Date: Tue, 10 Nov 2015 14:06:51 -0500 From: Eff Del Subject: green grow the rushes o- chapter 25 *Green Grow the Rushes O- Chapter 25* *By Eff Del* *Nolitimere156@gmail.com* *The wonderful thing about waking up each morning is that we've been granted the chance at a new beginning.* *What happened yesterday is essentially a done deal and we can't do a thing about it. * *We also can't do more than wonder what might transpire today. It is a very new playing field. * *Since what happened yesterday cannot be undone... begin each day anticipating what might take place rather than dwelling upon what has already happened. * *Forget what is past and joyfully envision what can be.* *Accept these opportunities as the gifts that they truly are.* "Man Jerry! I've never had my hair cut this fancy before. Usually my Mom just had Cindy, the lady next door cut our hair. I always thought that was alright but you...this is great!" Jerry smiled as his scissors and comb flew through the mahogany brown hair. Unlike Sean and Jack who for the most part tolerated haircuts, this was a new experience for Brian. Jerry was a master stylist and he essentially sculpted hair to enhance a person's appearance. Somehow, Brian understood this and appreciated it. As he finished and flicked the cape before dusting off Brian's neck, Jerry patted his shoulder and guided the boy off the chair. "It was a pleasure to cut your hair Brian. I expect I'll see you often." He turned his attention to Sean who was sitting next to me. "You next wiggle worm." Sean blushed because he knew the accusation was true. "Kay Jerry, just not too short." "Sean, what did I tell you the first time I cut your hair?" The boy giggled as he answered. "That you'll cut it the way it needs to be cut." "Right. I'll cut it the way it needs to be cut. You've never been unhappy about that have you?" "No Jerry, I always look cool when you're finished." "Then can you possibly try to sit still while I attempt to perform my magic on this thick black mop of yours? Christ, what I'd give to have a head of hair like yours Sean." I smiled to myself. This type of dialogue had been going on between Sean and Jerry from the first time I'd brought him here to SHEERZ Sean's was the last haircut and then we could all grab some lunch. The boy was smiling as he left the chair and Jerry gave him a friendly squeeze. "You know that you're my biggest challenge Sean. I always hope your Dad forgets to bring you when he comes here." "Aw Jerry, you know you love cutting my hair. You'd miss me if I stopped comin here." "Yep, of course I would Sean except if your Dad keeps on adopting kids...you might get lost in the shuffle." "I don't think you need to worry about that Jerry." I smiled as I handed him my credit card. "I suspect that Brian is the cap on this family jug." The boys bid him a loud goodbye as we left his shop. Brian had become as addicted to carne assada burritos as the rest of us were and therefore, there was no question about lunch. We were seated around one of the crude wooden tables chowing down. I glanced at my three newly shorn boys and admired their beauty. Sean noticed me looking. "What Dad?" "Nothing little man. I was just enjoying the view." He giggled and took a big bite from his burrito. "You know, I was supposed to pitch tomorrow but coach moved me to Saturday instead." Brian said. I smiled inwardly as I realized Chino Lopez had made the switch I'd requested. I thought to myself that I needed to find a way to thank that man for everything he'd done. "Well do you know what that means Brian?" He looked blankly at me. "Well, by your choice, after I've officially adopted you, you will have also legally changed your name. In the face of the law and the world you'll be Brian Tucker so on Saturday, there will be a Tucker on the mound and a Tucker on first base. That will be a first for Deer Run." "Yeah and don't forget that there will be two Tuckers watching and cheering you on." Jack interjected. Brian placed his burrito down and blinked back his tears. "It's true isn't it? Friday I'll really be a Tucker. You guys will really be my brothers and you...YOU will truly be my father...my Dad. It will all be real not pretend anymore." I knew he couldn't hold it in and I pulled him into me as he burst into tears. I hugged him fiercely as he shook with sobs. "Cry out those happy tears Brian." I rubbed his heaving back. "Cry out those tears little boy because there is nothing but happiness ahead of you. We...your family will make certain of that." "F-Family...I've got a family and I love every one of you." "Geeze Brian, you're cryin' onto your burrito." Sean said with a giggle and that lightened up the mood. *************************** As we pulled the Lexus past the gate I asked the armed Skugga to call Richard and let him know that we'd arrived. I was just dicking around and wanted Richard to know I could still maneuver around his `sensible' rules. I escorted the boys up to their classroom and took the elevator up to the command center. It was Brutus sitting at the com and I greeted him happily. "How's the coffee today Brutus?" "It's perfect like always Mr. Tucker. Shall I get you a cup?" "No, as far as I know neither of my arms or legs are broken so I suspect I can get my own but I do need to inform you that if you intend to continue your career in the SKUGGOR Brutus, you need to begin calling me Eric. The look on his face was humorous but I didn't laugh. "We all work closely up here and titles or formal names just get in the way. The guys trust you and think highly of you therefore so do I. " "Thank you Eric. I appreciate that and I appreciate the right to familiarity." I clapped him on his shoulder. "It seems to me that you've earned all that." He smiled and I sat next to him sipping my mug of coffee. We exchanged small talk