Date: Thu, 21 Jul 2005 09:21:30 -0700 From: fritz@nehalemtel.net Subject: I Love Corey, Chapter Sixty-two So you're back to read another chapter. Perhaps you need to see a professional and see why you have such a masochistic streak in yourself. I can think of many better ways to be punished than reading this story. In the meantime... If you are underage please leave. You will note that I have politely asked you to leave and therefore you have no excuse for staying. Claiming that you didn't realize you shouldn't read the story will not be accepted as an excuse. After all, if you are old enough to find and read this story, you know right from wrong. This story sometimes contains descriptions of gay sex and if that offends you, please leave before you encounter such horrid things. You might also want to ask yourself why you find them so offensive. Could it be that you are secretly turned on and are afraid to admit it? Once again I will remind you that the reading of a story such as this one is illegal in some areas. If you reside is such an area please leave or get the law changed. I in no way advocate breaking the law even if the law is sometimes asinine. Since I have written this story, that makes it my intellectual property. Okay, so using the word intellectual in the same sentence as this story is probably not a good idea. Still I consider it my property and would request that you do not post it anywhere without my permission. If you find something in it that you think worth quoting, please attribute the quotes to me. Other than that, feel free to read and hopefully enjoy the story. Granted that there are many stories that are better but it is all my feeble imagination could come up with. That makes it fiction and I did not base it on any persons, living or dead. If you think you see any such resemblance, it is accidental and was not intended. Ernie is still under the weather. However another kind reader offered to look it over and check for errors. In fact, several did but in the end I selected the first one that had offered. He found a bunch of mistakes which was really no surprise. Anyhow, my many thanks to Don for all his help with this chapter. You are invited to write and make comments, ask questions, offer suggestions, or complain. I am more than happy to try to answer any such emails. Just send them to fritz@nehalemtel.net but be sure to put I Love Corey in the subject line. Failing to do that may result in your email being deleted without being read. Far too much spam arrives for me to inspect each email and I only read those I think I need to. In the meantime I hope you enjoy the following chapter. Fritz ******************************************************************************** I Love Corey, Chapter Sixty-two At least it didn't take an ice cube to get Kyle awake. Somehow Mark got him up and moving without it. I could only marvel at the difference in the two groups of boys. Corey and Mark were wide-awake and the other three looked like they were still sound asleep. Well their eyes were open and they were moving, but I was sure their minds were still in bed. Grunts seemed to be the limit of their communication ability. While food was some help in getting them going, it was slow acting. By the time I left for school they were up to one word answers. It was one of those days you dream about. Nothing went wrong. The students were on the ball and had all their homework done. They paid attention in class and we managed to cover all of the material I had planned and a little more. Shopping for groceries even went great. I managed to get some more steaks and set up the dinner with Rob for Thursday evening. The boys played basketball while I fixed hamburger gravy to serve over rice. A Waldorf salad and some green beans accompanied it. As I was fixing dinner I suddenly realized that Mrs. Babcock's car was missing, then I noticed the note in the mailbox, telling me she had picked it up. She even left a separate note for Corey and I hoped it wouldn't upset him. While Corey wasn't thrilled with his note, at least he didn't appear depressed over it. He just sort of shrugged it off. However he was a little more quiet after reading it. At least we knew she was well enough to pick up the car. I did wish that she had done it at a time which would have allowed her to visit with Corey. The time on the note she left told me she would have only needed to wait an hour or so for us to get home. After dinner we had a talk. I tried to convince Kyle and Mark that they needed two beds in their room. That still didn't go over well. I got more arguments about how they had always shared a room, and for that matter, a bed. They were used to sharing the bed and wanted to continue. As they kept telling me about why they wanted to continue sharing a bed, I began understand why. To them it was their protection and refuge. When things were bad they could huddle together and console each other. While in bed they were, for the most part, out of their father's way. Kyle and Mark thought of it as the safest place they had. Still Judy had seemed to stress that each child needed his own room and bed. Maybe I had misunderstood her. I decided I needed to talk with her and find out what would be acceptable. We finally agreed to wait and see what Judy said. If she insisted they have separate beds they would just have to get by with bunk beds or something like that. Neither acted really thrilled with that, but it was the best I could come up with at that time. Still I had learned why they wanted to be together and that was a step forward. Wednesday was just as good. I'd told the boys they would have to take the bus home because I needed to talk with the District Attorney after school. The meeting with him was quick and over almost before it got started. He asked a couple of questions about what I remembered and I pulled out my notes and answered. When I'd learned the Rev. wouldn't