Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2018 05:51:20 +0000
From: Douglas DD <thehakaanen@hotmail.com>
Subject: Aiden II  Chapter 19

Welcome back. Once again Aiden has some emotional ups and downs, but with
each he comes through looking good.

I would like to thank my friend Mike the Hamster for helping with the
writing of Aiden's letter.

Please give to the Nifty Archive and keep the stories flowing.

Emails are always enjoyed. thehakaanen@hotmail.com.
Douglas

CHAPTER 19
DEAR FATHER...

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8

Aiden had gone to Gordy's house after school. They each grabbed an apple
and a glass of milk and sat at the dining room table. "Your book looks
pretty good," Gordy said as Aiden pulled "Nothing Like It in the World" by
Stephen Ambrose out of his backpack. Gordy took out the book he was
reading—it was "We Rode the Orphan Trains" by Andrea Warren, a book
about the orphans being sent by trains to new lives in the late nineteenth
and early twentieth centuries.

"It's pretty good. Some places are hard and some are boring, but it's about
trains which makes it a good book," Aiden replied to Gordy's
question. Because the book was written for adults, Aiden had to get special
permission to read it from Mrs. Riley, his teacher.

"I'm used to letting sixth and seventh graders move up to books at this
level, but I'm not sure about a fifth grader," the veteran teacher told
Aiden. "However, you're a smart boy and work hard and you can't move ahead
if you don't reach high on occasion. So, I'll give you a compromise."

"You mean, like, we'll make a deal, right?" Aiden asked.

"Your father is a teacher and I will ask him to keep track of your
progress. You have two weeks to change your mind and if you do I will
select a book on the same subject. Which means, I am asking you to be
honest with your father and with me about how you think you're
progressing."

"So, what do I get in the deal?"

Mrs. Riley flashed Aiden a teacherly smile. That boy is one smart cookie,
she thought. He is going to keep some of those middle school teachers on
their toes. "Well, young man, what you get is the privilege of expanding
your horizons by reading an informative and difficult book."

"I think I get it. If I finish the book and do my report I get to be
smarter, just like listening to Mozart."

"Listening to Mozart?"

"Yep," Aiden grinned. "Didn't you know that Mozart makes you smarter?"

"No, I didn't. I'm going to have to look into that."

"Mine has trains, too," Gordy told Aiden, bringing him back to Earth. "I
mean it had trains with orphans who went to farms and places and some got
families. It's a good book, but hard to believe it really happened."

The boys snacked and read for a little over a half an hour before deciding
it was time to play a video game. They went up to Gordy's room and got a
game started, but Gordy got to talking about the previous weekend.

"I'm glad you were the guide for the twins," Gordy said. "Now they're our
friends even though they're only fourth graders. I like them a lot and I'm
happy they get to move out of that little trailer and out of that dumb
trailer park."

"Me, too. I want more overnights with them. Maybe they can even have one at
their place after they move."

"Do you want to mess around with them?"

"I can have friends I don't want to mess around with," Aiden said
defensively.

"I know; I was just wondering."

"Well, they're learning how to do stuff."

"Like kiss?"

Aiden shrugged. "I suppose. I wonder if they kiss each other."

There was a long moment of silence which Gordy finally broke by saying, "Do
you think we can practice kissing a little before my mom comes home?"

"Yeah, I guess, if you really want to." Gordy's question stunned Aiden,
since usually Gordy had to be talked into messing around. Plus, Aiden
wasn't usually big on kissing.

The boys were already sitting on Gordy's bed, so all they had to do was
scoot closer. Aiden could tell his friend was starting to become hesitant,
so he leaned in and kissed Gordy on the lips before he could change his
mind. The kiss lasted for almost twenty seconds before they came up for
breath.

"I'm glad we did that," Gordy whispered hoarsely.

"Do you want to French kiss?"

"Maybe, I dunno."

Aiden quickly locked lips with Gordy again and started pushing his tongue
against Gordy's resisting lips. He wasn't blocked out for long as Gordy let
Aiden slip inside and their tongues were quickly battling. They slipped
from a sitting to a lying position, their faces pressed hard together,
their tongues darting in and out of each other's mouth. Aiden didn't bother
noting that Gordy was getting the hang of things quickly—the only thing
going through his mind was that his best friend was becoming a pretty good
kisser.