for about a half of an hour before Barry entered the room. After some discussion, I rose up to leave. Brutus smiled and said; "See you later Eric." His face showed the pleasure he felt saying that and I smiled back at him. "For sure Brutus, see you later." My meeting with Uncle Phil and Chris was a bit of a surprise because they both asked if they could begin daily lessons with Brian. "If these boys gently learn what they are destined for, it will be easier and more natural than what you've had to endure. Your father failed you in that regard." Uncle Phil tilted his tumbler at me and I realized he was quite right. I was learning about the vast empire that I controlled bit by bit. My boys should learn about it slowly and naturally. ************************* "OK now Brian choose." There were four bedrooms on the floor that had never been occupied. They were essentially identical to Sean and Jack's rooms so the main choice was the view. Very quickly Brian chose the room with the west view like mine and Sean's. "Alright then. Daniel is expecting you to get with him and select furniture also paint colors and everything else you need to make this room your own." His smile was enough to brighten the entire day. "I can't believe that this is really happening." "Well Brian, the only one who can stop this from happening is you." "Dad!" "I'm just saying." He was on my lap with his arms around my neck and I wrapped my arms around his torso and pulled him tightly against me. "You're very welcome into this family Brian. I love you." "I love you too Dad. I never believed this would be real." "Well, it's not real until Friday so I guess you're just our guest until then." "Dad!" I smiled and pulled him close to me. "I think you've been a part of this family from the very first day I brought you here. Your brothers have always loved you and so have I. Friday will simply make it legal. Are you comfortable with what is going to happen? Any regrets or questions?" "Only that I wish I understood my Mom's decision. I know she hasn't been happy but I thought she loved me." "Brian she loved and still loves you. For whatever reason, she loves God more. It was a thing in her family as she was growing up. It seems she always felt compelled to be a Nun and after your grandmother died and after getting to know and trust me, she decided that she could take up those holy orders. It was all about love Brian especially her love for you." I kissed him softly and quite tenderly. "Can you be happy here in this family Brian?" He raised his face to mine an smiled. "I already am Dad. I've never been so happy or felt so loved. Thank you for caring so much for me." I ran my hand gently through his brown hair. "Brian, you are easy to love and to care about. Now go out and have some fun you're playing in left field tomorrow don't let anything get past you." He smiled and we kissed before he scampered off to find the other boys. ***************************** I was sitting in the kitchen munching on some oven warm sugar cookies as Martha told me that she planned Friday night's dinner to be lasagna. "Jenny and I can pull this off with no problem." "Well, you won't get any argument from me." Smiling she swatted me on the back and said: "You big jerk. I'd have had you if I suggested burgers." I giggled. "Yeah but they would have been Martha Burgers." Smiling, she swayed into her kitchen. ******* Chris was sitting across from me in the library. "My Mother and Aunt Rita would like to stay at least until Brian's adoption on Friday." "Chris...they can stay here forever as far as I'm concerned. That's completely up to you and them." "Is that a real possibility Eric? I mean, my condo sure has more than enough room and I really enjoy having them near and they just love the boys and they love Martha and Jenny...I would..." "Chris, don't ask me you jerk, ask them. You might discover that they don't want to live here." "I will and I'll let you know what we decide." Daniel appeared at the door. "A moment if I may Eric?" "Sure Daniel, come join us and make yourself a drink. In fact, I was sent a case of a new single malt to try and I've only had one drink from the bottle on the bar but I like it a lot. It's called `The MacGladrey' and it's wonderfully peaty." Daniel smiled and moved to the bar, poured a dram and sat down with Chris and me. After taking a long sip he said; Well I got together with Brian as you requested and we walked through his bed room and he selected furniture and fixtures from the various catalogues and frankly, they're all substandard." I smiled at Chris remembering the cheap furniture he'd originally ordered for his condo. "That sounds like somebody else who moved into this complex. Do you need my thoughts on the actual furniture Daniel or just my authority for you to select the upgrades?" "Oh, I suspect I can do it quite satisfactorily with you permission. That will also include much upgraded computer, entertainment and technical equipment. That wonderful boy is quite modest in his desires." "That's what I love about all three of them Daniel; they're so unselfish. Why don't you make us each another drink then you can get Brian's stuff ordered and coming? Whatever it takes, I want it here and in place by Friday." ************************ The Tuesday ballgame was very exciting. The other team was very strong and aggressive and they gave our defense a real workout. Sean at first base and Brian in left field made some spectacular plays. The score was very close we were tied into extra innings. In fact, it was the seventh inning. Sean was third at bat with two outs against us and on the second pitch, my little man blasted a one run homer over the fence. That proved to be all that was required. Our team won the game and my little Sean had now hit a homerun in every game played so far! I