Date: Fri, 14 Sep 2007 07:06:52 -0700 (PDT) From: Matthew Templar Subject: Never Take Love For Granted - Chapter 22 All rights reserved. Other than downloading one copy for personal enjoyment, no part of this story may be reproduced or transmitted by any means, except for reviews, without the written permission of the author. Furthermore, every word of this story is fiction. Nothing within this tale happened to anyone I know. Any reference to anyone, anything or any place, real, living or dead is coincidental. If there is someone that has written a law saying that you can't read this story because of age or local laws or other such 'wisdom', then you haven't really gotten this far into Nifty to read this anyway, right! But write to me and say how you liked it anyway. I will answer all emails. Thank you in advance for your time to write. Unless you've submitted a story, you can't know how important it is to hear how you, the reader, like an artist's work. Thanks again. Finally, there is not enough room to express my gratitude to my friend, Dwight Wilson for his dedication to the editing of this work and encouraging me to continue. Read Brad's Idol in Adult/Youth and New Horizons in Authoritarian (it's really a beautiful tale about freeing boy slaves and very anti-authoritarian) to know the experience he brings to my story. You will not be disappointed! Then tell him to write FASTER! I need my fix too! Your comments and suggestions are most welcome and encouraging. Matthew Templar at matemp1148@yahoo.com * * * * * * Never Take Love For Granted - Chapter 22 "I needed a chance to talk to James, here, without a curious little nose sticking it in where its innocence shouldn't be. So . . ." "Wait, you wanta do what with James?" Sam said in kind of his protective mode. But Russ was quick to slap his shoulder. "Now, just let 'em be, Son. David needs to talk about James' trouble and I am sure as the day old Doc Owen slapped your bare butt, he doesn't want the whole world to know." They both turned to see a blushing young man standing between them, looking like he'd been caught at something dreadful. "Oh, right," Sam returned, squeezing James gently on his bare shoulder, "Sorry, James. You two go 'bout your business. I've got to ask Dad something anyway." As James and I walked outside, I heard Sam's question of his dad, "So Dad. Doc Owen didn't deliver me. What's this about him slappin' my butt?" We were too far away to hear more than a big laugh come out of Russ. "Where can we go, David? You know; so we can be alone." "To talk, James, just to talk." He wasn't smiling. He was serious. There was no look from him like I had gotten at times, lately, from . . .well, everyone at the house except Petey and Sam. "No, honest, David. Just to talk. You're not old enough for my, well, just say, I'm not really interested, now." "What! Look I'm every bit as fit . . .!" "David! I need to be able to tell someone what went on in me, on me, over me: all that. I just need to have a friend to say stuff too. I don't need someone else wanting my body." Ah, the taste of good shoe leather. Where had I been that I was able to perfect, so, well, so perfectly, the art of being a jerk!?! Now, I had seen to it that James was letting go with his second round of tears for the day. We hadn't even got to the parts that would be upsetting, yet, there I was upsetting him. "James, so sorry. I should have known what you meant. I guess I'm a bit insecure in a few areas lately. I promise, cross-my-heart-and-hope-to-die, that I will be the best sounding board you've ever had. I want you to feel free to tell me just like it happened. Get it all out, okay?" I'd stopped walking and had turned us toward each other and grabbed him to hug him close to me. I didn't even think about us being naked anymore, and while James was used to it at Sun Haven, this must have been a little different somehow. I felt his crying subside amidst some gulping and h-m-ming. I felt his arms encircle me and squeeze as tightly as I held onto him. I felt a warm, wet tongue lap at my sensitive nipple. Huh! What the....! "Hey!" I said, pushing him to arms length and looking into a silly grin, "I thought . . ." "Well, now that you mention your fantastic body, I guess I'd kinda like ta. . . ." "What? I thought you just said. . . ." "Ha ha! Gotcha! Ha! Gotcha good!" His nice cute smile turned into laughter, then. And he closed in on me and we hugged some more. But the laughter was quickly turned back to crying, complete with tears streaming down my chest. He was a mess, but he was slowly letting out a long time's worth of pent up anxiety and who knows what other feelings. After another minute or two we turned to continue our walking to wherever we needed to be to talk and listen. I pointed toward the garage and shop area, just because I hadn't been back up there since I'd almost lost Grant to my insecurities. As we approached the area between the path and