Date: Sun, 04 Sep 2005 02:06:11 -0700 From: fritz@nehalemtel.net Subject: I Love Corey, Chapter Sixty-five Dang, I just finished a chapter and now I have to write another of these stupid disclaimers. Bummer. Seems like all I ever do is write them. The worst part of it is that I doubt that many people read them, and I'm pretty certain that no one pays any attention to them. I know I sure wouldn't. But then I was never very good at following advice anyway. I was just too hard headed and had to make my own mistakes. I never realized there would be that many of them. First things first. Just so you know, this story will probably contain descriptions of gay sex. How do I know that? Simple, I'm writing it and I plan to stick things like that in occasionally. Yes I know, some of you are offended by such descriptions. That's why I'm writing this stupid disclaimer. I'm trying to warn you before I offend your delicate sensibilities, that is if you have any. Those of you who are not of legal age, leave. Fat lot of good it does to write words like that. I know I wouldn't have paid any attention to them when I was young. What's that you say? You want to know why you should leave. All right, I'll fill you in. In case you didn't know it, there are a lot of adults who want to protect you from horrid, evil stories like this one. They have the silly idea that they have your best interests at heart. Now me, I think that learning about all kinds of things is in your best interest. That way you have things to compare other things with. Not those kinds of things you idiot. Measure those things. It's fun. However don't use some of the descriptions in Nifty as your guideline for what is normal. I swear I never read so many stories about oversize body parts in my life. And no, while exercising it is fun, it won't make it grow bigger. Just do the requisite amount of exercise and be happy you are keeping it in good shape. What's the requisite amount of exercise? Whatever makes you happy. Those of you, who happen to live in an area in which the reading of this story is illegal, had better leave. I know, life sucks. Still, you don't want to be a criminal do you? Think of the all the glee those bigots would have when they catch you reading this story and don't give them that pleasure. That will piss them off. I know there are some of you who think that some of the characters in the story are based on real people, or some of the events are based on actual happenings. Sorry, that just isn't true. In fact, this story is the product of my evil mind on a night when I had nothing better to do. Guess that goes to show that some people shouldn't be allowed free time. Please be a nice person and respect my rights to the ownership of this story. Don't post it elsewhere without permission and attribute quotes from it to me. I probably won't bother to track you down and sue you if you don't, but you'll always know you did the wrong thing. I find that I am a far harsher critic of myself than I am of others and so should you be. Once again, my many thanks to Don for his efforts in trying to clean the grammar and spelling up. If you could see what he gets to work with, you would know his is a truly Herculean task. He does it without complaint and without pay. For that I am truly grateful. I always enjoy hearing from readers so, if you have anything on your mind concerning the story, go ahead and write. I try to answer all such email. Be sure to put I Love Corey in the subject line so you don't get deleted. I'd hate to be guilty of an unjust deleting. I already have far too many things on my conscience. Send those emails to the usual address of fritz@nehalemtel.net In the meantime may you enjoy the following chapter. Fritz ******************************************************************************* I Love Corey, Chapter Sixty-five Corey was no longer on top of me when I woke up. After our docking we had kissed some and then had a round of very enjoyable frottage. After that he fell asleep while still lying on top of me. Sometime during the night he had rolled off and was now snuggled up behind me. I could feel `little Corey' jabbing me in the back and feel his soft breath on the back of my neck. I really wanted to just stay there and enjoy our cuddle, but nature called. Besides, it was time to get started. Today was going to be busy. I got some groans when I pulled out from under his arm. He kind of hung on like he didn't want me to get away but I knew I'd better not wait. The bed was already messy enough and it didn't need to be wet also. I finally got things aimed in the right direction and soon after that was headed for the shower. Corey was right behind me. Oh boy, shower fun. That ought to wake me up. It did. And yes, it was fun. We even got clean. What more could you ask? I started breakfast and sent Dog to wake the rest of the crew up. I soon had my usual collection of walking zombies at the table, taking on way more calories than anyone ought to need. They demolished two pounds of link sausages, better than a dozen eggs, and piles of hotcakes that simply staggered my imagination. Kyle was the only one that looked big enough to eat that much. Where the rest of them put all that food I don't know, although Dog did help a little. It was now time to get with the program if we ever figured on being ready. I didn't even get too much bitching about the housework. Thank God Wally and his crew didn't work on weekends. At least we could get the place cleaned up for a couple of days. Soon the vacuum was running, likewise the washer, and even the dishwasher. Aaron was supposed to be over at nine to go shopping as he and Steve had planned on driving up last night. Aaron showed up right on time. He looked in a good mood, judging by his grin. He brought Trevor and Jamall along. I took one look at them and put them to work, and that made Aaron's grin even bigger. Now I had seven boys rolling their eyes like I was some kind of slave driver, but it didn't bother me one bit. I was still in too good a frame of mind after the shower. Mrs. Clammer's only food restriction was dairy products. She is lactose intolerant. We