Date: Tue, 28 Aug 2007 13:15:57 -0700 (PDT) From: Toni Philips Subject: Paulie Chapter 4 This story is completely fictional. Any similarities to any persons or events, past or present are purely coincidental. This story will contain scenes which involve sexual situations. If this type of material is offensive to you, or it is not legal for you to be reading this type of material, then please stop reading now. This story is copyright 2007 by Toni Philips. Please do not copy this story for distribution or post on any online server without the author's permission. Please send all your comments to: janeebest@yahoo.com. Thanks and enjoy the story. ~~~~~ Chapter Four: Everything wasn't fine. By two weeks, my funds were reduced to 38 cents. I was devastated! I only ate twice a day, and I only bought one outfit. Life definitely wasn't going as planned...especially because I had to return back to Darryl. Damn. I walked down his alley, and then knocked on his door. What am I getting myself back into? I didn't get to dwell on the thought, though, as David opened the door. Letting out a small scream of joy, he bent down and gave me a hug...a really tight hug. When he let me breathe, I said, "Can we go in now?" He just smiled and nodded. The interior of the house was the same and the boys where the same. Why had I expected things to change? This was, after all, a whorehouse...it couldn't possibly change that much. We walked into David's room to talk. He of course asked how I'd been, and I told him that times had been difficult, but I managed...for two weeks! He laughed and said, "I was hoping you'd come back..." His voice trailed off and his eyes were glued to the floor. "I really missed you, Paulie." I winced at the name. "Please don't call me that, David..." He looked hurt that he couldn't call me his pet name for me, but said, "Ok...I just...really missed you, Paul." I nodded, yawned, and got ready for bed. When I would wake the next day, I would officially become a callboy once more. ~~~~~ When I returned that night after spending all of my money, I had no idea that I would turn into a little callboy clone! I changed drastically...I became alcoholic, because the only way I could bear the guilt and pain of my `job' was to be drunk. I dressed differently; my clothes became tighter and flashier...Most of all, though, I became adjusted with my new life. Every time I got paid, I didn't leave Darryl's house. I didn't try to think of more plans to get away from there. I was content. I no longer longed to be the clean teenager I was. I was just "Paul the callboy." Although I changed, I still visited Gloria at the diner. She always welcomed me with her warm smile and glistening eyes. I loved Gloria; she was like a mother figure to me...I needed her. Tonight was one of the nights that I came in after working just to chill. I was wearing tight ass jeans and a tight ass shirt that had the three buttons at the top opened to reveal my bare chest. Guys went crazy over my look. Heh, just like my first muscular customer, they thought I was sexy. I was smiling from the thought, and Gloria looked at me like I had gone crazy. I just smiled at her to reassure her thoughts, and she hurriedly walked over to get my order. No longer than five minutes after I was seated, a beautiful guy walked into the diner. He had a deep tan with straight long, silky hair. His hair was golden, and his muscles seemed to bulge in all the right spots. I watched him walk over to Gloria's serving counter to talk. At one point during their conversation, he turned to look at me, and I swiftly turned my head and blushed. I felt his gaze on me, and I looked over my shoulder. I was correct; he was looking. I blushed again and turned my head. Man, he's so beautiful. Soon though, I noticed Gloria went to serve a customer, and he gracefully came and sat in my booth, with a "Hey." I was enthralled with his beauty from a distance, but up close, his looks had me stunned. I was so astonished, that my mouth was slightly open and my eyebrows were slightly up. He laughed, which broke my trance, and I said, "...Huh?" He laughed once more, and it was like music to my ears. "I said hey." "Oh...hey." "You're not gonna tell me your name?" "Oh, uhm..." I was flustered. I mean I had this gorgeous guy two feet from me! "My name is, uh...Paul." He smiled and showed a row of beautiful white teeth, then said, "My name is Matt." I nodded and averted my gaze nervously. What was he thinking about me? Soon, I heard, "So...what do you do?" I looked up, and his deep green eyes seemed to be drilling into me. I loved them. I stuttered some, but managed to say, "Uh...I'm a callboy." I expected looks of disgust that were similar to the one that my sperm donor gave when I outted myself. Instead, his gaze stayed on me, and his demeanor never changed...he was