apologize and there would be a trial it had seemed like a good idea to write things down so I could remember them. Telling me to review my notes before the trial, he sent me home. I'd gotten in and out of his office in about a half hour. I guess he could see I had written everything that happened down and figured he didn't need to jog my memory. I'd picked up some chicken breasts and figured it was a good night to cook them. The only problem was how. Rummaging through the fridge produced a bunch of basil. I decided to try something I had heard about. I grabbed some pine nuts and started them toasting. After picking the stems off the basil it went in the food processor. Two cloves of garlic joined it and a little salt and pepper. Then I added the juice of a lemon and the toasted pine nuts along with some parsley. Next went in some parmesan cheese. Turning the food processor on I added just enough olive oil until I had a thick pesto. If I had been going to put it on pasta I would have used more olive oil but it looked about right for what I had in mind. I cleaned the food processor and started again. This time I took some sourdough French bread and put it in the processor. Next I melted a little butter in the microwave and added it. Then I grated some mozzarella cheese and added that to the mix and turned it on. A few pulses later I had a cheese and breadcrumb mix. Next I started some rice pilaf. While the rice was browning, I diced some celery, carrots, and a couple of onions. When the rice started to brown I added the vegetables and started them cooking, stirring frequently. A big gob of sliced mushrooms was added. When the vegetables were somewhat cooked and the rice a little browner, I added some chicken stock and some salt and pepper, along with some curry powder. It was now time to cook the chicken. I floured and then browned the breasts in a hot pan and then put a layer of the pesto on one side, followed by a layer of the bread crumb cheese mixture. Into the oven they went. The boys were now finishing up getting the table ready. I finished fixing a green salad while the chicken breasts rested after I had removed them from the oven. A quick fluff of the rice and it was time to eat. A serving of rice went on the plate and was topped with a breast. A Pinot Gris from the Willamette Valley went well with it. The chicken breasts were pretty good sized but it was a good thing I had fixed more than one per person. Mark was the only one of the boys that didn't have another half of a chicken breast and he looked longingly at one but just couldn't find room. The rest of the boys didn't have that problem. One was more than ample for me and I even shared several bites with Dog. Well so did the boys but they didn't give him much over a couple of bites. Of the ten chicken breasts, only two were left. I would have been willing to bet even those would be gone before lights out. It seemed like no matter how much I cooked, the refrigerator was always empty. I hoped my new refrigerator had good hinges on it because most evenings the boys always seemed to be looking in it, trying to find something more to eat. I sure didn't have a problem with having to throw out leftovers. In fact I was beginning to think leftovers were a mythical word. The clouds were coming in as I went to school Thursday. Our spell of good weather appeared to be over. That meant I wouldn't be able to barbeque the steaks like I had planned. Still school went well and for some reason this whole week had been great. I was beginning to get spooked. I didn't really know what to do without any crises in my life. It seemed like it had been so long since nothing had gone wrong that I had forgotten how it felt. I was starting to worry over what could go wrong and when it would happen. Kyle still wasn't opening up but Mark was beginning to relax. His wisecracks about drove poor Kyle nuts. Kyle was so worried that Mark would do something that would make me mad that he was almost a nervous wreck. I kept trying to convince him that I wouldn't hurt him or Mark but so far he still didn't believe me. However he was moving better and his ribs didn't appear to give him as many problems. As far as I could see he still hadn't made any friends at school but hopefully he would in time. Mark was starting to make a few friends. When I saw him in the halls he was generally with the same group of kids. It was pouring down rain by the time we headed home. The old expression about the cow and the flat rock came to mind. There would be no basketball game tonight. I decided to see if I could get the boys to do some of the housework they normally did on the weekend because this weekend was shaping up to be really busy. Kyle and Mark weren't a problem. With the other three, well let's just say that slave driver was among the milder words they used to describe the idea. All I really wanted them to do was their laundry and a little picking up of their rooms. I also got eye rolls and lots of sighs. All the while they were doing that they were complaining that there was nothing to do because it was raining. Reminding them of the promises made over Disneyland only produced more eye rolls and sighs. To watch them carry their dirty clothes to the laundry room, one would have thought they had been working for several days without a stop. Their shoulders were slumped and they moved like each step would be their last. They made such a production of it that I decided to be evil. I reminded them that their beds needed changing. I did offer them the choice of doing it now or doing it on the weekend but told them that if they chose the weekend, even if they were tired, and even if it was late because they had worked, they would still have to change them. I didn't hear anymore whining and the beds were changed. I think they got the idea that bitching and whining produced answers they didn't like. I also added vacuuming the living