Aiden's left hand reached down to Gordy's crotch. Gordy was rock hard and
Aiden squeezed him gently. He moaned when he felt Gordy's hand rub against
his jeans as they traded spit.

Once again they came up for air. Aiden opened Gordy's pants and unzipped
him just as they heard his mother call that she was home. "Why do adults
always show up when things start getting good?" Aiden groaned.

"That was fun. We gotta do it again. I can't believe I was so scared of
messing around." Gordy zipped up his pants and fastened them.

"You got spit all around your lips," Aiden pointed out.

"So do you."

They grabbed some tissues and wiped off their mouths and headed to the
living room, happy that their boners had gone down quickly.

Flo Lansing greeted each boy with a smile and a hug. After asking them how
their day went, she asked Aiden if he knew Nolan Moyer.

"Yeah, Gordy and I both went to his birthday party, remember?" Aiden
replied.

"I thought that name sounded familiar," she told them. "I subbed in his
class today. He says to tell you both hi."

"Cool," Gordy said. "Are you going back there tomorrow?"

"Looks like I will be there tomorrow and Friday."

"Tell him we said hi back." Gordy told his mother.

Aiden had dinner with the Lansings as soon as Gordy's dad got home. They
finished their homework just before dinner. After they helped clean up,
Gordy's dad gave Aiden a ride home. Larry and Phil each had some evening
commitments, which was why Aiden spent the early evening with Gordy.

When he arrived home, Larry told Aiden that he and his dad wanted to talk
to him. Aiden said he needed to do a couple of things and would come back
downstairs in a half-hour if that was okay.

Getting no argument, he gave his dads hugs and then dashed upstairs where
he booted up his computer and peeled off his clothes and underwear. He
grabbed some lotion out of his desk, lay back on his bed, and jerked off to
a quick but satisfying orgasm. His fantasy was about him and Gordy getting
each other's pants off while they were kissing and rubbing their cocks
together. He was loving his orgasms more and more.

He logged online, read a couple of emails, checked if Marty was online (he
wasn't) and opened Word. He typed a little bit of the story he was writing,
but couldn't get in the mood for writing. He was tired and couldn't
concentrate. Instead, he went downstairs to chat with his dads. His dads
were listening to jazz and reading.

"It looks like the naked wood elf has returned," Phil noted as Aiden
entered the music listening room.

"You're half right, because I am naked," Aiden retorted. He stood next to
his favorite recliner, which was occupied by Phil. "Can I sit with you?"

"Did you bring some underpants?" Phil asked. He noted that Aiden was
carrying Megrez, his penguin. It was the first time he'd noticed Aiden
holding Megrez instead of Horace in a stressful situation.

"Please. I promise I won't get a boner and I won't touch myself and you
don't have to hug me or anything."

"Sit with me on the love seat," Larry offered as a compromise. He could
sense some distress in Aiden's demeanor. Larry rose from the overstuffed
chair and sat on the love seat, leaving room for Aiden to sit so they
wouldn't touch.

Aiden sat next to Larry. He had to crane his neck to see Phil, so he didn't
look at either one of his dads, gazing out of the picture window at the
lake instead. "Am I in trouble?" he asked.

"Why? Should you be?" Phil asked. It wasn't the first time Aiden and one of
his dads had used those lines.

"I dunno. You said you wanted to talk to me."

"We have a couple of things having to do with your father," Larry
said. "First, Judge Moyer received and read your letter. He approved of
what you wrote and forwarded a copy to Judge Newman. Judge Newman will be
dealing with Keegan's hearing in place of Paul Moyer, who had recused
himself."

"Is that good?" Aiden asked.

"Your dad and I think it is."

"What else?"

"A hearing date has been set for your father."

"So? He's had a couple before and everybody keeps changing things. Now when
is it?"

"January 25th," Phil told him.

"That's in, like, two weeks."

"We thought about waiting to tell you, but decided you need to know what's
going on with your life."

"And there's no way my father can take me away from you, right?"

"No way in the world, son," Larry said, "absolutely no way in the world."
He put his arm around Aiden's bare shoulder. Aiden was surprised to receive
a hug from one of his dads when he was naked. The few times it had happened
before it had been for an important reason. Aiden squeezed his little
stuffed penguin tightly and leaned his chest against his daddy's chest,
fighting tears.

