Date: Sun, 25 Apr 2021 09:40:13 -0400 From: Hank Subject: Carefully Taught Please donate to Nifty.org at http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html. Your donation will allow stories such as this to be published. Carefully Taught -1- One second, they were here, chattering away like magpies, and the next second, they were both dead. Magda, and her mother, Blanche, had been out shopping on a beautiful Monday morning in early fall. They left the house as soon as Magda's son left for school. They were in the second car stopped at a red traffic light. The light turned green, and the car in front of them began to move. It got through the intersection without incident. Magda followed at a safe distance. She was halfway through the intersection, when she was hit broadside at seventy miles per hour by a very drunk driver who was plowing ahead in the cross street. The driver was an alcoholic, and he was already stinking drunk in midafternoon. He was almost asleep at the wheel when he reached the intersection, and surely did not pay attention to the traffic lights. Magda and Blanche were killed instantly. The drunk driver was bruised and battered, but he lived to face charges of vehicular homicide. It was the best thing that ever happened to him. In prison he got clean and sober, at least until his release. Once he was on the outside, he weakened and gave into his addiction again. He never gave a second thought to the people he had murdered. Magda's eleven year old son, Dakota (everyone called him Koty), was not only orphaned in the blink of an eye, but he didn't have another living relative in the world that he was aware of. He knew that he had a father somewhere, but he had not seen or spoken to him since he was four years old. He had reason to believe that he was alive because of an incident which occurred about six months earlier, but Koty didn't know where he lived, nor did he want to know. ***** When Koty was four years old, his father didn't come home from work one day. The little boy cried endlessly for his daddy, but all he heard was vitriolic cursing from his mother and grandmother. They were cursing his father. "I'll never let that pervert near you," Magda said to the little boy. As soon as she could, she took out a permanent restraining order against her husband, and began divorce proceedings. She figured that if they were divorced, he would be forced to pay her alimony and child support. He would have done that, divorced or not. From the day his father left, until the day of the accident, the main topic of conversation between his mother and grandmother was his faggot father. He had no idea what a faggot was. Even in church one day, during the sermon, the minister used the terms `faggots' and `homosexuals' to describe some horrific clan of people who were seeking to convert young boys to their evil ways. Koty was indoctrinated to hate these faggots and homosexuals. He was also becoming aware that the father he had adored, was one of those evil sinners. As Oscar Hammerstein II pointed out to all of us, "You've got to be carefully taught to hate all the people your relatives hate." About six months before his mother and grandmother were killed, Koty was just leaving school, when a strange man approached him. Koty knew he had to be wary of strangers and he backed up against the school gate. The man did nothing but pass him by, but as he did, he handed the boy a piece of paper. It was a folded note. As soon as the man was gone, Koty opened the note and read: Dear Dakota, your father wants you to know that he loves you very much. He cries for you every day. The only reason, he hasn't come to see you, or that you are not allowed to visit him, is because your mother won't let him. He couldn't even give you this note himself. I'm his best friend and he asked me to give it to you. He swears that when you are eighteen, he will come visit you. He sends all his love. Koty was incensed that his sinner father would want to visit him. He was convinced that he wouldn't be able to touch him without getting infected, and going to hell himself. He crumpled up the note and threw it into a trash can near the school. For sure, yes indeed, Koty had been very carefully taught. He vowed never to tell his mother about the note. ***** Koty was just opening his front door after school, and was surprised that his mother wasn't home. She always made sure to be home by the time he got out of school. He wasn't even through the front door when a police car pulled into his driveway, and two big cops got out. They asked him to identify himself and then they delivered the horrific news. The poor boy was numb. He was in shock, and could neither speak nor cry. He just stood still facing the policemen. He had no idea what he would do. If he wasn't struck dumb, he would have panicked. "How can we reach your mother's closest living relative?" one of