chance to ride by and maybe see what they have." I finished what I was doing, then, he and I headed to our room leaving the boys in the family room playing some electronic game. Phil and I lay down and talked about the upcoming two weeks, one before Mom and Dad arrived and the other the week that they were here. I told him that after that I might need a vacation. He just smiled and said "You know that you love all of this stress. You live for it, and you know it will all work itself out." I said "I sure hope you are right." Phil said "I think I heard the front door open and close, so I guess Rob, and Jay have gone home. Do you think that Myles is spending the night?" I said "No, I think that Michelle wanted him home tonight, but he probably left with Jay and Rob." We turned out the lights, lay down and continued our talking. Slowly, but surely we fell asleep. As anticipated the next week was filled with activities and stress. I spent Monday and Tuesday reviewing for the upcoming semester finals and Wednesday and Thursday administering the finals to my classes. I graded the tests Thursday night and was very pleased with their scores. I was able to give the students their scores on Friday and they were very pleased and thanked me for providing them with the research study groups the week before the tests. I took the cookies and cakes to the media center on Wednesday morning so that the social committee could place them as they wanted them for our faculty party. I opted to attend the party for about an hour, but did not stay until the end. I told Hilda McLemore that if there were any of my baked goods left that she could take them home, or she could parcel them out to whoever might want them. I hardly slept Sunday night, so waking up was not so difficult, it was getting up that was going to prove to be a challenge. I lay there a few minutes and tried to predict several scenarios of dealing with Mom later in the day. Finally, I decided that I would just have to let things happen and hope that I could handle them without eliciting an explosion, or allowing her to disrupt our holidays. I walked into the kitchen and began to cook pancakes. I was soon joined by Phil and Ryan. Ryan looked at me and said "Dad, we know how Grandmother is, and I know that you can handle anything that she starts. My money is on you." I smiled and thanked him. I turned my attention to Phil and said "Phil, this afternoon may evolve into something nasty, but know above all things that I love you, and I am happy that you are in my life." Phil leaned over and kissed me and said "Doug, as long as we are together, nothing can tear us apart." Phil finished eating, and headed off to his development while Ryan and I cleaned the kitchen and finished up a few things in the house. As I was developing my last list for groceries, my phone rang. It was Mom wanting to know if there was anything that I wanted her to bring. I told her that I could not think of anything. She said that they would be leaving in about thirty minutes. I glanced at the clock and noted the time. I felt my stomach tighten, but I knew that things were now in motion, and I would have to deal with whatever came my way. I asked Ryan to go to the grocery store with me, and he agreed. On the way, I asked him if he would get Dad to take him and Myles to the mall for a while this afternoon. He said "I can do that. I want him to go to Elrod's Sporting Goods so that I can show him the new rod and reel that I want." I said "Ryan, don't start begging for gifts, we are going to have our hands full with Mom." He said "Dad, he will enjoy looking at all of the fishing gear there, and I might just see which one he wants because I haven't bought his gift yet. " I said "Oh, so you are wanting to make sure that you get him something he wants, rather than getting him to buy you something?" He said "Well, yeah, but if he wants to buy me something, I don't think I can refuse, can I?" I just shook my head and said "Let's get our shopping done so I can start planning for the doomsday meal." He chuckled, and we entered the store. We finished shopping and surprisingly, I stuck pretty much to my list. Ryan did make a few additions to the basket, but nothing major. We finished and returned home. Ryan left as soon as we had the groceries in the house. He said that he was going to get Jay and then, they would ask Myles to join them on their way to Rob's house. I reminded him that I needed him home around two o'clock. He told me that he and Myles would be there, so I started storing the things that we had bought and then, began to prepare the food for the evening's meal. I seasoned a beef roast and placed it in the refrigerator so that it could absorb the seasonings. I peeled a large number of small red potatoes and left them whole. I cleaned and cut several sweet onions and rinsed two packets of midget carrots. I mixed together a Kentucky Chocolate Pie and baked it. As I was taking it out of the oven, I realized that I did not buy vanilla ice cream, so I called Phil and asked him to pick up a half gallon on his way home. He said that he would. I seared the roast on all sides, added the carrots, onions and potatoes to the roast and placed it in the oven. I looked at the clock and thought that Mom and Dad would be there in about thirty minutes. I took a quick shower and dressed in jeans and a Polo. As