"Anything else?" he asked as he started sniffling.

Larry kissed his son on the forehead. "The Moyer family has invited you to
dinner on Saturday."

"Just me?" Aiden asked, since that was how he read Larry's comment. He
wasn't sure if the invitation was just for him or for the entire family.

"Just you."

Aiden took a deep breath as a smile broke through his gloomy
visage. "Thanks, dads, for talking to me. I love you." He looked up at
Larry. "And thanks for hugging me even if I was naked."

"Sometimes a dad does what needs to be done." Hugging a ten-year-old boy
who was about to break down was not a time to nitpick, Larry thought.

That night, a while after tuck-in, Aiden pulled on a pair of white Hanes
briefs, picked up Horace, and went downstairs. He knocked on the door and
heard some shuffling. "Just a second," Phil called out.

When he opened the door, Phil was wearing black and white checked
boxers. His hair was disheveled and his face was flushed. Aiden had just
had a question answered—if he needed them, his dads would even stop sex
so he could be with them.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 13

 Nolan had texted Aiden on Friday telling him that dinner would be at six
on Saturday and that he could come any time after eleven. "the earlier U
come the more time we have," Nolan finished.

Phil dropped Aiden off at six minutes after eleven. "You better be six
minutes late picking me up," Aiden told him half-seriously.

"My truck runs on Amtrak time, so that's a real possibility," Phil
chuckled. "Have a good time, son."

Aiden rang the doorbell and was greeted by Nolan's mother. "Hello,
Aiden. Come in, sweetheart. Nolan and his father went to Centralia
earlier. Nolan texted me to tell you they were almost here." She led him to
the den and handed him the television remote. "Sit and relax until they
arrive. I can get you some cookies if you like."

Before Aiden's finger touched the ON button he heard a door open in the
back of the house. He could hear Nolan asking "Is Aiden here yet?"

"He's in the den," his mother replied.

Within seconds Nolan was in the den pulling Aiden to his feet and giving
him a big hug. "Oof, you're squeezing the air out of me!" Aiden
gasped. Nolan was 4'7 to Aiden's 4'2. They both were athletic boys, but
Nolan outweighed Aiden by over twenty pounds.

Nolan apologized sincerely. "Sorry. I was just excited to see you, is
all. We've never had a chance for just us to be together. We've always been
with other kids."

"Well, it's just us today. Where were you?"

"I get swimming lessons on Saturday mornings at the Centralia Community
Center. I swim on their team, so I do the team lessons. But we only have
like three or four meets a year. It's all mostly for fun like our baseball
was in the rec league."

"My dads talked about me getting some swimming lessons since I'm not a very
good swimmer, but their class was full. I'm signed up for the next one."

"Too bad you're not swimming now. We'd see each other at the pool."

"So, what are we going to do today?"

"First thing we do is eat," Nolan giggled.

They went to the kitchen and soon were attacking toasted cheese sandwiches
and tomato bisque soup followed by chocolate chip cookies. Aiden liked it
all. Nolan's mother was pleased to see Aiden attacking his food with the
same zeal as her son. As many mothers would, she asked Aiden a lot of
questions about how school was going, how his soccer team did, was he
looking forward to baseball, how his dads were doing, and a myriad of other
subjects. Unlike many ten-year-old boys, Aiden answered willingly and
politely.

During their afternoon together, Aiden learned about Nolan's love of
Legos. He admired the complex structures he had put together in his
bedroom. But what really impressed him was his table in the large, finished
room in the basement.

What Aiden saw was a very large HO gauge model railroad layout. At the east
end of the table, a branch line left the main table and crossed a trestle
to a smaller table. The smaller table had Lego buildings and infrastructure
along with some standard structures.

"This is my table," Nolan said, not that he really had to point it out. He
showed Aiden his Lego bridges as well as two tunnels. "There are actual
Lego model railroads, but my dad and I like the HO."

Then something caught Aiden's eye at the far corner of the big
table. "You're building something on your dad's table?"

"It's going to be a tunnel. Dad's going to run a track through it and we're
going to cover it so it looks like it's going through a hill. I built that
trestle over there," he said pointing to a trestle spanning a narrow
valley.

