Bill W

Castaway Hotel I

Summer 1999 – May 2000

Chapter 1
How It All Began

I guess I should begin by telling you about how I came to run the 'Castaway Hotel,' and the best way to do that would be to start when I was the same age as those I was about to help. My name is Josh Currie, and although my early years were happy and pretty uneventful, I had a fairly rough adolescence. You see, when I reached puberty and my sexual urges began to manifest themselves, I became very confused. I didn't understand why I was not thinking and acting like others of my gender. Why was I drawn more toward guys than girls? It's not like I chose to do that, but it seemed to be who I was and what I was supposed to do. It was as if I had no say in the matter. As I grew older, I tried to hide and suppress these urges, because it seemed like everyone else, including my family, thought it was wrong. This was a very trying time for me and I became extremely conflicted.

With practice, I became fairly good at deceiving others about my hidden desires and fumbled my way through many encounters with females. Although I would never claim to be popular or even considered among the elite of my high school class, I did find a way to hold my own and my secret was never discovered. After years of dating, throughout high school and college, I even managed to fake my way through several intimate contacts. I had now done all of the things a normal male would do with a female, even though it might not have been for the same reasons or in the same frame of mind. During my first attempt at intercourse, my penis wouldn't respond, but I knew I had to solve this problem quickly or the rumors would begin to fly. Immediately, I began to focus mentally on a male acquaintance of mine, someone whom I'd secretly been attracted to and had seen naked in the showers. With his image fixed in my mind, I was able to get an erection and perform successfully, but no one knew about my fantasizing – except for me. I did feel guilty about the deception, but my partner had no idea that she wasn't the center of my attention, so that became a pattern for my future exploits.

I eventually got married to a wonderful young woman, whom I met shortly after taking my first professional job. As much as I liked and cared about her, especially as a friend, I was never truly 'in love' with her, but proposing seemed like the right thing to do at the time. She wanted to get married and I knew it would take the pressure away from hiding my true identity and be very helpful in pursuing my career as an educator. From the start, I had to use the same trick when making love to her, and over time I honed my technique of having sex with her while thinking of a male counterpart. In a little over a year after exchanging our nuptials, we began having children. To be more accurate, my wife had them, and we settled into a so-called normal life. This was a happy time for me, from the day my first child was born and then being an active part of each of their lives as they matured, but it wasn't perfect. There was always a part of me that felt empty and unfulfilled, and no matter what I did or how many years passed, this feeling never left me.

Over time, my children grew up, went off to school and eventually moved away, to begin pursuing their own dreams. That was only the first set of events that set me into a downward spiral.

My wife and I were alone after that, but unfortunately she passed away several months ago, in February, and I've been rattling around in this big old farmhouse in which we had raised our children. I hated to sell our home, because I always loved the place and it held so many memories for me. No matter where I looked, I would find a reminder of some cherished event from my past. For example, being in the family room would jog my memory about all of the slumber parties my children held there with their friends. This was because they always seemed to end up in that room, watching the television or playing games, before they fell asleep. The rec room made me think about the hours the kids and I spent playing ping-pong, pool, board games, or later – on the computer.

When looking out at the yard, I would be flooded with visions of the children playing with our collection of pets, the boys riding their dirt bikes or the girls on their bicycles or the many times they played tag, hide-and-go-seek or rode their sleds over the snow and down our small hill. Looking at the lawn would also remind me of the countless number of children who came here to play with mine and the cookouts we were so fond of holding for our extended family, friends and neighbors. Finally, there were the woods, where I took the boys hunting, the whole family went hiking or held camp-outs for the children. It was also where I went to find solitude, when I was troubled or needed some time alone. No, I just couldn't sell it! No matter how empty the house seemed or how underused it was, there was just no way I could ever give this place up.

At 47, I had lived totally alone for quite a few months and was now beginning to wallow in the pangs of loneliness, which this large home only seemed to magnify for me. The house had a total of twelve rooms, which included six or seven bedrooms, depending on how you wished to count them, as I am currently using the old master bedroom on the first floor as an office. In addition to the bedrooms, there is a kitchen, dining room, living room, family room, rec room, plus three full baths, and the entire place seemed to long for the laughter and life that only a family could bring to it.

One of my friends suggested I rent out some of the rooms or open a 'Bed and Breakfast' to help rid me of this problem. He even pushed it a step further by adding the lure of the extra money I could make on the side. Although I was doing fine financially, I still considered his suggestion, until another friend gave me an alternative idea. She worked for the Department of Social Services and informed me that there was a tremendous shortage of good foster homes in our area. Even though I was a widower and lived alone, she suggested I could put some of those empty bedrooms to use by taking in a child or children who desperately needed a home. She thought that after raising four children of my own and being the principal of the middle school, I had the experience to handle the challenge. I thanked her for her idea and told her I would consider it, but felt this would be more of a commitment than I wanted to make.

I didn't want to decide hastily, so I took my time. I considered all of the alternatives and kicked the various ideas around in my mind for several weeks before I finally made my decision. After weighing all the pros and cons about giving strangers access to my home, one thought kept popping into my head. Wouldn't it be nice to hear a child's laughter echo through this place again? After many internal debates and numerous sleepless nights, I finally came to a determination. I would take in foster children.

Sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I apprised my friend of my decision and told her I would accept any child who needed my help, but I did have one condition. I thought it might be best, or safer for me personally, if I only accepted boys. She agreed with my logic, but I did not let it end there. I went on to tell her that I'd even decided that maybe I should specifically take in gay or bi boys, although I wouldn't turn away others. She gave a puzzled reaction to this comment, so I thought it would be best if I explained my suggestion in more detail. I informed her that through my job I had witnessed how tough life can be for boys with those particular sexual orientations and felt I could make the greatest impact by trying to assist them.

I stopped short of telling her about my deep, dark, little secret – that I also fit into one of those groups and had actually suppressed my feelings and urges throughout my entire adult life. My main driving force for doing this was simple. Knowing what I had gone through, I wanted to make it possible for other young males to avoid the mental anguish I had endured, by denying my true self. Sure, I still have to admit that I've had a good life, a wonderful wife, terrific children and a fulfilling career, but no matter how good it all was, this stinging emptiness still gnawed inside of me. For years, I've had to live with that void, buried deep within the dark recesses of my soul, which I knew could only be filled by man-to-man love. I longed to act upon this need, but never allowed myself the pleasure, because of what it might do to my family or due to the fear I retained about jeopardizing my career.

Now, I know what some of you are thinking and you're wrong. I'm not taking boys in to live with me just so I can gratify my own sexual needs. That is certainly not the case. I want them here so I can help them understand their feelings and learn how to cope in a world that vilifies and derides those lifestyles. I want to help them understand they don't have to hide or suppress their feelings, but with some discretion, they could enjoy a loving relationship with another male, something I have always longed to do. By accomplishing this, I hoped to not only help them, but also prayed it will allow me to purge some of the regrets I've endured about my own life. This might be the only chance I will ever get to enjoy a catharsis of this nature and let go of the feelings of remorse I've harbored about never letting myself become the person I truly am inside.

After agreeing to do this, I discovered it was now too late to begin the process and nothing would be started until after the holidays. Sally explained that the state would not process applications during that time span, because of all the special functions they were performing and due to all of the year-end paperwork and reports that needed to be completed. Therefore, the process didn't even begin until mid-January and it took several more weeks after that until I was actually certified by the state. It was nearly the first week in April before I finally received a call at work from my friend, Sally, telling me I had been approved. She also told me she already had a young boy she would like for me to consider taking in. He was twelve years old, hyperactive and all alone. His mother had been a drug addict and died from an overdose a few months previously. She had no family members who were interested in taking her son in, so he had been temporarily placed in a shelter until a suitable placement could be found for him.

She went on to explain that his father had never been identified, but it was strongly believed he was either a pusher or another user who had swapped drugs for sexual favors. In the long run, however, the boy's mother ended up with more than just drugs out of that deal. Sally also informed me that she didn't know if the boy was gay, bi or straight, because he was probably too young to even know himself. She did point out that he had enough going against him already and could use a stable environment, so she thought he would be the perfect choice for me. She described him as an average student, although some of his teachers considered him a behavioral problem, and he was currently in the seventh grade. She said that I probably knew this young gentleman already, because he attended my school, but hoped that wouldn't be a problem. She strongly urged me to accept him into my home and thought we would get along well.

I considered everything she told me, but I knew she was correct in her assumptions. From her description of the boy's background information, I deduced she was talking about none other than Ricky Glover. He wasn't a bad kid, although he did seem to spend a lot of time in my office. He was just so full of energy and mischievousness that some of the teaching staff could not handle him within a group setting, since they had to deal with twenty or more other students at the same time. He wasn't a mean or vicious young man, but he was a whirling dervish who could only be subdued by a tranquilizer dart filled with a dosage large enough to calm a raging elephant. I actually had a soft spot in my heart for this kid, as he was quite humorous at times, but I was not sure if he was the right individual with which to start this experiment. To allow me time to mull this over, I told Sally I would have to give it some thought, but I would get back to her within twenty-four hours.

After getting off the phone, I worked in my office for a while longer and then went out to make a tour of the halls. As I entered the waiting area outside my office, after completing my tour, guess who was there! "Ricky, into my office, now," I blurted out, more harshly than I probably should have.

Temporarily startled, he rose to his feet and looked at me cautiously, but when he noticed I wasn't about to burst into a rage, a smile began to form on his face. Feeling a little more confident, he strolled past me and into my office, as if he owned the place. "Hi, Mr. Currie," he greeted me, as he walked by.

Although I wanted to put him in his place and show him who was the boss, it was hard for me to be upset with this adorable little imp. Ricky stood about five-feet, two-inches [1.57 m] tall, with shoulder-length blond hair, smoky-gray eyes, and a nearly constant toothy smile. That last part always amazed me. I often wondered how this little guy could always appear to be so happy, when in reality he had suffered through so much. He was a little on the slender side, without being skinny, but looked as if he had a fairly decent build. If he ever got into a fight with someone who was around his own size, I suspect Ricky would win that battle. He was a street-wise, scrappy kid who had just about raised himself, and he certainly was more mature in some areas than his peers. "What are you here for this time, Ricky?" I demanded.

My tenor caused him to look down at the floor, to avoid my gaze. "Mrs. Snyder sent me to your office because I couldn't stop laughing in class," he responded, quite sheepishly.

"And what was so funny?" I wanted to know.

He flashed me a wide grin before he answered. "Seth Horvath cut a big fart in class and it really smelled. That made me laugh a little, but it was even funnier watching the other kids trying not to breathe. I just couldn't stop myself from laughing when they started gagging, because they couldn't hold their breath any longer. I tried not to laugh out loud, but I just couldn't hold it back." He was almost in hysterics again, just relaying the story to me.

"I guess I can see the humor in that situation, Ricky," I advised him, "but you've got to practice better self-control. I'm sure there were others in the class who thought it was funny too, but they were able to contain themselves. You've just got to try a little harder."

"I know, sir," he told me, and I could tell he was trying to be sincere. He was just so lovable, but he could be an irritant to those without a sense of humor or who were already stressed out. "I'm really sorry and I'll tell Mrs. Snyder that too. I'll try harder next time. I promise I will."

"I know you will, Ricky," I assured him, "and that would be greatly appreciated. Please go back out and sit in the other room until the bell sounds for your next class."

"Yes, Mr. Currie," he responded, as he headed for the door. Part of the way there, he stopped and turned to look back at me. "Thank you, Mr. Currie, and I am really sorry." He flashed me another smile and then turned and went back out to the reception area.

I trust you are beginning to get an idea what I mean about this particular young man. He is not the unrepentant devil that some of the teachers want to portray him as and is not hopelessly incorrigible, but he can be a disruptive force in the classroom. He did make me chuckle, though, when I pictured what that scene must have looked like through his eyes. I immediately picked up the phone and called Sally.

"Hello, Sally Swarthout." I recognized my friend's voice.

"Sally, this is Josh Currie. I'll take him," I stated, succinctly. I heard her chuckle and then we concluded the necessary information exchange. By the time we finished, I had totally committed myself.

That evening I went home and readied the place for my new foster son. I didn't really have to do much, as the room still contained the furniture that one of my children had used when he lived at home, but it did need a quick cleaning. It didn't take long for me to dust the furniture and run the vacuum over the carpet, before I put fresh sheets, pillowcases and blankets on the bed. I even fluffed the pillows for him. Once everything was in order, I made my way back downstairs. As I was about to descend the final steps, I heard the doorbell ring. Suddenly, I felt a little nervous, but still managed to walk over and open the door. There stood Sally and Ricky, each carrying a small suitcase.

"Hi, Mr. Currie. Are you going to be my new dad?" Ricky blurted out, immediately. As he spoke, he looked directly into my eyes, like he thought he could absorb the answer from them.

"Yes, I guess you might say that," I agreed. "Come on in and I'll show you around." I stepped aside, so they could both pass by me, and then I started to show my guests around the first floor.

"You live in this big house?" Ricky asked, his eyes bulging from their sockets. "Doesn't anyone else live here with you?"

"Yes, I live here," I confirmed, "and my family used to live here with me. My children are all grown now and on their own, and my wife died last year. Since that time, I have been living alone in this big, old house, but that's why you're here. We're going to keep each other company and you're going to bring some life back into this place." Hearing me say this, his grin broadened, if that were actually possible. "Come on," I continued, "and I'll show you to your room."

Ricky's enormous grin never faded, as he and Sally followed me up the staircase to the second floor. I took them down the hall to a small bedroom, right across from the master suite. "I thought you would like this particular room," I advised him. "It used to belong to my older son."

Ricky went in and looked around, checking out every detail. He looked closely at the walls, investigating the dark wood paneling that covered the lower half, before checking out the wallpaper on the upper portion. The wallpaper pattern was selected especially for my son, when he was about Ricky's age, and it depicted young boys playing various sports. From there, he went over to investigate the ample closet in the corner, the window at the far end of the room, which had a built in desk beneath it, and then he looked down at the blue carpet, which covered the floor. He also took time to check out the single bed, the nightstand and the chest of drawers, all made from light oak, and then he looked back at me.

"This is really nice. You mean it's mine now?" His expression told me he thought I was going to say no and tell him I was just joking, so I knew I had to put him at ease.

"Yes, it is, and my room is just across the hall, in case you need anything." Hearing that, he walked past me and strolled into my bedroom, as he wanted a peek at the master suite. When he had sufficiently satisfied his curiosity, I decided to tell him a little more.

"You passed the main bathroom on the way to your room. It's between your bedroom and the stairway. All we have to do is put your toothbrush in the holder on the sink, because I put everything else you'll need in there earlier."

"Thanks, Mr. Currie. I like it here already," he told me. His ever-present grin seemed to brighten the entire second-floor. After making that comment, he moved toward me and wrapped his arms around my waist, to emphasize his point. It looked as if it wasn't going to take much to make him happy, but it was sure a joy to see him so excited.

"Well, it doesn't appear as if you gentlemen need me here," Sally suddenly announced, "so, I think I'll be heading home." We both followed her, as she made her way down the staircase. When she reached the bottom, she stopped and turned toward Ricky.

"I'll see you again in a few days," she informed him, "to see how you're doing." He smiled up at her and then hugged her about the waist, before she turned toward me. "Thanks, Josh," she added. "I think this is going to work out splendidly."

"I hope so, Sally, and thanks for your help. Have a safe trip home," I added, out of habit. It was the way I said good-bye to my children, whenever they came to visit, since none of them lived close-by any longer.

"Night, Mrs. Swarthout," Ricky chimed in, peering out from under my arm, which was holding the screen door open. Sally had already reached her car by that point, but she waved before getting into her vehicle and driving away. After watching her make her way down the street, I looked down at my new housemate.

"So, are you hungry, Ricky?" I asked him.

"Yes, sir. I am," he advised me, with his perpetual grin still spread eagerly across his face. He truly was easy to become attached to.

"Well, what would you like to eat?" I inquired, not sure what types of foods he might enjoy. He thought about this momentarily, before offering his suggestion.

"How about a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup? Do you got that stuff?" he responded.

"It's – do you HAVE that stuff?" I corrected him, "and yes, I do." He nodded at my grammar lesson, letting me know he understood, and then I set about fixing our meal. It wasn't what I would have normally thought of having for dinner, but seeing he had suggested it, I decided I could live with it too. It didn't take long before everything was ready.

I took the appropriate dishes, silverware and glasses from where they were stored in the cupboards and asked Ricky to take them into the dining room and set the table. I carried the food in right behind him and dished it out, and soon we were enjoying our simple fare. Ricky managed to devour his food in record time, so I asked him if he wanted more. He paused before answering, giving me the feeling he was afraid of looking greedy.

"Don't be bashful," I urged him. "If you want something else, just say so." He looked at me suspiciously, trying to determine if I was being sincere, before he responded.

"If you don't mind, I could use a little more," he conceded, still somewhat tentative about giving me his reply. I quickly fixed us both another sandwich and then scooped the last of the soup into his bowl. After moving back to my seat, I watched in amazement as he eagerly devoured his second helping.

After Ricky and I finished our meal, I showed him how to rinse off his dishes and put them into the dishwasher. He thanked me for the food, before following me into the family room, and then he sat on the sofa beside me. "Ricky, do you have any school work that you need to finish?" I asked him, not wanting to let him start off on the wrong foot.

"No, sir. I did it while I was waiting for Mrs. Swarthout to bring me here," he answered, before flashing me another of his special grins.

"Very good," I praised him. "Would you like to watch some television then?"

"Yeah. That would be nice," he responded, wiggling about next to me.

"Here, you can use the remote to find something you'd like," I told him, while handing him the thin, black controller. "I'll just make sure I approve of it, once you make your choice," I warned him, just to let him know there might be some restrictions.

He eagerly took the remote from my hand and it appeared as though he was starting to believe I wasn't out to trick him. He immediately began flipping through the channels, and after a brief search, he found one of those sitcoms geared toward teens. I judged it to be suitable for his viewing, so I buried my nose into the evening paper, while he enjoyed his program.

Chapter 2
The Adjustment Period

It was sometime later when Ricky interrupted my reading. "Mr. Currie?"

"Yes, Ricky."

"What am I suppose to call you now?" he wondered. I had to admit I hadn't even considered this question, but now he was forcing me to come up with an answer.

"Well, what would you like to call me?" I asked him, hoping he would give me an idea or two. However, he wasn't that brave yet.

"You tell me," he countered, putting the onus back on me. I thought I could tell by his expression he had something in mind, while secretly hoping I would offer him that particular choice. Seeing I had no idea what that might be, I tried to put the ball back into his court.

"You must have some idea what you'd like to call me," I informed him, before adding, "as long as it isn't anything bad." The comment caused a concerned look to spread over his face, as if he thought I worried that he would come up with something nasty.

"I wouldn't do that," he assured me, trying to make me feel better.

"I didn't expect you would," I told him. "I was just teasing you." He seemed to breathe a little easier after hearing my response, but I could tell that I would need to get him started. "So, it's your choice. Would you like to use my first name or did you have something else in mind?"

