Date: Thu, 9 Jun 2022 23:57:04 -0400 From: James Heady Subject: Cole's Redemption--Chapter 2 Cole's Redemption By James Disclaimer This is a story which deals with sexual as well as romantic situations between consenting teenaged males. This story will also at times deal with themes of rape, Hate Speech, violence against various minorities including the LGBT Community, as well as possible references to suicide. Should you be offended by such material, or if it's illegal for you to read this type of story, then please find something else to read. Please remember to send in a donation to Nifty.org, as your donations as readers is what keeps these stories and other related information free to the public. Finally, if you like what I write, and if you like this story so far, then the next time there's a Concert put on by the Symphonic Metal Group Therion, take my e-mail address jamesheady1985@gmail.com to see the concert, but once there talk incessantly throughout every song of the set increasing the volume of your voice until the show ends for the night. Chapter Two Waiting to cut out the deadwood Waiting to clean up the city Waiting to follow the worms Waiting to put on a black shirt Waiting to weed out the weaklings Waiting to smash in their windows And kick in their doors Waiting for the final solution To strengthen the strain Waiting to follow the worms Waiting to turn on the showers And fire the ovens Waiting for the queens and the coons And the reds and the Jews Waiting to follow the worms Pink Floyd Waiting for the Worms Kevin Wednesday Morning came upon my family's household in the form of a dark and rainy morning. I was finishing dressing after having gotten my shower shortly before, then after making sure my shoes were on and my hair combed I went out in to the dining room to get breakfast. My mom and dad were sitting there talking as I sat down and started placing food on my plate. "Are you ready for the day?" my dad asked. "I'm awake, but if the school suddenly suffered a water leak causing classes to be canceled for the day, then I'd be fine with that," I replied, then my hands after signing my reply returned to finishing loading up my plate. "Oh yeah, you and rainy days are best friends," my mom said smiling. "That's right," I replied making sure to annunciate the two words though I knew she and my dad could understand me well with the few words I could say clearly in short sentences. "I do know what you mean," my dad said. "Yeah, I could use a day off myself," my mom agreed. We ate while continuing to talk about the up-coming events for all of us for the day, and then I finished my food and placed my dishes in the sink with the others that were already in the soapy dish water. "I have to go now," I said hugging my mom, then repeating the gesture with my dad. "I love you," I said hugging my mom again, then doing the same with my dad. "I love you too," they both said, then I was out the door to get to school for the day. 0000 Cole That Wednesday Morning was dark and rainy as I staired out my bedroom window. I had gotten my shower, dressed and then went in to make sure that Justin was awake and after hugging and kissing him Good Morning, he went to get his shower while I went in to help Daniel finish with preparing Breakfast. "This is good weather for sleeping in," I said looking out the window above the sink which looked in to the area where our driveway was. "Yeah, I can definitely agree," Daniel replied as he handed me the plate of Bacon to take over to the table. "I love these kinds of days," I went on sitting the plate of food down in the center of the table. "Me too," Daniel answered. "Oh, and before I forget, if they send Justin home with Math Homework, will you make sure to help him with it if I'm not home in time this afternoon?" "I'll remember," I said. "Thanks," he responded. "You're welcome," I answered. "I'd do anything for him." "So I've noticed," he answered. "He really looks up to you. I noticed that as you came to live with us." "I noticed that as well," I said. "Though I'm not sure if that's the best idea in the world." I said this looking down at my plate, and Daniel placed a hand on my arm. "You've really been good to him," he said gently squeezing my arm. "You've helped him with his homework, let him sit beside you in your room and just be with you when you were doing homework, or watching stuff on your computer. You've also let him sleep beside you when there would be nights when the weather would turn bad and storms would get really bad and the thunder would scare him." "I know," I said looking up in to Daniel's face. "There is also the fact that he has disabilities." "I know," he said smiling. "I've been raising him for the last ten years of his life." "No, I just mean that well, you know," I said then stopped,. "Daniel I had beaten up kids and adults who have disabilities when I was with the group. I hurt them badly, and not always with physical violence, and whether it was physical or verbal abuse, I made life Hell for the disabled kids and disabled adults I would terrorize. You're really okay with Justin looking up to me, or someone like me?" "I am," Daniel said putting his arm around my shoulders. "I