Date: Sun, 19 Jun 2016 23:26:59 -0500 From: Eric Trager Subject: It Is What It Is: Chapter 15 Please don't forget to donate to Nifty if you enjoy reading the stories! Email feedback can be sent to trager2275@gmail.com. © 2015 by Eric Trager. Yahoo group: https://groups.yahoo.com/IIWII CHAPTER FIFTEEN "Um, well, I never had a boyfriend. I never had a girlfriend, either. Look, guys, I might stutter this all out. Nobody ever asked me this shit before. Yeah, it's been on my mind. Yeah, when I was younger I jacked off with friends, and with my cousin who you guys know, but I never really allowed myself to think about it. I thought it was a phase I was going through. It didn't go away, though. It's been eating at me like crazy lately. I tried so hard to bury it inside me. "Then Andy was in my face and told me to eat his cum. I felt like I wanted to eat it. It's not like I did it just because he said so. When I saw you guys cumming on each other through the window my dick was as hard as a rock. In some way I wished I was there with you. I'm never gonna come between you two so don't worry about that, but when I ate that cum, well, I, um, well, I liked it! OK! So, yeah, I guess I'm gay! There! There ya go!" Tim began to visibly shake. Then he began to sob. "Guys, I dunno what to do! I just dunno what the fuck to do! Please help me!" "Dix..." Sean reached out his hand to his friend. "Dix, man, I don't give a fuck if yer gay, or straight, or whatever. That's for you and you alone. If you are gay, we won't out ya just because we're gay. That would be wrong. In my book you are the guy who welcomed me and Andy when we were brand new to town. You opened your heart and your friendship to us, and for that we owe you more than you know. You are our friend, Dix, and we stand by our friends." "Dix, you showed me kindness even though I'm not an athlete, or anything special," Andy said. "You showed me kindness. I've not had much of that in my life, or much love until Sean. I love you, man, as a friend I love you. You can be who you are around us, we don't give a fuck!" "Little dude, don't say yer nuthin' special. You are one cocky little fucker and you got the moxie to back it up. I totally fucking respect you. And, Wymo, what can I say, I'm just so thankful to have you guys as friends. I guess there must have been a bigger reason why I reached out... Oh, yeah, and I um...well...I uh...I liked eating your cum..." "OK, And, Dix, I gotta get this straight. Look, Dix, And and me are lovers. We're not looking for a third person in our relationship, but if it's OK with you and And maybe we can do shit like jack off once in a while, or stuff, if we think it's hot and we wanna watch each other cum, but that's about as far as I can go. Now you two, you tell me..." Andy and Tim agreed with Sean. "OK, Dix, do we need to find you a boyfriend?" Sean asked. "Well, um, I mean...wouldn't that be kinda weird and stuff?" "Dix, we're not gonna go around saying `Hey, Dix is gay and we're interviewing boyfriends for him,' or anything like that! See, we're the perfect stealth boyfriend finders because we're new here and almost no one knows us. Just let us look around the school a little bit and see what we see..." Andy suggested. "Yeah, and you look around yourself, Dix!" Sean added. "You're a great guy, and if I do say so, you're pretty fuckin' hot and not only that, but you got a heart of gold. I bet not many people really know that about you, man, so just be yourself. You might just find someone who's their self, too, like I was lucky enough to do with And. You might even find someone like that who's always been there, just like I did...ya never know!" "Hey, Dix!" Andy cut in, "We were just gonna go out for Chinese. You wanna come with us? I mean, might as well, now you're our total bud on another level, too! C'mon, man! Yer comin' with us and I don't give a fuck!" "Jesus, Wymo, Cass is like I said since Day One, he's one tough little shit. You guys, I mean, I hoped and I guess now it came true that when you guys showed up that it would help me be who I need to be. I am so glad fate brought you here..." "So are we, Dix!" Andy and Sean echoed in unison. "But is it OK with you guys if we don't go out for food. I need to talk about this, guys. I feel comfortable here on the patio, but I'm not sure a restaurant out in public is the best place for me to feel like I can say what I wanna say and stuff. I can order a pizza, or some wings, or something to be delivered here if you want..." "Fuck that, Dix," Sean said. "I'll make us some brats on the grill. It'll only take about 20 minutes, and I got some potato salad in the fridge. I'll go get the brats right now and