the cops asked. Koty found his tongue at last. "We have no other relatives," he said, and then he began to sob. "My mother and my grandma are the only relatives I have...had," he corrected himself. "Do you know if she had a lawyer?" the other cop asked. "I dunno," the boy answered. "Look, son," the first cop said. "I've got to ask you to pack a bag. We'll take you to the station house, and get you a court appointed lawyer, who will arrange to take care of your grandmother and your mother's burials, and all their affairs." "We'll also call social services," the second cop said, "and arrange to put you in foster care." Koty began to shake. When he was in kindergarten, he became best friends with Alfred (Freddie) Smith, a foster care child. They did everything together. No two playmates were closer. Then one day, when they were in first grade, Freddie didn't come to school. When he didn't show up for several days, and when he didn't come around to play, Koty took the bull by the horns. He went to Freddie's house. He didn't care that he had to cross a very dangerous intersection. He had to know what happened to Freddie. Koty saw a For Sale sign on the front lawn. A sweet, elderly man and woman were home, and they informed him that they were retiring and moving to Arizona, so Freddie had been taken away from them, and he would be placed in a new foster home. When Koty realized that he was about to meet the same fate, he began to shake with fear, and he did something he never thought he would do. He admitted that he had a father, and he was alive. The cops were elated. If they could pass on Koty and the funeral arrangements to the boy's father, it would save them hours of paper work. "What's your dad's name and where is he?" one of the cops asked. "His name's Calvin Morris, but I don't know where he is. I haven't seen him since I was four." Koty thought about the note the stranger had handed him not too long ago. "I think he might still live in this city," he told the policemen. "Okay then," one of the cops said, "Pack your bag, lock up your house, and come with us. We'll find your dad, and he'll take care of everything." Koty wanted to yell that he wouldn't go home with a faggot, but the thought of foster care was more frightening, and he held his tongue. He still wasn't quite sure what a faggot was, but the very mention of the word filled him with dread. He had no idea that it was a derogatory word for homosexual. Anyway, he didn't know what a homosexual was either. His indoctrination by his mother, grandmother, and minister had been very, very strong. He was well taught to hate and fear. The precinct kept toys around for lost children who were brought in. They gave Koty some toys to play with, while they attempted to locate his father. Koty was way too old for these baby toys, and he politely set them aside. He waited patiently, but fearfully, for his faggot father to arrive. After about an hour, the cop, who gave Koty the terrible news, came to see him. "We've located your dad," he said simply. "He's on his way." "Koty wished that it was winter, and he had heavy clothes on. The fear that his father would hug him or kiss him was scaring him to death. He feared he would get infected, and become a faggot. That was a sure ticket to hell. A half hour later Cal rushed in with another man. Koty recognized the man who was with his father. He was the best friend who gave him the note in the schoolyard. When his father left his home, Koty was just old enough that he was able to recognize him. His first impulse was to run and embrace him, but he recoiled instead. Cal was wise enough not to push Koty into doing anything he didn't want to do. Instead, he spoke softly to his son without touching him. "Please, Koty," he said, "I don't want you to be afraid or to worry about anything. I'm bringing you home, and Steve and I are going to take good care of you." So, the man's name was Steve. Koty wondered what Steve had to do with any of this anyway. At least another hour passed, while Cal proved who he was, filled out a hundred forms, and was advised to which funeral home his ex-wife's remains, and her mother's, were taken. At last, he asked Koty, "Are you ready to come home with Steve and me?" Koty nodded. Cal went to take Koty's hand, but the boy pulled back, so he simply said, "Follow me, Son." Once they were in the car, Cal informed his son that he had a three bedroom house, and Koty could choose which of the two guest rooms he would prefer. Koty assumed from that statement that Steve did not live with his father, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He reckoned that Steve was a faggot also, and this way he'd only have to deal with one of those devils. Cal pulled into his driveway, and Koty was astounded. This was no house. It seemed to the boy that this was a mansion, the likes of which he had only seen in movies. He wondered