Date: Tue, 22 Jun 2010 01:52:24 -0400 (EDT) From: jacobmillertex@aol.com Subject: Jacob Finding His Way: Chapter 34 {Jacob Finding His Way is based on mostly true events in my life. To keep the story interesting for the readers, some events now in the story are fictionalized. As I am writing this story, I am above the age of 21. If you want a story with lots of sex, look elsewhere. This is a love story. Seeing as it is a love story, sex is in there, but it's in realistic balance in the characters' lives. Any similarity to any real events, names, or life events is purely accidental. If you are a underage, (according to your state laws as a minor), if this literature is offensive to you or to anyone around your viewing area, or it is illegal for you to view such content where you are reading it, stop reading the story. This story cannot be distributed in anyway, shape or form without my expressed consent. I will like to give a shout out to a reader that has helped me with ideas where the story is, thank you!} Written by J.P.G. Chapter 34 (MARIE'S POINT OF VIEW) As I walked up to the house I heard someone yelling for me. I looked around to see who it was. At first I didn't see anyone so I kept walking towards my house, and once again I heard someone yelling for me. I looked around and this time I saw a hand waving from a car. I looked hard to see whom it was calling me. Then I realized who it was. I walked over to the car with a big smile on my face. I hadn't seen my big brother Andy for awhile. I didn't think I would see him until the wedding day. "Hey sis I came by to speak with you for a minute. Do you have a few minutes to talk with your big brother?" "Of course I do Andy! What is going on that is brings this urgency out of you?" Andy got out of the car to sit on the curb. I joined him on curb just looking at him. Whatever it was that he needed to talk with me about he didn't feel like talking about it so it had to be something important. "Marie, you need to promise not to be mad with me!" "I can't do that unless I know what I am not to be mad about!" "I am no longer living at Jake's house and no, he didn't kick me out. I left because Normal had a problem with Jake." "What do you mean Normal had a problem with Jake?" "She doesn't like the idea that Jake is gay and is living with his lover. She can't get over the thought of having a gay brother in-law." "Then she needs to get over it. Not only is she marrying into a family that has a gay brother to her husband but also he is going to the wedding and he is your best man. She needs to get over whatever it is making this hate." "Marie, it isn't that easy! She has put her foot down telling me it is either Jake or us. I love Normal very much! I don't want to lose her!" "Andy she isn't worth it if she is asking you to pick between her and your family. You know full well Jake has been in your corner on everything. And now you are saying that you're soon to be wife wants you to choose? No one should make their family member do something like she is asking you to do!" "Marie please understands where I am sitting right now. I want to keep both and I know how to do it. Just for right now I need to get married and then I can get her together with Jake on the same ground. Until then I need to seal the deal with Normal." I just looked at Andy not believing what he was telling me. I was so afraid of the next words about to come out of his mouth. I really was afraid about what he was about to say. "This is what I am planning to do in order to get my family together with my wife. For now I am letting her believe she has won! I folded to her demand of not allowing Jake to come to the wedding and..." "Wait one fucking minute Andy! You are telling me you disinvited Jake from the wedding because he is gay?" I got angry as hell. What was going on in my brother's mind when he decided to do this shit? "Marie please, settle down! That is why I am no longer living at Jakes house anymore. I love my brother to death! I just can't have him at my wedding. After I get married I can fix all this." "Too late on that Andy! You just ripped out your brother's heart by doing this. No Andy, this is wrong and I don't care how you try to explain it. If you disinvited Jake, you have just disinvited your entire family!" I still couldn't believe what Andy just told me. I turned around to head into the house. Andy kept calling me, but I didn't turn around. Until he fixes this, and what I mean fix, is by inviting Jake back to the wedding. I closed the door to the house with Andy calling for me. Let him go home to Normal and explain he lost his entire family because of her. I stood at the front door not knowing what to do. I know Jake was hurting right now. I need to call him and check up on him. Also I need to call grandpa about this. I know Jake so well that he isn't going to tell grandpa about what Andy did. It isn't Jake's style to do that. I went to the phone and dialed my grandfather's house. Only two rings later he answered the phone. "Hello grandpa, this is Marie! How are you doing?" "Doing good Marie, it is good to hear your voice! What do I owe for this call from you?" "Well I have some bad news to tell you..." I sat there telling my grandpa what Andy just told me. He kept interrupting me as I was telling him. He couldn't believe what Normal was asking of Andy, and that Andy was going along with it. Once I finished telling my grandfather everything. I hung on the line with nothing but silence between the two of us. Suddenly he spoke up again. "Your grandma and I are still coming. We already had this trip planned. Jake is going to have the downstairs apartment ready for us when we arrive. I was not going to even try to talk with Andy about this. I knew if I did I was going to say something that I couldn't take back. So I agree with you! We are not going to the wedding." I spoke to my grandfather for a few more minutes. Just as I hung up the phone my mom walked in the door. I knew not to tell my mother what was going on with Andy and Jake. That would just put fuel on the fire. It would work in my mother's favor anyway. We did a greeting as always. She headed to her room and I headed to mine. Once I shut the door, I stood there still stunned about what Normal had done. I met her, we ate several times together but she never struck me as a woman to have this kind of hate. (JOEY'S POINT OF VIEW) Here I am with another night that I didn't know where Jake was! I thought things were better with him now that he had worked through his demons. At least that was what it felt like in the restroom during ROTC class. I don't mind drilling like that everyday during class. Knowing something was wrong; I couldn't stop pacing around the house. Jake not arriving at the house before me was something out of the norm. I understood yesterday, but again he seemed fine today. The guys kept trying to settle me down, but I knew there was something wrong. I could feel it in the pit of my stomach that there was something not right! All through dinner I couldn't eat at all. I couldn't get out of my mind that there was something going on with Jake. What it was, I couldn't put my finger on, but it was something. I finally decided to get in to my truck and go looking for Jake at school. He told me last night he had run around the track until eight or so. So I hoped against hope that he was doing the same thing tonight. All these thoughts kept rushing through my mind. (FIERRO'S POINT OF VIEW) My mom started yelling at me to take Betsy out for a walk. I have so much homework I tried to ignore my mom but had no luck. You can't ignore her high-pitched voice when she gets going. I finally just laid down my pen and took out the dog. I whistled at Betsy to come. As soon as she heard me, she came up wagging her tail. She knows when I whistle; it was time to go out for a walk. I put on the chain and went out the back door. As always she sniffed every tree as we walked around the house. Once we got to the street, she did the same. The only difference with these trees, she tries to pee on every one of them. I don't know how she keeps in so much liquid to be able to pee on every tree, but she does. It got to the point where I had to drag her along to get the walk done. As we reached the corner, I looked over toward the track field and I saw something, I think was a person, lying on the ground. At