Date: Sun, 30 Jun 2013 11:06:50 +1200 From: bob charles Subject: Washed Up (Gay / Young friends) chapter 9 Washed Up. Disclaimer: Warning: this story contains sexual content, contact between young boys, and other themes that may offend. If the subject matter offends you, is not to your tastes, or if you are under legal age for your area, then find something else to read. In the following story all names and events are completely fictional. Although I may mention a specific location, place, or person any resemblance to said people, location, or places is completely unintentional. Chapter 9: The man looks extremely skinny, almost too skinny. He is 6'1" tall, and weighs about 57kg. He has a really dark tan, but it has a weathered sort of look to it. Like what you would expect on someone who has worked his whole life under the elements. His face is craggy and wrinkled, with deep set brown eyes. His long straight nose sort of reminds me of my own, as it looks like it has been broken a few times. He has thin reddish brown lips which are parched from years in the sun. His head is bald, and any hair that still grows has been shaved off. The man has on a blue and red flannel shirt, which is undone at the front showing a grubby white singlet underneath. He is also wearing some dark tan shorts. I try hard not to stare but seeing a makeshift wooden leg protruding from the leg of his shorts is really hard to ignore. He must have had an accident which has led to his left leg getting amputated. I pull my eyes off his wooden leg, and try to focus on his face. I think he is about to say something, but he just puts a clenched hand up to his mouth and coughs into it. The cough is awful, and it sounds like he is trying to cough his lungs up. Gradually his coughing stops and he looks at us again. "Quelqu'un est à la porte pour vous!" The man yells in a deep booming voice, back into the house. ************ I don't understand what he says. He has a thick accent and talks fast. His accent is different to Pierre's, and the lady from the train stations, are. He confuses me further by going back inside the gloomy interior of the house, leaving the door wide open. I'm not sure whether he wants us to follow him or not. We don't as he never motions for us to follow him and go inside, so we stand outside nervously waiting to see what is going to happen next. I can see a couple of dark figures inside the house making their way towards the door. One looks a lot shorter than the other, but the body looks like it is slouched and the head is drooped. Gauging the height when someone is standing like that is very hard to do. They slowly make their way out from the gloom, but the shorter looking figure is dragging their feet like going to the door is the last thing they want to do. My heart skips a beat once they make it out of the gloom and into the brightness of the outside world. I instantly recognise the wavy medium length light brown hair, and the slim but muscular frame supporting the head. His head is still looking at the ground and his body looks like it is struggling to support his weight, like he is upset and depressed about something. He is a really sad sight, much like I have been for a while. "Pierre!" I say enthusiastically, as I recognise my boyfriend. Any remnants of depression I had left quickly melt away and disappear for good. I run over to him and give him a huge hug, and squeeze him tightly. My eyes start to get a damp feeling in them as my emotions take control of me. I am just so happy to see my boyfriend again and have started weeping because of it. "Josh... but I wasn't expecting... I thought you weren't coming for a little while yet." Pierre stammers as he looked up and recognises me. The look on his face changes instantly from one of doom and gloom, to bright and cheerful. He embraces me in as tighter hug as I'm giving him. Those magical feelings are coursing through my veins and I feel complete again. I know Pierre is feeling the same, as the contentment on his face shows it all. I give him a quick peck on the lips, because my emotions have taken such control of me that I can't stop myself. The kiss is short but still enough to remind me of just how wonderful it is to kiss my boyfriend. The feelings are truly magical and I wish I could kiss him even longer, but I realise that this isn't the time or the place. Pierre's uncle is still standing behind his nephew, and watches the whole thing. He has a huge smile on his face at seeing his nephew so happy again. Since Pierre has come to live with him he has yet to see his nephew smile properly. He has been so depressed, and the man was really starting to worry about him. All his fears quickly melt away at seeing his nephew so happy being held in my arms. Pierre has told him about me, but his uncle didn't really understand what he meant, until now. Mum has turned her back, as she still can't bring herself to accept our feelings for each other. She has made the conscious decision that even though she doesn't agree, it is the best thing for me. She knows that she is just going to have to learn to live with it, but she is still finding it impossible to do. The best she can achieve is trying to stop herself from saying anything that will offend me, but even that is hard not to do, so she makes sure that she doesn't see anything that she doesn't want to see. Sarah on the other hand also has a huge smile on her face. She has finally got to see just how much Pierre makes me happy. She really can't believe how instant the changes in our mood are, but now knows just how important we are to each other. Seeing both of us as happy as we are also gives her those nice warm fuzzy feelings all over, because she knows it is because of her that this has been achieved and she is truly thrilled to have accomplished such a feat. Once Callum realises it is Pierre, quickly runs over and latches onto us both, so tightly that I think that I will have to pry him off with a crowbar in order to remove him. I am not too worried about that at this stage, because I really am glad that he is happy again. Well at least I think that he is happy, but there are tears running down his cheeks from crying. He has a big smile on his face, so I know that they are tears of happiness, much like the tears rolling from Pierre's and my eyes. "Did you realise that today is exactly two years?" Pierre asks me quietly, it's almost like he is a bit scared to bring it up. I don't quite understand what he means by that mainly because I have been so caught up in my recovery and about seeing Pierre again that nothing else really had any importance to me at all. "What do you mean, it is two years?" I ask back, with a confused expression on my face. I have a feeling that I should know what he is referring to, but my brain is too overwhelmed from seeing him again to think straight and to be honest due to spending too much time at the hospital I have no idea what the date is. "It's April 24." Pierre replies simply. My mouth drops wide open as I hear the date that he says. I stare at him in disbelief. The date means so much to the two of us, but for the first time it represents good news, not bad. I hug him tighter, as I know it is the day his mum died. We just stand there holding each other tightly for a while, with Callum still latched onto the two of us. He hears the conversation but figures it is a private matter, so he doesn't ask anything about it and just lets us be. "Right, I think you should let each other go so we can get some lunch." Mum says. She doesn't say it in a demanding voice like I think she will. It is more in a tone to say that we have plenty of time for that, but we have more important matters at hand. Reluctantly Callum and I let Pierre go, and he does the same to me. "What is the time?" I ask mum. I am starting to feel hungry but I am not sure whether it is still breakfast time or whether it is lunch time. "It's a little after ten. Oh shit... no its not, I'm still on New Zealand time. Just wait a minute and I will work it out." Mum replies as she looks at the watch on her wrist. "It's a little after twelve, midday." Pierre's uncle says. Pierre's and my mouths drop wide open and we both look at each other in complete shock and disbelief. We finally find a connection with the time of our incidents. We both passed out as a result of what happened to us, at the exact same moment in time. It is only the time difference between our countries that makes it look like there is no connection. We can't believe it. Everyone looks confused at seeing the sudden change of expression on our faces. "We will explain later. Pierre, are you and your uncle going to come to lunch with us?" I say. It doesn't help to get rid of the confused expressions on everyone's face, but it means I am able to ask Pierre to come to lunch with no arguments. It turns out mum has already organised with Pierre's uncle to take them both out for lunch with us, and that is part of the reason mum doesn't argue. Pierre and his uncle then take our bags and place them just inside the front door, before closing it and locking up. Pierre's uncle can walk surprisingly well on his makeshift prosthetic leg, as we all walk toward the town centre of Vichy to find a nice place to eat. It is a reasonable walk but Pierre's uncle has no problem keeping up with everyone. Well he isn't really keeping up, because he knows the town best so is sort of leading the way. We make it to the centre of town, and Pierre's uncle leads us towards a restaurant which he has heard so