the shop, I noticed another trail, going into the woods. I suggested that we follow that trail and we soon came to a small clearing with more grass than trees and shrubs, and even a bench and a bird feeder a few feet away. Before we plunked our sorry butts down to continue his story we wiped the bench off of its coating of needles. "So where were we, James? You'd just been taken home by, uh, Craig, right? And you seemed pretty disappointed that he didn't keep you for life?" James chuckled at the sound of my summary before he said, "I wouldn't put it like that. I just wanted more of him. I wanted to know why my feelings were so strong around him; I mean good feelings." "But you said you had problems at home? What was that all about?" "I just knew I was dead. If my dad ever found out how I was, or, at least, what I thought I was, he'da killed me for sure." He looked down into his lap, flicking off a pine needle that had fallen onto his thigh. "But how did you know that, James? Had you ever talked about it? Had he ever had any reason to suspect anything?" "Hey! He's my dad! I ought'a know what he'd do!" He was trying to get in my face, so I put a hand on his shoulder and held him at bay. "All I'm saying, James, is that we can see stuff differently until we ask. Hell, I think I found out about that recently. So recently, in fact, that I haven't been able to do anything about it. So, if you hadn't talked it over, well, what if he didn't feel that way?" James just kind of stared at me with that blank look he gets. Then he said, "'Cause that's just him. He was always so critical of me to do good and don't hang out with certain kids and do good in school. He was gonna know and be real angry, wasn't he?" "It sounds like he was being a good dad, James. Did he ever hit you or hurt you?" "Yeah, all the time," he said with added enthusiasm. My dander was certainly in a tizzy when I heard that. "He used to lay me over his knee and spank me. I was always doin' something wrong." "But were you really doing something wrong or was he punishing you for no reason." "Yeah, well, I had some problems growing up. He, well, I guess he never really did anything I prob'ly didn't deserve. I guess he was pretty fair about it." He was mumbling just a bit because his head was down, onto his chest. I wasn't at all pleased by where this was going. It sounded to me like he'd pretty much rejected his dad, maybe his whole family, based solely on what he thought might happen. I knew there were so many families that were torn apart by the knowledge that one of them was 'different'. I just spent some time getting this family out of that rut. Here I was at it again. Please, everyone! Stand in line. Wait your turn. Doctor David is in. I was concerned for James; concerned that he was making his dad out as the bad guy when he really hadn't done anything. And, just as I thought that, a cold chill went down my naked spine to crash at my butt and freeze its way back up me, through every organ in it's way, until I shivered violently. "My God, David. Are you alright?" James stood up and held both of my shoulders. A cold sweat covered me instantly as I looked up into his eyes. The realization of what I had done to my father was quick and sure. The comparison to James' tale thus far was deafening. I slowly began to breathe more normally but there were tears damming in the corners of my eyes. James, bless his heart, leaned over and kissed those tears away, until he rose back up and licked them from his lips. "Yuck! Salty. But a better consistency than cum. Whoever thought to make it like egg white?" I couldn't help it. I started laughing at his remark and grabbed him into my arms. The feeling of holding someone just then and the dispersing of the pain was what I needed most. I finally moved him a ways out so I could look at him to say, "It's beginning to sound like you needed an excuse to find out who you were, who you wanted to be, maybe. James, tell me what happened. Can you keep going on your story? I want to know what happened that got you beat up." There was a big sigh and James straightened up a bit and began to talk. "All the kids said, you know, when adults weren't around, that I, well, any gay kid was gonna die if their parents ever found out. I was in love with my old neighbor, Craig. I guess I figured I was pretty much gay. But I knew before that. I was already pretty old myself. So I pretty much kept to myself. Then no one would ever know, right? That I was gay, right?" Well, that answered a lot. Too bad for his relationship with his old man, I mean, his dad. "In fact, the only one I even paid attention to was Craig. I'd be there when he got home from work. I don't know what he did but he worked like twelve hours on and twelve hours off, so there was always time when my parents weren't home and he was. "Oh, and he got to know my parents. He even came over for a barbeque and another deal in the neighborhood. A