if his father was very rich. Nah, he thought, this must be a hotel. Cal pushed some sort of gadget on his visor. The garage door opened, and he drove in. There was another car in the garage. Koty was impressed that his dad owned two cars. Cal turned off the motor, closed the garage door, and the three occupants of the car got out. Steve carried Koty's small bag into the house. They entered into a mudroom that had laundry facilities, and from there they went into the kitchen. The first thing Koty did was choose his bedroom. Each of the two guest rooms was bigger than his mother's whole house. Koty thought that if he could avoid touching his father, this might not be so bad. "Leave your stuff in your room," Steve said. "Your dad and I were unprepared for this day, and for all the awful things that happened, so we're going out to dinner." Koty's eyes lit up. He never went out to dinner with his mother or grandmother. They always ate at home. "We're going to take you to our favorite restaurant," Cal said. It was fortunate that Koty had no idea that it was a faggot establishment. During dinner, Cal took Koty's hand. The boy quickly pulled his hand away and grimaced. Cal was gracious enough to ignore the slight. "Listen, Son," Cal began. "Steve and I are married, and we are life partners (Koty had no idea what a life partner was), but we are business partners also. We're both doctors, pediatricians, and we're going to take tomorrow off. I'm going to arrange the funerals of your grandmother and your mother, and I have an appointment with a lawyer friend of mine to begin converting their estates into a trust fund for you (Koty didn't know what a trust fund was). While I'm doing that, Steve will take you to your old home and you can take everything you want. Don't worry if you miss anything. We'll replace it. Then he'll go to your old school with you, and get all your records. He'll also get you enrolled in your new school, so you can get started right after the funerals." Koty remained silent. He turned his attention to the menu. He struggled with it, so his father ordered for him. The waiter made him feel like he was a prince in a palace. When Cal read Koty what he could have for dessert, he chose coconut custard pie. Koty had a definite thing for custard, but his mother rarely made a custard dessert. In fact, she rarely made any dessert. He was beginning to feel slightly better about his "situation." When they got home, Cal showed Koty the guest bathroom. It was in the hallway right outside Koty's door. "This is your own private bathroom," Cal said. "When you unpack, put all your toiletries in here. Will you need any help showering?" Even if he needed help, Koty was not about to let Steve or his father touch him. "Nah," he said a little disdainfully, "I'm eleven years old." "Well, let me help you put all your stuff away," Cal said. Suddenly, Cal could not restrain himself. He enveloped Koty in his arms, and began to weep. That got Steve crying also. "I love you so much," Cal said. Koty could not have pushed Cal away if he tried. Instead, he began to observe his feelings. First off, he wasn't burning up and going to hell. But more importantly, he felt comforted. His father's warm body was reassuring him that all would be well in his new (and improved) life. Koty's hatred of faggots had been instilled in him, but his father and Steve did not seem to be demons at all. He was confused about everything right now. All Steve and his dad were trying to do was to be nice to him, and reassure him that they would take good care of him. Aha, he thought, maybe that's how they lure young boys to their evil ways. He would just have to be wary, and see what would happen. "We've got a big day tomorrow," Steve said. "I think we should all turn in." Koty was shocked that night to learn that Steve and his father shared the master bedroom, and there was only one king sized bed in the room. Finally, he made sense of that disturbing information, and he was able to rationalize it. He knew from his dad's note, that he and Steve were best friends, and best friends had sleepovers, didn't they? He and Freddie had enjoyed many a sleepover before he was taken away. He still couldn't process the fact that Steve and his dad lived together. The information that his dad had given him that they were married, went right over his head. Koty closed his bedroom door, and went to bed. Suddenly, he felt alone and abandoned. He started to call for his mommy. Cal and Steve both heard him. They rushed into his room. Once again, Cal wrapped him up in his arms and tried to assure him that he had nothing to fear. Somehow Koty was glad his dad was hugging him. He didn't want to push him away at all. After Koty calmed down and fell asleep, Cal and Steve went into their bedroom. They closed their door. They made love almost every evening, but somehow neither was in the mood this