"It's not made of Legos," Aiden observed.

"Dad's teaching me how to build other things now, too. Let me show you how
it all works."

Aiden watched, fascinated, as Nolan powered up the system and soon had
three trains running—two passenger and one freight. Nolan had his own
train on his Lego table and showed Aiden how to operate it. That meant
there were now four trains operating on the layout.

The two boys were all smiles and boy chatter as they enjoyed operating the
model railroad. Aiden learned that Nolan loved trains. Nolan made Aiden
envious by telling how he'd ridden the "Coast Starlight", the "Empire
Builder", and the "California Zephyr" on overnight trips with his family.

"You mean you rode the train over Donner Pass?" Aiden asked. His knowledge
of Amtrak schedules plus his reading of the building of the
transcontinental railroad gave him insight into the story and importance of
Donner Pass.

"Yep. I love riding trains."

"Me too, but I haven't done an overnight trip. I am soooooooo jealous,"
Aiden said with a grin. He knew he had an ace in the hole, however, and he
used it, telling about the cab ride Eric had given him. That made it
Nolan's turn to be envious.

The boys shut down the model railroad and headed upstairs where Aiden could
smell dinner cooking.  "It looks like you boys had fun," Paul Moyer said
when he saw the grinning boys.

"That model railroad is really cool, Mr. Moyer," Aiden told him. The boys
then played tag team talking to Nolan's dad about what they did downstairs
and about their own adventures riding trains. Nolan's dad smiled and nodded
and commented as he enjoyed the enthusiasm of the young boys.

"Aiden, is now an okay time for our talk?"  Paul Moyer asked as he switched
to his judicial persona.

"I guess," Aiden replied. His dads had told him that he would need to give
Judge Moyer ten to fifteen minutes of his time. Going by the normal
behavior of his son, Paul knew that Aiden's answer was the closest to a yes
that he was going to get. He led Aiden to his den. Aiden thought the room
looked a great deal like the judge's chambers at the courthouse.

Aiden sat on a leather couch and Nolan's father sat in a leather
overstuffed chair. He didn't want his desk to separate him from the young
boy, a strategy he used often with Nolan.

Paul Moyer complimented Aiden on the letter he had written to his
father. He told Aiden he'd given it to Judge Newman and that she was
impressed as well. "With your permission, Judge Newman would like to read
the letter out loud at your father's hearing."

Aiden hadn't expected that request. "You mean you're asking me if it's okay
to read it?" Aiden didn't add the words he was thinking: "I'm just a kid,
why are you asking me?"

Judge Moyer knew what Aiden was thinking. "Of course I'm asking you. It's
your letter and your life. You sent it to me trusting me to do the right
thing and the right thing is doing what you want us to do with it."

A year ago, Aiden would have been floundering as he tried to make the right
decision. But he had learned a great deal about leadership from his dads
and from his coaches and one of the things he had learned was that
leadership involved making decisions. "It's okay if she reads it out loud,"
Aiden said with more confidence than he felt.

"Then you need to answer one question for me." Aiden looked at the judge
with a combination of anticipation and fear. "It seems your father spanked
you more than once, is that correct."

Aiden took a deep breath. He trusted Judge Moyer—he had trusted the
judge from the moment he had his interview with him at the adoption
hearing. "Yes, sir. He used his belt on my bare butt I think three times."

"But, you aren't sure of the number of times."

"No, sir. I didn't try counting them, I tried forgetting them." Aiden was
fighting off tears.

"You don't mind having that read in court in front of your father?"

"No, sir. I don't mind. I sent it to him, but I don't know if he read it or
not. I don't like my father and I want everybody to know what he is like."

"Then I will tell Judge Newman you are okay with her reading the letter. I
know this was a hard decision for you to make. Personally, I think you made
the right one. I know the letter wasn't initially written to be read to
your dads or to anybody, but you have been making all of the right
decisions about what to do with it. Just remember, no matter what decision
you made, it would have been the right one for you."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Fire away, son."

"Can I be there when my father has his hearing?"

"As long as your dads approve and you are in court with at least one of
them or with a legal guardian, there is no problem with you being there. Is
that what you want?"

"I don't know. I just want to know that I can be there if I want to be
there."

"Yes you can. Are you okay if I share this conversation with your dads?"