I was walking into the kitchen, my phone rang and it was Mom. She said "We are in your driveway and need some help bringing in a few things." I called Ryan, and we headed out to help Mom bring in whatever she had brought. We walked to their car, and Mom, in true Mom fashion, had the car packed to the brim. She, Dad, Ryan and I carried in coolers, bags of yet to be wrapped items, wrapped items, and wrapping paper. I said "Mom, believe it or not, I have wrapping paper here." She said with a smile on her face, "Yes, I know, but it is not the kind that I wanted, so I brought what I wanted." We placed the coolers in the kitchen and the other stuff in the guest bedroom. Dad and Ryan went to the family room while Mom and I put stuff the stuff from the coolers in the freezer or refrigerator. Ryan called Myles and told him that they were here, and Myles said he would be down in a few minutes. After we finished putting the items away, I checked on the roast. Mom began wandering around the house looking at our Christmas decorations, and I imagine; my housekeeping. I called to her and said "Let's join Dad and Ryan in the family room. Myles will be here soon." I had just finished making that statement when Myles walks in and goes over to Dad. He hugged Dad, and then, he turned to Mom and gave her a hug. We sat and talked for a while and around four thirty, I looked over at Ryan, and he said "GrandDad, would you take me and Myles to the sporting goods store?" Dad looked at Mom and said "I think that I am going to go with the boys and that will give you and Doug some time to talk privately." Dad and the boys left, leaving me and Mom. Mom asked about the menus. I pulled them out and showed her. She seemed to agree with my choices. She asked about Michelle, and I said "I think that she has to work that day, but if she does, I will send her a carry-out." Mom said "Doug, I don't understand why you haven't married her. She seems to be a fine lady, and loves both Myles and Ryan." I said "Mom, I married once before, and it was for love. I was badly burned when Allison left me, and frankly, I am at peace with the way my life is. I have two sons who I love, and who love me. Marriage would not bring me anything that I don't currently have." I got up and walked into the kitchen leaving Mom with her mouth open. I checked on the roast and decided that it would finish on time. Mom followed me into the kitchen. She pulled the rolls out of the refrigerator, placed them on baking sheet and buttered them. I glanced at the clock and noticed that it was about time for Phil to come home. I left Mom in the kitchen and walked into the formal dining room and began to set the table for the evening meal. In a few minutes, I heard Phil come in. I listened as he opened the freezer door and placed the ice cream in there, said "Hello" to Mom, and then, headed to our room for his shower. I finished placing the salt and pepper shakers, the trivets, the centerpiece, and the bread basket on the table. I walked back to the kitchen and Mom turned to me and said "Doug, I was working with the rolls and a strange man came in, put some ice cream in the freezer and headed to your bedroom. Who is that, and why is he going to your bedroom?" I said "All in due time Mom, but right now we have to finish the preparations for supper. Would you add ice to the glasses and place them on the dining room table?" She looked at me and said "Fine, I will ice the glasses, but why do you have six glasses when there are only five of us?" I said "Mom, because we will have six gathered around the table." Mom did as I asked while I turned the oven off, pulled the roast and vegetables from the oven, placed the roast on a platter and arranged the vegetables around it. I took some of the juices from the roast and made a simple gravy. Mom took the rolls out of the oven after retrieving the bread basket from the dining table. Noting that the others were not in the house, I placed the platter back in the oven along with the basket of rolls so that they would stay warm until we were ready to eat. About that time, Dad and the boys entered the house and Mom's focus was on them. In about ten minutes, Phil appeared, saw Dad, walked over to him and shook his hand. Mom looked at them, then at me and said "Who is that?" I said "Mom, that is Phil, he is my partner." "Your partner, in what and why does he know your Dad?" I said "Mom, Dad met Phil when he was here during the summer." She turned to me with fire in her eyes and said "Douglas, you have a lot of explaining to do." I said "Mom, I told you all in due time, but right now we are going to eat and enjoy some pleasant conversation." I called everyone to the dining room and seated Dad at the other end of the table with Mom to his right, Ryan across from her, Phil next to Ryan, Myles across from Phil and me at the other end of the table. I placed the platter of roast and vegetables along with the rolls on the table. I asked Dad to say the blessing, and he did. We began to eat, and I noticed that Mom continued to watch Phil very closely. Dad asked Phil a number of questions about the development and his business. Phil brought Dad up to date on the progress of the various stages of the development, and then, told him about the plans for the nursery, the store, and the vegetable plots. Dad was very interested in what Phil was describing