night. -2- The next day, when he and Steve entered Koty's old house, he looked around, and there was nothing he really wanted, so they left empty handed. His father had told him he would buy him anything he needed. The boy was wise enough to realize that his father had plenty of money, so he might as well get everything new. Most of what he presently owned had come from thrift shops. Armed with all the forms Cal had signed at the police station, Steve obtained Koty's school records. He had no trouble registering him in the sixth grade at the neighborhood elementary school. He informed the clerk that Koty would not begin school until after his mother and grandmother were buried. After they left the school, they stopped at a coffee shop and had a light lunch. While they were there, Steve called Cal. When the call was over, he told Koty that Cal would not be home for at least another hour, and he wanted to go home and start dinner. They were eating in tonight. When they got home Steve said, "Koty, you know I'm a doctor. I'd like to examine you to make sure you're healthy. Why don't we go into your bedroom?" Koty panicked. This was it. This was how they would turn him into a faggot. He'd be naked and Steve would run his hands all over his body. He wondered how long it would take him to become a demon. That was of less concern to him, than spending an eternity in hell. Koty began to scream hysterically. "No, don't touch me. I won't let you," he cried over and over again. Steve was shocked. "Haven't you ever been examined by a doctor before." "Yes," the boy screamed, "but never by a faggot." Steve was rendered speechless. Now he understand why Koty was so belligerent. When he got himself together all he could say was, "Please, Koty, don't ever say that word again. It's offensive." Koty knew somehow that he had made some sort of tactical error, and he ran crying into his room. He closed his door, threw himself onto his bed, and began to cry nonstop for his mommy. When Cal came home, Steve filled him in on what had happened. Cal knocked softly on Koty's door. When he got no answer, he opened the door and looked in. Koty was lying on the bed. He was wide awake. Not a muscle moved, and he was staring directly at the ceiling. "Koty, we need to talk," Cal said as softly as he could, so as not to frighten the boy. Koty turned his face, and looked into his father's eyes. He didn't want to exacerbate the situation any worse than it was. "Why did you call Steve a faggot?" Cal asked. "Because mama said you were one, so I figured Steve was also." "What did your mama tell you about faggots?' "Not only mama, but grandma, and my pastor also. They said, that faggots turn little boys into demons like themselves, and then they have to spend eternity in hell." Cal sat down on Koty's bed and put his arms around him. Koty didn't seem to mind. "Wash your eyes," Cal said gently. "Then we'll have dinner, and after dinner, we'll sit in the living room. Steve and I will let you know exactly who we are, and that we are the last persons in the world you should be scared of. If you want to be scared of anyone, be scared of your lying minister." Now Koty was totally confused. He didn't think ministers were capable of lying, but if his father said so, maybe they were liars, at least, some of them. He did as his father asked. After dinner, when the pots, pans, dishes and flatware had been stowed away, or placed in the dishwasher, Koty, Cal, and Steve went into the living room. Koty and his dad sat on the sofa and Steve sat on a side chair. Cal put his arm around his son's shoulder. "Do you know what a homosexual is?" Cal asked. "No. That's another group they told me to fear and stay away from, or they would infect me and turn me into a demon." "That's not true," Steve said. "A homosexual is someone who loves someone of his own sex, like two men or two women. Haters refer to them as faggots, a very demeaning word. A more acceptable reference to homosexuals is the word, gay." "I must be a homosexual then," Koty said, "or gay." "What?" both men asked in unison. "You're too young to know that. Why do you think so?" Cal asked. "Because I had a friend named Freddie. He was a foster care kid, and they took him away from me. I swear I loved him, and I think he loved me." "Oh, Koty," Cal said. "There are all kinds of love. The love of two friends is only one of many kinds. Then there's the love Steve and I have for you. That's the love of a father and a son. The most intimate kind of love is the love Steve and I have for each other. Every day in every way we try to demonstrate that love. You're too young to understand, but when you're older, you'll come to know how we express our love." "But for now," Steve said, "you only have to know one thing. We would never hurt you or turn you into a demon. In fact, on Sunday, we'll go to church together, and you'll hear a preacher tell you