He studied me carefully before saying anything. After summoning his courage, he finally began to speak.

"Can I call you 'Dad'?" he asked tentatively. When I did not immediately respond to him, a worried look came over his face, as if he were sure he had gone too far by making that suggestion. "It's just that I've never had a dad," he stammered out, hoping to soothe my anger, "and I always wondered what it would be like to have one. Besides, you've kind of been like a dad to me at school."

After finishing his explanation, he looked up at me with those big, soulful eyes, which just melted my heart. Fortunately, he had read the situation wrong, because I was never upset by his suggestion. I was just so overcome that he would even think of referring to me in that manner, that it took me a few seconds to find my tongue again.

"If that's what you wish to call me, then you may," I advised him, which seemed to allow him to relax and start breathing again. I think he had unconsciously held his breath, while he waited to see how I was going to respond to his suggestion.

"In fact, I'd be very pleased to have you call me Dad," I continued, "but only when we are not at school. When we're there, you will still refer to me as Mr. Currie. That's something I even made my children do when they attended my school." Ricky nodded his understanding, letting me know he understood I wasn't making this rule just for him.

"Yes, sir… I mean… yes, Dad," he answered, as that huge grin reappeared on his face. He then leaned against me and finished watching his program, while I went back to catching up on the news. Once I finished reading the paper, I decided to watch a little TV with him.

Instinctively, I lifted my arm and wrapped it around his shoulders, and before I knew it, he was snuggled up tightly against me. Soon, he was resting his head on my chest, and the next thing I knew, he was sound asleep in that position. Carefully, I lifted my arm and stood up, so I could pick him up and carry him to his room. After pulling the bedding back and laying him on his bed, I removed all of his clothing, except for his underwear. Gently, I pulled the covers up and over his body, kissed him tenderly on the forehead and then turned off the lights, before I went back downstairs.

I quickly finished up a few things I needed to do in my office, such as checking my email messages and taking care of a small stack of paperwork I had left for that evening. Once I had completed everything, I went up to my room and prepared for bed. It didn't take long for me to fall asleep and I slept contentedly until around 2:00 a.m., when I felt movement on the bed beside me. Slowly, I opened my eyes and looked about, and that's when I became aware of Ricky's presence. I guess he must have also noticed me open my eyes.

"Dad, can I sleep in here with you for the rest of the night?" he asked, his eyes wide and his body trembling slightly.

"Did you have a bad dream, sport?" I asked him. "Or are you just having trouble sleeping in your new room?"

"Both, I guess," he told me, while looking hopefully in my direction.

"Okay, I suppose we can allow it for tonight," I told him, causing him to rapidly peel back the bedding, so he could crawl under the covers, beside me. "Just remember," I added, "that I don't want you making a habit of this."

"No, sir, I won't," he agreed. "I just woke up and had to pee, but I couldn't get back to sleep in my new room. It's kinda scary, because everything is so different."

"Yes, I am sure the first night in a new place might be a little unsettling," I agreed, just to let him know I didn't think any less of him for doing this.

"Thanks, Dad," he said, before leaning over and giving me a kiss on the cheek. That made me wonder if he was awake when I kissed him on the forehead before, but regardless of whether that was true or not, I think this little rascal had already wormed his way into my heart.

We slept side-by-side throughout the night, and in the morning I had Ricky shower and get dressed before he came down for breakfast. I pointed out where everything was kept and advised him that he could use whatever he needed. Since I had my own bathroom, just off of the master bedroom, that bathroom would be solely for his personal use, unless we got another boarder. Once he finished his morning ritual, he came down to the table and eagerly devoured all of the food I set before him. If I hadn't known better, I'd have thought it had been a while since his last meal, but it made me feel good to see his healthy appetite and know he was feeling comfortable about living here. While he ate, I tried to address some of the other issues that might need our attention soon.

"Ricky, now that you're living with me, there might be some comments made to you about this situation. Some of the children might think you will be getting preferential treatment, because you are my foster son now. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"I think so, Dad, but I'm not quite sure." I could see the slightly confused look on his face, so I knew I needed to explain this better.

"What I'm trying to say is, the other students may think that I am favoring you, just because you are living here with me."

"That's what I thought you meant," he informed me, as the puzzled expression began to disappear from his angelic face.

"That means you'll have to help me, so the others won't think that," I advised him. "I'll need you to be on your best behavior from now on, when you're at school. That means you can't be getting sent to my office so often, you must keep up with your class work and you'll have to try to cooperate with your teachers better. Do you think you can do that?" This time a scared look replaced his confused expression.

"I'll try, Mr. Currie, but I may forget sometimes," he almost whined, and I concluded he was fearful that any miscue on his part would cause me to send him away. I knew I had to reassure him that wouldn't happen.

"I'll understand an occasional slip-up," I offered, "but I do need you to try your hardest, so it will be less frequent than it's been in the past."

He hung his head slightly. "I don't mean to be bad and get into trouble, it's just sometimes I can't help myself." He paused briefly, but I didn't think I needed to say anything just yet. "I'll try, Mr. Currie," he finally added. "I really will. Just don't get mad at me if I goof up once in a while."

"As long as I can tell that you're trying to do better, we won't have any problems," I told him, soothingly. "I won't throw you out if you mess up, unless it's really, really bad. And why are you calling me Mr. Currie again? We're not in school." He looked up at me, his eyes as big as saucers, so I stuck my tongue out at him, just to let him know I'd never throw him out and wasn't angry about his slip up. After thinking it over for a few seconds, that all too familiar grin reappeared, lighting up his face.

"You can be silly sometimes," he informed me, before continuing, enthusiastically, "and I guess I was just getting ready for later." Now, a serious look spread across his face. "Thanks, Dad. I love you."

Whoa. Where did that come from? Even though I've known him from school for a couple of years, he's only been here less than a day and he's telling me he loves me. Hearing that choked me up big time, but I knew I'd have to respond fairly quickly, so he didn't begin to draw away from me or misinterpret my inaction. "I love you, too, Ricky," I eventually managed to get out, the emotion evident in my voice. "Now, go and round up your things," I added, while giving him a gentle smack on his behind, "so we can be off for school."

The pat on his bottom sent him forward briefly, but he only took a couple of steps before he stopped again and wheeled about. Suddenly, he came flying back toward me and leaped into the air, causing me to catch him. Enthusiastically, the little imp threw his arms around my neck and kissed my cheek, so I squeezed him back and kissed his forehead.

Yeah, I know. I guess I'm just a soft touch, but I do believe we really were beginning to love each other.

I didn't see Ricky the entire day at school, with the exception of lunch period, when he came to my office to ask me a question. "Mr. Currie?"

"Yes, Ricky." He looked a little nervous.

"I was wondering… well, ah, I… I wondered what you wanted me… you know… to do about lunch?" He looked as if he were almost afraid to ask me this question. Then it struck me – some father I'm going to be. I hadn't even thought about packing him a lunch or giving him lunch money.

"I'm sorry, Ricky," I apologized. "I'm just not used to having children to think about any longer, except as students. Would you mind buying your lunch in the cafeteria today?"

"No, sir. That would be fine," he offered, seemingly satisfied with that idea. I reached into my back pocket and took out my wallet and opened it up.

"OK. Here's a few dollars," I told him, handing him the money. "Let me know if you need any more." He looked shocked.

"No, Mr. Currie. This will be plenty," he told me quite quickly, before flashing one of his special grins at me. Satisfied, he turned and began to trot off, toward the cafeteria.

"No running in the halls, please," I reminded him gently, from behind.

He turned back toward me, giving me a chance to notice the sheepish expression plastered on his face. "Sorry. I forgot," he apologized, before turning away from me again and heading down the hall, this time at a slower pace.

I didn't see him again until he came by my office after school and asked what he should do until I finished working. I told him he could either go outside and play or he could go to the library and do his school work. He nodded his understanding and told me he'd let me know which he was planning on doing, and then left my office. After a few minutes he returned, so he could tell me he decided to go to the library, as there was no one outside with whom he was friendly. I told him that would be fine and I would come to get him when I was ready to leave. I jotted down a quick note and placed it on my briefcase. "DON'T FORGET RICKY" was all it said.

About an hour later, I finished up for the day and grabbed my briefcase. It was a good thing I'd put the post-it note there or I might have forgotten all about him. Wouldn't that have gone over big? I walked down the hall to the library and went inside. I was amazed to see Ricky actually busy doing his homework. He didn't see or hear me enter, so I walked up behind him and peered over his shoulder. I could see he was working on some math problems. "When you get to a point where you can stop, we can go home," I told him, which caused him to jump slightly in his seat and whirl around.

"Jeez, Mr. Currie, you scared the shit out of me," he said, panting slightly, showing the physical signs of that fright. "Oops, sorry about the shit part," he added, after thinking about what he'd said.

"I'm sorry I scared you, Ricky. I didn't mean to do that and I'm partially responsible for your response, so don't worry about it," I assured him, before going back to my original question. "So, how soon before you'll be ready to leave."

"Now!" he told me, leaping out of his chair. "I'm starved."

I couldn't help but chuckle at his comment, as I began to remember how much pre-teen and teen boys could eat. "Okay, I'll take my baby home and feed him," I joked.

"Hey, I ain't no baby!" he stated, defiantly.

"I didn't mean you were a baby, just that you're my youngest child," I explained, hoping that would soothe his ruffled feathers. "You see, all my children are much older than you, so you are now the baby of my family." He just stared at me for a few seconds, unsure as to how he should respond, but finally his ever-present grin reappeared.

"Okay, I guess that's all right then," he told me, before giving me a cocky little head flip. I think my comment had made him feel he was special and officially a part of my life.

"Okay, what does my hungry little fellow want to eat tonight?" I asked him.

"Anything, as long as it's food and it doesn't take long to fix," he replied, without hesitation.

"Well, I could order a pizza and we could swing over and pick it up on the way home. I could even fix us both a salad, to go with it. But, if you can wait a little longer than that, I can throw a couple of steaks on the grill, bake a couple of potatoes and fix a salad with that. Which would you prefer?" He thought deeply about this before answering.

"The steak sure sounds good," he told me. "I've only had one steak before, but it was great. Will it take very long?"

"The potatoes will take the longest, but we should have it ready in twenty to thirty minutes," I assured him. "So will that be fast enough?"

"Yeah," he told me, while thinking about this unusual treat for himself, "as long as I can have a snack when we get home."

"Oh, I think that can be arranged," I agreed. "Then steak, baked potato and salad it is," I added. Ricky hurriedly gathered up all his things and then I put my arm over his shoulder and walked him out to the car.

Chapter 3
Getting To Know You

We stopped at the supermarket on the way home and picked up two filet mignons for me to fix. I had meat in the freezer, but didn't want to make him wait while it thawed out. We were home in no time after that, but Ricky still found time to tell me all about his day, while we were in the store and in the car. It seems he had done quite well, especially since none of his teachers had any problems with him.

"You know, I'm very proud of you," I informed him, which caused him to turn in my direction.

"How come?" he asked, puzzled.

"It's because you went a whole day without getting sent to my office." He grinned.

"I told you I was going to do better, and I did," he announced, proudly. I reached across the seat, tousled his hair and thanked him, just as we pulled into our driveway.

While I fixed dinner, I told Ricky he could go outside and explore. I advised him that he should probably take a tour of the grounds, but I didn't want him to go into the woods unless I was with him. Other children had become lost in there and I wanted him to get accustomed to that area with me first, before I allowed him to enter it on his own. I informed him that there was also a very sudden and steep drop-off at one spot, which formed the upper bank along the creek. Falling off of that could cause serious injury to anyone who had been unobservant or momentarily distracted, and I preferred not to risk his safety like that. He seemed pleased that I would worry about him getting hurt and agreed to abide by my restriction. Before long, he was heading out the door, looking eagerly toward this new adventure.

He returned about thirty minutes later, just as I was taking dinner off the grill. I asked him to go wash up, before he joined me in the dining room to eat, and it didn't take long before he returned. After looking him over, I had to send him back, a second time, to do a little better job of removing the dirt. This time he returned clean and sporting a healthy appetite. He not only enjoyed his steak, but also consumed two baked potatoes and had double helping of salad besides. Once we were done eating, he helped me take all of the dishes off the table, and then he rinsed them and loaded them into dishwasher for me, while I cleaned up the broiler pan and put everything else away. What impressed me the most was he had done his share of the work without any prompting from me.

When we had completed the clean-up process, I asked him if he had finished all of his schoolwork and he quickly informed me that he had completed most of it in the library. He wanted to know if he could watch television after he finished the rest of it and I immediately agreed he could. He grabbed his math book and set about working on the last of his problems at the dining room table, but once he completed them, he came into the family room and scooted beside me, on the sofa. I was reading the newspaper, so I reached over, grabbed the remote and handed it to him. He eagerly took it from me, made himself comfortable and then flipped on the TV. It didn't take him long to find something to watch, as he came across a movie, which I agreed was suitable for him. Then, I went back to my paper.

I read for about a half hour or so and when I finished, I set the paper down. The minute Ricky saw me finish reading; he slid closer and cuddled against me. I think he'd been waiting for me to get done, so he could do this. We stayed like that until the movie ended and I think we both enjoyed the special closeness.

I was trying to think of other things he could do after dinner in the future, seeing I didn't want him spending all of his time watching television, so I asked him if he ever used the computers at school. He said he had and really enjoyed working on them, but added that he never had enough time to do much. I told him, that if he wanted, I would show him how to use the computer in my office tomorrow, after dinner. He enthusiastically cheered and told me he'd like that, so I took it a step further and informed him I'd make a special screen name for him on my Internet account too. He seemed thrilled by my offer and was soon hugging me energetically.

Once he settled back down, we watched one more show together, with one of my arms wrapped around his body and Ricky nestled snuggly against my side. When the show ended, I told him it was time for bed, but I could tell from his expression that he wasn't pleased. He countered that he wasn't tired yet, so I suggested he might like to read in bed for a while first.

"I don't like to read much," he stated, dryly. "Besides, I don't got any books."

"You don't HAVE any books," I corrected him.

"Yeah, that's what I said," he countered, and I recognized he missed my point. I was about to correct him, but felt it would be best to just let this slide, because I had something more important to accomplish with him.

"I think I still have a collection of books that my children used to read," I told him. "They should be in the closet in my office. My children read in their rooms quite often at night, especially the oldest and the youngest. The middle two didn't read quite as much, but they still read some. Why don't you like to read?" I pressed. He looked up at me and his expression told me he wasn't sure if he should be honest about this. Instinctively, I tried to put him at ease. "It's okay. I was just wondering," I added.

"It's all boring and dumb stuff," he finally responded. I appreciated his honesty and knew I would have to prove him wrong.

"Okay. I can see why you might think that, if you've never read the right books," I explained, causing him to stare at me, as he wondered where I was going with this. "Look, I'll make a deal with you," I continued. "I'll get one of the books from my office and read you a chapter a night before you go to sleep. If you don't like it, by the time I've finished the book, I won't make you read on your own. Deal?" He studied me carefully for a few seconds before answering.

"Yeah, that sounds okay," he finally conceded. I wasn't sure if he really wanted to hear the story or if it was just a way to get me off his back. Then I had another thought; maybe he agreed to this because he just wanted to spend the extra time with me. Whatever his reason, I had my chance to prove a point.

"You go upstairs, brush your teeth, go to the toilet and put on what you're going to wear to bed," I advised him. "While you're doing that, I'll go to my office and find a book. I'll meet you in your room in a few minutes." He raced up the stairs and I headed for my office. When I finally walked into his bedroom a short time later, I was carrying a well-worn, taped together, dog-eared copy of The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien. It had been one of my children's favorites. Ricky was already in his bed, so I sat down beside him. I opened to the first chapter, 'An Unexpected Party' and began to read. "In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit…"

Ricky paid close attention to the whole chapter, occasionally stopping me to ask what a particular word meant. He appeared smarter than I first imagined, as I expected him to have a bit more difficulty with the terminology that was used, but he did very well.

"Can you read another chapter, Dad?" he asked, once I finished and started to set the book down.

"I can," I responded, "but the question should have been 'Would you read another chapter?' The answer to that question would be no, because it is getting late." He groaned hearing my reply, which indicated to me that I was starting to get him hooked on books.

"It's time for you to go to sleep, but I'll read you another chapter tomorrow evening." I paused while I looked at him, trying to read his reaction to my suggestion.

"Okay," he told me, with a certain amount of dejection still evident in his tone.

Satisfied he wasn't going to throw a temper tantrum, I moved on to my next concern. "Ricky, do you say your prayers before going to sleep?"

He gave me a dirty look before he answered. "I used to, but God never seemed to hear them, so I stopped."

"Well, I think this might be a good time to give it another try," I suggested, hoping he would go along. "What would you say to that?" He wrinkled his nose and made a little face before answering me.

"I'll do it if you want me to," he countered, somewhat stubbornly, "but I don't think it's going to do any good."

"Well, I'd appreciate it if you would humor me by doing this. Would you please kneel beside the bed with me?" He nodded and we both got down on our knees. "Do you think you can do this on your own?"

"I'll try, but I think you might need to help me."

"That's fine. Just let me know when." He nodded again and spent a few seconds thinking about what he wanted to say. Finally, he was ready to begin.

"Dear God. It's me, Ricky Glover. I know you haven't heard from me in a while, but my new dad thinks I should say my prayers before I go to bed." I thought he was off to a fine start. "I never thought you heard my prayers before, but I might have been wrong. Maybe you were the one who helped to find my new home and my new dad. If you did, I just want to say thank you. This is the nicest I've ever had it. Don't get me wrong, I loved my mom, but sometimes she'd do her drugs and start acting crazy. Sometimes she scared me a lot. I like my new house and my new dad, so I'll be saying my prayers every night from now on. I guess that's all. Amen." He turned and looked at me. "Was that all right?"

"That was more than all right," I assured him with a hug. "That was perfect."

He hopped back into bed and I tucked him in. "Good night, Dad," he said with another grin on his face.

"Good night, son," I responded, kissing him on the forehead. "I'll see you in the morning." I turned off the light and went back downstairs. I spent a great deal of time replaying his prayer in my mind. What he said had sent tingles up and down my spine. He made me feel incredible, knowing he was so happy being here with me. It also made me think this whole experiment may be a lot easier than I ever suspected. I know there will probably still be some rough times ahead, but he seems to be pleased with this situation and was giving me his best effort. How could I not want to also do my best for this lovable little scamp?

The rest of the week went about the same. Ricky continued to adapt to living with me, stayed out of trouble at school and was able to keep up with his schoolwork. During that week, I also showed him how to use my computer, established a sign-on for him and set up the parental controls. I even set him up with his own email account. Once that had been accomplished, I introduced him to the programs and games that he would be allowed to use. Every evening, when he went to bed, I would read to him another chapter from The Hobbit and he would say his prayers. What pleased me even more was the past two nights he ended his prayer by adding 'and God bless Dad,' before saying 'Amen.'