throw `em on the grill." While Sean was busy getting the brats, Andy looked at Tim quizzically. "So, um, Dix, I just wanna say two things here. First, you don't need to worry about us being blabbermouths. We're not. When you decide to come out, and who you decide to come out to, that's up to you. For now it's just between us. Second, you're our friend. I want you to always know that you can just be yourself around us. You got that, Mister Fucking Quarterback?" "Cass, I appreciate that more than you will ever know. You got a huge personality, little dude. This is kinda scary for me, butcha know, I gotta do it or I'll fucking disintegrate. I can tell you guys all about it when Wymo gets back from the kitchen." "Tell us about what?" Sean asked as he stepped back out onto the patio. "OK, Wymo, throw the brats on the grill, siddown and I guess I'll spill my guts to you and Cass..." "Jeez, Dix, it can't be that bad, can it?" Sean asked. "If it makes ya feel any better, me and And only figured out we were gay not even a month before we moved here. And I was the really stupid one out of all that because And's been there for me for years, since we were kids, and I never realized until then that here was my partner. Here was the guy who together we can do anything." "That true, Cass?" Tim asked. "Yep, it is. I think I knew I was gay before Sean-o did, but yeah, that's the story..." "You guys are so good together, though. I'da thought you'd been together for a long time. I can see it in your eyes, how you look at each other, though... It's real love. Maybe someday I can find..." "OK, Dix," Andy said, "enough rambling about us! You said you were gonna tell us all about you. I dunno about Sean-o, but I got no idea what `it' is that you're gonna tell us, so we'll just shut up for a little while and you can tell us what's on your mind, bud, OK?" "Dix, I know this is probably hard for you, man. I guess me and And were lucky. We realized it to ourselves and then pretty much we hadda move. So here we are, and maybe that made it a little easier for us. I guess what I mean is that we're here for ya, man. You can feel safe here, Dix." "Thanks, you guys." Tim said softly, staring at the brick patio. "OK, well, go ahead, Dix, you tell us what's on yer mind!" Andy said. "Dix, look up! Look at me!" Tim looked up at Andy. "OK," Tim smiled wanly, "I'll tell you the whole story. I got nuthin' to lose, anyway, and I trust you guys." "Go ahead, Dix," Sean said. "We'll just listen. That's what friends are for." "OK, guys, well, here goes. I guess I'll just come right out and say it. I mighta said some of this already so if I did, I'm sorry, but I gotta start over. I pretty much knew I was gay, or thought I was, since I was maybe about 12 years old. But I figured maybe I was just confused, or something. I figured I'd grow out of it. Between then and like 14, or so, well, you know most guys mess around at least a little bit, so I figured it was no big deal. But I never grew out of it, and by that time I started growing, and was good at sports. All the guys who are the jocks at the school, well, I was popular with them, and scared shitless someone would find out about me. I had to try so hard to cover it up. I never had a girlfriend, or anything, but I've fucked a few girls. I didn't like it at all, but I did it for cover. Then I felt like an asshole because all I did was use the girls. It tore me up inside. At least one of them hates me to this day for it. "All the time, I really wanted to be with a guy. That's all I wanted. I want a guy to love, to make love to, and to make love to me. I want a guy to share life with. I want a partner. I have a lot of love in my heart, guys, and I'd like to have someone to share it with, someone to love and someone to love me back. I need someone who can look into my heart and see me for who I truly am, not just a football player. I see the other guys with their girlfriends, and it looks like they're in love and everything, and I have nobody... When they go out on dates, I sit home alone. It gets so lonely, guys. "Sure, I have friends, and everything, but it's not the same. And I'm scared. I just don't know what to do. Then I see you guys in the garage going at it and it hit me like a ton of bricks. It was like a fucking train wreck: I didn't wanna look, but I had to! It's what I've secretly wanted for so long but I couldn't allow myself to have! Every day I keep it inside it eats at me more and more. I don't think I can take it any more..." "Dix," Sean said. "I'm gonna say this once and once only. Look at me! My best advice is for you to be yourself. You just came out to us and the sky didn't fall. It's gonna be