Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2006 06:50:29 -0500
From: David Dillon <tulsaauthor@hotmail.com>
Subject: Tales from the Ranch, Book 2, Chapter 7

Disclaimer:  The following story is a work of fiction.  If you
are offended by descriptions of homosexual acts or man/man
relations, please exit this page.

TALES FROM THE RANCH
Copyrightc 2006 by Tulsa Driller.  All rights reserved.
This is a story of men who have two common interests.  You will
see that they love the land where they live and work, but it is
also the story of young men who love other men and their coming
of age in a culture of prejudice and misunderstanding.  It is a
story, which deals with difficult and often disturbing issues
but, nonetheless, issues which must be confronted in today's
society.
This is a work of fiction and in no way draws on the lives of any
specific person or persons.  Any similarity to actual persons or
events is entirely coincidental.  This work is copyrightedc by
the author and may not be reproduced in any form without the
specific written permission of the author.  It is assigned to the
Nifty Archives under the terms of their submission agreement but
it may not be copied or archived on any other site without the
written permission of the author.
PLEASE:  In a perfect world AIDS doesn't exist.  My characters
have unprotected sex.  I hope you use proper precautions because
I'd like you to be around to read the last chapter of this story.
Book II, Chapter 7
All Dads Get in Line, please.

The end of the year arrived and went past in a blur.  1991 was a
fact of life and in their New Year's toast to each other, the
"Bastian family" acknowledged that 1990 had brought many positive
changes to their lives, but that 1991 was really going to make
things bloom.  It was on Monday afternoon when they realized no
one they knew was having a New Years Eve party.  After a few
phone calls, eight other people were invited to Dale and Craig's
condo for drinks and a buffet.
Joey asked if he could invite some friends and invited Matt, who
would be with Tom and Eddie.  Matt wasn't sure if he would spend
the night, or not.  Joey also included Daniel, who would spend
the night and Forrest was still staying at the condo with Joey.
They could all sleep in Joey's room.
So, it was Frank and Doris, Tom and Eddie, along with David
Perkins and Leland Stanton who completed the guest list.  Ray
Evans had declined the invitation saying that he and John had
already decided to rent some movies and spend a quiet evening
together.  Their relationship seemed to be on-track to growing
stronger.
Doris didn't mind being the only woman in the group.  The men
were all interesting to talk with and she had never been
uncomfortable being around a group of mostly gay men.
     * * * * *
Later as Dale and Craig were lying in bed idly playing with each
other, they recounted the last four months they had shared their
lives with the other.
"I can't believe how lucky I was to find you," Craig told his
lover, leaning over the give him a peck on the nose.
"Hey, guy.  I think I'm the lucky one.  I loved working for Marty
at the Bar-W, but hated my life.  I was going to sell my house
and my old Mustang, then move into the Starlight and buy a
motorcycle."
"Oooh, I love butch bikers.  Were you going to grow a beard and
get tattooed, too?" Craig teased.
"Hadn't thought about that, but if that's what it takes to turn
you on, I can do it," Dale leered back, smiling his famous
thousand-watt smile.
"Naah, no need to go to the trouble of doing that.  You turn me
on pretty good just watching you walk toward me - or sometimes
even when you walk away from me.  I love Levis and cowboy boots,"
Craig stated, giving Dale's cock a quick squeeze.  Both were half
hard, but were enjoying their quiet time together, just talking
to each other.
They nuzzled each other, Craig running his fingers through Dale's
chest hair.  Dale leaned in for a tonsil-swabbing kiss.  Craig
had opened up his world and then Joey had come along, an
unexpected bonus in his life.
It was fun to reminisce, talking about their wonderful weekend in
Ft. Worth and Dallas, along with celebrating Craig's birthday.
Then a couple of weeks later they went to the horse show in Waco.
In rapid succession, Dale's father died.  He, with Craig's help,
became responsible for Joey, moving him to Williamsport.
Then, "IT" happened.  Saber Computer Store became a reality.
Craig's parents moved from Arlington, Frank taking a leave of
absence from his job to help them get the business started and
then deciding that he wanted to stay.  The fine points of his
retirement from the Stevens-Simmons Group, the largest law firm
in Dallas was being worked out
Dale had been named General Manager of the Bar-W Ranch upon
Parker Morton's retirement, which was being celebrated by a
retirement party for him and his wife, Margie, the next weekend.
Yes, a lot of changes had taken place in their lives.  Dale was
confident that he and Craig were in a permanent relationship and
they were looking forward to their Commitment Ceremony in late
February.
Craig was thinking similar thoughts.  His own world had seen a
lot of changes, but nothing compared to what Dale had
experienced.  He knew that things would get better and better for
them, their loved ones and their friends.
Holding each other, they slipped off to sleep and would find
themselves in the same position when they awoke on New Years Day.
     * * * * *
Forrest had been sharing Joey's room and bed since Christmas
night, the day his grandmother had died.  Almost every morning
found the two young men were cuddled together and there had been
no embarrassment on the part of either, even though they both
awoke sporting wood.  Forrest was grateful for his friend, Joey,
and for the hospitality he and his Dads had provided.  The
friendship had started as a chance meeting one morning when a
very naked Joey had opened the door to allow his dog to go
outside as Forrest was delivering the morning paper.
Joey invited Forrest to join him and his friends for lunch and
the other boys made him welcome.  Then he had joined the staff at
Saber Computers and had done quite well there, working as a
salesman, along with Joey and Daniel Pearson, plus two others who
were students at Western JuCo.
So, Joey's "sleep over" turned out to be just Daniel and Forrest.
Matt declined, saying he had to be up early the next day, but in
truth he was afraid his secret lust for Daniel would be
discovered.  He was still not sure how these three young men
would react to any advances that he might be tempted to make.
Had he known that a circle jerk would happen, he might have
decided otherwise.  So, Daniel and Joey approached Forrest to see
if he was okay with watching some movies from Joey's collection.
Joey hadn't mentioned owning any movies, so Forrest didn't know
about the collection.  He was curious about what they would be
watching, thinking they would be standard comedy or dramas.
Daniel and Joey had already decided that they didn't want to
watch any "straight porn" but thought maybe they should ease into
it, watching part of one that had a woman and two men in the
opening scene.  The movie was untitled and the only plot was that
it appeared the three were going to have sex, and then the men
started kissing each other.  The woman quickly dropped out of the
picture and the rest of the video showed the two men performing
various sexual acts with each other.
Joey didn't know it, but a friend of his father had made the
movie in his own garage studio.  He was a cameraman for a TV
station in Houston and had purchased good, used equipment from
the station to use for his own little production company.  This
was a first effort for the man who later moved to the west coast
and became famous for his excellent quality male-male films.
Forrest wasn't shocked at the movie, he'd seen part of an old 8mm
print of "Deep Throat" that seemed to be out of focus; but he
certainly was surprised at the extent of Joey's movie collection