"Yes sir, you can tell them everything. Thank you for listening to me."

"It was my pleasure. And thank you, young man, for trusting me."

Judge Moyer stood up and Aiden followed his lead. When the judge raised his
hand, Aiden cringed momentarily, afraid that the man was going to tousle
his hair. Instead, he gave the boy the kind of loving hug he gave his own
son. Aiden looked up at the Judge with a smile and a gleam in his eyes. For
now, he had conquered his tears.

After the meeting Aiden and Nolan headed up to Nolan's room. Nolan didn't
ask what Aiden and his father had talked about, but Aiden volunteered that
it had to do with his biological father. "My sperm donor," as he put it.

They played some games until dinner. When Nolan's mother called them
downstairs, Aiden asked Nolan a question. "Does your dad ever mess up your
hair?"

"Sometimes, but he hasn't done it a lot since my last birthday when I asked
him to stop. I guess he forgets sometimes and just does it. Why, did he try
to mess up yours?"

"No, I was just wondering. My dads do it all the time and I really wish
they would stop."

"Adults can be weird. They want you to work on keeping your hair neat, then
they try to mess it up all the time."

The main course for dinner was spaghetti and meatballs, which Aiden found
delicious. He praised Mrs. Moyer's cooking, which pleased her greatly, and
he pleased her even more by scarfing down two helpings.

About an hour later, Larry called Paul to let him know he would be picking
up Aiden in about a half hour. Paul passed on the word to the boys, who
quickly picked up the Legos they'd been working with.

"I had lots of fun," Aiden told Nolan. "Thanks for asking me to come. I
liked the Legos and the model railroad and your games and your toys."

The boys sat together on Nolan's bed after putting everything away.  It was
then that Aiden saw the teddy bear tucked in behind a pillow on the
bed. "Who's that?" he asked.

"That's Casey the second. He's named for Casey Jones, the locomotive
engineer who was killed a long time ago." He picked the bear up from behind
the pillow. "Casey, meet Aiden. He's my friend."

Aiden beamed at being called Nolan's friend. He patted Nolan's bear on the
head. "Sorry you got stuck behind the pillow, Casey."

"He's a cool bear," Aiden said of the furry brown bear.

"Casey the first got lost when I was four and we moved into this house, but
I got Casey II right away. Now, he usually goes with me when I run trains
to make sure I'm safer than Casey Jones and don't get into a train wreck."
Casey getting lost reminded Aiden of when Horace was misplaced by Child
Protective Services. He could sense the disappointment Nolan must have felt
when his bear disappeared. "I know you'll help me make sure to take Casey
with us next time you come." Aiden nodded with a smile. "I guess we better
get downstairs."

The two boys popped up from the bed and found themselves facing each
other. They stood still, not saying anything, just thinking of how much
they had enjoyed each other's company. Even though Nolan was looking down
at Aiden, Aiden didn't have the feeling that Nolan was bigger than him. It
felt more like Nolan was looking at him from a different angle.

Nolan was totally taken in by Aiden with his somewhat shaggy blond hair,
his light dusting of freckles, his lively blue eyes. He desperately wanted
to touch what was standing in front of him. Since turning eleven, Nolan had
figured out that he liked boys much more than girls and that there was a
good chance he was gay. He also figured out, even before his confession to
himself, that Aiden was the most beautiful boy he knew.

Giving in to his urge to touch Aiden, Nolan leaned in and gave Aiden a kiss
on the lips. It was a short kiss, light and sweet. Aiden looked up at Nolan
and thought his blood had just caught on fire from the surprise kiss.

"I'm sorry," Nolan whispered. "I don't know why I did that." Nolan knew
exactly why he'd kissed Aiden; he just wasn't ready to confess it.

Aiden looked down at the floor. "I liked it," he said quietly, hoping Nolan
wouldn't hate him for liking something that Nolan had done by accident.

"For real?"

Aiden replied by putting his arms around Nolan and planting a kiss of his
own—only his kiss lingered. It was Nolan's turn to be surprised. Nolan's
kiss had been his first, so it had surprised him as much as it had
surprised Aiden. What neither boy knew was that Aiden was, by far, the more
experienced kisser. The next surprise was Aiden pushing his tongue into
Nolan's mouth.