block party I guess. But he also let me come in his house after the first time. He was so cool. He'd just let me talk mostly but he would say stuff that was so cool. Then once I rang the door bell and there he was! He only had a towel on him; you know, wrapped around him, and he was still wet. Wow! He was so beautiful. And so tan! He said I should close my mouth and come in. But then he said I should leave while he dressed. Well, I guess I went a little nuts. I just grabbed him; I mean hugged him, and told him I loved him and I wanted to show my love for him. I slid down him and the towel went too and I looked at his dick! Wow! It was so beautiful. But he pulled me up and sat me down. "He put the towel on his lap but he didn't do a good job; heh, heh. I could still see him so good. He was talking about how much trouble he could be in and I kept swearing that no one would know 'cause I'd get beat up by everyone, and my dad'd beat me too. God, I wanted him so bad I couldn't hear what he was saying, sometimes. He smelled so good. He was so clean and, and a man. "So we did it! He let me do the things I wanted to do to him and he asked me what I wanted him to do to me. Wow! So, anyway...." UnhN! That's all I was going to get? I could have balanced myself, right then on my steel spike! "Now, James. God knows I wouldn't want to pry but don't you think you should at least list those things that you wanted, that he did...Oh, you might as well just tell me the details. What do you think?" "M-m-m-m-m! I wouldn't mind reliving it. I can see that you really want to hear it all, don'tcha?" He was looking right at me. Well, my lap, which left nothing uncovered, or everything. . . The thing was, I was only thinking of helping him. ALRIGHT! I wanted more! Satisfied? Don't you? "He was so gentle and we met lots. He would talk to me about my day and ask about how I was getting along with kids and give his advices. That's what I called 'em, anyway." "Um, James. I . . ." "Okay, okay! I'm gettin' to the good parts. I guess I didn't realize how hard this was going to be," he said, lowering his head slightly. Then he started laughing and calmly reached over and grabbed that part of me that was illustrating to him 'how hard this was going to be.' I almost fell off the bench, I jumped so high. Then I joined him in a few 'ha has' and shoved him in the shoulder. "One of my favorite things he would do to me was slowly undressing me. That was enough to make me burst! He would glide his hands on my bare skin no matter what part of my clothes he was talking off of me. And he wouldn't let me touch him or me until he was done; I was a screaming idiot, practically. Ya know, it's that kind of thing you hate and yet, you never want it to end. Wow! Just thinking about it." He said as his mind drifted to that time and I looked down to see the hard evidence of those memories. "Man! So, he'd undress me and lay me in the middle of the bed. Then he'd do things to me, differently each time, but mostly the same stuff. Like he'd start at my head with his fingers and lightly touch every part of me, all the way down my body. He said it would make me super sensitive when the time came. Ha ha, meaning, when I came. And he'd be talking so softly the whole time. Telling me how special I was, or what he wanted to do to me. Like how he wanted to take me to this special place he goes to all the time. He'd be at my nipples, after fluttering his hands on my eyes and mouth and gently put his finger in my mouth. Then he'd go all around my head and down each shoulder. By the time he got to my nipples, they were rock hard and all pointy. He'd spend extra time just barely doing circles on each tip top. God, I thought he would wear them down to nothing. But it felt so great. I couldn't have moved if I'd wanted to. "He'd do my sides, and it took me a long time to learn how to relax to not giggle. He'd tell me what to do to relax and then he'd start again. Sometimes it was like he didn't do anything, Like there wasn't enough time to, yet there was his cum all over. But mostly, I'd just relax and enjoy every feeling. He would continue down my sides and hips to my legs and cover every inch so feather light that I was in no where land. I mean, I was sailing to a need building up. Wow! "Then he did my feet and I had to concentrate on his relaxation stuff. Yeah! That's what he called it, relaxation exercises. But they got weird cuz I couldn't remember stuff? Anyway, then his hands came back up my legs but on the insides. Do you know how crazy it felt, knowing in a second he'd touch right there and I'd be exploding. God! It was so wonderfully unbearable. The first time, oh yeah, the first time..." he said looking off to grab that memory back from its locker or wherever he kept it. "Uh, oh, he was doing my legs, but inside 'em. Man, then he just got closer and closer and a little more pressure and even closer to my stuff where I really, really