and seemed to enjoy chatting with Phil about his plans. I continued to watch Mom who was following the conversation, but not participating in it. Ryan was watching me and gave me a nervous smile. Myles kicked me under the table, and he too, smiled at me and gave me a thumbs-up. Ryan, Myles and I joined the conversation adding more detail to Phil's comments and his plans. The boys were excited to tell that they would be working there on the weekends during the spring and full-time during the summer. I added that Phil would be using my services for accounting, ordering, and inventory. We finished the meal, then, I brought the pie and ice cream out and served it. Everyone enjoyed the dessert. After everyone was finished, they went to the family room while Mom helped me clear the table and load the dishwasher. As we were rinsing the dishes and loading the dishwasher, Mom said "You had me worried when you said that he was your partner, now, I understand that you and he are in business together." I stopped what I was doing, turned and said "Mom, that is correct, but so was your first interpretation." She stopped what she was doing and said "Douglas, I know that you were brought up in a Christian home with Christian values and you know that what you have just admitted to me is morally wrong. You know how I feel about this and you know that it is against all of our beliefs." I said "Mom, you just identified the reasons as to why I chose to keep this a private situation. You have made your feelings abundantly clear and frankly, I have been happier with Phil than I have been in a long time. He is a great partner, companion, and confidant." Mom said "Doug, you can get some of that with a dog and you have two sons that you are responsible to and you should be there for them." I said "Mom, the four of us are a family, and the boys love Phil as much as I do." We continued this line of conversation until Mom said "Doug, are you and he in a sexual relationship?" I stopped what I was doing and said "Mom, I am so glad that we are having this little conversation. I will answer your questions if you answer mine." She looked at me and nodded. I said "Mom, are you and Dad still sexually active?" Mom went stiff and said "Douglas, that is not a question that you ask someone." I said "Well didn't you just ask me that?" She glared at me and said "Douglas, you may think that you have ended this conversation, but it is not over." I turned and said "Let's join the others in the family room," and I walked out of the kitchen and sat on the loveseat with Phil. Mom walked in and sat by Dad. Phil pulled out the blueprints for the store and the plans for the nursery and vegetable plots and shared them with Dad. He said "We have bought 120 acres and with that we will start with 25 for the nursery and store, 10 for the vegetable gardens, and expand over time. Mom made sure that she could see what Phil was showing Dad. I could tell that as Phil and Dad talked, Mom was absorbing the facts and figures. Ryan and Myles joined the conversation and showed the area which would be developed as a lake and a small horticultural park. As they talked they relied on Phil for back-up. I sat there and watched the three of them interact and could not have been prouder. They were definitely showing how they loved and respected each other. I said pointing to a section of the plans, "We will build our house here so that we are on-site." Mom turned, and said "And sell this house?" I said "Yes ma'am, this house will be too big for us, so we will build one that will meet our needs at that time." Phil said "And it will give us more time to be together as Doug will take early retirement and become a working business partner." I saw Mom flinch, but she didn't say anything, nor did she look my way. The conversation continued with Phil telling Dad that he would take him to the development and the nursery site tomorrow. I could tell that Mom did not like that, but for once she kept her mouth shut. Phil began to roll the plans up for storage, and then, he told everyone that he had an early day tomorrow, so he was going to go to bed. Mom looked straight at me and I said "I will join you in a few minutes." Ryan and Myles headed to Ryan's bedroom leaving me with Dad and Mom. Dad said "Doug, I am very impressed with Phil and his plans. I think he has a great head for business and has a great vision for this part of the state. He told me earlier tonight that he has plans to partner with your school to develop a horticultural academy. Our state needs educational experiences which prepare the students for the real world and allow them work with their hands and minds. College is a great thing, but our colleges are not challenging our students nor, are they serving to better our society for the most part." I told Dad that I agreed with a number of his points, but that I was still going to stress the importance of a college education to Ryan and Myles. Dad stood up and said "As the Dad, that is your prerogative, and my prerogative tonight is to get some rest. I will see you in the morning." Mom continued to sit, but I stood up and walked to the kitchen to get a drink of water. She followed me and said "Doug, Phil sounds like a great businessman, but that does not cover the sins that you two are committing. As your Mother, I am telling you that you cannot continue living in