that love is the strongest force in the universe, and you should love everyone no matter his skin color, his religion and especially in spite of who he chooses to love." "You go to church?" Koty asked. "How do you keep from getting burned up?" He was incredulous. Demons don't go to church, he thought. His father must not be a demon, after all. "We're men of science," Steve said, "so, many people are surprised that we go to church. As a matter of fact, we go every Sunday." Koty allowed himself to relax. In fact, he started to yawn. It had been a big day for him, and he was bushed. "I think you should go to bed now," Cal said. "Come, I'll help you." Then a miracle happened. Koty took his dad's hand and they went into the bathroom where Koty washed up and peed. Cal tucked him in, and he was asleep before his head hit the pillow. On the way out of the room, Cal closed Koty's door. All this love talk had gotten his libido up, and he knew that he and Steve would make love this miraculous and fateful evening. They did. They showered together. Once they were in bed, they played sixty-nine, and then they fucked each other. They kept yelling how much they loved one another, and they weren't too quiet about it. It didn't matter. Koty couldn't hear them. He was sound asleep. -3- The funerals were on Friday morning, and Cal told Koty that he could start at his new school on Monday morning. On Sunday, the new family went to church, and the preacher told his flock that the more they loved each other, the more love would be returned to them. He assured everybody that God loved them. Koty had always feared God, and his father. He was beginning to love them both, and what the new preacher said was true. He really believed that he could feel love flowing back to him. Cal introduced Koty to a lot of his friends, and they all insisted on hugging him. When Cal told him that most of these men and women were gay, Koty realized that he didn't combust spontaneously, and he didn't turn into a demon. After the service they went out for brunch. At the restaurant, Cal and Steve's friends kept coming over to say hello and to meet Koty. Word had spread quickly. With the hug of each new friend, Koty felt more and more love returning to him. Before they left the restaurant, Koty's entire belief system was being strained, and breaking down. This caused him to get a whopping headache. Cal and Steve became concerned when he told them, and they took him to their office on the way home. It gave them a chance to examine their son. Koty always balked at an exam, but he seemed to accept it in a bona fide doctor's office. His headache was gone by the time they got home, so Cal and Steve walked back and forth with Koty to his new school. It was a practice run, and a little bit of exercise for the older men. That evening at home, Cal gave Koty some instructions. "Here's a cell phone," Cal said. He handed Koty the phone. "And on this piece of paper I've written your number, our office number, and our house number. When you learn how, you can enter these numbers in your contact list. If you're going to be delayed call Becca, so she doesn't worry about you. But, if you need me or Steve, our office is close by. We have a neighborhood practice." Becca was the family housekeeper. Koty met her the first morning he came to live with his dad and Steve. On the terrible day of the accident, Becca was gone before he and Steve got home. When they met, Becca gave him a hug. It was the first time a black person had ever touched him, and he was pleased to learn that her hug wasn't any different than his mother's had been. When he learned that she was going to make up his bed every day, he was thrilled. That was one chore he had to do in his old life, and he hated it. Becca usually worked three or four hours every morning, but Cal asked her if she could switch to the afternoon. He wanted her to be in the house when Koty came home from school, and to stay until he and Steve got home. She was more than glad to do it. Her afternoon client had been begging her to switch to mornings because she had gotten a part time job in the afternoon. Now, both her clients were accommodated. On Monday morning, Koty got himself ready for school without help. He had to be there by 8 AM. He noticed that his dads weren't even dressed yet, but since they worked nearby, he figured they had plenty of time. Cal had asked if he would mind calling both of them, Dad. He didn't mind at all, but he thought it was strange to call Steve, Dad. Before Koty left, Cal gave him a good amount of money for lunch. The boy had never had that much money in his pocket, ever. As soon as Koty was gone, Cal and Steve jumped into the shower together. They gave each other quickie blow jobs. They knew that with Koty in the house their love making would be somewhat restricted, but they also knew that when Koty would be just a few years