kicked that around for a few minutes before heading for Downie's. Aaron liked the idea of barbecued steaks and we both agreed that twice-baked potatoes would go well with them. I needed to pick up some soymilk to use when mashing the potatoes. However the lactose intolerance did bring up another problem. I had thought that maybe strawberry shortcake would be good for dessert, but the biscuits would be out. We had to come up with something else. We decided to see what looked good at the store. I reminded the boys to wash some more clothes before Aaron and I left. When we stopped to pick up the birthday cake, I suddenly realized my mind had totally forgotten that I didn't need a dessert. We had birthday cake. I must be really losing it. When I mentioned that to Aaron, he giggled and said he was no better. We commiserated with each other while we drove on over to Downie's. The produce section produced the first problem. Aaron told me that Steve said his father loved cauliflower. However, Steve didn't. We decided on two vegetables, cauliflower in a cheese sauce and green beans. The green beans would get a little dill weed and some butter. I then gathered up gobs of green onions for both the salad and the potatoes and some other greens. Then it was on to the rest of the store. There were some lovely looking shrimp for sale. They were just the right size for a shrimp cocktail. A quick conference and it was back to the produce section to pick up some avocadoes. My boys really liked the Mexican style shrimp cocktail. I also grabbed some limes for it. A few more items found their way into the cart before we made it back to the meat case again. The shopping was going well. Things changed at the meat case. There weren't enough steaks in the case. Aaron was nervous and suggested maybe we should have chicken breasts instead, but I just smiled and told him we needed to get some steaks cut. Besides those in the case were choice beef and I wanted prime. He just shook his head while I pushed the button. About a minute later Rob came walking out to see what I wanted. Aaron was still looking over the chicken breasts and Rob couldn't see him. "Hi Sam. What can I do for you?" "I need some steaks Rob. How about sixteen nice New York strips?" About that time Rob got clear up to me and he froze. He turned pale as a ghost and I could see he was looking to my right. I glanced over to see what he was looking at and Aaron looked like he had been punched in the gut and had all the breath knocked out of him. They were staring at each other. I looked back and forth between them, trying to figure out what was going on. Aaron managed to take a breath. "Robbie?" he said in kind of a quavering voice. "Oh God Aaron, is that you?" Rob took off for the opening at the end of the meat case. Aaron was headed for the same place. I didn't know what was going on but I headed that way also. I didn't know if I had a fight on my hands or what. I had no idea they had ever met each other. Well a fight wasn't what I had to break up. They ran together just like they do in the movies and started hugging each other and pounding each other on the back. It's a good thing they did hug because if they hadn't I think they would have knocked each other down. Tears were streaming down Rob's face and I couldn't see Aaron's. Aaron was pounding Rob on the back and yelling "Robbie" over and over. Rob was crying and he kept saying he couldn't believe it. I was left just standing there, trying to figure out what was going on. I must have stood there for a couple of minutes, listening to the strangest bunch of words I ever heard. None of it made any sense. There were lots of "Oh God's" and "I can't believe it's really you", more than I had ever heard in one conversation before. All I could do was wonder what was going on because both of them were too busy to pay any attention to me. When things finally calmed down a little, I learned that they were brothers and hadn't seen each other for years. All of a sudden it clicked. Rob had mentioned his brother when we were in Kentucky. We'd all been so busy it had slipped my mind. I was stunned. I guess the old saying about a small world is right. I have no idea of what the odds were on a meeting like this but I sure wouldn't want to bet on it. I wouldn't even know how to set all the variables so I could figure it out. Would you go with just the area of the country, the population, or a little of both? I finally got my mind to work a little. I told Rob we would need another four steaks. He got a kind of blank look and asked why I needed more steaks and I just grinned and said that I assumed he would join us for dinner. I don't think either one of them was really thinking very well. The way Aaron's mouth fell open, when I said that, told me he hadn't thought that far ahead yet. About that time Mrs. Downie walked up. I had been lucky the last couple of times I had shopped because she had been busy and I knew I would pay for that now and have to fill her in on everything that was happening in my life, well, in the boys' lives also. I didn't even get a chance to get started before Mrs. Downie was asking me about the pitching machines. I swear that woman has better sources of information than the CIA or the FBI, lots better. If the government had asked her beforehand, they could have probably prevented 9/11. I don't think even the terrorists would be able to keep any secrets if she put her mind to finding them out. Rob and Aaron were still babbling in the background as I filled Ellen in on what was going on. Finally there seemed to be a little break so I introduced Aaron to her. Of course she soon found out that he and Rob were brothers. After that, I was ignored. I stood there for a while and finally gave up and finished my shopping. If I could get Rob in gear, we could get the steaks and I could go home. I doubted that Aaron was ready to go with me. There wasn't anything else I needed so I went back and stood around. I didn't get to join the conversation because Ellen was dominating that. Poor Rob and Aaron were just standing there, listening to her. They didn't have any choice. I must