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Chapter 15. A new friend shows up...

     We went back to our car, to transport our packages to the boys' rooms.
John and I untied the ropes, working together; while little Harry helpfully gathered them and bundled them up.
We took the first package, lifted it off the roof, and carried it to the porch.
Turning it vertical, we took it up the steps, while little Harry opened the front door wide and helped us by giving directions.
Directed by our helpful little commander, we carried our package inside and towards the staircase.
Here, we put it down, to have a good look at how to proceed...

    John and little Harry took one side of the package, and heaved it onto the first step.
At the same time, I tried to handle the two remaining corners and push them up.
We started to lug the unmanageable thing upstairs, step by step, struggling and panting...

    Halfway up the stairs, both boys had to round the corner, and the heavy package jammed against the wall and almost slipped out of our hands.

    What should we do now?
Our package had FOUR corners, and each of us could only handle ONE of them properly.
We badly needed a fourth person!

    After a moment of reconsidering, we decided to restart our combined efforts.
I put my shoulders under the package, and pushed it upstairs with all my might.
At the same time, both boys dragged it around the corner and into the hallway.
Suddenly, we were on the second floor, and could put our package down against a wall!
All of us slumped onto the carpet with a groan, huffing and panting.

    We looked at each other, and shook our heads.
No way, could we drag all six packages upstairs like this.
We desperately needed more help!
    Of course, John came up with a clever idea:

    "Shall I ask Thomas to help us, or maybe his father if he happens to be home?"

    "Yes, that is a good idea! But, let's drink some water first, because I am thirsty."

    We went downstairs and entered the kitchen.
To cool off, we put our sweaty faces under the splashing water.
Then, we dried them with the only kitchen towel I had been able to find so far.
John took three glasses from a cupboard, and little Harry filled them with cold water.
Each of us took one to our porch, carefully not to spill its contents.
We sat down, still sweaty and panting, wiping the perspiration from our foreheads.
  
    Suddenly, we heard a skateboard, approaching our house at high speed; and all of us looked up curiously...
After a moment, a boy of about John's age showed up on the sidewalk.
He looked at us, smiled at John and little Harry, and brought his board to a screeching halt.
He jumped off, clamped it under his arm, and entered our driveway.
    Pointing at the five remaining packages on the roof of our car, he asked:

    "Do you need a helping hand?"

    He put his skateboard against our fence, without waiting for an answer.
Again smiling at John and little Harry, he climbed our porch and sat down next to them.
John rose without saying a word, went to the kitchen, and returned with another glass of water.
The boy gratefully accepted it, and we continued to sip our water in silence.

    Casually, I looked at the new boy.
He appeared to feel at ease in our presence, although he avoided my eyes...
He seemed to be a nice boy, having brown hair, an open and curious face, and brown eyes that showed a lot of intelligence.
I thought he could be twelve or thirteen years old; and he was firmly built and muscular, showing a nice suntan.
He seemed to know my boys, because he didn't look surprised at seeing little Harry's burnt face...
Maybe, he was the new friend little Harry told me about, who taught him to do a difficult double flip on his skateboard.

    After some time, John put his empty glass down, and suggested:

    "Let's carry our packages upstairs. With all four of us, it should be a piece of cake."

    We nodded, jumped up, and went to our car.
John and little Harry went to one side of the next package, and I went to the other side, ready to lift it off the roof.
The new boy looked at us, hesitated, and went towards John and little Harry...
Little Harry looked a bit surprised; but he left his place to the newcomer and went to my side to help me.
The new boy seemed to be a bit afraid of me, maybe because I still was a stranger to him...

    Working together, we carried all five packages upstairs without encountering any more problems.
All the time, the new boy went to John's side to help, and little Harry had no other choice than helping at my side.
Of course, neither of us minded at all; but, at the same time, I felt as if the boy tried to avoid me...
Yet, he didn't seem to be timid, or mistrustful, although he never looked into my eyes.

    Soon, we had put three packages in John's room, and the other three were piled up in little Harry's room.
Carrying them upstairs HAD been a piece of cake!
Yet, we felt tired and sweaty from the unusual work...
    Little Harry nudged his new friend, and told him:

    "Come on; let's have some rest on Dad's bed."

