Date: Sat, 2 Feb 2008 06:50:30 EST
From: Djedoric58@aol.com
Subject: THE BULL SINGER CHAPTER EIGHT.TXT

THE BULL SINGER

CHAPTER EIGHT


As soon as I realized whose lap I was sitting on, I jerked upright and
stared at the old man. To my astonishment I saw tears rolling down his
wrinkled cheek. "Why are you crying?"

It took him a few moments to control his emotions enough to say in a shaky
voice, "I'm crying because I love you. I know you're too old to be sitting
on my knee but I just had to hold you in my arms. I love you dearly, Joey,
but your mother forbade me to have anything to do with you. That's why I
had Benji keep an eye on you. Please, will you let me hold you again?"

Not knowing what to do and with so many thoughts going through my mind, I
settled against his chest and felt him hold me in a tight embrace. I didn't
understand; if this wasn't a man who hated me, so how could I hate him?
And while he held me, he told me things the bitch had kept secret from me.

"I'll admit, I was a bad'n in my youth. I knew the Kray brothers and I
admired them, and wanted to be like them. They were born in nineteen thirty
three and I was born in three years later, a few doors away. Like you, my
parents didn't want me so I pretended that the Krays were my brothers, and
they treated me as if I was kin. I rose up in the ranks of their underworld
until their older brother Charlie warned me that no good would come of
working for the twins.

"I had already done some bad stuff for them and by the time they were sent
to prison in nineteen-sixty-nine, I was a wanted man. I was caught and went
to prison for five years, and I was destined to a life of hell from sexual
predators, but the Kray twins had influence even from behind bars. They
repaid my loyalty by protecting me from afar.

"When I came out, Krays enemies were after me so I went underground for a
few years till the heat died down. Then I started my own empire, dealing in
drugs and money laundering and the sex trade, until I had people all over
the world working for me. Those who didn't want to work for me
disappeared. I didn't order their deaths; my employees took it upon
themselves to do that. At that time I didn't care who I trod on, on my way
to the top. Eventually, I was known as the Mr. White, the Cocaine
King. Then I married Marion, the daughter of Joshua Street, one of my
oldest enemies, and she became your grandmother.



"We married and Angela was born in nineteen-seventy-two.  It was Marion who
made me realise I was in the wrong business and, because I loved her, I
sold my business and concentrated on Angela. But she was a handful right
from the start. Perhaps it was my fault. I spoiled her, and gave her what
ever she wanted. At fourteen she was already throwing herself at men, and
had two abortions before she was nineteen. She dabbled in petty crime, and
by the time she was twenty, she knew she could rule me. Like a fool I let
her. Then she became pregnant, with you.  At first she wouldn't tell me who
the father was, but Benjamin did some digging. She'd had an affair with the
son of an Italian cafe owner. We had a blazing row about it all, of course,
and she told me she never wanted to see me again.



WShe had her own thriving call girl business, using several beauty salons
as a front, forgetting that Benjamin is like a bloodhound. Wherever she
disappeared to, he would always find her. He found her latest salon in
Manchester.



"She was also known to have organized some scams involving young men with
too much money to know what do to with. She got away with the scams because
they were too ashamed to let their families find out they had been off
except for the last one. He was determined to get his money back and
followed her wherever she went. In the end she came to me and demanded that
I help her. She needed somewhere remote where she could lay low, and I
asked Edward Alton to help. He owed me a favour."





By now I had stopped crying and I felt sleepy enough to want him to stop
talking. But I wanted to know one thing. "Why are you in a wheelchair?"



"I was stupid enough to get shot during a gang war. A bullet took me in the
spine. What I miss most of all is the ability to swim on my own. I have to
have someone with me. Do you swim?"



"Yes."



"Good, do you have a girlfriend?"



"No."



I tilted my head so I could look at him. I found him gazing down at me, and
he lowered his head to plant a loving kiss on my forehead.  "Why not?"



"I hate women. They can be so cruel."



"Oh, I see. Are you gay?"



"I don't know. Would it bother you if I was?"



"Not in the least."



"I like Mags."



"Edward's son?"



"Yes."



"Have you had any gay relationships or played around with other boys?"



"No," I said, thinking hard about my feelings for a couple of school chums
I had been friendly with. "I never had the chance, but..." I thought about
Mags and how loved I had felt, if only for a few seconds. "Someone did kiss
me and put his arms round me."



"Did you like it?"



"Yeah, I guess so." I suddenly yawned and he told be to go to sleep.





When I woke up, I found I was lying in a huge bed under a warm duvet. The
pillows under my head were the deluxe kind, soft and covered with silk
pillowcases the same as the duvet. As I sat up I noticed I was naked. I
looked round the room for my clothes and couldn't see them. Wow, what a
room! It had its own wide screen TV and loads of sofas and stuff. I had
never seen anything like it. It had its own bathroom as well; a huge place
with every bathroom fitting you could think of, and I swear the taps and
stuff were solid gold. Wow!