much about, and had always wished he had the money to try. It is a quaint looking old building, but has a warm and vibrant air about it. It is a busy place, as it is almost full by the time we get there. Mum had got Pierre's uncle to make a booking at a restaurant of his choosing when she had spoken to him on the phone. They had organised a lot of things in that short period of time, but kept it all secret from everyone. We get shown to our table by a waitress, and take a seat. We order our drinks after taking a seat, and then just talk while waiting for the waitress to return. Pierre and I explain to everyone why we suddenly changed our expressions at hearing the time. We don't go into detail as to the specific events, as it isn't the right place for that. Mum, Sarah and Callum all know my event, like Pierre's uncle knows his. They still can't believe what we are telling them, as it sounds too coincidental to be true. I have to agree with them, but it seems like it really did happen that way, and as much as I don't want to believe it I have to accept the strange twist of fate which has inevitably led us together. The waitress comes back with our drinks, and hands us each la carte, or a menu in English. Once the waitress has gone Pierre and his uncle translate the menu for us. It is an authentic French restaurant, which I'm glad about as I want to try to absorb as much of the culture as possible. Nothing is more passionate to the French than food. I do notice that Pierre and his uncle have missed one item on the menu, but I don't say anything about it. When the waitress arrives back, Pierre's uncle orders the missing dish from his translation as the starter. Then we all order what sounds good to us. I order a rabbit stew, as it sounds as foreign as anything on the menu. Pierre opts for carnard a l'orange, or duck in an orange sauce. Callum struggles to decide as he is a bit pickier about what he does and doesn't like. Like most kids his age are. I suggest to him to try the boeuf en daube, which is beef chunks and ham in some fancy sounding sauce. Once we have finished ordering our meals the waitress leaves again. I can tell that something is up as Pierre's uncle and mum are both looking a bit weird. It looks like they have an important announcement to make but neither of them want to say anything. They both look nervous, which gives me a sinking feeling in my gut. When mum looks nervous it usually means bad news. "Alright, I have a something to tell you two boys'. Well three as I see it is going to affect your little brother as well." Pierre's uncle says finally, breaking the uneasy silence. Callum's ears prick up knowing he has been included in this, as quiet often he is forgotten about. I'm not sure whether I really want to hear this, but think I had better give Pierre's uncle the respect he deserves. "What do you want to tell us?" I reply ending the awkward silence. "What is it uncle?" Pierre replies straight after me. "Is it really going to concern me?" Callum asks uneasily. "Yes, sorry I don't even know your name. I really should have introduced myself first. My name is François Pompidou. I'm Pierre's uncle from his mother's side, god bless her." He says. I see him wipe a tear from his eyes after remembering his sister's tragic fate. Pierre also sheds a tear. It really must be an awful day for them knowing this is the day Pierre lost his mother, and Francois lost his sister. "Yeah I'm sorry I should have introduced my clan properly too. This is Sarah the oldest of my kids. The youngest is Callum. And well you sort of already know Josh from what you told me." Mum says to Pierre's uncle on behalf of us. "Hello, and pleased to meet you all. Yes Callum, this will probably affect you too, as I have seen how much Pierre means to you as well." François says looking straight at my little brother. I see Callum gulp, obviously nervous at what is going on. I have butterflies in my stomach as the nerves start to get the better of me. "After a lengthy discussion with your mother, one which none of you knew about, we have made a big decision which will affect all of you." François continues, and makes a barely perceptible nod at mum. I'm really worried now. Nothing good ever comes from mums decisions. "We have agreed that it would be in the best interests of Pierre that I adopt him..." Mum never has a chance to finish as Callum and I leap from our seats and run over to give mum a big hug. Pierre starts crying, totally confused by the sudden turn of events. His uncle embraces him in a loving hug. "I thought that this is what you wanted?" François asks his nephew confused by his reaction. I have let mum go and gone over to hug Pierre as well. "It is... but you have done so much to try and help me... I will miss you. Can you come too?" Pierre blubbers to his uncle. We both hug Pierre tighter, as I think that I already know the answer. His uncle definitely knows the answer. "No I won't be coming. I can't afford it, and due to my disability no country will allow me residency as I will be deemed to be a burden to the government." François replies. He starts to cry as well, as he never considered whether Pierre actually liked him or not. I really don't envy Pierre's predicament as in one way he is getting exactly what he wants, but he has a big sacrifice to make in order to get it. He has to cut his ties with the only family that he has left. "Pierre, I promise that we will come and see him as much as we can." I say to him, getting a smile from both my boyfriend and his uncle as well. Then I am embraced in a strong hug by François which takes my breath away. "You don't have to do that, but I will look forward to seeing you again if you do come over." He tells me in a serious tone of voice because he doesn't want to see us getting into trouble in order to see him. "Look you are all the family that Pierre has left, and I do have the money to be able to come over. Anyway I really love France and coming to visit you would be the perfect excuse to come back again." I reply to Pierre's uncle, who almost crushes the life out of me through his hug. "I can see why Pierre loves you so much." He whispers so only Pierre and I can hear him. I am gobsmacked hearing that from Pierre's uncle, as I don't realise just how much Pierre must have told him about me. Pierre just has a huge smile on his face as he hears what I say to his uncle. He really loves that I will make a special effort so that he can see his uncle again. "Right everyone take a seat as there is more I need to tell you." Mum says, this time her tone is more demanding. It isn't because she is angry. It is more because she has a bit to tell us. Mum explains to us that we are going to be stuck here for at least a week. Even though the adoption is fully backed by Pierre's uncle it still has to be investigated properly by the French adoption services. They have to do character reference checks on mum, which has me extremely worried as I don't think too much of her character. They also want to check mum's financial records to ensure Pierre is going to be well looked after. Mum emphasises that this is all just protocol because between Pierre's uncle and the New Zealand immigration services, the adoption is already agreed upon on paper. The French adoption agency only has to do the other things because the law forces them too, but it isn't going to change the outcome, as mum has already fully disclosed our situation with the appropriate people. About halfway through mum telling us what is going to happen, the starter which Pierre's uncle has ordered arrives. It is something called escargot. We are all too busy listening to mum to take enough notice of the plate, so just grab a bit and try it. Pierre's uncle stops me just before I put the whole thing in my mouth and shows me how to eat it properly. It turns out it is cooked in a shell so I have to pull it out of the shell before eating it. It is different, but not disgusting. I'm not sure whether I will pay for it again, but I won't turn it down if I am offered it. I find out it is cooked snails in a garlic butter sauce. I am not entirely sure what I expected snails to taste like, but then I have never considered eating them. I'm glad that Pierre's uncle ordered them because at least I can honestly say I have tried them. Callum surprises me as he just keeps going back for more. He seems to love them, even now after he finds out what it is. Sarah tries one but spits it out straight away. Mum is the same as me and nonplussed about them. Pierre and his uncle have almost as many as Callum does, as they have always loved the French delicacy. Mum has just finished explaining to us what is going to happen in regards to the adoption, when the waitress brings our mains out. The food looks magnificent. I am definitely happy with my choice of rabbit stew. I had wanted to get something different, and definitely get rewarded for it. Callum looks in heaven with what I suggested for him to try, and I have to say that I feel a bit envious of him. Pierre's dish also looks scrumptious and I get a little jealous of his food too. My food is great, don't get me wrong, but all the food looks equally as good. Well we are here for at least a week, so I should be able to try a few more dishes in that time. Before long all of our plates have been scraped clean. Everyone has a satisfied look on their faces. No one has anything bad to say about any of the meals, in fact everyone looks to be in bliss while they are eating. The waitress comes and clears the table, and