and how he came to have it.  When Joey explained that his father
was gay, Forrest better understood the situation.  He thought it
was neat that Craig and Dale allowed Joey to have the videos and
share them with his friends.  For his part, Joey swore them to
secrecy, telling him that if the wrong guys found out about the
movies it could cause a lot of problems for him at school, as
well as for his Dads.
As the movie progressed all three of the young men were sitting
on the floor, leaning against the bed and had obvious bulges in
their pants.  Daniel was the first to do something about it,
unzipping his chino pants to make it easier to rub himself.  Joey
was having the same problem, but was watching Forrest to see what
he might do.
Forrest needed no encouragement.  He was trying to be discrete in
stroking himself.  He wanted to do as Daniel was doing, but was
stealing glances at Joey.  After all, Joey had been his
masturbation fantasy on many occasions.  Now it looked like it
was going to come true.
Finally, it was Daniel who suggested that they all get more
comfortable.  He stood up, kicked off his Nikes and dropped his
pants.  His pullover shirt was next.  Joey had been thinking that
it would be fun to play strip poker, but it was too late for
that.  He popped the buttons on the front of his 501's, and then
untied his athletic shoes.  Soon all he was wearing was his
boxers and socks.
Joey wasn't paying any attention to Forrest and realized when he
finished stripping that Forrest was wearing only boxers, along
with his white socks.  Daniel's hardon was visible in his briefs.
None of the three were embarrassed and Daniel dropped his briefs,
kicking them onto the pile of his other clothes.  He sat back
down, leaning his back against the bed as he had been before.
  The two men in the movie were making out, obviously sharing
  deep, deep kisses.
Joey was the next of the group to get comfortable, raising his
hips off the floor and pulling his boxers off.  Forrest saw what
was going on and did the same.  Daniel was leaning against the
bed, stroking his 6-inch cock while Joey and Forrest we sitting a
ways away, also facing the screen, but able to watch each other,
too.
Daniel didn't have any hair on his body except for a small patch
of pubic hair and in his pits.  Joey, of course, was a fuzzy
little bear cub.  Forrest had a lot of hair on this thighs and a
little patch between his pecs that ran down to his navel and then
spread out into a very respectable pubic bush.  There was some
hair around his nipples.  Of the three boys, Forrest was the
oldest at 17 and his dick was about the same size as Daniel's,
about 6-inches and cut.
Once the boys had cast their shorts aside, stroking began in
earnest.  "Are you okay with this movie?" Joey asked Forrest.
"Unnn. yeah, it's cool.  I'd never thought about doing some of
the things they do, though. they are hot!" he replied.
Joey was rubbing himself and each time the foreskin covered his
cockhead, a little precum flowed out of his piss slit and Joey
worked it down his dick to make it slick.  It felt good to stroke
with his buds.
Forrest was watching Joey.  The action made his own cock harder
and he realized that he was producing a little precum.  He'd not
experienced that before.  It made stroking himself more
pleasurable.  Soon all three boys were watching each other and
not the TV screen.  Their hands were moving in unison, matching
themselves in their efforts to achieve a climax.
It was interesting to watch the technique each used.  Daniel
simply made a ring with his thumb and forefinger, sliding up and
down his tool.  Forrest varied his whole-hand technique,
sometimes with the palm under his cock and sometimes flipping his
hand over and rubbing it up and down the topside.  From time to
time he would add some spit to the oozing precum to really make
it slick.
Joey frequently would cover his cockhead, sliding his finger
inside the foreskin to circle the corona.  That really stimulated
his cock.  He was getting nearer to an orgasm.
  "I'm getting close," Daniel announced.
"Eergh. me, too," Forrest panted.  The way Joey handled his own
cock really turned Forrest on.
"Won't take me much more," Joey added.  This was fun!  He really
missed the Boy Scout camping trips his old Houston troop used to
go on.
Suddenly, Daniel was past the point of no return.  He sped up his
efforts and was soon rewarded with the best and biggest orgasm
he'd ever had.  That's all it took for Forrest to erupt and Joey
was right behind him.  All three of the young men sprayed their
chests and abs with the first few shots, then the remainder of
their cum oozed over their fingers.
Joey licked his fingers.  It tasted good.  Daniel, who hadn't
tasted his own cum until spending the night with Joey earlier,
did the same.  He wanted to taste Joey again and also Forrest,
who seemed to have really sprayed himself.
Daniel scraped some of Forrest's load off his right pec and
swallowed it.  It had a stronger taste than himself and Joey.
Forrest hadn't thought about tasting his own cum and wasn't sure
he wanted to, but the other two men were enjoying it.  So, he was
surprised when he licked his fingers that it was better than he
expected.  He wondered what it would be like to suck a load out
of another guy's cock.
  Daniel had the same thought.  'Maybe he'd get a chance
  sometime.'
Joey got up, going into the bathroom and getting warm washcloths
for his guests.  "That was awesome," he announced as he handed
Forrest and Daniel the wet terrycloth items.
"That was fun," Forrest replied.  "I've never had the chance to
do this with another guy before.  I hope we can do this again."
Daniel agreed.  The three young buddies went into the bathroom to
finish cleaning themselves up.  They took turns peeing, and then
brushing their teeth.
Joey was turning the covers down on his bed when the other two
guys came into the room.  "Are you guys okay with us all sleeping
together?" he wanted to know.
"Sure, beats the floor," Forrest replied.  Daniel shook his head.
He was hoping that he and Forrest could sleep next to each other.
As it turned out, Daniel was in the middle.  He had a best bud on
either side of him.  Mitsy didn't have much room, but made
herself comfortable between Joey and Daniel's legs.  Sleep came
quickly to the three guys, who had further cemented their
friendship with each other.
     * * * * *
The next morning all of the guys were in the kitchen, wearing
only boxer shorts.  Craig was getting ready to fix pancakes.
Dale had poured juice and the coffee pot was nearing the end of
its brewing cycle.
Dale and Craig had enjoyed an early morning romp and both were
wearing a little evidence of dried cum on their chests, as were
the three who had shared Joey's room.  Forrest thought it was
neat that there was no problem with what they had done the night
before.  He couldn't imagine that straight parents would approve
of the fun they'd had together.  Daniel was in awe of the two
Dads.  'They were so cool,' he thought, 'almost like big
brothers.'
Joey, for his part, felt that maybe Forrest and Daniel might be
gay.  That didn't bother him a bit.  After all, in his short
life, being gay was okay.  Being straight wasn't a thought.
     * * * * *
That afternoon Frank and Doris invited Dale and Craig to their
house to talk about what needed to be done regarding Forrest's
future and where he was going to live.  As they were starting to
get out of Craig's car, they noticed Leland Stanton was parking
his new El Dorado in a vacant stall.
They greeted each other as they walked up the steps to Craig's
parents' apartment.  After everyone greeted each other they sat
down in the living room.
"I realize that Forrest is old enough to take care of himself,
but he needs someone to be responsible for him," Doris said to
start the conversation.
"I agree," Dale said.  "He's welcome to stay at our place, but
he's a minor and someone has to be responsible for paying bills
and seeing to it that the house is maintained.  He really