had to be touched at least just the once!" There was a gasp and I realized I hadn't been breathing until then. James looked over at me and nodded his head with a big grin to tell me that he felt just that way. "I was tingling all over, ALL over, and I thought I'd die if he didn't do it right that second. Then he went right by me, you know; my boys and my dick? Oh, God, I hurt so good. His hands just went nutso, all over me then. They went every where, but so light, I don't know how but, it felt like six hands instead a his two. I was squirmin' and moaning and gave up trying to relax. There was no fuckin' way! AH!" God he scared me! I looked over at him and his mouth was covered with his hand. Under it I heard him say, "Sorry." "What? Huh? What are you sorry for?" My god! Didn't he understand what he was doing? Get on with it! "I said the 'F' word. I'm sorry." Oh good grief! How the fuck was I going to explain this? "Really, James. Take my word for it. It's okay this once. Don't let that stop you." If he only knew how I wanted to reach in and rip the words out of his throat! "Thanks, David. Let's see...Oh yeah. He passed up my balls and cock and did all this wonderful light touching, only everywhere at once. Man, I was so turned on. My head was spinning and so was the room. Then he'd do something that would change each time. But that first time, oh, that first time. He knew where I was, that I was goin' nuts. He also knew my eyes were closed tight and my hands were grabbing onto the bed for all I was worth. "Then just about the time I thought I'd pass out, I felt 800 degrees of heat and wet all the way down my cock and I just exploded into a billion pieces and could die happy. God it was so powerful! You know, like a huge ole damn broke or something. Man, it was so beautiful. And he'd just stay on my cock while I came over and over in a coupla' minutes. But I stayed so high for so long." God. It felt like I was right with him feeling every shudder and every spurt; every rocket going off! I was exhausted. "And my favorite part was, he'd take me in his arms and lay next to me and hold me while I got to enjoy his body and his...well, his everything. H-m-m-m! That was my best part." He leaned back and stared up at the sky and I was floating with him. I, too, had leaned back and couldn't believe how much just hearing that story took out of me. It was only after a couple of minutes that I felt a little cool and damp around my own tool. When I looked down there, not only had I cum but the hand that had brought me there wasn't at the end of either of my wrists. I looked up into James' face as he brought his hand from me to his mouth and licked up every drop of my appreciation of his story. I squinted my eyes at him to show him my displeasure (hah!) for his deception. But I was doing a crummy job. So I reached over and pulled him to me and hugged him. "James, that was really wonderful, but, please don't do that again, okay? I want ta love Grant with everything I've got and I'm just not able to share that without him being here, okay?" I was soft and gentle. I certainly wasn't so much angry as concerned for my little guy's feelings. I never wanted to take my love for him . . .well, for granted. "I know and I'm sorry but, well, I figured it would only take a touch or two the way you were looking and kind of grunting. And really, that's all it took. You shot like a geyser the minute after I grabbed ya; I swear." Oh, well, that made me feel better. I held him out at arms length. "You're such a beautiful young man, James and I really, really like you. But mostly, I want to understand you and what you've been through. If you're up to it, we probably only have a little while before we'll be inundated with ice cream sticky munchkins. Let's talk about you." "Do you want to hear more about me and Craig or what?" Did I? (What do you think?) Be strong. You can do this. "Well, mostly James, I want to hear how you came to know the Hawes' and Sunny Haven. That seems to be where you got hurt, right?" "Uh-huh. I mean, yes sir. Let's see. Things were moving pretty fast for me and Craig and then my parents had to go away for . . . oh, Aunt Dora's second wedding in Virginia. They were going to be gone for two weekends and the week in between but I still had school. I told 'em I could stay by myself, but they weren't hearing that. It's not like I would get into trouble. I didn't even have any friends anymore since I started being with Craig more and more. "So, I don't think they knew what was going on except that I got along with him; he was strict with me about applying myself and they liked that. So, Dad came home one night and said it was settled. Mom and I both asked what was, and he said he talked with Craig and I was staying over there. God, that was hard." "That was hard? I thought you'd want to stay in his house, hell, his bed, for almost two weeks. Why would it be hard?" James chuckled as he