Date: Sun, 22 Mar 2020 18:13:23 +0000 From: Bill Jonners Subject: Father and Son Bonding 1 Can you imagine life without Nifty? Please show your support with contributions to keep the Archive online. You can find out how at http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html This story is completely fictional. I'd love to hear from you if you enjoying the story. Please send any comments to colin4men@gmail.com and I will reply as soon as I can. Bill FATHER AND SON BONDING "Sit down with me. We need to talk," Susan MacGregor told her teenage son. "This sounds serious," Joe said as he took a seat opposite her at the kitchen table. "It is," said Susan. "You know that things are changing fast because of the Coronavirus outbreak. I'm working longer hours at the hospital and now your school is closed until further notice. You need someone to look after you so..." "I'm not a kid. I'm fourteen and I can look after myself," interrupted Joe. "Joe, I know that you're mature for your years but you cannot spend weeks, possibly months, on your own for most of the time," Susan said. "Your gran and grandad are in their seventies so they can't keep an eye on you." Joe pouted, waiting for the big announcement. "So you will be going to live with your father for a while." Susan dreaded the reaction. "You mean the man that sends me cards and a cheque for my birthday and Christmas!" Joe spat out. "How can you me send to live with a stranger?" "He loves you, Joe. I know you've not seen him in ten years but parents never stop loving their children," said Susan. "You will be much safer away from London and it will do you good to get to know your father. I phoned him a short time ago and he's thrilled at the prospect of seeing you again." Joe stared at the table. He knew that the situation was changing rapidly because of the virus and that he couldn't expect be move in with the families of any of his school friends. "Okay. When do I go?" he finally asked. "Tomorrow. I've booked you a seat on the 12 o'clock train from King's Cross," replied Susan. "Your father will be waiting for you at the station in Inverness." Joe didn't say a word as he left the kitchen to go and pack. He was proud that his mother was a doctor but at that moment he resented the fact that this was the reason for them being forced apart. He also worried for her safety at the hospital. *** Susan wasn't the only one with tears in their eyes when mother and son parted at King's Cross station. "I will call you on Skype as often as I can but be a good boy. I'll miss you." Susan hugged Joe and then kissed his cheek. "I'll miss you, Mum," Joe said. He forced a smile and turned towards the platform. Fifteen minutes later the `Highland Chieftain' train started its eight hour journey north. Joe looked around the almost empty first class carriage thinking how surreal everything seemed. People were being encouraged not to travel and yet he was embarking on the longest journey he'd ever made. Not only that, he was travelling alone and in first class. "Coffee or tea, sir?" Joe looked up to find a steward smiling at him. "Erm...tea, please," he replied. His mother had told him that all drinks and meals were complimentary in first class. "I will be back shortly to take your lunch order," the steward said as he poured the tea. Joe found the menu on the table and picked it up. The journey passed very pleasantly. Joe had a book and his iPad. The scenery often caught his attention and he enjoyed seeing glimpses of cities he'd only heard about before. Now as the train crossed Culloden Viaduct on the approach to Inverness, he couldn't help thinking about his father. He was far from being the only boy in a single parent family at school but he had often wondered why his parents had got divorced. Joe only had vague memories of his father being around when he was very young and now they would be living together for a while. "Will we like each other? Or will we both wish we weren't being forced together?" he asked himself. "I don't really know what he looks like now. It's lucky Mum sent him a recent photo of me this morning," Joe thought as he walked down the station platform in the Highland capital. As he approached the ticket barrier, he saw a tall, dark-haired man waving. "That must be him," he said to himself. The man hurried forward and hugged Joe, saying, "I'm so happy to see you." Then he stood back and smiled down at Joe. "Let me look at you properly. Your mum has sent me photos once a year but I can't believe how much you've grown." Despite the smiling face and twinkling