There was a something like a toilet but it looked different, and I guessed
it was a bidet. It had a long hose attached to it with a long polished
chrome nozzle. I hadn't a clue what that was for. I sniffed at the
different lotions and soaps and took a couple of them into the shower; sure
that granddad wouldn't mind me having a shower. Oh it was heaven! All that
hot water and no bitch yelling at me, not to use it all! I guess I had
never been so clean.  The towel I found was a huge thing, all white and
soft. I took a long time drying myself with it, while looking at my
reflection in the mirror. I looked around the place and saw a hair dryer. I
had never used one - the bitch would never let me use hers - but I
eventually figured out how it worked, grabbed a brush, and dried my hair. I
had always thought my hair was dark brown, but now it was really clean I
saw my hair's true colour; almost blue black, just like Billy Junior's; And
that really gave me a buzz.



After my hair was dry, I went back into the bedroom to look for my
clothes. I still didn't find them but I noticed someone had opened the
French window. The pool beyond the window looked very tempting. Holding my
hands over my crotch, I peered out and seeing no one in sight, I made a
dive for the water, hoping it wasn't too cold. I needn't have worried, it
was the warmest pool I've ever swum in, and this was heaven. I reckoned it
was about sixty feet in length, and I did five laps before I started
feeling tired. I swam to the shallow end, intending to use the steps to get
out of the pool, but I realized this was the farthest away from the
bedroom. I stayed there, keeping myself afloat, and I looked round,
wondering what to do, and I spotted Uncle Benji walking towards the steps,
carryin a towel like the one I had used in the bathroom. Thinking I was in
deep trouble I swam to the steps. "I'm sorry, I couldn't resist having a
swim."



"That's quite all right," Benji rumbled. "You could have stayed in the pool
a lot longer but your grandfather wishes you to join him for lunch." Once
he had the towel rapped round me, he led me through a door on the other
side of the pool to the bedroom and into a small, burgundy and cream lounge
where a table had been set for two.



Elias was already there, and he smiled and said, "There you are! Come and
sit beside me, my boy. What would you like drink, tea, coffee or some fruit
juice?"



"Tea please." I made sure the towel was firmly wrapped round my waist and
sat down on the chair Benji drew out.



Granddad smirked at me. "Feeling a bit naked are we? Don't worry about it,
lad. I often go naked myself after a swim."



It wasn't until I realized that Benji was actually going to serve us that I
was able to relax, and I watched him fill my cup with tea. Elias waited
till Benji had filled our bowls with soup, and then said, "Now then, lad, I
don't mean to pry but how close are you to Magnus Alton?"



I dipped my spoon into the soup, tasted it, liked it, and took another
spoonful. "As I said, I like him."



"And is he the one who kissed you?" I coloured and stared hard at my
soup. "It's all right, Joey. I'm a man of the world."



"It was a mistake, "I said quickly. "He thought I was someone else."



"Billy Junior, perhaps?"



 Startled, I look up at him. "How did you know?"



He took a mouthful of soup and said, "Your generation isn't the only one
who follows cover bands, you know. I saw Billy Junior and his band, once,
at a concert. I think you rather look like him. What happened?"



  I couldn't bear it, all these questions, and I felt hot tears spring to
my eyes. I dropped the spoon and pushed back my chair, and ran, tripped
over the towel and landed on the floor. I scrambled to my feet and ran back
to the pool and round it till I found my bedroom. There, I dropped the
towel and ran to the bed. I threw myself into it and pulled the duvet over
my head, and sobbed my heart out. I didn't know why I was acting like a
baby, but it made me feel better. I had reached the sniffling stage when
someone lifted the duvet a little bit, and peered down at me. I looked up
and Benjamin was there, reaching for me.

He lifted me up as if I was no more than a ten-pound baby, and cuddled me
close, just like he used to, and wrapped a bathrobe round my shoulders, and
it felt so good, being with him.



He handed me a tissue and I dried my eyes and blew my nose. "What's going
to happen to me, Ben?"



"Well, I think I will advise your grandfather to let you stay here for a
few days. I know he would like that. It will give you time to get to know
each other while something is done about your mother. Your grandfather was
really shocked at the way she has been treating you. I tried to warn your
grandfather on several occasions but he just wouldn't listen, and now he
wants to make amends. Every time I found you, your father sent your mother
money to look after the both of you. He also gave you money, but it seems
you were not allowed to keep it. Do you understand now, Joey? It wasn't
your grandfather who deserted you but your mother who deserted him? Perhaps
now you can get on with your life instead of being your mother's
footstool. No! Just listen to me for a moment. I know she has been using
you as a skivvy from a very young age, making you cook and clean for her,
have I not witnessed it with my own two eyes? It is a pity Angela does not
appreciate the treasure she has in you. Perhaps she will, if she has to do
without you at her beck and call for a couple of weeks."



"I don't think so," I cuddled further into him for fear he would
disappear. "She'll just move out to a hotel somewhere and wait for me to go
back."



"Would you like Magnus to stay here with you?"



"What?" I pushed away from him and stared up at him, confused.



 "I think he likes you very much."