admit that I knew just how they felt. There were many times when she did the same to me. Once in a while one of them would get to say "Yes ma'am," or "No ma'am." Rob was used to her but Aaron looked like a deer caught in the headlights. It was apparent that he had no idea of what to do, so he just stood there and listened. About that time she turned to me and told me not to run off, and then she took off for another part of the store. She was soon back, dragging Mr. Downie with her. Rob was done for the day. The Downies wouldn't have it any other way. In fact, he was done for the weekend. He was told the store would survive without him and to get re-acquainted with his brother and they would see him Monday morning. As he was heading back to take off his butcher's apron, I mentioned the steaks. He just looked blank and asked me what steaks. Somehow I think he was a little rattled. When we got that squared away, I grabbed some packages of chicken breast while Rob and Mr. Downie were cutting the steaks. So far the weekend was turning out to be interesting. Rob and Aaron took off to pick up Derrick, Lee, and Kathy and I headed home. I had just over twenty pounds of prime New York strips. I knew we didn't need that much meat but in order to have them thick enough, that's the way it came out. Dog would eat well tonight. I also had the Gator loaded down with other food. In fact, I'd spent almost as much as I received for one month's payment of foster care for one of the boys. The boys had finished the housework, bless their pointy little heads, and were all out with one of the pitching machines when I drove up. I got some whining but they soon had all the groceries inside. They were whining about lunch also. I handed them some packages of hotdogs and some more packages of buns and told them to use the gas barbecue and fix their own lunch. I had other things to do. I was almost pushed out of the kitchen while they fixed things to go on the hotdogs. I finally hid in the corner and waited until they were done. Once the boys headed for the patio, with all their food, I got started. I scrubbed a bunch of potatoes and put them in the oven. Then I cooked the shrimp. While the shrimp were cooling, I threw together a marinade for the steaks. It was a simple marinade, consisting of a couple bottles of Italian salad dressing, some red wine, some red wine vinegar, an onion that I'd run through the food processor, a little Worcestershire sauce, a little Balsamic vinegar, a little sugar, salt and pepper, and some spices. When I had the marinade finished I put the steaks in a bunch of plastic bags, added some of the marinade and sealed the bags. I flopped them around a few times to make sure the marinade covered all of the steaks. They had about four hours to marinate before I'd cook them. Next I peeled the shrimp. I'd just finished the shrimp when the potatoes were done so I took them out of the oven. About then the kids all brought the dirty dishes in and put them in the dishwasher. I was impressed. I'd given them four pounds of hotdogs and all were gone. About then I noticed Fred and Mike so I suppose they helped. The two big cans of pork and beans were also gone, along with the several bags of chips they'd carried out. There were a few pickles left, but they had taken a whole jar so I suppose that was to be expected. Dog had a few bites out of his dish, so I don't think he had gotten enough hotdogs to satisfy him. Rob and Aaron showed up, along with Kathy, Derrick, and Lee. The kids headed out to see what the other kids were doing and I put Rob and Aaron to work, scooping out the potatoes. I started dicing green onions. They were pretty good sized bunches of onions but still it takes time to dice seven bunches of them. Rob and Aaron had the potatoes all scooped out long before I was finished, so I handed Aaron the soymilk and told him to start mashing the potatoes. I put Rob to work draining and mincing the pimientos. Soon they were all mixed together and we filled the potato skins back up. That part was now done. All it would take was a little time in the oven to reheat them. Looking around the kitchen, I decided things were under control so I suggested that Aaron might want to take Rob over to Mr. Besslor's house and introduce him to Steve. I told him to just leave Trevor and Jamall so they could hang out with the boys. As far as that went, so could Rob's kids. The next thing I knew I was alone in the kitchen, so I got to work on the shrimp again. Things went really well. I got everything done that was possible to do early. The salad greens were washed and dried, the potatoes done, the shrimp were done, and the steaks were marinating, and I even had the cheese sauce for the cauliflower finished. I had the charcoal in the big barbecue ready to go and it was only half past three. It was time to check and see what the kids were doing. Dog was exhausted. He managed to raise his head when I walked past him but that was about it. By now there was a whole gang of kids playing ball. Well, they weren't really playing; more like they were taking batting practice. Someone had brought some more bats and there were a bunch of kids scattered around as if to catch any ball that got hit. However, not many were being hit. When I checked, I figured out why. They had the machine about Little League distance from what they were using for home plate and had it cranked up to eighty miles an hour. At that distance and speed it would tax big league hitters to get many hits. When I pointed that out, I then had to get some paper and my calculator and show them the difference in time between forty-five feet, which they were using, and sixty feet, which is about what the big leagues use. I didn't bother to use the extra six inches big league diamonds had between home plate and the pitchers rubber in the calculation. I chuckled when I finished, pointing out I didn't think they were ready to try to hit the equivalent of pitches going over a hundred miles an hour. Then I had to explain it wasn't really the speed of the ball that caused the problem, only the lack of reaction time. By having the machine that