asks us whether we want a dessert menu. After Pierre has translated what the waitress has asked we all say no, as we are comfortably full as it is. We don't want to feel bloated. Mum gets up and pays the bill, as the rest of us stand and stretch. We pile out of the restaurant, and François takes the lead again. We walk a little further down the road to a Hertz dealer. Mum thinks that we should hire a car so we can see more sights while we are here. As there are now six of us, mum thinks that it is best to rent a van. They have an eight seated blue and silver Mitsubishi L300 in the lot which is perfect for what we need. Mum signs all the forms, produces her licence when required, and pays the rental company. They give her the keys and we all pile into the van once she has unlocked it. François and mum are in the front. Sarah takes the middle row of seats, while us boys' take up the backseat. As soon as we are seated I have my arm around Pierre, and his arm is wrapped around me too. Mum starts up the car, and pulls out of the lot. We drive maybe fifty meters down the road before she pulls into a hotel parking lot. She tells us to wait in the car while she checks us into the hotel. It is a period hotel, and looks pretty from the outside. The façade is candy coloured with pale blue balconies and stripy awnings. It is yet another glorious example of French history, and I really hope the inside is as good as the outside is. Too many old hotels have a really nice looking façade but the interior has been modernised and all the period charm has been lost. I certainly hope this one hasn't followed that trend. I am not going to find out just yet either, as when mum arrives back she starts up the van. François directs her back to his humble abode, well probably more to the point derelict ruin, so that we can get our bags. We pull up on the curb beside his house, and mum gets out. Pierre and his uncle get out of their seats and exit the van. Callum, Sarah and I sit there not knowing what to do. We aren't sure whether we are to follow them or not. "Well are you coming or not?" Mum asks us. It becomes a mad scramble between Callum and me as to who can get out of the van first. Sarah just laughs at us, and as we almost fall out of the van she laughs even harder. We try to recompose ourselves as much as possible, but with Sarah in fits of laughter behind us it is rather hard to do. Callum and I run off to catch the others, leaving Sarah to get back under control of her laughter before she too follows us. François unlocks the front door and opens it. We all follow him into the gloomy interior of the house. It looks even smaller inside the house than it does from the outside which is a little depressing knowing that Pierre had to live here for so long. Inside the house there is one main room with two doors coming off from it, one of the doors goes into a small bedroom which is where Pierre's uncle sleeps. It has ugly floral wallpaper in it, which is peeling apart at the seams. A gross yellow stain covers what was once a white ceiling caused from years of tobacco smoke staining the paint. The room is so small that it is just only big enough for a single bed and a small set of drawers. The other door leads through to a dingy grimy bathroom and toilet. Again the room is tiny, but it manages to fit a toilet, a small vanity unit and a compact shower cubicle. The room is tired and dated. It needs urgent work done to it, as there is an ugly black mould starting to grow in the corners of the room. The vinyl floor is cracked and peeling at the edges. There's years old build-up of soap scum in the shower and in the washbasin, making the room feel like you would get dirtier if you used it, than you would if you didn't. The main room is a tiny lounge, dining room and kitchen, all rolled into one. One corner of the room has a curtain surround crudely put up in it. The curtain was put up by Pierre's uncle to give Pierre somewhere private to sleep. He has been sleeping on a dirty mattress since he has been here, as it is all that his uncle could afford to buy for him. Pierre's clothes are in piles around his makeshift bed, and most of it looks like it is second hand and dirty, not something I want my boyfriend to wear that's for sure. The lounge has a two worn dirty armchairs sitting opposite a tiny fourteen inch TV set, which is sitting on a wonky looking table which is only just big enough to fit the tiny TV onto. The dining room has a small round wooden table and two while plastic chairs. They are same sort of chairs that you would usually find in someone's back yard, not your normal type of dining room chairs. The kitchen consists of a couple of benches, and small basin, and a range. There are a couple of cupboards hanging down from the ceiling, and a small pantry off to the side. It is dated, and the whole kitchen is in dire need of replacement. The cupboard doors are only just hanging on, and the bench top is peeling off the laminate. The bench is all skewwhiff and warped, and the cupboards underneath it are only just support its weight. The whole place looks grimy and mouldy. The yellow stain on the ceiling extends through the whole house. I can smell a mixture of mould, tobacco smoke and body odour in the air. The air is stale with very little air circulating around the house. I really can't believe that anyone can live here. I really feel sorry for François as it is the only place he can afford. I also feel sorry for Pierre as he has had to live in this squalor for too long. Mum's face said it all, as she now wished that she hadn't forced Pierre to have to live here. If she had just signed those adoption papers in the first place then Pierre wouldn't have had to suffer. It really is a cruel reminder to her as to how as to how wrong she was to let her opinions about our relationship get in the way of her better judgement. "Mum before we go back to New Zealand I want to buy Mr Pompidou a new house." I say matter of factly. I know that the issue isn't going to stop there, but I am hoping that it will. Everyone else in the room just stares at me, as they don't realise that I can afford to do such a thing, well except for Callum and Sarah to a certain extent but even she doesn't know how much I have. "Josh, honey, I'm not su..." Mum starts to say. "Look I don't want to hear any excuses. No one deserves to live like this. I can afford it, and you of all people should know that. If you put my money in a half decent trust account then the interest I will have earned on the money should be well more than a house will cost." I tell mum deliberately cutting her off in the process. Everyone's faces grow wider in disbelief with what they are hearing. "How have you got so much money?" Pierre asks me in quiet timid tone of voice because he is a little scared of the answer due to the other stories about my life that I have told him. "Mum can you tell them what happened, as I don't think I can handle it?" I ask mum apprehensively, as I'm nervous about trying to tell everyone, because it's one of those stories which tend to trigger a reaction. At least if mum tells them then I can escape from the house if I start to react. Mum looks just as nervous, as she doesn't want to put me through the torture and humiliation all over again but I'm pretty okay with it as I feel they need to know. "Are you sure you want me too?" Mum asks me timidly, with an expression of real concern on her face, because she doesn't want to upset me and least of all does she want to see any trauma related reaction from me. "Yes, Pierre definitely needs to know, so I figure it's about time everyone knew." I reply. We all take a seat before mum begins. François and mum take a seat on the armchairs, while us boys' sit cross legged on the floor. Sarah decides to remain standing because there really isn't anywhere that she can sit. "Ok, well to start with François there is something you need to know first, or the rest won't make any sense. Josh was physically abused by his father for about three years. It all came to a head two years ago today when my husband got drunk, came home and raped him." Mum says. Pierre's uncle gives a look of complete shock and anguish. I can tell that he feels sorry for me, but it is Pierre who hugs me. We are sitting on the floor in the lounge as mum tells the account of what happened after that day, and Pierre and I are sitting really close together. It is so good feeling his comforting hug again, and I feel that I can make it through this without any major sort of reaction. "After he was arrested and sent to jail, he got in contact with a top lawyer. As he still had access to our joint account he had a lot of funds to draw on and so he took advantage of it. He decided that he wanted to take his case to trial, with a full jury which had us and the crown lawyers baffled. It turns out he bribed not only his lawyer but the judge as well, and they both accepted it." Mum is starting to break down, as she too relives the horrible trial which took an awful toll on both of us. "We thought the case was going to be easy as there was no logical way that he could get out of it. Things went south big time when we received a letter in the mail from my husband's lawyer. They had subpoenaed Josh to appear in court. Our lawyer fought fiercely to stop the craziness of it, but the judge would have not part of it. So Josh was forced to sit in the witness stand and get interrogated by my husband's lawyer." Mum is crying heavily, so Sarah goes over to her and gives her a