and family rooms and dusting to their tasks. They could do that while the washer and dryer were running. I would have told them to also mop the kitchen floor but I was busy cooking. I pealed and cored some pears and put them in some wine with some sugar and spices to poach. The pears with a little ice cream should take care of desert. I also put some potatoes to baking. I figured some twice baked potatoes would go well with the steaks. Tonight I would fix them with parmesan cheese, sour cream, and chives. The weather was nasty so I decided to go with a recipe handed down in my family for a vegetable. Stewed breaded tomatoes. I always thought of it as comfort food. Mom would cook it on stormy nights. It was so simple to make and I really liked it so I had no idea why I didn't make it more often. All it consisted of was canned tomatoes, a few slices of bread, a little sugar, and some cheddar cheese. As long as I was fixing old family recipes I decided to have wilted lettuce for a salad. If that didn't fill everyone up I didn't know what else to do. The pears had simmered for about twenty minutes so it was time to remove them from the heat and let them cool. I stuck a toothpick in a couple of them to make sure they were done and they seemed just about right. Later I'd reduce the poaching liquid and pour a little of it over the pear halves and the vanilla ice cream. When the potatoes were done I scooped the insides out and mashed them. I added a little milk, some sour cream, and some parmesan cheese, a bunch of diced chives and some salt and pepper. When it was all whipped up I carefully filled the potato skins with the mashed potato mixture and brushed a little melted butter on top. A little time in the oven before dinner would reheat them and brown the tops. Actually things were going well. Rob had said he couldn't be here much before seven so that gave me lots of time to cook. I got out some romaine lettuce and washed and dried it. I really like the salad dryer I'd bought a few years ago. You just put the greens in it and gave the handle a few cranks and presto, the greens were dried. It probably was a little bigger than I needed but I'd bought it from a restaurant supply firm and it was the smallest model they had. You could put five or six heads of cut up lettuce in it. My few bunches of romaine looked sort of lonely in it. Before Corey I had normally just bought pre-washed greens and let it go at that but after he came into my life I started making the salads from scratch. Once the lettuce was dry I diced some green onions and added them to the lettuce. Then I diced some bacon and put in a pan and rendered it down. I removed the now crisp bacon and added that to the lettuce. Some vinegar and sugar went in the pan along with the bacon grease. That would make the salad dressing however it was still too early to prepare it. I took three cans of tomatoes and put them in a casserole dish and then I diced five slices of bread and added it. A quarter cup of sugar and some salt and pepper were next. A quick stir and taste. After I added a little more sugar, another taste and it was about right. Then I diced about a half pound of cheddar cheese and added that to the dish. Into the oven it went after a quick stir. I'd have to stir it several times while it cooked, so the cheese was well distributed. I might even have to add more bread if it was too runny. The tomatoes were about done by the time Rob, accompanied by Lee, Derrick, and Kathy, showed up. It was time to finish dinner. I started the pear poaching liquid reducing and the salad dressing heating. The steaks were then browned on each side. The tomatoes had required two more slices of diced bread but were now done, so I removed them from the oven and turned the oven on up to 450 degrees. Soon the steaks were ready to go in the oven. I had put them on the broiler pan so I could make a sauce in the frying pan. After pouring almost all the fat from the pan, I added a couple of diced shallots and after the shallots were slightly browned, some red wine. Some Glace de Viande followed, along with some salt and pepper. It didn't look like there was quite enough so I added a little water and just before I used it I would whisk in some butter. I pulled the steaks out of the oven to let them rest. The potatoes, which had been heating in the other oven, were lightly browned on top so I removed them. The sauce for the steaks and the dressing for the salad were done before the steaks had rested long enough so I turned the burners down and continued visiting. Rob had been filling me in on how the Collins' were doing. He thought they might come out to visit for their vacation. Of course that made Derrick and Kathy happy. Lee didn't know them well enough to be thrilled but he said he was looking forward to getting better acquainted with them. I couldn't believe the difference in Lee. He had given me a big hug when he arrived and had taken off with the boys after that. When the boys had returned, after putting away one load of clothes, he was grinning and joking with them. He just acted so much different than I had ever seen him act before. He and Derrick were poking fun at each other and Kathy was getting her share of jabs in. All three of them seemed to be getting along well. At least Kathy had gotten over her crush on JJ and she was no longer chasing him. I'd heard that she had found another boy at school and was after him but in a somewhat more restrained manner. Tonight she was acting much more like a young lady. It was sometimes amazing how quickly kids matured. I could see that in just a couple of months Kathy had really changed. She had even stopped giggling quite as much. Corey poured the wine, which was Kenwood's Jack London vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. I put the steaks on a platter and spooned a little of the sauce over them and tossed the greens in the salad dressing. It was