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The contents of this story is purely fictional. The content matter of this story concerns love and may include sex between consenting males teenagers. If this is not what you like reading or it is illegal for you to read this material because of age or laws go somewhere else. This story is copyrighted by it's owner and may not be copied or published elsewhere without the owners permission.

Author's note:

Hey! Here is chapter 6. Thanks again to David my editor. Here's a link to his stories: David's stories.

Sam Lakes

SamLakes dot writer at Gmail dot com

The Greatest Gift

by Sam Lakes

Copyright © 2008 All Rights Reserved

Chapter 6

<Justin Washburn>

It was late July. I’d been going to summer school. It wasn’t because I’d flunked out or anything like that. It was because all my other friends were going places. Without Billy, there was nothing for me to do except sit at home and vegetate watching TV. For the most part I liked school and my grades were decent – all A’s and B’s.

There were a couple of skater dudes in my last class that told me of an awesome skate park not far from the school so I decided to check it out.

I caught myself staring at a guy. He had an awesome body and he could skate better than anyone I’d ever seen. He was wearing a full face motorcycle helmet with a tinted visor so I couldn’t even see his face. He seemed to be friends with a cute pair of identical twins.

One of the twins must have caught me staring at him because he pointed in my direction I quickly looked away and when I looked back he and the twins were gone,

I saw one of the skaters I knew from school and skated over to him.

“Hey, Jeremy, who was that dude in the motorcycle helmet?” I asked.

“Don’t know, but he does some awesome stuff. I’ve seen him here a couple of times before with those two twins. But, they keep to themselves. I tried to talk to him once and he took off with the twins following after him,” answered Jeremy.

I never saw him again, but I sure fantasized about him at night.

A couple of weeks later, just after Dad had come home, I heard him and Mom talking in the kitchen.

“…he must have only been 13 or 14. I thought for sure he was going to get hit by the idiot in the Miata. He jumped right over the car!”

“Who jumped over the car?” I interrupted. Hey, that’s my job – parent conversation interrupter.

 “Oh, hi, son. Well, I was at Fifth and High. The light had changed so I had the green light. I saw this skater barreling down the sidewalk, going hell for leather as he’s crossing High. A Miata came racing down High – obviously the guy wasn’t paying attention because he was on his cellphone. I swear people who drive and use their cell phones are idiots! There should have a law against it…”

Dad went into his tirade about cellphones.

“Dad! What happen to the skater?” I asked.

“Oh, uh, he jumped completely over the car, but when he landed he lost his balance and went flying into a lamppost head first! The guy in the Miata pranged a cop car – I hope he gets the book thrown at him and they should take his cellphone away or cram it down his throat!”

“Anyway,” Dad continued, “The kid lay there a few seconds. I thought he might have been unconscious but then he sat up, took off his helmet, looked at it, and then put it back on. Man! If it hadn’t been a full-face motorcycle helmet he might be in the hospital or dead.”

“Wait a second; did you say he was wearing a motorcycle helmet? I know a skater that wears a motorcycle helmet – he’s a totally awesome skater.”

“Ah! Do I detect a crush?” asked Mom.

“Mom! No. I wish I’d never told you that I’m gay,” I whined.

 Humph,” she said. “We already knew.”  “So, Justin, is he cute?” she teased.

 “I don’t know; he never took off his helmet. Everybody calls him Enigma,” I said. I wished knew him.

“To answer your question, dear,” Dad said to Mom, “He is one…hmm…there’s no other way to put it. He is beautiful. On a scale of one to ten, I’d rate him at least a twelve.”

Dad looked at me. A smile crept upon his face. It was tease “tease the gay son,” time.

“Honestly, Justin, if you saw him; well, your eyes would glaze over and you’d get this dazedly, happy, goofy face that would last at least half a day.”

I gave my dad my best try at an angry look. I was tired of his juvenile teasing. I would have walked out of the kitchen but I want to hear more about the boy and I was hoping dad had gotten more information about him – like his name.