    He turned around and headed for my bedroom, immediately followed by John.
Both of them shucked their shoes and slumped down onto my waterbed.
The new boy followed his friends towards my room, but hesitated in the doorway...
I had followed him at a small distance, being curious about what he would do next.

    Suddenly, the boy felt my presence, cringed, held his breath, and started to tremble.
He turned his head, and stared at me with sudden fear in his brown eyes...
He seemed to be afraid of me, but why?
He didn't even know me...

    I smiled at him reassuringly, ruffled his brown hair, and told him:

    "Come on, go join your friends! You have earned your rest too."

    For a split second, he stared straight into my eyes...

    I was severely shocked!
He showed me so much pain, so much desperation...
I got tears in my eyes from the sudden emotion, and choked up.
This was a VERY wounded boy!
Who had done this to him?
And, how would I be able to help him?

    The boy seemed to feel relieved, because he heaved a sigh and entered my bedroom.
He kicked his shoes off, ran towards his friends, and threw himself upon the bed.

    "Wow, you have a WATER bed!" he exclaimed, starting to jump up and down.

    "Look out, before you punch a hole in it and it leaks." little Harry teased him, using my little joke on him and furtively winking at me...

    For a moment, the new boy hesitated...
Then, he started to laugh, jumping up and down again as high as he could, trying to touch the ceiling over his head.
    Grinning, he told little Harry:

    "I bet this waterbed can carry at least an elephant."

    "You are wrong. Dad told me our waterbed can easily carry TWO elephants!"

    He dived for the boy's feet and pulled at them, making the boy fall down onto the wobbling bed.
Immediately, the boy attacked little Harry and straddled him.
Now, all three of them started to wrestle; laughing, shouting, and having lots of fun.

    After a long time, they were too tired, calmed down, and finally fell silent...
John beckoned me to join them, making more room for me:

    "Come on, Dad, you need your rest too. There is enough room for all of us!"

    I WAS tired, after all the unusual lugging and walking up and down the stairs.
Therefore, I unlaced my shoes, kicked them off, and slumped down next to my boys.
Immediately, John and little Harry crawled onto my stomach, pushing each other and competing for the best place as usual.
I put my arms around them, tenderly kissed their heads, and held them close.
Both boys tilted their heads and kissed me back, trying to melt into me completely.

    A tiny sobbing sound next to me attracted my attention, and I looked up...
The new boy stared at us with bulging eyes, holding his breath.
Slowly, his face turned a deep red, he got tears in his eyes, and his body stiffened.
Desperately, he tried to suppress his sobbing; looking at us with pain in his eyes, and with a deep longing...

    He seemed to be a very lonely boy, who clearly wasn't used to a grown-up romping and cuddling with his kids like this.
Again, I got tears in my eyes... but I was too tired to really listen to my feelings.
I closed my eyes, and almost immediately drifted off into a nice and welcoming slumber.
Vaguely, I heard my boys trying to convince their new friend to participate in some fun, but the boy objected and didn't dare...

 
    I woke up with the joyful sounds of three laughing and shouting boys.
They seemed to have lots of fun in the shower, trying to outdo each other in making even more noise!
Perhaps, John had invented another of his clever constructions?
I grinned, felt curious about what they were doing, but decided to doze a little longer.

    After some time, I woke up again, still hearing my laughing and shouting boys.
This time, I decided to leave the bed, to have a look at what they were doing.
Of course, I also wanted to know where they had left our hopefully still dry towels...
I yawned, and stretched out at full length to relax my still strained muscles.
Then, I left the bed, and went to the noisy shower...

    I opened the door... and was greeted by a spectacular sight.
Little Harry tried to defend John's rebuilt plastic cup fort.
He jumped up and down, desperately trying to rescue the hit cups that flew through the air.
John had cleverly built another brainy construction; this time consisting of a plastic tube and an attached air balloon.
The new boy had a similar device.
He sat on the floor, cross-legged, partaking in the game with beaming eyes.
Both of them pushed a cork into the plastic tube, squeezed the balloon; and, with a loud pop, the cork headed for the plastic wall.
Inevitably, the cork blew the next cup away, causing little Harry to leap after it with a loud groan and a desperate face...