now time to eat. The steaks were big steaks, probably around a pound apiece, but that didn't seem to slow the kids down. If the size daunted them, I sure didn't notice it. Even Kathy's was soon reduced to only a bone on her plate. The potatoes were gone and so were most of the tomatoes. As for the salad, that suffered a similar fate. However all the kids thought a pause before desert might be a good idea. Dog got part of my steak and he managed to finagle a few bites from everyone else. He didn't even seem interested in his bowl of dog food. He had a big stockpile of bones and was happily gnawing on them. When the boys started picking up the dishes, Lee pitched right in like he still lived here. Even Derrick and Kathy helped and it didn't take the kids long to have the table clean and the dishwasher loaded after which they all took off to watch some stupid science fiction movie the boys had rented. Rob and I sat at the table and visited. We finished arranging the sale of the Ranger and while his kids filled it up, Rob figured he could get by with it for a while. I also learned that Chuck was starting to see one of the ladies that worked at Downie's. She was one of the people that had been hired to help cover the increase in business and I didn't know her, so I could offer no opinion on her. Rob was simply bubbly about the upcoming opening of the new smoke house. He kept telling me of all the sausages and other smoked meats they would be able to offer. Along the way I figured out Mr. Downie was just about giving him control over it. Apparently Mr. Downie thought that Rob was competent to run the meat department and I knew that Mr. Downie had been complaining for a long time about the meat department occupying too much of his time. We kept talking and eventually the conversation got around to Lee. Rob was really happy with the way everything had turned out. He even admitted that he had been too uptight with not only his perceived impressions about Lee and me, but also his own children. He told me that trying to make sure he understood things with Lee had caused him to do the same with his own children and that made everything go better with all the kids. I also learned that Betty had done a lot of the raising of Derrick and Kathy and in many senses he was learning as he went and that sounded about like most parents to me. I mean there is no instruction manual that comes with a child. Every parent has to learn as he goes. I was sure learning a whole bunch I had never known because of the boys. We ended up laughing at some of the mistakes that our parents had made with us and wondered if we could avoid making the same ones or ones similar to those ourselves. We decided only time would tell. When the movie was over, we all had some desert. The pears were good. Then Rob and his brood left. I got a big hug from Lee and the smile that accompanied it warmed my heart. Lee looked happy. I had to chuckle when he whispered he missed my cooking. I got the impression that Rob had a little more to learn about cooking. I sent the boys to finish their homework and reminded them that there was a load of clothes in the dryer that needed folding. They didn't protest too much. While they were doing that I started Sunday dinner. I had a huge pot roast and I was going to make sauerbraten. I hadn't had any for several years and it really sounded good. I took two cups of red wine vinegar, two cups of red wine, a cup of white wine, a cup of cider vinegar, two medium onions coarsely chopped, three large carrots coarsely diced, some ribs of celery diced, some bay leaves, a tablespoon of pepper corns crushed, a tablespoon of salt, a teaspoon of whole allspice crushed, and three whole cloves crushed and put it in a pan along with a cup of water. When it was just about to boil I poured it over the pot roast which I had placed in a large bowl. I let it sit for a minute or so and then turned the roast over in the bowl. It worked out about right. There was just enough liquid to cover the roast. When it cooled I would again turn the roast over and then cover the bowl and place it in the fridge. I'd turn it at least twice a day until I cooked it. By now it was time to check the boy's homework after which it was time for bed. Dinner had been good and the day even better. I was particularly happy that Lee was doing well. It was also nice to see that Rob was accepting the death of his wife and had gotten himself straightened out. He was altogether different than he had been. He was much happier and a lot more relaxed. I was pretty sure he still had moments when he felt sad but life goes on. He seemed to be coping better than I had when my parents were killed. That led to the thought that I might have gotten over it a lot quicker had the boys been in my life. Anymore I didn't have much time to feel sorry for myself. I was too busy trying to make sure the boys were okay and not having any problems. Outside of the fact it was still raining, Friday went well until after dinner. That was when Dr. Vince Logan called. After exchanging the usual greetings he asked me if I was aware that Terrence Blackman was in the hospital and had a brain tumor. I hadn't talked with Diane since she moved to her own house and while I saw Jimmy in school, he hadn't said anything about his father. The news was completely unexpected. When I inquired if Diane and the children were visiting Terry, Vince said no and that left me wondering what to do. I told the boys I was going to run over to the hospital and see Terry. I got some strange looks from everyone except Kyle and Mark but since it was getting late in the visiting hours period, I just left. I figured that the other boys could fill them in. I didn't know how Terry would react to me. Vince had told me that the tumor had affected Terry's sight to the point he was blind. While I still was angry with the way he had acted, he had been a friend and I needed to