hug. Pierre looks at me in disbelief. He doesn't understand some of the words mum has used, but still gets the idea of what mum is saying. François on the other hand has a better understanding of English and the legal terms mum has used. He really can't believe what mum has said so far, and also thinks that he knows where this is going. I can see how outraged he is feeling, which surprises me to know he cares so much, as he only met me today. I suppose if I think about it properly it is because he knows exactly what I have been trough and feels sorry for me, because no kid deserves to go through what I have. "It was my husband's whole plan to humiliate Josh as much as possible. The judge allowed it even though he saw the affect it was having on Josh. What sort of heartless human being would allow such torture of a ten year old boy? Most of Josh's problems came from that court case. Josh was forced to endure accusations that he had asked his dad to do it. He had to tell everyone exactly what he could recall. His body shut down, as he relived that night, and told everyone what is a humiliating story for a kid that age. To add to his humiliation he wet himself on the stand. Thankfully he was comatose at that stage, as they laid into him further." Mum takes another break to calm herself down. I am surprising myself as I still have full control of my emotions. I am crying, but not uncontrollably like I had been expecting. Pierre has a tight hold of me as he hears what I had to endure at court. Callum has also latched onto me, as for the first time he hears what happened at court. We have tried to protect him from that side, because he was in a fragile enough stage after dad beating me to a pulp, that knowing what happened in court would have destroyed him. "The judge had no choice but to find my husband guilty, as the jury had unanimously come up with that verdict. He still managed to cause further uproar when he sentenced my husband to six months jail. We appealed the sentence, and he did get a much longer sentence. We also sued the ministry of justice for allowing a ten year old boy to take the stage to give evidence in a rape trail. It was the first case of such a thing happening, especially with the charges my husband was facing. We couldn't sue the judge directly, which is why we took on the ministry. They settled willingly out of court, and awarded Josh six million in damages. I also got three million for the stress I endured through the case." Mum stops to take another breather and calm herself down. "As a result of the trial Josh started to blame me for everything, as yet again I was unable to protect him. He also started getting night terrors and wetting the bed. The judge lost his job and received a substantial fine. The lawyer who represented my husband lost his mind. He felt really guilty about what he had done, and shot himself but it was all too late as the damage had already been done." Mum cries harder as the guilt trip hits her again. She feels that she hasn't done enough to protect me, which I am finally starting to see that she had no choice. Well at least as far as the court saga goes, as she still could have left dad before it got that bad, but it is all too late for that now. "I still don't really understand what happened. My husband I mean. He just seemed like he had truly lost his mind and I had never seen him like that before." Mum sobs finishing up. Sarah is still hugging her tightly. Even if I wanted to I couldn't hug mum, as I am still in the tight embrace of both Pierre and Callum. Even Pierre's uncle gets off his seat and gives me a little hug. He then tries to comfort mum. "That's why I want to buy a house for Mr Pompidou. Toady has been such a terrible day for both families, and I want to change it to represent something much nicer." I say pleadingly to mum. Mum wipes the tears from her eyes and looks at me. She gives me a warm smile and nods that she now understands why I want to do it. "Look, just call me uncle, or François. Mr Pompidou sounds far too formal. Anyway I know you want to do something nice but you really don't have to buy me a house..." "I want to. Anyway when we can come over and visit I want to have a place that we can stay in, as this place is too small." I say cutting François off. I figure giving him a slightly selfish reason as to why I want to do this will stop him arguing, and I think it works. "Thank you. You don't know how much that means to me." He replies and comes over to gives me another hug. I am starting to feel a bit hugged out, as having three people hugging me at the same time is actually a little exhausting. I still don't want Pierre to let me go, as I love the warm tingly feelings I get from him but I think I could do without Callum for a little while. "Well anyway, get your bags so that we can go and spruce up at the hotel. We will come back to pick François up and go out for dinner. Pierre your uncle feels that it would be better if you slept in a hotel with us, as he doesn't want you to spend any more time here." Mum says after a while. She has totally regained control of her emotions now, so stands up and goes to the door picking up her bag on the way. I can finally move again as both Pierre and Callum release me. I am a little disappointed when Pierre lets go of me, but knowing that he is staying at the hotel with us, makes me happy. I'm really hoping we are in the same room. I stand up, feeling all stiff and sore from being in the same position for so long. I hobble over to the front door and pick up my bag. I wave goodbye to François on my way out the door. By the time I make it to the car everyone else was already seated, well everyone except Pierre and I, as Pierre waits for me. Mum has a pretty good memory and finds her way back to the hotel without making a wrong turn. We get out and grab our bags, before we enter through the front door to the hotel and make our way to the lifts, getting off at the top floor. Mum then hands out some keys. She hands one to Sarah, Pierre and me, leave me feeling gutted because of having to sleep in a different room to Pierre, and I'm pretty sure that mum does that deliberately. "I'm sorry Josh, but Callum is too young and they won't allow him to have his own room." Mum says to me. It is believable but still who is going to know. The worst part is that I know I can't leave Callum as I will end up feeling guilty about ditching him, because I have already done that far too much for my liking. "Right, you need to take a shower and put on a nice set of clothes and be ready by five o'clock. Pierre you should have a new wardrobe in your room. I just hope it all fits, as I had the hotel buy them for you." Mum tells us. She then opens the door to her room and goes in. Sarah has already disappeared into hers, as I think she already knows what to do. "Go on, I can clean myself." Callum says to me a little dejectedly. He is a little jealous, as he knows that I'm going to want to spend time with Pierre and not with him. Callum really likes Pierre but it is starting to dawn on my brother that he will be competing for my attention. He's never had to compete for me before and he feels a bit put out because of it. "Callum, I'm not choosing Pierre over you. You will always be my brother, nothing will change that. I love you so much that I won't just ditch you in favour of someone else. Just remember that you are the reason I always came back home when I ran away. I do love you, and I will still spend heaps of time with you. All I want in return is a little bit of time alone with Pierre." I say whole heartedly to him, and then embraced him in a loving hug. "I know. I don't know what came over me." Callum tells me a little sheepishly, as he hugs me back. He then lets me go and takes the key and makes his way into the room closing the door behind him. Almost as soon as he closes the door, I knock on it to get him to open it back up. Once he has opened the door I carry my bag in and place it beside a bed. "Does that mean you are going to sleep in the same room as me?" Callum asks seeing me put my bag in the room. His voice sounds so hopeful, with a tinge of excitement at the prospect, but he is trying desperately not to get his hopes up just encase. "Of course little buddy. I wouldn't let you sleep on your own in a strange town in a foreign country. I can't protect you then. Anyway mum would go bonkers if I didn't, and I would feel guilty for leaving you all alone." I tell him genuinely. He gives me a big hug again and mouths `thank you' to me. He lets me go, and then opens his bag to find some nice clothes. As I rummage through my bag to find some clothes I take a look around the room. I feel hugely disappointed seeing that the room has been modernised. They have stripped all the period charm out of the room, and replaced it with cream colour paint. It looks light and clean, but has no character. The room has two beds one a single which I leave for Callum, and the other is a double which I take, hoping that Pierre will be able to sneak in during the night. The room also has a couple of modern white bedside tables, a medium sized flat screen TV, and a couple of modern looking cream coloured armchairs. There is a doorway on the left hand side leading to the bathroom. Directly opposite the doorway to the bathroom is a good sized built in wardrobe. I find a change of clothes, and pull them out of my bag. I give Callum a little hug and a kiss on the forehead before leaving the room, closing the door behind me. I head straight to