sin." I turned very fast and looked Mom in the eye. I said "Mom, you are entitled to your opinion, but I disagree with your statements. I thought I had made that clear when we talked to the Pastor. I am happy with Phil, and I plan for the two of us to develop a life together. We are open to you being a part of it, but you will not dictate my lifestyle to me. I am an adult. I am a father, and I stand on my own. I hope you have a good night as I am headed to my bedroom to sleep with Phil." I began to walk out of the kitchen and then, I turned around and said "I will get up in the morning and see Phil off then I will prepare breakfast for the rest of us." She said "I can cook breakfast." I said "I know you can, but you are my guest, and I will prepare breakfast. Now you need to tottle on down to the guest bedroom and you two need to hold the noise down tonight." I turned as I saw her tense up, but I left her in the kitchen and joined Phil in bed. I entered the bedroom and found that Phil was already asleep. I slid into bed after taking off my jeans and shirt. As I was adjusting myself in the bed, Phil rolled over and put his arms around me. He said "Doug, you did good tonight, I saw you and your Mom talking in the kitchen, and I knew that you two were not seeing eye to eye, but you evidently held your position and your tongue. I am proud of you." I said "It was not easy, and I know that she has taken what I have said and is probably seething right now. He squeezed me and said "Let's go to sleep, as Scarlett said in Gone With the Wind 'Tomorrow is another day.'" I closed my eyes and miraculously went to sleep. I woke up the next morning as Phil was getting out of the bed. I watched him enter the bathroom and I decided to join him for our morning shower. We spent some time being intimate before leaving the shower and dressing for the day. As we were about to leave the bedroom, Phil turned to me, pulled me to him and said "Regardless of what happens, always know that I love you." I smiled and he leaned in and kissed me. That made my morning. We walked into the kitchen to find that Mom was already cooking breakfast. She turned to me and said "Douglas, before you start, I know that you said that you would cook, but I couldn't sleep so, I figured I would get up and start breakfast." I said "Well you seem to have things in motion, what can I do?" She said "You can make a pot of coffee, mix up some orange juice and set the table." I did as she requested and she soon had the table set with bowls of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage patties, grits, and a platter of home-made biscuits. I walked down and called the boys to breakfast. As soon as they joined us, we sat down, Mom asked the blessing and then, we began to place food on our plates. Phil complimented Mom on her cooking and she gave him a polite "Thank You," and a smile. Breakfast was over, Phil left, the boys returned to Ryan's room, and Mom, Dad and I were left. I looked over at Dad and asked what he wanted to do today. He said "Doug, I think that I just want to take it easy this morning and this afternoon, I would like to go see the development." I said "I think we can accommodate that, but I have some cooking that I need to do and I think I will be finished by lunch time." Mom said "Well, in case you two have forgotten, I am still here." I turned and said "Mom, we didn't' forget that you were here, I just have things that I want to do and I figured that since you brought presents that had not been wrapped that you would want to spend the morning attending to them." She said "I can do that, but don't you dare think that our conversation is over." I said "Mom, I said what I had to say last night and nothing changed overnight." She said "Matthew, did you know that our son is living in sin?" Dad turned, and said "Ginnie, would you please tend to your own business and stay out of Doug's life. Besides, his boys are still in the house." Mom started to reply, but Ryan's room door opened and she decided not to say anything at that time. The boys joined Dad in the family room while I went to the kitchen and Mom returned to the guest bedroom. I began to do my baking in the kitchen without Mom. By lunchtime, I had baked and frosted two cakes, and mixed two batches of cookies to be baked that night. As I was working in the kitchen, Dad came and sat at the counter. He said "Doug, I know that your Mom is being her typical self, but I am so proud of the fact that you are standing up to her firmly, but not hatefully." I said "Dad, it is very hard to deal with her, but I am very happy and satisfied with my life." He said "Doug, if you are happy, then that is what should count. Your Mom and I, will be going home in a few days and you will have your house back. Try to spend some time with her, but don't let her drag you into situations and conversations that will ruin your holidays. If she gets out of hand, I will step in and give her something to think about." I thanked Dad, and said "I really don't know how you deal with her." He said "I pray a lot son." Mom joined us and I told her that we were going to have sandwiches for lunch. She said "Doug, I could have cooked something hot for us." I said "I know that you could have, but I was busy in the kitchen and sandwiches will be easy to do." I laid the sliced meats and cheeses on the counter along