“All right, I’ll stop teasing. I stopped him in the next block because I was worried that he might have been hurt. He was very polite and assured me that at his age his body was extremely agile. He moved his head in a range of motions and said there wasn’t even the slightest pain. He said his skating days were over, though because the helmet had a crack in it and his grandfather wouldn’t let him go skating with a damaged helmet. He said his grandfather would probably take him to the emergency room to have him checked out.”

“I hope he’s all right,” I said. “Did he give you his name?”

“Nope, I asked and he said that even though he figured I was a good person, his grandfather would be angry if he gave his name to any adult he didn’t know. I told him that was a wise rule.”

I nodded.

And then, Dad did it. He just had to do it. He said, “He was really beautiful, awesome brown eyes, longish, wavy, light brown hair with the voice and smile of an angel.”

“You just had to say that, didn’t you?” I pretended anger starting my exit from the kitchen, “Mom, call me when dinner is ready and Dad grows up!”

“Sure, hon, I’ll call you when dinners ready…but I don’t think your dad will ever grow up,” she said.

“Yep! Yep!” said Dad wrapping his arms around Mom, “Let’s skip dinner and go have sex.”

“Gross!” I shouted from half way down the hall.  “There should be a law against parents doing that.” I laughed. “It’s worse than driving and using a cell phone.”

“No it’s not!” Dad laughed.

Sometimes Dad is the biggest kid in this household. I do love him, and most of the time he’s not a kid. I often think how lucky I am to have such wonderful parents. I don’t think I would ever have gotten over Billy if it hadn’t been for them.

I thought about the boy – Enigma –not knowing his real name that’s what I called him. I wondered if he would like me. Dad said he was beautiful. Dad would normally describe a boy as handsome, but this time he said beautiful. I think, playing back the tone of his voice in my head, Dad was not exaggerating; but looks aren’t everything – take me for example. I’m sort of average. I think maybe on Dad’s scale I’d be a 6, but personality-wise I’m definitely a 9.

                                                    -----------#-------------
<Ethan Lewis - a year later>

I had avoided the twins for almost two weeks since I told Carol I wasn’t able to babysit them. Two days ago, they tired to talk to me, but luckily I saw a bus coming and said “Not now I gotta catch the bus”.  I got on the bus leaving them behind. Then I fumbled around as the bus started moving pretending to look for my fare and then said to the driver, “Oops I forgot my change” and I got off at the next stop.

I knew eventually I’d have to tell them the truth: that I didn’t like their bias and bigotry against gay boys. It turned out that tonight was the night. I went down to the basement to my room and there they were, waiting in the laundry room, sitting on top of the dryers. When the saw me, they jumped off the dryers and into my path.

“Excuse me, but I’m going to my room,” I said.

“Not until you tell us why you’re upset with us. I know it isn’t what you told Mom,” Ely said.

“You’re right. The truth is, I can’t see us being friends anymore. I’ve always thought of you as friends and in a way I felt like you were my younger brothers, but I realize that I was living a fantasy that can never be. You’re not the type of people I want to be associated with anymore. You’ve turned into a couple of bullies.”

“That’s not true!” Nate said.

“You are my big brother and my best friend. I don’t know what I did to make you think I’m a bully,” Ely cried. “I love you Ethan, please come back.” He threw his arms around me, and then Nathan did the same.

“Please, Ethan, don’t leave us,” Nathan said. He was crying, too.

“I’m such a wimp.” Now I was crying, too. They looked up at me with tear streak faces. “I guess I can’t stop loving you. I tried and failed.”

“Why did you leave us?” Ely asked.

“Because of the way you treated that boy, the one you said was gay. You listened to what others said. You didn’t think for yourselves. You didn’t think, at all! You didn’t give him a chance. Has he ever hit on you?”

“No,” they said.

“And if he does hit on you can’t you just tell him politely you’re not interested? I can’t believe he’s all bad. In fact he could probably be a great friend if you gave him a chance.”