"Ohhhhh..." Aiden knew from the almost musical moan coming from Nolan that
he was doing the right thing. Thoughts of the recent make-out session on
Gordy's bed came to mind as he found himself laying side-by-side with
Nolan, feeling Nolan's tongue entering another mouth for the first time.

For the entire afternoon and evening there had been no sexual talk, no
sexual play, there had barely been any sexual thoughts even though they
were attracted to one another in ways they couldn't begin to explain. They
hadn't even had a good old boy-versus-boy wrestling match. Yet now they
were on Nolan's bed, their tongues fighting each other, their pubescent
cocks like pieces of steel in their pants, their hormones roaring through
their bodies harder and faster than they could ever remember.

They explored each other's body with their hands, Aiden's right hand
sneaking under Nolan's t-shirt, feeling the smooth, warm skin of his
friend's belly while Nolan rubbed Aiden's back through his shirt. Both boys
grunted and moaned even as they kissed with open mouths and battling
tongues. For Aiden, it was as though all of the kissing he'd done had been
practice for this moment, while for Nolan, it was something he'd wished for
but knew would never happen.

A couple of Nolan's friends, Brock and Eddy, had become jerk off buddies,
but all they did was masturbate. While they exposed their cocks to each
other and displayed their prowess at masturbation, they had yet to be
totally naked in front of each other. Being naked with Aiden was what Nolan
wanted right then and Aiden felt the same way about Nolan.

Larry arrived as the boys' passion kept peaking higher, but before the boys
were called downstairs, he and Paul had a chat about Paul's conversation
with Aiden. The two men wondered what Aiden's final decision would be about
reading the letter. While he had approved of it in Paul's office, they knew
he could also change his mind by the time of the hearing. When Paul told
Larry that Aiden had asked if he could be in court for the hearing, Larry
said that was the first time he knew Aiden was thinking of doing that.

"I know that Phil and I do not want to be present for the hearing," Larry
said, "which pretty much eliminates Aiden's being present."

"Maybe not," Paul said and he told Larry how Aiden would be able to attend
with a legal guardian accompanying him.

"My feeling is, he will decide to have the letter read in court, but will
decide not to attend the hearing," Larry told Paul.

"We'll see. From the moment I first met him, your son has never failed to
impress me with his intelligence, his thoughtfulness, and his maturity."

While the two men talked downstairs, Aiden and Nolan continued to make out
on the bed, their kisses becoming more frantic, their exploring hands
becoming more daring. They had heard Larry coming into the house and knew
their time was limited. Aiden's right hand moved towards Nolan's crotch and
his fingers lightly grazed Nolan's three-and-a-half inches of young
adolescent steel.

For the first time in his life, Nolan experienced somebody else touching
his cock in a sexual way and he totally and completely and absolutely loved
it. Aiden broke his kiss and looked at the flushed face of his friend. "Are
you okay with this?" he whispered hoarsely as his fingers rubbed Nolan's
erection through the cloth of his green sweats.

"Oh, yeah, it is so awesome beyond awesome."

"Awesome to the possum," Aiden said, quoting something he'd heard once from
his dad. He then shook with pleasure when he felt Nolan's fingers lightly
pinch his boner though his black sweats. Aiden was thinking about moving
his hand inside of Nolan's sweats when they heard Paul calling them
downstairs. Both boys moaned, and it wasn't with pleasure.

"This happens to me all the time," Aiden complained as he straightened up
his sweats and t-shirt. But, I got to interrupt my dads doing it last
night, he thought to himself with a sly grin.

The boys decided they looked as presentable as they were going to look and
went downstairs. Both fathers noticed the flushed faces and mussed hair of
their sons and Larry couldn't fail to notice the bulge in Nolan's sweats
that he was unsuccessfully trying to hide. Both fathers were experienced
enough and wise enough to know not to ask about what the boys had been
doing upstairs. For all they knew they had probably been engaged in the
kind of innocent wrestling that boys loved—but somehow, they doubted it.

That night Aiden had two orgasms to Nolan's three. Aiden's fantasies had
been about him putting his hand down Nolan's sweats and jerking him off and
then about pulling down his sweats and underpants and sucking him off.

Nolan's fantasies had been about Aiden's hand moving down into his sweats
and jerking him off. Nolan wondered what it would feel like to have another
boy jerk him off. That night he knew that the boy he wanted doing it for
the first time was Aiden.