know if I could do anything for him. It didn't take long to get to the hospital and after checking with the nurse, I soon found myself at his door. I didn't really know quite what to do, so I just knocked on the door which was standing open. After being invited in I was shocked. Terry looked awful. Having him gaze wildly around when he clearly wasn't seeing anything was even worse. "Hi Terry," I said. "Who is it?" "It's Sam Terry. How are you feeling?" "What are you doing here?" There was a bitterness in his voice that made his question almost an accusation. Also he was no longer gazing wildly around. My voice had told him where I was and he was now looking in my direction. The only thing was, he was just a little way off in his gaze, like he didn't have me placed quite correctly. "I just heard about you tonight and came to see if I could do anything for you, like maybe get you some music or an audio book." "Why?" This wasn't quite what I had expected. His bitterness was making it hard. I thought for a few seconds before answering. "Christ Terry, we've been friends for several years. One fight doesn't change that. Why wouldn't I come? You'd do the same for me." After that there was a pause. A fairly long one as if he was really thinking about what he wanted to say next. When he finally answered there was a catch in his voice. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me. For the last few months there's just been this terrible anger in me. I... I can't seem to control it." He fell silent. His eyes closed and I could see some tears start to trickle down his cheeks. "I'm sorry Sam, I shouldn't have taken it out on you." Now I was left wondering what to say. However he continued before I could think of a reply. "I've been having headaches and sometimes I couldn't see very well. I... I guess I was afraid. I didn't know what to do. I... I... well I was afraid to go to the doctor." By now he was starting to cry softly. I pulled a chair up close to the bed and sat in it and then I reached out and put my hand on his arm. "You don't have to apologize. We all do things we wish we hadn't. Let's just forget it. Is there anything I can get for you?" It took a while but finally he stopped crying and we started talking. Diane and the kids hadn't been to see him and from some of what he said, there had apparently been fights between them that I wasn't aware of. Now he didn't know how to apologize or even if they would give him a chance to offer one. He had told the doctors not to notify Diane and the kids. As more of the story poured out I learned he had also fought with his parents and Diane's parents and had not allowed them to be notified either. Yesterday morning he had woke up and couldn't see anything. He had managed to call 911 and ended up in the hospital. Now he was just scared and ashamed. I also learned the doctors didn't know much but were still running tests. We talked some more and I promised to bring him a boom box and some music. I knew he liked country western and asked what some of his favorite artists were so I would get the right ones. I finally left, telling him it would be fairly late before I could see him because I had to do some shopping for Mark and then had to explain about Kyle and Mark. I drove past Diane's house but all the lights were off so I couldn't talk with her. Even if she wouldn't forgive him, she needed to know. I was surprised that the hospital hadn't kicked me out when visiting hours were over but they had let me stay long past them. The boys were even in bed by the time I got home. I just snuggled up next to Corey and fell asleep with the smell of his hair in my nose. Saturday morning was a mess. All I got was the answering machine when I tried to call Diane. I had problems getting the boys up and ready to go to work. By the time things were reasonably under control, I knew Diane would be at work. I debated about stopping to see her before going on to Redding and shopping with Mark. He still needed a bunch more clothes and a bicycle. I finally decided to swing past the office where she worked. When I was shown to her office, I was greeted with a big smile. "Hi Sam, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" "Good morning. I just stopped by to ask if you'd heard that Terry is in the hospital." Her smile disappeared. "No." That flat answer left me wondering if this was a good idea. "I just found out yesterday evening and by the time I got back from visiting him it was too late to call you. I thought you'd want to know. He's in room 231." With that I paused. After what seemed like forever with no reply from her, I continued. "Look, I know you two have been fighting but I really think you and the kids might want to visit him. While they're still running tests on him, it doesn't look good." "What's wrong with him?" "Well, as I understand it he has a brain tumor. It's in a place that can't be operated on and they're running some tests to try to determine if it can be treated with chemotherapy or radiation. They also think that might have been part of the reason why his personality changed in the last few months and as of now he's blind." "Blind?" "Yeah, apparently the tumor's putting some pressure on some nerves or something. He also said he's been having headaches for the last six months or so. I talked with him for a couple hours last night and as of now he's darned scared. In fact he told me he had been afraid for a long time and that he knew something was wrong but was afraid to go to the doctor and see what it was. Besides the headaches he had periods of blurry vision and feelings of rage and helplessness." With that I was out of things to tell her. When she didn't say anything I finally said good-bye and left. The whole thing left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I had left Mark in the pickup and when I got back he had found a radio station that was certainly not among my favorites. They played a mixture of rap and some other popular music. 