OK. I promise." "I really love you guys." Tim said, blinking back tears. "I feel so much better now, and you're right. The sky didn't fall! Now, I'm gonna have to think how I want to come out to the guys on the team. I think I can come out to my Mom and Dad probably tonight. They'll be fine with it... The biggest thing is the loneliness. I feel so alone... You might not believe this, but sometimes when I go to bed at night it feels so bad I just cry into my pillow. I just want someone I can sit with and feel like I can share everything with. I just want to be myself! Is that too much to ask?" "No, it's not." Andy said. "Dix, we're gonna help you with this. You helped us, so now it's time for us to repay you. We love you, Dix, don't we, Sean-o..." "Yeah, we do, Dix!" Sean said. "We honestly love you. You're our bro, not like a `bro' bro, but a real bro. You can depend on us." "OK, guys..." "In the meantime," Sean continued, "once school starts, we're gonna see if we can find a guy who you might like. Just trust us. I got an idea how we can do this. If we find someone, we'll like invite the guy over for a little cookout, or something on a Saturday night, and we'll invite you, too. That way there's no pressure. And all you have to do is just meet the guy. It's so simple it's elegant!" "OK, I'm down for that..." Tim said. "You guys, I swear, I think God himself sent you here!" The boys proceeded to eat the lunch Sean had prepared. Tim smiled and seemed more himself during the meal. Once the meal was over, he helped Sean clean up, made sure Andy was comfortable, and seemed like the happy guy they had come to know. "Hey, Sean-o, c'mere a sec..." Andy said. "What, hun?" Sean said. "I hafta whisper it!" Andy said softly so Tim couldn't here. Whispering in Sean's ear, Andy said, "Let's give Tim an Andy and Sean sandwich! I think he needs some human contact. Let's take him to the bedroom and just snuggle up. He'll feel better, I know it!" "Hmmm, um, well, I uh, oh, what the fuck! OK! You ask him! He follows your instructions..." "Hey, Dix!" Andy called out, all smiles. "What's up, Cass? I think you guys are in cahoots over there..." Tim said drumming his fingers. "We wanna give you a Sean and Andy sandwich!" Andy declared. "So just shut up and go with it, Red Head!" "What the fuck is that?" Tim asked wondering just what he was in store for. "Follow us!" Andy ordered. Andy led the way careening through the house on his crutches down the hall to their bedroom. Once at the door Andy opened the door, looked at Tim, pointed into the room and said, "In there! Now!" Tim meekly obeyed and could not see Sean behind him apprehensively smirking. "OK, Dix, we're gonna make you feel comfortable. You need some human contact after everything you just unloaded. We're your friends, and we're here to make some of that loneliness go away. Just be yourself, that's all. Now take your clothes off! You, too, Sean-o!" "What the..." Tim gasped. "Shutup and take your clothes off!" Andy commanded. "Dix, just do what he says. This will be calming, and you'll feel better." Sean counseled. Soon, all three boys were standing there in the bedroom naked and wondering what was going to happen next. "OK, here's the sandwich, Dix! You get in the middle of the bed. Sean-o, you get behind Dix and I'll get in front of Dix. We'll lie on our sides and snuggle up. Just snuggle, nobody say a word! Got it?" The three boys got into bed with Tim in the middle. Andy could immediately feel Tim's cock begin to swell against his butt crack. Andy didn't want this to be about sex, he wanted it to be about simple human contact and love. Andy didn't love Tim the same way he loved Sean, but he did love him as a person who opened his heart to him, and showed him kindness. Tim had his arm wrapped around Andy and pulled him close a little bit. Tim was enjoying the calming physical contact and it did make him feel more at ease. For his part, he felt Sean's half hard cock slip between his buns. It felt good, and he could only imagine how good it would feel on the day he could be like this with a lover of his own. He felt Sean's furry chest and torso against his back and thought how lucky both Sean and Andy were, and what a hell of a team they made. Soon, all three boys had fallen asleep in each other's arms. For Andy and Sean it was simply restful, but for Tim is was a dream world of pleasant, warm and comforting dreams where there was no loneliness. Even thought he was asleep, Tim pulled Andy in closer and curled his much larger body around his smaller friend. His cock was at full mast and firmly lodged in Andy's crack. What Tim didn't know in his dream state was that his cockhead was