eyes, Joe wasn't ready to forgive and forget what he regarded as having been abandoned by his father as a toddler. However he was able to stop himself making a nasty comment. "You take after your mother more than me," Callum MacGregor said as he looked at the slim, 165 cm (5ft 6in) tall teenager with the dark-brown hair and hazel green eyes. "You're a very handsome young man." "I'm nothing special," mumbled Joe. "The car park is just around the corner," Callum said as he lifted Joe's suitcase. "Are you hungry?" "Not really. I had two light meals on the train, plus tea and biscuits during the afternoon," replied Joe. He looked around the station as they walked towards the car park, finding it much bigger than he had expected. "I can make a sandwich or something if you feel hungry later," said Callum. "I stocked up on food this afternoon. Luckily there has been little panic buying here. I understand some people are going crazy down south." "Yes, and not just buying extra food. Toilet rolls seem to be the most wanted item. What's that all about?" Joe responded. Callum laughed. "No idea. Well, this is my car. In you get." "Do you live far from here?" Joe asked as he fastened his seatbelt. "No. My place is on the southern edge of the town...sorry, I keep forgetting Inverness is now officially a city," replied Callum. "Traffic is light at this time of night so it shouldn't take much more than ten minutes to get there." Joe looked around as they left the city centre and drove alongside the railway line. "You won't remember your last visit here. You were only three," said Callum. Joe shook his head. "No. I didn't know that I had been here before. Mum never mentioned it." "It was only for a few days. We all came up for my father's funeral," Callum states. "I'm living in what used to be his house." "Oh." Joe didn't know what else to say. They passed a big hospital and then a retail park before Joe noticed a sign for Culloden Battlefield. "Do you live near the battlefield?" "No. I live on a side road coming up shortly on the right," replied Callum. "I'll take you to the battlefield site and the visitor centre next to it one of these days. I think you'll find it interesting." "I don't know much about it but the tv show `Outlander' suggests that the Battle of Culloden was a major turning point in Scottish history," Joe said. "It was. Highlanders were treated cruelly afterwards," Callum said as he turned into a narrow, single-track road. Moments later he stopped outside an old stone cottage. "Here we are. Welcome to my home...our home for a while." Joe followed his father into the house. "I'll show you around," Callum said, putting Joe's bag down in the hall. When he noticed Joe looking at the desk, computer and filing cabinet at one said of the living room, he said, "I work at home." Joe deliberately didn't ask what kind of work that was. "And this will be your bedroom. It's a bit small but it should be okay," Callum said as he concluded the tour. "Hopefully I won't have to stay too long," said Joe. He saw that his father looked hurt by that remark and said, "You probably don't want me here anyway." "Why would you think that?" asked Callum. "You're my son and I love you." Joe snorted. "You don't really know me." "Not as much as I'd like but your mum has given me regular progress reports. I'm hoping we will get to know and like each other over the weeks ahead." Callum put an arm around the boy's shoulder as he spoke. Joe pulled away. "You didn't like me enough to stay with me when I was young and I don't think you'll like me any more now." Callum sat on the bed and said softly, "Sit down beside me, Joe. We need to talk." Joe sat down but at some distance from his father. "I loved you from the moment you were born," Callum began. "Things didn't work out between your mother and me but I've never stopped loving you. Your mother knows that. Why else would she send me photos and letters telling me how you were doing? I'd love to have been there to watch you grow up but I moved back to Scotland after the separation." "You could have visited," said Joe. "Aye, I could have but...there were reasons," Callum said. "And we didn't want to confuse you." Joe shook his head. "I really don't understand." "I hope you will one day," responded Callum. "Would you like something to drink? Hot chocolate perhaps?" "No. I'm fine. I think I'll just go to bed. It's been a long day," replied Joe. "Okay. We'll talk more tomorrow...but I'm really happy that you are here with me," said Callum. "Goodnight, son." "Goodnight," said Joe. He wasn't going to