okay with it. My thought was confirmed when he smiled, and said, "Cool." He seemed to be in thought, and there was a lull in the conversation. He soon, though, broke it with, "So...I could buy you?" I was surprised. He wanted to buy me? "Y-yeah, I guess...if you wanted to." He smiled. "Yup, let's go." I guess it was settled. I was bought by the hottie...and I couldn't have been happier! ~~~~~ When we got to Matt's house, I was scared. I was scared that he wouldn't like me, or I would embarrass myself. He sat me down on his couch, and went in his kitchen to get some drinks. While he was gone, I took the time to get undressed. I was working on my jeans when he returned with two sodas. His eyes bulged and he said, "I- uh...I was hoping we could maybe just chill for a while?" I blushed and nodded. He sat down next to me on the couch, and I got dressed again. "So...what're we gonna do?" He scooted to the floor from the couch, and turned on the TV. It already had a game on pause shown. "We could play some games?" I nodded, and he threw me a controller. We were engrossed in the racing game after a few minutes, and he beat me on each game. After a while, I got tired of losing, so I playfully threw the controller. "You win," I groaned. He turned and smiled. "I know I win- I beat you like a thousand times!" I giggled, and scooted to the floor next to him. After long minutes of silence, he turned back to me. "What now?" I turned to him and shrugged, and we just looked in each other's eyes. I knew mine weren't that special, but his eyes were deep green surrounded by brown. I loved looking into them. I was so into staring, that I hadn't even noticed he leaned in closer. He was so close that I felt his heavy breathing on my lips, and I shut my eyes. We both moved in some, making our lips slightly touch. His lips were softer than I'd ever felt, but I was too scared to kiss harder...maybe he didn't want to? Soon, though, after some tentative kissing, our lip lock became tighter, rougher, and more passionate. It was a blur of hands on bodies, lips on lips, and dueling tongues. I took this as a prelude to sex, so I began to lift my shirt. He saw the gesture, and stopped me. He breathed, "No...not like this. I don't want to buy you." His eyes searched my face for approval. I nodded. Before any awkward silences could occur, there was some sound of keys jingling and the door opened. In walked this guy who looked to be about the same height, weight, and age of Matt. I inwardly cringed. Was this his boyfriend? The man walked in more, and looked surprised to see me...he also looked as if he ruined a moment or something. "Oh...uh. Matt...I didn't know you had company. Sorry." He started to back out of the room, but Matt held up his hand, "No...it's okay. This is Paul..." I took that as my signal to stand. When I did, he continued, "We were just chillin'." The `intruder' nodded his head, but I could tell he still didn't want to interrupt. After standing there awkwardly for a while, he proclaimed that he was going to rest, and left. I looked at Matt worriedly. "Is he your boyfriend?" I was surprised when he cracked up laughing. "Are you kidding me?" More laughs. "That's my roommate! We decided to buy a house for college!" Even more laughing. I felt embarrassed that I automatically assumed that the guy was Matt's boyfriend, so I sullenly walked back over to the couch. He followed me over, and when I looked in his eyes, they were no longer joyful. "Are you okay? I mean, I was just joking around..." I nodded. "Yeah...uh. It was my fault. I was being dumb. I shouldn't have assumed that right off the bat." I was going to start rambling any minute, but luckily he started talking. "You weren't being dumb. You were just worried. It's cool..." He then sat down next to me, rather close I'd have to say. We sat and chilled for a while, before he started talking again. "Can we talk personally for a while?" I nodded my head, and he continued, "Well, I was wondering about your job. Do you like it?" "Like it, no, but I do deal with it. It's all I can do." He scooted closer to me, and I reciprocated. Soon we were wrapped up together. I was in his arms, and I felt safer than the night I slept in David's. He nuzzled up to me, and said, "Would you like to stay here?" I could tell he was nervous, and so was I. He wanted me to live here? He waited patiently for the answer I didn't have. David has seemed to like me a lot lately and I'm finally getting my life together by earning money. Would I like to start over? Before I couldn't wait to quit whoring myself, but now...now, it's my way of life. Matt seemed to sense my discomfort, and said, "Look, you don't have to answer now. I mean...you don't have to quit your job, just maybe...stay here? I've never been to a whorehouse, but I suspect that it's not as great as a