50 Cents is a group I can do without. I wondered if I ought to change the station but decided I could put up with it for the drive to Redding. Maybe I could come up with a way to change stations while we shopped. It got worse and Ludacris followed 50 Cents. I just gritted my teeth and kept driving. I did turn the volume down and that helped a little. I had a sneaking hunch that what I was hearing would never be considered classic. After all, classical music is only music that was popular many years ago. Composers like Gershwin were starting to be considered classical in a lot of quarters. I figured others, like Duke Ellington, would make it eventually. I had real doubts about 50 Cents. To say I was glad to get to the mall doesn't begin to cover it. We started at Macy's and found a few shirts that weren't bad. In fact by the time it was over Mark had picked out several shirts from makers such a Calvin Klein, Kenneth Cole and the like. I thought I was going to have to catch him when he looked at the price tag on the first one. He dropped it like it was on fire. I wondered what he would think when we made a trip to Neiman Marcus. As far as that went, the other boys hadn't been there yet. That might be interesting. I always tried to get there at least once a year. They sold some real nice shirts. By the time Mark picked out some pants of various kinds, he was in awe. I was sure this was the first time he had ever had that kind of money spent on him. He'd been excited last Sunday but this was worse. It was time for lunch. After we ate we then started looking for something that would be appropriate for church. I got a lot of whining over that and he eventually settled on a blazer and slacks. Neckties were not high on his list of things to wear. However the blazer fit perfectly and the slacks only needed to be cuffed. I was told we could pick them up in a couple hours. All the time we had been shopping I was trying to draw him out. As we went along he started to tell me a little about himself and Kyle. By the time it was over I knew a lot more than I had managed to pry out of Kyle. Mark was much more open. His family had never attended church so religion wasn't the problem between Kyle and his father. It seems that Mr. Masters had always had a very heavy hand with discipline. Frequent spankings, sometimes more like beatings, were the rule of the day. Both boys were commonly slapped around and denigrated for their efforts. Mark said that Kyle had taken the brunt of the abuse. As for their mother, well Kyle had always shied away from saying anything but I learned she was a drunk and had abandoned them about a year ago. While she had been there she had managed to keep Mr. Masters somewhat under control but when she left, things got much worse. Mr. Masters did more than his share of drinking before she left and even more after. The abuse went up and he convinced the boys that he would kill them if they told anyone. Things had all come to a head about a month ago. Mr. Masters had lost his job because of his drinking and he took it out on Kyle and Mark, and from what Mark told me, their life must have turned into a living hell. He appeared so happy just to be out of that environment. When he talked about his father there was a real bitterness in his voice. However when he talked about his mother there was a sadness there. Judy had told me that they were looking for his mother but no one knew where to find her. However I was stunned when Mark mentioned he kind of thought his father might have killed her. We finally had enough clothes so I headed for the bike shop. Mark had seen the other boys' bikes so he at least had some idea of what he could look at. Once again the price tag thing reared its ugly head. Sheer shock over the prices was his reaction. It took trips to three bike shops before he finally realized that I was serious when I told him to pick out what he liked. We finally went back to the second shop and he picked out a Santa Cruz. It was the same model that the other boys had, a Bullit. I don't know if he picked it out because he liked it or because the other boys had one but at least they were all alike. I picked out another one for myself and told them what upgrades I wanted installed on the bikes and then it was time to pick out a boom box and something for Terry to listen to. The boom box didn't take long but picking out some CDs and a couple of audio books about finished the afternoon. We picked up the bikes, and then the trousers and headed for home. By the time the boys were done for the day, their asses were dragging. They had been busy removing items from the shelves so that new shelving could be installed. Once each row of shelving was in place, they had to put all the food back on it. Not only that, since his was now the only full service grocery store in town, Mr. Downie didn't think he should close the store so they had to work around the customers. They were all so tired they didn't even bitch much. They just inhaled mass quantities of food and collapsed. Poor Mark wanted to tell Kyle all about his day and Kyle just wanted to vegetate. I left them sprawled in the family room and hurried to the hospital. Terry was so grateful he almost cried. I hadn't planned on staying long but he was so eager to talk with someone that I just couldn't leave him without a few minutes conversation. Those few minutes turned into an hour. The results weren't back from all the tests so he still didn't know if there were any treatment options for him. It was a kind of a depressing conversation although we both tried to keep it somewhat light. I finally made my escape by pleading `I had to get the boys to bed.' Getting the boys to bed wasn't a problem as they had already done so by the time I got home. Even Mark was in bed. Dog was thrilled to see me so I had to spend some time scratching and petting