feel sometimes like you think you need to do one huge act of heroics to make up for what you've done, or do something really big, but I believe that you're redeeming yourself every day by the small things you do and say that are the opposite of what you had been doing. Not only that though, you're doing and saying things that are helping people now, and you've been really kind and caring to Justin. Even when there would be times when you would be short with him, you have done good with recognizing when you messed up, and you'd correct it. So I consider you like an older brother to Justin, and that won't ever change." "Thank you Daniel," I said as I got up and we shared a hug. I returned to my seat as Justin came out to join us for breakfast. He sat across the table from me, and I let him know that the layout of the food was the same, and he felt for each plate locating it, and loading up his plate, then he started eating. I then took that opportunity to let him know that I'd help him with any Math Homework that he might have for that evening, and he finished the bight of food in his mouth before speaking. "Oh, let's just think positive thoughts that will attract all that away from me," he said smirking at me. "You keep your positive thoughts, but I'll keep my realistic outlook on life," I said smiling,. "Thanks," he said. "I do appreciate the help you've been giving me, and I hope we can get whatever they give me tonight finished so I can have a little free time afterwards,." "We'll get it done," I agreed. After I finished the last of my food, I put the dishes in the sink of water, and Justin was close behind me, and after he placed in his own dishes, he went to get his bag as well as his guiding cane, and after making sure his shoes were on, he came over to where Daniel was sitting finishing with typing something on his phone. I'll see you later this afternoon Dad," Justin said as they hugged. "Okay hon," Daniel replied. "I'll see you later. I love you very much." "I love you too Dad, so much," Justin replied as they hugged once more, then Justin came over to me, and we shared a hug. "I love you Justin," I said holding him close and kissing his cheek. He kissed back, and hugged me tightly. "I love you too Cole," he answered. "I'll see you later this afternoon." "Okay, I'll see you later," I answered as he walked out of the house to get on the bus to go off to school for the day. Daniel and I said goodbye after hugging, and I went out of the house to where Michael sat waiting for me in the car. I was in a special set of classes at the foster center that Michael and Josh ran,. After I left to live with Daniel, it was agreed that though I could get the usual Math, English and other various high school credits kids need, they wanted to add to my education with several topics having to do with studying cultures, various minority groups and histories dealing with how hate groups form, and why they're able to advance in to what they eventually become in society. For that, it was decided that I'd take classes for the foreseeable future at Michael and Josh's center, and possibly the up-coming school year I'd be able to get back in to the usual public school situation, but I was discovering that I liked where I was at, and hoped I could stay on there. I had started attending my specialized set of classes about three weeks after coming to live with Daniel the year before, and I was discovering that I was learning quickly, and that was definitely helping with changing my outlook on the world and those who I believed a short while ago were people undeserving of a place in society in general, and within our country in particular. Once I got in the car, Michael and I were off to the center to start the day. 0000 Kevin After school that day, I ran on the track for about a half-an-hour before going to the gym down the road from the school to do some weight-lifting for another half-an-hour. I always enjoyed this time, and it was definitely keeping me in shape which was what I wanted. I also enjoyed how I felt afterwards, and when I missed a workout, I felt out of place. Once I finished the last lap, I went in to the locker room and after showering and then changing back in to street clothes, I went to the gym, and continued my workout. Once finished with that, I repeated my shower and dress routine, then went home for the day. It had been a good day, and by the time I got in the front door of my house, the rain was coming down hard that afternoon, and it was even harder than it had been throughout the day so far. As I shut the door and locked it, I removed my backpack, and after taking it to my room I got started on homework, and it fortunately didn't take me that long to do. Once finished, I put the completed homework in my bag, and then got online to check out some music videos. As I started the first one, my phone sounded, and I looked at the display. It was my friend Chance Matthews. He and I had been friends since we were 10, and he was the first guy to who I came out as gay, and he kept my secret until I was ready to tell my parents which wasn't that long of a wait. He admitted to me that he was gay a few months after I told him, and though we jacked