    Then, little Harry saw me; standing in the doorway and enjoying the sight.
A smile from ear to ear appeared on his face, and his eyes started to sparkle...
    He beckoned me to come in, and shouted:

    "Hi, Dad! I thought you would never wake up. Please, help me defend my fort!"

    The new boy looked up, saw me standing in the doorway, and cringed.
All the blood left his face, making him look like a ghost...
He jumped upright, looking frightened and trembling with fear.
His eyes darted around the room; like a trapped animal, desperately searching for an escape...

    John stopped his attacks, and stared at the trembling boy.

    "What’s up, Davey?" he asked his new friend, with concern in his voice.

    Little Harry left his fort, inquisitively looking at his paling friend...

    Suddenly, the boy stormed out of the shower stall, snatching his clothes from the chest of drawers.
He threw himself past me, pushing me into a doorpost in his desperation to get away.
He bolted into the hallway and let himself fall down the stairs, risking breaking his neck.
Our front door slammed, and he was gone.

    The sudden silence felt eerie, leaving us astounded...
For heaven's sake, what had happened?
Why did that boy run away all of a sudden?
Had I done something wrong?

    Two very distressed boys silently put on their clothes and followed me downstairs.
Clearly, they didn't have the faintest idea about what had happened...
We all slumped down onto our couch, looking at each other questioningly.
    John stared into space, slowly shaking his head:

    "I don't know why, Dad, but Davey seems to be afraid of you. At first, he didn't want to join us in the shower, although he was just as sweaty and stinky as we were.
"We had to convince him that you wouldn't suddenly show up... Eventually, he joined us; but he refused to say why he was so frightened.
"He really got into our play, and almost outdid me with shooting; until he saw you and freaked out..."

    "This sounds very strange. Do you know why Davey would be afraid of ME?"

    "I think he has to be crazy! Nobody can have any reason to be afraid of YOU!
"Come on, Harry; let's go to his house and ask him what his problem is."

    Little Harry nodded; and they put their arms around each other and took off to Davey's house, not even bothering to put on little Harry's new mask...

    Feeling numb, I went to the kitchen, to brew myself a cup of strong coffee.
Why did I seem to tumble into a rat's nest, every time I met another neighborhood child?
First, I had to help little Harry regain his self-consciousness and be proud of himself.
Then, I had to help John cope with being Eric's 'bastard child' and losing his own Dad.
Now, I seemed to tumble into Davey's strange problem with romping grown-ups...

    Heaving a deep sigh, I went back to the living room, taking my coffee with me.
I sat down on my couch, and tried to recall what had happened...

    I recalled the moment I saw the new boy, Davey, showing up in our driveway and offering us a helping hand.
He seemed to be a nice boy, with an open and curious face and intelligent eyes.
I supposed he was the same boy who taught little Harry to do a difficult double flip on his skateboard.
Both John and little Harry seemed to like him, and he seemed to feel at ease in their company.

    However, all the time he was with us, he avoided my eyes; and he didn't even greet me or tell me his name...
He helped us carry our heavy packages upstairs, and turned out to be a valuable helper.
However, he always went to John's side of the packages, and never joined me...
I had the strange feeling that he tried to avoid any contact with me; but why?
Why would Davey be afraid of me, although he had never seen me before and didn't know anything about me?
Was he trying to avoid any grown-up; only feeling at ease with friends about his own age?
Then, he has a serious problem!

    I recalled how John and little Harry entered my bedroom and slumped down onto our waterbed.
They motioned Davey to join them; but he hesitated in the doorway...
Suddenly, he felt me, standing behind him; and he cringed and turned his head to have a look at me.
For a split second, he stared into my eyes; and I choked up and almost started to cry.
Never before had I seen so much pain and desperation in the eyes of such a young boy...

    My own boys crawled onto my stomach; and, again, I saw the same pain in Davey's eyes.
However, this time, I also saw a deep longing in them, as if he wanted to join his friends but didn't dare...
I was too tired to react, and almost immediately drifted off into slumber.
After some time, I woke up, and looked at what they were doing in the shower stall.
Then, Davey panicked and stormed out of our house; naked, with his clothes in his hands...