was so excited about two Tucker boys playing on Saturday. We selected Deegan's for our celebration after the game and I don't know who was more enthusiastic; the boys or Arlen. I'd really become fond of that man and appreciated what he'd done for both of my younger sons. ***** I'd taken Brian to Struthers and we'd obtained a summer wardrobe for him. All three boys would be re-measured and outfitted in the fall. I smiled and thought to myself that from now on, the underpants he wore would be his own He looked wonderful in his fitted blue blazer and tan twill slacks. His white oxford cloth shirt was open at the neck as was mine as well as Sean's and Jack's. None of us Tucker men were big fans of neckties. John was waiting at the front door with a broad grin on his face. "Hi John. Are you coming with us too?" the brown haired boy smiled as he asked. "Brian, I've been there for the other two. I certainly wouldn't miss this one." "We climbed into the limo and we were at the courthouse in a bit less than twenty minutes. We were in Judge Gardner's courtroom almost at once. The judge, being a family friend had been through this before. He knew that about half the paperwork was bogus and strictly meant to impress the kids. I really appreciated his going along with that because it made it feel more important to the boys. He formally asked Brian if he was desirous of becoming my son and then enquired about the name change. Brian answered affirmatively to both questions and we signed the papers. As he'd done twice before, the Judge took the young boy's hand and became the first person to greet him as a Tucker. We left the Courthouse with the boys hooting for joy and John and me trying to hide our happy tears. *********************** The big dining room table was fully extended and the happy sounds rang against the walls as we all enjoyed each other's company and the wonderful meal Martha and Jenny had created. Sean had been a bit disappointed with his flying lesson earlier because it was strictly using a flight simulator. Even though it was a very good one. Will Fletcher had cautioned him that it might be four weeks before they moved from that to the cockpit of `Dove'. "It's my intention to have you taking off in five weeks Sean and landing in six. We're going to be slow and methodical because there's very little margin for error in an airplane." Sean had given him a sort of half smile. "I understand Will it's just that I'm so excited about learning to do this." "And, I'll be even more excited if we take the time to make certain you don't crash with us both in the plane Sean." My boy gave that a moment's thought before breaking into a big grin. "Yeah. You're prolly right about that Will." Now though, Sean was laughing and joking as we all sat around the huge table and celebrated Brian's entry into the family. I had whispered to both of them that I would be watching how much wine they drank because I wanted a spectacular performance on the baseball field tomorrow. Sean giggled and said; "You better remind Brian `cause he usually drinks all of his an' half of mine." As the plates were being removed, Doctor Swaim rose from his chair and with a smile presented Brian with a gold pendant identical to those he'd given to me, Sean and Jack. It was a simple gold oval with the words; `Noli Timere' engraved. Brian recognized what it was at once and promptly burst into tears as he hugged his large tutor in gratitude. Doc helped him place it around his neck and Brian smiled as everyone in the room cheered. I watched the faces of all three boys during the meal and it was obvious to me that adopting Brian had been a right and good decision. They were happy and perfect together. I shook my head as I marveled at how relatively quickly I had built a family. It was a family of three good, caring, loving and responsible boys. I suddenly felt very proud and very grateful. ******************************* "The kid's never pitched like this in his life before." Arlen exclaimed to us all. Brian had walked to the mound in the first inning not as Brian, but as `Spider' and Spider was dealing today. It was the fifth inning and thus far, he hadn't allowed a player to reach first base. These were six inning regulation games. Could my new son be on the verge of a perfect game? There was one out and `Spider' had the current batter at a full count. He launched one of his fastballs and just slightly missed his spot. The batter connected and the ball flew almost straight to Sean who snagged it for the second out. The two new brothers grinned broadly at each other as the runner retired to the dugout. John gave Arlen a gentle punch in the arm. "You've sure done some great work with those boys!" "They're naturals." Arlen grinned. We all sat in awe as Brian took out the next batter with three pitches. The score was one to nothing as Deer Run came up to bat. Kelly was playing third base and he swung at the first pitch sending the ball into center field easily making it to first base. Evan our left fielder was next and he worked his at bat to a full count before he flicked the next pitch over the shortstop's head and just like that, we had runners at first and second. Ricco was up next and he took two quick strikes and a ball. The pitcher tried to be a bit too cute with his next throw and Ricco was right on it nailing a great base hit into short right field. The bases were loaded and we had no outs as Chris came up to bat. The boy swung on the first pitch and made great contact but the ball was caught by the center fielder and our runners were held on base. Charlie was next and as usual, he patiently waited for his pitch. He connected on the third one but unfortunately, his drive wound up right in the third baseman's glove. It was Sean's turn. He'd played an extraordinary defensive game so