“Yeah, but our friends will think we’re gay,” Ely said.

“So, who cares what they think? And, besides, if they are real friends, they won’t think that, and if they do think that, then they aren’t worth shit!

“Guys, I would never have done what two did – you need to realize the value of a true friend. Try living without one. I’d give anything for one friend my age,” I said, “Someone I could talk to and be honest with, who I could trust. Someone whose life I could be part of. I’m tired. I’m going to bed. Change your ways and I’ll consider coming back. But know this: I’ll always love the times we had together and I will always wish for a better future for us all.”

I felt so lonely. I left and went to my room and cried myself to sleep.

A few days later, I saw a note that had been slipped under my door. I picked it up.

“Ethan, when you wake up and get dressed please come and see me.

Love you,

Dan”

After my morning ablutions, I got dressed, left my room, and headed out of the apartment building; but when I came to the front entrance I saw a Post-it note.

“Ethan, I am in my apartment – Dan”.

This caused me some concern, because I had never known Dan not to be at work on a weekday. I turned around, went to his apartment door, and knocked. A few moments later, I knocked again. I was starting to get worried, but then the door opened. It was Jorge, Dan’s son.

“Where’s Dan? He’s not sick, is he? Or something terrible…like a heart attack?” I asked.

“Calm down, Ethan. Dad is fine. He went to pick somebody up and will be back soon,” said Jorge. “Now come on in, I want you to meet my partner.”

I relaxed. I’d seen Dan’s photo of Jorge and Tony. They looked good together; for that matter, they looked pretty good individually.

As I entered the living room from the hall, Tony stood up from the couch. He seemed a lot bigger than in the picture. He was at least six-four. Of course, he had been sitting in the grass in the photo.

“At last I get to meet the boy who stole two hearts,” he said, smiling broadly as he reached out to shake my hand, “and brought two hearts together.”

I had no idea what he was talking about but I shook his hand anyway.

Tony invited me to sit next to him; Jorge sat down on the other side of me.

“You know, Jorge, you are wrong; he’s not a ten; he’s a twelve,” Tony said as he looked me up and down. I know I was blushing.

“Aw, Tony, look. He’s blushing,” Jorge said.

I covered my face with my hands and started to get up but couldn’t because they wouldn’t let me.

“Guys, you’re embarrassing me,” I said. “I don’t know what you’re talking about with tens and twelve’s, but I know it’s about me.”

“Okay, we’re sorry,” Jorge chuckled as he draped his arm over my shoulders. Tony draped his arm over my shoulders on top of Jorge’s arm. It was kind of nice.

“When I was in college, my foster brother Billy and I used to play this game where we rated the cute guys we’d see. Zero was at the bottom and ten was the top…”

“They rated me as a nine. I was a ten,” Tony said.

“Babe, we took off a point for conceit.” Jorge laughed. “Anyway, when Billy first met you when you were what, twelve or so?”

“Yeah,” I answered.

“He told me there was a little boy working for Dad that was definitely going to be a nine or ten. I met you a month ago and I called Billy and told him he was right; you were a ten. Tony heard me taking about a ten and wanted to know who I was talking about. I said Ethan Lewis.”

“Yeah,” Tony said, “then I said ‘did you say Ethan Lewis?’ I knew who you were because my Aunt Emily was always talking about you. I asked her where you rated and she said you weren’t a ten, you were a twelve.”

I felt like my heart was about to explode with happiness but then I remembered. Emily Pearson had told me her nephew Tony was a detective with the police department. All I could think was I had to get out of there. I couldn’t move. I was short of breath. I think it was a full-blown panic attack. I had to get out of there!

“Ethan, calm down, take a deep breath, and slow it down. Everything is okay. You are not in trouble; you never were,” said Tony in a soft and calming voice, ”That’s it. Good. I talked to Ken three days ago. He is doing great. He never got in trouble. Like you he was innocent.”

“B…b…but the TV…they…they said” I stuttered.