    I stopped thinking and tried to tune into Davey's mind, to contact his Inner Self...
Within a second, a huge wave of fear and desperation overwhelmed me, making me choke up and cry my heart out.
At the same time, I also sensed an intense longing to belong to a man, or... to have a FATHER in his life?
This boy desperately needed a loving man in his life; but, at the same time, he was frightened to death!
For heaven's sake, who had hurt the poor boy like this, damaging him into his very core?
And, how would I be able to help him?

    I started to feel drowsy; and sensed the well-known feeling I always had when my own little brother, Joshie, was around...
Jack was around me; trying to contact me by pulling me into an 'induced trance'!
 Or, was I making this up in my fantasy?
    I tried to let myself go, and immediately heard Jack's warm voice in my head:

    "This boy will be around you for a very long time. Please, help him and love him, because he desperately needs your guidance and affection."

    Then, the room felt empty again, and my drowsiness was gone.
Jack had left after telling me his message, leaving it to me to work out the details...
Okay, I would do the best I could to help my new boy, Davey.
He could count on me!
I rose to my feet, and went to the kitchen to brew another cup of strong coffee.

    Five minutes later, my doorbell rang, loudly reverberating through the hallway.
I HAD to do something about that wicked thing, before I took a hammer to it and smashed it into pieces!
Grinning inwardly at my dormant vandalistic disposition, I went to the front door and opened it...

    John and little Harry entered our house, bumping into me with proud smiles.
At a small distance, a sad looking woman and a very timid Davey followed them inside...
    The woman wiped her eyes with a tissue, and hesitantly asked me:

    "Sorry for bothering you; but, may I have a word in private with you, please?"

    "Yes; of course, you may. Please, follow me to the kitchen, and I will brew us some coffee or tea. Boys, could you leave us alone for a while?"

    "Okay, Dad; and take your time! We are going to try out a couple of computer games I snatched... oops, sorry, 'borrowed' from Davey."

    John waved a couple of CD's at me and disappeared into the living room; followed by little Harry and a still hesitating Davey, staring at his shoes...

    The woman followed me to the kitchen, and I offered her one of the folding chairs:

    "Please, sit down, and may I offer you a drink? What do you like: coffee, tea, hot chocolate, or maybe milk?"

    "Could I have a cup of coffee, please? And, my name is Mary."

    "Okay. The coffee is brewing, and my name is 'Harry'."

    "I know, because Davey always calls you 'Big Harry'...
"He told me how he met your boys in the streets, and how they talked about their new Dad with so much love and respect that he almost started to cry...
"Davey is our only child; and his father is in prison for a very long time. He abused his son almost every day, from a very young age, until he finally raped him and got caught.
"He so cleverly hid his aberrations from me, that I never suspected anything. Davey never told me, because he was made to believe that every 'loving' father had to do these things to his children...
"A year ago, Davey started to bleed from his anus, but he refused to tell me what had happened. I took him to a hospital, where the doctors told me that my child had been severely abused and raped!
"My whole world fell into ruins, and I didn't know what to do... After a humiliating process, my husband was convicted. He is in prison for a very long time, without ever being able to see his son again.
"However, Davey still seems to miss him badly, despite everything he went through..."

    NOW, I understood why Davey was afraid of me; being a 'man' and a 'father'!
I also had the confirmation that my feelings about his pain and desperation had been right.
I balled my fists in helpless frustration, inwardly cursing the beast that had done this to his own child.
How COULD he...
Knowing this, I would do everything I could to help this poor confused boy, who never had a REAL father and would be afraid of every friendly man...