looked over at me and raised his dark eyebrows several times, before he explained. "Oh, don't get me wrong. I wanted to stay there. And, yes, IT was hard. He he! My problem was not being able to dance around the kitchen when Dad told me. Ha ha. I don't think that would have gone over too well, do you?" "Yes, I think I see where you were coming from. So, your dad must have gotten to know this Craig guy and approved of him." "Oh, yeah," said James, slapping the air to show me it was no big deal. "He'd talked with him lots; even went drinking with him once. And, we'd had him over for barbeques and stuff. He he; Dad even told him a coupla' times that he could bring a date if he wanted. But I knew all he wanted was me." Wow! That kind of self-confidence could get a guy into all kinds of trouble. I was living proof of that. Thank God for Russ and Grant to tame me, well, at least some, from that kind of thinking. "So, little sex fiend, how was your time with your guy?" I scooted around on the bench to see his expression. He was, once again, off in his world, probably remembering the time he had. He was leaning back on the bench with his tight little butt on the edge and his arms folded across his chest, his well sculpted legs straight out in front of him. That pushed his pecs up a little to make him really look well formed, an impression that went flat when his arms dropped to his side and he stood up. I still couldn't get over his overall looks, though. Young and shining as his face slowly turned into that beautifully golden smile that made him James. "I remember all of it. Parts were so perfect and then, parts were scary or strict or something in between. Mostly it was great. I guess I forgot that he was an adult with responsibilities that he had to do as promises to the folks. But he was still a cool guy and just being there was great. But that very first weekend, almost the minute my parents drove off, wow! I couldn't believe what he wanted to do." Yeah! That's what I thought he meant too. Just be patient. I certainly made up for not being too tolerant. "So, he. . . ah, . . . wanted to, shall we say, delve deeper into your relationship? Was that what he had in mind?" "Ha, ha. No! Not quite. Ha, ha; what a mind, David. Ha ha." He was getting a little irritating. I just wanted, well, I wanted to hear more was all; jeesh! "He had this special place he wanted to take me. Ha, ha! No, David!" Alright! I raised my eyebrows just as he looked at me. What can I say? "He asked me if I would like to go camping with him. But he warned me first, that there would be others, both adult and kids, my age and even younger. Then he finally told me that we could pack extra light. It took me awhile to figure it out after he said just take enough clothes to get there and back! Ha ha! It was a nudist camp! Well, I was so scared. I was ready to give my all to him, but I was chicken to prance around stark naked in front of a zillion people I didn't have the slightest idea about. But he finally convinced me that I'd fit right in, get an all over tan and find some new friends that shared my, well, he said my love for loving. I was sold. And within an hour we were on our way." I think it was starting to come together. I didn't think I'd have to wait too much longer to tie it all together. I just didn't know how much more time we had until the 'stark naked,' ice cream totin' pack of varmints was gonna gum up our talks. Shit! I was startin', I mean, starting to talk like Russ. I decided to go out on a limb and speed things up. "So, you arrived at Sun Haven and were introduced to the Hawes', right?" He sat up and started laughing. "Yes, sorta. Man, you in a hurry or somethin'?" He smiled like I'd almost seen into the whole picture but I wasn't even close about one little fact. "See, when we arrived and put our bags in our cabin, we started walking over to this other area. 'Course we stripped and were doing our walk swingin' everything we had. And, I thought it was funny that Craig told the people at the desk that we were neighbors, instead of nephew and uncle or somethin'. They didn't even blink; well, maybe a wink. That was weird, don'tch think?" Before I had much more chance than to open my mouth he was off on his story again, like he was getting more excited by it. That was okay with me, needless to say. "We came up on this area away from the other cabins and there were, oh, maybe 6 cabins, each kinda buried in trees but with a path to this big center area. It had a barbeque pit and tables and two or three tall posts with rings and a cable between the poles. Also, it had two of those vault things like you have to do in school gymnastics, ya know, jump over them? But they were too close to anything else for jumping over. . . What?" I was glaring. My mouth was wide open in disbelief and I was glaring at his unbelievable description. James stared back for almost a minute then shook his head and continued. "Anyway, pretty