off together one time a little while after I learned how to do it, we didn't end up as boyfriends or anything like that. As I mentioned earlier, I wanted to start dating at a later time, and Chance wasn't really my type anyway.. He was someone who always talked a lot about sex, and to the point that it was hard to know if he really was getting as much sex as he claimed to be getting, or if he was just trying to get a reaction out of me and a few of our other friends. More often than not though, he would make jokes about sex rather than tell us about any guy with who he was doing anything sexual, and in addition to constant innuendos about sex, he would always talk about which guy he would want to fuck or get fucked by if he had the chance, and mainly he would talk a lot about wanting to get fucked, so I figured that he was destined to be a bottom for some happy guy at some point down the road. With all that in mind however, I answered the call. "Hey, I said as I answered the call. "Oh hey," Chance said smiling at me. "My group of 50 Leather Daddies left for the day, so I'm resting my ass now. Just thought I'd call and see what you were in to?" "For fuck's sake, you get more disgusting as the days go by," I said smiling. "Let me guess, you've heard of Leather Daddies from the internet or something?" "Where else," Chance said flopping down on his back on his bed laying spread across it as if he didn't have a care in the world. "I got some Doms coming over on Friday, 40 of them. For the Leather Daddies it was 50, so I figured I'd ease in to it with the Doms?" "What!" I said not sure what to think at this point. "Dom is short for," he began. "I know what it means," I interrupted laughing. "I might be more conservative when it comes to sexuality and relationships, but I still hear of things sometimes." "Yuck," Chance said smirking at me. "You used the word "Conservative", that's the one C. word that isn't in my vocabulary." "I made the motions of someone playing a violin and arranged my face in to a mournful expression to convey what the hand gestures were supposed to mean. "Your point?" he asked laughing. "I used a word that you clearly have a bad reaction to, it's truly a sad day for sad little Chance," I said. "Okay, if you're finished making fun of me, that would be good," he replied. "Anyway, seriously though I was just finishing homework, and this weekend I'll just be helping my dad with some yard work. I sure could use a few doms in my room working me over hard though." "Okay, so you're a total sub, we get it," I shot back. "Damn right," he said. "joking aside, I just figured I'd see what you're doing this evening." "I just finished homework of my own, and was about to check out some music videos on YouTube. As for this weekend, I will be going to that one metal concert that I told you about earlier today." "Yeah, I would have loved to have gone to that, but my dad and I do need to get started on the work we're doing around the house, and we'll be starting on it sometime Friday evening when I get home from school, and if we can do some of it that evening, then we probably won't have much left to do on Saturday," Chance said. "We just have to fix a few pipes in the basement before they start a huge leak. It'll be nice to get it done though as what we've done so far to fix it hasn't worked, and it's starting to make the basement smell bad as if it wasn't already a disturbing-looking place down there anyway." "Yeah, it would be horrible if you were down there at night and the power went out," I said smiling at him. "Shut up Kev," he shot back smiling. "I'd totally flip the fuck out if that happened." "No problem, just get one of your doms to go down there with you," I said laughing. "Kevin, it's 2022," Chance said arranging his face in to a mock indignant expression. "We don't Kink-Shame as a society now. Besides, you shouldn't knock it until you tried it." "Oh my god," I said laughing harder now. "Anything else I can help you with this evening?" "Yeah, I was wondering if you could lend me a copy of that one album you have?" he began. "It was that album Black Cascade by that Black Metal Group called Wolves in the Throne Room. I had been meaning to ask you about it, but had kept forgetting." "No problem," I answered. "I can give it to you now if you're not busy." "Cool," he said. We finished up the call, and I went over to my desk and got my music player hooked up to my computer. After copying the album in question over to a thumb drive I didn't use, I set it aside and then I heard a knock at the door. My mom greeted Chance, and I heard his voice. His voice sounded like that of a boy who was 13, and who's voice had started getting a little bit deep, but still had enough boy left in it to show that he was still young. He was 15 like me however, and he had smooth creamy-white skin with hardly any hair except for on his legs and even that was a light dusting, and he had a little hair above his penis, and that might have changed, but the only times where he and I were naked around each other were in the Summer when we would be changing in to swim shorts, and even then I glanced quickly, but not long enough to memorize everything, and he clearly