leaking precum. Andy was not dreaming even though he was asleep. Instinctively, Andy rubbed his butt against the leaking cock that he felt knocking at the gate. This made Tim gasp and snap awake. "Oh my God!" Tim called out. "Oh my God! I'm so sorry! Oh, God! I didn't mean to do anything!" Tim was as white as a ghost. Andy woke up from Tim's commotion and said, "Dix, what the fuck are you talking about... I think we were all asleep! What's going on?" "I woke up and my dick was hard and it was stuck in your crack and leaking precum! I never meant to do that! I'm so sorry, little dude..." "You got nuthin' to be sorry for! You were probably dreaming, or something! Is your dick still hard?" "Yeah..." By this time, Sean began to stir. "What's the deal guys, I was asleep! Thanks a lot for waking me up! I coulda slept a little more!" "When we were sleeping, my dick got hard and got stuck in Andy's crack. I started leaking... I feel like a piece of shit!" "Why?" Andy asked. "Am I chopped liver, or something? So what! We're all guys, and we wanted to make you feel comfortable! So feel comfortable already!" Andy smiled at Tim and ruffled his hair. "Yeah, well, my dick's still as hard as a rock!" Tim said sheepishly. "Well, whadya wanna do about it?" Sean asked. "Huh?" Tim asked slightly taken aback. "Well, if your dick's hard, do ya wanna jack off? I'll eat your cum just like you ate And's..." Sean smirked. "I'm up for jacking off!" Andy stated. "We can all eat each other's cum!" "You guys are making me so fucking horny! Are you fucking with me?" Tim said, half embarrassed. "Shut up and jack off!" Andy ordered. "Jesus, you're bossy!" Tim said. "You don't know the half of it..." Sean giggled. "Here, I'll start then." Sean turned on his back and began jacking his dick, which was now fully hard. "Ohhhhhh!" Sean hissed. "Fucking jack off, guys!" Tim looked over at Sean. "Fuckin' hot, man! You got a fuckin' hot body, Wymo! Hairy, too!" Tim flipped on his back and started jacking his dick. Sean glanced over at Tim's dick. It was big, not quite as long as Andy's but about as fat. The head was large, well-shaped, and was almost purple from engorgement. Andy spoke up, "OK, you guys, move apart a little bit! I'm gonna kneel between you guys and then when I cum I'll spray both of ya! Then you can eat my cum and when you guys cum, I'll eat both of your cum at the same time! I want you both to cum at the same time. Maybe all three of us can come together! This is fuckin' HOT! You're fuckin' hot with yer clothes off, Dix! Any guy will be so lucky to have you for a boyfriend! OK, I'm gettin' between you two, so let's go! Start jacking off!" "This is way hot!" Tim said. "Way more than I ever dreamed of! OK, I'm jacking off now! I like to finger my ass when I jack! It makes me think of having a dick up my butt! I so want to get fucked! Do you guys fuck?" Tim was jacking furiously, and had an index finger up his ass finger fucking himself like mad. "Don't talk, just jack!" Sean said. "Ohhhhhh, fuuuuck!!! This is so hot!" Even though left-handed, Sean jacked with his right hand and was stroking Tim's chest with his left hand. Then he moved his hand to Andy's balls and began pulling on Andy's low hangers. "Finger my hole!" Andy ordered. "NOW!" Sean complied as he always did which made Tim jack even faster. "Ohhhh, God!! Ohhhhhh!" Tim moaned, jacking faster and with his finger buried deep in his ass. "Guys, I dunno how much longer I'm gonna last! I'm so fucking close!" Just then, and without warning, Andy let out a guttural moan, "Uhhhh! UHHHHH!! OH FUCK!" and spayed first Sean, then Tim with a huge, thick and musky load of cum. Both Sean and Tim had Andy's cum on their faces, their chests, and in their mouths. Andy heard simultaneous tell-tale cum oaths from both Sean and Tim, he saw both of their bodies tense with hard jock muscles contracting all over the place. "I'm CUMMING!" Tim shouted. "Ohhhhh! Me, too!!!!" Sean cried. Together, both Sean and Tim erupted shooting everywhere. Cum flew onto the wall, on the headboard, on their faces and chests in massive loads that never seemed to stop. Both boys shook and convulsed so much that the bed moved. Andy started jacking again at the two hot jock boys underneath him both shooting their cum like cannons. "Dudes, I'm gonna fuckin' cum again! This is so fucking hot! I'm cumming! Uhhhhh! Unnghhhh! Ohhhhhh! Shit!! Fuuuuuuck!!!!" Andy shot out a second load on his lover and his friend. It was a smaller load, and didn't shoot as far, but he managed to get most of it in their mouths and both Sean and Tim lapped it up with abandon. Andy crumpled to the bed, breathing a mile a minute, his heart beating out of