shouldn't be staying there by himself and he's still too young to
have a roommate his age living with him, too."
"The truth of the matter is that there isn't any money, except
for a small amount of Social Security that Forrest will receive
until he turns 18, which is in September," Leland told them.
  "Why is that?" Craig wanted to know.
"A benefit because of the death of his parents," Leland told
them.  "It's a standard benefit to help pay the expenses of
children until they are of age.  Unfortunately, it doesn't even
begin to cover those costs."
  Frank agreed.
  "What do you suggest?" Dale asked.
"When Mrs. Ross went into the rest home, I had an attorney on the
bank staff draw up a will for her, leaving everything to Forrest
and putting the home into a trust for him.  He will own the house
when he turns 21.  I suggest that the house be rented to produce
a little income for him and to pay expenses until that time.
Then he can continue renting it, live in it or sell it, if need
be," Leland told them.
  "So, what do we need to do?" asked Craig.
Frank jumped in.  "Someone needs to step forward either to be his
guardian or adopt him.  Otherwise, he could become a ward of the
State of Texas and be placed in a foster home."
  There were groans around the room.
"Frank and I would take him in a minute, but I think he would be
happier with you fellows," Doris stated.
Dale and Craig hadn't even entertained that idea.  They had
thought Forrest would be able to return to his home when he was
ready.  "Boy, I'm glad we haven't finalized plans to build our
house," Craig said.  "This means that Forrest will need his own
space, too, like Joey."
  "I'm agreeable to Forrest living with us," Dale told them.
  "What do we need to do?"
"Our first step is to talk to Forrest to find out his thoughts.
Then there is a juvenile judge in Austin who would probably make
everything legal for us.  He's the judge who gave Eddie and Tom
custody of Matt Rhodes, so he doesn't have a problem with same-
sex parents.  But. we need to find out if Forrest has a problem
with living with you fellows and Joey.  Do you know if he is
gay?" Leland wanted to know.
"Honestly, we don't know.  He certainly doesn't seem to have a
problem being around us.  He and Joey get along well.  He's a
hard worker and has done very well working at our store," Dale
explained.
"I would welcome having him living with us.  Like Dale says, he
and Joey get along with each other and he knows that we're gay.
I don't think it bothers him that we are," Craig added.
He wasn't about to tell Leland that he and Dale knew the three
young men had watched porn movies together the night before.
Then he wondered, 'What flavor of movies they had watched.'  He'd
have to ask Joey about that.
"Well, we need to get this underway.  Shall we go to your condo
and talk to Forrest, or do you want him to come over here?"
Leland asked.
"Might as well do it at our place.  Someone would have to go pick
him up and bring him here, so it would be easier to go to our
place," Dale told the group.
  "Fine, let's go," Leland said, standing up.
"Let me call and make sure they haven't gone somewhere?" Craig
said.  He went into the kitchen to make the phone call, punching
in the number.  He wanted to warn them that they were coming
home.  They might be in Joey's bedroom, watching more porn.  'How
embarrassing,' he thought.
  Joey answered the phone on the second ring.
  "Hi bud," Craig said in greeting.
  "Hi, Dad."  Joey wondered why Craig was calling.
"Listen, I'm glad you're there.  We're over at your grandparents
and need to talk to Forrest.  We're just ready to come home and
Leland is with us," Craig told him.
"Cool," Joey replied.  Daniel left to go home a while ago and
we're playing around with the computer, looking at some new
software we got at the store.  See ya in a little."
After they told each other, "good-bye" and hung up, Craig went
back into the living room.  "They're both at home," he told
everyone.
     * * * * *
When everyone was settled, Leland told Forrest what was going on,
explaining why he needed a guardian or adoptive parent and what
had been discussed earlier.
"It's important to get this started as soon as possible because
there could be plenty of people who would complain that you
shouldn't be living by yourself because you are underage.  And,
believe me, the Juvenile authorities love cases like this.  They
don't use their best judgment and go by whatever rules they make
up as they go, causing many problems along the way.  The welfare
of the person in question isn't always considered."
Forrest was alarmed.  He had heard about custody cases before and
didn't want something like that happening to him.  He realized
that he could be moved to a different city, even.
  "Can't I stay here with Joey and Dale and Craig?" he asked.
  "I mean, if they will let me."
"Probably.  That's why we need to get started on this right away,
so that the deal is closed before anyone else can get involved,"
Leland explained.  "We probably can do this two different ways.
The first would be to have the judge appoint Dale or Craig as
your guardian and be responsible for seeing to your welfare."
  Leland paused.
  "What's the other?" Forrest wanted to know.
  "That either Dale or Craig adopt you," came Leland's reply.
  "Cool," came Joey's reply.
"That would be so neat," Forrest said.  "I barely remember my
parents and it would be nice to have some again."
  "Would we be like brothers?" Joey wanted to know.
Dale laughed.  "I guess you can be whatever you want to be.
Technically, I'm only Joey's legal guardian."
  "But Craig's my mom," Joey teased.
  After the laughter died down, Forrest said, "I want to stay
  here, if you will have me."
Then to Leland he added, " These guys all treat me so well and I
hardly knew them before I started working at their store."
  "Of course, we'll have you," Craig said.  He had tears in his
  eyes and so did everyone else.
The various options were discussed and it was finally agreed that
if the Juvenile Judge in Austin would consent, Craig would become
the adoptive parent.  Leland had talked to Tom and Eddie and had
gotten Jeremy Houser's name and phone number.  He had already
talked to Jeremy before this meeting.  Jeremy told Leland that
there shouldn't be any problem and he would help in any way he
could.
So, it was with elation that the meeting broke up.  Forrest felt
even more secure than he had before.
     * * * * *
In January Craig and his partner, Don Albrecht, completed the
drawings needed to get the restoration and modernization of the
old Beauford property started for Pawl and LouAnn Garnoski.  The
house had been lifted from its old foundation and the workers
were preparing the forms for the new basement walls.
In the meantime, Craig was bringing the plans for his own new
home and that of his parents to completion.  There had not been
many changes in the plans for Frank and Doris' home.  They were
using a basic floor plan from their home in Arlington, but scaled
down somewhat and having only a partial second floor.
At their own home site, the driveway up the side of the hill had
been completed.  They had to construct some retaining walls for
that project.  A lot of dirt had been moved and the result was a
wide driveway with a parking area for about 10 cars in front of
the four-car garage, which made up a portion of the first level
of the house.  The partially underground, walkout basement had
been dug and Craig and Dale were going to be their own
contractors, subbing out various jobs to local contractors.  It
would be easy to add another room for Forrest, but Craig quickly
found out that the boys had no problem sleeping in the same room,
or Forrest could use the extra bedroom in Joey's suite.  They
could put a second bed in Joey's bedroom and that still left them
the other room for computers, the entertainment center and extra
chairs, along with the fireplace.  Both of the boys were excited