him. When he had finally absorbed about all the attention he thought he could get from me, he headed for JJ's bedroom. It wasn't all that much later that I joined Corey. I just barely remember his head finding my chest as I fell asleep. Getting the boys going was about like raising the dead. Even Corey wasn't his usual cheerful self. While a night's sleep had helped, none of them were as active as normal. However, a big breakfast seemed to get them going again. It's almost amazing what food will do for teenagers. By the time we got to Downie's, they were once again raring to go. I looked over the store before I left. It looked like they were a little over halfway done, so they could probably finish today. With that, I headed home. Mark decided to try out his new bike out. While it was cloudy, it wasn't raining so he shouldn't have any trouble that way. We got it out of the back of the pickup and found his helmet and away he went. I made sure he knew my cell phone number in case he got lost or found something he wanted to do. With that I started on the wash. By mid-afternoon I had the housework caught up. Mark had showed up at lunch time with a couple of kids he'd met and they managed to eat and get away before I talked him into helping with the housework. He said they were going to the arcade and he would be back in a couple of hours. The money must have lasted longer than he thought it would because it was a lot closer to three hours before he got back. We visited a little before it was time to start dinner. I dried the roast and then browned it. When it was nicely browned I poured the fat out of the pan and put the roast back in and added the marinade after straining it. Into the oven at 350 it went. In a little over three hours it should be done. I finished up the potato salad and put it in the fridge. I decided to have spaetzle with the sauerbraten. It didn't take all that long to make it and when finished, I rinsed it and set it aside. I would heat it up just before serving. Some green beans would complete the dinner. Bob was coming over because he hadn't been free on either Friday or Saturday. Bob showed up and we sat around drinking coffee until the boys called. They were done so it was time to finish dinner. While Bob went to pick them up I got back to work in the kitchen. The beans went on the stove to heat and also a pan of water to heat the spaetzle. I took the roast out of the oven and sat it aside. In the remains of the marinade I put some roux and then added some crushed ginger snaps to make gravy. The gravy was done by the time Bob got back and the boys hurried to get cleaned up. Mark had set the table, so about all that was left was to serve dinner and eat it. I tossed the heated spaetzle in a little butter and put it on the table. Corey looked surprised that there were no wine glasses on the table but understood when Bob poured everyone a glass of beer. I mean if you're going to eat German, you might just as well go all the way. A dark, full-bodied beer just seems to go well with sauerbraten. The boys might have been tired but they didn't let that hold them back. The first few bites they seemed to think about what they were eating but soon they were up to full speed. I hadn't put quite as much vinegar in the marinade as I normally would but I figured the first time the boys needed it a little milder. By the time everyone was full, I could see that there would be plenty of the sauerbraten left to make some sandwiches for my lunch, that is if I could keep the boys out of it. Maybe I need to get a refrigerated vault. That way I could keep enough leftovers to make my lunch. I don't think that putting a pad lock on the fridge would work. The boys would just gnaw through the door and I was sure it would take hardened steel to keep them out. Corey and Bob headed for Corey's room for the lesson. The rest of the boys picked up the dishes and put them in the dishwasher. After that it was like someone had turned a switch. The boys dropped in the closest chair and movement ceased. They didn't even talk much. It wasn't nearly as long as normal before Bob came back from Corey's room. He chuckled and said Corey wasn't up to his usual energy level and the lesson wasn't going that well. A little more visiting and Bob headed home. When I looked in the family room, JJ had his head on LT's shoulder and his eyes were closed. The rest of the boys, except for Mark, were nodding and looked about ready to drop off to sleep. Mark was channel surfing but not finding anything he wanted to watch. All I could say was it was a good thing they had done their homework Friday night. I chased them off to take their showers and go to bed. I think the weekend was a little much for them. To be continued... Well we cooked quite a bit. The pesto for the chicken is made thusly 1 cup packed basil leaves, stems removed. 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts (put them on a pan and toast in a 375 oven until lightly browned. Check frequently, when they start to turn color they will soon burn. Trust me, burned pine nuts don't taste good. If you see any black spots throw them out and start over. 1/4 to 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese. I normally use close to a half cup. Large pinch of salt Several grinds of black pepper Two or three large cloves of garlic Now you can add some things. Some parsley goes well, also some fresh thyme or whatever you want. I've been known to put about a tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves or a quarter cup of parsley, or maybe even some rosemary in. You can use any or all. Just whatever you would use in a pesto. Juice of a lemon, if real juicy only use one half. Put it all in a food processor and turn it on. Add olive oil until you have a thick paste. If you're going to put it on pasta add more olive oil until it becomes soupier. For the bread crumbs. Six slices of bread, crusts