soon two of the cutest little guys came running out of one of the cabins, in all their naked glory and leaped on Craig, yellin', 'Uncle Craig, Uncle Craig!'" James started grinning and nodding his head as did I. He confirmed my suspicions. "Yup! It was our two very same, one and only varmints, Dustin and Petey, and I had been foolin' around with their uncle, who was Tom Hawes' brother. I remember them like it was yesterday, 'whose the newbie, Unk?' That was Dustin. Petey said, 'yeah, newbie, huh? He's all Casper white, isn't he, Dustin? Hey, new kid? Can we play with you, too?' I didn't quite know what to think, but as the Hawes approached and Craig introduced us, I got hugs by all of them. Funny thing was, and I guess it must be a custom or somethin', they all grabbed my pecker and my package, 'cept for Petey who just stared at it like he got a new toy for Christmas. Ha, ha! None of 'em were shy at all. They just seemed to go for it, and 'it' was me this trip! Ha, ha! I loved all the attention. And, boy, was I sure sore when we came back Sunday night. Wow! I never woulda thought you coulda put a . . ." "Wait! That's it? You just came back? You had a whole weekend and then you just came back?" Come on! You know you want details, too! "You sure are a horny guy aren't you, David?" He was almost laughing at me and, all the while, looking down at my very stiff appraisal of his story thus far. I really couldn't help it, though it was a little sad that he hadn't even got me to the good part again and I was ready to pop. So, what the hell. "You got me pegged, James, " I laughed. "I was always curious to know that family's background, and I may have anticipated just a tad." "Hah!" laughed my young friend, "looks like your anticipation is leaking all over the bench." And he reached over and squeezed our conversation piece and pulled up, over the head to coat his hand in my juice. He had it up to his mouth and had it cleaned before my eyes blinked open and I 'd opened my mouth to stop him from handling all the details; me! His grin had to be a precum-eatin' grin, not the other end. Gross! "David, they were all so cool to me. I never had a moment to myself that whole weekend, and I didn't want it any other way. If we weren't makin' love or doin' somethin' sexy, then I'd be with the boys explorin' some unknown region." I guess my eyebrows were a little spastic again because, "No! I really mean explorin'; looking all over the camp. They were so cute, but I have to admit, I was much more interested in the two men than two little boys, at least to satisfy the urges between my legs. They were so cute though, and I had to pull Dustin offa me more than once. He sure is a pistol isn't he?" "Jeesh, James. I was kinda gonna use that name for you. You make it sound like you were shooting all weekend. No wonder you were sore." "Yeah! Hah! And even better? We went back up there the next weekend, and did it all over again. Golly, it was amazing! I never thought I'd ever be satisfied, but those three did me in again." "Three?" "Well, sure. Mrs. Hawes is a knock out! She could handle her own in anyway that any of us wanted. It got so that Dustin and Petey would be pulling on me. . ." Really! I didn't move! Okay, just the eyebrows maybe. ". . . on my arm, David. You sure got a thing for kinky stuff, huh?" Well, I never! Okay, I guess I was curious, but I would never suppose that those two little guys would. . . .oh, and, they were even younger then. "They were around a lot though. Their mom and dad weren't too particular about them being 'outta the way' or anything. They just never did anything that I know of. Hell, they were just kids. Petey still is, though Dustin is old enough to." "Now, what exactly does that mean, and what kind of a place is this Sun Haven? It doesn't sound like any nudist camp I ever. . ." The little shit! He stole my eyebrow thing and did it at me. "No! No! No! I have never been to one in my life!" Then his squinty little peepers scanned down my naked body and back up to do one more round of eyebrow spasms. "Okay, but this place is different. This place is. . .well, . . . it's . . . home, I guess. Haven't you ever run around naked at home before?" "You gotta be kiddin'! Do I look like I been killed? Ha! He'd a shot me or something." "James, you sure blame your dad for a lot of junk that doesn't seem to have any background. I don't get where all this is coming from. And why haven't we called him about coming to get you?" "NO!" He shot up and stood beside me shaking, like I'd crammed an icicle up him. I didn't get it. I reached out and grasped his arms to steady him and looked into his eyes, which were brimming with tears. "James, James. Good grief. It's your own dad we're talking about. Why are you so scared of him?" "I don't know," he said, wilting into my lap so I could hold him in my arms. "All the kids I'd ever talked to just said how bad parents were when they