about the idea of having a brother and that they seemed to share
the same group of friends.
As it turned out, Ray Evans submitted the best bid for the
concrete work.  The weather in December and early January had
been mild so the big warehouse project was moving toward
completion, at least as far as getting it closed in and roofed.
They were protected from bad weather, but still had a lot of
inside work to do, such as insulation, plumbing and electrical
work, plus the block and brick office of two floors at one end of
the warehouse.  Closing up the building freed up two crews for
other work.
Ray had also been the successful bidder for the refurbishment
project on the old Beauford mansion, now owned by the Garnoski's.
There didn't seem to be any lack of new business for Custom Home
Builders and Ray, Andy and Keith were finding it necessary to
further expand their company in the spring.
They decided to reorganize the company, changing the name to
Custom Builders of Williamsport.  As part of the reorganization,
they decided to each retain 28% of the stock, making 16%
available for three of the foreman, plus John Sterling and Pete
Rowland to buy if they were interested.  Realizing that those men
probably didn't have the cash to buy stock, they were allowed
payroll deductions until the loans were paid off.  As it ended
up, John and Pete bought a total of 5% each and the three foremen
each bought 2% of the stock.
John was very pleasantly surprised when the "good performance
bonus" was paid in April that he received over $8,000 dollars.
And, he had only worked for the company for only two months at
the end of 1990.  Certainly he felt that he had made the right
move by going to work for Ray and his partners.
     * * * * *
Matt Rhodes had been invited to spend the day with Roger Hurst,
who was the nephew of one of the teachers Tom taught with.  The
visiting boy was 16 and from Seattle.  Marge Winthrop needed help
in keeping him entertained.  His parents had a last minute chance
for cheap tickets to go to Cancun.  Roger opted to visit his
favorite aunt instead.
Tom and Eddie took advantage of Matt's absence and were able to
make an appointment with Jeremy Houser to discuss Matt's future.
Mrs. Rhodes had finally contacted Jeremy to tell him that she and
her husband felt it would be better if Matt didn't live with
them, telling him she hoped maybe one of the men he was living
with would want to adopt him.  Jeremy immediately contacted Tom
and Eddie, finding out they already knew of her plans.
They agreed to meet for lunch as Charlie Stephens was visiting
from Houston that week.  They discussed Matt's options, which
were not good.  A 15-year old young man who was openly gay was
not likely to be adopted.  The foster home scene was pretty
bleak; he was likely to be harassed, or worse - sexually abused.
Jeremy wasn't even sure if there were any homes where Matt could
be placed, should Tom and Eddie not want to keep him.
He quickly found out the opposite was true.  The men loved Matt
like he was their own son.  He wasn't any trouble for them and
they would adopt him in a minute if allowed to do so.
Jeremy knew a friendly judge in the Juvenile Division, the same
judge who had signed the order to allow Matt to stay with Tom and
Eddie.  He was sure that he could get the judge to handle the
adoption in his court, but told Tom and Eddie that only one of
their names could be on the adoption papers.  Eddie was to become
the official father.  Both men were elated.  However, Tom would
be given Power of Attorney over Matt to make decisions if Eddie
was unable to do so.
They needed to talk to Matt so it was decided that Jeremy would
be invited for dinner.  They could talk about this in an informal
manner in the privacy of Tom and Eddie's home.
     * * * * *
Frank and Doris were set to obtain a bid on building their new
home.  Ray Evans submitted a fair bid, but told Frank they were
still tight on their schedule and couldn't start construction
before March 1st.  Two other companies submitted bids.  Both were
higher than Ray Evans' company and Frank later found out one was
unreliable.
It appeared the start on their new home would be delayed for a
little while, as Frank really wanted Ray's company to build the
house.
     * * * * *
Jeremy Houser accepted the invitation to have dinner at Tom and
Eddie's home.  They didn't tell Matt the reason he was there and
had decided it was better to allow Jeremy to break the news and
see what his reaction was before they told him of the plan they
had formulated.
Jeremy arrived at 5:30 on a Saturday evening (January 5th) and
they had time for two drinks before dinner was served in the
beautiful dining room.  During the dinner of roast pork with wild
rice and cranberry dressing, Jeremy quizzed Matt about the
Williamsport schools and what he was learning compared with the
Mt. Olive Christian School in Austin.
Matt was enthusiastic about the high school and his new friends,
especially Joey, Daniel and Forrest.  Tom and Eddie were somewhat
surprised at him saying that, as Matt seemed to keep mostly to
himself.  They were proud of his good grades and that he was on
the honor roll and would be taking Advanced Placement courses in
math and science the second semester.
Conversation about Matt's family continued through dinner.  Matt
was a little upset because he had tried to call his mother three
times to thank her for the Mustang and other gifts he'd received
for Christmas.  Once, Mrs. Fremont (the housekeeper) had answered
the phone telling Matt that no one was home.  He could hear Ruth
and Thomas in the background.  His mother hadn't returned his
phone calls.
"I guess they'd just as soon forget about me.  It's almost like I
don't exist anymore," Matt said sadly.  He added, "But I've got
Mr. Thompson and Mr. Bryant to take care of me and I hope I can
stay here."
That was the opening that Jeremy needed.  They were through with
the meal except for dessert and Tom suggested they move into the
living room.
After they were settled in there, Jeremy continued.  "Matt, Eddie
and Tom would like to adopt you.  They have come to love you like
their own son, but we need to talk to you to see what your
feelings are about this idea."
Matt thought for a minute and gathered his thoughts.  "They've
been more like parents should be.  My parents are never home and
Mrs. Fremont is mostly in charge.  She always sees to it that we
are taken to appointments at the dentist and drives us to places
we are supposed to be and then pick us up later.  There is never
any affection from her, either.  I don't think that I ever really
got to sit down and talk to my parents; certainly not my father.
If mother doesn't want to talk about a subject, it isn't
discussed.  She'll just brush me off and I know she does the same
for Ruth and Thomas.  I'd hoped that I'd have a chance to help
them learn from my experiences, but I guess that's not to be, is
it?"  He sighed, and then continued.  "Are you trying to tell me
that my own parents are going to give me away?"  Matt's tears
started, but he wasn't as upset as they thought he might be.
"Your mother feels like it might be best if you didn't live with
them anymore.  I don't know what else to say besides that.  Your
mother thinks that you have found a good home here and they are
willing to pay your expenses as Eddie and Tom take care of you.
And, they will pay for your college education.  Money will be set
aside in a trust fund for you."
This was a surprise to Tom and Eddie.  Tom's thoughts were, 'Out
of sight, out of mind.  Money doesn't mean anything to us and we
don't want him being a bad influence on his siblings.'
Eddie had similar thoughts.  'Jeremy hadn't told them about the
money.  That didn't make any difference to them.  Certainly the
college money would make it much easier on them, but Matt's need
was to be secure in the fact that he was loved and would have
parents, even if it wasn't the traditional family.'
Matt spoke up.  "That's my parents.  If they thought we needed