Pleased with how things were going, I planned a special weekend for us, but I didn't tell Ricky about my intentions. I wanted it to be a surprise. I had been eyeing the clothes he wore and decided he needed a new wardrobe for school. His old clothes would do fine for play or roughhousing, but he needed something better for school, at least now that he was living with me. I noted the sizes on the various things he wore and that seemed to fit him best, so when Saturday morning arrived, I announced we had something we needed to do.

"Where are we going, Dad?" he wanted to know.

"Why don't you just wait and find out," I told him, not wanting to end his suspense. He protested a little, as his curiosity got the best of him, but he eventually did as I asked. We got in the car and I drove directly to the local shopping mall. After parking the car, he followed me inside and I led him directly to the boys' section of my favorite department store.

"What are we doing here," he asked, and I winked at him.

"I thought we'd buy you some new outfits for school," I advised him.

"Why? I've got school clothes," he protested, mildly, while also looking a bit confused.

"You have clothes, but they're getting a little worn," I informed him. "You can use those for times other than school."

"Are you sure?" he countered, which told me his major concern was something other than thinking he didn't need new clothes. "I mean, you don't have to spend money on me like this," he continued. "The clothes I have are okay." I quickly concluded he was worried about becoming a financial burden on me. It must have been something he'd had to worry about when he lived with his mother.

"What if I WANT to do this?" I shot back, causing an even more befuddled look to cross his face. After several seconds of silence, he finally responded.

"Mom always said we shouldn't spend a lot of money on clothes, seeing they didn't seem to last very long anyway. I don't mind wearing those other things."

"I know you don't, Ricky, and I appreciate that you're trying to be thoughtful and save me money," I explained. "However, there is a difference in the amount of money your mother had to spend and what I have. I think you need these things, and I don't mind paying for them. I want you to have some nice clothes and I want you to help choose your own things too, just in case you were worried about that."

"I wasn't worried but… I get to pick out my own things?" he asked, surprised.

"Sure, why not?" I countered, finding it hard to believe he was acting like he'd never done this before.

"Well, it's just that my mom used to buy all of my clothes when I wasn't with her. Either that or I'd get them as presents for my birthday or Christmas," he explained.

"Oh, you'll still get presents that you won't get to choose for yourself, but any other time we decide you need clothing or anything else, then you'll get to go with me and show me what you want."

"That's neat," he squealed. "Thanks, Dad." With that, he turned and began to look at the various racks and tables filled with clothing.

We had a pleasant time shopping and his excitement about everything just thrilled me. Talk about a kid in a candy store. After much encouragement and prodding from me, he ended up selecting several pairs of pants, several shirts, some socks, tee shirts and underwear. He even talked me into letting him buy a couple of three packs of bikini briefs. He actually wanted to buy more of those, but I suggested he try them first, to see if he liked them, and then I made him take two other packages of regular briefs, just in case. I told him if he liked the bikini briefs, I'd bring the regular packs back and exchange them for him later. Reluctantly, he accepted my suggestion without much of an argument. Once that was settled, I took him to the back of the store, where we picked out a pair of dress shoes, a pair of hiking boots and a new pair of athletic shoes for him. After making our way back to the checkouts, I paid for everything and we left. We both had a couple of bags in our hands, as we made our way out to the car. We tossed the packages in the back seat, and just as soon as his hands were empty, Ricky threw his arms around my waist.

"What's that for?" I wanted to know. Slowly, he looked up at me, before he spoke.

"That's for being so nice and buying me all that stuff," he informed me, and I thought I noticed a tear in his eye as he said this. "I don't think anyone's ever spent so much money on me before. Thank you, Dad."

"You're welcome and it's not that big of a deal," I assured him. "I felt you needed those things, so there wasn't any question in my mind about buying them for you."

"I know," he agreed, "but you spent a lot of money on me and you let me get what I wanted. That was really nice and it means a lot to me."

"Thank you. It's nice to have such a thoughtful and appreciative son," I responded, while giving him a hug of my own. After that, we went back home, had a quick lunch and then I told Ricky to put on his new boots.

"What for?" he wanted to know, while flashing me a puzzled look.

"Well, I thought I'd take you out for a walk in the woods and show you around," I explained. "My children always loved it out in our little forest and I still spend a great deal of time there myself. I find the woods very relaxing and so beautiful."

"Yeah, it sounds like fun," he quickly agreed. "I'll be right back. It will only take me a minute to put my boots on." While Ricky was doing that, I threw on some old clothes, a pair of my boots and grabbed a flannel shirt to cover my arms, to protect them from the briars that are so plentiful in some of the areas we would be visiting. When he returned, I tossed Ricky one of my old hooded sweatshirts, which had hung in the closet in the rec room, before guiding him out the back door.

It was a lovely spring day. The sun was shining, the birds were singing and there was a light breeze rustling the leaves. As we entered the woods, I pointed out to Ricky the characteristics of the various types of trees we encountered – the walnut, maple, elm, birch and so on. I also pointed out some of the interesting features of this specific area, along with the potentially dangerous ones. We walked in a large loop around this section of my property and then I asked Ricky how far he thought we had traveled from home. He surprised me when he told me we'd just been traveling in a circle and we were in about the same spot where we started. I thought that was very observant of him. The first few times I had done something like this with my children, they always thought we were miles away from home. I did this to show them how easily they could get confused out on their own, which might cause them to become lost. It had always proved to be a valuable lesson for the rest of them, but it hadn't worked that way with Ricky. He informed me he had used the sun to keep his bearings and I was quite impressed by his knowledge and instincts.

We completed our little tour of the woods and went back to the house. As I began preparing dinner, Ricky started chatting away. "That was a lot of fun, Dad. Can we do it again sometime?" His smile was radiant and he seemed to be genuinely sincere about enjoying our outing.

"Sure," I told him, "we could do that, but the way you handled yourself out there, I'm not sure you even need me to go with you. You're a natural and I now know that I won't have to worry about you getting lost." His chest seemed to swell with pride as I said that.

"Thanks," he replied, "but it's more fun with you. So, can we do it again?" His face was still radiant, but it also took on a pleading expression, as he tried to convince me he was being honest and wanted me to agree.

"I'd be happy to go with you again," I confirmed, which made him almost glow. "But how did you learn so much about being in the woods?"

"I used to run into the woods by my old apartment when my mom and her boyfriends started doing their drugs. Sometimes they would get real mean and I didn't want to be around them when they were like that. It got so bad that I would sleep outside sometimes, so I didn't have to go back in the apartment before her friends left. I tried to watch the windows, to see if they were still there, but that didn't always work. Sometimes they would lay down on the furniture or the floor, kind of out of it, until I walked in. Then they'd get up and start giving me shit… I mean, crap. Sorry, Dad."

"That's all right. We all make mistakes sometimes, but please continue with your story."

"Well, I started spending more time in the woods than I did at home, so I began to learn a bunch of things on my own. I liked it there. Nobody was screaming at me, getting mad or trying to hit me. It was real nice there. I built a lean-to and brought some blankets and a small pillow to keep out there. I put them in a big, plastic garbage bag, so they wouldn't get wet. That way, they'd always be there when I needed them and I'd always have a place to stay."

My heart ached for him, as I listened to his sad story. No child should have to go through anything like that, but he seemed to shake it off, like it was something everyone had to do. Maybe to him it was just a part of growing up and that's why it didn't seem to bother him, although I suspected that period of his life had scarred him deeply. "Where did you live after your mother died?" I asked him, trying to get him to tell me more. I already knew bits and pieces of this story, but I wanted his take on it.

"I lived in a couple of different places, but I never felt like they wanted me there. It wasn't like it is with you, Dad. I can tell that you want me here, but at the first place, the people had their own kids and I was just there. They never bought me anything, they never read me stories and they didn't even talk to me that much. I didn't like it with them and they made me call them Mr. and Mrs. Rogers." I could see the anguish and pain on his face as he relayed his story.

"So, why did you leave there?" I asked, curious as to what happened.

"It was like being in jail," he told me. "I couldn't do or say anything and their kids didn't like me. They were always busting on me cuz I didn't have a home or family. I hated it there, so one night I just didn't go back. The next day at school, some lady came and talked to me about where I was, and I told her how I hated it there."

"Was it Mrs. Swarthout who spoke with you?" I wanted to know.

"Nah, it was some other lady, but I think they work together," he told me.

"What about the second place?" I prodded, hoping to learn even more.

"That was just a place they send people who have nowhere else to go. It wasn't a family or anything, so it wasn't very nice either. I didn't talk much to anyone, cuz they were mostly old. It was really boring there."

This news made me feel even worse for him, but I was beginning to realize that Ricky didn't give his trust or affection easily. Knowing that, I was even more honored by the fact he wanted to call me Dad and often told me he loved me. When a child grows up without much love or attention, they often find it very difficult to express those feelings later in life. They generally tend to end up having difficulty getting close to anyone and their relationships are often cold and loveless. Fortunately, Ricky was able to bond with me quickly, possibly because of our relationship at school, and now he seemed to feel right at home. I know if others joined our little family, the transition would probably not go nearly as well.

When I finished preparing dinner, we sat down to eat. Ricky still amazed me with the amount of food his little body could devour. After that, we spent a quiet evening on the couch, with Ricky cuddled up beside me, watching TV. When the last show ended, I sent him to his room to get ready for bed. As I walked in a few minutes later, to read him the next chapter from the book, he jumped out in front of me, modeling a pair of his new bikini underwear.

"What do you think of them, Dad?" he asked, spinning around, so I would get the full impression. They actually looked like a pair of Speedos on him.

"I think they look like they could use some more material," I teased, to see how he'd react. "What do you think of them?"

"I like them," he affirmed, smiling quite broadly. "Will you exchange the others for me now?" He looked hopeful that I'd readily agree.

"Why don't we wait until you've had the chance to wear them for a while longer first?" I advised him. "If you still like them after a few more days, then I'll exchange the others." I must admit he looked rather cute in them and was more physically mature than I would have suspected for someone his age. He seemed sincerely thrilled about this change in his wardrobe and continued to spin around and strike poses, to show me how proud he was of his new undies. That's when I discovered he had a very nice, firm butt too. I finally got him to sit on the bed with me, while I read him another chapter from The Hobbit. After we finished, he said his prayers, hopped back into bed and promptly fell asleep.

The next morning, I was startled into consciousness when this little blond madman leaped onto me, bringing me instantaneously out of a deep sleep. "Come on, wake up" he pleaded. "I'm hungry and I want to do something today." I looked at the clock. It read 6:30.

"It's Sunday," I groaned. "I usually sleep a little later on Sunday, so why don't you just crawl in here with me and we'll lie here for a little while longer."

Tentatively, he got in beside me. "OK, but not for too long," he informed me. I think he actually liked the idea of spending more time with me though, even if it was in bed. He let me get another 45 minutes of sleep before he started up again.

"My stomach's growling. Can't you hear it?" he whined, as his eyes begged me to get up and feed him.

"All right. I'm moving," I answered, giving up any chance of catching a few more winks. Although I knew he could take care of himself, it seemed important to him that I do this for him. "We'll get ready for church, but we'll go out for breakfast first," I informed him. "Will that be satisfactory with you?" His eyes rolled back into their sockets and his chest heaved with a sigh.

"Do we have to go to church?" he asked, his lack of enthusiasm for sitting in a pew evident in his voice and facial expressions.

"Yes, we do," I stated, adamantly, and I think he read the determination on my face as well.

"All right. I was just checking," he shot back, before running back to his own room, gathering his things and heading for the shower. I got cleaned up as well, and by the time I had finished, Ricky was already downstairs waiting for me.

"What took you so long?" he asked, his impatience very evident.

"I guess I just don't have your energy," I responded, sarcastically.

"Yeah, a lot of people say that," he quipped, matter-of-factly. "Well, come on, let's go eat."

We went out to breakfast and then to church. It was really a very pleasant time and Ricky was very well behaved. Even though we were sitting on a hard pew, he snuggled up against my side and that seemed to be enough to satisfy him.

When we got home, there were two messages on my answering machine. The first was from my older son, telling me he just wanted to say 'hi,' which reminded me of something else I needed to do. I'd better tell my children about Ricky in the near future, before they call and he answers the phone. If I don't remember to do tell them and they don't accidentally find out on their own, they'll certainly be in for a big surprise on their next visit here.

The second message was from Sally Swarthout. "Josh, please call me as soon as you can. I have another favor to ask of you."

Chapter 4
And Then There Were Three

I called Sally at home, right away. "Hello," I heard her say.

"Hello, Sally. This is Josh Currie," I greeted her. "I'm returning your call. So, what's this favor you need me to do for you?"

"Oh, Josh. I'm so glad you got back to me so quickly. Would you hold on a minute, so I can take this in the other room? I think we'll need some privacy." She sounded a bit harried and I wondered what she needed privacy from, since I knew she lived alone.

"Sure," I agreed, and then I heard Sally place the phone down, before picking up another phone a few seconds later. After she did that, I heard her go back to hang up the first phone. She was slightly winded by the time she returned.

"Josh, I'm sorry to contact you at home, but I have another boy for you." This caught me completely off-guard. I wasn't ready for that particular announcement. I had concluded her request had something to do with Ricky, not with another boy. Being stunned, it took me a few seconds to respond.

"Josh, are you still there?" Sally asked, breaking me out of my trance.

"Oh, yes. Sorry, Sally," I apologized, "but I just wasn't expecting that. Ricky and I are still becoming comfortable with each other and I'm not sure he's ready to share my attention yet. Maybe you should try to find someone else for this other boy."

"Josh, I would if I could, but there are no spots available," she informed me, "at least none that are suitable for him. I really hate to do this to you, but I need you to listen to what I have to say." I thought it over and felt I owed her that much for giving me Ricky.

"Very well. Tell me what's on your mind." I'm sure she was very relieved, once she heard me respond positively to her request, and she sounded much calmer when she spoke again.

"Josh, this boy is thirteen, nearly fourteen. His father threw him out of their house and a sheriff's patrol car discovered him wandering in the park after curfew. The only information he would give the officers was that he had been told to leave home and had no place to go. The deputies took him to the station house, to fill out some paperwork, and after spending some time talking to the boy and getting him to trust them, he finally told them his name and address. When the sheriff called his house and spoke to his father, the man confirmed the fact the boy was no longer welcome in his residence. He wouldn't elaborate, other than to tell the deputies they could do with the boy as they wished. That's when they called and got me involved. They asked if I had someone who could come and take custody of him. Due to the late hour, instead of bothering one of my caseworkers, I did it myself. When I got there, they turned the boy over to me and gave me the name, address and phone number of his parents." She paused and I wasn't sure whether she was catching her breath or thinking about what she wanted to say next, but the interruption didn't last long.

"When I called the boy's home the next morning, I explained who I was," she continued, "and began to ask them about what had happened. After some very chilly, and even hostile exchanges, the father eventually told me he had kicked his son out because he had discovered the boy was 'a homo.' His exact words were, "I'm not going to have no damn queer living in my house." I was very dismayed to hear him say that, but I knew there was little chance I was going to get him to change his mind." I could sense the sadness in her voice as she continued.

"I asked him if I could drop by and pick up his son's clothes and other things, at which point the father grew even more irate. He told me, "I'm not giving that faggot one damn thing." I wasn't sure what I was going to do at that point, but I ending up calling a judge I knew, to get a court order to allow me to go pick up the boy's belongings. With that legal document in hand, I drove to the sheriff's office next, to ask for their assistance. After talking to the father on the phone, I knew he wasn't going to accept this intrusion calmly. In, fact, I was terrified about possibly having to go there alone.

"After hearing my story, the desk sergeant had two of his deputies escort me to the boy's house. As I expected, his father was not a happy camper, but he wasn't ready or willing to defy a court order. He did, however, let us know what he thought about what we were doing. 'You have no right taking things I've purchased with my hard earned money,' he screamed. 'You're no better than common thieves.' The two officers had to physically restrain him at this point, to keep him from interfering with me. I was able to get his wife to help gather up their son's things, and then she actually left when we did. She told us she was going to go visit a friend, because she was afraid her husband would take his anger out on her for assisting us. It was all very scary and quite pathetic." I silently agreed with her assessment.

"Once we got outside, the two deputies asked to speak with me. They planned to go back inside and charge the father with child neglect, child abandonment and endangering the welfare of a minor. I don't think the wife really had to worry about him for a while, because he'll probably be spending some time in jail." Sally paused to catch her breath. "Anyway, Josh," she continued, "this kid is just what you're looking for. He's a gay teen desperately in need of some love and guidance. What do you say?" I was beginning to feel the pressure she was inadvertently putting on me, and even though I agreed with her reasoning, it wasn't that simple. I had more than just myself to consider now. I had Ricky to think about too.

"Sally, I'd love to be able to help you, but I'm not sure if I can right now," I told her, almost apologetically. There was a momentary silence on the other end of the line, but I gave her all the time she needed to accept my refusal of help. I didn't want to seem rude too, on top of being uncooperative.

"I wouldn't ask this of you, if I had a decent home for him to go to," she explained, after having remained silent for a minute or two. "I let him spend the past couple of nights with me, while I tried to figure out what to do with him. It was either that, the shelter Ricky stayed at or juvenile hall. After seeing how much Ricky disliked the shelter, I couldn't do that to another boy. He certainly doesn't belong in juvy and I can tell he's uncomfortable staying here with me. It's not easy for a teenage boy to be around an older, unmarried woman all by himself. The problem is, I don't have any other options right now. If I did, I wouldn't be bothering you this soon after placing Ricky with you."

The pressure was increasing, so I ran everything she had told me over in my head. Maybe Ricky wouldn't mind having another boy here. Maybe he'd like to have a brother. I wouldn't know unless I asked him, would I? After thinking this through, I finally decided to give Sally a break. "If those are your only choices, I'll take him, at least for now. I just need to ask a favor of you."

"Anything," she said, and I could tell she was relieved and overjoyed with my decision.

"Would you please give me a couple of hours to talk things over with Ricky, before you bring the boy here? I don't want to spring this on him, without being able to discuss it with him first."

"Of course, Josh. I understand completely and that would be fine," she replied, quite readily. "If you need more time than that, I'm willing to keep him for another night."

"No, I don't think it will take that long," I told her. "I'll give you a buzz as soon as Ricky and I have had a chance to hash things out. By the way, do I know this boy?" I was wondering if this was another one of my students or former students.

"No, I don't believe you have ever met him," she explained. "He lives in another town, but still within our county. From what I know, he went to a different school district than the one you work for." I guess I was a little relieved to hear that. I thought it might be best that we had no previous connection this time.

"Okay. I'll call you when we're ready," I confirmed.

"Thanks, Josh. I really appreciate this." I knew she did, because I could sense the change in the tone of her voice as we had continued to speak.

When I hung up the phone, I immediately went to look for Ricky. He was still in his room, changing out of his new clothes and fussing over everything before he put them away. I knocked lightly on his door and he quickly turned toward me. "Ricky, may I speak to you for a few minutes?" I asked him.

He looked up at me, puzzled. "Sure, Dad. What's up?"

"Ricky, I just got a call from Mrs. Swarthout…" I began, but he cut me off.