his chest, exhausted, spent, and satisfied. "OK, dudes, you both ate my cum, now I'm gonna eat yours both together!" Andy scooped up Sean's cum on his right index finger, and Tim's on his left. He eyed the cum for a second, put both fingers in his mouth and swallowed. Then he scooped up two more fingers full of cum inserting Tim's cum into Sean's mouth and Sean's cum into Tim's mouth. "Know what, guys?" "What..." Sean and Tim answered. "This makes the three of us family." "So, Dix, how ya feelin' right now?" Sean asked, a little worried. "Was this weird for you? Or are you OK with it? We're still friends, right?" "Wymo, Cass, I'm totally OK with it! And we're not friends, we're brothers! Instead of moping around thinking I'm missing something that I don't know anything about, I know exactly what I'm missing, and I'm gonna fucking go for it! I'm gonna get a boyfriend, and I hope when I do the four of us can be friends as couples. Thank you! Thank you guys SO MUCH! I am so fucking happy right now!" "Dix?" Sean said. "Yeah..." "You will get a boyfriend, and when you do, we will be both of your friends. You welcomed us, and we will welcome your boyfriend, whoever he may be. Isn't that right, And..." "Fuckin'-A right!" Andy declared. "I'm gonna come out to my mom & dad tonight, too. I don't give a fuck. No more crying into my pillow at night! No more loneliness! Fuck it! I'm Tim Dickson, I'm gay, and I don't give a shit!" The three boys high fived, and hugged each other even though they were all covered in cum. Tim got hard and asked the other two if they wanted to jack off again. They all agreed. In a few minutes all three young men spewed another load of young man cum all over themselves, and they ate each other's cum once again. "Guys, this was really fucking hot!" Sean exclaimed. "I mean, And, what do you think? Are you OK with all this?" "Yeah, I am. Not sure if I'd be OK with it if it was anyone other than you, Dix, but I'm more than OK with it!" "Um, I uh, I just wanna... What I mean is thanks, guys. I needed this! And you two are fucking hot! I'll probably jack off at least twice tonight just reliving what happened!" Tim said, beaming. "I guess I better get going now... Can I use the bathroom to clean the cum off myself?" "Sure, go ahead! Hey, call us tonight after you talk to your folks. I wanna know how it went!" Sean said. After Tim cleaned up and all three boys dressed, Sean and Andy walked Tim out, they hugged all around and each one told the others how pleased he was at the newly established depth of their friendship. On the drive home, Tim decided to stop by the school to sit and think for a minute. He parked in back of the building, walked down the hill into the practice field known as "the bowl," sat down on the grass and went over everything that had happened so far that day. He felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, and he knew that while in some sense the path on which he was about to embark would have unknowns, he knew that he must embark on that path. Although Tim was a thoughtful young man and sometimes that thoughtfulness led to him getting tongue-tied, he also had deep reserves of resolve and personal toughness. At that moment he resolved to get back in the car, go home and have the talk with his parents. He knew that they would not be upset, surprised maybe, but not upset. Tim would just have to see how it was going to go. Tim got up, walked back to his car and drove home. Once home, he found his mother on the patio reading a book. "Well, howdy there, stranger!" His mother, Peggy Dickson* called out. Peggy was originally from West Allis, an older, working class, industrial suburb of Milwaukee. Although she never lost her blue-collar Milwaukee accent, she was college-educated and a math teacher at Marshall Middle School. "Yer a little late for dinner there now, Timothy!" "Hi, mom..." Tim said a little apprehensively. "I um, I had a brat over by Wymo's..." "OK, now, Buster Brown... I know that look!" Peggy said. "Something's on your mind. I can always tell, don'tcha know... What is it, Tim?" "Well, mom, I was gonna wait until dad got home so I could talk to both of you, but I guess I can't fool you, can I..." "No, ya can't! Now go getcherself a soda once, and you come back here and tell me where the bear shits in the woods!" Peggy said. Tim went inside, grabbed himself a Coke, then back to the patio and sat down. "Well, Mom, it's like this... This has been bugging me for a long time, and it's been killing me inside because it's made me lonely and sad..." "Oh, now, Tim, you tell your mom what it is. There's nothing so bad that you can't tell me." "It's not anything bad, Mom, it's