loved when guys checked him out. Chance also had golden-blond hair, deep-blue eyes and full-red lips that any guy would love to press their lips against, as well as a face that didn't need shaving yet. He would definitely make a guy come hard just looking at him alone, and probably had if some of his stories of being with guys sexually were true. "Kevin, Chance is here," my mom called. "Thanks," I called out as Chance neared the doorway of my room. "Hey," he said knocking on the doorjamb. "Hi," I said getting up and coming over to him. We hugged for a moment, and then I walked him over to my bed where he sat down. He was small for his age as well standing at only 4-11 and waying only 110 LBS. I joked with him sometimes that the slightest breeze could blow him over to which he would respond that the only blowing he wanted done was a guy between his legs, and he'd laugh totally pleased with himself while I would role my eyes trying to act embarrassed. I picked up the thumb drive on which was the copy of the album for which Chance asked, and I held it out for him. Thanks," he said standing up and coming over to me. He took it and put it in his bag, then sat back down on the bed. We talked for a bit, then he got a text from his dad letting him know that it was time to come home for dinner. We said goodbye, hugged then after he said goodbye to my parents, he left and I went in to see if my mom needed any help with dinner. 0000 Cole Once home that dark and rainy Wednesday afternoon after school ended for the day, I helped Justin with the small amount of Math Homework they assigned him, then after we sat on the couch watching TV once my own homework was completed, I then went on to help Daniel with dinner. We ate and then spent the rest of the evening watching TV in the Family Room, then it was eventually time to get to bed for the night. The night of the concert was hot, humid and it felt alive as if the universe was preparing itself for what was to come. I had said goodbye to Daniel and Justin, and after letting them know that I'd call at the agreed upon times, I went off to the auditorium in which the concert was going to be held. I took a spot near the back entrance, and waited as all of the other people began filling up the space. I had already paid my fee, showed my ticket and I was set. Hate Temple was made up of one bassist, another guitar player, as well as a second guitarist, a keyboardist, drummer as well as another guy who I figured was going to be performing vocals. I saw about six other people gathered at the far end of the stage, with them being made up of three men and three women, but they had no instruments with them, or at least it didn't look like they would be playing any instruments. At the other end of the stage were six other people, and they had cases by them that looked similar to those that were meant to hold instruments possibly like violins, cellos and other similar instruments. I waited as everyone got set up, and as the members of the group began introducing themselves, the extra people on stage in their respective corners started making sense. For songs that they would be covering from groups like Night Wish, Therion and Svartsot all three of who used additional instruments in addition to the typical guitars, drums and keyboards, this group obviously didn't want to eliminate the operatic vocals from their covers of songs done by Therion which relies heavily on Operatic Vocals, nor did they want the Bag Pipes and Irish Whistles of Svartsot to be performed by mir keyboard simulated sounds. I was glad to see the effort these guys were putting in to the presentation, and I was glad to see just how much respect for the original source material they clearly had! The first extra group of people got in to their position, standing as if waiting to be summoned, and the second additional group took their positions on the other side of the core musicians of the act in question, and this second group turned out to have what I suspected when they started bringing out a few instruments a couple of which looked like Irish Whistles, Bag Pipes and the four other people in this group unpacked their instruments with two of the instruments being violins and the two other instruments being two cellos. I figured that this would take care of the symphonic elements for when the band got to the songs they'd be covering by Night Wish, Therion and Dimmu Borgir all three of who rely on among other genres of music, Symphonic and Classical Music elements. I watched as the last couple of kids took their places in the room which was occupied with chairs, but most kids were standing, and I would be seated for a while, but would end up standing as the night continued on. No sooner did the last two kids take their positions then the guy who was standing in front of the other members of his band announced themselves, and welcomed us all. As he completed his opening greeting, the second of the two kids took the seat that was right next to me on my right, and I turned to look at him, but before I could open my mouth to say hi, or to give even one word of introduction, the Front Man announced the first song, and I was excited as well as surprised to hear that it was Farsoten kom by the Danish Folk Metal group Svartsot! The Front Man who turned out to be the vocalist as I suspected, did a surprisingly good job on the Death Vocals, and we supplied the responding response as did the backing vocalists in the original song, and I loved the work the second of the two guitarists was doing, and he was clearly the lead guitarist while the guitarist to his right was serving as Rhythm Guitarist. The drummer was basically keeping true to the original drumming work, but would add some of his own elements that I really enjoyed, and everything was off to a truly amazing start! 