the room Pierre is in and knock on the door. The door quickly opens but just a crack. I open it fully and hurry in, closing the door quickly behind me. Pierre unsurprisingly is standing there in my favourite state of dress, completely naked, as he waits for me to get my clothes and return to him. I chuck my clothes on the bed, and then try to take my time to ogle his sexy body. I don't get a chance to check him out properly as he launches at me and shoves his tongue down my throat. We both fall onto the bed, as I passionately kiss him back. Oh how I have missed the feelings his kiss generates. He is almost like a ravenous animal, as he kisses me. I feel the same way and can't get enough of him while I kiss him back. My senses are in overdrive as I try to savour his sexy boy scent as it wafts up my nose. All the while I'm trying to get a good taste of him as I shove my tongue down his mouth. The feelings I'm getting are electric and intense and I have missed them so much. My head feels so light that I think it is floating. It is really starting to get hot, as our make out session seems to intensify. Sweat is starting to pour from my forehead, and I can feel my clothes starting to feel a bit damp. My eyes are clamped shut but I can still see Pierre crystal clear in my head. It is just too hot, so I desperately want to get out of my now sweaty clothes, so I can be naked like Pierre is. I break the kiss and stand up. Pierre looks up disappointedly at me, until he sees me removing my shirt. He just lies on the bed completely naked giving me a seductive look as I strip. Once my shirt has been removed I take my time as I shuck my pants and undies. I use the time to get a good look at my lover. His little dick is hard as steel which is of no surprise, as I can feel my own hard member sitting uncomfortably in my undies. It looks like it has grown a little bit since I have last seen him. Nothing too noticeable, but it is a little bigger. The girth has increased more noticeably than the length, as his bulbous acorn shaped head doesn't look as prominent in his foreskin as it had the last time I saw it. His little ball bag seems to sag a little more than it used to as well. I'm wondering as to whether Pierre will notice any growth on my behalf, because I really don't think that my little dickie has grown anything. I have only just stepped out of my pants and undies, when Pierre sits up briefly so he can grab hold of me and pull me down on top of him. Instantly I feel his tongue slip into my mouth, and the feelings are a lot more intense due to the skin on skin contact. I feel Pierre's dick sort of throb underneath me as we continue to make out savagely. The sweat dripping from our bodies is mixing together, causing me to slide around on Pierre's slippery body. It's like sliding around on ice, except the ice is hot, not cold. The sensations being created are still scaring me a bit, as they seem to stem from my dick which I still haven't got used to, or know why it keeps happening. Our kissing gets even more passionate and intense, as the love we feel for each has taken full control of our bodies and minds. The friction generated by our bodies rubbing together is sending intense, strange sensations through my body. Pierre has started to caress my back which is increasing the sensations I feel. I can feel Pierre instinctively trying to thrust his dick into me. I am doing the same but I don't even realise it until I feel Pierre doing it to me and suddenly realise I'm doing the same thing. Ours dicks are grinding against each other sending shock waves of strong weird feelings surging through my veins scaring me even more. Our kissing has become frenetic, and as a result we are taking more breaks to be able to breath. I can feel Pierre's breathing underneath me. His chest seems to be rising and falling in short sharp movements. When I get a chance to breath I gasp for as much air as I can get to fill my lungs not knowing when I'm going to get another chance. The powerful sensations that are still arising from my dick grinding against his, are becoming so strong that it's starting to really scare me. Pierre breaks off the kiss gasping for air. He then grunts as the feelings he is experiencing become too overpowering. I shake from the feelings I'm getting, and they are so powerful that I am starting to become extremely scared and worried that something is seriously wrong, but I just can't stop. Pierre is too inundated by strange new extreme feelings too be able to kiss anymore. He is moaning more than he is breathing. I am starting to wonder whether he is breathing at all. I can feel his body as it quivers violently underneath me. The only way that I know he is still on this planet, is his dick keeps jabbing into mine. I'm still in enough control to continue kissing, but even that is getting exceedingly difficult due to the overwhelming sensations and because I'm struggling to breath too. My breathing has become laboured as the tremendous feelings have taken control of my sweat soaked body. My instincts are now in control of what I do, as I can feel myself driving my rigid little prick into Pierre's with ever-increasing ferocity. I'm feeling really, really scared at the overwhelming sensations, but as hard as I try and can't stop it. My body seems to have a mind of its own and it won't listen to anything I try to tell it. My mind suddenly goes all hazy, as the feelings seem to peak with tremendous intensity. My body becomes rigid, as I thrust my prick one last time. My breathing stops completely, as my whole frame quivers from pleasure. My balls feel like they have shrivelled up, as they contract up towards my body. An explosion of intense pleasure erupts from my pulsating dick and radiates out through the rest of my body. I grunt heavily but no sound comes out, as I experienced something I never knew existed. "Ahh, Ahhh, Ooohhhh fuuuccckkk!" Pierre squeals. His body trembles like crazy underneath me, at the same time as those strong magnificent feelings overwhelm me. Pierre has gone all tense, and he holds his breath. His dick is throbbing relentlessly underneath me, and my own dick feels like it's having a seizure. Once the pinnacle of our pleasure subsides, we collapse back down to earth. We start gasping for breath, and I can feel my heart thumping like crazy inside my chest. My mind is still all fuzzy, but I am feeling totally relaxed. Pierre's breathing seems to have calmed down and his chest is rising and falling with a regular rhythm. My breathing is still erratic as I struggle to come down from my high. "What the hell was that? I think I'm broken or something." I say to Pierre once I have recovered enough to speak. My voice is raspy still, but filled with the sense of panic and concern I am feeling. Pierre looks at me wide eyed in terror. He still can't speak, as he opens his mouth to say something but nothing comes out. I know that he has no idea as to what just happened, as it is written all over his face. Our dicks have gone limp again adding to my concern. Have we broken something? Were we broken to start with? My mind is racing trying to come up with an answer. I have to ask someone but whom? I know that I can't ask mum as she will go nuts knowing we were kissing. Callum is just too young so I don't think he will know what's wrong with us. I could ask François, Pierre's uncle, but I hardly know him and I will have to wait till we can get him alone. The only real person I can ask is my sister, but is it something I really want to discuss with her? I suppose so, because if we are broken then I want to get fixed as soon as I can. "I'm going to ask sis what's wrong with us." I tell Pierre frantically. He nods, and we both get off the bed and pull on some pants. Then we rush across the room to the door, open it and crash out into the hallway. We run to Sarah's room and pound on the door. The door opens and we fall inside my sister's room, she closes it behind us with a concerned look on her face. "I think we're broken." I say in a hysterical voice. Pierre and I are looking really distraught as we have convinced ourselves that there is something severely wrong with us. Sarah gives a really worried look now. "Why do you think you are broken, what happened?" Sarah asks trying to keep herself calm and composed. I haven't thought this through properly, because I now know that I have to tell Sarah what happened in Pierre's room. "Um... well we were kissing... and after a while... um... we got this real strange feeling. It... um... kept getting stronger until... um... it felt like we exploded." I stutter, and flush red from embarrassment. Sarah's expression quickly changes, and she starts to blush as well. "Did you have clothes on when this happened?" She asks tentatively. I shake my head to tell her no. She pretty much knows the answer but knowing that we don't have clothes on almost confirms things for her. She is still flushed red, but is also starting to chuckle. Pierre and I are confused. "Were you dicks all stiff at the time?" Sarah asks. Her face is really bright red as she asks this. Again all I do is nod my head as I really don't want to actually tell her that we both had boners at the time. Sarah now definitely knows what has happened, and it also explains the weird noise she though she had heard come through the wall backing onto Pierre's room. She starts to laugh a little harder now making us feel really embarrassed. "Look there is nothing wrong with you two. It sounds like... um... you had an... orgasm. Have