Date: Sat, 17 Apr 2021 16:13:51 +0000
From: Isuccum <Isuccum@protonmail.ch>
Subject: Started at the busstop 55

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Started at the Bus Stop
Chapter 55

The first reply that Percy got was from Barrie, who replied to all of the
group:

This is so cool. Good on you for trying all this time. I think all of us
who can meet up with Bryan should do so, but can I suggest that only you,
Percy, let him know you will meet with him. The rest of us can be a
surprise. If the rest of you are in agreement, let's all meet just outside
the food court in the precinct at about half eleven. Perhaps Percy, you and
William can get there a bit earlier and make sure you bring Bryan around to
`bump' into us. We'll let him know you thought of it, although he'll
probably work that out for himself. Then once we've all met up, we can all
send Bryan an email so he gets our addresses again, and we can give him our
mobile number in the email. It'll be good to see him again.

"What do you think of that?" Percy asked William.

"I think it's really nice for Barrie to think of that, and I hope all the
guys can make it."

"Yeah. I'm going to text Bryan now and tell him we'll meet him tomorrow. He
thought we were a couple before we really were, so he shouldn't be
surprised that we're together in town."

Percy and William were surprised when they got a reply from Bryan within
minutes. Bryan said he was really pleased that Percy had agreed to meet
with him and that William was going to be there too. William wondered how
he would take it when the others showed up as well. All the text messages
that had come back had been positive and everyone was planning to be
there. Nicky said he would probably have Dan with him, but he was sure that
Bryan would remember Dan and not be too concerned about it. Martyn even
changed his plans with his girlfriend in order to join in.

When Percy explained it all to his mother in the morning, she was surprised
and pleased. She didn't say anything, but they could see she was very proud
of Percy for not giving up on his efforts to build bridges between Bryan
and his former friends.

William and Percy finished their breakfast and went back upstairs to get
ready. They left a little earlier than planned and got into the precinct
just after half past ten. They weren't sure which shops Bryan would be
visiting, so they began to wander around, looking into the smaller shops
from the outside and doing a quick tour inside the larger ones, keeping an
eye out for Bryan. It was William who spotted him first. He pointed him out
to Percy, and the pair made their way towards Bryan. They were trying to
get close enough to touch him before he saw them, but he turned around when
they were still about ten feet away.

"Hey, guys!" Bryan exclaimed as he took the few steps to close the gap. He
was holding out his hand in a fist to bump with them, but Percy grabbed his
arm and pulled him into a hug.

"I'm so glad you wanted to meet up with us. I'm sure the others will also
be happy to connect with you again," William said, joining in on the hug.

"Thank you. I've really missed being with the gang. I've only made a couple
of friends at school. Someone discovered that I'd been expelled and spread
the word around. Most of the guys don't want to get tainted by being seen
with me. Fortunately there are a couple who have been able to look past the
rumours to see the real me. And guess what? ..."

"They're gay," Percy interrupted.

"Shit! How do you find out these things? I haven't even told you their
names and you know about them," Bryan asked.

"I didn't know. I just thought it would be quite ironic and guessed at it,"
Percy said.

"Well anyway, you're right. They are gay, and although they aren't out at
school, they told me. It was right after the rumours started spreading that
I was a gay-basher and got expelled from my other school for putting a gay
into hospital. Two days later my victim had been in I.C.U. for two
weeks. Man, have my eyes been opened! So how are you two? Does anyone other
than the gang know you are an item?" Bryan asked.

"Just about everyone in school knows. And not just us; there are a few more
same sex couples out at school, as well as two teachers. You won't know the
teachers; they only joined the faculty about a year ago. We're going to be
ushers at their wedding in a couple weeks," William said.

"Way to go, man! Shit, I'm so glad to see you guys. Have you heard anything
from the others? Do you think they'll be prepared to mail me or something?"