first I didn't pay any mind to the person. It was late and all I wanted to do was get back inside to do my homework. So we kept walking down the road as usual. As we made our way back around, I realized the person on the field hadn't moved. I decided to go over to wake up whatever fool it was that fell asleep on the field. As I got closer, I saw books and papers scattered all over the place. Then I saw what I thought was a uniform tossed to the side. Now I was getting very interested about who this person might be. Betsy started barking at the person asleep on the field. The barking Betsy did was a high-pitched bark that normally could wake the dead. But whoever this was didn't even budge. I looked over to see if I could make out the face. Whoever it was, was kind of rolled up in a ball of sorts. Just by the appearance I knew it was a guy lying there. "Hey mister wake up and go home. It is getting pretty late. If you get caught here on school property after nine they will arrest you." Whoever this was still didn't budge. I got a little closer to him and, gently with my foot, started kicking him in the back. "Mister did you hear what I said. Wake up and go home." Still no movement at all from him! I kneeled down to try and shake him awake. That was when I noticed the blood on his face. This kid wasn't sleeping; someone had beaten the living shit out of him! I let go of Betsy to try and help the poor kid. I looked down to try and figure out who he was. Still with so much dried blood I couldn't make out heads or tails, or if he was even breathing. I gently placed my hand on his back to see if I could feel him breathing. It took a few seconds, but I could tell he was. I moved over to his shoulders and gently started to roll him over. As I got him on his back and saw who it was, I actually stumbled back a few steps falling on my back hitting my head on the ground. I quickly crawled back on my hands and knees. I couldn't believe it was Jake lying there in the middle of the damn field. What in the world happened here? I started to yell out to Jake to try and wake him up. "Jake, hey Jake wake up man, wake up!" Jake didn't budge an inch. At that point I tried to get some of the dried on his face off. I thought it might be blocking his breathing. I took my t-shirt off and started cleaning the best that I could. I looked around Jake's stuff and saw a water bottle. I went and grabbed it. Man I was thankful there was water in the bottle! I started squirting water on Jake's face. Within moments Jake eyes started to open. I put down the water bottle and held Jake's head up. "Jake wake up man, wake up please!" All of a sudden Jake jerked away from my grip. He crawled several feet away from me dazed and confused. I think he thought I was the one that had done this to him. He just sat there trying to get his bearings. At first I didn't say anything. Then I waved my hand to catch his attention. "Jake It is me, Fierro! I found you here lying on the field. I thought you were dead or a bum. Jake do you hear me?" Jake looked at me confused at first. It looked like when he focused on me, he realized I wasn't the one that did this. "Fierro how long have I been here?" "I don't know Jake. I just found you here about ten minutes ago!" Jake rubbed his head and tried to get up. He still couldn't get his footing under him. He fell right back to the ground. He looked at me and spoke with cracks in his voice. "Fierro, could you help me to my car? I need to get home before Joey starts to worry about me." I couldn't believe he actually asked me that question. He couldn't even get up; how in the world does he think he was going to drive? I tried to talk him down, but he wasn't hearing it. One thing about Jake was that he was hard headed when he wants to accomplish something. I kept trying to calm him down in order to take him to my house. Jake wasn't having any of that. He wanted to get into his car and go home. Just as I tried again to get him to go with me, I heard Joey yelling. Joey had no idea what was going on here. All he saw was a bloody Jake that he needed to protect. Just as got to us, he threw me to the ground. I didn't move an inch. Joey grabbed hold of Jacob and held him. I heard him asking Jake over and over again what had happened. At first Jake didn't answer! All of a sudden Jake just broke down crying in Joey's arms as he held him. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The love these two have for each other was incredible. I had never seen Jake cry in all the time I had known him. Now here he was crying like a baby in his boyfriend's arms. I walked up to Joey and Jacob. As I leaned down, I placed my hand on Jake's shoulder. I looked at Joey and whispered to him. "I found him like this; he was out when I got here." Joey looked at me trying to read me! He figured out that I didn't do this to Jake. He shook his head as he turned back to Jake. They sat there in the middle of the field for a while before Jake stopped crying. Then what Jake said stunned me to my core. I couldn't believe that Jake's future brother-in-law had done this. Joey looked pissed as hell. Joey picked up Jake to carry him to his truck. I followed them picking up all of Jake's stuff. When we reached Joey's truck, I threw all of Jake's stuff in the back seat. Joey put Jake in the front, buckled him in, and then shut the door. He turned to me and threw me a set of keys. "Can you do me favor Fierro?" "Yeah anything, what do you need?" "You know what car Jake drives?" "Yeah." "Can you get it and take it to your house please. We will pick it up later. Just leave the keys under the floor mat for me." I agreed, and as Joey got into the truck he thanked me and drove off. I whistled for Betsy to come. I couldn't believe this happened to Jake. More so from his future brother in law! What kind of person does this to another? (JOEY'S POINT OF VIEW) I couldn't stop thinking about what had happened to Jake as I sped home. What the fuck do these guys think we are going to do? Take this lying down. If they thought we were going to do that, they had another think coming! I drove into the driveway fast. As I slammed on the brakes of my truck, you could smell the rubber of the tires as they squealed to a stop. As I walked into the house carrying Jake, Chase and Linda were in the hallway. I didn't stop to say a word to them. I ran upstairs with Jake. As soon as I got into our room, I laid Jake on the bed. I ran into our bathroom to turn on the water to the bath. I went back and got Jake from the bed and carried him to the bathroom. I stripped Jake out of the bloody clothes and put him in the bath. I cleaned him up the best I could. I redressed Jake in running pants and a t-shirt. At this point Jake tried walking by himself. We walked back into the bedroom, straight to the bed. As Jake lay down, my mom walked in. She looked very concerned as she looked at Jake. "Boy's what's going on here? Who did this to Jake?" Both Jake and I just looked at my mom as she sat on the bed. She started checking Jake out. It looks like there isn't anything broke. At least Jake isn't complaining of pain anywhere. But could Jake feel pain in his body if there was? You know the pain meds he's taking take the pain away. "Jake, mom, I need to go and pick up Jake's car from Fierro's. I will need to take one of the guys with me. Could you please look after Jake while I'm gone mom?" "Certainly son, you don't even have to ask." I walked out of the room to find the guys standing outside in the hall. They all looked at me as I walked past them. They all kept asking me questions as we went down the stairs about what had happened. I finally turned around to give them a piece of my mind. "This is what you guys kept telling me not to worry about. I kept telling you that there was something wrong. I kept telling you guys Jake was in trouble. `Oh no' you guys kept telling me not to worry. Well this is what I get for listening." They just stared at me knowing I was right. One thing about Jake and me was that we formed this bond early on. We knew, and could feel, when each other was hurting. When he was sick the second time and I was in Arizona, I knew something was going on with Jake that wasn't good. Now this, I should have listened to my heart. "Who did this to him Joey?" "Jake told me it was Normal's brother and several friends of his, Chase. They jumped