call him Dad. "Oh, don't forget to let your mum know that you have arrived safely," Callum said before closing the bedroom door. *** Joe felt disoriented when he woke up the next morning. He looked around the unfamiliar room and then sat up. "I'm with him, my so-called father," he said to himself. He stretched, got out of bed and pulled the curtains open to see an amazing view over the Moray Firth to the farmlands and rolling hills beyond. "Not bad," he thought. Grabbing his toiletries and the fresh towels left out for him, Joe went off to the bathroom for his ablutions. "Morning, son. I hope you slept well." A smile from Callum greeted Joe when he entered the kitchen. "Yes, okay," replied Joe. "I didn't know it was possible to see the sea from here." Callum nodded. "That's the Moray Firth. I'll take you down to Chanonry Point one day and with luck you'll be able to see some dolphins." "Dolphins?" Joe smiled. "Aye, bottlenose dolphins. You might see some seals too," said Callum. "Now what can I get you for breakfast? Eggs and bacon, cereal, toast?" "Could I have a bacon sandwich, please?" Joe responded. "I'll make you something better - a bacon roll, with a nice Scottish morning roll." Callum took bacon from the fridge and turned to the cooker. "Pour yourself a mug of tea." Joe watched his father cook and it wasn't long before he took a bite of his bacon roll. "Hmm, this is good," he said. "I'm glad you like it," said Callum. "Have you done much cooking? It would be good if you were able to help around the house." "Just simple stuff. Mum often leaves a pizza or a microwave meal for me if she's on an evening shift," replied Joe. "Well, I can teach you to cook," smiled Callum. "You'll need to find things to keep yourself occupied while everybody is social distancing. Did you bring any schoolwork with you?" "I brought some books but studying seems pointless when there will be no exams this year," Joe replied. "Your mum told me that English Literature and French are your two best subjects," said Callum. Joe nodded. "I've always loved books and I had a wonderful holiday with Mum, Gran and Granddad on the C™te d'Azur last year. We are supposed to be going back to France this summer but that seems unlikely now with this Coronavirus." "Yes, travel will be out for most of us this summer," agreed Callum. "There will be other opportunities though so I think you should continue your studies. My French is very rusty but maybe we can do some studying together." Joe smiled. "That might be nice." "And I've got lots of novels if you want a new book or two to read," said Callum. "That's good to know," said Joe. "What about your work? I don't want to be a nuisance." "I'm a freelance architect and part-time writer. I can easily take a few days off to help you get settled in," replied Callum. "Now if you've had enough to eat, I'll show you around outdoors." "I didn't know you grew some of your own food," Joe said when he saw the huge greenhouse, the mini-orchard and the neat but mostly empty vegetable bed." Then he heard the sound of chickens and spotted the hen-house. "You keep hens too!" "You can't beat the taste of fresh eggs or fruit and vegetables straight from the garden," smiled Callum. "Working in the garden is a good form of exercise too. Perhaps that's something else you might like to help with. I will have lots of seedlings to plant out soon." "I wouldn't mind," smiled Joe. "I hate being cooped up inside. Are you going to surprise me further and show me a swimming pool?" Callum laughed. "No pool I'm afraid but you can strip off and sunbathe on the lawn during the summer. As you can see, it's a very private garden." Joe's cock began to stir at the thought of sunbathing naked, possibly with the hunky man who was currently smiling at him. "Shit! He's my father. I can't have those kind of thoughts about him," Joe said to himself. "And I just called him a hunk! Well, I can't deny he has a hot body but..." "Earth to Joe! Anyone in?" Callum's hand waved in front of the teenager's face. "Wh...what?" Joe asked looking into his father's brown eyes. "I asked if you had any experience with a lawnmower but you seemed to be in another world," said Callum. "Sorry. I was thinking about something...yeah, I mow Gran and Granddad's lawn sometimes," said Joe. "I'm sure I can manage yours." As they returned to the house, Joe pointed to a stone outhouse and asked what it was. "That's my...it used to be the wash-house," Callum said. "It's used for...um, storage now. Now how about we go for a little drive and I'll show you around the area?" "Sounds