USUAL DISCLAIMER

"THE LEASH" is a gay story, with some parts containing graphic scenes of sex between males. So, if in your land, religion, family, opinion and so on this is not good for you, it will be better not to read this story. But if you really want, or because YOU don't care, or because you think you really want to read it, please be my welcomed guest.

THE LEASH By Andrej Koymasky © 2012
Finished writing February 17, 2003
Translated by the Author
English text kindly revised by Kent D. (sw Ohio area)
CHAPTER 8
A cunning plan

In 2001, I received the visit of the CEO of our bank. He complimented me on how I was directing the branch in Buenos Aires. Then he told me that in 2002 the director of our headquarters in Rome would retire, and he was going to give me that position.

It was a great promotion, not only financially but also as prestige. Yet the first thing I wondered was how to deal with Guillermo. If he wanted to come live with me in Rome, I could accept the promotion, if not, I wouldn't. I did not want to part with him.

But, even if he accepted, how to obtain the permission for his visa? I did not give an immediate answer to Dr. Gerbi, the CEO, so I thanked him and told him that I would seriously consider his offer, and I would give him an answer as soon as possible.

Then, prior to talking with Guillermo, I went to the Italian consulate in Buenos Aires to ask how I could do to bring a friend to live in Italy. They said that if an employer were offering him a contract for at least twenty four months, and lodgings, my friend just had to do a medical exam, then he could get a visa to go to work and live in Italy.

I asked if as an employment contract would be fine, even something like working as a servant or a caregiver and they said yes - it was enough that a contract was drawn up under the terms of the law.

Well, so it was not impossible... However it was not enough for me. In fact, if I died... although I was not old yet, you never know, an accident, an illness could always happen, Guillermo, outside of his country, would be alone, and with nothing. If we'd stayed in Argentina, for better or worse it was his country, maybe he could get away also without me.

I thought it would be different if I could adopt him: even if I died, he could at least stay in my apartment, have my money. But a single person cannot adopt a child in Italy, even with international adoptions.

Then I remembered my friends in New York, the law firm Young, Ashbury & Goslinky, and in particular Michael Asbury. I managed to find his e-mail in my old address book and tried to re-establish contact by sending to him an e-mail, without still explaining my problem, but that I might need their legal advice.

My message came back. The email did not seem to exist anymore. I did not lose heart, and through the phone company, I asked the phone number of the Young, Ashbury & Goslinky firm. They gave it to me. From my office I called, I was informed that Michael was still working there and talked to him briefly. He remembered me. I asked him his email telling him that I had to ask if he could assist me in a legal problem.

He replied that if the problem was sensitive, it was better I did not talk about it either by phone or by e-mail: a letter was better, or better still that we meet in person. I replied that I would let him know something.

I checked with my secretary what were my commitments for the next few months, so I saw when I could take some days off. Given that, I went home and talked with Guillermo.

"Look, love, I have to go in the next few days in New York to see a lawyer for some problems. Would you come with me to New York?"

"New York? The Big Apple? Of course I'd come there. With you I would go anywhere..." he said, widening his eyes, excited.

"Even in Italy, if I were transferred to work there?" I asked him to begin to sound him.

"Especially in Italy. I'd like to stay in Italy... with you. See where you were born... Learn Italian..."

"Good. Then I will make an appointment in New York and book a flight for two. You start packing. Nothing formal, it is a private meeting with my lawyer friend."

"How is the weather in New York?"

"Here it is spring, so there is autumn... it is a little less hot than here, but it is not yet cold."

"Good, I see..."

I had to also make sure to get a passport for Guillermo... Luckily I had enough influential friends who cleared the way for me. Guillermo in fact did not even have identity papers, but we did not encounter difficulties, also thanks to bribes passed under-counter in the right hands.

I called Michael and we agreed when to meet. I arranged things in the bank, entrusting everything to my assistant manager, and finally we left. Guillermo was thrilled to get on a plane. For the occasion I bought to him some new clothes and he strutted, looking in the reflection of the windows. When he saw the plane he stared in awe.

"To see them fly, they seem so small... God, how big it is..."

He stared even more in awe when we sat in first class.

Arrived in New York, he was very excited. The weather was nice, so we could see from above the statue of Liberty, as the plane went around the city to land. When I told him that it was possible to enter and go to the top, he asked me if I would take him there, if there was time. I promised - I myself had never been inside it.