"I sent them all a text last night after I got your email. We had just got
home from our prom and they should have all been up. I think you'll be
getting some emails today or tomorrow. I'm guessing some of them are still
fast asleep, making up for a latish night," Percy said. "So, tell us, what
helped you to realise that us gay guys aren't all bad?"

While they were talking, Bryan had paid for his purchases in the shop where
William had spotted him. As they left the store Percy and William had
carefully guided him in the direction of the food court and the rest of the
gang.

"It started with dad. Man, he looked so hurt and disappointed with me. I
know he's not my biological dad, but look what that bastard did to
me. Seeing that made me hurt, and after I had been in the new school for a
few weeks and was struggling just to get to know guys in my year I forced
myself to go to dad and tell him I was sorry and I asked him to help me.
Fuck me! The change in him was amazing. I think that was the first time I
ever seriously asked for his help with anything. He took me out to a KFC
and we bought some food and then just sat in the car and talked. We talked
for so long that dad sent me back in to buy more drinks. Dad thought I
might get better help with a counsellor and said he would find one for me
if I was willing. You know, he never forced me into anything. But the
counsellor did help, and look at me now. I've got two people who love me
better than my own parents ever did, and all the hurt my parents caused me
has been worked through. I'm a different and much happier person now. If I
hadn't deleted all your guys' addresses and phone numbers, I would have
been in contact long ago. But I haven't got the brains like you, Percy, to
work out how to get information. I'm so glad you never gave up on me. And I
don't have any problem with your sexuality and that wonderful hug you guys
gave me. I was nervous about meeting you, but as soon as I saw you guys my
nerves just went. I just knew it would be okay."

William had moved a little behind Bryan so he could look at the time on his
phone. He saw it was close to the time the others were supposed to be
congregating near the food court. Although they had been heading towards
it, they were still a few minutes away.

"I'm a bit thirsty. Do you think we could go and get a drink or something?"
William asked.

"Yeah. It's on me, by the way. When I told dad that you guys were going to
meet up with me, he gave me some money and told me to treat you guys to
whatever you wanted. He's so glad you managed to get in contact with us,"
Bryan told them.

The three young men began walking a little faster with both Percy and
William looking ahead to try and see where the others were. William moved
back a bit and sent a text message to Barrie telling him they would be at
the food court in a minute or so and which direction they were coming
from. He had put his phone on silent and just held it to see if he got a
reply. Seconds later it came through. `We're ready'. William smiled.

When they got close enough to the court, William and Percy were a bit
shocked because they couldn't see any of the gang. Percy was about to lead
the way in through the railings when they heard one word. "Now!"

"Surprise!" rang out around them as the rest of the gang suddenly appeared
from behind support columns, artificial bushes and advertising banners.

Bryan took one look at all the smiling faces and burst into tears. Barrie
stepped forward and pulled him into a hug. It only took him a few moments
to gain control, and then he just smiled, lifted his hand in a wave and
shook his head. "Fuck, you guys sure know how to make a guy feel good."

"Easy, there are ladies present," Rosie said as she too gave Bryan a
hug. "It's so good to see you again. Thanks for coming back to us."

"This is so nice. I really am happy the nerd never stopped trying to find
me. Listen, guys, I've still got the same email address. Please drop me a
mail so I can get yours again. I deleted them all while I was being an
idiot. I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry about. You've paid a hefty price for being a
right royal twerp, and we're just glad you've come round to being a
sensible guy again," Martyn said.

They all moved into the eating area and pulled a few tables and chairs
together. A few of them took the orders for the others and went up to the
counters. Although it was a little early for lunch, they reckoned by the
time the food was ready it would be close enough to it to warrant them all
getting a meal of sorts. Bryan tried to get them to let him pay for the
meal, but they refused. Everyone chipped in and it didn't matter who got
what, they all paid an equal share.

They were still sitting at their tables two hours later when Bryan insisted
on buying everyone a drink. When he went up to the counter to order and
pay, he also asked for several portions of fries. The guys behind the
counter said they would bring them all out once they were ready as the
fries were going to take a little longer to cook. Also they could see that
Bryan wouldn't be able to carry all the drinks on one tray and would have
to make a few trips back to the counter. Bryan thanked them and went back
to the group.