with the bread, sliced tomatoes, sliced onions, lettuce, and condiments. I asked Dad to walk down and tell the boys that it was time for lunch. He did and they joined us in the kitchen. Everybody made their sandwich, grabbed a canned drink from the refrigerator, and sat around the counter. After lunch, I called Phil and told him that we were on our way to visit the development and that afterwards, he could take us to the new site. He said "Come on." Everybody got in the Denali and I drove to the site. It had been a few days since I had been there, and I was amazed at the number of houses that had been completed and the number that were now under construction. We found Phil in phase II. We got out and Phil joined us. He said "Phase I, which was the area which you drove through as you entered, has been completely built and landscaped. 85% of the homes have been sold and there are five others under contract." Dad said "Given the current state of our economy, that is a big deal." Phil said "Yes sir, and we are now beginning to clear the Phase III area for the housing developer. We are laying out the area which will be designated as a common area and a park for the residents who will live here. I have a crew working on that area today and they have worked around a large grove of trees and a number of large shade trees. I really want the area to look like it has been here for a while and not just developed." Mom said "Phil, would it be okay if we toured a couple of the homes that are under construction?" Phil said "We can do that." We walked over to one of the homes under construction and walked through it. Phil pointed out many of the features that the homes contained. Mom asked a few questions and then Phil walked us outside and showed us how he had developed a unique layout for the yard and flower beds. Dad was impressed with the way the beds were laid out in that they were not rectangles or squares but a mix of various curves and swells. Mom commented on the use of camellias and roses along the rear of each lot. Phil explained that the roses are referred to as antique roses and they have a great fragrance when they are in bloom. Mom said "That sounds like the roses that my Grandmother had when I was a little girl." Phil said "They are truly beautiful when the entire bush is in bloom. I wanted something that I knew would be full of blooms. I am working on identifying plants which will be in bloom in the spring and the fall. I have some identified and some of them will be used as filler along the fronts of the beds." Mom said "This is impressive and I might even want to move here." I winced and Phil noticed. Later, he told me that he could work with the developer to get Mom a great deal. I punched him. Mom asked what was going on and I said "Phil needed to be brought back in line." Mom said "Are you sure that it is Phil or you?" Phil snickered and Myles said "Grandmother, I think it is both of them." I swatted his behind and Ryan laughed. He said "Myles, I have told you to keep your comments in your head." We finished our tour of the development and headed to the land for the store, vegetable plots and greenhouses. Dad rode in the truck with Phil, while I had Mom, Ryan, and Myles with me. Mom told me that she was really impressed with the area and she truly would not mind living there in the future. I said "Mom, you have a great home and you are very comfortable there." She said "Doug, I am now, but in the future, things could change and I might have to move. I would like to be near you and my grandchildren." As we drove up to the gate, Phil got out and opened it. As we pulled in, Trevor and Waylon came out of the trailer and met us at the work shed. I introduced the boys to Mom and Dad. We walked around the area and Phil pointed out the areas for the various buildings and planting areas. I pointed out the land on which we would build our new home. Mom wanted to go there so, Phil cranked the tractor and attached the wagon. We got in the trailer and he took us to the area. He drove us around that area and stopped in the area that we had marked as the location for the house. Mom said "Doug, I can see that this will be a great view and I can't wait to see it." Dad walked over to me and said "I think that Phil is gradually winning her over." I said "He has a way of doing that." We returned, got out of the wagon and back into the cars. Phil said that he had to return to the development, and I said that we were on our way back to the house. As I was driving home, Mom chatted away about what she had seen and how talented Phil is. Dad punched me halfway home and smiled. I knew what he was saying. We walked into the house and I put Mom to work chopping celery and onions for the various dishes that we would prepare tomorrow (Christmas Eve). I called Meredith to see what our small group's plans were going to be and she said that she was running behind, but she thought that she could host a get-together at her house; however she needed me to handle the food. I cringed, but I knew that having Mom there, I could do it. I told Mom that we had more to do, and she just looked at me and said "Bring it on, there is nothing like cooking pressure." I sat down and developed a menu for the get- together. I assigned each household responsibilities. I called Michelle, Meredith, and Christina, gave them a run down on the menu