learned about them being gay. Everythng I read told horror stories about coming clean with their old man and getting whacked or kicked out. I didn't want that. And my dad is always sayin' stuff and doing things like he hates 'em, well, I guess I mean us. So, I just left." "My god, James. How long have you been gone?" "A month! I met up with the Hawes when they spent their week up there and then they said they'd come back for me. I got odd jobs and stuff from the Emerleys. They own the Haven. They're really nice, and really hot for being that old, too. But it was when I was waitin' for the Hawes that it happened." Now, I'd a thunked I was through being the selfish bastard that I was when I got here, I mean to Euphoria, not the bench just now. But I just realized that, if he started telling me about all the stuff that got him hurt, I'd likely never hear about all the hot things he did while he was at Sun Haven. Now, how selfish was that? But . . . . "James, tell me what happened while you waited." He got off of my lap and sat down again. He looked pretty wasted, just thinking about what he was going to talk about and what he had revealed already. He was just about to broach the chasm that was keeping him from talking about it when. . . . "We'ze home!" The most precious cackle of laughter and yelling amidst adults trying to regain some sense of control, convinced me that we weren't all that far from the house. I did look between us, even pushing on James a little, and making a funny deal about looking for the sneaky munchkin who had a way of appearing between us. Well, I did add some tickling to my pushing to get us back into the mood that would certainly be assailing our senses any time now. "Ha ha! Hey! Ha ha! Cut it out, David. He isn't here already, kay?" But it had its effect on James and we were soon walking toward the shenanigans coming from the kitchen. I had to make plans for one more meeting; maybe during school tomorrow, but not tonight! That was mine! And I was planning to be selfish with my little charmer who, as we entered the kitchen, had a mouth full of the darkest chocolate ice cream and a big dollup of it that was running down his front. I had to decide quickly if I should grab a napkin and clean him up or wait until it got just a few inches lower until it was within lick of his. . . . WHOOOSH! "There ya go, Tiger. All clean," said the hero, Sam, as he swooped up the ice cream mess with his own napkin. "Unuh!" came a pathetic grunt from over . . . oh, from me! So, of course, all eyes gave that look that is getting just a little old as far as I'm concerned. You know the one. 'Is he weird or what?' look. But my Grant? He'd been looking down at the mess on his belly and looked up into my eyes. He started to do the look, but it just as quickly turned into the greatest of his wonderful room brightening grins. Then he gave me a wink. I really had to work at not laughing at that. He was so cute. When we all had at least one scoop each of the three flavors they narrowed down their selection to, we were all around the table when Sam said, "Oh, Dad. I got something for you. I found it while we were cleaning out the old house and I thought you should have it. I think there's some memories... well, you can decide." "What in the hel...oops! Sorry children. Grampa Russ needs to help us keep our ears clean of those kinds of words," he said to the three big boys on either side of him, so totally engrossed in the wonderful treat spread all over their faces that they didn't even lift their heads to acknowledge him. So Russ turned back to Sam who was gone! "Where the hell'd you go now? Good God!" "Grampa!" said three voices in perfect Euphorian harmony. Grant went on to explain, "You swore." They were so busy giggling and licking up messes they didn't seem to notice Sam sitting back down. All I could do was drool thinking about the delicious treat in store for Grant and me a little later. "'Kay, Pops. Here ya go." He set a brown paper bag in front of Russ and waited expectantly, almost like I did when I gave my dad the best gift two dollars could buy from a boy of seven, and couldn't wait to see the expression of pure joy come over him. It was a classic look, but then, so was Russ' statement. I have no idea why people say it as they open a gift, especially because they always stop opening the gift to say it. "H-m-m, I wonder what it is." Even the little guys groaned. Of course, some one, thankfully it was Petey this time, has to retort with, "Well, silly Grampa Russ, open it and find out." Finally, tradition had past its dusty path through our midst and we could get on with it. He didn't save the paper. I'm not even going to start on that one. He tore off a corner to see a picture frame and looked up at Sam with a question in his bright brown eyes. That was almost immediately replaced with tears, just ready to make their decent down the gentle man's red face. He set the package down and just stared at his son, overcome with emotion. We could see his lips begin to shiver a little, then he was forming words but there was no sound. He looked down just long enough to clear his voice and pick up his son's gift to him. "You know what this caused, and yet. . . ." His voice was gone again. The tears began to fall. Sam got up and walked around the table so he could put his hands on his father's shoulders and lean a little closer to him. As he leaned, his hands came over his dad's chest. "That has got to be one of the most important treasures in your life, Pops. 