0000 Kevin I was amazed as I took in everything! I loved the good job that the band was doing so far, and I loved their sound, as well as just all of the energy of the whole performance! I had been meaning to introduce myself to the boy to my left, and I had to look carefully to see him as there was limited light in the audience area of the room, and the majority of the lighting was reserved for the members on stage. I could see a little of the boy though, and he looked small for his age. I couldn't really tell what color hair or eyes he had, but I hoped I'd get a chance to introduce myself to him possibly at intermission. 0000 Cole I could see a little of the boy beside me on my right, and he looked big, possibly big enough to play for a football team, but as he was sitting at the moment I couldn't tell how tall he was. I couldn't really see his face, eyes or hair that well because of the dim lighting in the area of the room in which the audience was seated, and I hoped that I could get a better look at him, as well as introduce myself to him, and I hoped that we could get that chance at Intermission. After Farsoten kom ended, the vocalist introduced all of the core members of Hate Temple, as well as the guest performers providing Folk Instruments, Symphonic Instruments and Choir Vocals whenever appropriate depending on which song and group was being covered. After that, they continued on with Powerwolf's song Demons Are a Girl's Best Friend, and I loved how the lead vocalist who gave his name as John conducted audience participation. He would have all of us both guys and girls sing the lines of the course which were: "Demons come at night and they bring the end". Then just the girls sing the closing lines of the course which were: "Demons are a girl's best friend". That song ended, and they went from that in to the song Bye-Bye Beautiful by Night Wish with one of the women from the choir section doing the female vocals which were regular singing as opposed to Operatic Vocals, and John handled the vocals on the course and bridge of the song, and it was nice to see that he had some grit to his vocals like Marco Hietala, but enough of his own original vocals so as not to be little more than a Marco imitation. As the set of songs continued on, I started noticing the boy to my right and he wasn't singing along with us, and I didn't think much about it in the beginning, but it was by the time the fourth song which was Fairness Justified by Stratovarius that I noticed what he was doing when we were prompted by John to sing some of the lines in the course. He was moving his hands over his head clearly for the band members to take note of, and when I looked closer I saw that his hand movements were Sign Language! I was amazed, and I was glad that he was using this way to participate! It was getting close to the time for Intermission, and they closed with the song Killers with the Cross also by Powerwolf, and once that was concluded they announced Intermission, and I waited while the audience split up heading outside, and then some headed in the direction of the Concession Stands. I turned to see if the boy who was beside me the whole time was gone, but he was standing there clearly waiting for enough people to clear before he went outside. I turned to face him, and he turned at the same time though it was still hard to see him in the dim lighting. "You seem to really be enjoying yourself I said looking directly at him. Given the Sign Language, I didn't know if he was deaf or what the issue was, but I wanted to hold my head up so that if he needed to read my lips, then he could do that, and I noticed in the little bit of light that was there that he was already signing to me. "It's a hell of a show!" he said. "Thanks for holding your head up like that, but I'm not deaf so you can talk with your head held however you usually do. You can also speak at a normal volume." "Thanks," I said, and then waited to see what he would do next. Once the place was fairly emptied, the boy held up his hand and moved it towards his chest as if to tell me to come with him, and he asked the question with his eyes. "Yeah, I'll come with you," I said glad that he was offering for us to hang out during the break. "I'm Cole by the way." "I'm Kevin," he replied as we walked outside, and we shook hands, and I was surprised at the size of his hand as well as how soft it was. It was big, as well as soft, and I felt as if a jolt of electricity was shot through me. I didn't know what to make of it at that moment, and I felt as if he was experiencing the same thing, and