regular one." I nodded against his warm body. I snuggled up closer and whispered, "Yeah...I'd love to stay with you, Matt." Was I crazy for staying with Matt? Maybe. But I'm sure it couldn't be worse than staying with a bunch of drugged out whores. ~~~~~ The next day, Matt, his roommate Chris, and I moved me in. It's not like I had a bunch of stuff to move in, but I did have a few belongings I wanted. I could've gotten my things alone, but Matt and Chris repeatedly reminded me that they wanted to help. I just think they wanted to see what kind of fucked up place I was living in. Needless to say, their jaw almost hit the floor when they saw the whorehouse looked better than theirs. Well...the "equipment" did. Darryl had all of the recent game systems and a wide screen TV. Matt had an old PS2 and a regular sized TV...nothing special. Anyways, after moving my stuff in, Matt, Chris, and I decided that we would talk and get to know each other better. So, we all sat down in the living room- the one that Matt and I made out in- and talked. Chris was telling me about his college life and how everything is expensive as hell. He and Matt decided to buy an apartment their sophomore year, but couldn't pass up this chance of this house that was almost as cheap as the original apartment. Chris and Matt were chatty until I asked a normal question, "So, you guys are good friends, right?" Silence. I thought maybe I crossed the line? I figured it was a pretty general question...nothing personal. Finally, Matt spoke up. "We are um..." he giggled. "Best friends?" He looked at Chris for an approval to which he nodded. "Yeah, but every now and then we help each other out, if ya know what I mean." He made a gesture of giving a blowjob by a hand motion and sticking his tongue into his cheek, and we all started laughing. So...did this mean Chris and Matt were fuck buddies? Matt seemed so serious about sex like me, but...I guess I was wrong. He gives it away like everyone else. And...does this mean he can't commit? Matt must've seen the puzzled look on my face, for he placed his hand on my thigh and gave it a tender shake. I smiled. His touch made me feel all warm inside...no matter how gay that sounds. There was a silence, and then Chris came out of the blue with his question. "So, how many times have you had sex?" He was smiling like crazy, and I wanted him to mind his own business. Okay...I know that's kinda mean, but...he has sex with Matt, and maybe I'm just a little jealous. I answered anyway after contorting my face signaling my deep thought. "Hmm...maybe fifty times? Or, no...that's too much. I don't know; I stopped counting after my 15th." His face was like `wow!' and he his mouth was in a silent o-shape. It embarrassed me. I mean, I know I'm a whore. You don't have to shove it in my face, Chris! I shot him a glare that went unnoticed by him...but not by Matt. His perfect green eyes seemed to probe into my brain. Eh...they're great. Matt surprised me by announcing that he was tired and was going to bed. It was only natural for me to follow him, so when he got up, I followed suit. He noticed me behind him, turned around, and whispered with a slight smile, "You know you don't have to follow me, right? You can stay with Chris and chill." I tried to act like I was trying to decide whether or not to stay up with Chris. It really was no competition between Matt and Chris, but I didn't want Matt to think that I thought that something was wrong with his fuck buddy. Yeah...I wasn't over that yet. "Uh...I think I'll go with you." I gave a little smile. "Maybe we could get to know each other better." I said this as seductively as I could, which turned out to be less nervous than I expected. Matt had already started walking when I agreed, so he turned around and with a smile and faux southern bell accent, and said, "Why dear sir, are you by any chance trying to seduce me?" I laughed out loud, followed him into his bedroom, and shut the door behind us. "It depends, my fair lady, do you want me to?" I tried to give a sexy grin, but my laughter seemed to burst out my lungs, and soon we were both laughing heaps on top of his bed. After we gained composure, Matt turned serious. "You know you don't have to have sex with me to-" "I know, I know. I don't have to have sex with you to stay here." I rolled my eyes and started to mimic him. "I'm not a whore to you, I am a human being, blah blah blah." We both giggled a little, and I know I mimicked him, but truthfully, calling me a human being was the nicest thing I've heard in a while. It may seem simple, but compared to fag, bitch, and "you've got a tight ass," it was great. I looked over at Matt and of course his deep green eyes were staring thoughtfully back at me. Before I had a chance to even ask him what was up, he asked me a question, or rather, told