close, they just didn't have time to react. I even managed to get a few digs in about how useful mathematics could be. They didn't even groan when I did that. We turned the machine down to about fifty miles an hour and the first swing Trevor took, he drove a ball right at my new shop. He was still way behind and the ball was so far foul it would have gone through the on deck circle on a regular diamond. It hit one of the windows dead center. Fortunately they were using the light plastic balls with the holes in them and it didn't break the window. A standard baseball and that window would have been toast. I suggested we ought to move things and they told me that was as far as the extension cord would reach. I just showed them the weatherproof outlets on the outside of the building. That solved that problem. They hadn't realized those little boxes had outlets in them. I watched the kids all make a bunch of wild swings. I could see that I was going to have to take the time to explain that the swing needed to be under control but before I could get started on it, it was time for the boys to decorate the house. Dog had managed to rest a little and was once again chasing balls. They all had some snacks and some soft drinks before they got around to the decorations but soon the neighbor kids headed home and the ones left started putting them out. There really weren't many, just the napkins, place mats, and a couple of signs that said Happy Birthday. People started showing up and I started the barbecue. It would take the charcoal time to get going. Dinner was a success. Everyone raved about the steaks and the shrimp got their share of compliments. While Aaron had been going to help with the cooking, I couldn't object to not having his help, given the circumstances. I was right. Dog dined well. David, Mark, and Lonny, the Clammer kids, kept giving him bites of their steaks and he obliged them by eating those bites. I did have to chuckle when I told my Mark to stop feeding Dog at the table and her Mark answered "Yes sir." At least all the kids were more discrete with their feeding of Dog after that. I ended up handing out pieces of foil so everyone could take the remains of their steaks home with them. Sliced thin, leftover steak makes a good sandwich. Make that an excellent sandwich. Everyone was thinking alike. At least it seemed that way because it was Mr. Besslor's day for shirts. By the time he had all the packages opened, we were all snickering about the evil fairy that had made us all buy shirts. The only package that didn't contain a shirt was the one I gave him and it contained the ties to go with the shirts the boys had picked out. At least none of the shirts were duplications. Instead of one of those fancy sheet cakes with all the frosting, I had ordered a carrot cake with a cream cheese frosting. However all the adults were too full to eat any. Even the ever-hungry boys only wanted small pieces of it. That had to be a first. Mrs. Clammer said the tart I'd ordered for her was excellent. She couldn't share the birthday cake owing to the cream cheese in the frosting. It's sometimes funny how things go. Here it was, Mr. Besslor's birthday, and more was made over Rob and Aaron finding each other than was made about the birthday. As we sat, enjoying coffee in the family room, Rob and Aaron got started telling about their childhood and some of the things they did. I noticed Mr. Besslor soon had his arm across Steve's shoulders. I also noticed that Steve grinned and leaned against him. The smile that then lit up Mr. Besslor's face made the whole thing worthwhile. I had to feel sorry for Kathy. She was outnumbered twelve to one. Not only that, the boys she wanted to pursue were all gay. While she was a lot more discrete than she had been at Christmas time, she wasn't having any better luck. Trevor acted like he hadn't noticed her, JJ was still making sure to stay out of her sights, and Corey suddenly decided he needed to finish cleaning up the kitchen. When she insisted on helping him, he looked like he had just been convicted of some horrible crime. I glanced over at Bob and he was about to burst out laughing. I leaned over and whispered to Bob that he should wait a couple of minutes and then remind Corey about the art lesson. Bob snickered and agreed. Bob and Corey never did get around to the art lesson. Mr. Besslor and Steve started playing the organ. Soon everyone was sitting around listening. Then Steve started in on something that sounded like it would make the top twenty and Jamall and Trevor started singing. All of a sudden I recognized the song. It was a Backstreet Boys number called "The One," but they had slowed it down some and made it into more of a ballad. I liked their version a lot better than the original. They sang a bunch more songs together. All were different than the original hits but in some cases I liked them better. In others I thought the original recording was better. Their version of the old Bee Gees hit, "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" wasn't as good as the Bee Gees had done it, but "Massachusetts" was better. Jamall had a great tenor voice that soared on ballads. They sang songs from different periods and even had one real old timer from a Gershwin musical. Listening to Jamall, I got an idea. I went and dug out an old LP set my parents had acquired. Dad had been a real music buff and he had found it somewhere. When things calmed down, I fired the stereo up. The group was the Ink Spots. Jamall was enthralled. He had never heard them before, and listening to Bill Kenny captivated him. Then he looked at Steve. I could see a question in his eyes. We ended up playing the song "If I Didn't Care" several times. Then Steve started on the organ and Jamall soon started singing. I was amazed. Jamall had as good, if not a better voice, than Bill Kenny did. They were using the same key and Jamall had no trouble with the high notes. In fact, his voice was a lot better than I had realized. The only problem was that when he really got into it, he got louder. His voice needed a bigger room than my family room. I had to promise to