The crush the two tweens had on each other had magnified ten-fold that
day. If they had lived near each other they would have talked about their
evening in bed after their day together. If they had lived near each other
they would have done everything they could, in their own inexperienced,
young-boy way, to build on their feelings for each other.

But they didn't live near to each other. While they knew their day together
had been something special in so many different ways, they had no idea how
to go about building on it.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 25

Aiden sat in a seat in the family court waiting room, Horace parked on his
lap. He clutched the stuffed donkey tightly. He knew a couple of adults had
looked at him when he came in, probably wondering why a boy his age was
carrying a stuffed animal to court. He didn't care what they thought
because he knew that having Horace with him kept his insides calm. His
father's hearing was supposed to be at eleven, but Aiden knew from his
adoption experience that courts were like trains—they didn't always run
on time.

At the same time, Keegan Miller was sitting in the hall, unaware of Aiden's
presence, waiting to be called into the courtroom. With the help of
Natalie, he felt much more prepared for the hearing than he would have been
if he had tried to handle everything on his own. He was beginning to think
that Natalie might not be such a bitch after all. She recommended the
family law attorney who had taken care of her sister's divorce. Keegan and
Dave Brown, the attorney, set up a payment schedule for his
services. Keegan was happy he was now working six days a week on his two
jobs.

After Keegan and Natalie got drunk and fucked each other through Saturday
night, Natalie convinced Keegan to not drink or smoke weed until after the
hearing. While Natalie liked to drink and party, she did not think she was
an alcoholic. At the same time, she was becoming aware of the fact that she
wasn't as young as she used to be and had been working to cut back on her
drinking. She was seriously thinking of quitting altogether.

Natalie took Thursday off to drive Keegan to the hearing. She and Keegan
drove to Centralia Thursday night and stayed at a motel. At Natalie's
insistence, Keegan had his license reinstated, but he didn't have the
credit rating needed to rent a car and didn't know anyone, Natalie
included, who would loan him one. He didn't bother asking his brother
Troy. Keegan was certain that Troy was probably doing everything he could
to hinder his goal of getting custody of his son.

Keegan sat on a chair in the hall waiting for his name to be called. Almost
all of the hearings in family court were not open to the public, which was
why he had to wait. Natalie sat next to him, but would have to wait in the
hall when the hearing commenced. He saw Dave Brown, his lawyer coming up
the hall. Dave signaled Keegan to follow him to a conference room. Keegan
noticed the tall, well-dressed man coming out of the family waiting
room. He thought the man was just another lawyer in the courthouse—he
was partly right.

The man was George Bednarzyk. He knew who Keegan was and wanted to get a
look at him. He didn't like what he saw. Keegan was wearing a red polo
shirt and baggy slacks. His dark blond hair was carelessly combed. I guess
I know where Aiden inherited his hair style, George thought with a
chuckle. Surprisingly, Aiden's hair had been neatly combed when George
picked him up and only a couple of cowlicks had sprung up since then.

Ash Baylor, who was Judge Moyer's bailiff, saw George in the hall. "Judge
Moyer just finished his hearing. Judge Newman should be ready to call for
your hearing as soon as Moyer vacates the bench." Judge Newman was holding
the hearing in Judge Moyer's family law courtroom to insure all of the
proper privacy protocols were followed. "Are you representing the boy today
instead of Mary?"

"No, I'm holding Aiden's hand as a favor to him and his family. I mean I'm
holding it figuratively, not literally. He's an all-boy ten-year-old, after
all." Even if he did bring a stuffed animal with him, George thought.

He entered the family room and sat next to Aiden. His associate, Mary Polk,
who was acting as the attorney for the family, was waiting in the
attorney's alcove in the courtroom. George was acting as Aiden's guardian
so Aiden could attend the hearing. He was doing the work pro bono as a
favor to two good friends and their young son.

"I should have brought my book," Aiden said.

"Are you getting bored?" George asked. Aiden nodded. "You could just pull
out your phone. You have games on it, don't you?"

"Yeah, but I think I like being bored better right now." George couldn't
imagine Jeffrey or Sammy, his two sons, ever choosing boredom as a viable
alternative to anything.