neither of you done a sex ed class yet?" Sarah says to us a little awkwardly, and her face goes an even darker shade of red as she says, it because she is feeling quite embarrassed at having to tell her younger brother and his boyfriend about this kind of thing. "Um... what's that? If it's anything to do with school then no, as you should know I hardly turn up to school and when I do I don't concentrate." I reply honestly. "No, dad pulled me out of school not long after mum died, and we went sailing around the world." Pierre replies to my sister shedding a tear at the horrible memory. "Look you have nothing to be worried about. You are fine. This is something that mum should be discussing with you, but I know why you can't talk to her. Come and see me tonight and I will explain things better. In the meantime hurry up and take your shower and get changed. Mum will be furious if you're not ready on time." Sarah says, and opens the door to shoo us out. We are really relieved to hear there is nothing wrong with us, so quickly leave her room and return to Pierre's to shower and change. Sarah can't believe what has just happened. In fact she can't believe how much has happened since she answered the phone the day we had to move. When she told mum that she wanted to live with us again so that she could get away from grandma, she never expected anything like what has happened. If someone had told her that she would end up going to France to find her brother, whom she hates boyfriend, then she would have laughed at them. Well she has done that, and now she has agreed to talk to me about sex. What has this planet come to? She thinks to herself. She chuckles to herself again, realising just how naïve I am about stuff. We drop our pants as soon as we re-enter Pierre's room, and wander through to the bathroom. As I had expected the bathroom is small. It is immaculately clean, and well-appointed but small and compact. The room consists of a toilet, vanity unit with a large golden framed mirror hanging on the wall behind it, and a decent sized shower cubicle. The fixtures are all of modern design fitting in with the design of the main room. The shower has a curved glass sliding door, and a massaging showerhead. The room also has a fancy selection of soaps and shampoos placed in an orderly fashion on the vanity. The selection is by far the most impressive I have seen in a hotel. There are a couple of pearl white towels hanging on the towel rack beside the shower, which means we don't need to search around for some. Pierre starts the shower running and adjusts the temperature. I wait till he is happy, just enjoying looking over his sexy naked body again. As soon as Pierre has everything just right he jumps into the shower cubicle and under the torrent of warm water. I quickly hop in behind him. I huddle up close to Pierre so the cascading water washes over me as well. It feels so cleansing having the water flow over my sweaty, grimy torso. The water setting is perfect and I instantly feel refreshed. Pierre notices before I have, that we haven't got any soap from on top of the vanity, so squeezes himself past me and gets out. He sorts through the selection of soaps until he finds one that he wants, unwraps it and wedges himself back in beside me. The shower cubicle is unquestionably big enough for the two of us, but we haven't adjusted the nozzle setting to increase the coverage of the water gushing from the showerhead. The setting it is currently on has too small a spread, that it scarcely covers one of us. I quickly grasp the idea that the nozzle is adjustable, so tinker around with it a bit until I have it just right. The water is now cascading evenly over both our naked bodies. Pierre quickly lathers up his silky smooth body, even making sure to soap up his bulbous reddish brown acorn shaped glans. He then hands me the soap to do the same, as he rinses off his glossy body. I have my body quickly covered in soapy foam as I lather myself up. Pierre hops out of the shower as I rinse off. I ogle my sexy boyfriend who now has a polished look to him, before shutting off the shower and joining him. We dry off admiring the way the other ones body is shining in the light. We both look squeaky clean as a result of the refreshing shower and the luxurious soap. We mosey on back through to the bedroom to get changed. I start to put on the clothes which I have flung onto the bed, as Pierre goes over to the wardrobe to find himself something to wear. He had been too eager to get me into his room that he has forgotten to get his stuff ready. Pierre scours through the clothes which have been bought for him, in search of something decent to wear. I have already put on my tight maroon cotton jeans, and a white with red lines collared shirt, by the time Pierre has found what he wants to wear. I button up my shirt as I gawk at my adorable sexy darling getting changed. He pulls on some snug fitting black denim jeans, and a blue and white chequered dress shirt. I'm not convinced that the jeans are actually supposed to fit so snugly, as he seems to have a lot of trouble buttoning them up, but it really does look damn sexy. I have to go back to my room to get some shoes and socks. Once Pierre finishes buttoning up his shirt I give him a quick kiss right on the lips, and then I leave the room. I see mum coming out of her room as I make my way back to mine. I know I have to hurry. I approach my room and go to knock, when Callum opens the door to come out. He smiles at me as I brush past him to finish changing. I quickly pull on a pair of white ankle socks and my polished black dress shoes. Now fully changed, I go back out to the hallway to join everyone else. I get out to the hallway and everyone is already waiting. Even Pierre has put on his shoes and socks and joined everyone before I had. They all look really smart. Sarah has on a velvet coloured silk dress, black high heeled shoes, and a glorious pearl necklace which I never knew she had. Callum has on some blue cotton jeans and a white dress shirt with black stripes. Mum has on a black skirt, white dress shirt, and black high heels. She is also wearing a sparkling gold necklace, which I have only seen her wear once before. The last time she wore it was on her wedding anniversary before dad went bad. We all drift towards the lift and then out to the van once back on the ground floor. We pile into the van in an unusually orderly fashion. We wind our way through the streets of Vichy to François's place and pick him up. François then directs mum where to go, as we make our way towards the restaurant that he has picked out for us. It is situated just on the outskirts of town on the main road. To look at it you wouldn't think that it is a restaurant, as it looks more like a little farm cottage. François tells us that this is a secret little family owned restaurant which the locals just rave about. It sounds good and we all are looking forward to trying it out. Mum parks up and we get out of the van and go inside. It really is a small restaurant with only about six tables. All bar one of the tables are full, telling me that this is a popular restaurant as the empty table is reserved for us. François had booked us in here as soon as he knew the date we were going to be here. If he had left it any later to book then we would have missed out. The best thing with this place is that it is a set menu. So we don't need to choose what we want, let alone have to have the menu translated for us in the first place. Pierre and I take a seat right next to each other, which means Callum has to sit on the opposite side of the table. Before Sarah and the adults sit down, my sister motions them to go with her for a moment. Once they were out of everyone's earshot Sarah starts talking. It is the first chance I've had to see what François is wearing. He is looking really smart. Dressed to the tee. He is wearing black dress pants which he has recently ironed. It gives it a smart looking crease along the legs. On top he is wearing a white dress shirt, with thin lines on it of varying colours. He has his shirt buttoned right up to the top button, which is hidden behind a royal blue tie. He is also wearing a black blazer on top which he has left unbuttoned. Of course he is also wearing the most immaculate dress shoes. I can't believe that this is the same person who I had met earlier. It turns out that even with how poor he is, he always makes sure he has some really good dress clothes. The adults come back, and look a little strange. François and mum look a little flushed, as their faces are a deep shade of red. I'm not sure what Sarah has said to them but it seems to have embarrassed them a bit. Oh well, I have more important things to worry about. Sarah takes her seat beside Callum. Mum and François take the ends of the table, or should I say the head of the table. I suddenly remember something which I would have felt really bad about, if I had totally forgotten about. "Happy birthday Pierre! I'm sorry I didn't get you a present." I say enthusiastically to my lovely French boyfriend. He smiles at me, a warm and loving smile which always makes my heart melt. "I'm not worried about a present. I'm just glad you remembered, especially with everything that has happened. Anyway you came back into my life, and that is the best present of all." Pierre replies, and then gives me a quick hug and a peck on the cheek. By this stage Callum and Sarah have cottoned on to what I have said. Mum gives us an evil disapproving glare as Pierre