something, they bought it.  But, the catch was that something we
didn't play with much was soon out the door to the church or the
Goodwill.  We never had very many toys at a time and the house
always looked like the place where the Cleaver's lived.  We were
supposed to be the perfect family and maybe we were in her eyes.
But it didn't really work that way."  Matt was starting to get
angry but he was right.  Kids were okay - as long as they were
perfect, but don't deviate from the script - whatever it was
supposed to be.
"Is she going to get rid of Ruth and Thomas, too?" he asked.
"They might not turn out to be perfect, either."  He was upset,
but some things were becoming clear.  At least he could depend on
Eddie and Tom and he'd felt more love from them in the short time
he'd lived here than all the years of living with his parents.
"Matt, I have no idea about your sister and brother.  Right now
it's you I'm concerned about.  I've spoken to the judge about
this.  Texas law is somewhat vague about two men adopting
children together.  It's not impossible, but not common either.
He suggested that only one name show on the adoption papers and
Eddie's name is on the custody order, so it's less of a problem
for him to become your legal father.  Tom would like to be your
father, too, but not recognized by the court.  So, the way around
that is to give him Power of Attorney for both you and Eddie.
That way if something should happen to Eddie and he not be able
to make decisions for either himself or you, then Tom would have
that authority.  That has been done in other non-traditional
families and seems to be good protection regardless of the
circumstances.  In effect, Tom might be considered to be your God-
father," Jeremy explained.
That was good news to both Tom and Eddie.  Matt thought it over
for a little bit.  "I like that.  When's it going to happen?"
"We can get the paperwork started right away.  Since the same
judge is involved, it won't take long, maybe in as little as a
month," he was told by Jeremy.
"Wow!  Hey!  What about my last name?  I don't have to still be
Matt Rhodes, do I?"
Eddie was surprised at this question.  He hadn't even thought
about it.  His concern was of Matt's welfare.  Tom was equally
surprised.  'Matt was sharp.  Really sharp,' he thought.
Matt looked at the two men.  "Is it okay to use both of your
names?"
"What do you mean?" Eddie asked.  Tom was puzzled.
"Can I have my name changed to Matthew Bryant Thompson?" he asked
proudly.
Both men were stunned.  They rose as if they were one person and
Matt went to them for a group hug.  There were tears - of joy all
around.  Eddie motioned for Jeremy to join them.
"I love you.  Thanks, all of you," Matt told them as they broke
the hold they had on each other.
The men moved into the kitchen so Tom could serve dessert, which
was a deep-dish peach cobbler with ice cream.
The men talked for another hour.  Jeremy questioned Tom and Eddie
about taking another young boy.  Matt spoke up immediately.  "Do
you think that will happen?  Would he be about my age?  Where's
he from?"
"Whoa," Jeremy said.  "In the first place, there is nobody in the
system right now who needs a good home like this one.  And, in
the second place, your new fathers haven't indicated they are
interested," he smiled.
Tom laughed.  "Yeah, since we have full responsibility for you
right now, your life might get a lot tougher."
At first Matt believed him, then saw the smirk on Eddie's face.
"Oh, you guys'.  You're kidding!!"  He loved it when they all
teased each other.  That had never been allowed within earshot of
either his mother or father.  He knew he was going to like having
two Dads, like Joey Sullivan.
Later, after Jeremy left, the new family was visiting as the
dishwasher was being loaded and the dining room cleaned up.
"I'm excited about this," Matt explained.  "I feel a whole lot
better about things than for a long time."  He asked, "Are you
okay with this. Dads?"  It seemed strange to call Tom and Eddie
by that name.  He liked it.
"Yes," the men said, almost in unison.
"You are a good young man and you deserve the best care you can
get and we'll be happy to provide it and anything else you need,"
Tom told him
Eddie spoke.  "I like being called 'Dad'.  Is it okay if we call
you 'son'?"
"Sure. and thanks for allowing me to use both of your names.  I
feel like I really belong to you now."
"That's a good idea.  I'd never thought about you wanting to
change your name," Tom said.  He was thrilled that Matt wanted to
use both of their last names.
"We're a real family now, aren't we?  I mean I'm happy about this
and it will make me feel more a part of you.  If my parents don't
want me, why should I want their name?  It doesn't mean anything
to me anymore.  I never existed and."  Matt was on a roll.  "They
don't exist in my mind, either."
He went on, "I can't wait to tell my friends what's happened."
"We can't either."  Both Tom and Eddie agreed.
     * * * * *
There had been a lot of dissatisfaction with an Internet Service
Provider in the Austin area.  That ISP provided a Williamsport
access number, but there were frequent complaints about not being
able to get a connection on the first try, being dropped in the
middle of a session and the frustrations of slow connection
speeds.  Even those areas of Williamsport that had been rewired
with fiber optic cable were not immune.  David Perkins and Dennis
Masters had done some checking and it wasn't just the
Williamsport customers who were having problems with "Open World
Dot Com".  AOL, Prodigy, and CompuServe were available in Austin,
but there was no local number for Williamsport customers to call.
If you wanted access to the Internet by those ISP's, you had to
pay a toll each time you connected.
At the store meeting on January 15th Frank presented the
preliminary profit and loss statement for the period from the
date the Venture Capital Agreement was signed through December
31, 1990.  Of course, Leland had been over the figures with a
fine-tooth comb and was ready to send the accounting papers to
the CPA firm he had retained to audit the books.
He wanted to gloat and rightfully so.  Although it was Dale and
Craig's (and Joey, too) names on the Venture Capital Agreement,
he was the one who had brought everyone together and made it
happen.
David had done an excellent job as manager.  He had been able to
negotiate better prices with suppliers and had quickly gotten the
store name before the public.  The mail order business was ready
to launch.  Dennis had set up several network systems in addition
to the Williamsport Public School System and their own LAN system
within the store.  They were going to have to hire one person who
would be dedicated to helping him.
The company party had been held two evenings before and Leland
was repeating part of the speech he'd given to the employees.  It
wasn't a pep talk; the sales figures were far above the
projections.  It was a "thank you" speech and well deserved by
the employees.  The bonus payment to the employees was a big
surprise and well received.  It would create a lot of loyalty to
the company..
For the monthly company meeting, he went over the sales figures.
The profit was reflected in the large quantities they were buying
from the suppliers and that figure should multiply as the
increased sales volume from mail orders kicked in.
The first classes for the customers wanting to know more about
their computers had been held.  A computer club had been formed
and the store agreed to provide classroom space for them to meet
twice a month.  Already two people in the club had upgraded their
computers.
When the meeting agenda arrived at the place where new ideas
could be considered, David spoke briefly about the lack of a good
ISP in Williamsport and suggested that Saber Computers might want
to fill that gap.  He and Dennis had done their homework and had
a two-page report with startup costs, projected profit at several
different levels of revenue and other things to be considered.