"I didn't hear the phone ring."

"Actually, there was a message from her on the answering machine when we got back from church and I returned her call," I corrected. "It seems she has another young boy in need of a place to live. She wants me to take him in to live with us. How would you feel about that?"

He studied my face, but didn't say a word. I gave him several minutes to think about how he wanted to respond and didn't rush him to give me his answer. His face contorted several times as he thought this over. "Would we still be able to do all of the things we do now?" he asked, somewhat concerned.

"Absolutely," I assured him. "We can do everything we do now, once he gets settled in. I won't change the way I act toward you or do anything different, but I will have to share my time between the two of you. However, I'll try to find as many things as I can that we can ALL do together, so neither of you will feel left out." I waited for his response, to see if he accepted my answer. I could tell he was thinking this over very carefully.

"Okay," he eventually told me, "I think we should do it. I know what it's like when you don't have a nice home to go to, so we should help him." I thought that was not only generous on his part, but cute as well. By saying 'we' should help this new boy, not once, but twice, it showed me that Ricky saw us as a definite family unit.

"That's a very mature attitude," I praised him. "The only thing I would ask of you is that you allow me some extra time to be alone with this new boy over the next couple of days, so I can get to know him too. I don't mean all of the time, just some of it. He doesn't go to our school and I've never met him before, so that means we'll have to get acquainted too. I'll need that extra time to allow him to learn he can trust me and for me to find out more about him, so I can help him better. It was easier for us, because we'd been together at school and knew each other first."

"Yeah, I know that," Ricky admitted, not flinching over the additional stipulation, "and that's okay with me."

"You'll have to get to know each other as well," I added, letting him know he'd have a part to play in this too. "I imagine he probably could use a good friend as well, but I promise I'll make as much time for you as I can. I won't ignore you, just because I need to get to know him better. Is that all right with you?"

He thought about this for a few more seconds before answering. "I was kinda hoping it would be just you and me for a while, but I know you've got enough love in you for both of us. It's okay, Dad, I understand. I really do." I was so impressed by the maturity he was showing in dealing with this situation. I understood he probably would have preferred it was just the two of us for at least a few months, but having suffered through what he'd had to endure at home gave him a greater sympathy for this other boy.

"Thanks for being such a great son." I told him, as I gave him a big hug and a 'fatherly' kiss on the cheek. He looked strangely at me when I did that, because it was the first time I hadn't just kissed him on the forehead. "Ricky, we'll also need to talk about a few other things before he gets here." He gave me another strange look, wondering what more I had to spring on him.

Over the next several minutes, I told Ricky the rough details about the boy's situation. I did not tell him everything I knew, because I felt the new boy would need a certain amount of privacy. If he wanted to tell Ricky more about himself later, once they got to know each other better, then that would be entirely up to him. For now, however, information about him would be doled out strictly on a need-to-know basis. After telling Ricky what I felt he needed to know, he asked the boy's name. Somewhat embarrassed, I had to admit I forgot to ask, so I didn't know what it was. He smiled after hearing my response.

"I bet you even took in stray animals when you were a kid," he teased, grinning broadly at me. "I'm glad you're like that or I wouldn't be here with you now. Besides, I think it might be fun to have a brother, especially if he isn't just the bratty son of the family I'm living with. I want me and this new kid to become close. Do you know how old he is?"

"Yes, I do know that. He's thirteen, nearly fourteen," I advised him, but then I thought I'd better offer him a warning too. "Ricky, please be careful you don't try to push him too quickly. He's just been through a really rough time and it's been very hard on him. It may take him a while before he warms up and trusts us enough to let us get close to him."

"I know," he admitted, his smile never dimming. "I'll just be real nice to him, like you were to me." I thought that was a sweet response and Ricky looked even more excited now than he did when he first came to live with me or even while we were shopping yesterday.

"A big brother," he continued. "That sounds kinda nice, don't it?"

"Yes, it does," I agreed, while appreciating my new son even more. "Ricky? Have I told you lately that I love you?"

He looked at me and grinned. "Only a few times so far today," he teased. "And I love you, too."

"I know," I commented, "and that's what makes our relationship so special. Hopefully, this new boy will fit in just as quickly and as well as you have. Do you want to eat now or wait to see if he's eaten?"

"Let's wait," he replied, without a moment's hesitation. "That way, we can all eat together – as a family. Besides, I'm still kinda full from breakfast."

"That's very nice of you to think about the new boy like that," I told him, truly impressed by his kind heart. "You're a super kid, Ricky, and I hope the two of you hit it off." He seemed embarrassed by my praise, but handled that well too. I called Sally and told her she could bring the boy over any time, and then Ricky and I waited for them to arrive.

While we waited, Ricky went to play on the computer, while I sat down and paid some bills, getting them ready to be mailed. Before very long, the doorbell rang. Seeing I was closest to it, I went to open it and Ricky raced out to stand beside me. As I slowly pulled the door inward, there stood Sally and the new kid, both holding a collection of paper bags, filled with his belongings. Carefully, I pushed the screen door open, so they could enter. "Hi, Sally," I greeted her, while stepping out of the way. "Why don't you two come in and you can introduce us." They stepped into the foyer. "Just put those things down there and then we can go into the living room to chat."

As they were lining up his things against the wall, I checked out the new boy. He stood about 5'4" [1.78 m] tall, with dark brown hair, parted down the middle in such a way that it cascaded over his forehead and formed a heart shape each time he bent forward. I also noticed he had dark brown eyes and a nice athletic build. I couldn't tell what his smile looked like though, because he had a very sad expression on his face. And who could blame him, after what he'd been through?

"Danny, this is Mr. Currie and that is Ricky," Sally told him. "Fellows, this is Danny."

Instinctively, I reached out to shake his hand. Slowly, he lifted his own arm and gripped my palm. "Hi, Danny. Welcome to your new home," I greeted him.

He eyed Ricky and me suspiciously, before he spoke. "Is he your son?" he asked, and I wondered if he had the same concerns as Ricky had about the children from his first foster home.

"Yes," Ricky blurted out, before I could answer.

"Well, technically he's my foster son, like you," I explained, "but we've grown very close since he's been here." Danny continued to study both of us.

"How long have you lived here?" Danny asked Ricky.

"A couple of weeks," Ricky answered quickly.

"And you feel like you're his son already?" Danny asked incredulously, while watching Ricky's head bob up and down in response.

"He's also the principal at my school," Ricky shot back, as if that would clarify things further.

"You're a principal?" Danny wanted to know. He was now eyeing me as if he expected horns to sprout from my head and my mouth to begin spewing fire.

"Yes. I'm the principal at the middle school," I answered, trying to make it sounds as harmless as possible. "If you're in the fifth through eighth grades, you'll be in my school."

"Yeah, I'm in eighth," he moaned. He didn't sound too enthused about sharing that information or discovering he was saddled with me, other than just at home. "Do I have to have you as my principal AND foster dad?" he groaned.

"Only for a few more months," I tried to reassure him. "Once this school year is over, you'll be attending the high school. That's down the street from where I work. I think we should be able to handle a few months with me playing a dual role. Don't you agree?"

"Yeah, I guess so," he muttered, although he didn't look as if he were totally convinced that was true.

"How would you like to go upstairs and pick out your new bedroom?" I asked him, hoping that might help to break the ice.

"Pick it out?" he wondered aloud, while looking at me skeptically.

"Yes. I have my room and Ricky has his," I informed him, "but there are four other bedrooms upstairs for you to choose from. Come on. We'll all go up there and take a peek at them, so you can figure out which one you want." I reached over and grasped his hand, so I could lead him to the staircase. Cautiously, he began to follow me, with Ricky and Sally just behind him. Once we got to the second floor, I opened the doors to all four rooms and let him look around. "If it's not exactly the way you'd like it, we can always paint or repaper any of them," I informed him.

He eyed me suspiciously and then walked back and forth between the rooms, until he made his choice. "I kind of like this room," he said, pointing to the one across from the top of the stairs. "You don't think it's too childish, do you?"

He was indicating the room my children had affectionately called the 'jungle room,' because the wallpaper looked as if it had come from the African plains. It was covered with tropical vegetation and images of various animals indigenous to that continent, such as lions, tigers, elephants, zebras and antelope. There is also a green, shag rug on the floor, which added to the effect. The closet is on the right side of the room, as you enter, and the bed is off to the left, centered on the near wall. There is a built-in desk and a chest of drawers along the left wall, and all the furniture in the room is made of maple.

"No, not at all," I offered, enthusiastically. "I think three of my four children occupied this room, at one time or another, and it always seemed to be a favorite of their friends too." I saw him smile for the first time.

"Then I'll move in here," he announced, with more conviction than I'd heard from him since he had arrived.

"I'll help you," Ricky quickly volunteered, which caused our newest arrival to smile again.

"Thanks, I'd like that," Danny countered, before the two of them rushed down the stairs, at warp speed.

"Slow down," I yelled from behind. "There's no hurry to get things done and I don't want either of you breaking your necks or anything else." Ricky giggled at my comment, before I overheard him talking to our new arrival.

"Don't worry," Ricky told Danny, "he's like that sometimes, but it's only because he really cares about us." Hearing him say that actually gave me a warm glow inside. I knew Sally heard his comment too, because she had this strange expression on her face when she looked at me, as if she were thinking, 'Josh, I didn't know you were such an old softie.'

When the boys returned with Danny's belongings, we all helped him settle in to his new room. I got clean bed linens, so Danny could make up the bed. Then I went downstairs to get a dust cloth and the vacuum, so I could spruce the room up even more. It's not that it was dirty, because I clean all the rooms at least once a month, even though they are empty. However, this room was in need of a little touchup since my last time in there. It didn't take long to get it into shape, and by then, the other three had put away everything Danny had brought with him.

"Have you had any lunch yet?" I inquired, which caused both boys to stop and look up at me.

"Not yet," Danny informed me. "I had a late breakfast with Mrs. Swarthout."

"Would you like something now?" I prodded, knowing boys his age didn't usually go very long in between meals. Besides, I was positive Ricky was ready to eat again.

"Yeah, I guess I am a little hungry," Danny admitted.

"Fine, let's head downstairs then," I urged, directing the boys toward the stairway, "and I'll fix us all something. Mrs. Swarthout, would you care to join us?"

"No, thank you, Josh," she answered. "I have some things I need to do at my place, so I think I'll leave you men alone. You seem to have everything under control here and it will give you time to get to know each other better. I'll call you tomorrow, if that's okay?" she added, and I nodded my consent. "Danny, I'll see you too, when I stop by to visit from time to time. Good-bye, Ricky. I'm really glad to see you like it here." This comment caused Ricky to beam, as he nodded his head vigorously.

"Good-bye, Mrs. Swarthout," both boys responded, almost in unison, but Danny added, "and thanks for your help."

"It was my pleasure, sweetheart," she replied. "You guys have a good time and I'll be in touch."

We all waved at her as she left. I was standing in the doorway, with a 'son' tucked under each arm, as we all bid her farewell. After we closed the door, I gave Danny the rundown on his lunch hour choices and let him select what we would eat. He wanted hamburgers, so I took some frozen patties out of the freezer and grabbed a frying pan. It wasn't long before we began to hear them sizzle. After flipping them over, I took three plates out of the cupboard and threw some chips and pickles on each of them, while directing both boys to get what they wanted to drink from the fridge. I asked if anyone wanted cheese on their hamburgers and both boys said 'yes.' Once their cheeseburgers were done, I let them fix them the way they wanted, and then I had them carry their plates and drinks into the dining room. I wanted us to sit down and eat as a family. I also wished to use this time to allow us to get to know each other better.

During lunch, we discovered Danny's last name was Roma and that he had lived about thirty miles [50 km] from here. He filled us in about his life, school and family life, before the rift, and we discovered that he was also a pretty fair athlete. He admitted he liked to play almost any sport there was and wanted to know what sports teams we had at school. I quickly rattled off everything the school offered and he seemed pleased with the information. After that, I let Ricky tell Danny about himself.

I didn't push Danny to tell us how his father found out he was gay, mainly because Ricky didn't know about that yet, so I wasn't about to bring it up. I would leave that decision entirely up to Danny. After we finished eating, both boys took care of their own dishes; with Ricky showing his 'brother' what he was expected to do. It didn't take them long to finish up.

"Ricky, how would you like to give Danny the grand tour of the place, both inside and out?" I suggested, thinking that might give them an opportunity to bond even closer.

"Yeah, I could do that," he eagerly agreed. "Thanks, Dad. Come on, Danny. I'll show you everything." The two boys took off, with Ricky talking a mile a minute. I was happy to see they were obviously getting along and this would give them a chance to find out more about each other, before I singled Danny out for a more private conversation.

Chapter 5
Danny's Story

The two of them began their walk around the property, but it didn't take them very long to check out the yard. Once they had finished, Ricky suggested they also take a walk in the woods. Danny thought that was a good idea, so he followed Ricky into that area. They hadn't been in there very long, before Danny began asking Ricky questions. "You really like this guy, don't you?" he asked.

"You mean Dad?" Ricky responded, a little confused.

"Yeah," Danny answered. "You haven't lived here very long and you're already calling him Dad and all."

"Well, he's my principal too," Ricky explained, "and he's always been nice to me. He doesn't get really mad at me, like some of my teachers do. He tells me when I mess up, but he doesn't hate me because of it. He's really cool, and I guess I always kind of wished he was my dad. When Mrs. Swarthout told me he was going to be my foster dad, I got really excited and then kinda scared."

"Why did you get scared, if you liked him so much?" Danny wanted to know. He was studying Ricky carefully now, intrigued by his story.

"I was scared he might change and not be as nice at home," Ricky volunteered. "I was afraid he might get upset about some of the things I kinda do, once we were together all of the time."

"What kind of things?" Danny asked. "And what did you think he was going to do to you?"

"Oh, nothing bad," Ricky quickly explained. "Just that he might not be so nice to me any more. And I don't do really bad things, just things that sometimes grown-ups don't like."

"Like what?" Danny persisted.

"Sometimes I start laughing when I shouldn't, cuz things seem funny to me, even though the grown-ups don't think so."

"Is that all?" Danny followed up; amazed that something so simple could become a major problem.

"Well, it's not just a little laugh," Ricky confessed. "I guess I kinda laugh really loud and it gets others laughing too."

"And that's it?" Danny wasn't going to let up.

"No, I also say things sometimes, when I shouldn't," Ricky admitted. "And I kinda get into things I shouldn't and stuff like that."

"Oh," Danny responded simply, beginning to understand what Ricky was talking about. He'd known other kids like him, and even though he didn't think they were bad, the adults usually did. He also realized that he was beginning to like Ricky and was glad he might have found a friend.

"So you really think of him as your father now?" Danny asked, not having all his questions answered just yet.

"Yeah, I really do," Ricky offered, quite eagerly. "He's a really nice guy and I know he really cares about me." Ricky almost said more, but he wasn't sure how Danny would react to what he was about to say.

"He does seem like a nice guy," Danny admitted. "I was really surprised he let me pick my own room."

"Yeah, I know he really wants to help us," Ricky told him. "He's done more for me than anyone ever has, and I haven't been here that long."

"You mean your parents weren't nice to you?" Danny tried to clarify. Ricky hesitated before he responded, taking time to think over how he wanted to answer this. Danny thought this meant Ricky must have really had it bad at home, so he didn't push him. Finally, Ricky decided he might as well tell Danny the truth. He felt he needed to do that, if they were going to be close like brothers, as he hoped.

"Well, I never had a dad," he began, "and my mother used drugs a lot. She and her boyfriends…"

"Boyfriends?" Danny interrupted, confused by Ricky's use of the plural noun.

"Yeah, boyfriends," he admitted. "None of them ever seemed to stay around more than a few weeks or months. Anyway, she spent all her money on drugs and booze, but she never spent much on me or did things with me."

"Ah, so she really didn't care much about you. That's rough," Danny offered, trying to show that he understood.

"No, the drugs and the booze made her act the way she did," Ricky corrected him. "I know she loved me, but Dad loves me more." The moment he said that, he wasn't sure he should have, and it left Danny momentarily confused.

"You mean Mr. Currie?" Danny finally asked, causing Ricky to blush. Ricky wasn't sure he should have told Danny that, but he couldn't just ignore Danny's question.

"Yeah," Ricky answered, simply.

"You think he loves you?" Danny pursued, and Ricky decided he'd better clarify his statement.

"Yeah, he loves me like a son," he told Danny, "and I love him like a father." Ricky hoped that would settle things, but he wasn't so sure. He was concerned when Danny stood there for so long, without saying anything.

"Do you think he might love me that way too?" Danny finally asked.

"Oh, yeah," Ricky responded, eagerly, "and we're going to be a family." That brought a smile to Danny's face, and then the boys resumed their walk. They continued to talk about many things, and Ricky filled Danny in about my family, or at least what he knew about it. They were gone quite a while, and I was beginning to worry about them, when they suddenly showed up. They were laughing and joking, acting like typical boys, so I guess my concerns were unjustified.

"Do you want me to call you 'Dad,' like Ricky does?" Danny asked me, shortly after coming through the door, once he returned from his little tour with Ricky. I was shocked by both the suddenness and the frankness of his question.

"That's entirely up to you," I told him, "or we can discuss other options, if you want. Maybe you should take some time before you decide what you want to do." I was actually a little concerned that he might feel he HAD to call me dad. Unlike Ricky, I knew Danny had his own father, even though they were at odds right now, and I wasn't sure this was the right time for him to be considering this option. Maybe it would be best if he waited to make up his mind, after he had time to deal with the stigma concerning his recent disagreement with his father. I didn't want him to start calling me dad as an act of defiance against his biological father, however I would leave that choice up to him.

"No, I know what I want to do. I'm going to call you Dad," he advised me, very forcefully. "As far as I'm concerned, I don't have any other dad any more. My old dad told me he didn't want anything more to do with me, so the hell with him and you can be my dad now," he added, somewhat more defiantly and with a touch of bitterness in his tone. Ricky started to say something, but I shook my head to dissuade him. I thought it best if he didn't get involved in this discussion, although I suspected he'd already voiced his opinions earlier. Fortunately, Danny didn't notice our non-verbal communication.

"If you're sure that's what you want, that will be fine with me," I advised him. "If you change your mind later, though, you can just let me know. Your choice isn't set in stone, so we can make adjustments at any time, if we need to."

"Thanks, but we won't need to, Dad," he said, testing the waters. "I've made up my mind and I'm not going to change it. Ricky's told me how nice you are and how much you love him, and I want us to be like that too." He looked at me, studying my face, to see how I was going to react to his statement. I must not have looked convinced, because a worried look came over his face – almost panicked. "I really do want you to be my dad now," he insisted. "Is that okay with you?"

"Of course it is," I told him, while pulling him into a hug. "I'd be honored to have you as my son." As I continued to embrace Danny, I began to wonder exactly what Ricky had told him. Obviously, it must have been very positive and persuasive, but I prayed Ricky had only told Danny how he felt about me and hadn't made Danny's decision for him. In fact, Ricky might have done us all a favor by bringing this to a head so soon, as this decision might help Danny get over the lingering effects of the schism with father and help him adapt to a life with us. After thinking about it for a few seconds more, I decided to leave things as they were and not upset the apple cart.