In New York we settled at the hotel. Guillermo was happy because I took a room with double bed. He had not noticed that the front desk clerk looked at me with a slightly quizzical expression after seeing our passports and, at his request, I confirmed that I really wanted a double. I called Michael to warn him that I had arrived. He gave me an appointment for the morning of following day.

The next day, after having told Guillermo to wait in the waiting room, I went in the studio of Michael. We talked briefly about this and that, and then I faced the issue that I cared about.

"Michael, did you see the boy to whom I told to wait, right? His name is Guillermo Olivera, is from Argentina, is eighteen years old, and is my boyfriend. I have to return in Italy next year, and I want to bring him with me. But I also want to assure him a future, so I would like to adopt him. However there's a problem - for under the Italian law a single cannot adopt. Do you think you can help me to get around it? "

"Are you sure you want to adopt him?"

"More than sure. We are in love and he is a wonderful guy..."

"If the Italian law does not allow it... it will not be easy. Give me some time to document myself and see if... I have to study carefully the terms of Italian law, and Argentinean, as well as the international laws. Usually if you study well the laws, you can find a loophole. We are in touch with a couple of lawyers in Italy; I will have to contact them. "

"You give me some hope, then?"

"Not yet, but I do not even say that you can not do it. It also depends on how much you're willing to spend. I can give my advice for free, but there will be other expenses."

"I have a fair amount, though not huge... It depends on how much will it cost... As far as I can, I happily spend all I have... "

"Truly in love, eh?" Michael said with a smile.

"Yes, for the first time, truly in love."

"Tell me about your boy. More things I know about him and about you, the more I will be able to give you a hand."

I told him the whole story of Guillermo, answering the questions he had. He took notes. I was pleased that he did not show contempt, when I told him what life Guillermo had before he met me; and indeed, he showed some sympathy.

"From what you told me, you still didn't tell your plans to the boy, right?"

"No, not yet. I want first to be sure I can do it, not to give him false hopes and then risk to disappoint him. That's why I told him to wait there."

"At the very least, you can still take him along with you giving him a formal employment contract, is not it?"

"Yes, sure, but I would like to take this option only if we can not do anything else..."

"Can you give me some time? How long are you staying here in New York?"

"Only a week..."

"And when you have to give the answer to your boss for your job in Italy?"

"I think within two, maximum three months..."

"Good, I'll immediately take care of it. I'll try to do it as quickly as possible."

"Have you any idea?"

"Not really. First I have to see carefully how are the laws. You can't find loopholes if it you do not look carefully... where are the safety ladders, since you can not take the central staircase."

While waiting for some news from Michael, I made the visit to New York a good one for Guillermo. We also went to the Statue of Liberty. But what struck him most was something I really did not expect - he was enchanted by a visit to the Museum of Modern Art. He wanted to visit it twice. The first time quickly, to see everything it contained, then stopping to admire some of the works of art...

"Do you like modern art, Guillermo?" I asked him when we left.

"Yes, I like art. Think that there are people who became famous for doing what they like... Well, of course, they must be skilled, expert, but... I did not think that one could live their life only to draw, or paint, or sculpt how he likes most... "

"Would you like to be an artist?" I asked.

"I do not think I could, not I. I can not do anything..."

"You can learn everything, though."

"Maybe."

"You have learned to do a lot of things, no?"

"Washing, cleaning, grocery shopping?" he asked in a tone of slightly self-mocking.

"Even the housework takes skill, experience, application to do them properly. You are doing them just fine. And you desire to learn."

After two days Michael called me at the hotel: "I received the complete documentation that I asked for from the Italian colleagues. And even a couple of suggestions."

"You told them my problem?"

"In broad terms."

"Those lawyers are gay too?"

"Yes, that's why I thought I'd mention it, at least they can help me better."

"All documents are in Italian, I guess. How do you read them? You do not know the Italian language..."

"I have a young Italian lawyer who is practicing here in New York... he's one of ours. He knows English very well and of course also the legal terms. He can translate what we need, and discuss it with me. "

"Will he cost much?"

"Not much. After all, even for him it is practice and it can also be useful to him. In addition he is the lover of a good friend of mine."

"Before I should return to Argentina, do you think you can tell me something? At least how you're directing?"

"Maybe. I'll let you know. Do not worry, I will do everything we can to help."

"I'm sure. Thanks..."