older, he would get the picture, and they could make plenty of love in their bedroom, behind closed doors. They both agreed that having Koty was better than any romp in the hay anyhow. Ever since the terrible accident which killed his mother and grandmother, Koty's life was filled with one revelation and one miracle after another. What happened in school on Monday, topped the list of miracles. ***** When Steve enrolled Koty in his new school, he was instructed to report to the principal's office on his first day. He did just that. He was greeted by a portly middle-aged man who smiled broadly at him and shook his hand. That made Koty feel very mature. Mr. Colby, the principal, escorted Koty to his classroom, and introduced him to his classmates. From the back of the room, someone yelled, "Koty, is it really you?' Koty looked up and saw Freddie Smith waving at him. "Do you two know each other?" Mr. Colby asked. They both nodded. "Well, you can renew old acquaintance after class, but for now, Dakota, Mrs. Anderson will seat you, and begin her lessons." There were two empty seats in the classroom. The teacher sat him at one of the desks, and gave him several books. "Keep out your math book," Mrs. Anderson advised Koty, "and you can put the others in your knapsack for now." Koty's first day in the new school began. When the bell rang for lunch break, Koty and Freddie ran out of the classroom, and they did something in the hallway that neither had dreamed of doing before, nor had they ever. They embraced each other, and fought hard not to cry. "Come," Freddie said, when they pulled themselves apart, "I'll show you where the cafeteria is, and we can talk until class begins. Then we can talk some more after school." Unfortunately, they couldn't talk much at lunchtime. Their table sat eight people, and everybody was talking at once. Freddie introduced Koty to his fellow students, and all the two boys could do was socialize with them. The only thing they had to know right away was where each of them lived. Freddie was familiar with the neighborhood, and he screeched when Koty told him his address. They lived on the same street separated by three houses. As they were going back to their classroom, Freddie said," We'll walk home together. My foster parents won't be home for at least another three hours. We can talk at my house." "My folks won't be home for at least two more hours. I'll just have to let our housekeeper know where I'm at." Freddie was confused. Koty said, folks, but Freddie remembered that Koty had no dad, and he certainly wasn't rich enough to have a housekeeper. Freddie reckoned that Koty's mother had married someone very rich, during the years they had not seen each other. Walking home from school, Freddie filled Koty in on the last few years. "My foster parents are very wealthy," he said. Koty was not surprised. The neighborhood the boys lived in was very posh compared to his former residence. "They are both lawyers," he continued. "They weren't able to have children and wanted to have one desperately. The waiting list for adoption was very long, so they decided to take in a foster child. They both worked, and didn't want an infant. I was six at the time, and they agreed to foster me. "From the day I arrived, they never treated me like a foster child. As far as they were concerned I was their little boy. They couldn't love me more. Last year, they started adoption proceedings. As lawyers they were able to cut through a lot of red tape, but there was plenty left. My adoption will be final in four more weeks, and my name will be Campbell. Oh, Koty, I never have to worry about being pulled out of my house ever again. Isn't that great? Now, tell me what are you doing here?" "My mother and my grandma were killed in a car crash, just last week. They were going to put me in foster care because I have no living relatives. I remembered what happened to you, and I got scared. I finally told the cops that I had a father, but I didn't know where he was. They found him, and immediately I went to live with him and his husband. They're both doctors, and I think that they're pretty rich also." "Did you say, his husband?" Freddie asked. He didn't really ask that as a question. He just wanted to be sure that he heard right. "Yes, they're both gay." Koty almost said faggots, but corrected himself immediately. He didn't know what to expect from Freddie. "That's so cool," Freddie said, and all the tension (on Koty's part) was gone. ***** And so, Freddie and Koty's friendship was renewed. When they completed the sixth grade, neither went on to middle school. They were both enrolled in a fancy prep school, which would educate them until they were ready for college. Thanks to a very thorough school yard education, they begin to learn how Koty's dads made love to each other. What once had convinced Koty that they were demons and perverts, had scared