"Yeah, and that makes us brothers," Ricky announced, causing Danny to look at him and grin. I think that gave me another missing piece of the puzzle.

"I like that idea too," Danny beamed, as he put his arm up and over his new brother's shoulder. I guess they HAD hit it off while taking their little walk. I was glad to see this happen, for both of them.

"Come on, Danny, and I'll show you the computer," Ricky told him. "If you want, Dad will even help you get your own sign on and email address."

Danny looked at me inquisitively. "Would you really do that?" he asked, uncertain as to whether Ricky was in a position to make such an offer. "If you did, then I could e-mail some of my old friends and let them know I'm okay," he explained. "I remember some of their email addresses and one of them could send me the ones I've forgotten." He was looking at me, with signs of hope evident in his expression.

"Certainly," I replied. "That won't be a problem and there's not much to it." Danny almost leaped in the air with joy as I responded and then he turned and smiled at Ricky too, as a silent thank you for making it happen. While they were still celebrating, I went over to the computer, sat down in my chair and began to fulfill his request. Before long, I had a boy standing on either side of my chair, eagerly waiting for me to finish.

I quickly fixed Danny up with a screen name and email address, but before he could use it, I decided I needed to do something else first. I asked Ricky to stay in the office and play on the computer for a while, to give Danny and me some time alone, and Ricky just winked in my direction and said, "No problem, Dad." Once that had been settled, I guided Danny to the living room, so we could have our private chat.

I walked into the living room and took a seat on the couch and Danny followed and sat down beside me. I turned my body slightly, so I was facing him before I began to speak. "Danny, I know you haven't been here long," I began, "but I was hoping you might be willing to tell me what happened between you and your father. You don't have to go into every little detail, but I'd like to know why he threw you out."

I was playing dumb in order to give him the impression Sally hadn't shared that information with me. I didn't want him turning against her, if he thought she had, and I knew Sally also hoped he'd discuss this with her in more detail later. The thing was, I needed him to be able to trust me too, or I knew we wouldn't have much of a chance of really bonding.

He looked up at me and began to open his mouth, but his expression told me he didn't really want to get into this and take the chance of ruining our new relationship. I knew I had to put him at ease, or he wasn't going to tell me anything. "Danny, nothing you can say will make me feel any differently about you," I advised him. "Whatever you tell me will stay between US, but I'd just like to know what happened. If you want anyone else to know about it later, then you'll have to tell that person yourself, because they're not going to hear about it from me."

Although I saw him let out a small sigh, showing he was somewhat relieved by my comment, his head still drooped slightly after I spoke to him. Eventually, he began to lift his head again, and as he did so, I could see tears rolling down his cheeks. His eyes began to search my face, as he tried to decide if I could really be trusted. After a while, he must have come to some kind of a conclusion, because he began to answer my question. "He threw me out because I'm gay," he sobbed out. "He called me a queer, faggot and homo sissy pants." The hurt from what had happened was evident on his face, as well as in his voice, and it just about broke my heart. Wanting to take away some of his pain, I pulled him toward me and cradled him in my arms.

"That's why he threw you out?" I asked, trying to sound incredulous and let him know I didn't think being gay was bad or such a big deal.

"Yes," he answered, his tears flowing even harder now. "Why do I have to be like that? I don't want to be, but I am. I don't want people calling me those names or treating me like they think there's something wrong with me, so why am I like this?"

"Danny, it's all right," I said comfortingly. "It's not something you can choose or change, but it's also not something you should have to hide. It's just how you are and it doesn't make you bad or evil."

"But why can't I just be like everybody else?" he asked me. He sounded almost desperate.

"Well, if you are truly gay, it's not something you can change, like you do your clothes," I advised him. "You can't modify that any more than you could truly alter your skin or eye color. You might be able to learn to hide your feelings and keep others from knowing about your orientation, but it's who you are deep down inside."

"But I've heard that gays can become normal, if they want to," he told me. "I've tried to like girls instead, but I just don't feel the same way about them."

"Danny, I think the people who claimed they've been able to change were bisexual to begin with, not gay," I informed him.

"What's bisexual mean?" Danny wanted to know.

"It means a person who is attracted to both sexes," I explained. "That would mean a guy could get aroused no matter who he's with, whether it's a guy or a gal." He was looking at me oddly now, sporting a very puzzled expression. "Is something wrong?" I asked him.

"Yeah, what's aroused mean?" he needed to know.

"That means you are physically attracted to that person and can get an erection," I advised him, but he still looked confused. "You know – a stiffie, a woody, a boner." Suddenly, a spark of recognition registered on his face.

"Oh!" he said, finally understanding and blushing slightly. "And you don't hate me because I'm gay?"

"No way," I answered, adamantly. "I wouldn't care if you were attracted to wolves or space aliens. I like Danny the person – the good looking, considerate, intelligent and athletic boy whom I've seen so far. I look at the whole person and I would never dislike anyone just because there was something about him that I found annoying or didn't admire. No one is perfect, so there will always be things about others that we don't particularly like. If we let those things ruin a friendship, then we'd never have any friends and would end up being alone all our lives."

Danny's body seemed to relax dramatically, like a big weight had been lifted from him. "Thank you for not being like my OTHER dad," he told me, and I could tell he was not only appreciative, but also sincere. "I was worried that maybe you and Ricky wouldn't want me around either, after you found out."

"Heck no," I responded. "You're my son now and I'll love you no matter what. I may not like some of the things you do, like if you decided to go out and rob a bank, but I'd still love you and you'd still be my son."

"I wish that other guy felt the same way!" he exclaimed, before becoming a little emotional. It was evident he was talking about his father, but I guess he didn't even feel he wanted to call him that any more. He paused for a second, to regain his composure.

"Danny, do you want to talk about how you feel concerning what happened?" I asked him, but he just stared at me and didn't reply. "You don't have to, if you don't want to, but sometimes it helps just to get it out in the open and get it off your chest. For some people, just talking about it helps put it behind them." He was staring a hole through me now.

"Maybe you're right," he finally admitted, but then he became quiet again. I thought I'd better prompt him, to get him started.

"Danny, how did he find out about you in the first place," I asked. It took him a while to finally respond.

"It all started when we began having problems with the computer," he admitted. "My parents aren't very good with computers and can't do much on them, so my dad asked someone he knew to come over and take a look at it. When the guy did, he found a file I had hidden that contained some pictures of naked guys and showed it to my dad."

"And where did you get those from?" I pressed.

"I downloaded them from some free sites I'd found online," he admitted.

"But why didn't you erase them after you looked at them?" I followed. Danny hung his head and hesitated, before he answered.

"I wanted to keep them, so I could look at them when… you know… to help me when I needed to… well, get off." He still hadn't looked up at me and I knew he was a little uncomfortable admitting this, so I tried to make it sound as if it weren't anything horrible.

"Well, that makes sense," I began. "We sometimes need a little stimulus to get things started, but I think maybe you should have just remembered the link to the free site and not stored them on your hard drive."

"Yeah, I know that now," Danny agreed, although looking guilty that he hadn't thought of that before. I thought it was time to move on to another topic and take him off the hook, personally.

"Danny, how do you feel about what your father said and did, once he found out?" I asked, feeling I needed to get to the crux of this issue. When Danny looked up at me, I could see his eyes were moistening up again.

"Well, at first he just wanted to know how those pictures got there, so I told them I'd saved them, not thinking he'd get that angry about them," Danny informed me. "I knew he'd be mad at first, but I thought he'd get over it."

"And he didn't?" I followed.

"Not at all," Danny confessed. "In fact, he got even madder. He asked me if I was a fairy and liked looking at naked guys. When I didn't answer, he began screaming that he would have never guess I was a goddamn queer. He wanted to know how an athlete could be a faggot and then said something like I'd probably just gone out for sports so I could see the other guys naked in the shower."

"Was that it?" I pressed.

"Oh, no!" Danny admitted. "Once the guy fixing the computer left, he got really mad, saying that now that one of his friends knew he had a faggot for a son, everyone else would soon know too. He wanted me to tell him how I could do something like that and embarrass the whole family in the process."

"And how did you respond?" I followed.

"I told him I didn't mean to do that, but I couldn't change how I felt." Danny was sobbing now, as he recalled that awful exchange. "He told me I'd either have to change or leave, and after I told him I'd tried to like girls and they didn't do anything for me, he told me to get out of his house, because he wasn't going to have no fucking homo living under his roof." I pulled Danny toward me and hugged him, to let him know he was safe and welcomed here.

"And how did you feel after hearing that?"

"At first I was hurt that he would say those things about me and was throwing me out," he admitted, "but after a while I started to become angry instead. I just couldn't understand how my father could do that to me. I always thought he loved me, but I guess he never did." Tears were streaming down his face now and his body had become very tense.

"Danny, I'm sure he did love you, and I think down deep he probably still does," I offered, sympathetically, putting my hand on his shoulder and kneading it gently.

"No way!" Danny told me, forcefully. "You didn't see or hear him. He hates me now and there's no way I will believe differently." I wanted to say something in rebuttal, but I just couldn't come up with anything I thought would be appropriate or effective.

"How could he care about me, when he threw me out?" Danny challenged. "He knew I didn't have anywhere to go or any place to stay. I spent a few nights sleeping in the park and sometimes I was able to get a friend to let me stay with them," he continued. "When that happened, I could take a shower and change into something clean, but I didn't have much with me. I was only able to take a few things that night, so I didn't have many clothes to change into." My heart was aching, just listening to his story, but I knew the catharsis would help him heal. The whole time, my fingers had continued to work gently on his shoulder, as a way of letting him know I was still there for him.

"One night I couldn't find anybody to stay with," he continued, "so I was going to sleep in the park again, but that's when the cops caught me." He showed very little emotion as he told me this, which surprised me. I thought the memory of that experience would have upset him more, but he was extremely calm while recalling it. In fact, it almost looked as if he was actually back there again.

"You know, I'm kind of glad that happened now," he confessed, "or else I could still have been living on my own, with no place to go and no one to care about me. Instead, I'm living here with you and Ricky and I think I'm going to be really happy here." He cracked a weak smile as he said this and then he looked up at me.

"You know, I'm glad they found you too," I told him, while looking him directly in the eyes, "otherwise I wouldn't have a second very special son." I pulled him toward me now, to give him a hug, just to show him that I meant what I said. As I did that, he began crying even harder. After trying to console him for a few seconds, I held him at arm's length, so I could look him in the face.

"Did I do or say something wrong?" I asked, not sure what had caused this outburst.

"It's just that you make me feel so good," he replied, still sobbing slightly. "Not only did you let me come live with you, but you didn't turn on me because I was gay either. And Ricky's been real nice to me too. Do you think he'll be okay with me being gay?" His expression showed he was worried about what my answer might be.

"Well, I can't be positive," I informed him, "but knowing Ricky, I doubt it will bother him at all."

"You mean that?" he asked, still not convinced I was being honest with him.

"Yes, I do," I told him. "Ricky has had it rough too and he's not the kind to judge others harshly, unless they aren't nice people. So, I don't think you'll have too much to worry about."

"I hope not," he admitted, "because I really like Ricky. You guys have been really great to me, and I don't want that to end or lose either of you."

"Don't worry, it won't happen, and thanks for the vote of confidence," I responded. "I feel the same way about you, and I think Ricky does too. I'm glad we've had this little talk," I confided. "I feel better and I've learned a lot."

"I've learned a lot too," he shot back, "like staying away from banks." He flashed me a wry smile after saying that, and it took me a couple of seconds before I remembered the comment I had made earlier, about not liking things he might do, like robbing a bank.

"You do that," I advised him, while tousling his hair and feeling we might have just made a major breakthrough.

Chapter 6
Growing Closer As a Family

"Now, is there anything you want to know about me?" I asked Danny, to give him a chance to resolve any unanswered questions he might still have.

"Yes," he answered quickly. "Where's your wife and kids?"

I thought maybe Sally or Ricky had told him about my situation, but I guess they hadn't, so I took a few minutes to tell Danny my story. He listened very intently and seemed sincerely interested in what I had to say. "I'm sorry about your wife," he told me, once I had finished.

"Thank you, Danny. That means a great deal to me," I informed him.

"Will Ricky and me get to meet our 'other' brothers and sisters?" he asked, his words touching me deeply. His innocence and sweetness were nicely expressed in this simple question.

"Yes, you'll get to meet them the next time they visit," I assured him. I went on to tell him that I would write or call each of my older children and tell them about my two newest sons – their new brothers. He seemed pleased with my response, and now that everything was settled, he had something else to ask me.

"Do you mind if I go find Ricky?" he wanted to know, looking a little more upbeat than he had when we first began our conversation. "Maybe we can go for another walk or something."

"Sure, that sounds like a good idea," I told him. "Why don't you go have some fun?" Danny didn't run off right away, however, and it took me a second to figure out why. I think he wanted to thank me in some way, but he wasn't sure how to go about doing it. Taking matters in my own hands, I pulled him toward me and gave him another hug, which he eagerly returned. When I felt him starting to release his grip, I relaxed my hold on him and he ran off to find his new brother.

After Danny left the room, I took time to think about my situation and my new family. It didn't take me long to realize how lucky I was and I couldn't believe my good fortune. Not only did I end up with two decent young men as my first two foster sons, but they also seem to have taken to me quite rapidly, as well as to each other.

I knew this wasn't 'normal' and I wondered if Sally had played more than a small part in these seemingly seamless transitions. I suspect she told both boys more about me than she had let on and I'd even venture to guess she had also asked them not to let me know anything about what she discussed with them too. Maybe some day I will be able to get the boys to confide in me about what happened between Sally and them, before they arrived at my house. I've heard she can be quite devious when she needs to be, but it's a good kind of devious. Sally only does things like that to benefit others, not harm them, so I wasn't about to question my good fortune further. I'd just continue to try to bond even more with both boys and cement our relationships, before the first storm hits our sea of tranquility.

I could hear Danny and Ricky laughing in the other room and had to force myself to give them a little space. My first instinct was to rush into my office and see what they were up to, but right now, I think it would be best if I tried to build some trust with them instead. Keeping that in mind, I stayed where I was, and before long they came rushing into the living room together, to see me.

"I just e-mailed one of my friends," Danny began, between giggles, "and he must have been on his computer, because he answered me right away. He was shocked when I told him that I had a new dad and a brother."

"By the language he used," Ricky added, laughing even harder than Danny, "I'd say he was more than just shocked." Upon hearing this, Danny punched Ricky in the arm, as if to say he wasn't supposed to mention the language part.

"It's okay," Ricky informed him. "Dad's cool about it." Danny just glared at Ricky, still not believing.

"It IS," Ricky insisted. "He only said damn, shit and the 'f' word once. Besides, Dad doesn't even mind if we slip and say those words sometimes, as long as we don't use them all the time or when we're with other people." Danny looked at me, to gauge my reaction to what Ricky had told him.

"As long as the language isn't totally vulgar, I expect there might be a few slip ups," I informed them. "I know boys your age tend to use a few cuss words, from time to time. Just try to keep it at home and to a minimum, and I won't hold it against you."

"See, I told you so!" Ricky exclaimed, before he punched Danny back.

Shocked by Ricky's boldness, Danny turned toward his brother and a free-for-all broke out in my living room. I let the two boys wrestle with each other until they got tired, as it was all in fun. I just made sure they didn't break anything during their 'struggle.' Once they tired of that activity, they went back into my office, to work on the computer again.

After dinner, both boys joined me in the family room to watch television. I had one of them on either side of me, with my arms draped over their shoulders. "You know, Danny, you'll be attending classes at my school tomorrow," I reminded him. "I'll register you as soon as we get there and then we'll get you a copy of your class schedule. You boys will have to decide if you want to take a lunch or buy something in the cafeteria. Don't let me forget, though. I did that to Ricky his first day here."

"Yeah, he almost made me starve," Ricky added with all the gusto and animation he could muster. At that moment, both of them looked across my chest, toward each other, and then burst out laughing again.

"With all the food you eat at home," I shot back, "there's no way you could ever starve." Ricky elbowed me lightly in the ribs, so I let my hand drop down to his side and began to tickle him. Danny saw what was going on and jumped to his brother's defense, so I wrestled both boys to the floor and started to tickle them simultaneously. I kept this up for a few minutes, making both boys laugh hysterically, and then I let them up.

"That's no fair," Ricky began. "You're bigger than both of us."

"Well, if I put the two of you together," I explained, "then you'd be nearly as big as me."

"It's still not fair," Ricky continued to object, while emphasizing his displeasure by displaying a mock pout.

"Well, you've got to learn that life's not fair," I explained. "The sooner you learn that lesson, the easier it will be for you to achieve great things in life."

"I think we both know life's not fair already," Danny added with a slight twinge of sadness to his voice and a dour expression on his face. "We just didn't want to believe it was true."

"You'll get over that soon enough," I informed him. "Now, upstairs and get ready for bed, both of you, and I'll be up in a minute."

"Come on, Danny," Ricky said, while tugging on Danny's arm and pulling him toward the stairs. "Dad reads me a chapter from this book every night. I'll tell you what you've missed."

"We'll meet in Ricky's room tonight," I advised them, as they moved toward the doorway. "We'll change back and forth after that. I'll see you upstairs, and don't forget to brush your teeth."

Once I had finished giving them their instructions, they raced from the room and took the steps two at a time. I held my breath as they did that, fearing one of them would miss one of the risers and crash, head first, into the wall or floor, but fortunately, that didn't happen. They both made it safely upstairs and began getting ready for bed. A few minutes later, I went up to join them.

When I got to Ricky's room, Danny was commenting about Ricky's sexy underpants. "Wow, those are really cool. Where did you get them?"

"Dad bought them for me," Ricky informed him. Danny looked up, somewhat startled that I had bought such things for his brother.

"Can I get some of those too, Dad?" Danny pleaded, the second he saw me enter the room.

"Yes, we'll do a little shopping for you after school tomorrow," I advised him. "Just remind me to look your things over in the morning, so I can determine what you'll need."

"Thanks, Dad. I won't forget," Danny advised me, looking like the proverbial cat that had just swallowed the canary.

"I'll help, too. Just in case he forgets," our blond-haired third party told us, and we both thanked him for his offer.

I picked up the book and wondered how this was going to work out. We were nearly half way through The Hobbit already, but I didn't have to worry. Ricky gave Danny a quick run down about the chapters he'd missed, because he didn't get a chance to do it before I came upstairs, and then I filled Danny in about the few gaps Ricky had omitted during his retelling of the story. Once Danny was brought up to speed, I began to read the next chapter.

I wasn't sure what Danny's reaction was going to be about being read to, seeing he was older than Ricky. I thought he might feel this was babyish, but he seemed to enjoy it as much as Ricky did. After I finished reading, he removed the final doubts I had from my mind.