cut him a tape of the album. I offered to loan the records to him but he looked sort of sheepish and said they didn't have a turntable. I wouldn't have had one except I had Dad's. It was a Dual 1229. He had told me once that he had found it used and liked it so well he never bothered to get a new one. A couple of years before he was killed he had it serviced and it still worked great. I also had his LPs and if I piled them up, the pile would have probably been ten feet high. That didn't include the pile of old 78 records. Dad, and Mom to a lesser extent, had really been into old music. There was also a big pile of reel-to-reel tapes I'd inherited from them, complete with a Teac tape deck. About the only thing I didn't have was an 8-track player. Dad had told me they weren't worth having. However, I did have some 8-track tapes he had acquired somewhere along the way. We talked a little more and I decided that I would cut a CD instead of a tape. I had a software program that would take some of the scratches out and the recording should then sound better. It was getting late and the guests finally left. We picked up the coffee cups and put them in the dishwasher while talking about Jamall. The boys thought he had a great voice and I had to agree with them. They also were all cranked up about looking over the old records I had. I pointed out they had packed the biggest part of them out to the shop since they had been stored in boxes in the basement. They finally agreed to wait until tomorrow to get started on that and we went to bed. It had been a great day and I think everyone enjoyed it. Corey was once again frisky. A few kisses, and then a few wisecracks were exchanged. He made a comment on was I ready for all of him and I said something about what did he mean all? Shortly I had the tape measure out and was once again checking him for size. Well, I didn't do much sowing, so I might as well use that tape for something. It was fun, so I didn't get any complaints from him. It didn't take long to get him in proper condition to measure and then I announced the findings. "Five and a quarter inches long, and four and a half around." That was an increase of a quarter inch in the around department and he was thrilled. However he whined that I wasn't measuring right because he was sure it was longer. Several measurements later he had to agree that I was doing it right. I would have been happy to continue with the measurement routine. Then he decided to measure me. Oh boy. I really like that. His hands made sure I was at maximum size for the measurement. Of course it was the same size as the last time he had measured. "Six and a half by five and a half." Then we had to discuss why it measured so big around when it didn't look that big. I told him to use the old formula of circumference equals pie times diameter. That put things in perspective. As we were giggling and measuring, Corey commented that JJ had complained that the tape LT had used was cold. A little more talking and giggling and I found out LT was using my carpenter's tape. I could see why it might be cold. It was also a little stiff for the job, being a 3/4 inch metal tape. I giggled and told Corey it was twenty feet long and I doubted that LT needed one that long for the task at hand. Some more giggling was then heard. The night was turning out to be as good as the day. Eventually we decided that a sixty-nine would relax certain appendages that appeared to be in need of it. It did. We shared a few more kisses and cuddled up to go to sleep. About that time I had a great idea. I told Corey that I wanted to get another cloth tailor's tape and give it to JJ. Corey suggested a fur-covered tape. That way JJ wouldn't get a cold dick from the measurements. After a little more giggling, we discovered we didn't know where to get a fur-covered tape, and so we finally fell asleep. We had managed to get most of the housework done yesterday so the morning was pretty relaxed. Dog managed to cage his usual amount of breakfast and he seemed to like the French toast I prepared. A couple of loads of wash and it was time for church. I was really proud of the boys. They looked nice in their blazers and sport coats. Of course it helped that the clothes fit and were worn in the normal manner, rather than the baggy low riding clothes they normally wore. Now if I could just figure out a way to make them dress like that all the time. I have to confess that looking at tight boy butts made me smile. I managed to swat a couple of them when they got close enough. I didn't feel I could grope those butts but a swat was the next best thing. Of course they returned the favor when I wasn't looking. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea on my part because I got more swats than I managed to dish out. The service was nice and the boys didn't even manage to empty the refreshment table. They tried, but failed. I had managed to make the CD, while the boys did the last of the laundry, and gave it to Jamall since he was attending with what I suppose was now considered his grandfather. I don't really know how all the relationships in this kind of a situation work out. Mr. Besslor seemed to think of them as his grandchildren so that was good enough for me. While the law might not look at it that way, sometimes I think the law is behind the times and doesn't cover everything. If someone thinks of a person as their grandchild and that child thinks of the person as a grandparent, that ought to be good enough. Maybe I need to talk with Mr. Young about that. The trap club was about like normal. I spent most of my time working with Kyle and Mark while the others shot some practice rounds and seemed to be slowly improving. We got in some fun shoots and I wasn't having one of my good days. I kept getting shot out before I ever got going. I got a bunch of good-natured ribbing over that. Mr. Young and Nathan showed up and Nathan had a new shotgun. I kidded Russ and asked how much of it I had paid for. Nathan was happy as a clam at high tide as he tried it out. It was a nice shotgun. It was a brand new K-80 Krieghoff combo set. It wasn't long before