him at the school after practice. I am going over to their house and kick his fucking ass." "Oh no you're not, at least by yourself; I'm going with you!" With that, Tom and David joined in. I stopped David and asked him to stay and help my mom out. I didn't want him to go because he was still getting over what he had been through. I couldn't live with myself if I set David back on the recovery he had accomplished. Chase, Tom and I jumped into the truck. I knew where Normal lived. I picked up Andy from the house several times. Believe it or not, it was on the side of town where Jake and I met. On the way to the house, no one said a word. Once I turned the corner to Normal's house we saw her brother and a couple guys sitting out on the front lawn. I drove right onto their lawn. Before they could even re-act, Tom, Chase and I were out of the truck. The moment we were out, we attacked Normal's brother and his friends. I wanted the brother and the guy's let me have him. I don't know where the strength came from, but I had Henry on the ground before he could blink an eye. I just kept hitting him over and over again. "How does this feel you faggot hater? This faggot isn't going take your shit! You messed with my boyfriend! Any time you mess with us, we will come back at you even harder!" I didn't give Henry a chance to answer. Blood just started splattering all over my shirt and pants. All of a sudden I felt someone pulling me off. "What the hell are you doing Joey? Have you guy's gone crazy?" "Are you actually defending what this asshole and his friends did?" "I don't know what you are talking about Joey!" "Your bitch of finance sent her brother and his friends to beat your brother to within an inch of his life. They beat the hell out of him and left him to die like a dog!" Andy just looked at me stunned. He turned to look at Normal. She didn't budge from the front door of her house. "Fuck it Andy, do whatever you want. I am telling you this! If you or this fucking family comes near my family or me again, I will not just kick your asses, I will kill you! You may not love your brother the way he loves you Andy. Jake may not do a thing because you are his brother. But I am not so forgiving. Stay the hell away from us!" With that Chase, Tom and I got back in my truck. As I pulled off the lawn, I looked back at Andy and his soon to be family. Boy did Henry and his friends get the shit knocked out of them. These hard-core rockers actually got their asses handed to them. (ANDY'S POINT OF VIEW) I stood there watching Joey and the guy's drive off. I couldn't believe that Hector and Normal would get together and do this to my brother. Fine they don't like him, but to beat him up and to almost take his life was something else altogether. I turned around and looked at Normal standing at the door of the house. She didn't say anything except to look straight at me. I walked over to her to see what she would say. "Please Normal tell me what Joey said isn't true!" "You know fags and how they over state the facts. Yeah my brother with his friends went over and met Jacob at his school. They confronted him to let him know what he said to me wasn't right. But Jake spit in their face. They couldn't let it go." "I took care of that Normal. I told you I did and there was no need for you to send Hector to do it again." "Fine I agree there! Still your brother could have just said sorry to me and it would have been done. Instead, like I said he spit in your soon to be brother-in-law's face. Then to make things worse, he threw the first punch." I looked over at Hector to see if what Normal said was true. All Hector did was shake his head in the affirmative. I thought I knew my brother. He never picked a fight in the past. Even if he was pushed into the fight, he normally walked away. I figured Jake was changing, and changing for the worse. I walked over to Hector and the guys apologizing for what Jake did. Also I asked them to just let it be for now! Don't call the police or get revenge on my brother or his friends. Before I could complete the sentence Normal interrupted me. "Oh no, you don't ask that of my brother! I have already called the police and they are on the way. It was too late for your faggot brother and his friends." Just then several police cruisers drove up. They got out of the car and walked up to us. I looked at them scared for my little brother, but since he provoked all this, he deserved what was coming. Let's see if his money gets him out of this one. "Those are the guys from the video! Arrest them!" one of the officers said to the others. He looked like a sergeant. Normal ran up to the sergeant demanding to know what was going on. "Ma'am if you don't step back, we will arrest you as well!" "We called you to arrest someone else. They are the victims here!" "Ma'am they are not the victims. They attacked a student at a local high school." "No you have it wrong. They went over to talk to him. He attacked them!" "Ma'am we have video of them attacking this student. Three against one isn't an equal fight by anyone's count. The local schools installed camera's since the shooting at the high school last year. We have it all on tape. They are the ones that didn't leave the student alone. He was leaving the gym when they called him. He tried several times to walk away but these guys didn't let him. Instead they attacked him and didn't let it go until the poor kid was down and out." Normal turned to me knowing she just got caught in a lie. Then she got a thought. "Fine but you officers need to arrest the guys that came over here and beat my brother up as well." "Ma'am we don't know what injuries are from the fight they provoked or what you said happened. These boys are the only ones that are going to be arrested." "Ask my Andy, he saw the whole thing." "No ma'am I will not. Look, your brother and friends chose to screw with the wrong family. From the grandfather to his grandson they are connected here in El Paso. They know my bosses and the district attorney. They made it clear what we needed to do here. How do you think we got the tape so fast? Connections get you places no matter where you live. Plus in my personnel opinion, I would have done the same thing if someone jumped my loved one or dear friend and then left him to die!" Normal looked at the officer then over to me. I don't know what she wants me to say or do on her behalf. They actually have tape of them beating up Jake. "Andy, do something for my brother please!" I tried to talk to the police officers explaining to them I was one of the grandchildren. In fact I was the oldest of the grandchildren. But the police officer didn't want to hear it. He pretty much blew me off. It looked like he didn't like the idea that Hector and the guys jumped Jake. "Look I can override the decision of my younger brother. Just let us settle this between the families sir!" "Believe it or not, it wasn't your younger brother that made the call to my boss's boss. It was your grandfather that did that. Talk to him and we'll see then. More than likely nothing can be done here. Even if your family didn't know the people they know, the arrest would have happened the same way, just a bit later." That was it; the officer didn't want to hear any more. By the time they had Hector and his friends in handcuffs several more police cruisers drove up. By the time it was all done, there were four police cruisers in the front of Normal's house. When I turned and looked over to Normal, her mother had joined her on the porch. Both of them were crying! I didn't know what to do. All I knew was that what Joey had done here was wrong and I would let him know about it. A tape can't show much in a dark field. (JACOB'S POINT OF VIEW) I couldn't sleep at all through the night; I was in so much pain I could barely stand it. I already took my evening pain pills, but still the pain wouldn't go away. I couldn't lay on my stomach because it hurt. I couldn't move my right leg, because it hurt really badly. I felt Joey get up and quietly move to the bathroom. I looked over at the clock and saw it was already five in the morning. I decided to get up to get ready for school. I barely could move because of the shooting pain in my ribs. I swung my legs off the bed, moved the covers off from my body. The minute I stood up, I fell right back to the bed. My right leg was hurting