me a statement. "Tell me about your family." My face almost showed surprise, but if I learned one thing from prostitution, it was not to show all of your emotions. If something hurt, you hid it, and dealt with it. Tears can come later. His question snuck up on me, but I could handle it. "Oh, you mean David and Darryl. They're fine. David actually has a sugar daddy now and-" "You know I don't mean them, Paul, so stop faking it." For just a few days, Matt sure had me figured out. He knew when I lied, when I was scared or nervous, or recently, when I was trying to be seductive. I swallowed. "They're my only family, so you must be talking about them." I kept my poker face on and I made sure that his big green eyes couldn't read the pain that I felt reminiscing about my so-called family. He put his big hand over top of my fragile one, and said lovingly, "I won't force you to tell me about them, Paul, but know that I'm here...and frankly, you need help." He saw anger flash in my eyes, and quickly added, "I mean..." he smiled a little, "who wouldn't after being kicked out at 15? Just...trust me on this, Paulie." I saw him cringe a little. "Paul. I meant Paul." I smiled warmly at him. I just met him, but I knew that he cared for me a lot. I felt his love resonate from him. And it's not passionate love, but the type of love that a mother has. I know that sounds weird, but it seems like he would do anything to protect me. I'm just afraid that my love isn't exactly motherly. I think I'm falling in love with Matt, and it's scary because he'd never love a whore like me, at least not the same way I love him, and what if he decides that he doesn't want me anymore like my parents? I just can't take that risk; I can't lose him. If I never have him, there's no way I can lose him. Matt's arms wrapped around my torso and jolted me out of my mental speech. I looked up into his eyes, questioning his actions, and his whispered, " I saw you draw into yourself. I... I know this is gonna sound weird, but...I don't want to lose you, Paul." He gently smiled. "You can talk to me." For some odd reason, I blew up. I mean, literally blew up. My anger went through the ceiling, and I have no clue why. "What the FUCK do you mean, lose me? You've never had me, Matt. And so what if you do? You have your stupid fuck buddies that'll help you get off." I glared at him. "You don't have to sweet talk me to suck your cock, Matt. I'm a whore, okay? Give me a little cash, and I'll be a good little boy, and let you fuck my tight little ass." My speech was rushed by anger. By the end, my face was flushed. I stood up in anger, and started walking out the door. I took one glance back at Matt and he had an appalled look on his face. I wanted to smack it off of him, but I just continued my trek out of his house. I didn't get far. When my hand reached the doorknob of his house door, his hand weighed down my shoulder. He didn't just place his hand on my shoulder; he weighed my shoulder down, holding me in place. "You're not going anywhere, Paul. I don't know why you overreacted, but we need to talk about it." "Talk about it?!" I turned in anger. "You always want to talk about stuff? Yet... you didn't mention Chris being your fuck buddy `till about half an hour ago!" I took a few breaths and decided to finish. "You wanna talk?! How about you go talk with your mom and ask her why she never got an abortion!" I thought the line was pretty lame, but Matt looked so hurt by it. His hand fell off of my shoulder, and slumped to his side. He whispered, "She did." WHAT?! Yeah...that's what was written all over my face. "She had an abortion with my younger sibling, Paul. Why do you think I'm afraid to let you go so much, huh?" I saw tears cloud his green eyes. "I never had a say in whether or not we kept him or her. Maybe...maybe if my mom had talked to me about him, he would still be here." His lower lip trembled, and I was slightly overwhelmed by the sight in front of me. Here is this gorgeous guy with big muscles- who, by the way, seemed to have the perfect life- crying about his murdered brother...or sister. I wrapped my smaller arms around his big frame. "It's not your fault, Matt. Nothing you could have done would make your sibling here. It just wasn't meant to be." He turned to face me with, surprisingly, a small grin on his face. "Just like you weren't meant to be a call boy, Paul. You wee meant to be with me; fill the hole my brother left." He seemed to contemplate his next words, and then decided, "Please stay, Paul. Get back in school. Quit selling yourself. Fill my gap, and I'll fill yours. I'll be your family, your love, your strength and protection. You'll be my Paulie." I smiled, and for once, that nickname didn't seem so bad after all. I nodded, and half cried- half whispered, "I'll do it, Matt. I wanna be yours. Just