Nathan started to get used to it and hit the targets. I hoped he would enjoy it. It was time to head home. The boys were about shot out and we still had to take the pitching machines down to the school. I was pleased to see that their shooting was improving. Hopefully it would bolster their self-confidence. That was one of the reasons I'd suggested it. Mark and Kyle still had a long way to go but the others were now starting to see that it was possible for them to do well. It just took determination and practice. There were no magic shortcuts. Corey was still a little better than the others but he had a head start. I was a little surprised that none of them really wanted to continue the pistol shooting. Maybe it was the fun shoots they liked. The pistol club was a little on the conservative side. They just mainly practiced and only had formal competition once a month. While the boys still weren't good enough to win often, they enjoyed trying. A day like today, when I had gotten shot out early in the shoots, pointed out that everyone had good and bad days. It didn't take all that long to load everything up and haul it to school. We could get them sorted out tomorrow. I browned some of the chicken breasts and poured some spaghetti sauce on them. Into the oven they went. They could continue cooking in the sauce. Some pasta went into some water and while it was cooking, I fixed a salad. Bob showed up and soon we were eating. It wasn't fancy but tasted pretty good. However, I was once again out of spaghetti sauce and needed to make another batch. It seemed like no matter how much I made, I was soon out of it. While Bob and Corey took care of the art lesson, I made another attempt to draw Kyle out. I made a little more progress with Mark, but Kyle just looked at me most of the time. The only favorable reaction I got from him is when I asked him if he wanted to sign up for driver's education. It was an after school class run by a retired truck driver. If you were taking it in high school you could take it during a class period but in middle school it was strictly extracurricular. I even managed to get a grin from him when I told him he really needed to think about it because, as the oldest, he would find himself spending a lot of time hauling the younger ones around. He knew I was kidding by the way I said it. Still, he'll learn it wasn't all kidding. I made it through the day and finally practice got started. I suppose I shouldn't complain. It took almost all of our practice session just to get the gear passed out, learn what players I had, and what positions they played. We had to fit uniforms to the players, check and make sure everyone had the necessary gear, like gloves and supporters, and just generally get acquainted. It's not that I didn't know the students but just that most of them had never had me as a coach. For some reason most of the baseball players didn't play football. As it turned out I had twenty-six kids on the team. Now all I had to do was figure out what to do with all of them. The only position filled was manager. When I asked if anyone wanted to be manager, Corey waited a few seconds and raised his hand. That ought to work well, since he had done a good job with the same job on the football team. Now I only had twenty-five more kids to figure out what they could do and when to use them. I did get a question about briefs. Of course the word about the football team and the briefs had gotten out. What the hell, I told them if they had a winning season I'd get them all some briefs. A few of the kids looked a little blank but the rest were beaming. Then there was another question about burgers after a winning game. Again I agreed and this time, all the kids grinned. We just managed to make it to the sporting goods store so the boys could pick out what they wanted for baseball gloves or mitts as they are called. What a shock. Not only were there all kinds of mitts, the prices ranged from reasonable to I'm not sure what you should call them. Fortunately the clerk wanted to get home so he managed to talk the boys into picking out some mitts in short order. Then we had to get some oil for them and we headed home. I suppose we could have gotten by without buying gloves because the school had a bunch of them, but most of the returning players had their own gloves and I figured the boys would do better in a glove they were used to. Besides, they could practice some at home. The ones the clerk had steered them to were even reasonably priced. They only ran about seventy dollars apiece. The bottom of the lines just seemed a little on the cheap side so we had gone up a ways to pick out what they wanted. However, we about bought the store out of the ones in that price range. A small town didn't warrant a big stock of baseball gloves. The ones the boys picked out were either Wilson or Rawlings. Kyle and Mark had been a little hesitant but had finally gotten into it and were beaming when we left the store, their new gloves tightly clutched in their hands. While neither Mark nor LT were going out for the team, they could use the gloves when the boys were playing in the yard. Tuesday we finally got into an actual practice. After some warm-up exercises, I had Corey running one of the pitching machines and using it to throw grounders to the aspiring infielders. I let Mark and LT use the other one for throwing fly balls to the outfield candidates. I was busy running back and forth between the two groups trying to point out and teach them how to catch the ball. It would have probably been easier if I had been a better ball player myself but all I could do was tell them what the books and videos had said. All the while I was trying to see which of the boys showed the most talent. Two of the kids wanted to be catchers so I had them off to one side working with the pitchers. That brought about the first problem. From what I'd read, throwing curveballs shouldn't be attempted until an athlete has matured to a certain point. There was simply too much danger of injuring a young arm. The pitchers wanted to try to throw curveballs. From what I'd read they shouldn't be doing that