good!" smiled Joe. The city streets were almost empty. "Most people are taking the government's advice and staying indoors unless they need to go out," Callum remarked. "The streets are normally heaving with tourists in the summer but it looks like it will be very different this year. And although we can practice social distancing on car trips, I think we should spend most of our time at home." "I agree," said Joe. "An occasional sightseeing trip might be nice but it's wiser to stay at home unless you need to go out for work or shopping. It's not fair on hospital workers like Mum for people to carry on as before and put themselves and others at risk." Callum nodded. "Let's head back home." In the silence Joe turned to look at his father. "He seems to be a nice guy. I suppose he had to be or Mum wouldn't have fallen in love with him," he said to himself. "I wonder why they split up. He's a handsome man...shit! Here I am having inappropriate thoughts again!" A ping announced the arrival of a text message on Joe's mobile phone. "It's from Mum, just saying she hopes I will settle in quickly and..." He paused. Susan had said that she hopes he will get on well with his dad but he didn't want to read out that part. "She's home after a busy shift." "Send her my love," said Callum. "I will," Joe said as he started typing a reply. Back at the house, Callum said, "Why don't you finish unpacking while I check work emails? Then we can think about lunch." "That's a good idea," said Joe. He started thinking about his father as he unpacked and put his things away in his room. He had just told his mum that Callum was "okay" but he was growing to like him a lot. He had feared that he might have been treated like a kid and that hadn't happened. And to top it all off, Callum was the sort of man he often fantasised about - tall, strong, self-confident and about 40 years old. "I wonder if my daddy fixation is anything to do with growing up without a father," he asked himself. "But he isn't just a daddy, he is my real dad. I shouldn't be getting a boner thinking about him." Joe returned to the living room with his iPad. "I'd like to be able to go online with my iPad. What is the wifi password, please?" Callum smiled, thinking his son was always very polite. "It's written on the back of the router over there," he said as he pointed. "I hope you're not one of those addicted to social media." Joe shook his head. "No, most of that is a waste of time and I've no interest in gaining hundreds of so-called friends on Facebook. I focus on a small group of real friends." "Very wise! I'm almost finished here so I'll be with you shortly," Callum said before turning back to his computer screen. "No worries," said Joe. He was already looking at his emails and discovering they were all from school friends. He read and wrote a short reply to each one and then clicked onto the Nifty website, going straight to his favourite adult-youth section. Then he looked over at his father and decided that this wasn't an appropriate time to look at porn. He closed his iPad and sat back, staring at the ceiling. A few minutes later Callum shut down his computer, stood up and walked towards Joe. "What are you thinking about, Joe?" "Just how different things are going to be for the next couple of months," said Joe. "Yes, for both of us," responded Callum as he sat next to Joe on the sofa. "It's not going to be easy but we will get through it...and hopefully it might bring us closer. I'm sorry for not being around when you were growing up and it hurts that our separation made you feel that I stopped caring for you. That wasn't the case. I'm here for you now though, and I'll do anything - anything - to keep you safe and happy." There were tears in Joe's eyes as he looked at Callum. Years of resentment were washed away. He knew that this man - his father - really did care for him. Callum opened his arms in invitation. After a moment's hesitation, Joe moved closer and allowed himself to be hugged. Both father and son enjoyed the experience and were reluctant to part. "Can we start afresh and get to know each other?" Callum asked softly. "I'd like that...Dad," said Joe. Callum squeezed his son. "I remember you calling me Dadda." Joe laughed and the pair moved apart. "I called you Dadda?" he asked through happy tears. Callum nodded. "You mum was so jealous because you were able to say that before Mum or Mummy." Joe smiled. "Okay, Dadda. What's for lunch?" Callum laughed, stood up and then pulled Joe to his feet. "Let's cook something together...son." To be continued