promise me you'll never leave." Without hesitation he said, "I won't." He paused, and then added, "Promise you'll never leave, either." "You know I won't, Matt!" We are all smiles now, and we playfully walked back to his bedroom, where we stripped, spooned, and slept. ~~~~~ I had the greatest night's sleep that I've had in a long time. I woke up with Matt's chest on my back, and his erection in my crack. Just the thought made me smile. I snuggled up closer to his body with a yawn, accompanied by a stretch. I turned around and looked at his gorgeous face. Even if his eyes weren't beautifully green, he'd still be a hunk. Along with his muscles, his face is perfectly angled. His hair is long enough to be sexy, but short enough for him to look manly. Basically, he's hot. I brushed some of his blond strands out of his eyes and smiled to myself. I really do love this guy. My smiled faded. I just hope he doesn't hurt me. I really, really hope he doesn't. It's like Matt felt my eyes on him, because he woke up squirming like a little kid and yawning, showing his white teeth. His breath didn't even smell that bad! God, he's perfect. "Good morning, Paulie." I smiled, "Good morning, baby." I leaned in to kiss him, but he dodged it. Then he looked uncomfortable. "Uh...I was thinking, Paulie, that maybe we should go to the hospital." The hospital! "Why the crap do we need to go there?" I got more confused. "No one's sick, or anything." Then it struck me. "Oh my gosh, you're not hurt, are you?!" Panic was written all of my face, and Matt saw it. "No, no, babe, uh...no one's hurt...yet." Okay.... more confusion. "I just want you to take some STD tests, so... I can be sure that you're..." "Clean?" Yeah, I was pissed off. "What? So...I'm a dirty whore now?" He tried to cut me off, but I didn't let him. "Oh, so...last night I was the filling in your fucking hole, but today, I magically turned back into a slut." "No..." I continued ranting while he tried to explain himself. "No!" That shut me up. He never yells. "Look...I just want us to be safe. Condoms don't always work." He sighed. "Just trust me on this, Paulie. I'll make an appointment later. For now, let's go eat!" Trust him on this, Paul. Trust him! Trust ME, it's harder than it sounds.... ~~~~~ Around noon, Matt drove me to the doctor to get the dreaded STD tests. Didn't he trust me? I used a condom every time I had a customer, even during oral. I thought he was being a stupid bastard, but hey, love makes you do stupid bastard things. I smiled from the thought. Matt glanced over at me. "Why are you smiling?" The smile left my face. Even though I loved him, I was still mad at him for making me do this. "Nothing." His shoulders slumped and he heavily sighed. "Babe..." "Don't start." "...Just listen, ple-" "What are you talking about?! I always listen to you! I'm sitting here now, right? I'm taking the fucking STD tests. God..." Matt took his right hand off of the wheel and placed it on my thigh. "I'm sorry, Paulie, really. I'm not being fair to you." "I know." Yes, I was pouting like a little kid. Whatever. "And I'm really sorry. I should have discussed this with you first. I apologize." He gave my thigh a gentle squeeze that actually relaxed me. "It's ok, baby." I loved how we can have our little arguments then get over them in a flash. I blow up over nothing- I guess it's a trait I get from my sperm donor- but Matt is so soothing; he usually eliminates my anger in a matter of minutes. "Hey Matt..." "Hmm?" "Maybe you should move your hand up a little higher..." He laughed. "You can forget it. Not until AFTER the STD tests." I sighed. Blah blah STD test blah blah. Let's get this over with. ~~~~~ "Alright. Just take this swab, and rub your gums. Switch sides when you do the top. Yeeeppp. Just like that." Dr. `I'm-Old-And-Make-Tons-Of-Money-By-Touching-Cocks' is wearing this long white jacket with tons of tools in his pockets that he's probably never gonna use. Basically when Matt and I got here, we waited in the waiting room for about an hour. Finally, this hot man nurse calls us into this annoyingly sterile room with an observing table/bed. Of course, Matt walked in with me, because I had to put him as my guardian; I am fifteen after all. I took my obvious seat on the observing bed, and soon after, Doctor- well, you know his name, walked in. No beating around the bush at all, he handed me this padded strip thingy, and bam, I'm taking an HIV test. I followed his instructions, and the doctor ordered us to wait outside for an hour, for these HIV tests don't take long. Matt and I walked outside of the room, and when we were seated, my thoughts seemed to stay focused on the HIV test. What if I actually have an STD? What if Matt leaves me? What if I get kicked out again? Or what if... "Stop shaking you legs." "What?" I broke out of