yet. I was finally forced to tell them that if I caught them trying to throw a curveball, they would be off the team. Suddenly I was less than popular. I told them we would talk about it some more later but for now they needed to learn to throw the ball where they wanted it to go. When they got good enough at that, we would worry about curveballs. I knew I was stalling, but at least that statement calmed the mutiny that was forming. Tomorrow was one of the joint practices we had scheduled with the high school team and maybe Phil could give me some advice on the subject. Thank God for Corey, LT, and Mark. I was busy as all get out, running back and forth between the various groups, and I don't know how I would have managed without them. About half way through the practice we switched to batting practice. After that it was a little easier to keep track of things. I marked out some lines and put various kids between them for fielding practice and started giving each of them a chance to try to hit. That was when I discovered we needed to do a lot of practice in that department. Most of the kids were over swinging. They were trying to hit the ball out of the park with each swing and lost all control of the bat in doing so. The next thing I knew I had them all gathered around while I attempted to demonstrate what I was talking about. Much to my amazement I did a better job of hitting than I would have thought possible. I started out by showing what I meant by a controlled swing and, when Corey started throwing the balls with the pitching machine, I hit most of them. I wasn't trying to hit them hard, just make contact. Still some of them sailed quite a ways. We then gathered up the balls and started over. It really helped. They were now starting to hit the ball instead of trying to kill it. As they practiced more, I figured they would be able to swing a little harder. For now I was thrilled that something was working the way I thought it should. I could also see that the pitching machines were a big help. Still I wondered if we would be ready for our opening game. We only had two weeks to prepare. JJ did about the best job of hitting. I think all my instruction about a controlled swing at the trap club helped him. To say he was thrilled with his success doesn't begin to describe it. His grin was so wide I thought his face was going to break. The rest of the kids seemed to start to pick up on the idea after watching him and they started doing better. Finally it was time to quit for the day. Having, in effect, three managers meant that it didn't take long to get things put away and the laundry started. The money problem for the school was still there so once again I would get ten bucks to do the laundry. I'd offered it to Corey as a matter of course when he wanted to be manager. However, with LT and Mark wanting to stick around at the practices, instead of going home alone, meant that we needed to talk about it. Maybe we were going to end up with three managers but that needed to be discussed. The boys were chattering away on the way home, kidding JJ by calling him slugger. He was still grinning, so I figured he liked it. This was the first thing he was better at than any of the other boys, so I figured a little patting him on the back was in order. He was improving on his self-esteem but still had a ways to go. Things like this could only help with that. While I didn't want him to think he was better than other people, I did want him to think he was just a good as anyone else. We all have things we are good at and things we are not. The fact that you may be good at one thing doesn't make you better than anyone else. It only means you are good at that one thing. By the same token, having someone do one thing better than you do doesn't mean that person is better than you, only that he can do that one thing better than you can. No one deserves to be looked down on unless he has proved by his own actions that he warrants it, and those actions don't mean how good he is at something. It means that he does things that shouldn't be done, like break some laws, or hurt people. As I continued driving and listening to the boys, I couldn't help but wonder how someone could hate gays just because they are gay. They say it is a voluntary choice but that has to be about the silliest thing I ever heard. How can they believe that someone would voluntary choose a lifestyle in which they will be discriminated against by many, and might even be injured or killed by someone they don't even know just because they are gay. I wasn't really in the mood to cook, so I stopped and picked up a bunch of hamburger patties, some baked beans, and some deli potato salad. Of course I also got buns for the hamburger patties and some chips. I got no complaints from the boys since hamburgers seemed to be one of their favorite foods. While I did slightly prefer the charcoal barbecue, the gas one worked well for burgers and in some cases I even used it for other things. It didn't take long to slice the onions, tomatoes, and cheese. A bunch more things like pickles and lettuce soon were out and ready to be used. After that it was almost like a free for all. For a while I was almost afraid to get close to the table, but after a burger or so each for the boys, it looked safe. I cooked the first round and they had to cook the rest. One burger was enough for me but the boys didn't seem to feel that way. Even Mark managed to eat two. I must admit that sometimes they are smarter than I realized. They piled enough garden veggies on their burgers to where an alligator wouldn't have been able to get his mouth around them, but by squishing them flat, they could manage to gnaw bites off of them. The boys thought they were getting away with something when they cooked more than they could eat but I sort of expected that. I figured it would take at least another half a burger for a bedtime snack. However, I noticed the boys seemed to think a full burger would be more appropriate. I wasn't sure I could protect it but I fixed a burger for my lunch tomorrow. I really need to get a padlock for the refrigerator. Maybe I should