me. I looked down to my leg and for the first time I saw from my knee down it was huge. Right away I covered my leg back up. I didn't want Joey to see my leg like that and worry. It had to be sore or maybe I ripped muscles. At least I hoped that was what it was. Joey walked out of the closet ready to head out. He looked at me, smiled, and gave me a kiss on the lips. "Thank you for everything you did for me last night handsome! I know I have said this many times, I love you so damn much!" "I love you to Jake! Don't ever make me worry like that again." I nodded my head in the positive as Joey walked out of the room. I don't know how I did it, but I got myself out of bed into the shower. I wiped the steam from the mirror to see for the first time what I looked like. To my surprise I actually only had a few scrapes and bruises on my face, nothing really major. It felt like I went through ten rounds with the heavy weight champ. All I had was pain in the ribs and my right leg. Not bad at all. Somehow I got myself dressed, downstairs, and into my car. I find by not really thinking about the pain, it doesn't hurt. I thought that meant nothing was broken; just bruised that's all. By second period I couldn't stand the pain anymore. The pain was so bad right now, I started shaking, and tears started rolling down my cheeks. I knew there was something really wrong with my leg and ribs. I asked the teacher if I could see the nurse. I noticed when I walked into the nurse's office that there was no one there. The nurse knew who I was because I still come down during lunch to take my afternoon meds. She took one look at me and knew there was something really wrong. While she helped me to the bed, she asked me what was going on. I gave her the short version on what had happened last night. She had me remove my shirt where she could look at my ribs. "Jake what is wrong with you? Look at the color of your rib cage. Of course you have broken ribs. How in the world did you sleep with broken ribs? Let me see your leg!" I tried to pull my pant leg up, but my leg got so fat. It barely got past my ankle. I then tried to pull my pants down. Once again my right pant leg didn't go past me knee. "Jake I can't even see your leg. But if it is this swollen, it has to be broken. You have been walking on a broken leg. Jake I need to get you to a hospital to get x-rays of both your ribs and your leg. I hope you don't love these pants. They are going to be cut off." "Ma'am, could you please get Joey Alvarez from class please?" The nurse looked at me for a few seconds before she walked to her desk. A few minutes later she came back. "Joey Alvarez isn't in his second period class. He got pulled along with all the football players. I called your house and no one answered. I need to get you to the hospital Jake, is there anyone else I can call for you?" "No ma'am, there is nobody else. I will go ahead and wait here for you to get Joey for me." The nurse didn't like the idea, but accepted it. The bell rang releasing second period. Soon Joey would be in his third period class. It didn't take long for Joey to show after the tardy bell rang. Just the look on his face told me he wasn't happy at all. "Jake what in the hell were you thinking? Haven't you learned from the past not to hide from us when you are hurt or sick? What you've done is just plain stupid!" He turned to the nurse letting her know he would be taking me to the hospital. We took my car since it was lower to the ground than his truck. All the way to the hospital Joey didn't say a word to me. Even as we sat in the waiting room, he didn't say a word. When they finally took me to get x-rayed I couldn't believe the tech. He kept turning my legs all sorts of directions. If it wasn't broken yet, he finished it off. When it came time to x-ray my ribs, the Tec did the same thing. I came out of x-ray in more pain then I did going in. Sure enough I had three broken ribs. All they could do for me on that was wrap them. My leg was a different story though. My lower leg was broken in three different spots. They put a cast on my leg and gave me more pills for the pain. I felt a lot better when we left the hospital. The pain was there, but nowhere near what I had. Joey and I decided to grab lunch and then head back to school. Although the pain pills I took made me drowsy, I didn't want to miss my afternoon classes. After school I made my way to the track to let the Coach know the bad news. As I walked into the Coach's office, he knew already. He just looked at me and shook his head. "This is my fault Jake! I completely forgot last night I had you out there running. Not only did you get hurt because of that, I also might have hurt your chances in track." "No Coach, this only means that I am out for the rest of the season. I will be back next year even better than I did this year." "Well Jake I know I preach a team isn't one person. But in your case without you, we are also done for the season. You are too valuable to this team to lose you like this." I walked out of the Coach's office feeling bad for the team. I didn't think the team was done for the year. There are great runners on our team that can take my place. They will be able to go where the Coach wants to go this year. (GRANDPA AL'S POINT OF VIEW) I was sick and tired of getting these phone calls from El Paso. What in the hell was going on down there? First my daughter can't let go of the fact that she has a gay son. Then she tries to give Jake a hard time because he was helping out with his older brother. I would be a proud parent if I had a son like Jake. Now I have to put up with Andy. His mother shut him out but his brother never did. This was how he repayed those who truly care for him? No one, woman or man, was worth holding onto if they bring this much misery into a family. My wife knows I was steaming mad right now. She also knows there was really nothing she could say to get me to settle down right now. Then she surprised me. She suggested for us to move our trip up. We can close off the house here in Cheyenne for the cold months and spend extra time in El Paso with the family. I just looked at her when she suggested this. All I could do was go up and hug her. By Thursday evening we had the house closed up, mail forwarded to Jakes house and the car packed. We decided to leave at three in the morning on Friday in order to drive straight through to El Paso. We should get to El Paso late that evening. It's been awhile since I have driven nine hundred miles in one day, but I can do it. (JACOB'S POINT OF VIEW) The only good thing about having the broken leg and ribs was getting babied. The minute I got home everyone wanted to do things for me. They smothered me all week long. By Friday I couldn't have been happier and Joey's success at the football game made it even better.. Joey played another great game. I was thinking he might make a go at this football thing in college as well. He could actually get a scholarship to college on it. I wouldn't be surprised if he did. He was that good. Joey decided not to go the party after the football game. Instead he came straight home and joined me in front of the television for the evening. I love him for doing that. This time I was the one that leaned against Joey with his arms over my chest. It felt weird being the one on top in the cuddling. But due to my ribs, Joey couldn't lie down on my chest. I actually dozed off in front of the television. I hadn't done that for quite some time. I figured my body was still trying to get used to the medications I was taking for my ribs and leg. The next thing I knew, Joey shook me awake. "Hey babe let's go up to bed now! You look like you're very tired!" I got up, and then helped Joey up from the couch. We said our goodnights to everyone, then headed upstairs to our room. When we got there, I stripped along side Joey! We got into bed together! Same as it was downstairs, Joey cuddled up against me. Just as I started dozing off, someone knocked on the door of our room. At first it sounded far away. I actually thought I was dreaming at first. Then it started coming clearer and clearer. I jumped up in my bed once I realized it wasn't a dream. "Yeah who is there?" "It is me Jake, Beth! You need to come downstairs for moment please. There is someone at the door that needs to speak with you." "I will be right down Beth, thank