my nervous trance. "You keep shaking your legs, and it's making me nervous. Stop it." I nodded. Who feels like arguing anyway? Now back to my worries: What if I have to start prostituting on my own, without Darryl or David. Oh, God, what if my dad- I mean sperm donor- comes back and... "Stop!" He didn't yell it, but he growled it. So I growled back. "I'm not shaking my legs." "Yeah, but you're shaking your hand!" I let out a rough sigh. "Stop complaining; you're not the one who could be dying and not even knowing it." That changed his demeanor. Of course, he turned back into his caring self. "Oh babe, you're not dying!" Was I paying attention? Of course not. He roughly grabbed my arm and angled my body towards his. His green eyes were locked with mine. "You're not dying. Ok? You'll be fine." He let me go, and I stopped shaking my hand...or anything else for that matter. About fifteen minutes later, the nurse called us back into the room. I was a nervous wreck, but at least I wasn't alone. Matt seemed to be shaking with anxiety too. The old doctor walked in with a manila folder in his hands. "Paul?" I nodded and gulped. "You are..." I nodded again, and leaned in with anticipation. "HIV..." My legs started shaking, but stopped when I saw Matt get up. "Just tell us already!!" "Negative." The air that I was holding rushed out, and the doctor smiled. "Congratulations." Matt walked over to me and gave me a hearty hug. I know he wanted to do more. Soon, though, a new nurse walked in. "Dr. Doyle..." Oh, THAT'S his name. "Could you please come here for a minute?" "Oh, sure." He walked out of the door with the nurse, while Matt's lips pressed against mine. We stayed pressed together for a long time until lack of air pushed us apart. Matt breathed, "Oh God...I can't wait to go home." Lust filled his eyes with a new light, and it was incredibly hot. Incredibly. "Oh yeah." We smiled together, and as soon as Matt leaned in for another kiss, the doctor walked back in. That startled us half to death, and Matt jumped halfway across the room. I stifled my laughter, because the doctor had a strangely somber expression written all over his face. Oh my God, was there a mistake in the results? "Paul, there has seemed to be a problem in your paper work." Huh? "Huh?" "It seems that...Matt here isn't related to you." I glanced over at Matt. He shrugged. "Uh...well, he's nineteen, so...why would it matter?" "Well...it matters because we've been looking all over for you, Paul. Your parents supposedly...gave you up, correct?" "How do you know that?" I just blurt everything out... "The parents have to inform authorities when they give up their parental duties. You're the state's responsibility now. You SHOULD be in a local children's home." I was absolutely speechless. But I wasn't thoughtless. My parents gave me up?! I'm in a home?! What? Anger was the only feeling I could decipher, and it seemed convenient. "Who cares if they gave me up? I have a guardian now, and you can't make me leave him." I looked to my left, and saw that Matt had moved over to me. During my thinking, I hadn't even noticed. He finally spoke up, "Paul is staying in a stable home with me. I'm in college and I'm putting him back in school. He doesn't need to go to a home." He sounded very adult, and if I were in any other situation, I would have kissed him. "Well sir, you'd have to go through the adoption or foster programs to legally keep Paul. Right now, you're basically kidnapping him." "Kidnapping?" His voice was raised, but he was careful not to yell. I wasn't. "He didn't kidnap me! My parents kicked me out, and he's helping me!!" Dr. Boyle looked unfazed, "I understand that, Paul, but to others who don't know the situation, it's kidnapping." "I-" An older looking woman in a business suit cut me off. "Is there a Paul Philips here?" Everyone stayed quiet, but the lady was obviously smart enough to figure out who Paul was. Me. She walked right over to the observation table. "You're Paul, right?" I nodded after a while of hesitation. She smiled gently. "Don't you worry; you're going to be safe with us." I don't think I'm safe anywhere. Even Matt couldn't protect me from everything. ~~~~~ Author's comment thingy: Alright, guys! I DO have an editor, but I was so confused about things, that I just posted the one I wrote. Gus is great, though! It was so much easier to read, but like I said...confusion. So. I know there's only a few people reading this. [And when I say few, I mean I could count how many on one hand.] I've gotten a few emails, which are great! I'm writing mostly for myself, my friend, and Gus. So, if you DO like the story, even a little bit, hit me up at janeebest@yahoo.com It would mean a TON. But yeah...there's chapter four. For those who've been waiting, it's been done for SO long; I'm just a slacker. Sorreh..