"Don't be stupid, I'm underage."



"You're sixteen in two months time. If you were discreet, no one would
know. You deserve a little fun in your life, Joey."



 "How do you know he's interested? He was half asleep and thinking of Billy
when he kissed me.  Where is he any way?"



"Having lunch with his father. Now, why don't you go and have another
shower, to get that chlorine out of your hair, and go back and have the
rest of your lunch. Then we'll see about getting that thatch of yours
properly cut, and your feet seen to." He lifted my left hand and studied my
nails. "And perhaps a manicure."



"That's for women."



"Your grandfather often has his nails done. Do it for me, Joey, and make an
old man happy."



I was still feeling sorry for myself as I went into the shower. I needed to
think, and under the hot water was the best place I could think of. I
started thinking about Mags and what it could be like to have him do things
to me. I wasn't totally ignorant of what gays did. And I had certainly
liked him kissing me even if it was an accident. Maybe I was gay after
all. I looked down at myself, and wondered if he would find me
attractive. My penis was only about four inches long, and still boyishly
slim with just a shadow of body hair round the base, and my balls were
beginning to hang lower. I guessed some men liked that sort of thing, the
cute stuff and all that. A couple of guys I had known had being seduced by
older men and they boasted about how they liked what happened to them. I
finished my shower and dried myself, and then I went into the bedroom to
hunt for clothes. All I found was the soft terry bathrobe. It seemed do be
my size so I put it on and went out to the pool and on round to the
lounge. There was no sign of Granddad, but Benji was there, waiting to
serve me my lunch of roast lamb and mint sauce, followed by a huge mixed
ice cream. Maybe I could stay a few days...





* * *



CONTINUING MAGS'S STORY



I fretted about Joey as I had lunch with Dad. No one told us anything
except when Benjamin came to say the boy would be lunching with Elias. Dad
seemed to be relaxed about it but I knew I wasn't going to be satisfied he
was all right till I clapped eyes on him again. While I ate, I thought
about what had happened that morning. How could I have been so dumb! And
yet he had said he liked it. Well, at least he wasn't going to shout child
abuse, was he?

"Penny for your thoughts, lad," Dad's voice broke through my musing. "You
were miles away."

"Not so far away, Dad, I was thinking about Joey."

"Ah! You are sweet on him aren't you?" He smiled at me over his coffee
cup. "Young and sweet is what you need, not some hairy biker. Never did
like bikers myself. So what are you going to do?"

"About what?"

"About Joey, damn it. He needs someone to protect him from that vulture
down at Top Farm."

"What can I do about him?"

"Why not try for custody of him; parental rights can be taken away from the
woman."

"That would mean bringing in the Child Protection people and the Social
Services in. Somehow I don't think Joey would want that; it would make him
feel as if he was being treated like a child."

"Well, at least we could give him free access to the cottage once we move
in. When Elias called me in a few minutes ago, he suggested he would like
the two of you to stay here for a few days. Apparently the boy is feeling
rather fragile after Elias told him a few things about his mother and about
himself. What I told you about Elias has to be kept quiet, you understand?
I happen to know he's on a few hit lists, which is why he lives here on his
own. He's not well man and it will do him good to have the boy with him for
a bit. And you could do with a break too."

"I was thinking of going over to Flixton to see the band. I do have some
work that needs attending to, and we have the busy Christmas program to
rehears for."

"I hope there'll be an invite for me to go with you."

I smiled at Dad's enthusiasm for music. "Of course you can come, I might
see if Joey would like to come as well. But I guess I can spare a few days
here."

"Right," Dad said as he leaned back in his chair and rubbing his
stomach. "If you've made your mind up, I'm off home. I've said my piece to
Elias, it's up to him now, what he does with that daughter of his. I'll
have Charlie run me home; I want to see what he's been up to since I set hm
on his feet. Dirty little tow rag he was. Looks like he's done all right,
working for Elias. He's a bit picky with his employees." Dad picked up a
tiny gold bell by the side of his plate and rang it, and Benjamin appeared.

Dad asked him to arrange for Charlie to drive him home, and then Benjamin
said to me, "I take it you will be staying for a few days, Mr Alton? In
that case I'll show you to your room." He led me back into the foyer and
down a corridor to the left and turned left again. The bedroom I walked
into was like something out of a millionaire's dream home, an all white
affair with masses of silk and gold, and dominated by a huge silk draped
bed. There was a white terry bathrobe on the bed and Benjamin told me to
make myself comfortable. I checked out the bathroom, liked it and decided
to take a shower. I found a soap that smelled faintly of a favourite
aftershave I used to use, and spent a good few minutes lathering myself all
over. I rinsed off and stepped out to dry myself, grabbed a towel, turned,
and found Joey standing close to me; a look of confusion on his face. He
looked so cute in that bathrobe; his hair neatened to exactly the same
style as Billy's, and this time there was no mistake. This was not my dead
lover but a younger version of him. I drew him close and said, "Might I ask
what you are doing in my bathroom?"

He gazed into my eyes and replied, "I might ask you the same question."

* *