and what they had been assigned to bring. Lucky for me, I knew their favorite dishes, so I built the menu around what each one did the best. I assigned the other needed items to Mom and me. Mom and I spent the remaining part of the afternoon mixing and baking cakes, pies and cookies. We were exhausted by the time that Phil came home. I looked at him and said "Don't even think about having a hot meal at this house tonight." He said "I take it that we are going out?" I said "Yes, and you and Ryan need to decide where." Phil called Ryan to the family room and they along with Dad decided on Golden Corral. Phil returned to the family room after his shower and when we pulled the last batch of cookies out of the oven, we turned the oven off and headed out to the vehicles. Dad said that he would drive Mom and himself leaving me to drive Phil, Ryan and Myles. We had a very good time at dinner and saw a number of people that we knew. We wished them a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. As we ate, I explained that we would have a select neighborhood get-together at Meredith's tomorrow night (Christmas Eve). I told the boys that they needed to stay available tomorrow in case they were needed to help with cooking, decorating, or transporting items to Meredith's. Mom was beginning to get excited about being asked to participate in the preparations for the event. We returned home, and Mom and I boiled some pieces of chicken and eggs. After they were cooked, Mom shredded the chicken while I peeled the two dozen eggs. We finished our tasks, put the items in the refrigerator and called it a night. I made it to my bedroom and collapsed into the bed fully clothed. Phil said "Doug, I have told you that you need to stop knocking yourself out to make things perfect. This group does not need as much food as you have probably planned. I really think that you need to cut your plans and do what you can without knocking yourself out. I rolled over and said "Phil, I have a reputation to uphold and I have a feeling that we will have more people attend that you think." He said "Well, I have said my peace, and now it is time to go to sleep." He turned off his lamp, and the room was dark. I closed my eyes and I guess, I dropped off to sleep quickly. Christmas Eve morning arrived and I felt that surge of energy that I needed to get things done. I began my day as usual and headed to the kitchen. Mom was already there and she had started cooking pancakes. I decided to let her finish that task and while she was cooking pancakes for everybody, I began to chop pecans, eggs, and maraschino cherries. I grabbed a plate of hot pancakes as Mom was finishing and ate them hurriedly. Mom loaded the dishwasher and started it while I cleared the island for our upcoming tasks. Mom took the shredded chicken from the refrigerator, added some of the chopped celery, salad dressing, chopped eggs, and pecans and mixed everything together. After she finished that, she returned the large bowl of salad to the refrigerator. While Mom was working with the chicken salad, I decided to use the remaining dozen and a half of the boiled eggs into deviled eggs. Mom and I finished our tasks about the same time. I took the cookie doughs out of the refrigerator and began to drop spoonfuls on two baking sheets. As I worked with the cookies, Mom decided to make a batch of Pecan Divinity. Mom finished before I did, so she decided to make the fruit salads that I had on the menu. I finally finished baking the last of the cookies and decided that we needed something for lunch. I ordered two large pizzas and had them delivered. I called Ryan, gave him the money and put him on watch duty. In about thirty minutes, he called out that they had arrived and I directed Myles to fill the glasses with ice and Coca-Cola. Ryan brought the pizzas and placed them on the counter. We grabbed several slices, ate, and talked. Mom asked if I had purchased some fresh bread for the sandwiches and I told her that I had put an order in for it, but that I would have to go pick it up by 3:00. Mom in the meantime, located my party platters and began to place a mixture of cookies that I had baked on each platter. She then covered them with plastic wrap while placed the cakes on cake stands. At 2:30, I called the boys, told them to load up, and we headed to the grocery store. I gave them a short list of things to locate while I went to the bakery. We met at the registers with our items. I paid the bill and we returned to the Denali. I drove home and the boys helped get the purchased items into the kitchen. As I entered, I noted that Mom had started making some of her peanut butter balls. I knew that they would be a hit, so I busied myself placing the salads in my large fancy bowls. We finished our tasks and settled in the family room until 5:30. I began to cut the bread into various shapes while Mom used them to make chicken salad sandwiches. We finished arranging them on two large platters. I cleaned up the kitchen while Mom and the boys showered and dressed for the party. After I finished, I showered, dressed and returned to the kitchen. I designated the items each of us would take over to Meredith's and we began to make our two trips. Meredith directed us to the party tables which she had decorated with a variety of Christmas figurines. Mom stayed and helped Meredith while I