Three days later, Michael called me again and invited me into his study. Like the first time, I told Guillermo to wait in the waiting room. In the study by Michel was also a young man who introduced himself as Dario De Regibus: he was the Italian lawyer.

"Listen, Daniele, there may be a way, but maybe we should make some fake... but do them so that they can withstand an analysis... and this will cost you enough."

"Fake documents?"

"More or less, yes. The risk that they come to the surface is minimal, but... We must also have the complicity of the mother of your boyfriend. Do you think you will be able to get it?"

"If you tell me what you have in mind..." I said uncertainly.

"The boy, Guillermo Olivera, was born in 1983, right?"

"Yes."

"And you said he does not know who his father was. Olivera is the surname of the mother, right?"

"So Guillermo said and I do not think he lied to me. Why?"

"And you, in 1983, where were you?"

"1983? I was in San Francisco."

"In what month did you arrive at San Francisco?"

"It was in February... the end of February."

"And in what month was born Guillermo?"

"Guillermo? In December."

"Very good. So you could be his father, you see?"

"I? But I have certainly not made pregnant the mother of Guillermo, who anyway was probably in Argentina... I've never fucked a woman, I..." I said smiling.

"Here the false documents come into play... as long as the mother of Guillermo is game. We need to prove that she was working in San Francisco... maybe as your maid... and that's when you who got her pregnant. And as the woman is as poor as you say, for a bit of money, maybe she accepts... "

I nodded; I finally realized what Michael had devised.

"Assuming that the mother agrees, that we have the fake documents to prove that she was in San Francisco, that she declares that I fucked her... how come I did not know anything about a son? And now, how would I know, after eighteen years? "

"One thing at a time. If you prove that you are the father, you should just recognize that Guillermo is your son, you know? And then nobody can stop you to bring him with you in Italy. It would not be an adoption, but an acknowledgment of paternity. "

"Yes, that's clear, but..."

"The mother is gone from San Francisco when she discovered she was pregnant. She raised her son, had other children with other men... a sad life... decided to try to find the father of Guillermo, hoping for some help... Maybe it was Guillermo who pushed her to seek his father... "

"With what money, and how? If you almost do not have enough money to eat... How do you search for a father after eighteen years, without financial means, how could they have found me?"

"But you are now in Buenos Aires. She did not think she could find you, she had never thought about it. But she has seen you in Buenos Aires, and recognized you... she told you that Guillermo is your son. And you knew you fucked her just nine months before the boy was born... "

"And the false documents, what are they for?"

"For the authorities: to prove that she was with you. For the authorities might not be enough that you and she declare it... They know that it is a means for false adoption..."

"I understand... and... where should I recognize him? In Argentina? In the U.S.? And what should I do for Italy?"

"You should recognize him in Argentina, of course. And when for the Argentinean law you are in all respects his father, you have to simply transcribe the document at the Italian Consulate. They cannot refuse an official document of paternity, especially if the father and mother acknowledge it. "

"Michael, will you assist me also in Argentina?"

"I can do it in person or by giving the task to a law firm in Buenos Aires. And you, in your position, you can... maybe even grease some wheel, as you told me you did to get here and have Guillermo passport in time... "

"But those documents were true..."

"An insignificant detail. It is enough that the documents we will use just seem real. Are you willing to make some fake documents?"

"What are they?"

"The mother's passport with entry and exit stamps in the US.A. A letter of employment that you have stored... aged enough... and maybe some friends from San Francisco who, if asked, are ready to testify that they knew you had a relationship with the mother of Guillermo when she worked with you... although perhaps this is not necessary. I can anyway collect the affidavits and send them down to the Argentine lawyers... "

"And the Argentinean lawyers must know the truth or not?" I asked.

"I think not: they will work better and you will not run any risks, once we have the agreement of the mother and the forged documents..."

"The passport, the stamps... would you make them yourself?"

"Yes, once I have the green and all the necessary data..." Michael replied.

I asked the Italian lawyer: "You are sure that once the Argentine authorities have accepted my declaration of paternity, also for the Italian authorities Guillermo would then be recorded as my son?"

"Of course, since the Argentine authorities would release an official document in which Guillermo is your son. Not that he was adopted, or recognized, but simply that he is your son." lawyer De Regibus said to me. "It would be a simple transcription..."

"They would not find it strange that I declare this child only after eighteen years?"

"No. You had not registered him then, when you were in America. But now, having discovered that you have a child, you want to record him..."

"They will not investigate?"