removed. Use a good bread, not sliced white. A couple tablespoons of melted butter drizzled over the bread. Then cube and put in food processor. Add about a quarter cup of grated mozzarella cheese. Pulse food processor until you have a crumb like mixture. You could also any of several other cheeses, such as cheddar, or jack. For this I would stick with a fairly firm cheese. Then brown the chicken breasts. When browned, put a layer of pesto topped with a layer of the bread crumbs on top of the breasts. Put them in the oven and finish cooking. The pesto should be 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick and the bread crumbs 1/4 inch. You can also use the same recipe on steaks. If you want to change it, use salsa instead of the pesto. If you use a hot salsa, make the layer fairly thin or the salsa will overpower the chicken. Also if you use salsa, some avocado slices, placed on top after the breasts are cooked, are a nice garnish and taste good. Sour cream also goes well with salsa. On to the rice. Most rice pilafs are pretty tasteless, in my opinion. There really is no recipe but here is about how I make it. 1 cup of rice. Two tablespoons oil 1 large yellow onion, medium dice 2 ribs of celery, medium dice 2 carrots, fine dice 3 cups chicken stock 1 tablespoon curry powder Salt and pepper In a pan over medium heat, put in the oil and rice, stirring frequently. As soon as the rice starts to brown, add the diced vegetables. Continue cooking until the onions are translucent, frequently stirring. In a second pan lightly toast curry. Just put it in a dry pan and stir. When it starts to slightly change color, add to rice and vegetables. Add chicken stock, along with about a heaping teaspoon of salt and several grinds of pepper. As soon as the stock comes to a boil, stir and cover, turning heat way down. The stock should now just simmer. Continue cooking until the rice is done. If I have it I sometimes add a tablespoon of grated ginger. Sometimes I also add a couple cloves of garlic, very finely diced. To change the whole thing you can use tomato juice instead of chicken stock. If I use tomato juice I add a few squirts of Tabasco. You can also put a couple of cups of diced tomatoes in it. Just use what sounds good. It isn't really rice pilaf but has a lot more flavor. If you're rich, leave the curry out and use Saffron. I personally like the curry better but the Saffron is good once in a while. Do not waste the Saffron if you use tomato juice. Sauerbraten. While I would not eat my pot roasts this way all the time, it is wonderful once in a while. 2 cups red wine vinegar 1 cup red wine (should be a dry red, not sweet) 1 cup white wine (likewise dry) 1/2 to 1 cup of cider vinegar. You may want to start with the 1/2 cup. I use a cup. That gives it a lot of bite. 1 cup of water 2 large yellow onions coarsely diced 3 carrots diced 3 ribs of celery diced 3 bay leaves 1 tablespoon whole allspice 3 or 4 whole cloves 1 heaping tablespoon pepper corns 1 heaping tablespoon salt A four pound or bigger rolled rump roast or similar. 1 1/2 cups crushed gingersnaps Crush allspice, cloves and pepper. Put liquids in a pan and start heating. Add everything but the roast and gingersnaps. When the marinade just comes to a boil, remove and pour over the roast which you have placed in a bowl. Turn roast several times and when cool, cover and put in the fridge. Turn at least twice daily. It should marinate three to four days. When ready to cook, pat roast dry and brown in a pan with about 1/4 cup of oil. When browned all over, remove and pour oil out of pan. Put the roast back in the pan and pour strained marinade over it. Put in oven and bake at 350 for about three hours. Cover the pan for the first couple of hours. Be sure to turn the roast over several times. I generally turn it about once every half hour. (Cooking time will depend on the size of the roast and how tough the cut of meat. You don't want it to fall apart but you do want it cooked until tender. That means it can vary from a little over two hours to about three. I generally use an inexpensive cut and they are frequently quite tough so the longer cooking and the marinade will tenderize it.) When done, remove roast. Bring marinade to a boil and add a roux made of 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup flour, cooked together but do not brown. Adjust seasoning. Add 1 1/2 cups crushed gingersnaps and continue stirring. When smooth, again check and adjust seasoning. If you think it is too sour you can add a little sugar. I wouldn't add over two tablespoons at the most and I never add any. However one of my friends likes it a little sweeter. I keep telling him to cut back on the vinegar but he just adds sugar. Oh well. His is a little sweeter than I like but still very good. Slice the roast and serve with some of the thickened marinade over it. There are tons of recipes for spaetzle. Just find one and use it. You can just Google it or go to a site like recipezaar and get one. All it is is an egg pasta. You can also put the sauce over potato dumplings or just plain noodles. If I hadn't fixed potato salad I would have used potato dumplings. Use some of the thickened marinade on the spaetzle. One last thing. When I say adjust seasoning I am generally referring to salt and pepper but you can also add some of the spices you used in the dish, or something else. I have been know to add things like Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, or any of a number of things if a particular dish seems a little flat. While I wouldn't use the above listed ones in Sauerbraten, except for the salt and pepper, a little lemon juice can really brighten the flavor of vegetables. Sometime a little sugar can help bring flavors out. It's one of those taste and think things; does it need something to brighten, or something to mellow? Sometimes a little sugar will mellow a dish. It depends on what you like.