"That was pretty neat, Dad," Danny advised me. "My parents never read to me, even when I was little, but this is kind of fun."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," I told him. "By the way, are you in the habit of saying your prayers before you go to bed at night?"

"No, I've never done that before," he answered. My mother was kind of religious, but my father wasn't, so Mom usually went off to church by herself. I'm not sure why she didn't take me though. Maybe my dad wouldn't let her or something. I'm not sure."

"Well, you'll probably have the opportunity to do both here," I informed him. "Do you have any problems with giving it a trying?" I continued, trying to see how he was going to respond.

"Nah, I don't mind. It's no big deal," Danny assured me. "I'll try it, if you want me to. I guess it couldn't hurt none."

"Why don't we all kneel on the floor then," I advised him, "and Ricky can say the prayer tonight, for all of us." I looked in Ricky's direction to make certain he was okay with this.

"Yeah, I'll do it," Ricky said, jumping down to the floor. Once we were all in position, Ricky began. "Dear God, it's me, Ricky Glover, again. I've got my dad and my new brother, Danny, here with me." I saw Danny smile at the inclusion of his name. "I want to thank you for bringing Danny here. He's a lot of fun and he's going to make a swell brother. Thanks again for Dad too. I know I've said that a lot before, but this time I'm saying it for Danny too. I know he feels the same way I do about our new home. God bless Danny and Dad. Amen."

Once Ricky had finished, another voice chimed in, "And God bless Ricky, too," as Danny added his two-cents worth. I gave them both a big hug before we got off of the floor.

"Dad, can Danny sleep in here with me tonight?" Ricky asked, while giving me that pleading look he had perfected, since he first began trying to weasel favors from me.

"Don't you think it will be a little crowded?" I wanted to know. "You boys only have single beds."

"But I don't want him to have to sleep alone on his first night," he explained. "You remember what happened on my first night, right?"

"Yes, you ended up in my bed about halfway through the night," I answered, thinking back to his first evening with me.

"That's what we'll do!" Ricky exclaimed, coming up with another idea. "We can both sleep with you. Your bed is huge." I wasn't sure I was happy with where this was going, so I looked at Danny, to see what his reaction was. As I studied his face, I realized I couldn't read his response.

"Danny, you don't have to do what Ricky is suggesting, if you don't want to," I explained. "I guess I could just let you boys have my bed and I could sleep in one of your beds for the night."

"No, you're not going to move just for us," Danny responded, adamantly. "If your bed is as big as Ricky says, I guess we could all share it."

"Are you both sure?" I asked, still not convinced they wanted this or if it was the right way to handle the situation. However, they were both nodding their agreement, so I decided not to make an issue of it.

"Okay, but you boys decide how we're going to do this," I informed them, giving them the chance to decide who slept next to whom.

"I sleep next to Dad," they each yelled, almost at the same moment. I studied both of them intently, as they turned toward each other. Fearing this might lead to an argument, I decided to intervene.

"I guess that means I'm in the middle," I joked, causing each of them to turn toward me, their heads nodding vigorously. "You guys go hop into bed, but I've got to brush my teeth first. I'll be in to join you in a little while. I am more tired than usual tonight, so I'll turn in early too."

After I finished my nightly preparations, I came back into the room and got into bed between them. Danny was on my left and Ricky on my right. At first, I just lay on my back, between the two boys, but before long they began to move closer to me, so I wrapped an arm around each one of them and let them cuddle up against me.

"Don't forget, this doesn't become habit forming," I advised them about our temporary sleeping arrangement.

"We know," they both chirped back and then quickly fell asleep.

It was a long night for me. First of all, I don't like sleeping on my back. Not only am I uncomfortable in that position, but it also tends to make me snore. I must have managed to get enough rest, though, and I guess I didn't snore too badly, because I woke up the next morning with the two boys still pressed tightly against my sides. I think they might have gone back to their own rooms, if I had 'sawed wood' too loudly that evening.

Studying their sleeping forms, I thought the boys looked like two little angels lying next to me – one blond and one brunet. Not only did they both have the most contented expressions on their faces, but I also found them to be very handsome lying there, even in that unkempt state. Unable to break my stare, I remained watching them a while longer, before I decided I HAD to wake them up and get them moving.

I sent Ricky into my shower and Danny into the other one, while I checked out Danny's clothing situation. After a quick look, I decided he didn't need much, as his mother must have helped pack most of his things for him to take, including his better clothing. Everything seemed to be in decent shape, so I concluded all we needed to buy him were some hiking boots and the bikini underwear Danny wanted, after he saw Ricky wearing them.

I'd also decided to buy some dress clothes for both boys, things they could wear on special occasions, as I wanted them to look especially nice when we went places, like to church and special school functions. Once those decisions had been made, I quickly noted the label on a pair of Danny's trousers and a pair of his briefs, so I'd know what size to purchase for him. It looked as if our shopping excursion wasn't going to take us very long.

Chapter 7
First Contact

The day passed by quickly. It began with me enrolling Danny in school. After filling out the required forms, I had my secretary call his old school, to make a verbal request to have his records forwarded. They asked her to fax them a written request, which she quickly did, after coming to get my signature, as both his legal guardian and school principal. His old school informed her that once they received the faxed request, they would put everything in the mail before the end of the day. That would be more than adequate for our purposes.

I was very busy all day long, and Danny found it very hectic adjusting to his various teachers, classes and the other students. When the school day was over, the boys waited in the library until I was done and then I walked there to meet up with them. We went straight from there to the car, in order to make our run to the mall. Ricky made sure he helped Danny pick out the 'right' bikini briefs and then I let Danny pick out his boots. After that, we picked out their dress clothes and a few other necessities, before we left for home. After pulling into the driveway, the boys bolted from the car and headed straight for Danny's room, so he could put his things away. I didn't see them again for quite some time.

After Danny and Ricky ran up to their rooms with the packages, they began putting away their new things. Since Ricky didn't have as much to put away, he finished first and rushed back to Danny's room. Danny was just finishing putting his things away when Ricky made a suggestion to him. "Danny, why don't you try on one of your new pair of underwear now?"

"Why?" Danny asked, uncertain as to why Ricky wanted him to do that.

"I want to see how they look on you," Ricky explained, simply. "You've seen me in mine and I want to see you in yours."

Danny nodded that he would do it for Ricky and quickly ripped opened one of the three-packs of briefs. Ricky went over and shut the bedroom door, while Danny took off his shoes and jeans, and then he took off his other briefs, seemingly unfazed that Ricky was in there with him.

"Wow," Ricky exclaimed, "you've got a bigger wiener than me." Danny looked up with an air of superiority and smiled at this younger brother.

"I should have a bigger one. I'm older than you are. How big is yours?"

"Not as big as that," Ricky told him, while staring at Danny's 5¾" [14½ cm] circumcised penis with a well formed mushroom head. There was also a small patch of dark pubic hair at its base. "Do you want to see mine?" Ricky asked, thinking it only fair.

Danny nodded his head in confirmation, so Ricky quickly unsnapped his pants and slid his jeans and briefs down in one fluid motion. Now, he stood in front of his brother displaying his 4½" [11½ cm] cut cock, surrounded by such a fine dusting of light blond hairs that his pubic area still appeared to be hairless. "See, they look almost alike," Ricky commented, "but yours is bigger."

"Yes, I see that," Danny replied, but then he waited a second before continuing. "Can you shoot yet, Ricky?"

"Do you mean the white stuff?" Ricky asked, in an attempt to clarify what Danny wanted to know.

"Yes, that's what I mean," Danny confirmed. "Can you?"

"Yeah," Ricky informed him. "I did it for the first time a little over a month ago." Danny studied Ricky for a few seconds, wondering if he should ask the next question that was on his mind. After several awkward moments of hesitation, he finally found the courage to do it.

"Have you ever done it with another boy?" Danny wanted to know.

"No, never," Ricky told him. "Your the first other boy I've seen like this." A sly grin crept across Danny's face when he heard Ricky's confession.

"Do you want to try to do it together then?" Danny persisted, hoping Ricky might be tempted to give it a shot with him. Ricky had to think about the offer for a second or two, before he made up his mind and answered.

"Yeah, why not?" he responded. "It might be fun."

Happy with Ricky's acceptance of his proposal, Danny suggested they should both lie back on his bed, and before long, they were both sporting erections. Slowly, they began working their hands up and down their rigid poles, seeking the relief Ricky had only sought in private, before this moment. After about a minute, Danny turned toward his new brother and asked, "Do you want to touch mine, Ricky?"

At first, Ricky looked shocked that Danny had made such an offer. Seeing Ricky's expression, Danny was worried he had gone too far and Ricky was going to turn on him now. Just as Danny was about to jump off the bed and head for the door, Ricky finally responded.

"Can I?" he uttered. "You wouldn't mind?" Danny's body visibly relaxed after he heard Ricky's response and realized everything was going to be okay.

"Heck, no," Danny assured him. "You can even jerk me off, if you want to."

"Really?" Ricky muttered, not believing his ears. "You'd let me do that too?" Danny just nodded his head in reply.

Extremely excited by this possibility, Ricky reached his little hand over and wrapped it around Danny's ample dick. It was clearly the first time he had touched a penis other than his own, but he felt comfortable doing it. Danny's penis was hard, yet it was still slightly soft to his touch, and it felt very warm to him. Carefully, he let his slightly trembling hand start to move up and down the fleshy surface, just like he did to himself, when he wanted that special feeling. He enjoyed the way his hand glided up and down the smooth surface of Danny's love muscle and he turned his head to look at Danny's face. He wanted to make sure Danny was all right with him doing this. When he saw Danny had his eyes closed and seemed to be enjoying the feeling, Ricky went back to concentrating on what he was doing.

While Ricky was absorbed with masturbating his older partner, Danny reached over and started stroking Ricky's own hard-on. Suddenly, Ricky became aware of this and how good it felt, so he looked over and smiled at his brother.

"Feels good, doesn't it, Ricky?" Danny inquired.

"Oh, yeah. It sure does," Ricky informed him, in sort of a moan. "It feels even better than when I do it to myself." Ricky had this far away look in his eyes, as the increased sensations began to spread throughout his body.

"I thought you'd think that," Danny confirmed. "Just relax and it will get even better."

The boys continued to pump each other's joystick, but the pace kept getting faster and faster, as they headed toward their first mutual orgasm. As they got closer and closer to their climax, both boys were beginning to moan, but it was hard to tell which sounds came from whom. After a few more hectic minutes of activity, each of them began to arch his back in anticipation of ejaculating. Soon, streams of white jism were spurting from the slits in Ricky's prick.

"Oh, oh, oooohhhhh," Ricky groaned. "Don't stop, Danny. Keep going. Don't stop yet." With that encouragement, Danny's fist continued to work on Ricky's sausage, while Ricky resumed doing the same to him. He had stopped briefly, during his ejaculation, but now he continued his effort, until Danny shot his load too. He kept that up until the last drops of cum dripped onto Danny's pubic area and they both fell backward, totally exhausted.

I had been waiting for the boys downstairs and dinner was nearly ready. I didn't see them around and they didn't respond to my calls, so I went upstairs to look for them. I was surprised to find the door to Danny's room was closed and was about to knock on it, when I heard some groaning coming from within. Then I heard Ricky say something, although it wasn't in his normal voice. Besides his speech sounding slightly higher pitched and a little ragged, he also sounded winded. I had my suspicions about what was going on inside, so I opened the door and walked in. There on Danny's bed were sprawled my two naked sons, covered in spunk and panting. They jumped up and looked at me, their eyes as big as saucers, as I entered the room.

"Just get cleaned up and come down to dinner," I told them. "We can talk about this later." While they were scrambling about Danny's room, I started back down to the kitchen. I was still a little concerned about what I saw, but only because I wasn't sure if one of them had been taken advantage of. I shoved those thoughts into the back of my mind and began to take the food into the dining room. While I did that, I mulled over how I was going to approach this and what I planned to say to them, after we finished eating.

I had dinner on the table by the time the boys got downstairs. They walked into the dining room, with each of them glancing up at me and then down at the floor. Their nerves were totally on edge and both looked very sheepish. I suspected they had discussed this with each other before they came down to see me, so I knew I would have to reassure them about their fate, or neither of them would be able to eat.

"Boys, we will discuss what happened after dinner, but right now, the food is ready and I don't want it to get cold before we eat. Please don't worry, though. You're not in trouble and I'm not mad at you. I just want to discuss the implications of what you were doing." I gave each of them a big hug, but they both remained very rigid. They did begin to breathe again, possibly for the first time since they had come downstairs. "Relax, sit down and enjoy your meal," I urged them. "I don't want you to starve or get indigestion."

Looking slightly more relieved, but knowing it wasn't over yet, we all sat down at the table. The boys' eyes kept darting around the room, as they would first look at each other and then at me, and I knew they weren't totally sure what to expect when we discussed the situation. Even though I had tried to reassure them, I think they were still waiting for me to start screaming at them, or worse. When that didn't happen, they did begin to settle down even more, but I could tell they were still on edge.

After finishing our meal, the boys cleaned up the dishes, while I put away the leftovers. There was more than normal to put away, I guess because their appetites weren't quite up to normal this evening. When everything was done, I broke the long silence. "Let's move into the living room to have this conversation," I advised them.

I could see the panic begin to register on their faces again, but they hesitantly followed me into the living room. I sat on the sofa, and after a few moments, they came over and sat down on the same side of me, so they could remain next to each other. Danny sat closest to me, almost as if he was trying to protect Ricky from my wrath, and I could tell he was ready to accept the blame for what had taken place. That impressed me and I wondered if he felt he would be held responsible for what happened anyway, just because I knew he was gay and he was the older of the pair. I hoped that wasn't the case.

"Look, guys, I understand what you were doing and why," I tried to reassure them. "There is nothing wrong with a little sexual exploration and experimentation. Everyone does it at one time or another, but I just want to make sure you both agreed to it and that no one was pressured into doing anything he didn't want to do. Danny, as you're the oldest, I hope you weren't taking advantage of Ricky."

Before Danny could respond, Ricky answered me. "He didn't, Dad, honest. I was the one who talked him into taking our clothes off, so we could see each other's wieners." I chuckled to myself at his childish terminology for the male organ. Before the boys noticed my amusement, Ricky continued. "We both wanted to try it. Really!"

"Dad, that's not exactly true," Danny corrected him. "I was the one who talked him into giving each other a hand job. I guess it was wrong for me to do that."

"Not necessarily," I corrected him. "If you both agreed to it, then I don't have a problem with some harmless experimentation. I just don't want either one of you forcing the other into doing something he isn't ready for. I also want you to know you can discuss anything with me, alone or together. I'll answer you as honestly as I can, and if you want, I'll advise you as to what I think might be best for you. Afterward, you can heed that advice or not, but I think it's important that you are exposed to options you might not otherwise consider. I also want to warn you that you must be more careful than you were today when doing these things. You don't have to worry about me or about doing things at home, unless there are others around. You MUST, however, be more cautious at other times or in other places. I think you can both guess what types of problems you might have encountered if someone else had discovered what you to were up to." They both nodded their heads very forcefully in agreement.

"Okay, is there anything you'd like to ask me now?" I offered, giving them the opportunity to question me about whatever they might want to know. They peeked at each other, before they looked back at me, and then they both shook their heads, letting me know they couldn't think of anything at this time.

"Well, if you think of anything later, you can ask me then," I advised them, "but for now, why don't you boys go get your homework done."

"But we finished our home work while we waited for you in the library," Danny informed me, looking a little perplexed.

"Then go have some fun, but stay out of trouble," I suggested, which made them both look at me oddly. I guess they both wondered if that meant I thought they might try something else, but I guess they quickly figured out it was just a general, harmless comment.

"Thanks, Dad," they both told me, before giving me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. After doing that, they went off together and headed toward my office. It looked as if they were planning to get on the computer for a while. I heard Ricky talking to Danny about what happened as they walked away.

"See, I told you I thought dad would be cool about it," he explained, and I hoped that was a good thing, not that he thought he could get away with anything he wanted.

Before too much longer, Danny came back out and asked to speak with me. "Dad, there's two things I want to ask you," he began. "Okay," I responded. "What is it you'd like to know?" "First of all," he continued, "do you think I should tell Ricky about me… you know, that I'm gay?"

"That will have to be your choice," I advised him, "but I don't see any reason why you shouldn't. I think Ricky's already showed he's very open to different things, and he's proven it to you by doing what you boys did earlier."

"I suppose, but I'm still not sure I'm ready to do that yet," he informed me, while thinking about my words. "If I do decide to tell him, though, I want you to be there with me. Okay?"

"Sure, if that's what you want," I advised him, hoping my response would make it easier for him. "Was there something else you wanted?"

"Oh, yeah," he replied, "it's really the reason I came to see you and what Ricky thought I came to do. Would you let us download a messenger service, so I can chat with my friends? A couple of them have emailed me and asked if we could chat instead."

I did have a messenger service on my computer that I used with my older children, but it wasn't the one they were asking for. Understanding that their friends must all use this other service, I thought about it a minute, before I answered him. "Well, I guess I don't see anything wrong with you being able to chat with your friends, as long as you both promise me you won't get involved in with chatting with strangers or go into any chat rooms. However, if I do this for you, I'll also set up some parental controls. If you're unhappy with that, or if you try to get in and mess with those controls, then the deal's off."

"Don't worry, Dad, we won't," Danny told me. "I promise I won't do those things and I know Ricky will promise too." Having received his assurance, we went in to make sure Ricky agreed too, and once he did, I had them sign off from everything they were doing. At that point, I sat down at the computer and began to get things ready for them, making sure to warn them that they weren't to download ANYTHING without my permission first. They both assured me they understood.

By the time I finished getting things ready, I noticed it was getting late, so I informed them they'd have to wait until tomorrow night to chat with anyone. They took a few minutes trying to convince me to let them sign on and just say a quick 'hello', so their friends would know they weren't going to be able to chat until tomorrow evening. Instead, I offered a compromise of sorts and told them I'd allow them to send off an email to their friends, giving them that information. They weren't exactly thrilled with my suggestion, but I think they understood that was the best they were going to get, so they agreed. After sending out their email, I told them it was time for bed.

Once they'd finished their nightly preparations, we all gathered in Danny's room and I read them another chapter from the book. Once I'd finished, I had them say their prayers, with each of them inputting something to the joint effort, and then I sent Ricky off to his own room. I stayed behind, to tuck Danny in first.

"Thanks for earlier, Dad. I thought you were going to get real mad about what we did. I also want to thank you for not telling Ricky I'm gay, either. I'm still not sure how I'm going to do that, but I want to wait until I am more sure he's not going to hate me first."

"The decision is entirely yours," I confirmed, "but give your brother a little credit. I think he's shown you he loves you a lot and that he has an open mind. In fact, I believe he loves you enough to accept you for who you are."

"Yeah, you're probably right, but I'm still not ready to tell him yet."

"Like I said, it's your decision, so you make sure it's what you want to do before you do it then. However, for now, I want you to put this out of your mind and get some sleep. Sweet dreams and I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, Dad, and I really, really love you," he added, touching me deeply.