not that at all. What it is, is that I've been lonely and sad because I haven't allowed myself to be who I am. I pushed it all so far down inside because I thought if it did then it might go away, but it won't go away. Mom, I'm not gonna beat around the bush. I'm gay, Mom. And I've been lonely and sad because I haven't let myself try to find someone to share my heart with. So, there you go, mom." "Now, you listen to me, Timothy. I'm your mother, and I always will be. This might shock ya a little bit here, but I'm not surprised you're gay. You got two older brothers that trained me well. You can ask yer brother Kevin about the time he was 16 and I found a used condom in the back seat of the car. Ya, that was a classic alright I tell ya... Anyways, you really don't date girls, and a time, or two I've heard you in your room late at night, sad I suppose because all your friends are out on dates and you're not. I mighta been born at night, Timothy, but it wasn't last night, don'tcha know. You're my baby son. I will always love you. And so will your father. Your dad and I have already talked about what we'd say if you came to us with this. Mothers have ways of knowing these things, Timmy." "You mean you knew?" Tim gasped. "Well, let's just put it this way, we didn't know for sure, but we had a pretty darn good idea. We didn't pry because we know how kids your age hate that. We knew if you needed to come to us that you would in your own time. You're a good boy, and a good son, so we knew we didn't have anything to worry about." "I love you, Mom! But you know, now that I dealt with this I'm gonna be looking for a boyfriend. I just hope what when, not if, but when I find someone that you and Dad will welcome that person. It kinda has to be that way, mom..." "Don't worry, Tim. When you find someone, your Dad and I will take them in just as if they were our son, too. I promise ya now!" "And Mom, I just want you to know that I have Wymo and Cass to thank for this. I went over to their place, and we talked. They could tell I had something on my mind, so they kinda dragged it out of me. Especially Cass. I tell ya, Mom, that little dude is one tough guy. Anyway, they will stand by me as my friends. They told me to just be myself." "I'm glad those two are your friends don'tcha know. They seemed real nice when I met them." "Yeah, they're something else, Mom... Hey, when's Dad supposed to be home?" "I think he'll be here any minute now. He went out for some drinks at the Club. So, you get ready and when he comes in, you sit him down and talk to him man-to- man!" "I will mom, thanks!" Tim went up to his room to change. He took out his phone and texted both Sean and Andy. "Told Mom. All good. Will text after talk 2 Dad." Just then, Tim heard George's Escalade pull up the driveway. Tim went over to the mirror, looked himself in the eye and mouthed, "OK, dude, it's showtime..." While nervous, he knew it was a thing that had to be done, and there was no chickening out, or turning back. "Hey, Peg, I'm home!" George called out. "Out here, George," Peggy called. "C'mere once..." George dutifully strode out to the patio. "Have a seat for a sec, why don'tcha now George..." "What's up, Peg?" "Well, now, George, ya remember when we talked about that maybe Timmy would be gay and all? Well, George, when he came home he looked all in a tizzy, so I kinda dragged it out of him. He wanted to tell us together, but he told me first. I'll say no more. He's gonna ask you for a man-to-man. He's practically an adult, don'tcha know, and I'll let him tell ya the story himself. I just wanted you to be prepared is all." "Well, Peg, we've talked about the possibility. You know I'm not surprised. I don't give a shit if he likes guys, or girls. I'll let him tell his story, and I'll let him know we stand by him. He's a good kid, Peg, and he's our son." "I knew that's whatcha'd say, George. Now, just act like nothing's up and let Timmy come see ya once. He will..." George proceeded into the house, and to the bedroom to change. Once changed, he grabbed a cold beer out of the refrigerator, and went to the living room as he usually did, sat down in his favorite chair, grabbed his iPad and strarted to catch up on the day's news. Just like clockwork about a minute later Tim walked into the living room. "Um, hi Dad..." Tim called to his father. "Hey, Sport!" "Dad, I need a few minutes of your time if that's OK..." "Of course it's OK, son. Go get yourself a beer, and bring me another one if ya would..." "Sure, Dad." Tim thought to himself he could use a beer after everything that happened that day. Returning to the living room, he handed one of the beers to George. "Here ya