Aiden's boredom became moot when the bailiff entered the room. "George,
your hearing has been called."

Aiden took a deep breath, rose from his seat, and secured Horace against
his right side with his arm. Much to George's surprise a small hand found
his hand and wrapped its fingers around his. Well, I guess I am literally
holding his hand, George thought. He was impressed by the preteen's
willingness to show his vulnerability. Again, it was a much different
behavior than either one of his sons would have shown.

Natalie was texting when she sensed somebody walking across the hall. She
looked up to see a blond-haired boy carrying a stuffed animal holding the
hand of a man in a suit whom she knew wasn't one of his dads. From the
pictures she'd seen in the house of Keegan's brother, she knew that the boy
was Keegan's son. She was surprised to see him at court without his
fathers. Keegan would have been surprised to know that Natalie had looked
carefully at the pictures that he hadn't even glanced at.

George led Aiden to a seat in the back of the courtroom.  It was smaller
than any other courtroom in the county courthouse, but big enough that
George and his charge were sitting in the fifth row.

Keegan looked back to see who had just entered the room—he saw a tall
man with a good-looking little blond boy. He deduced that the big man was a
lawyer, but he wasn't sure about the boy. He looked familiar and wondered
if he might be his son. When he saw the stuffed animal the boy was
carrying, he had his doubts. No son of his would be carrying a stuffed
animal into a courtroom. Had he understood the protocols of family court he
would have known that anybody not a part of the case being heard was not
allowed in the courtroom and would have had no doubt as to who the boy was.

Aiden rose with everybody else as Judge Newman entered. She was sixty years
old and had been sitting on the bench for thirty-one years. Aiden liked her
grandmotherly looks, which was not surprising since she actually was a
grandmother. As was the case with Judge Moyer, he knew instinctively that
she was a person he could totally trust. Judge Newman requested that
everyone be seated.

Aiden recognized his father, of course. He thought that just seeing him
would anger him like talking about him with Marty had done. He squeezed
Horace tightly against himself, but was surprised that he felt very little
emotion. He figured the man sitting next to his father was his father's
lawyer while he knew that the lady sitting at the other table in front was
his dads' lawyer.

Aiden ignored the chatter going back and forth between the judge and the
two lawyers. All he caught was that this was a hearing to determine his
father's fitness to be given visitation rights to see his son.

But, the judge gained his full attention when she opened a file folder on
the bench and pulled a piece of paper out of it. She looked around the
courtroom, in particular at the young blond boy sitting in the back with
George Bednarzyk. She had been told that the boy would be present and had
decided not to wait to talk about him. She trusted George to do what was
best for the boy.

"Aiden Miller, who is the subject of this hearing, sent the court a letter
which he wrote. He stated that he wished for it to be read to his
father. After reviewing the letter, I have consented to read the letter
aloud. I believe the boy does a wonderful job of expressing his wishes and
will commence reading it . Let the record show that Young Master Aiden
Miller is present in the courtroom with his attorney acting as his
guardian."

Keegan turned and glanced quickly at the handsome blond who looked
resplendent in his suit even if his hair was a bit mussed. So, the little
pussy really is my son, Keegan thought as he turned his attention back to
the judge. Carrying stuffed animals, huh. Well, that won't be the case once
I get custody of the wimp.

She donned a pair of glasses, looked down at the letter, and started
reading:

"Dear Father,

I am your son Aiden. I know you forgot what my name is, so I thought I
would tell you. I know you are in the court because you want to be able to
see me. When you lived with my mom you were not very nice to me and since
then I haven't liked you. But, I want you to know I will see you once for
sure if you do everything you're supposed to do. Everything. All of it.

Then you have to show you want to be a dad. I know you have to be my father
because you helped make me. But that doesn't make you my DAD.  Everybody
tells me you can only be a dad if you work hard to be one and you have not
worked hard at all.

I heard that you are thinking you want me to live with you. I just want to
say that I will never do that. I have the BEST two dads in the WHOLE world
and they worked to be dads right from the first time they saw me and you
never did that. They have never hit me and they never will, but you hit me
more than once. I love my dads, but I don't like you. And if you want to
see me more than once you have to show you love me by being more than just
my father. You need to act like my dads and then maybe I can learn to like
you too.

Your son,

Aiden Miller"

Next: Fatherhood