him to death, but now that was a thing of the past. In fact, he was comforted by how much love his dads showed for each other. It made him feel like he was in a safe environment at last. Better yet, nobody cursed out anyone else. As they aged, Koty and Freddie began to do the usual boy things together. They started out by masturbating together, and continued with other little sexual experiments. When they dated, they always double dated. Neither boy could tolerate even a few hours of separation from each other. Freddie's parents seemed to be oblivious to their son's relationship, but Cal and Steve were aware of all the signs. Only they realized how in love the two boys were. The boys themselves were unaware that they were anything more than best friends, but they were itching to have a full sex life with each other. They were both tired of the little teasers that they indulged in. Only fear kept them from telling each other how they felt. One evening the boys went to the mall to hang out. They were sitting at a table in the food court, and Freddie's dam burst. "Koty, I have something to tell you," he said. "I love you. I'm champing at the bit to make love to you. Even if you don't feel the same way, please remain my friend." Koty started to laugh. "Don't you know how much I love you? I feel the same way. That means no more double dating. I want you all to myself." Both boys had housekeepers, and their folks were home at night, so they didn't know how they could ever make love to each other. They both had drivers' licenses by now. One evening Steve allowed Koty to borrow his car. He and Freddie drove to an isolated area they knew of, and they took their virginities. They made love in the back seat. It was cramped and uncomfortable, but they loved every minute of it. That summer, when school was out, Becca went on a two week vacation, and Cal and Steve went to a three day medical convention out of town. They were not only seminarians, but they were to be lecturers as well. Koty's house was available. The two boys spent every day making love, until they had to return home for dinner. During the time his dads were away, the Campbell's invited Koty to dinner every evening. Koty and Freddie were very creative in their love making. They tried everything from manual stimulation to fucking. They used fellatio for warming up. They tried rimming, and a variety of positions, which they had seen in porn films. They loved each other so much, that nothing was out of bounds. The young men made a decision to come out when Koty's parents returned from their seminar. They told Cal and Steve first. They believed that would be easier. They invited Koty's parents out to dinner. They figured they would do the same with Freddie's folks on a different evening. They were pretty sure that the parents would not make a scene in a public place. When they told Cal and Steve that they had loved each other since kindergarten, Cal laughed. "We've picked up on it for years now. I guess we finally turned you into a demon, my dear son." "That's not funny, Dad," Koty said. "First of all, nobody can turn anybody gay. Secondly, in my case, you two gay guys were my saints and saviors. I learned early on that gays are not demons. I love you both, and most of your friends are terrific guys." "After we tell my parents, will it be all right if I sleep over occasionally?" Freddie asked Koty's parents." "I want to make lots of noise and give you guys a dose of your own medicine," Koty added. "You are a pervert," Cal said. "You've been spying on us," he said jokingly. "Geez," Steve worried. "I hope your parents won't think that we corrupted you, Freddie." "There's not a chance. I'll tell them that I seduced Koty, which is the truth." A few days later, the young men took the Campbells out to dinner, and dropped their bombshell. "Did you think we didn't suspect about your relationship?" Freddie's dad asked. "We're very disappointed that we'll never be grandparents, but you know how much we love you, Freddie. That'll never change. And Koty, we have grown to love you also." Both boys began to cry. The table was silent, and finally Freddie asked, "How do you know you'll never be grandparents? Koty and I may decide to adopt, or use a surrogate mother. At the very least, we can register to be foster parents, and you better spoil our child as much as you spoiled me." That's a definite given," Mrs. Campbell agreed. Koty and Freddie realized that they didn't have to sneak around anymore. They felt free and liberated. That night they made love in Koty's room, like they never had before. They brought each other to paradise three times each, in a variety of ways, and they never worried at all about going to hell. Koty hoped that his mother could look down on him, and see how happy he was, now that he was one of those terrible perverts. Or maybe, she had to look up. That would be a hoot.