"I love you, too, son," I replied, "and I'll see you in the morning." I kissed Danny on the forehead and then made my way to Ricky's room, to say good night to him. I tucked Ricky in and wished him sweet dreams too, and then kissed him on his forehead, before I left his room. Once I had finished there, I went back to my office.

I signed on the computer and started setting up the parental controls. I wanted to make sure neither boy got into anything he wasn't ready for. Once I finished that, I began surfing the net, in search of information I concluded I was going to need sooner or later. I used some search engines to locate what I was looking for, took some notes, and then thought about how I would handle it, when the time came. By chance, I found some other things I felt might also be appropriate, but now I would just wait until the right moment arose to dig into my bag of tricks.

Chapter 8
Research and Recreation

Over the next few days, several things happened. The boys continued to bond even more closely, they grew more accustomed to living with me and understanding what I expected of them, and Danny began to become more comfortable at school. Some of the students even went as far as to ask him how he and Ricky came to live with me, so he merely told them I took them in because they didn't have anywhere else to go. If any of the students began to push for more information, he would always manage to find a way to avoid telling them more than he wanted to. If anyone said anything he felt was negative or inaccurate about any of us, he would quickly take to the defensive and let that person know we were all happy with this new arrangement. I was very impressed and proud of the way he handled himself.

That weekend, Danny finally came looking for me, as I suspected he eventually would. He waited until Ricky was busy watching some Saturday morning cartoons, before coming into my office. "Dad, can I talk to you?" he asked.

"You MAY," I emphasized, hoping he would make a mental note of his grammatical error. He began swallowing hard, trying to find the courage to continue.

"Dad, how do I find out things about being gay?" he finally asked. Before I answered him, I got up and closed and locked the door, because I wasn't sure he wanted Ricky to accidentally walk in during our conversation.

"Do you know what kind of information you're looking for?" I inquired, after turning around.

"I just want to know what it's like for other kids my age who are gay and what types of things they do," he told me, very factually.

"Well, I thought you might eventually want to know such things," I told him, "so I did a little research already. I've written down some information that might help you." I reached into the drawer of my desk and pulled out a sheet of paper. "This is a list of sites that have information about being gay or have stories about gay teens. I've read the stories I have listed, and they are the only ones I felt would be acceptable for you at this point. They will give you the writer's idea about what it's like to be gay, or how he wishes it was, but don't take it as gospel. I think it will help you, but it could also give you some false impressions, if you aren't careful. We will talk about each story as you read them, to make sure that doesn't happen."

"Wow, Dad!" Danny exclaimed. "You did all this for me?"

"Yes, I did" I advised him. "If I'm going to help you, I need to know as much, if not more, about this stuff than you do."

"Thanks," Danny offered, simply, "but what's in these stories?"

"Basically, they're stories about gay teens and they have a considerable amount of information about being gay," I explained. "Some of them are pretty graphic and won't leave much to your imagination, but they should help." Danny smiled at me, letting me know he appreciated my effort.

"I really want to thank you for doing all of this, Dad," he advised me. "I kind of figured you'd help me out, but I didn't think you'd do so much."

"Well, if you think something is worth doing," I told him, "then it's worth doing well. That means you should give it your finest effort and do whatever it takes to do the best you can possibly do." He smiled and nodded in response. "I do have to offer you a warning, though," I continued. "I don't want you to think that having sex with a partner is done only because it's enjoyable. I want you to understand that having sex is something you should only do with someone you love and trust. I'll expect you to learn the difference between love and lust, and hope you will only do these things out of love."

"I know what love is," he told me, "but what's lust and how do I find out about it?" I knew he was not being a wise guy and was serious about wanting to know the answer to his question. "Maybe this will help," I told him. "Lust is kind of what you felt earlier, when you and Ricky messed around. You were only doing it because it felt good to you, not because you cared about one another."

"But I like Ricky a lot," he protested.

"Yes, you may LIKE him, maybe even LOVE him," I corrected, "but I don't think you are IN LOVE with him. That's what makes the difference. You were only looking to enjoy those special feelings sex can give you and you weren't doing it just to please your partner."

"I wanted him to feel good too," he objected.

"But were you doing it mostly for him or yourself?" I asked him. He thought about this for a few seconds.

"I guess mostly for me," he admitted.

"That's what I thought," I told him, "so that would have been lust. When you can tell me you did it more for the other person, then that would be 'being in love'." I think I had made my point, as I saw a flicker of understanding cross his face. A few seconds later, he spoke again.

"Can I start reading one of those stories now?" he wanted to know.

"You won't be able to get on these sites using your sign on," I explained, "because the parental controls will keep you out. I've burned the stories onto a CD for you, though, and I'll leave it here in the top drawer of my desk, where you'll be able to get to it, when you want to use it. Just make sure you're careful about reading them in private, for now, at least until you tell Ricky about yourself. He's smart enough to realize they are gay stories and he'll put two and two together, if he should catch you in the act."

"Yeah, I know," Danny confirmed.

"When you want to check out any of those other sites," I continued, "then you'll have to let me know. You won't be able to get to them on your own, so you'll need me to sign on to one of them for you, and then we'll view it together." I'm not sure that's exactly what he wanted to hear, but he nodded his head in understanding.

"Okay, Dad," he told me, "and thanks for the help. You're really great. You know something else?" he asked, but didn't wait for me to respond. "I love you more each day and I'm beginning to think the best thing that could have ever happened to me was when my father threw me out of the house, so I could end up living with you."

"I'm not sure I'd go that far," I warned him. "I'm sure down deep you still wish you were at home with your family."

"I miss my mom," he conceded, "but I'd rather live here. I love it here."

"I love you being here too, Danny," I informed him, "and you never have to doubt that. Here, I'll sign on for a few minutes now and we can check out one of those sites, if you want." After he signaled he did, we surfed together for about twenty minutes, before I left him to read some of the stories on his own. He smiled and thanked me again before I left, and I locked the door on my way out, before pulling it shut behind me. I almost ran Ricky over when I turned around.

"Sorry, Dad. I was looking for Danny," he explained. "Do you know where he is?"

"Yes, I do," I advised him. "He's working on something in the office and doesn't want to be disturbed right now."

"Oh, okay," he said simply. "I actually wanted to talk to you anyway," he added, grinning at me. "In private, if you don't mind?"

"Why would I mind?" I asked him, rhetorically. "Let's go into the living room, where we can be alone." I guided him there and we sat down on the sofa. Once we were settled, I could tell Ricky was having trouble getting up the courage to ask me what was on his mind. I thought I should help jumpstart his effort.

"Ricky, whatever it is, it's all right," I advised him. "Just go ahead and ask." He studied me for a second and considered how he wanted to go about doing this. When he finally made up his mind, he started to speak.

"Dad, I'm confused," he began. "I liked what Danny and I did the other day and I think I want to try more things like that. Is it weird that I feel that way?"

"No, Ricky," I told him. "Boys your age tend to find sex exciting, especially the feelings they get from it. So, it's not weird."

"Does it make me gay?" he asked, next.

"No, Ricky, it doesn't," I informed him. "Many boys your age experiment with sex with other boys and a great many of them turn out to be straight. They get married, have children and don't do anything else with another guy after those early years."

"How do I know for sure, you know… whether I'm gay or not?" he continued.

"It's difficult to answer that question," I told him, "because there are no specific things that say 'I am gay.' You have to consider a lot of factors. First of all, do you prefer looking at naked guys or girls?"

"Actually, I haven't seen many pictures of naked people," he confessed, "but my wiener's gotten hard when I see anyone without clothes on." I had to chuckle at his comment.

"What about when you masturbate?" I pressed. "Are you thinking about a penis or a vagina and breasts?"

"I know what a penis and breasts are, but what the other thing you said," Ricky asked, looking confused.

"It's the name for the girl's genital area, where your penis is on you," I explained, and a look of understanding crossed his face. "So, which do you think about when you masturbate?"

"You mean when I jerk off?" he asked, and I nodded my head in response. "I'm not sure. I don't think I've ever thought about that. I guess I just think about the feeling I'm going to get when I shoot that stuff from my wiener."

"Well, from what you've just told me," I told him, "there isn't enough there to say one way or the other. You might even be bi."

"What's that?" he asked, his eyes opened about as wide as they could go.

"Bi, which is short for bisexual, means that you find enjoyment from being with either sex. That means you enjoy doing things with girls AND boys."

"Oh," he replied, beginning to understand. "Do you think I should try more things with Danny then?"

"Only if that's what you want to do," I told him. "Have you talked to Danny about this?"

"No, not yet," he answered.

"Maybe you should," I advised him. "He's the only one who can tell you if he might be WILLING to do those types of things with you. I can't speak for him, but I suggest you sit down and discuss the possibility of further experimentation with him, if that's what you want. Then you two will have to agree if it's what you BOTH want to do. Other than that, if you have questions about the specifics of doing certain things, then I'm willing to answer those questions for you."

"I don't have any more questions now, Dad, but thanks." He gave me a hug and went to his room.

Nothing more came up from either discussion, so when Saturday afternoon rolled around, I decided it might be time to take the boys out to have some fun. I had thought about what types of things we might do at various times, but never discussed my ideas with the boys, as I wanted them to be surprised when we finally did them. Determining this might be the appropriate time to do one of these things now, I called them together.

"Okay, guys," I announced. "There are a few things we need to do. First, I need to run to the store quickly, so I want you to hurry up and get ready to go with me."

"What are we going to do after that, Dad" Ricky asked me. "You did say there were a FEW things we needed to do." I was impressed he had picked up on that.

"You'll see soon enough," I explained, "but we need to get going." Without further comment, the boys did as I asked and it wasn't long before they joined me in the car. I had packed a small duffle with some things in it and threw it into the trunk, before we drove to the mall. Once there, I led them to the department store we had visited on our previous visits, when I bought their clothes. Without saying a word, they followed me to the boys department again, but this time they had no idea what we were going to pick up. Once we got there, their curiosity got the best of them.

"What are we doing here?" Danny asked.

"Well, if we're going swimming," I informed him, "you'll need something to wear, unless you don't mind swimming naked in public," I teased.

"We're going swimming?" he asked, excitedly.

"Yes, you boys do know how to swim, don't you?" I asked, possibly a little late. It never dawned on me earlier that one or both of them might not know how to swim.

"I do," Danny quickly advised me.

"Me too," Ricky added, allowing me to breathe a little easier.

"Okay, then let's pick out something suitable," I told them. Eagerly, they started looking at the different style of swimwear and before long they had several possibilities picked out. After a little more discussion, and prodding from me, they selected a couple of basic, but attractive suits. I made them take them to the fitting room and try them on, because I wanted to make sure they fit the boys correctly. After inspecting them on my sons, I agreed they would do fine, so we took our selections to the checkout.

After leaving the mall, I drove to the local YMCA, where they had a lovely pool. We went into the locker room to change and the boys were chatting excitedly throughout the entire process. Once we had finished, I locked up all of our things in the same locker, and then we showered quickly, before we went out to take a dip. The water was nice, even though it seemed to have more than its share of chlorine this time. The boys seemed oblivious to this fact and began to splash around. I watched from a safe distance, just to assess their swimming prowess and to make sure neither of them were having problems.

Although it was apparent that Ricky was a just a novice swimmer, Danny took to the water like a fish and it was clear that he'd either swum a great deal before he came to live with me or he had taken lessons. Before long, I saw Danny giving Ricky some pointers, so I watched as Ricky tried to incorporate Danny's suggestions into his own crude style. I was surprised at how quickly he seemed to catch on and was pleased by this interaction. Danny was a patient teacher and Ricky an eager student, and it was just another opportunity for them to become even closer. After a while, I decided they were all right on their own, so I began swimming laps and doing a little workout of my own.

I swam hard for about forty minutes, before I stopped to rest. As I sat along the edge of the pool, I watched the boys some more, fascinated by how well they interacted. I guess seeing them getting along so well, it made me wonder. What was the chance of finding two boys who took to each other so rapidly? Maybe it was fate or possibly it was due to the loneliness and sense of isolation they felt before they came to live with me? Regardless of the reason, I felt truly blessed.

I allowed the boys to swim until they wore themselves out, and I continued to swim from time to time, taking rest breaks in between. When they finally became exhausted, we went back to the locker room and took a good warm shower, to rinse the chlorine and perspiration off of our bodies. After we dressed, I took them out for some ice cream, a treat I felt we would all enjoy. We had certainly burned off enough calories during our swim, so we didn't need to worry about splurging. After thinking about it, I guess I should have said 'I' wouldn't have to worry about going overboard and adding to my waistline.

We all ordered what we wanted, but the boys devoured their sundaes in about half the time it took me. They were patient and waited for the 'old man' to finish, teasing me about how elderly people had to 'gum' their food, so it took them longer. I was almost ready to bite them both, to prove to them I didn't have to 'gum' anything, but I was able to resist acting upon that urge. I guess my restraint was partially due to the realization that Social Services might frown on me doing something of that nature and end up taking the boys from me. Seeing I didn't want that to happen, it served as a catalyst to behave appropriately. Instead, I just THREATENED to bite them both, which helped to shut them up rather quickly.

When we got home, the boys were a little tired, but they thanked me for everything. Not wishing for my time with them to end, I suggested we could play one of the board games I had in the rec room, from when my older children were younger. I'm not sure Danny and Ricky were very thrilled with this idea, seeing they had never spent much time playing any board games before, except for a few educational games they played at school. However, after a little coaxing, they finally agreed. I think it was more to humor me for taking them swimming, than because they wanted to actually do it, but regardless of their motivation, I hurried out to grab one of those games. I didn't want to give them time to change their minds.

I chose the game 'Life,' which I remembered my children always seemed to enjoy playing. I had participated with them on many occasions, so I felt I could remember enough of the rules to teach Danny and Ricky how to play. We set the game up on the dining room table and I quickly explained the basics to both of them. Once that was done, we began playing and they seemed to take to the game quite quickly. There were some awkward moments for Danny, however, such as when he came to the part about getting married and having children. Instead of reacting to that situation, he treated it for what it was, a game, and merely did what was expected. I was proud of him. In fact, Danny ended up winning, but we all had a good time.

Once we picked everything up, I asked the boys what they'd like to do next. They both thought about this for quite a few minutes, whispering between themselves, but eventually they gave me a reply. "We all have hiking boots now, so could we go out for a hike?" Ricky asked, for the both of them.

"Yes, that sounds like an excellent idea," I agreed. "In fact, I have a bunch of sleeping bags and a tent in the attic, that my children and I used to use. If you want, we could hike out in the woods and camp out for the night."

"That sounds cool," Danny told me, with Ricky nodding in agreement. Now that I had their approval, I went to gather up everything we'd need, while I had them change into something more appropriate. Once I had all the required items downstairs, I had them help me fix something we could take with us to eat. When we finished preparing those items, we loaded all that, and a few additional snacks, into my backpack. Next, I helped them hook their sleeping bags onto the backpacks I'd brought down for them to use and then did the same with my own. I also hooked the tent beside my sleeping bag, as I was prepared to carry the additional weight. All that was left to do was for me to run and change my clothes, which didn't take very long. Before we left, I also filled three one-gallon jugs with water and each of us grabbed one of the containers, as we went out the door.

Chapter 9
The Camp-out

I managed to corner Ricky alone for a second, so I could whisper in his ear that I didn't want him to help Danny out on the hike. I told Ricky I was planning to test Danny's ability and survival skills out there, like I had with him when he first arrived, so I could see how capable Danny was. Ricky seemed to understand and rapidly agreed to my request.

We took off across the back yard and were soon entering the woods. I took the same circuitous route I had taken with Ricky, just to see if Danny caught on to what I was doing, as Ricky had done. When we got back around to a point near where we had first started, I asked Danny how far we had gone and if he knew where we were. After looking at Ricky and then me, he discovered we weren't going to give him any help, so he formulated his own answer.

"We probably walked a mile [1½ km] or more," he told me, "but I have no idea where we are." Ricky started giggling. "What's so dang funny?" Danny asked him, with a tinge of bitterness in his tone. I nodded toward Ricky, letting him know he could tell Danny the correct answer.

"We've been walking in a circle and we're back to where we started," he told Danny, still giggling. "Oh, and you think that's funny do you," Danny stated, moving toward Ricky, to do who knows what. I didn't think he planned to hurt him, but we didn't have time for this. We had a lot to do before it got dark.

"That's enough for now," I said, quite loudly and VERY emphatically. "Follow me and I'll show you where we're going to set up camp for the night and then we'll eat." I guess the mention of food was enough to get their attention and distract them from this minor dispute, so they did as I requested.

I led them to a clearing and we had to hurry to set up the tent and lay out our sleeping bags before it got dark. Being within the confines of the trees, the daylight faded more quickly in here, even before the sun went down. After everything had been accomplished, I also had them help me clear a spot for a campfire, line it with stones and then we scrounged up a bunch of wood for a fire. We didn't need the heat, but I was sure the boys would find the light from a campfire comforting. As soon as we had the area prepared and enough wood set aside for the evening, I lit the fire and dug out the food, so we could eat.

It was nothing special and it didn't need to be cooked, but there was enough to fill two growing boys and me. Not only was there plenty of food, but we also had a lot of water to wash it all down with. Both of the boys ate more than I did, but they had also burned off more calories during the day. I was just pleased to see they were enjoying themselves and had such healthy appetites. The boys' food consumption might have also had something to do with eating it out in the open, as the fresh air often seemed to make everyone hungrier.

Now that we were full and settling in, the atmosphere the campfire created also added to the mood. Both boys were intrigued by the way the light from the fire flickered and cast unusual shadows upon everything around us, giving it all an eerie feeling. It was so different from the lighting they were used to. Once we had finished our meal, we cleaned up our mess and packed things away, and then I decided it was time to tell them one of my infamous ghost stories. My children and their friends all used to beg me to share one of these stories whenever we camped out like this, so I figured Danny and Ricky might enjoy one too. However, I just informed them I had a story to tell, but didn't warn them it was spooky.

"Not far from here is Fuller's Hollow," I began. "Back in the early 1800's, a group of people settled there, hoping to find a better life for their families. One woman in this new community was a bitter, spiteful person and she didn't get along with the others. She would cause problems, by spying on others and spreading rumors, which made everyone else angry. That's why, when she became pregnant, some of the other women put a curse on her and her unborn child. They thought it was a way to pay her back fro her past deeds.

"When the baby was born, the midwife who helped deliver it ran screaming from the woman's bed. She swore the woman had given birth to the devil. The midwife described the baby as having hooves, a tail, and a skull that resembled the head of a horse. Everyone believed this had happened because of the curse they had put on her. Seeing they had made no secret of this fact, they feared what the woman and child might do to get even, both now and in the future. They were certain, as time passed, the woman would want revenge, but they failed to realize she was preoccupied with an even bigger concern.

"Rather than planning to get even, the mother was more afraid that her neighbors would wish to harm her and her child even more now, since the midwife had claimed he was a devil. That's why she kept her son locked up at home, so the others couldn't get to him. No one ever came near their place, so the mother and son remained living in seclusion for many years. During that time, the mother informed her son about what the others in the community had done and how they were responsible for his current state. That was forever burned into the boy's memory and would some day bear fruit.