you!" I sat there rubbing my head wondering who in the world would be asking for me at this time of night. I looked over at the clock and saw it was just a little after eleven. I grabbed a pair of running pants and a t-shirt to put on. I looked over at Joey, poor guy, he was still sound asleep. I walked downstairs to see who needed to speak with me. When I reached the bottom stair I yelled to Beth! "Who needed to see me Beth?" "They are in the den waiting for you Jake!" I walked over to the den. I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw standing in the den my grandparents. I went up to both of them to give them a hug. I was so happy to see them here. Whenever my grandfather was here, I felt so safe. "I wasn't expecting you guys for at least another month and half!" "We decided to close the house up in Wyoming earlier. We wanted to beat the snow down here. You know once it starts snowing up there in Cheyenne, freeways start getting closed off and I needed to see my grandson. You can't seem to catch a break at all Jake. I need to get stuff straightened up here." I just looked at my grandfather pleased that he was here, but at the same time afraid. When he comes in to fix something that he thinks needs fixing, normally people are in trouble. "Since we are earlier we can stay on the couch for the mean time!" "Not even an option grandpa. Beth and Fran have already moved into their house. Not all of the furniture has been delivered yet, but at least the furniture for their bedrooms has been. So the apartment in the basement is empty. Just give me a few minutes to make sure it's cleaned up for you guys." Right then Beth walked into the den. "Jake, don't worry about the apartment downstairs. Fran and I are taking care of it right now. Spend this time with your grandparents. I will come up and let you know when it is ready." I thanked Beth as she headed back out of the den. I looked over at my grandparents to offer them a drink and something to eat. They only wanted juice. When I got back to the den with their juices, my grandparents were already sitting on the couch. "Jake where is this nice guy we keep hearing about? I met Joey before, but not in the context of him being part of our family!" "That's true! The last time you were down here, Joey and I were not together. Then when I went up to get Jeremy, Andy went with me." My grandparents shook their heads. I explained to them that he was in bed already asleep. He played football earlier that evening I explained to my grandparents. They didn't seem to mind. They will wait till morning to meet Joey. Chase and David were still awake so I introduced them to my grandparents. My grandfather took to them as if he knew them his whole life. After an hour of talking, my grandfather realized the time. He got up to unload the car, but Chase and David stopped him. They refused to let my grandfather lift a finger. So Chase and David unloaded my grandfather's car and they took the luggage downstairs to where my grandparents were going to stay for awhile. While that was happening, I showed my grandparents the house. We peeked in to see Jeremy. My grandpa liked what he had seen so far. He really loved the study when he saw it. As we sat in the study, I noticed that I was yawning a lot. I was already tired when they arrived. Now I was even more so. My leg was starting to hurt again on top of it all. After taking my grandparents down to their rooms, I hugged them and said goodnight. I asked them to please sleep in for once. But knowing my grandpa, that wasn't going to happen! As I walked out of my grandparent's room, I had a big grin on my face. I crawled back into bed with Joey. Automatically Joey put his arms around my chest and pulled me close to him. This time, the minute my head hit the pillow I was out. The next morning the smell of breakfast woke me up. I crawled out of bed slowly. The minute my foot hit the floor, pain shot up and down my body. I hurried and grabbed my pain pills to take a couple. I sat on the edge of the bed while the pills took effect. Joey must have gotten up earlier, because he wasn't anywhere to be seen in the room. Once the pain settled down, I got up, dressed, and headed downstairs. I found my grandfather sitting in the den talking Joey's head off. I walked into the den to save Joey from my grandfather. "Good morning grandpa, how did you sleep last night?" "Very well Jake, thank you for asking! Joey joined me for coffee this morning. We have been talking ever since." I walked up to Joey and patted him on the shoulder. I knew by the look on Joey's face he thought I was going to kiss him. Also the look on my grandfather's face was a look of surprise. I leaned down and kissed Joey good morning. "Jake this is your house, so don't change the way you act with Joey. You guys make an excellent couple. I am proud of both of you." Right then Beth walked in to let us know breakfast was ready. Out of respect to my grandfather, I asked him to sit at the head of the table. My grandmother sat on the other side of the table. The rest of us filled in on each side. During breakfast we talked to my grandparents like normal. What I mean by that is, you know how we act differently around our parents and grandparents. We change the way we talk, the way we act when we are around them. With my grandparents it was different. We could be ourselves with them. After breakfast my grandfather asked if we could talk. I had no problem with it so we went into the study. Along the way, Joey got asked to join us. Just like I do when I am talking with someone in the study, my grandpa sat behind the desk. Joey and I sat down on the couch facing him. "Jake the reason I asked you and Joey to come in here is because we need to talk. There is a lot of things going on here that are really bothering me. I am the oldest in this family, so it rests on my shoulders to fix a lot of this." "Tomorrow I have asked your mom, sister, and Andy to be here mid-morning. I hope that is ok and you guys, and that you have no plans already!" "No that's fine grandpa, we will be free!" "Ok now let me take this time to get with you and Joey. This is your house, both of you. I see you have two other boys staying here with you. I don't know what has happened in order for these two boys to be under your roof." "I always think of the evil in a person. That is just in my nature boys. I really hope these are true friends. Not those types of people that see a bank and try to milk it as long as they can. You know there are people like that out there Jake, and you have a big heart." "I know grandpa this looks confusing, to say the least. Let me give you some background that brought David and Chase to our doorstep. First..." I sat there explaining to my grandfather about Chase having to leave an abusive household; how he was treated at home and all. Also at first Chase refused to let us take care of him. He wanted to go to work, but we didn't let him. Schooling was more important. Even now Chase doesn't ask for anything. With David I told my grandfather it was a little different of a story. I told him about his father and the set up we had with him. I never lie to my grandfather, so I told him that I had been saving the checks David's father had been sending to us for a college fund for David. "That sounds all good in my eyes Jake. You are a good, caring young man. I just don't want anyone talking advantage of your big heart." "Now I have been looking over your bank statements. Your spending is completely under control since the last time we spoke about it. But I see this huge purchase you just had this month. What was that purchase about Jake?" "Grandpa, with the help of Joey, I purchased a house for Beth!" "Oh I see. I have no problem with that at all. You need to show me where this house is. I need to know if you got a good deal on the house as well." "Now I need to talk with you about what I am going to talk about tomorrow. I don't know what is going on with your mother and brother right now. I raised your mom the best way that I could. Ever since her mom left your mother, Mary and Dan in the park and never came back; I believe she got the worst." "Still, I did what I could to make things right for my children. I don't want to go into detail about this with you Jake. I am not going to make excuses for your mother either. One way or another, things are going