    Mary started to sob; and I offered her a couple of tissues and a cup of coffee.
In silence, we drank our drinks, while she blew her nose and tried to pull herself together.
    After some time, she dried her eyes and went on:

    "Today, Davey wanted to meet you. He kept talking on and on, about everything your proud sons told him about you, and he wanted to see you for himself.
"He took his skateboard and started to surf around the neighborhood, because your boys didn't show up and he didn't know where they lived.
"He was close to desperation, as he thought he couldn't find your boys any more, and he was afraid he had lost them and would never see them again...
"Half an hour ago, he suddenly returned home; with his clothes in his hands and crying his heart out. After he calmed down, he hesitantly told me what happened.
"He helped you carry some packages, and you treated him as if he was your own son. You even allowed him to wrestle with your boys in your own waterbed.
"Then, you started to cuddle your boys, without doing any improper things or touching their privates.
"Davey desperately wanted you to cuddle him as well, but he didn't know how to initiate it, and he was still afraid of being touched improperly.
"You fell asleep, and Davey joined your boys in the shower. Then, you showed up in the doorway, causing him to relive all the times his own father entered his shower and abused him...
"He panicked, and ran away. Now, he is afraid you will be mad at him.
"Fortunately, your boys showed up, and told him you are the nicest man in the world and will never harm any child. They even brought us here, to prove they are right."

    "Well, I can assure you they ARE right. I wish I had known Davey's history before; but it is never too late...
"Shall we have a look at what our boys are doing?"

     Mary nodded; and we went to the living room to have a look at our threesome.
Davey sat in front of my computer screen; jumping up and down while playing some wild monster game.
John and little Harry had a seat next to him; staring in awe at his obvious skills, and cheering loudly when he defeated the umpteenth nasty monster.

    Then, little Harry saw me and jumped up, almost overturning his chair...
He ran up to me, letting me catch him in midair, and shouted:

    "Dad, this is the coolest game I ever saw! Davey installed it onto our computer, so that we can play it whenever we want to. Is that okay with you?"

    "Of course, that is okay with me. Did you thank Davey, for bringing his games?"

    Little Harry looked at me in disdain, and only gave me a short nod.
How COULD I ask him such a question...
I grinned at his indignant face, held him close, and tenderly kissed his forehead and little nose.
Then, I looked at Davey...

    Davey had turned away from his monster game, and stared at us open-mouthed.
His face turned a deep red; and he heaved a heartfelt sigh, while his eyes slowly filled with tears.
This time, he didn't avert his eyes but looked straight into mine.
Again, I saw the same deep longing; as if he wanted to be held too, but didn't know how to initiate it...
    I smiled at him, winked, and told him:

    "Hi, Davey! Thank you for installing your game onto our computer. As far as I can see, I think you made John and Harry very happy!
"Now, I have a question for all of the boys: who wants a cola..."

    Two hands went up immediately, after a moment followed by a hesitating third one.

    "Davey, would you mind helping me?" I asked the hesitating third hand.

    Davey's face immediately changed into a shocked expression.
He looked at his mother for approval, but Mary only smiled back at him.
Hesitantly, he left his chair, unsure about what I really wanted him to do...

    Little Harry left me and returned to John and the computer, looking back at me with admiration in his eyes.
John had the same look in his eyes; smiling at me and silently sending me his love.
Mary looked a bit unsure, but she seemed to understand what I was trying to do.

    I smiled at her reassuringly; and headed for the kitchen, on the way beckoning Davey to follow me.
Davey hesitantly followed me to the kitchen; obviously feeling very unsure, and keeping a safe distance...
    We entered the kitchen, and I turned around and asked my hesitating boy:

    "Please, my friend, could you get the cola from the refrigerator and pour yourself and your friends a glass, while I brew some coffee? There's a tray on the cupboard."

    The sudden relief poured from Davey's face, and his brown eyes started to shine again.
He almost danced towards the refrigerator.
Carefully, he filled three glasses with cola and put them onto the tray, while I brewed Mary and myself another cup of coffee.
I put the coffee cups onto the tray, next to the glasses; and added a jar of sugar lumps and a small container of milk.
    Then, I turned towards Davey, ruffled his hair, and told him:

    "Thank you, my friend. You are a great help! I don't know how the boys and I could have carried all those packages upstairs without you...
"Now, please, could you get us some cookies from the cupboard on the left?"

    This time, Davey definitely looked proud.
He tilted his head, looked up at me, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
For a split second, he leaned into me, before skipping away to get the cookie jar.
Wow, there was our first contact!