There was general discussion and Joey told of his problems in
trying to connect to the Internet at the store when trying to do
a demo for a customer.
"It's frustrating, especially if there are several customers in
the store and we're trying to hurry so we can serve them, too."
Then he added, "It's no better at home during the evenings and
weekends when everyone is trying to connect.  It can take as many
as six or seven tries before you get a connection and then it
might not hold."

That discussion convinced the men that Saber Computers was in a
position to solve the problem.  The company needed to hire an
expert to design the right system, buy the hardware and make the
installation.  It was projected that three people would be needed
in that area to begin with and as the service grew, at least one
more might be needed.  The next question was where would the
equipment be housed.  Although the building was getting full,
there was still space available.  Maybe they needed additional
space for the ISP equipment, along with the people taking calls
for the mail order division.  Some work in the service department
could be located offsite, but how much?

Craig thought the building they occupied was huge when he and
David Perkins rented it.  It was in an excellent location with
plenty off off-street parking, so moving the store was out of the
question.  There was a vacant double lot across the alley that
was just sitting there.  Maybe they could buy it and put up their
own metal building to house some of these departments.  The
building would be handy to the store and someone could run parts
to the service department as needed.

The suggestion was made to look into that, but the immediate vote
was to proceed with establishing an ISP in Williamsport.  Joey,
in his love for words, immediately suggested a name.  "Saber
Sonic" was a hit with the men. They would purchase state of the
art equipment and beat the national carriers at their own game.
     * * * * *
Dale was surprised when he answered the telephone in his office
at the Bar-W Ranch and heard the voice of Torrance Greenwood.  He
and his brother, Bryant, wanted to visit the Bar-W Ranch to see
the horse operation.  He indicated that they were thinking about
buying 15 mares for their operation, Southern Pride Ranch, near
Pollok, Texas.

"I realize that it isn't many horses when you consider the big
spreads across the state, but we're really just getting started.
Fifteen horses will double our herd."

"It doesn't make any difference as to the size of your operation,
we sell horses to anyone who is in the business and some who just
want a champion horse so they can say they own one," Dale told
him.

It was agreed they would arrive at the Bar-W Ranch on the
afternoon of January 18th.  Dale steered them to make
reservations at the Cattleman's hotel as he thought the men would
enjoy staying in one of the "turn of the century" restored rooms.

Later, Dale talked to Lee Baker about the men visiting the Bar-W
Ranch and wanting to buy some mares.  Lee remembered the men from
meeting them at the Central Texas Horse Show in Waco.

They can pick horses out on Friday afternoon and we can hold them
in one of the corrals for a few days.  I don't like to keep them
penned more than about three days.  They aren't used to it," he
told Dale.
Dale called "Tor" back and was told that they would make
arrangements for a truck to be at the Bar-W early in the morning
on the 21st to load their horses out and they would follow the
truck back to their ranch.

Later that evening, Dale was relating his telephone conversation
to Craig.  "They want to take us to dinner the nights they are
here.  We need to keep Joey and his friends locked away during
their visit and probably should put a "pervert warning sign" on
the campus at Western JuCo."

Craig thought that was funny, but agreed with Dale's thinking,
remembering the men's statements about going to the nearby
college towns to pick up tricks.  He hoped that they would be
discreet while in Williamsport.
     * * * * *
True to his word, Leland Stanton was able to get the ball rolling
toward Forrest's adoption by Craig.  He had the help of Jeremy
Houser and at his urging, had spoken with Alan Zimmer, the
attorney in Austin who was making a name for himself and his
partner, Jeffery Fields, as gay rights advocates.  Alan told
Craig and Jeremy that he didn't foresee any problems with the
adoption and that Judge Claude Sumner had read the petition and
approved it.

"I'm glad you are doing this now," the judge told Alan and the
other men, "instead of later and possibly having problems with
the Child Welfare System in this state.  They don't always work
toward what's best for everyone concerned.  There have been
several times I've had to overrule their decisions on custody
because they would leave a young person as a ward of the state
when there were people wanting to adopt him.  All for a
caseworker's ego, I'm afraid," he told the men.