took Myles, Ryan and Jay back to the house to help bring over the other foods. As we were taking in the last of the items, Christina and Michelle started bringing in their items. Mom and Meredith took charge of the items that Christina and Michelle had brought over. Phil joined us after he had showered and dressed. He arrived and then, he asked Myles and Ryan to go back to the house with him to bring over the gifts that we would distribute later in the evening. They returned and placed them under a decorated tree that Meredith had placed in the living room. In a few minutes, Colt and Justin arrived and began to set up the drinks and ice station. The boys headed down to Rob's house to get Rob and his sisters. As they were entering Meredith's house, Shane pulled up in his jeep with Jared and Matt. They jumped out and were surrounded by the boys and Rob's sisters. They entered the house nosily and we knew that the party had started. As Matt entered, he made a beeline to me and said "Shane told me that Phil will be out of town for a few days, but never fear, your old lover Matt is here." I turned and looked at him and said "Matt, I am committed to Phil. We had fun that summer, but I am in a relationship and I plan to stay faithful." He said "Doug, I will believe that when I see a ring on your finger and have heard you two exchanging vows, but until then, I am going to make myself available." As we were talking Shane and Jared joined us and Shane said to Matt, "I told you that you don't have a chance. Now give up and enjoy the holidays. But, seriously Pops, I know that Phil will be away for a few days and I think that Mom and Dad are going to take the boys out of town, so that just might give us some time to be together. I said "Shane, I haven't heard about the boys going out of town, but you are right, Phil will be out of town, but don't think that I will be a push-over. Matt turned to me and said "Doug, I know that you still want me, I can see it in your face." I said "Matt, I don't know what you see, but I can tell you that I honestly plan to stay faithful to Phil. You and I had our fun before Phil came into my life, but he is there and I am happy with him." Jared leaned over to Matt and said "Well, I know that if you were a red-head, that you would have a better chance with Doug, but even though I am, I plan to respect Doug's relationship with Phil. I looked at the three guys and said "You guys must not be getting any at college." Matt said "Doug, we go to college to learn and not for what you are suggesting." Shane began to laugh, and said "Yeah, Matt, you tell him!" Everyone grabbed a plate and began to move through the buffet line. Dad commented that it had been a long time since he had seen such a spread. Justin said "We always eat this way when Doug sets the menu." Colt said "Agreed." I said "This was a team effort and Mom was a big help." Meredith said "Mrs. Brunson, we are so happy to have you with us this Christmas. I hope that you will enjoy yourself tonight." Mom said "Doug worked me to death this morning, but I can see why and I really appreciate being asked to join the party tonight." Michelle came over and gave Mom a hug. Mom looked at me and mouthed "This is a keeper." I just shook my head and looked toward Phil. After we had eaten, Meredith assembled everyone in the formal living room and reviewed the rules for the Dirty Santa game. I said "Before, we begin the game; I want to distribute a few gifts." Phil and I passed our gifts out to our neighbors and they all started saying "You shouldn't have." As Phil moved around the room and interacted with the group, Mom watched him intently. Phil said "But, we did because everyone has been so supportive and we just wanted to do something to show our appreciation." Justin said "Well, Phil, you can always redo my yard." Phil laughed and said "Well, we will have to have a neighborhood raffle and maybe you could win that." Mom said "Not before he does my yard." I knew then that Phil had won her over. END of Chapter 14 - My Sons and Their Friends Just a note to say, "Thank you" to those who have written inquiring about when the story would resume and asking about how things were going with the recovery from Hurricane Michael. The story has been floating in my head for quite some time, but trying to find a decent time to write has been difficult. I am slowly getting things redone at my house, but the most devastating thing has been the loss of our trees. It is estimated that Panama City lost around a million trees, many of which were our century oaks. Houses and buildings can be restored, but the loss of our trees has definitely impacted our environment as we have limited to no shade. Trees that survived look like the trees in a Halloween scene. We still have people living in tents and cars. Stores have begun to reopen, but we still have many businesses that are closed or have put the community on notice that they will not reopen. Hurricane Michael has really impacted this area, but the community is strong and determined to rise above the damage. We are blessed in that we did not have a large loss of life even though there was plenty of opportunities for that to happen. I have many ideas for upcoming chapters, and have decided that maybe I can do some more writing but in shorter chapters. Thank you for reading, corresponding and your friendship. Jay