kisses me. "Yeah happy birthday Pierre." The both say in unison. Mum never says anything which I think is a bit mean of her, but I bite my tongue as it wouldn't be right to make a scene in such a cosy little restaurant. I also presume that François has already given Pierre his birthday greeting, but in saying that it is also a day that neither of them really want to remember. I really feel sorry for Pierre having to share his birthday with the day his mum died, because it really must be difficult for him to celebrate what should be a special day. "Thank you so much. I know today represents a really bad day for both families, and I never thought that I would ever get to enjoy my birthday again. I mean I lost my mother two years ago today. My uncle lost his house, and of course what happened to josh. It really has been a terrible day. But I have really enjoyed today, and it has all been because of you. Thank you." Pierre says. Tears have started rolling from his eyes and down his cheeks. I hug him, as I weep too. As much as I try to forget about it, I always get remind about the horrors incurred on this day two years ago. "How did you lose your house?" Sarah asks François. We are all a little concerned at the revelation. I don't think Pierre had intended to, but he inadvertently dropped his uncle right in the shit. "It's a bit of a long story, but I'll tell you a shortened version. I used to be a farm worker. Until I rolled the tractor I was driving and crushed my leg. It had be get amputated. With the loss of my leg I could no longer work on a farm, and as a result I got really depressed. I started drinking, and gambling. I lost everything, and before I could get on top of my addictions I had also lost my house. The house had been in our family for generations, and the plan was that when I pass it was to go to Pierre. I have no kids of my own, so he is the next in line in our family." He says and bursts out crying. He feels so ashamed with himself for losing something that had been in the family for ages. He also feels really guilty because it was supposed to get passed on to Pierre, but he has lost it so he can't see that ever happening. "Do you think the new owners will sell it back to you?" I query Pierre's uncle. François just looks at me, until he remembers what I had said earlier in the day. "No I just couldn't... I mean it is my fault I lost the place. I just couldn't allow you to buy it on my behalf." François tells me. He still has tears streaming from his eyes, which are now red as a result. "Look you went through a really rough patch and I can understand that. But I take it you also gave up gambling and drinking as a result. So just think of it as a reward for all the good things that you have done, like allowing your nephew to live with you when he had nowhere else to go, even though you couldn't afford it. Now you are also willing to adopt him out so that he can have a better life than you can provide. You have sacrificed a lot so I think you well and truly deserve it." I say to him with all my heart behind it. I am really envious with the sacrifices he has made, and really appreciative that he has allowed Pierre to live with me. "I can see that I'm not going to win against you am I?" François mutters. "No I have been told that I am really pig headed at times." I quip back. He sighs knowing that he isn't going to win, leaving me smiling knowing he has given up the fight. "The people who bought it understood my plight. They told me that if I could get my life back on track and find the money, they would be willing to sell the house back to me. I suppose we just have to hope that it is still the same people living there." François replies. He has given in, and accepted my offer. I am really glad he does, as I want Pierre to be able to take over the family house when it is his turn. I know that Pierre appreciates what I have done, because he gives me yet another hug squeezing my tightly. The waitress comes over to take our aperitifs order, or should I say drinks order. We don't even have a chance to get what we want as mum straight away orders a bottle of champagne. The waitress then leaves without seeing what anyone else wants, which surprises me as surely the restaurant won't allow kids to have alcohol. I get a bigger surprise when she comes back and pours everyone a glass of the expensive drink including us kids in a kid sized glass. Pierre can sense my confusion so puts me straight. "Look Josh, it's normal over here for kids to have a drink of wine, or even champagne with their family over a meal. Mum and dad used to give me a wine with lunch and dinner all the time." He tells me. I know I still have a lot to get used to with the different cultures, but I think this is a good thing. I mean French kids are educated on how to drink so then they learn to respect it, which means that France doesn't have the binge drinking problems that we do back home. "I would like to make a toast for a happier and safer life for both families." François says after the waitress has finished pouring everyone a glass. We all hold our glasses up and then clink them together with the person on each side of us. We then all take a small sip, savouring the flavour of the delicious bubbly nectar. I can see why champagne is so popular and expensive as it really tastes like it is made in heaven. We sit around talking until the waitress comes back with our first course. It is pote ?e auvergnate, or cabbage soup, with a couple baguettes' to share between us. It is a traditional dish for the region, and probably their best known one. It tastes pretty good, and with the bread it is so easy to clean up the bowl afterward. We all eat up all of the soup. All of us like it, which is a bonus as we are usually pretty picky at times, Callum especially. The waitress comes back once we have all finished and takes away our plates. After a little wait she returns with the next course. The next dish is a pork liver pate with a cranberry sauce drizzled over it. The pate is made at the restaurant by the chef, and tastes beautiful. It is so nice getting homemade product as opposed to the mass produced stuff. I try to savour it longer than I had with the soup but it doesn't work and is quickly all gone. This time I am not the first to finish, as Callum loves it so much he has scoffed it all down in seconds. Again all the plates are emptied, and everyone looks happy with the meal so far. In between courses we just sit and talk. I also use the chance to hold Pierre's hand. No one can see us as we are sheltered by the table and the red and white checked table cloth. It is just nice to have a relaxing meal, and be able to hold the hand of that special somebody. It is the closest we have come to showing our affection publically, and yet no one other than us knows what we are doing. Again the table gets cleared, and the next course arrives. It is a dish called aligot, and comes served with a locally produced sausage. The dish is garlic mashed potatoes with Chantal cheese mixed in. It is a really great dish, and the chef picked out the perfect tasting sausage to go with it. I'm glad for the long intervals between courses, as otherwise I would be full and bloated by now. I am starting to wonder as to how many courses are left to come, as I have heard that some meals can consist of up to seven different courses. I'm glad to see the next course as it is dessert. It must mean that we are coming to the end of the meal. Again dessert is another local dish called clafoutis. It is a fruit tart with a flour batter and baked with egg poured over the fruit interior. The fruit the restaurant has used is black cherries. It is yet another great dish and I'm left wanting more. At least with this meal everyone is having the same thing, so I'm not getting jealous seeing what everyone else has ordered. To my surprise it isn't the last course. The waitress comes back with a couple of cheese boards after having cleared the dessert plates. The board contains a selection of locally made cheese and crackers. The waitress returns before we have started the course and gives the adults a glass of cognac. She brings us kids a bowl of hot chocolate as even in France kids aren't allowed the higher alcohol volume drinks. Well at least not in a restaurant. I have somewhat expected the next course, which I see the waitress bringing over to us. It is the only variation from the set menu that we have had. It is a gateau, or cake. The restaurant has made it especially for us, well for Pierre to be exact. They have also dressed it with twelve lit candles to match his age. The cake looks totally delicious, and it's a rich chocolate cake. "Joyeux anniversaire! ? Fe ?licitations sur douze ans!" The waitress exclaims as she places the cake in front of Pierre. On the plate that the cake comes on is an envelope which neither of us expected to see. Before Pierre can open the envelope, he makes his wish and blows out the candles. The waitress then gives him a knife to make a cut, which he promptly does making sure to leave the knife in the cake. He then takes the envelope and opens it, as the waitress takes the cake and cuts it up and serves a slice of it to everyone. Pierre's mouth drops wide open as he sees what the envelope contains. He then drops it on the table and runs over to mum and gives her a big hug. He has started crying. I can't resist and have to see what has got Pierre so emotional. So I pick up the envelope and look inside. There are two bits of official looking paper inside, which