"They're not used to getting such a big order. They'll bring them out once
all the drinks are ready," he explained.

The gang really appreciated the plates of fries and thanked Bryan for
them. The talking carried on. They never did make it to the movies. By the
time they left, it was like Bryan had never left the group. He even
complimented Nicky on his choice of boyfriend and ribbed the others that
didn't have special friends. In response to that Inky said that his
girlfriend had extra lessons on Saturdays, and Martyn said he and Claire
had parted ways after the prom the evening before.  This was a bit of a
shock to everyone. Martyn explained that it had been heading that way for a
while, and she got upset with him because he danced with a couple of the
other girls from their year. Some of the girls had attended without a
partner, which Martyn thought was sad, so he had tried to cheer them up a
bit. He ended by saying he was not willing to be a possession yet.

Bryan departed a much happier person. He now had all his friends' mobile
numbers on his phone and a promise from each of them to email him, so he
could have their emails again. There was unanimous agreement that they all
needed to get together again.

A few days later Percy received a call from Bryan. He had learnt from one
of the others of Percy's experience with the secret service and the loss of
his father. Bryan wanted to express his sympathy and felt it was something
he could not do in an email. Percy thanked him for his thoughtfulness and
sympathy and told him that he was coping with the loss as best as he
could. Bryan then asked if Percy thought it would be okay if he hosted a
dinner party for all of the gang and movies or something after it. Bryan
said he was concerned it would look like he was just trying to do the same
as Percy had, like a copycat affair. Percy said that he thought it was a
great idea. Their meeting up on the Saturday had shown just how much the
guys all liked getting together.

Percy spoke to the gang at school and told them about Bryan's concern. They
responded that any excuse to get together was welcome, and they weren't
going to complain about a free meal. Bryan's parents arranged it for the
weekend after school broke up for the holidays, which was the week before
Charles and Sam's wedding.

When Adam dropped Percy and William off at Bryan's house, his parents made
such a fuss of Percy that he got quite embarrassed. It showed clearly just
how much they appreciated Percy's perseverance and his forgiveness of
Bryan. Bryan noticed Percy's discomfort. When his parents went into the
kitchen he followed them in and asked them to lay off with the
praise. After the meal each of them quietly apologised to Percy and at the
same time expressed their deep gratitude for what he had done to help
Bryan.

William and Percy had started driving lessons before school ended. They had
booked their tests for the Friday before the wedding. Adam and Grace had
encouraged both teens and given them a lot of practice time. Both boys were
delighted when they passed their tests the first time round, and Adam
allowed William to take his car to drive them both to the wedding rehearsal
that same evening. Charles and Sam had already arranged transport for them
for the wedding and receptions so that they could each have a drink if they
wanted to. They were now of legal age to consume alcohol but had not had a
lot and hadn't yet experienced being drunk. When Percy had started to learn
to drive, Grace had transferred Eliot's car into Percy's name and had it
insured for both him and William to drive it. This gave them their own
transport for when they were at university. Grace was so confident in their
mature outlook that she didn't even mention the law about drink driving, or
keeping to the speed limits.

Percy and William did an excellent job as ushers at the wedding. They were
each given a fashionable wrist watch as a thank you by Charles and Sam. The
watches were engraved on the back, `Thank you for ushering at our
wedding. Love Charles and Sam'.

Within their first week at university it was recognised they were a
couple. Those who shared halls with them were totally okay with it. One of
the straight guys who had a room on the same floor told them that he didn't
find it a problem at all. He didn't feel that he needed to be careful
around them; they were clearly madly in love and not likely to try anything
with him, so he felt he could be his natural self with them. They were as
much recipients of banter as the givers of the same, and with their cooking
skills they became quite popular. They cooked for those who shared their
kitchen quite regularly. They also had other students, who didn't share the
same kitchen, coming to them for help, and they often cooked for group
meals.