"Not in front of an authentic document of the Argentine authorities."

We talked some more, and then I decided it was worth trying. Then I asked them to leave me a little time to talk with Guillermo and, if my boy wanted, he also would talk about it with them. They told me to do so.

I went into the room where Guillermo was waiting for me.

"Finished?" he asked with a smile.

"Not really. I have to talk to you, Guillermo..."

"If I have to wait more, do not worry about me..."

"No, I have to talk to you. Listen to me, Guillermo. I came to talk to my lawyer friend to find a way to bring you to Italy with me, if you want to come there."

"Really? In Italy with you? Surely I come!" he said with bright eyes.

"Good. But I do not want you to come there without a security for your life..."

"But if it's with you, that's enough for me..."

"Not for me. I do not want you to be a foreigner in Italy - one day you can have leave because your residence permit has expired or whatever..."

"And then?"

"And then... maybe there's a way to have you with me forever, either in Italy or anywhere else."

"How?"

"It is essential that your mother cooperates, but..."

"My mother? And how? For what?"

I explained to him the plan that the lawyers had submitted to me. Guillermo listened open-mouthed. Finally he shook his head, as now I knew he did, not to deny, but to express surprise, disbelief.

"Do you really think it can be done?"

"I think so..."

"And you want to do it?"

"Only if you want it too."

"Make me become your son?"

"For the law. But your mother?"

"I... I... I think she will accept it if I work her. She will declare the false information to be true and she will swear on it... if it's convenient for her."

"Yes, of course, if convenient. If you come away with me, she will lose the money you bring them every week, every ten days... So I thought... if I give her money... enough to give her a better life even if you are no longer there... But will she agree to never see you again, maybe for years? "

"Already now, and for years, she almost did not see me... and she has to think of my six siblings... and I will take care to have my mother do what we need... But you really want it?"

"Of course, that's why I came here, right? Now, you want to talk with the lawyers, to prepare everything well? You, but especially your mother and I, we have to prepare everything in detail."

"Let's go!" Guillermo said, standing up.

We went together to speak with Michael and with lawyer De Regibus. None of them spoke Spanish, so I was their interpreter. They asked a lot of questions, took notes. Guillermo answered fully, and added details that showed not only how much he cared to get a successful operation, but also his intelligence.

And finally, all the details decided, we returned to Buenos Aires. Guillermo wanted to go right away to talk with his mother. The hours that passed from when he departed and when he returned, were among the worst in my life - I imagined the blackest pictures: The mother refused, or sought to make a profit by blackmailing me, or she even reported me the police... or put conditions that I was not able to meet...

Guillermo finally returned. When I saw his smile, all the anxieties, my fears, my concerns slipped off how the rain slips away from a glass...

"So?" I asked, getting up and going to him.

"It will be done. She waits only for our instructions. She does not care that I'm leaving, as I thought. I told her that you will give her some money... as much as I could give to her working for you for three years... "

"So little?" I asked surprised: I thought that she would have asked for much more...

"I told her that it was so or nothing. If she refused I would not give her any more money. And all that money together for her, is a huge sum..."

"You do not mind leaving? Leave your brothers? Leave Argentina?"

"To come with you? Surely I'm not sorry. What did my mother give to me? The only thing she could give me, affection, but that she has never given me. She had nothing else to give me. And my brothers, with more money at home, can grow and maybe find a job and become independent. And Argentina? Apart from you, and you're not even Argentinean, has not given me anything. And then... then I would be called Guillermo Savoldi! God, what a thrill!"

"I'll come and talk to your mother. We will explain clearly what she should do... We will have to agree well on what must be declared, so that she does not say anything different from what I say... And when she agrees, we will give her the fake documents and I will have to go with her to see the lawyers that Michael Ashbury tells me, here in Buenos Aires... and then give the money to your mother... "

"Only after everything all is done properly, though." Guillermo said.

"Well, even before... do not you think?"

"No. At most one bit at a time."

"Do not you trust your mother?"

"Not completely... It would be better to be cautious..."

"Are you sure you want to do it?" I asked him again.

"And you?"

"One hundred percent sure."

"I even more sure than that. God, I'll become Guillermo Savoldi!"

CONTINUES IN CHAPTER 9


In my home page I've put some more of my stories. If someone wants to read them, the URL is

http://andrejkoymasky.com

If you want to send me feed-back, or desire to help translating my stories into German, so that I can put on-line more of my stories in German please e-mail at

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