“Ken and Mrs. Harkens told the police what had happened. Mr. Harkens came to after you left and attacked Ken. Mrs. Harkens shot Mr. Harkens to save Ken.”

“Kenny’s okay?”

“Kenny is doing fine. As a result of the publicity he was placed in a new foster home. He told me has never been so happy and his foster parents are putting him through college. He should be here soon.”

"He’s coming here?” I asked.

“That’s where Dad and Emily are; they are picking him up at the airport. His plane should have landed thirty minutes ago,” said Jorge.

I was sandwiched between these two guys. I no longer wanted to escape but I was still worried. I had been found and I didn’t want to be found because they’d take me away.

“What’s going to happen to me, now?” I asked even though I really didn’t want to know.

Jorge kissed my cheek and then said, “I can’t tell you that right now.”

I burst into tears. “I don’t want to leave! I want to stay with Dan. I need him! Please, don’t let them talk me away.” I wept.

“Ethan, my boy, what’s wrong?” I looked up as Dan walked into the room. He walked to the couch where I was sitting, sobbing. Tony moved. Dan sat down next to me and hugged me tightly.

“I…I…I don’t want to leave you, Dan. I want to stay with you. I love you. I don’t want to have to go away. Please, don’t let them take me away,” I begged.

“Oh, my sweet boy, nobody is going to take you away from me,” said Dan as held me close and I soon calmed down.

“So, I can stay here with you?” I asked feeling very relieved.

“Well, not exactly here, because this place is far too small. I bought us a house. You see my future wife insisted that we live in a nice neighborhood where you can go a good school.”

“Wife?”

“Yes,” he smiled, “I believe you know her already.” Jorge had moved and Emily Pearson sat down. I hadn’t even seen her come in.

I looked at her. I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t believe what was happening. I was going to be living with my two favorite people; the ones who had given me so much support over the years. I loved them so much. It was like a dream coming true.

My tears came back for a repeat performance, “I love you,” I squeaked to Emily. I turned my head to Dan repeated, “I love you. I love both of you.” I was sandwiched again and it was wonderful! I closed my eyes and soaked up the love I was feeling.

After a few minutes I open my eyes and looked around the room and that’s when I saw him. Kenny was standing quietly across the room and looking at me. He looked older. He had a goatee and I thought he looked great.

“Kenny?” I said.

He smiled.

“Kenny!” I yelled. I jumped up from the couch and flew across the room I grabbed him into a hug. “I’ve missed you so much! I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”

“Me neither, Ethan. God you’re such a hottie! I think I’ll ditch my boyfriend.” He laughed and I blushed.

“You’re gay?”

“Yeah, not a problem, huh?”

“Nope. I’m gay too. But no boyfriend yet,” I said feeling the blood rushing to my ears and cheeks.

“Dude, don’t worry. You’ve got plenty of time and I’m sure once you’re in school every boy and girl will have the ‘hots’ for you.”

I blushed even more.

Dan took us all out to eat. He also invited Dorothy, Carol, the twins and their friend Timmy Meyers.

Timmy was a cute, red-headed, twelve year old who spoke with a slight lisp and had braces. He was the boy that the twins had humiliated. I was happy to see them making an effort to right the wrong they had done. Timmy looked happy.

All in all, it was the best day of my life. Jorge explained that Dan was now my official guardian. Kenny and I renewed our friendship and traded email addresses. The twins showed that they had changed their attitude towards gays.

Timmy touched my heart when he gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek and whispered, “Thank you” in my ear. I think it surprised him when I kissed him back on the cheek. Oh, boy, did he blush! To make matters worse, the twins gave him kisses on his already rouged face.

The best news was Emily and Dan were going to get married and we were going to live together in a house and I was going to get to go to high school. The only things that tarnished the news was the house wouldn’t be ready for another month; Dan and Emily would be going on a honeymoon; and I would be staying with Jorge and Tony.

Comments welcomed - So what do you think? Love to get feedback from you.

sam lakes