As they were reading different courses they quite often would study with
students who shared the same course, and again there was no discomfort
among the students even knowing their study partner was gay.

They both worked hard. Percy was able to help support William so that
William didn't have to find a part time job, which gave both of them more
time for their studies. As a result they each graduated with top
honours. Percy was invited to return to do his masters degree, but he
wanted to get out and experience working. Instead he did his masters by
correspondence, which took him a year longer.

William also worked on getting his masters degree by correspondence. Since
they were still living together, they worked a plan out where they
supported each other. One did the cooking and housework one night while the
other studied, then they swapped for the next night. While this ate into
the time they could spend together, they knew it was just for a relatively
short time. Sticking to it and working hard, they both achieved their
masters in the same year.

Two months after graduating with their masters degrees they married. Clive
was their best man and Juliet was MC at the reception. She didn't have a
lot to do; they kept all the formalities short so their guests could enjoy
themselves more. Clive had a girlfriend who was also challenged in much the
same way as Clive, and Juliet had a fiancé; both were included in the
guest list. Adam and Grace partnered each other. Although Adam kept in
touch with Grace, there was never going to be any romance between them.

Percy started out teaching challenged children, which he loved doing, but
in discussions with other teachers he came to realise that there was very
little training for teachers of challenged pupils. This was becoming a big
problem with education boards wanting to integrate challenged pupils into
mainstream classes. He wrote to a number of universities asking them to
consider adding it to their curricula. Percy's own alma mater took up the
challenge, and asked Percy to help them develop the course. Percy had to
give up teaching, but he felt he could help many more young people by
helping to better prepare teachers. As Percy worked on the course he found
he had to do quite a lot of research and study. That led him to taking a
doctorate, and he ended up as the Professor of Educational Studies at
Oxford. This entailed them moving to Oxford. William was fortunate to get
an internal transfer with the company he was working for.

Just before William celebrated his thirty-fourth birthday they completed
the formalities and were able to foster twins. When they got them the boys
were just starting their third year in school. After having them for a
year, they decided they couldn't bear to be parted from them and began the
rigmarole of being approved to adopt the twins. The adoption was formalised
on Percy's thirty-sixth birthday. By that time the twins had left single
figures and were proud to announce they were ten years old. When the twins
were fourteen, William and Percy were asked if they would consider adding
to their family. There was a twelve-year-old boy, Jonathon, who was
challenged as the result of a difficult birth. His biological parents were
not able to cope with him. When Percy and William met Jonathon they were
reminded of Clive at the same age, and for both of them it was love at
first sight. The guest bedroom became Jonathon's bedroom. With the
experience they had gained with Clive, they were able to help Jonathon to
blossom and develop until, like Clive, he could live on his own and hold
down a job. Their children adored aunty Juliet and uncle Clive and their
respective partners. Juliet had married the fiancé she brought to their
wedding, while Clive was on his fourth girlfriend. It seemed that he had no
intention of getting married or having children.

Adam and Grace both loved their grandchildren. Adam had a couple more, as
Juliet also had two children.

As for the rest of the gang, Nicky and Dan split up amicably. When the time
came, each attended the other's wedding along with the rest of the gang.
Inky joined his father's business and eventually took over running it when
his father retired. Martyn met a girl while at university and they had two
little girls who were flower girls at their wedding. Barrie parted ways
with Rosie, but they rekindled their relationship after Barrie graduated.
They chose to live together rather than get married. They were never
successful in having children. Bryan went on to university. With
encouragement from his adoptive parents he completed a doctorate in
psychology and went into a practice specialising in helping young people
from abused backgrounds. His empathy with them was his route to success. He
married a girl who had also been abused in her youth. They had two
children, whom they adored.

Though scattered around England, the gang still meet up once a year at one
of their homes for a meal and time of fellowship. Those with partners and
children bring them along; at times the host has had to hire a tent to
pitch in the garden to accommodate the numbers.

The End