just sit and guard it. Scratch the guarding, they would just overpower me. We no more than had the dishes in the dishwasher than the phone rang. It was Jill Sterrett. We chatted for a while before she finally got to the reason for her call. Cody had some questions and we were invited to dinner on Sunday to answer them. I mentioned that there were a couple more boys living with me and was told that wasn't a problem. A quick check and the boys were all in favor. Well Kyle and Mark didn't know the Sterretts, but they didn't object. Then I was left with the problem of explaining Cody to Kyle and Mark. I was trapped. There just wasn't any way to do it without telling them Cody was gay. I really hated to do that but could see no way around it, especially if Cody was going to ask questions. From the sounds of things I figured the Sterretts also had some questions and I was also sure the questions would be asked of not only me, but the boys as well. The phrase that they needed the advice of all of us pretty well assured that. I spent some time explaining why I was outing Cody to them and trying to make them understand that outing someone was something that should never be done without a very good reason, and then only if the reason would cause no harm. I managed to get them to promise they would never reveal what I was going to tell them before I told them about Cody. Before it was over we had quite a conversation about coming out. So far my advice to Kyle had enabled him to deflect any questions that had been asked that might lead to his having to admit his sexuality. I made sure that both boys understood that Cody wasn't out and they needed to respect his decision on that. We even came up with a couple more things to say when asked questions you didn't want to answer like `why do you want to know, are you inviting me out?' and things like that. Said with a big grin something like that can be very effective at turning the conversation. The person asking the question often gets so busy defending himself that he forgets the original question. We talked until there was just barely time for the boys to do their homework. They dashed through it and I was surprised there were so few errors. It was a little sloppy, from having been done is such a hurry, but the answers were pretty much right on. Even Kyle and Mark were improving. That led me to wonder if their lackluster grades had been the result of the lack of interest from their parents rather than any lack of ability on their part. Whatever the reason, I wasn't going to complain. As Corey snuggled up to me I couldn't help but think how lucky I really was. The boys were doing well and everything seemed to be working out all right. The best part was that Corey was in my arms. What more could I ask. To be continued... Marinade for steaks. One medium onion finely minced or run through the food processor, 2 cups Italian salad dressing, 3/4 cup dry red wine, 1/2 cup red wine vinegar, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce, 1 Tbs. sugar, 2 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. cracked black pepper (or coarsely ground), 1 Tbs. dried basil, and four or fives cloves of garlic minced. Feel free to add other spices. I do. Things like some thyme, cayenne, rosemary, or whatever sounds good will work well. Steaks should be in the marinade at least an hour if real thin; if thick it will take two to four hours. I wouldn't recommend over four hours. Cook quickly in a hot barbecue; put a pat of butter on top just before serving. The butter makes it look nice and also adds to the flavor. Cheese sauce for cauliflower. 1/4 cup of butter, 1/4 cup flour, 2 cups milk, scant tsp. salt, pepper, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese, 1 cup grated cheddar cheese. Over medium low heat melt butter; add flour and whisk until flour is cooked, making sure not to brown, add milk, salt, and some white pepper if you don't like black specks. When hot, stir in cheeses. Be sure to lightly pack the cheese when measuring. Just so you know, I don't bother to measure; I just grate what looks about right and pitch it in. After all, this isn't rocket science. I've been known to use jack cheese in place of the Swiss or any other cheeses that sounded good and I happened to have on hand. A little cayenne will spice it up, like about a teaspoon or so. The sauce is also good served over broccoli, asparagus, or any other thing you want a cheese sauce on. If it turns out a little thick, add some more milk. Check to make sure salt and pepper are correct. Cook cauliflower and drain, pour sauce over and serve. You can fix it a few minutes early and keep it hot after putting the cauliflower in the sauce. Shrimp cocktail. One jar of cocktail sauce, One jar of salsa (as hot as you like), juice of two limes, 1 cup chopped cilantro, two pounds cooked shrimp, pealed and deveined,1 1/2 qts. of V8 juice, four or five medium tomatoes coarsely diced and four avocados coarsely diced. Put everything in except the avocados and let stand for a couple of hours in the refrigerator. Longer is better. About forty-five minutes before serving add the avocados. When serving, drain any excess liquid off and place a serving on some lettuce leaves. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and a sprig of cilantro. By the way, I use 20 oz. jars of cocktail sauce and salsa when making. If the salsa seems a little mild, add some horseradish or some finally chopped hot pepper of your choice. I usually use the horseradish but Jalapeno or Anaheim peppers are also good if you have them. If your limes are small or not very juicy, use three. One last thing, don't peal and dice the avocados until ready to put in marinade. They soon turn brown if exposed to air. If you have extra avocados, a couple of slices of them make a nice addition to the garnish. You can stop them from turning brown by dipping them in a little fruit fresh mixed according to directions, or some water with lemon or limejuice added. In a pinch you can even dissolve a vitamin c tablet in a little water. All of those also work with things like apples to stop them from turning brown.