go, Dad." "Thanks, son. Now what is it ya need some time about?" "Um, OK, Dad. I already told Mom, so I'll just give it to ya straight and if you need any filler afterwards just ask me. Dad, I'm gay." "I see," George said. "Son, your mother stopped me on the way in and said that you came to her with that earlier. I'm not sure that I need any filler at this time. In case your mom didn't mention it, we had kind of prepared ourselves for this eventuality. What's important for you to know, and important for you to remember, is that you are our son, and we stand behind you. I'm your father, Tim, and until the day I die I'll always love you. This took guts, Tim. I'm proud of you." "OK, and thanks, Dad, but I wantcha to know that this has been tearing me apart for months. I thought I would explode if I couldn't solve it. I went to see Wymo and Cass this afternoon, and I pretty much lost it. We talked it all out, and they told me to be myself. Dad, I almost totally lost it. I have those guys to thank, Dad. They had my back when I really needed it. I knew they were sent here for a reason, Dad. I knew it the first day I met them." "I see," George repeated. "You need to hold those two guys close, then, son. People like them won't come along often in life." "I know, Dad, but there's something else, too. I told Mom, and I'll tell you, too, that now that I've been honest with myself, I need to stop being lonely. It wasn't just the secret I had inside, Dad, but it was the utter loneliness. It ate me up more and more every day. If I hadn't talked to Wymo and Cass today I swear I might have gone off the deep end. Anyway, I'm going to find a boyfriend, Dad, and when I do I want you and Mom to promise me you will treat that person just like you treat me. That's all I ask, Dad." "You have our promise, son. We trust you and we know you will find someone just as good as you are. No worries, there. Now, how about those Brewers?" "Jesus Christ, Dad!" Tim started laughing through tears. "I'm the luckiest guy in the world to have you and Mom." "Son, you learned a lesson today, and that it's not only important just to be honest with those around you, but you've gotta be honest with yourself. That's an important part of life. You'll be 18 soon, and it's far better to learn that lesson now than when you're, say, 40 or 50. What do you think?" "I think you're right, Dad. It is what it is. I am who I am. I already feel better. I can stop going mental over this and concentrate on what makes me happy. Thanks, Dad!" And with that, Tim stood, walked over to his dad and gave him a hug. "I love you, Dad." "I love you, too, son. Always have. Always will." "I gotta go call Wymo, Dad. I promised I would once I talked to you and Mom." "Well, you better go do that, and just remember again, you better hold those two guys close. And remember something else: you can always come to your mother and me. Son, if you ever feel that way again, don't keep it inside. Come to us. We've got just a little bit more life experience than you do. Got me?" "Yeah, and thanks again, Dad!" Tim ran to his bedroom, grabbed his phone and instructed it, "Siri! Call Wymo!" Siri obeyed, and a few seconds later, Sean was on the phone. "Hey, Dix, I thought you were gonna text me..." "Yeah, yeah, I know but this was just too good so I wanted to call. It went really good. Mom and Dad are fine with it. And they said when I got a boyfriend they'd welcome him. I can't thank you guys enough. This is such a weight off me. Dad says I better hold you and Cass close. I'll always do that, bro. Anyway, everything is fine..." "Cool. Hey, me and And are going to the Mall tomorrow – there's some stuff we wanted to get today, but we just didn't get it all. Wanna go with?" "That'd be awesome, Wymo! What time?" "I dunno. I'll call ya in the morning and we'll pick you up." "OK, later, bro!" "Later, Dix!" The next morning Sean, Andy and Tim headed out to the Mall as planned. They didn't have as much they wanted to buy as the day before, so they just bummed around spending most of the time in, of all places, the book store with Andy indulging his usual fascination with maps to the amusement of the other two. Andy was looking on a lower shelf for a map of Europe between World War One and World War Two. He'd already taken out a few that weren't what he was looking for. All of a sudden he shouted, "This is it! That's the one I want!" pulled the map off the shelf, lifted his right crutch to turn and firmly planted it into the foot of another shopper. END CHAPTER FIFTEEN *Tim's mother's real first name is Margaret. Her maiden name was O'Shea and as with almost all Irish girls, the nickname for Margaret is "Peggy."