surprises me as I can't understand why that would get Pierre so worked up. I think that I had better look at the properly. My mouth drops wide open as well as I see the first piece of paper is the adoption papers, which have been approved by the French authorities. The second is a certificate of New Zealand residency. Pierre is now legally allowed to come back to New Zealand, and live there as well. "Happy birthday Pierre, I hope you like your present." Mum says to my boyfriend as he continues to hug her. I have got out of my seat and embraced her in a hug as well. Pierre and I are both crying with happiness. The adoption is complete so Pierre is one of us now. Pierre lets mum go and goes over to his uncle and hugs him. Pierre knows that it is his uncles doing as well as my mums. Well our mum's now. "Thank you mum." I whisper, as I continued to hug her. I have started to get my tears under control, but I still want to hug mum. This is by far the best thing she has done for me in ages, and I really appreciate her for it. "It is my pleasure Josh. I hope this can go some way towards you forgiving me for failing to protect you so much." Mum whispers back, and gives me a small kiss on the cheek. Usually I would have thought yuck, and wiped her kiss off, but today I actually enjoy it. It is probably the closest I have felt to mum in a long, long time. Pierre and I release our respective adults from our hugs and take our seats again. It dawns on me that yet again I have been lied to by my mother, but this time I am glad she did as it really was a great surprise. Her and François must have put a lot of effort into it because everything mum had told us at lunch can't have been thought up right then on the spot. I really do wonder how long they had been going behind our backs to organise everything, but I really appreciate everything that they have done because it really has made it a special day. "What was your present Pierre?" Callum asks earnestly. He is bouncing around in his seat as he can sense that it must be something important. I am struggling to stop myself from cracking up seeing Callum so excited. "It is the adoption papers, which have been approved. Your mum also managed to get me a certificate saying that I'm now a New Zealand resident as well." Pierre says with the broadest smile across his face. Callum gets us all in hysterics as he leaps out of his seat and cheers. He gets so excited that his chair almost falls over as he hurriedly gets out of it. All the other patrons in the restaurant burst out laughing at the little boys antics. We are just relieved that he doesn't annoy them with the way he abruptly interrupts their meal with his excitement. Callum sits down again looking a little shamefaced at the way he reacted. We don't help the way he feels either as we continue to laugh at him. Even the waitress who is dishing up the cake is laughing at him. As the waitress hands the cake around she congratulates Pierre on the adoption. It turns out that she can speak English, which we hadn't realised. Mum had been getting François to do all the ordering so we never found out whether or not she could speak English. We all savour the cake as much as possible knowing that there is nothing left to come after it. The cake is really well baked. It is still very moist, and the taste is like a party on the taste buds. All too soon the cake is gone and our plates empty. The waitress clears the table, and mum decides that it is time to head back to the hotel. She gets up and pays for the dinner, as we all ready ourselves. Once she has paid we all amble out of the restaurant and back to the van. We have all enjoyed an exceptionally good meal, and a lovely ambience which the restaurant created. I'm feeling nicely full, as due to the waits between courses it allowed the food to settle so that I'm not feeling bloated. We all bound into the van and belt up. Mum starts it up and makes her way from the parking lot onto the main road. Pretty quickly we get back to the hotel which surprises me, as I thought that we would be dropping François off first. Mum has other ideas as she quite often does. We jump out of the van and make our way into the hotel and back to our rooms. "Callum I think it's time you went to bed. The others will be in soon. Josh, Pierre follow me." Mum tells us boys' in a semi-stern tone of voice. I know that we aren't in trouble as we have done nothing wrong, so why does she want to see us? Callum still has the key to our room, so quickly leaves and goes to bed. Mum opens the door to her room and goes in followed by Sarah and François. I know it has to be something pretty serious if everyone else is involved, but I still can't think of what. We grudgingly follow them into mum's room still not sure what it is all about. I close the door behind me and lock it. I'm not sure why I locked it, force of habit I suppose. Mum and François are in the armchairs, and Sarah is sitting on the single bed. Mum motions for Pierre and me to sit on the double bed, which mum is using to sleep in. "So I hear you two had a bit of a scare earlier today." Mum says to us. I flush red, and I can see Pierre is just as embarrassed as me. I didn't have any inkling that mum would call us into her room about this. I give my sister wicked look knowing that she must have told mum about it. "I'm sorry but I didn't really know how to approach this with you. It is mum's job to talk to you about this sort of stuff anyway." Sarah tells me, after noticing my evil glare. She looks as embarrassed as I feel so I know it isn't something that she would normally want to talk about. "So, anyway I think you should tell me what happened. Also I want to know how much you already know about sex." Mum says. Surprisingly she is keeping herself cool, calm and collected given the nature of the conversation. It is really impressive for her, as she knows that she is going to have to discuss gay sex with us which is something she never wanted to have to do, but realises that it is safer for us if she does. "Um... well we were kissing naked... and we got this... um... really strange feeling come from our... well you know." I reply to mum. I am feeling really uncomfortable already, and this is only the beginning. Pierre is as darker shade of red as I have seen him get, he is that embarrassed. "I don't know anything about... um... sex." Pierre states totally flustered. All we know about sex is that it is a bad word. Mum used to make sure that any movie I watched had no sex scenes in it, and used to try and hide anything to do with the subject. "What so neither of you know how nice it feels to play with your penis?" François chimes in, as he is unable to believe that two boys' could have never played around with their own little dicks. "No, mum used to tell me off if I played with it." I reply. I really just want to curl up in a grave and die, as opposed to have this sort of conversation. I'm humiliated enough already without getting told how naïve I am as well. "But I caught you playing with Pierre's... well you know, in the shower." Mum counters. She is starting to lose her composure now, and is blushing herself. "What? Oh yeah that. I wasn't playing with it, I was just cleaning it when it got stiff." I answer matter of factly, remembering the incident she is talking about. "Oh, well it seems that I might have overreacted then. I'm sorry about that, but I really thought you were playing with him." Mum says blushing bright red. It should have been an apology, but it doesn't feel like it as mum just doesn't put any weight behind it. I know this is hard for her, but she could at least try harder. I mean she is my mother so she should have been prepared to have this conversation with me. It just seems that she still can't get past the fact that I'm gay. I think Sarah and François pick up on mum's negativity a bit, as they seem to take over the conversation from here. We find out that Sarah didn't want to talk to us about it because she has no experience herself with sex. She also knew very little about how the male anatomy works. She must be a rarity, as most sixteen year old girls seem to have had sex these days. François unsurprisingly knows more about the male anatomy, but even he doesn't have a lot of experience with sex. He had been working too hard during his life, and never really found anyone who he wanted to settle down with. He has had the odd fling but even those have been few and far between. Even with their general lack of knowledge, they manage to explain what they need to pretty well. Mum does chime in from time to time, but generally she feels too uncomfortable talking to us about gay sex. Pierre and I feel totally embarrassed at the whole thing. We do learn a lot, and all our fears about what had happened earlier are laid to rest. We both are actually amazed to find out that our little dicks can provide such fun and pleasure. I had always thought that its only purpose is to piss out of, so to find out this other stuff really intrigues me. "Josh, what we are going to tell you next will most likely confuse and upset you. We have to tell you as it will be worse if you find out any other way." Mum says. That completely shocks the two of us as mum has hardly said anything for a while. I feel really nervous, as I am not too sure as to whether I want to hear any more, especially if it will upset me. ************ Comments are always welcome at (pennywise3636@gmail.com). Please keep all comments clean. 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