'Course, I had no idea on that day so long ago or at anytime really, until David helped me clear up a few stupid errors in my life. I can't even begin to explain why I didn't let it burn, or even just throw it out the few dozen times I'd come across it. But . . . ," his voice began to crack and shake as his dad's had done just seconds before. Tears began to slide their way to the grin he had for his dad as the rest of us in the room were absolutely still. "But, I'm so glad now that I did. I hope it's okay with you that I did." Russ sat there staring at the brown paper, one corner of which had been torn open to reveal a plain stained wooden frame. It couldn't have been big enough to hold much more than a four by six photo. He reached one hand up to grasp at his son's sleeve and then went back to the package. As he continued to tear at it's covering, I felt a chill pass through me that caused me to shake; to shake the whole table, I think. Grant looked up at me with concern and I smiled, trying to assure him; okay, to lie to him that everything was okay. Even I didn't know if it was true. When the last of the paper wrapping fell away, Russ used both of his mighty hands to hold the small parcel. Dustin and Petey were on his left side, Grant on his right with his dad, Sam, standing between them. They leaned in as one to look. And, as one, they all looked up at me! When did they have time to practice that move! Then, before I could even think of something so stupid to say that it would be muffled by my foot, they all, as one of course, returned their gaze to the photograph. "Dad?" Grant asked slowly and quietly. "Why would Grampa want an old pitcher of David with some kid that looks, oh, like me, only older? Huh? Who took it, cuz I'da remembered that." Sam patted his son's shoulder but didn't have the chance to answer. "Grant," said Russ to his beloved grandson, "your look-alike is me and the other is the one you may have heard me talk about. He was also named David, but he and I were friends a long, long time ago; a long, long, long time...a...go." His voice was just a whisper as I saw the memories flood over him along with more tears. So this was the photograph that he had been caught with in the barn that night so many, many years ago. Sam never mentioned going back for it, never mentioned the sacrifice to himself and his mother that allowed him to keep it for thirty-some years. I couldn't imagine what fate had forced him to hold onto such a priceless treasure, knowing it would be so welcomed, especially given by him to the father he loved more than almost anyone else. You know that thing they say about there not being a dry eye in the place and that you could hear a pin drop? Now I know. It's real or, at least it was that day. Then I was hit by that blast again of frigid air, like it passed all the way through my body and out my head. My eyes closed as I waited for the feeling to pass. When it had, I opened my eyes to see a picture of me and an older Grant on the table in front of me. I had no idea how that picture came to be. I had no idea of the timeline that would allow me to think about where I would have been at that age or why I would have worn those old time clothes. I did have the idea that every other eye in the house was on me, probably waiting for some wisdom or fact that would make it all clear. Then I realized that Russ had already explained who each of the boys were. So I was free to ask a simple question. "Ah, but Russ, ah, who . . . , do you know . . ., when did . . . , how could . . .?" Oh, hell. I gave up. "Son, to answer that startlingly clear question," said Russ, pausing for a second for the uproar of laughter to die down, "I know who these people are. I know where we were and who took this photo, and when it was taken. But I think I'm realizing that there is one fact that I don't know. And that's what is your...." Bang, bang, bang! The front door bellowed to us as the other side was battered with what seemed like hammer. NTLFG - The End of Chapter Twenty-one To be continued Comments on the story are very much appreciated. Thank you for the emails you've written. Each one is an encouragement. Please don't stop. I get real insecure that it isn't working (my writing, not Yahoo!) Thanks, especially to Riquero for the kick in the butt. I'm Matthew Templar at matemp1148@yahoo.com