to be dealt with tomorrow." "Yes grandpa and thank you for everything!" "Jake you are doing a great job. I feel though that you are missing out on your teenage years. I need to help and fix that now before it's too late!" As we left the study, after my grandfather had finished, I felt bad that he had to come all the way down here to fix the mess we had made. He wanted to come down and just relax with the family over the winter months. Now he was here fixing everything. Joey nudged me as we left the study. I looked at him and he had this big smile on his face. What in the world was he smiling about I wondered. "Joey what's up? Why the nudge and now the smiling at me?" "Jake aren't we still on for the movies today?" I smiled and then acknowledged that I had forgotten we had planned to go to the movies. Since it was just the two of us, it didn't take long to get changed and ready to go out the door. I told Beth and my grandparents we were heading out. The traffic wasn't half bad getting to Ceilo Vista Mall. What surprised me the most was at the theatre, there wasn't a line. I looked over at Joey with a surprised look on my face. We normally have stand in long lines at the theatre. Today though was different, and no, it wasn't closed. Joey and I decided to watch "Point Break". The reason behind that was Keanu Reeves. Both of us think he is hot. We figured he had to be hot running around on the beach in shorts or the tight surfer suit on. After getting our drinks and popcorn, we headed to get our seats. When we walked in, it surprised me how empty the theatre was. We had the pick of almost any seat in the place so we decided to sit in the middle in the top row of seats. The lights dimmed and the previews started. All through the previews Joey and I made out. Both of us couldn't keep our hands off of each other. It made it easier for us because the theatre was pretty much empty. The moment the movie started I was not disappointed. Just looking at Reeves got me all hot and bothered. This guy was smokin' hot. I just couldn't help myself. I reached over to Joey's leg. Within minutes I made my why up his leg to his lap. I kept my hand in his lap for a few seconds until I found my way to his dick. I started to get Joey hard through his jeans without taking my eyes off the screen. I knew Joey was enjoying it because he was getting hard as a ball bat. He made his way over to my lap playing with my dick getting in the spirit of things too. There we were, Joey and I just playing with each other's dicks while watching a movie at the theatre. There were only two other couples in there with us, and they decided to sit a lot closer to the screen than we were. I started to hear Joey's breathing change. I knew when Joey was about to cum. I didn't want him to cum right then, so I let go of his dick to give him a chance to come down from his approaching climax. I looked over at Joey and I knew he wasn't happy with me at all. He has told me many times he doesn't like it when I stop right when he gets close to his climax. I like it because I can make him last longer and he begs for me to let him cum. Joey got up from his seat, which surprised me. I thought I really had made him mad this time. But instead he actually got onto his hands and knees, and then made his way between my legs. He looked up at me and smiled this big smile. Without hesitating, he undid my belt, and then the button to my jeans. He had my zipper down before I could even straighten up in the seat. I sat there with my eyes closed as Joey went down on me. I couldn't believe how good it felt. I don't know if it was because we were in a theatre and anyone could catch us, or if I was just horny as hell. Whatever the reason was, I liked it, and I knew that Joey was the main reason this was so hot for me. I put my hands through Joey's hair as he bobbed up and down on my dick. Joey got his hand between my legs. I knew what he wanted to do, but there wasn't enough room in the seats and with the cast on my right leg and bandaged ribs, I couldn't move lot either. Joey gave up trying to access my hole. When he wasn't sucking on my dick, he had my balls in his mouth. Either way, he had me going crazy in the seat. I was moaning like crazy! I didn't care if the others in the theatre heard me now. I just loved the way Joey was making love to me in the theatre. I started to shake, letting Joey know I was about to cum. He didn't let go or slow down giving me head. "Handsome I am going to cum, pull off, I am going to cum!" Joey didn't pay any attention to what I just said. Instead, he started going down on me even harder. I love the way it feels when I start to shoot. As the cum made its way through my dick, and blasted its way onto the scene, Joey took it all, not loosing a drop of my cum. I shot at least four or five really strong shots of cum down his throat. Once I finished shooting, Joey didn't let go of my dick from his mouth until it slipped out. Still Joey stayed between my legs looking up at me with a big smile on his face. I knew I couldn't get on my hands and knees to return the favor for Joey. He got up to sit back down next to me. I looked over to him, and still he had the same smile on his face. The only difference was that he was playing with himself. I pushed his hand away and lowered his zipper. I didn't have to search for his dick; the minute I put my hand on his zipper I found it. Joey's dick kept jumping each time I put my hand around it. I couldn't keep him down. I really wanted his dick in my mouth so bad. I just told myself `damn it all'. I took my hand out to undo the button to his jeans. I separated the flaps of his jeans in order to have room to work with his dick. With all my power, I bent over the armrests to get his dick in my mouth. It hurt like all hell, but it was worth it the minute Joey's dick got into my mouth. I started bobbing up and down on his dick. I loved the taste of Joey's pre-cum. It was the sweetest liquid ever to cross my tongue and down my throat. As I sucked Joey's dick, I played with his balls. Joey's balls are so damn smooth and perfect. I couldn't get down into his lap to take in his balls. I tried my hardest, but the armrest between our seats and the pain in my ribs just didn't allow me to. Within minutes though, Joey started whispering in my ear. "Babe I am going to cum! Please babe let me cum in your mouth!" It wasn't even seconds from his warning me that he was about to cum that he did. He shot load after load in my mouth. Joey's cum was even sweeter than his pre-cum. It was so awesome having Joey's cum in my mouth where I could taste it, and then sliding down my throat where I could keep a part of him in me. Both of us sat there in our seats for the remainder of the movie catching our breaths with our zippers down. Once the credits started to roll, both Joey and I straightened up. By the time we got out of our seats, you wouldn't have a clue we had oral sex. After we left the theatre we decided to go out and eat. We wanted to be by ourselves. Joey knew how I loved ribs, so he took me to my favorite rib joint. We fooled around as we ate dinner. Joey just brings out the best of me all the time. He knows what makes me happy whenever I was feeling down. (GRANDPA AL'S POINT OF VIEW) I decided to take a walk around the neighborhood. I needed to clear my head about all the things I had been finding out about what had been going on here. Beth filled me in on a lot of the fights that I didn't know about, and the times my daughter had come down just to argue with Jake, threatening to pull Jake back to her house to throwing things around in the kitchen. Then there was the subject of David. I couldn't believe that the poor boy got raped, and then tried to kill himself because of it. Next I thought about Jake breaking all those records in track and field, and Joey now holding some new school records in football; all this was great news. There was good news mixed up in all the bad news also. The bad news though out weighed the good news. I need to not only fix all this, but also at the same time make sure the fixes held. I just didn't know how I was going to do this. I walked for about an hour before I called it quits. I figured out a solution to all this, but I needed to speak with my wife about it first. Just as I walked up to the house, Joey and Jake pulled in. The boys greeted me as we walked