while we held on to each other's hand longer than most guys would, my eyes as if lacking a will of their own lifted to meet his, and we gazed in to one another's eyes long and deep. The noise of several guys and girls laughing loudly as they ran past us broke the moment, and we jumped visibly as our hands separated as if having touched something hot! My eyes jerked away from his, and I felt several feelings running through me all at once, but I didn't have time to think about them at that moment. "I have to call my family to let them know how things are going," I said. "You can stand here with me while I do it if you want." "Okay," Kevin said verbally this time and the word was annunciated clearly. I made the call, and after Daniel and I talked, then after I talked with Justin for a moment I completed the call, and I waited while Kevin had his own phone out, and he texted for several moments, then put the phone away. "I was texting with my parents to let them know how things were going," he said as he pointed over at the stand. "Yeah, my guardian wanted me to do the same once Intermission began as well," I said,. Once up at the concession stand, we looked over what they had, and I saw Kevin signing out of the corner of my eye, and he lightly tapped me on the arm. He was standing to my right, and so when he tapped my arm, his fingers landed on the area where the scar was, and I jumped visibly. "Sorry," he said looking concerned as he stepped even closer to me. "It's alright," I said trying to get my heart to stop feeling like it was going to explode. After I calmed down, I told him he could continue with what he wanted to say. "I'm going to get a drink is all since I'll be eating after I finish up here," he said. "I'll be going to that one place called Sunset Cafe. They have burgers and other sandwiches as well as other things. You're welcome to join me if you would like to." "Thanks!" I said hoping he'd invite me along. "I'd really like that!" We got our drinks, and we sat outside for the remaining 15 minutes of the break. There was a wall that came up to Kevin's waste, and he sat down on top of it motioning for me to sit beside him. I sat down, and he was on my left this time. "I'm really glad that we ended up sitting together tonight," I said. "It's been really nice hanging out with you." "I've enjoyed hanging out with you as well Cole," he said. "I'm looking forward to spending more time with you when we get dinner later on as well." "I'm also excited about that as well," I replied. "So have you always lived here in Sangger?" Kevin asked looking at me. "No," I said. "I lived in a small town outside the city. I did start living here back in January of this past year, and it's been a good experience." "I've always lived here in Sangger," Kevin responded. "With someone like me, it's usually better to live in the city." "Yeah, I think I understand," I answered. I assumed that he was referring to whatever his disability or disabilities were. "It's odd that I haven't seen you around Sangger High since you've lived here this whole time," Kevin added. "I attend classes at a special school," I began trying to figure how much to tell my new friend. "It's a long story, but the classes I take are my usual classes you take in regular high school, but I take a few specialty classes that deal with the study of hate groups and the ideologies that underlie them." "That does sound interesting," he said. The alarm sounded signifying the end of the break, and we went back inside. Once we took our places again, the band started up again. The band continued on with several songs by Therion, a few more by Night Wish, and then several from Bloody Hammers's current album Songs of Unspeakable Terror, and I totally loved that! As they closed, John announced that they would be performing a closing song that was really important to him, and while not considered Metal exactly, it had a dark element as well as a message he considered to be an important one. He went on to explain that in addition to their music, Hate Temple opposes hate in any form, and actively so. They especially advocate for fighting against LGBT Bigotry as well as fighting against Racism. He finished by saying that with that in mind, they would be closing the show with the song Waiting for the Worms off of Pink Floyd's album the Wall. I knew that song since I owned a copy of the album, but I also knew the back story that was the context for which that song existed. In the storyline for the Wall which is a Concept Album, Pink is a rock singer who was raised by an over-protective Domineering mother, placed in a boarding school with abusive school masters as well as abusive teachers, loses his father in WWII then has a failed love life. All of the traumatic events in Pink's life serve as metaphorical bricks that he puts in to an emotional wall behind which he hides. Never having dealt with any of the events from his mother's toxic personality, to the institutional abuse at the hands of the British Boarding School System when he was a child as well as the loss of his father and the hate behind the people who killed his father, Pink hides behind his wall, and things finally culminate in him suffering