"To satisfy the State of Texas, we have to have an open hearing
for the adoption to become final.  This isn't a big deal, but has
to be public.  I'll have my clerk notify you of the date and
time.  The whole thing won't take 10 minutes in the court room."

After their discussion was over, the judge shook Craig's hand and
dismissed him so he could discuss the adoption of Matt Rhodes by
Eddie Thompson.

"I called Mrs. Rhodes because I've only had one other case where
the parents voluntarily gave up a teenager for adoption.  In that
case, the parents, who had also threatened the boy with being
forced to join the Army when he turned 18, were verbally abusing
the boy.

"It was simply a case where the boy and the parents couldn't get
along with each other.  After he left the home, his grades went
up and he eventually won a college scholarship and now holds a
masters degree in civil engineering.  He was lucky in that there
was a fellow who owned an abstract company and had helped some
other young men before.  I took it upon myself to visit this man
and he agreed to take on a guardianship role.  We got the
paperwork signed pronto and the parents were out of the picture.
The young fellow really excelled from that point on.  The parents
later left the state and we don't know what happened to them."

Jeremy and Alan loved to visit with Judge Sumner.  Jeremy hoped
that he would hold his post for many more years as he really
tried to help young people by researching the options.

"Anyway," the Judge continued.  "Mrs. Rhodes doesn't seem to have
a good excuse where Matt is concerned.  She told me that she and
her husband traveled a lot.  They found out that instead of being
a good Christian boy; that he was perverted and they couldn't
have that in their household, as there were younger children
still in the home.

"I don't buy that, but did talk to her enough that I agree the
boy would be happier in another environment.  I've spoken to
young Matthew Rhodes and his only concern is that he won't see
his sister and brother on a regular basis.  He's actually
relieved to be allowed to leave the family home.  And, it seems
that the men who are adopting him truly love him.  I see this as
a win-win situation for all of them."

"How do you want us to proceed?" Alan asked.

"I've forwarded their attorney the forms they need to sign to
give up custody of young Matthew, and also to approve his
adoption.  They are in the process of setting up a trust fund for
his college in the amount of $75,000.  The Bank of Commerce is to
be the trustee.  With help from scholarships, he should be in
good shape for college when he graduates from high school.  As
soon as I receive notification that the trust fund is set up,
I'll sign the adoption petition and that adoption will be final
after a public hearing.  I wish all of them were as
straightforward as these two are.

"Jeremy, you have some good contacts all over the state.  Keep up
the good work for the sake of our young citizens of Texas."  With
that, the judge stood to shake hands, indicating the meeting was
over.

Both men thanked the judge and walked to the lobby of the
Juvenile Services Division.  Alan shook Jeremy's hand, saying,
"Ya done good, Mr. Houser.  It's always a pleasure working with
you."

"No more so than you, Alan.  Thanks for all of the help you give
my office.  I know you
don't get paid for your advice to us, but you have certainly
headed off some potential problems before they occurred."

"Not a problem.  The people who work for us are up on the
legislation in every state and have helped draft statutes and new
laws concerning adoption, custody and gay-related rights.  We can
certainly give you our knowledge and are glad to see positive
results from our efforts."
     * * * * *
As it turned out, both Matthew's and Forrest's adoptions were
scheduled for the same day, January 25th, 1991.  The hearing for
Matthew was at 3 p.m. and Forrest's was to be at 3:30, the last
case of the day on Judge Sumner's schedule.

Tom and Eddie, along with Dale and Craig decided to have a party
for the two young men after the court hearing was over and it was
agreed to have it at their house.  Doris agreed to help with
snacks and refreshments and the party would start at 4:30, after
their friends were out of school.
     * * * * *
Joey and Forrest were in their room studying one evening and were
ready to take a break.  Joey went to the kitchen to get them each
a Coke, along with some peanuts and pretzels.  Sitting at his
desk, he faced Forrest, who was in the chair at the computer
table.  Mitsy was lying on the bed, watching them.  It was
crowded in the room, but they knew they were going to have a lot
more space in a few months.

The conversation turned to Forrest's adoption by Craig.     "You
told me that you wanted to call both Dale and Craig 'Dad' because
you didn't want to favor one over the other.  What did you mean?"
Forrest asked.

"Well, this may be hard to explain, so bear with me," Joey said
before launching into the story.  "As you know, my real Dad died
last October.  I knew that I had a half-brother, but that's about
all I knew.  My Dad had only seen Dale once and that's when Dale
was about 12 years old.  I think he felt guilty because he hadn't
married Dale's mom.  At that time I was about 2 years old and Dad
didn't tell Dale that he had another family.

The only other family I have is an elderly aunt who isn't in good
health and some cousins who live somewhere in Oregon and I'm not
sure if my Dad knew how to locate them.  Then when he went into
the hospital for the last time, he realized that something had to
be done about finding a place for me to live and there wasn't
much time to do it."

Forrest nodded his head.  He knew part of the story.

"So Mr. McCormick, the social worker at the V.A. was able to
locate Dale.  He brought Craig with him to meet our Dad and both
of them agreed to provide a home for me, even before they met me.
That impressed Mr. McCormick as well as my Dad.  They didn't even
know anything about the money that Dad had or anything about me -
you know, like was I hostile, a problem kid that did drugs or
anything."  Joey paused.  "I'm not sure I would agree to let a
total stranger move in if I were them, but it's all worked out
really super.  I love them both and that's why I call them both
'Dad' 'cause they really are."

"So Dale's your half-brother and guardian, but Craig isn't really
related?"  Forrest was trying to get the picture straight in his
mind.

"That's true," Joey said.  "But, we all got to do something that
most parents don't get to do and that's pick our family.  They
brought me to Williamsport so I could see how they lived.  I met
some people in the choir and Paul and Fr. George had a little
party for me so I could meet some other people.  That showed me
that they were responsible people and I knew I'd be happy in
their home.  They are both such neat people.  You'll be glad that
you chose them as your Dads, too."

"I think it's cool that they are gay and are comfortable with
your friends being around all the time," Forrest said.

"Believe me, I'd rather have gay parents anytime than some of the
other parents I've met.  They don't go around waving banners and
marching in gay parades.  I think that might embarrass me, but
they are great when it comes to discussing things.  They told me
that it was okay to keep the movies, but to be discreet about who
I allow to watch them with me."

"I know, I had no idea what we were going to watch the other
evening," Forrest stated.  "It almost blew my mind when the first
scene opened.  Then it really got interesting when the woman
left."