in the house. They seemed to have had fun on their date. I was glad. I like seeing my grandchildren happy living their lives, and Jake was the happiest of all my grandchildren. None of us stayed up late. A couple of the boys were not in the house when I called it a night. Jake went up earlier because he started to hurt. He needed to take the stronger pain pills he told me. I knew whenever he took those pain pills, he was out. The next morning I got up before anyone else in the house. I made coffee as I waited for the boys to get up. Soon after I got my first cup of coffee, Beth walked in. Just as the day before, she started working on breakfast. I could see why Jake liked her. Before I knew it, the boys came down to join us in the kitchen. One by one they made their way to the food. I found it nice to see these young kids treating Beth like the mother hen, and she treats each of the boys as if they were her own. Soon after breakfast my daughter and granddaughter arrived. Not long after they arrived, Andy and Normal walked through the door. Once I saw they had arrived, I directed everyone to the study. I was ready to lay down the law with the family. (ANDY'S POINT OF VIEW) When I hung up the phone with my grandfather, I was shaking. I knew I was in big trouble. First he was here and that wasn't a good sign. Second he demanded my presence tomorrow at Jake's house. He didn't sound happy with me at all. Normal walked in just as I hung up the phone. "So what did your grandfather talk to you about Andy?" "He didn't say much on the phone. He asked, no, not asked, he demanded my presence tomorrow at Jake's house." "Blow it off Andy. You don't need to jump whenever your family says jump." "No Normal, you DO jump when ever my grandfather asks you to. He came into town a lot earlier than he had planned and he wasn't happy having to do so." "You are going to be married in a couple of months. You don't need your grandfather or any of your family anymore. I don't see why you feel you need jump when they say something with the way they treated you in the past." "It was just my mother and no one else. I chose not to call on my grandfather or bother for help. So it was not their fault. I hope you got it straight this time, Normal." "What do you call having my brother arrested? Your grandfather is no family of mine. If you plan to marry me Andy, you will just blow off this meeting." "I am not going to blow off this meeting with my grandfather and you are coming too. Enough of this Normal; Hector screwed up and I was stupid enough to believe you. So be ready by nine in the morning to head over to Jake's house." With that I walked out of the living room back to our room. I couldn't believe my grandfather came up here this quick. He had to be mad. The next morning I had to pull Normal out of the house almost kicking and screaming. One thing you don't want to be with my grandfather is late. We arrived at Jake's house right on time. When we walked in and I saw Jake for the first time since I had left there, I couldn't believe what Hector and his friends had done to him. He had a broken leg. Damn, how stupid could I be; believing Normal that Jake started it all? I made my way to greet my grandparents. I introduced Normal to them, but they pretty much gave her the cold shoulder. My grandfather didn't waste any time. He directed us to follow him to the study. We all followed him knowing this was going to be what they called a `come to Jesus meeting'. (JACOB'S POINT OF VIEW) As the day before, Joey and I sat on the couch together. The rest of the family filled in the open seats around the desk in the study. My grandfather sat behind the desk. It didn't surprise me that my mom spoke first. "Dad this is a meeting for family only. Joey should not be in this meeting!" "Glorie, why shouldn't Joey be in this meeting? He is as much a part of this family as you and I are. I will not hear another word about that again from you or anyone else in this room. Joey is my grandson too. Simply put, he is Jake's better half." No one said another word. In fact the entire room was dead silent. I could tell my grandpa was angry and was ready to set the record straight here. "I am just going to get right down to business. I am going to work my way down from the most recent things to the later items. I don't like having to come down here and be the hard ass of the family but it's obvious someone needs to do it. Andy, I don't know what has crawled up your butt. If you uninvited your brother to your wedding, then you uninvited your entire family. I'm even more upset for the reason, that I understand, you did it. If you choose to continue to do this, you are no longer part of this family. Do you understand me Andy?" "Grandpa I want to marry Normal. You of all people should understand this. It is going to take time for her to get used to having a gay brother-in-law." "Bull shit Andy, bull shit. She sends her brother and others to jump your brother at his school. What the hell were you thinking young lady when you did that?" "Sir I don't like being talked to like this!" "Well ma'am, I don't like getting a call about a woman that couldn't swallow her hate and orders her brother to beat my grandson within inches of his life. I promise you this Normal, I am taking the reigns on this and I will make sure your brother and his friends are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for what they have done. Andy, you have almost two months to think about where you stand. If Normal here can't get over her hate of Jacob and Joey, then you don't need her in your life. If you choose her side, and keep your brother out of the wedding, you are no longer welcome inside this family. You will have consciously decided against your family. That will include you being taken out of my will and any other family will." "Yes grandpa I will speak with Normal about this." "Now Glorie, enough is enough with you. You signed over Jeremy to Jake and me. That is it; I don't want to hear you taking Jake, or me, to court over this again. We are going to make the decisions regarding Jeremy from here on out." "Whenever you come into this house you will respect the house and all those who live in it. I was told by the others, not Jake or Joey, about your visits here. I will not go through those with you, but it will end. Respect Jake as your son." "I know you don't like the idea your son is gay and is living with his partner. Get over it damn it. If I hear anymore about you not respecting your son or son-in-law, you will also be cut out of my will. You also need to remember the roof over your head is by the grace of Jacob and Joey. Do you want to return to the cramped living of cheap apartments? Keep behaving the way you have been of late and that can be arranged." "You guys need to understand this; I don't like threatening you on this level but it seems like I can't get through to you any other way." "Let me make this plain and simple here. We live like a family, love each other as a family. If you can't do that, then get the hell out of this family you seem to hate so much. But remember this, you can choose your friends, you can choose your wife or husband, but you can't choose your family. Look around in this room everyone. This is your family. Let's start acting like a family from now on." Everyone looked at each other. For the first time, I think my grandfather actually got through to my mother and brother. At least I hope so. "I don't like coming down here after hearing everything I have been hearing. I understand we are going to have our family disagreements, but nothing like what is going on here. CBS or ABC could make a soap based on our family. Family Hernandez, it would be called. We would have more viewers than any other soap on television. Let's stop acting as if we are starring in our own soap here. Let's live like a regular family." "I am going to be here for a while. If, while I am here, things don't improve, I will take whatever action is needed to fix the problem. If I have to buy a house and move here to live, I will. You all know how much I dislike the summers in El Paso!" We all just sat in the study not saying a word. As I looked around I saw the look on the faces of my family including Normal. No matter if I liked it or not, Normal will soon be part of this family. I need to get used to it. Still no one moved from where