    Walking together, we returned to the living room.
I put the tray onto the table and distributed the drinks, while Davey proudly served the cookies.
John and little Harry left their nasty monsters and joined us.
Sitting on the couch and the easy chairs, we enjoyed our break in silence.

    John helpfully put the empty cups and glasses back onto the tray.
He beckoned Davey and little Harry to follow him to the kitchen.
Grinning and bumping into each other, our threesome disappeared, closing the door.

    Mary looked at me with tears in her eyes, wiping them with her handkerchief:

    "I don't know what you said to Davey in the kitchen, but he seems to be happy, for the first time since his father was put in jail... His eyes are beaming again!"

    "Well, I only asked him to help me with the colas and the cookies..."

    "Please, continue whatever you did!"

    Three happy looking boys rushed back into the living room, again grinning and pushing each other.
John and little Harry immediately came up to me, while Davey hesitantly kept a small distance...
    Both boys leaned into me, and John wheedled:

    "Dad? We still have to put our computer desks together. Please, could Davey help us tonight? He is very technical, and he likes to build complex things..."

    "Yes; of course, Davey can help us, being technical or not. However, we have to ask his mother first... Mary, would you like to have dinner with us tonight?"

    "I am sorry... Tonight, I can't, but thank you anyway. Some other time will be fine; but, tonight, I already have another appointment.
"However, Davey is allowed to stay here and help you anytime. Please, could you send him home around nine o'clock?"

    "Yes, that will be fine with me. However... Davey, do you WANT to have dinner with us and help us put our desks together?"

    Davey started to beam, and almost got tears in his eyes with joy.
He came up to me, put his arms around my waist, and offered me a hesitant hug!
A second later, he turned a deep red and hastily left me; as if he felt surprised by his own daring outburst...
He ran to the still waiting computer, and restarted the monster game.

    Mary wanted to go home; and all of us walked her to the door.
Davey offered her a big kiss; promising her to be a good boy and be back in time.
I promised her to take good care of her son, and all of us said our goodbyes.
Outside, we waved until she disappeared around a corner.

    My three musketeers returned to the still waiting monster game, with their arms around each other's shoulders.
This time, little Harry sat in front of the computer screen and chased the monsters away, cheered on by John and Davey.
He wasn't as good at the game as Davey had been, but he seemed to learn very fast.

    After some time, I remembered Peter's card with the clinic's address and phone number.
I took it out of my wallet, and asked the boys to be silent.
Next, I took my phone, and dialed the number from Peter's card...

    A professionally sounding operator asked me a few questions; and put me through to one of the surgeons.
The surgeon was very curious, and asked me many questions about little Harry's burns:
How did they look, could he still feel pressure, touch, and temperature, and was he restrained in his bodily movements?
I answered all his questions carefully; now and then asking my intently listening boy for confirmation, just to be sure...
Finally, the surgeon was satisfied, and asked me to bring my son in for a thorough physical.
He thought he would be able to help little Harry, at least to a certain degree, but he wanted to examine him before making any promises...
He put me through to his assistant; and I made an appointment for little Harry and me, to visit the clinic the day after tomorrow!

    "YESSS!" little Harry shouted, almost overturning his chair,
"I get my new face! Thank you, Dad, thank you very much! I love you, and I am so happy."

    He threw himself into my arms, and started to cry from enthusiasm.
I held him close, cradled him, and tenderly kissed his little distorted nose and colored forehead.
Hopefully, the surgeon would be able to give him a new face.
What, if the man couldn't help him, and my boy would be disappointed...

    From the corners of my eyes, I saw Davey, longingly looking at me with tears in his eyes...
Did he want to be held and cuddled too, just like little Harry?
Maybe, no man had ever held him like this...
My heart went out to the poor boy, who never had a father who loved him without ulterior motives.
    I opened my arms towards him, sent him my love, and asked him:

    "Please, come here, Davey. I want to give you the hug you earned by helping us!"

    Davey looked at me with a shocked expression, and hesitated...
First, I saw a lot of fear in his eyes; and I thought he would be too afraid and refuse to come over.
Then, he started to sob, while his desperate longing seemed to take the upper hand.
Slowly, he left his chair and shuffled towards me, although still very hesitantly.
He approached me until he almost touched me, but then he stopped...