a mental breakdown on stage in which he believes himself to be a dictator modeled partly on the Nazi Dictator Adolf Hitler and the Italian Fascist Leader Benito Mussolini. The songs that play out these events in Pink's break down are found within the three songs In the Flesh PT 2, Run Like Hell and Waiting for the Worms. In Waiting for the Worms, Pink believes his audience to be a group of radicalized kids he's giving orders to so that they can go take out Jews and various minorities that the Nazis oppressed, tortured and killed. Towards the end of the song the audience yells the word "Hammer" as Pink continues on with his monologue that finally moves in to unintelligible ranting that the listener usually can't audibly decipher. This was done when Roger Waters who performs the spoken-word parts of the song in the original version to illustrate the point that totalitarian movements and hate groups once having progressed to their logical conclusion almost always end in the leaders speaking total nonsense that makes no sense to the people who aren't within the group, as well as showing that these movements are illogical as they are dangerous and they lead to nothing but misery, horror and death in the end. I always thought that Roger Waters did a good job of expressing these views when having wrote all of the material for the Wall, and I found it interesting that much of the source material was based on events that happened in his life such as the abuse from teachers at various boarding schools in England one of which Waters attended when still a child, as well as him having lost his own father in WWII. That album was always a favorite of mine, and Waiting for the Worms in particular as specific songs go from the album truly resonated with me given what I had been involved in not too long ago, and I knew from experience the fact of how hate groups in the end lead to nothing, not for the victims of the crimes the groups perpetrate, nor for the people who were within the groups. Even for those who are able to make lives for themselves once out of the hate groups should they not be in prison, I imagine they have to find someway to live with what they did. I knew that this was true for me, and that I had to work to be able to live some sort of life, and come to terms with who I had been, as well as how to find ways to redeem myself and make amends to those I hurt. I thought some about this as John and this band got through their cover of Waiting for the Worms, and like in the original, we participated with yelling Hammer in the concluding minutes of the song until like Roger Waters in the original song, John too concluded the song by screaming the word stop at which point it ended suddenly! We all applauded for the group, and then they began tearing down their equipment, and we all started clearing out of the building. Like at the break in between sets, Kevin and I waited, and after enough people left, we cleared out as well and once outside, we sat on the wall for a moment, and as I sat down on the spot Kevin had been occupying during the break, he sat on my right this time, and when I turned to my left to pick up my phone to call Daniel, I noticed that at the end of the wall there were two spots where two bricks had originally been held in place, but they were missing now. I immediately saw a deeper meaning in that sight than two spaces that needed filling in again, and I didn't know whether or not to be touched or horrified at how close to home that sight came for me as I staired at the empty spaces in the wall. Author's Notes When I started thinking of the idea for Cole's Redemption, I had been listening to the album The Wall by Pink Floyd from time to time when listening to music in the days leading up to me getting the idea for the story, and when I remembered about Pink's descending in to hate and bigotry, I knew that I had a certain degree of inspiration from Pink Floyd's album to at least get my story started along with my own need I've always had to stand up against those who would promulgate hate, bigotry and oppression against minorities, and there's also my own experiences of dealing with bigoted assholes both within institutions, as well as everyday people in society, and thus Cole's Redemption was ready to be written at a future date. I also figured that Cole could easily understand a song like Waiting for the Worms, and as you will read in this chapter, he clearly gets it. This will also help to keep him on the road he's on to not fall back in to where he was a short time ago, and to do better with his life. I'll continue on with Cole and Kevin's evening together in Chapter Three where they get dinner after leaving the place the concert was performed, and they'll be getting to know a little more about one another. I hope all of you enjoy how that unfolds. As for Kevin's friend Chance, you'll see from this chapter that he likes to run his mouth, and I have come to think of him as providing the majority of the comity-based one-liners in certain points of the story. I hope you guys like his addition to the story. All that being said though, I hope everyone is doing well as well as staying safe. I'll see everyone in Chapter Three.