they sat. My grandfather just looked out at all of us. Then my mom spoke up to break the silence. "Dad I have noticed you had something to say to each of us except Joey and Jacob. I know they are not clean here today either. I don't like being talked to in the fashion you did in front of my kids!" "Sorry about that Glorie, but your behavior warranted the talk in front of everyone. You never had a qualm about degrading and disrespecting Jacob in front of others. You just got a dose of your own medicine. I need to ensure everyone understands this way of living is over and done with. As far as Jake is concerned I spoke with him and Joey last night. The concern I had to speak with the boys about was the way they spend money. That hasn't a thing to do with the general talk we had here today." "All this hate is being targeted at Jake and Joey here. It will stop. They are young and deserve to enjoy their teenage years. I can't be worried all the time what was next with Jake. He will not see the inside of a hospital again for any reason." With that everyone agreed with my grandfather. I think my mom and brother did in order to get out of there. It bothered me, but I was used to it. Marie stayed to spend time with my grandfather. My mom, Andy and Normal left as fast as they could when Grandpa's meeting was over. (GRANDPA AL'S POINT OF VIEW) "Ok Beth we need to see this new house of yours that our kids bought for you!" Beth's face got red when I spoke up. I didn't mean to embarrass her, but I had heard about her house. I just wanted to see it; that's all. Beth took me, and those that followed, out the back door of the house into the yard. We walked across to the wall that had a small part knocked out. This part was enough for someone to walk through to get to the house behind Jake's. To say I was surprised the house was this close was an understatement. The house was a little bigger than mine back home and it was a nice one. I liked the idea that the house was right behind Jake and Joey's; that way Beth doesn't have to drive or walk a long ways to get to the boys home. As we walked back to Jake's home, I stopped at the wall. I looked at the boys, Jake, Joey, David, Chase, and another I had not met yet. "Hey why don't we do this to the yards? First..." I sat there explaining to the boys that we should knock the entire wall the separates the two house out completely. That way it was one huge yard. That way no one will get hurt, going from one house to the other. Then I pointed to the yard. I showed, using my fingers, putting in a pool with a Jacuzzi. That got the boys all excited when I said that. I also explained to Jake that there should be a walkway built from Beth's house to his; one with walls and a roof. That way if we choose to walk across to the other house in our underwear we can without the worries of the neighbors seeing. That got a laugh from the boys. We went in and started drawing out plans on what we wanted done. On Monday I will start calling for the best price to get it done right. The boys volunteered to do some of the work, but I thought it best for a company to do it. As the boys and Linda started watching a movie, I decided to take a walk. My doctor had informed me that I needed to walk even if my knee bothers me. So I decided to walk around the block. I didn't realize how big this block was until I made it to the end. I decided to just head on back. I looked at the homes on the block Jake and Joey live on. All of them are nice and big. I believe Jake had the biggest home on the block. Or it could be just where it sits, in the middle of the block. The street that Jake and Joey's home is on curved in a semi-circle. Their home sits in the middle of the curve. That was why it seemed to be the biggest of all the homes here. Just as I passed the home at the side of Jake's, I saw a for sale sign. I stood in front of the house just looking at it. It was a nice two-story home. A thought raced through my head right then. It would be perfect for my wife and I. We could be here to ensure everything was corrected with my family here. I can't do much all way in Cheyenne if things explode once I leave. At least if I am here, I can watch over my family, more so my grandsons who need it the most right now, both Jacob and Jeremy. I decided to find out what the asking price of the home was. Dodging the lawn sprinklers as I walked up the walkway, I knocked on the door to speak with the owners of the home. I loved the smell of fresh cut grass being watered for the first time. As I was waiting for my knock to be answered, I heard screeching brakes coming from my grandson's driveway. I turned around so quickly I tripped over the welcome mat that crossed the porch. Before I could see who was driving up to my grandson's home. I took a header straight into the porch. I lay there in pain from landing right on my side. I turned to see if anyone from the house had come out. What I saw stunned me even more than the fall. TO BE CONTINUED... {It is about time someone in this family put their foot down. I agree with grandpa Al, enough is enough. Jake can't take much more in beatings or hate from his own family. He is already going to have a hell of a time with the public in general because of who he loves. Jake and Joey's relationship looks so strong right now, nothing can break them apart. Do you think Joey is truly done on cheating on Jake? We know Jake believed whatever Joey said because he loves Joey with all his heart. Nothing anyone can say or do will change that for Jake. Like the old song goes, When a Man Loves a Woman, but in their case, When a Man Loves a Man! A show of hands here, how many think the talk between grandpa Al and the family is going to change the minds of Gloria and Normal? I don't know, I suggest you stay tuned to find that answer. In the next chapter something is going to happen with Chase and Linda. They have been in the background too long. I know you all have been wondering about them. What do you think it is going to happen there? I know I have said this in the past, but let's hope it comes true this time. Leave poor Jake alone and let him live a normal life as possible. Man, there is so many plots open it is hard to keep up with them. From Jake's grandpa thinking about moving to El Paso to David and Tom getting stronger, and the family unit seems to begetting stronger as well! Let's hope that when needed, everyone can lean on each other for support in this family that has been built out of shattered lives. So many twists and turns in this story, we don't know if we are coming or going anymore! Stick around there is a so much to answer in the chapters to come. Stick around and keep reading the future chapters, and enjoy! Please email me and let me know how I am doing at jacobmillertex@aol.com, Thanks!} EDITOR'S CORNER: Twists and turns, Jacob says...and he conveniently forgets to include mentioning those annoying cliffhangers! Now, I have to wait too. I have caught up with our revered author. Usually I can at least look into the next chapter and see the outcome of the cliffhanger so I can sleep~!~ No such luck THIS time. Harumph! Andy is being a P-whipped ass! What does that...woman... have over him? It's got to be more than the power of a hot woman! I was so hoping Andy was getting his head squared away, but it seems such is not the case. Will he forsake his family? If he does, he's really in for a rough time. I can't see any advantages to marrying into Normal's family. I think that every family needs a solid head. I think that until Jacob has age to add to his maturity, Grandpa Al could be the buffer to keep things on track. Jake's mom isn't done yet, I get the feeling. Grandpa Al is going to have to "spank" her bad to get her in line. That's my guess anyway. I probably shouldn't write these notes and let Jacob see them. I sometimes think he takes my thoughts and switches things around just to be able to laugh at me. Now that I'm caught up with his writing he has more of a chance to do just that. I'm mulling over how I can fix this... I'm always glad when any of you write to me, same as Jacob. Editing is a lonely job and your "cards and letters" help break the boredom! Until next time, seek happiness by giving happiness and love to others. Giving happiness and love away is the only things in life that, when given away, makes you richer. "Daddy" Rick