    I lifted little Harry to one side, and my boy immediately reacted by helping me free some more space.
He wasn't jealous at all; and obviously wanted to help his new friend overcome his fears.
Now, I loved my little soul mate even more.
I really hoped I would be able to give him a new and beautiful face!

    Using my free arm, I tried to pull Davey into my embrace.
His body stiffened, and I saw some fear returning to his eyes...
Clearly, I had to be very patient with this so damaged boy, who had only known a grown-up male who always abused him.
However, he didn't try to withdraw from my arm, and I saw that as a hopeful sign.
I tried to send him as much love as I could muster, to make him feel safer.

    Then, John silently rose from his chair and came up to us.
He stepped behind Davey, opened his arms, and tenderly pushed his hesitating friend into me.
What a thoughtful boy!
He too wasn't jealous, and only wanted to help our shy friend.
For a moment, Davey resisted and tried to escape from our arms.
Then, he started to cry, took a step forward, and desperately clamped onto me with all his might.
Yes! That was what I hoped for.

    Little Harry put his small arms around Davey's neck, I put my arms around Davey and little Harry, and John put his arms around all of us.
We all held each other close, sending Davey all our combined love.

    Davey absorbed all of our love like a sponge; crying, sobbing, and laughing at the same time.
He let go of all his resistance, and melted into our group cuddle.
I felt Jack and a couple of other spirit friends, joining our cuddle and contributing their own love.
All of us had tears in our eyes from the powerful emotions...

    After a long and intense group cuddle, little Harry started to fidget and jump up and down, unwilling to break the contact:

    "I have to go to the bathroom, because I'm nearly peeing my pants."

    "Where are your diapers?" John teased him.

    "You are no fun!" he groaned, looking worried and clamping his boyhood.

    We all started to laugh, while disentangling from each other.
Little Harry raced to the bathroom, where we heard him sigh and moan with relief.
Next, John had to take a leak; followed by Davey; and, finally, me.

    We decided to have macaroni with tomatoes and cheese for dinner.
Little Harry cooked the macaroni, John sliced the onions, Davey sliced the tomatoes, and I sliced the cheese.
Little Harry went to his herbs garden in the backyard, closely followed by a curious Davey.
Soon, they returned, carrying a couple of his famous herbs.
Little Harry washed them carefully, and adeptly chopped them into small pieces.
He baked the sliced onions, and mingled them with his herbs, the tomatoes, the cooked macaroni, and finally the cheese.

    A wonderful aroma started to fill the kitchen, making our stomachs rumble aloud.
John got the plates from a cupboard; and Davey scooped the readied macaroni onto them.
Little Harry passed the filled plates around the table, proudly standing on a folding chair.
Now, we took a seat and started to savor our meal.

    The macaroni was tasty; although, to my personal taste, they had used too many onions.
However, the boys loved it!
They licked their lips, and scraped the pan for any more crumbs.
We finished our meal with cups of ice cream, topped with maple syrup.
Davey beamed, licked his lips, and abundantly complimented our little cookie.
Little Harry accepted the compliments with a smile and a bow, as befits a real Prince.

    John and little Harry washed the dishes; while Davey cleaned the kitchen table and put everything away.
I brewed myself a cup of coffee, while the boys took three colas and put everything onto a tray.
In rank, we marched to the living room, where we sat down onto our couch.

    Little Harry claimed his place on my lap, sighing with content and melting into me.
John nestled onto my left side; leaning into me and resting his head onto my chest.
Davey sat down on my right side; still keeping a small distance, but stealing glances at us.
I felt his longing, but decided to do nothing and give him some more time to get used to the situation...

    We had some small talk, while sipping our colas and coffee.
Suddenly, John started to grin, obviously remembering something funny...
    He turned towards Davey, and asked him with a smile:

    "Donald's Mom has three sons. Her sons are called 'Huey', 'Dewey', and..."

    "'Louie', of course." Davey immediately answered, without thinking.

    Little Harry seemed to know the answer, because he started to snicker.