"I know.  I've only watched a few of the movies, but had
discovered that one a couple of days earlier.  Some of them are
pretty gross, you know, like treating each other roughly and
trying to dominate each other.  Most are just pure sex, but
better than what they teach in school," Joey laughed and Forrest
agreed.

"Hey, we're about the same as brothers now, aren't we?" Forrest
wanted to know.  He hoped that he was gaining a brother out of
this as well as parents.  He needed have worried.

"Yeah, and remember this, I chose you - not just having to take
what God gave my parents," Joey snickered.  He loved to tease
Forrest.  When the four of them were teasing each other it was
always a lot of fun.

"Well, I guess I could say the same," Forrest replied.  "I never
dreamed when I first met all of you that I would be living here,
too."

"Well, we are brothers.  We've eaten each other's cum," Joey
said.  "That's not something that all brothers do."  He felt his
face turning red, but it was the truth.

"I guess this brings up the next question," Forrest said.

"What?" Joey wanted to know.

"The Gay question," Forrest stated.  He figured they needed to
get this out of the way and the sooner the better.

"Oh," Joey answered.  "Are you trying to tell me something?"

Forrest answered carefully.  "Well I may be.  Guys turn me on and
I don't have much interest in girls right now.  Until the other
evening, I'd never done anything with another guy and I haven't
been on a date with a girl.  But, I'm not sure I want to do
that," he said, trying to be truthful.  He hoped Joey understood,
but judging from the movies, he was at least open-minded.  He
didn't want to tell Joey that he was one of his masturbation
fantasies.

It was quiet for a moment.

"I don't know what I am.  I've had a lot of fun with other guys,
mostly circle-jerks in scouts, but women are a mystery.  But I
get hard watching a movie, whether it's a guy and a gal or other
guys.  I'm not sure what that means.  You know, sometimes you
just have to jack."

"I know what you mean," Forrest told him.

"I've talked to Craig and Dale about it and they told me that I
was overly concerned, that I was only just past 14-years old and
still had a lot of time to discover my sexual orientation."

"Gee, you're lucky to have someone to talk to.  I never did.  I
certainly couldn't ask my grandmother.  I'm in scouts, but
because of my grandmother being ill, I haven't been on a camping
trip for 3 years.  I've probably missed a lot of fun after the
lights went off," Forrest said.

"You're right there.  I need to transfer my membership to the
local troop and get active again.  I'm a First-Class, but have
done some of the work on my Star rank.  I don't want to lose
that.  You can go on campouts now that you live with us," Joey
told him.

"Hey, I hadn't thought about that.  I'm only a Second-Class and
haven't even been to a meeting for three years.  It's nice to
have some money to spend as I please instead of trying to help my
grandmother," Forrest replied.

"Hey Bud, that's something else Dale and Craig need to talk to
you about and that's money.  Right now I have a savings account
that my earnings from the store are deposited in.  I also have a
checking account and get an allowance that's used mostly for my
lunches at school.  They will probably set up the same thing for
you to have," Joey informed him.

"You're kidding?" Forrest said.

"Nope, telling you the truth.  I can work at the store whenever I
want, but my Dads get concerned that I'm not taking the time to
do the "kid things" that my friends are involved in.  So, since
the holidays, I've only been working about 10 hours a week."

Forrest thought about it.  "You're right.  That's about the
number of hours I've been working, too.  With my homework and a
couple of AP classes, I spend a lot of time studying."
     * * * * *
Joey and Forrest continued sharing his bedroom and bed.  They had
a few "j.o. sessions" together, but nothing progressed beyond
that.  Both were caught up in school activities and their work.
Forrest was taking two A.P. courses and was able to maintain a
3.8 GPA on them.  Joey wouldn't be eligible for A.P. classes
until his sophomore year, but was carrying a 3.95 GPA on his
curriculum courses.

They were enjoying their new status as brothers.  When Forrest
told the rest of "the gang" that Craig Bastian was adopting him,
the only smart remark was from Bryce Barnett and after a glaring
glance from Joey, he felt it wise to keep his mouth shut.  Joey
wondered what Bryce's problem was.  He was a little too quick to
make a smart-ass remark about the sexuality of various people
but, by the same token, was very closed-mouth about why his
mother and his two brothers lived in Williamsport while his
father was serving in the Air Force in Germany.  That family also
attended Victory Temple from time to time, which further made him
a question in Joey's mind.

The other young men congratulated Forrest on his good fortune,
expressing their sadness at the passing of his grandmother, but
letting him know they approved of his becoming Joey's "brother"
as soon as the court could act on his adoption.

Word was also getting around school that Matthew Rhodes was going
to be adopted by Coach Eddie Thompson and would soon be known as
Matthew Bryant Thompson.  Again, there were a few smart remarks
about that event, but few had any opinion about it.  Matt was
known as somewhat of a loner, but was friendly and well respected
among the student body.
     * * * * *
Joey realized that among his friends at school, he was the only
one who didn't have a father in the real sense of the word.
Sure, both Dale and Craig were his "Dad's" but that was because
he loved both of them and knew they loved him in return.  There
had been some discussion about Dale being his guardian and the
question of adoption had come up several times.  He would have to
think about this.  Craig was going to become Forrest's "real dad"
and Dale was Joey's "guardian".  He wanted to think this through
because he didn't want to slight Craig.  He didn't want him to
think he was changing "his loyalty" to him.  Being adopted by
Dale wouldn't change his relationship with Craig or Forrest.  The
two of them could still be brothers, just not related - and they
weren't right now, either.

He needed to think about this.  He knew he could talk to his
"grandparents" who were really Craig's parents.  'Gee,' he
thought, 'Life gets complicated.'

He needed to talk to his two "Dads" about this.  He didn't know
what he should do, but felt his questions needed to be resolved.
  * * * * *
To be continued
* * * * *
Author's Note:  Thank you for the overwhelming amount of emails
you sent following the release of Book II, Chapter 6.  It is
wonderful to hear from a lot of old acquaintances as well as a
number of emails from people who have just discovered this saga
and report that they have read the entire story in a few
sittings.  That's a lot of reading.  I continue to enjoy reading
your comments and appreciate the continued interest in the story.

This chapter deals with several open issues and there will be
more surprises in upcoming chapters.

My special thanks for proofreading help to Paul Daventon ("Dukes
of Windsor"), who has taken time to help me catch obvious errors.
Also to Randy Smith of San Juan Capistrano, who has been a loyal
reader from the very beginning.  Any comments are appreciated and
you can reach me at TulsaAuthor@hotmail.com.
          Thanks, David.