far but he hadn't produced at the plate. He took his customary chops with the bat before stepping into the box. I wondered suddenly if this was something Arlen had taught him or just a ritual he'd developed on his own. I always loved watching how his wonderful little ass filled the seat of his uniform pants as he did this. I sighed. The boy was beautiful and there was no denying it. He took the first pitch and it was a strike right down the middle. His beautiful face was stoic and there was no hint as to what he was thinking. He held steady for the second pitch knowing it was high and outside. The pitcher obviously felt he could get Sean and the third pitch was right on the left corner. Sean didn't swing but it was a called strike. A good call I had to admit and Sean certainly didn't demonstrate any complaint. The face on the pitcher was demonstrating more confidence. He shook off two calls from his catcher before indicating he was satisfied. He reared back and let the pitch go. Arlen has great eyes and he was whooping long before the ball reached the plate. Sean's swing was textbook perfect; almost elegant in its execution and accuracy. They say that every bat has a `sweet spot' that may be true for traditional wooden bats but I'm not so certain about aluminum and compound bats used in youth sports. Having said that, there most certainly seemed to be a sweet spot on Sean's bat this day. The sound of the contact was brisk and only momentary. The ball flew over the fence swifter than a hawk. It wasn't his longest home run but it certainly was significant. As the other three boys crossed the plate, they waited to greet their slugger. He was smiling jubilantly as he touched home. It was pretty much all over but Brian made it official as he took down the other team's first three batters. I was almost screaming with my pleasure. Brian had a perfect game and Sean had a grand slam...not only that, it meant that Sean had homered in every game so far this season. As we were all enjoying our burritos, Jack excused himself to go to the Men's room. I was shocked as I watched him walk away. With everything that had been going on lately I suppose I'd failed to notice that my red haired wonder was suddenly rather buff. I pulled him aside and asked him about it and he smiled. "Well Dad, I can't actually box yet but coach Sal has been working with me. I'm doing a lot of bag work and he's put me on a program with free weights. I supplement that workout with time on the Nautilus at our gym at home. If I'm going to take over from Richard someday, I figure I should be in shape." "What do you mean Jack?" He smiled and reached out and took my hand. "Well Dad, I've been thinking that if Sean and now Brian are going to be involved in the family business then so should I. Richard and the Skuggor are the part that I'm most interested in and I'd like to start learning about them." "But Jack, what about your dreams of ocean exploration?" "I actually figure that I can do that as well Dad. You're a young man, Richard is a young man and so is Chris. We boys don't need to be in control for a long time. We can be learning and still doing other stuff as well...like Sean learning to fly for instance." "Have you talked to Richard about this Jack?" "No Dad, I was hoping we could do that together." I mused to myself that my father's ultimate dream might actually be fulfilled someday; Magnus Veritas controlled by three Tuckers. What a grand plan. "Well Jack, Brian was only just approached by Uncle Phil regarding his role in all this so, I suggest we meet with Richard tomorrow. I suspect that he'll be very pleased. He likes you a lot." "I know Dad and I like him just as much." ********* It was quite dark when he came into my room. Even in the lost light of the nighttime, I could tell that he was naked. He slipped silently under my covers and sheets and sidled closely up against me. "Hi little man. Is something bothering you?" "Nope. It's just that I miss sleeping with my Dad alla time like we used to." "But, you know how much you're loved and how important you are to me right?" "Course I do an I'm not jealous that you adopted either Jack or Brian I just sometimes miss when it was just us." "Me too Sean so what do you think about you and me doing something together? Will Fletcher, your flight instructor has been talking to me about a previously owned sea plane he's come upon so I'm thinking that we try it out by flying up to the cabin at Long Bear. How does that sound?" He hugged me tight and I could see his smile. "That sounds great as long as you fuck me tonight and fuck me every night we're at the cabin." I kissed him and said; "You've certainly become a little wanton Sean." "No Dad, I've just become so much in love with you." I smiled and reached into the drawer and pulled out the tube of lube. "Well little man, I've always been in love with you. Pull up your knees and let me lube you up." To my astonishment, I was up to the task three time that night and he was an exceptionally active lover. Eventually we just fell against each other totally exhausted. (To be continued) ********************************* Didn't get a whole lot of response to the last chapter so that's very disappointing. I'm doing my best to crank these out despite my own condition. What the hell... if you don't care to offer advice and encouragement to writers who do this for free. I hope you understand that's why so many stories just `END' it's YOU that do that not the writers. Anyhow, don't forget to donate to NIFTY...while we writers may give up on you due to you lack of response and quit, your donations will keep NIFTY alive and other (soon to be disappointed) writers will keep this site going. It's really disappointing when there is so little response. Email doesn't even cost you the price of a stamp Eff