    I started to think...
Of course, my first thought was about Donald Duck and his three funny nephews.
However, that answer seemed to be too easy.
There had to be some trap...
Donald's Mom had sons.
That means one of her sons had to be DONALD.

    I opened my mouth to give John the correct answer, but Davey already beat me to it:

    "Sorry, I didn't think straight. The right answer is 'Donald', of course! Now, I have a funny riddle for you..."

    Soon, they were outdoing each other, producing silly riddles and funny stories.
Then, Davey started to tell us about a couple of difficult tricks he taught himself while skating.
He promised his friends to teach them the next day, and both John and little Harry were enthusiastic.
They even tried to persuade ME to take part, by borrowing Thomas' old skateboard...

    I excused myself about no longer being young and having too rusty joints and aged muscles.
However, they laughed at my complaints, and told me I was not THAT old...
At least, not yet...
I was the best Dad in the world; and, sometimes, I still behaved as if I were a young boy myself.
Smilingly, I took that as a huge compliment.

    Suddenly, I felt a connection.
Slowly, nearly imperceptibly, Davey crawled nearer and nearer; until, finally, his head touched my shoulder.
I heard him sigh, while he daringly crawled a bit closer.
Carefully, so as not to intimidate him, I draped my arm around his shoulder.
This time, he didn't resist!
He shifted towards me and melted into my right side, heaving a deep sigh.
Silently, I thanked my spirit friends, feeling very grateful.
My third boy had found his place in my life...

    After some time, we decided to put little Harry's new computer desk together.
We left our couch and went upstairs, feeling enthusiastic.
For the next hour, we were studying drawings, comparing the lengths of the different screws, and trying to decipher what exactly the makers of this complicated puzzle had in mind.
Fortunately, Davey turned out to be really technical; and he clarified all the different drawings to us as if it was his daily work.
Slowly, our puzzle started to look like a real computer desk...

    Just before nine o'clock, little Harry's desk was set up and ready.
Little Harry beamed; and, in absence of a chair, he proudly sat down on top of his new desk, looking down at his subjects like a young Prince.

    "Now, you really look like Prince Harold Romani!" John chuckled.

    His remark caused little Prince Harry to send him a dead look.
We all started to laugh, while our little Prince left his throne and went downstairs to have another leak.
We followed him, because Davey had to go home...

    Davey looked a bit sad, while he started to don his shoes...
Suddenly, he jumped up and threw his arms around my neck.
    With beaming eyes, he told me:

    "Thank you, sir, and I LOVED being here. May I come back tomorrow?"

    "You may come back any time you wish. You are always welcome here."

    Davey got tears in his eyes, and whispered, barely audible:

    "I wish YOU were my Dad..."

    In unison, we decided to walk Davey home.
The evening felt nice, and we enjoyed the cool breeze and the beautiful sight of many bright stars over our heads.

    Mary, Davey's mother, thanked us for looking after her son, and told us he had never looked so happy.
We seemed to have a VERY healthy influence on him...
We thanked her for the nice compliment; and went back home.

    At home, we went upstairs immediately, to put John's computer desk together.
Fortunately, we had learned quite a lot from the first puzzle; and the second desk seemed to be much easier to build.
Soon, it was set up in John's room, and filled with his papers and several small computer games.

    Dead tired, but feeling happy, we showered and went to our beds.
I fell asleep almost immediately, and slept soundly and peacefully.
However, one time, I woke up, seeing the well-known bright light, seemingly coming from everywhere...

    Jack showed up, this time with a serious expression on his face:

    "Don't be afraid. You will have a difficult time, but you will come through it okay; and, in the end, there will be victory..."

    Slowly, the bright light faded away, leaving me puzzled for a long time.
What did Jack mean by 'a difficult time'?

======================================================

Thank you again, for all your wonderful and stimulating emails!
I will still try to answer them all; unless I am getting too many of them.

Did you enjoy my story? Then, please, let me know, by sending me an email!

You may read (and buy) all my stories and books at: http://www.harryanders.com
My email has changed, due to all the excessive spam! Please, email me ONLY from my site.

I wish you lots of Love in your life, and Profound Peace in your heart.

Harry AnderS, Dutch psychotherapist and writer of 'books with a message'