"When her son turned twelve, strange things began to happen. One day the boy flapped his arms, which caused them to turn into wings, similar to those of a bat. This gave him his chance to break free of his virtual prison and do some exploring. In his effort to escape the cabin, he climbed up the chimney and made his way to freedom.

"From that day forward, every so often the devil-boy would show up somewhere, seeking vengeance from those who had placed the curse on him and were responsible for his pain. At first, he would seek out only those responsible, and once he found them, he would kill them and devour their flesh. However, after all of those involved had been killed, the devil-boy continued to seek out victims, but now they were innocent people, upon whom he projected his rage. Eventually, he would do the same thing to them as he had done to the others, so his murderous rampage and cannibalism continued.

"Even though this happened many, many years ago, the Devil-Boy has been spotted up to one hundred miles [150 km] or more away from his original home, and has even been seen around here, every now and again. Be warned, that if you hear the beating of large wings, you'd better run for you life, because it's probably the Devil of Fuller's Hollow looking for his next victim."

"Dad!" Ricky screamed. "Why did you tell us that story? Now, I'm not going to be able to sleep all night."

"Yeah," Danny agreed, "that was really scary. Is it real or did you just make that up?"

"Oh, it's real, all right," I confirmed, while trying not to smile and give myself away. "I remember when I was young and on a camping trip with my scout troop, we thought we heard and saw it, but only from a distance. We could see it as it flew across the path of the moon, and all of us, even our scout leaders, stayed up all night, just in case it returned."

"Did it?" Ricky asked wide-eyed, his voice a little shaky.

"Not that we ever knew of," I advised them, "although there were a lot of weird noises all night long and we heard some animals were found dead over the next couple of days."

"That's enough," Ricky told me. "I don't want to hear any more."

I figured I had taken this far enough, so I stopped, and both boys scooted closer to me, one on either side. They soon turned the discussion to other things, like asking me about camping trips with my older children and even about my days as a scout, and after a while, I suggested it might be time for our dessert. I had packed some pudding cups and a bag of miniature candy bars, and it turned out to be enough to satisfy them and keep them happy until bedtime.

When it was time to turn in, the boys wanted me to sleep in the center, so they could each snuggle up against me for protection. They were still a little shaken by my story, so I tried to reassure them it was ONLY a story, but it was too little, too late. To make them feel better, I gave in to their request. We placed our sleeping bags accordingly, with me between my two sons, and climbed inside. Almost immediately, I had an anxious son on each side of me pressed against my ribs, so I wrapped an arm around each of them for comfort, but it still took a while for them to fall asleep. Eventually they did, and then I was able to do the same.

It wasn't a very good night's sleep for any of us, and I began to regret telling them that story. It all came to a head when Ricky woke up screaming, about an hour before daybreak. "What's the matter?" I asked him.

"I heard wings flapping outside our tent," he replied.

"I'm sure it was just a bad dream," I tried to comfort him, "so go back to sleep."

"I can't," he informed me.

"Just try," I told him.

"I can't. I have to pee," he confessed.

"Just go out and do it away from the tent," I advised him.

"Are you nuts?" he challenged, and I could see the whites of his eyes, even in this dim light.

"Ricky, there's nothing out there to harm you," I explained.

"Then you come with me," he shot back.

"Okay, if I have to," I said, feeling this was my penance for scaring the daylights out of him.

"Hey, I'm not staying here alone," we heard Danny shout, as he too scrambled from his sleeping bag, so we all went out to urinate. The boys wouldn't move very far away from me and did their business as quickly as they could, and then we hustled back into the tent and crawled into our sleeping bags again. Although it did take a while for them to fall back asleep, it was a couple of hours before they woke again.

By the time it was light out, the rays of the sun seemed to help to dissolve some of their fears. Even though they were less paranoid about the creature appearing, they were still anxious to get back home and I didn't need to urge them to help me pack up. Everything was going well, until I mentioned we needed to get home, so we could clean up and change for church.

"Do we have to go?" Danny whined, while trying to mimic the pathetic look Ricky was giving me. "Can't we just skip this week?"

"It's not going to hurt you to go," I informed them. "Besides, no devils are going to attack you in church." This time they both flashed me a disgusted look, for having brought that up again, but we were soon on our way back to the house.

I told the boys to use their bathroom to clean up, while I used mine, but I urged them not to dawdle. I told them they'd be sorry if they made us late, although I let them draw their own conclusions about what I might do to them if that happened. Needless to say, they were both ready in time, looking nice in their good clothes. I gave them each a bowl of cereal to tide them over, telling them we'd go out for brunch once the service was concluded. They both seemed to like that idea.

We all loaded into the car and drove to church. As we walked in, I was quite proud to have people know Ricky and Danny were my sons. Maybe I was wrong or even 'sinful' for feeling that way, but they are two wonderful and handsome young men and I'm thrilled to have everyone know we're a family. I made sure to introduce them to the people I knew, which the boys complained was everyone there, but they did seem to enjoy the attention they were getting from telling these strangers I was their dad.

The service went quickly, which in itself was somewhat unusual, and the boys got even more attention on the way out. Once we had made it through the crowd and back to my car, we went out for brunch, as I had promised them. I told them to order whatever they wanted, but to make sure it was enough to tide them over until dinnertime. The boys replied, "no problem," and I began to wonder if I had brought enough cash with me to fill these two bottomless pits.

We attracted even more attention at the restaurant, as a lot more people I knew stopped by to say 'hello' and inquire as to who my two young friends were. We got a few strange looks from people who were confused by the short time we had been together, yet noticed how close we had already become, as the boys referred to me as Dad with everyone. I also introduced Danny and Ricky as my sons, without going into the details of how we had come together. Instead, I simply preferred to say it was a long story and I would fill them in about the details another time.

Once my two eating machines were full, I paid the bill and we left for home. I think we were all happy to know that we appeared to the rest of the world, or at least a part of it, as a genuine family unit now.

Chapter 10
Brotherly Assistance

After we got home from church that Sunday, Ricky finally got up the nerve to have his discussion with Danny. He waited until Danny went up to his bedroom to change out of his good clothes and followed his brother in, shutting the door behind him.

"Danny, can we talk? I need to ask you some questions." Ricky looked very nervous, but he had managed to get the words out.

"Sure, Ricky. What's the matter?" Danny swallowed hard himself, thinking Ricky had figured out he was gay and needed to ask him about it. He looked closely at Ricky, and after seeing how nervous he was acting, Danny began to panic. He was considering his options, when Ricky spoke again.

"Danny, I've been thinking about what we did when dad caught us and… well… um… I'd like to do… some more. Do you think you might be willing to do some other things with me?" Suddenly, Danny felt relieved, as if a burden had been lifted from his soul. He smiled at Ricky, before he answered him.

"Ricky, I'd like that a lot. I really enjoyed what we did that night and I think about it all the time. I take it you liked it too?" He felt reasonably certain he already knew what Ricky's answer was going to be, but he wanted to hear it for himself.

"Yeah, it was great," Ricky responded, enthusiastically. "I really liked it."

"So, you want to do more?" Danny inquired, to make sure he had heard correctly.

"Yeah, I really do," Ricky confirmed, "if you want to."

"Great," Danny continued, his heart soaring. "What if I take your clothes off this time, and then you can help me get out of mine."

"Okay," Ricky responded, realizing he was already getting hard just thinking about what was going to happen. Carefully, Danny reached over and grasped Ricky's shirt and slowly unbuttoned it, since they were both still wearing their church clothes. Once all the buttons were unfastened, he pulled it off Ricky's shoulders and down his arms and then threw it on top of his dresser. Now that Ricky was naked from the waist up, Danny began to run his hands up and down Ricky's smooth, hairless chest, so he could enjoy the feel of his soft, silky skin. Nervously, he rubbed his thumbs over Ricky's pert, pink nubs, causing Ricky's head to sway backward and his eyes to close, as he released an audible sigh.

Encouraged by Ricky's response, Danny moved a little closer to his brother and began to rub his hand up and down Ricky's back, pulling his brother tightly against himself. Once their chests were touching, Danny let his hands drop lower, until he was able to grab his little brother's firm ass cheeks. Tenderly, he started massaging them with his fingers, kneading them as well as he could through the fabric. Both boys were panting in short, ragged breaths, as they not only enjoyed what was happening, but also looked forward to what would come next.

"Ricky, would you mind if I kissed you?" Danny asked, looking deeply into Ricky's eyes.

"You mean on the lips?" Ricky countered, not sure exactly what Danny wanted.

"Yeah, on the lips," Danny confirmed. "I learned about this way of kissing that's supposed to be really hot. Would you let me try it with you?"

"Okay, but if I don't like it, you'll stop. Right?"

"Agreed."

Danny pulled Ricky tightly to him, tilted his head slightly and let his lips cover his brother's lips. Ricky had puckered up, like a little child does before kissing a parent, but Danny parted his own lips and stuck his tongue out to lick Ricky's full, sweet, moist lips. When Ricky felt Danny's tongue tracing the outline of his lips, he first stiffened, but then relaxed his mouth and let it began to open slightly. Danny used this opportunity to slip his tongue into Ricky's mouth. He let his tongue roam the soft lining of Ricky's oral cavity and flicked his tongue at Ricky's own resting muscle. Now, their tongues were jousting, fighting for dominance, and the boys were learning the pleasures of their first deep kiss. Danny withdrew his tongue from Ricky's mouth, but Ricky's tongue followed it back into Danny's own oral cavern. Danny grasped Ricky's tongue between his lips and began sucking on the pink muscle.

After doing this for a while, Danny broke the kiss and lowered his head, so it was directly over Ricky's pink, dime sized nipple. He let his tongue dart out to play with the nub and then he ran his lips over and around this sensitive area. Once he was in position over it, Danny began to suck on it, like a starving kitten.

"Don't stop," Ricky panted, "that feels good. Lick it some more and then suck on it again. Oh, yes. That's it. Oh, yes, Danny, that's nice, real nice. Do the other one, pleeeeeeeeeze."

Ricky was getting into the action big time, and Danny was trying to push as many of his buttons as he could. Almost imperceptibly, Danny reached down and unzipped and unsnapped Ricky's slacks, letting them fall towards the floor. Becoming aware of what had happened, Ricky kicked free of them and now stood clad only in his bikini briefs. Danny soon discovered Ricky's erection was peeking out above the waistband, as Danny let his fingers trace all around Ricky's rigid staff, while he continued to nurse on Ricky's tender breasts.

While he was doing this, Danny gently pulled Ricky's briefs down to mid thigh and then let them drop to the floor. Ricky eagerly stepped out of them as well and now stood completely naked, as Danny guided him back toward the bed. He positioned his brother on his back and reached down and cupped his ball sac, rubbing the surface of the skin and rolling the marble sized balls between his fingers.

"Make me shoot, Danny. Please, make me shoot," the little blond whimpered.

Danny grasped the throbbing member in his hand and started to stroke it in a smooth, steady rhythm. Ricky was squirming and groaning from the effects of Danny's loving touch. The older boy's hand was stroking faster and faster, as he felt his partner's release approaching, and he pumped with a vigor that left no doubt that his intention was to give his brother his desired release.

"Yes, yes, I'm almost there. Oh, Danny, make me shoot. Yeeeeesss. I'm cuuuuummming," he screamed as a jet of semen lifted off from Ricky's launch tube. Four or five spurts of boy juice shot from the helmet, not white creamy strands, but immature strings of a nearly clear liquid. Ricky's body was stiff and arched above the bed, as Danny drained the last of the fluid from his dick. Finally, Ricky relaxed and let his butt fall back on the bed to rest. As soon as Ricky had recovered from this powerful release, Danny tossed him the towel he had used while getting ready for church, so he could wipe up the mess.

"Thanks, bro, that was really great. I've never felt it that strong before. My whole body shook and all of my muscles tightened. It was really awesome, man."

Ricky remained lying on the bed for several more minutes, before he was ready to repeat the same steps on Danny. First, he removed Danny's clothing as lovingly and tenderly as he could. The he rubbed up and down Danny's smooth chest and back, before he lowered his head, so he could work on his nipples. Once he had completed his exploration of Danny's upper body, Ricky reached down and gently wrapped his hand firmly around Danny's penis, which sent shivers up and down Danny's spine.

Ricky loved the feel of Danny's longer dick in his hand and played with it freely. He found some drops of pre-cum on the head of Danny's prick and instinctively used his thumb to spread it around. Moving down with his probing fingers, he worked Danny's gonads around in their sac, before grasping Danny's flagpole once again. Methodically, he moved his fist up and down Danny's throbbing willy, until it exploded. As the thin ropes of ejaculate shot out of Danny's miniature cannon, a collection of white globs accumulated and covered his chest from just below his chin down to his pubic patch. Ricky pulled back slightly, so he could admire his handiwork.

After Danny regained control of his senses, he cleaned up the mess he had just made with the same towel Ricky had used, before they both slid their briefs back up their legs, once again hiding their well-used genitalia. Quickly, they changed into jeans and t-shirts and got ready to head back downstairs. Before they did, however, Danny thought he needed to do something else, while they were still in the throes of afterglow and reeling from the sensations that had just recently swept through their young bodies. "Ricky, I need to tell you something," Danny told him, in a soft, tentative voice.

"Sure, Danny. What is it?" Ricky wondered, suddenly confused by the way Danny was acting.

"I've got something to tell you, but I'm not sure how you're going to take it," Danny admitted, studying his brother. "I hope you don't end up hating me, after I tell you some things about me."

"Danny, I'd never hate you," Ricky assured him. "You're my brother now, and like Dad says, we might not like everything the other one does, but we'll always love each other as family."

"I hope you mean that," Danny told him, while getting up his courage to continue. Finally, he decided he had to do it now, before he lost his initiative. "Ricky, what I have to tell you is… well… that… you know… ah… I'm gay."

Ricky eyed Danny carefully, trying to understand. "Yeah, so what?" Ricky countered.

"It doesn't bother you that I'm gay and we've been doing these things together?" Danny asked, amazed.

"Heck, no," Ricky advised him. "It's not like anything we've done is really straight, is it? But we've both enjoyed it, so it no big deal. It doesn't matter to me if you're gay. You're my brother, so that's all I care about now."

Relieved and ecstatic, Danny hugged Ricky and kissed him again, but this time it was to thank him, not to arouse him.

They were in a really good mood when they came back downstairs. When I saw Danny, I called him over to me, as there was something we needed to discuss also.

"Danny, I would like to speak to you, if I may?"

"Sure, Dad. What do you want?"

"I'm sure you realize your birthday will be here soon," I informed him, "and I was wondering if you would like to have a party to celebrate it."

"Yeah, that would be great," Danny replied, his eyes sparkling at the thought.

"I was thinking besides Ricky and me, we'd ask Mrs. Swarthout to come too. Is there anyone else that you'd like to invite?"

"Could I invite some of my friends from where I used to live?" he asked, not sure if I'd allow him to do that.

"Of course," I quickly agreed. "I'll even drive up there to pick them up and then take them back later, so their parents won't have to worry about transporting them."

"That would be excellent," Danny responded, greatly relieved and enthused. Suddenly, however, he appeared to become distracted and seemed to be thinking about something else. "Dad?" he finally continued.

"What, Danny?" He opened his mouth, as if he was planning to answer me, but then stopped. He looked across the room, to where Ricky was sitting, but he didn't saying anything.

"Why don't we step into the office," I suggested, softly, "where you might be more at ease?" He nodded, so we went into the other room, shutting the door behind us. Once we were alone, Danny began.

"Dad, can I invite someone from school too?" he asked, looking very hopeful.

"It's 'may I' and yes, you may," I corrected him. "May I ask whom you're thinking of?"

"Yep, it's Brandon O'Hara," Danny admitted, seemingly excited about the possibility of having Brandon at his party too.

"May I ask why you decided to invite him?" I asked, a little confused.

"I really like him and was hoping that maybe we could become good friends," Danny explained, although I was able to read more from his words than he was willing to admit to.

"Does this include a sexual attraction?" I asked, bluntly, getting to the point.

Danny went flush with this question. "Maybe," he admitted, hesitantly. "I was hoping he might like me in that way, too."

"Do you realize there's a rumor going around school that he is gay?" I pressed.

"Yes. That's why I was hoping we might hit it off," he explained.

"Did you also realize that, if you start hanging out with him," I continued, "the rumor will probably expand to include you?"

"No, I didn't think about that," Danny admitted. "You don't think I should ask him, then?"

"That's not quite what I meant," I corrected. "I just wondered if you were ready for the questions or the actions of the other students, if they began to believe you might be gay, too. I mean, you haven't even been able to admit your gay to Ricky yet."

"But I did," he blurted out, "after we got home from church." He seemed pleased to be able to admit that he had done this already, before the question of Brandon came up.

"And?" I prodded.

"Oh, he's okay with it," Danny said, quite blandly. "So, it's not a problem with him, but I hadn't thought about the other kids at school."

"Well, you'd better be sure about what you're getting into and what you can handle," I told him, "before you get too close to Brandon. Danny, I'm not saying you shouldn't or that there is anything wrong with Brandon. In fact, I feel that he's a very nice young man, but you can't be sure what he might say to others about what you two may do together or what others might suspect about your friendship." Danny looked at me carefully, as he thought about my words.

"Danny, I think you've learned to trust me with your secret and now you've also included Ricky," I continued, "but if you start having sexual contact with Brandon, you'll have to be absolutely sure you can trust him with this information as well, unless you plan on letting everyone else know too. Even if you decide you can trust him, you'll still have to determine how you want to handle the rumor mill and what might be said about you. You might get away with denying you're gay, but I doubt that will work. You might even have to consider the possibility that you may have to fight to defend yourself or Brandon, somewhere down the road. Why don't you take a couple of days to think about all of this, before you decide if you want to invite him to the party or if you want to initiate a sexual encounter with him some time later? There's no rush in deciding about the sex, but don't wait too long before you decide about inviting him to your party."

"Thanks, Dad. I'll let you know in a few days. Can I… err… May I e-mail my other friends to ask them if they can come?"

"Yes, you may," I answered him, glad that he had corrected himself. "As you know, your birthday is on May 6th, which is a Wednesday, but I'd prefer to have the party on a Saturday instead. That means we could hold the party on May 2nd or May 9th. The choice is yours."

"Let's do it on May 9th," he told me. "That's really closer to my birthday, anyway."

"Fine. You can tell them the party will be at 1:00, but I'll pick them up around 12:15," I advised him.

"Okay, Dad," he agreed. "I'll tell them to meet in front of our old school and that's where we'll pick them up. I think that's best, cuz some of them live way out in the country."

"Great. Go ahead and do that," I confirmed. "You can go sign on and give them all of the information."

While Danny was on the computer, I went into the other room to tell Ricky about the party. "Ricky, Danny's birthday is coming up and I'm going to throw him a party on May 9th. That's a Saturday. He's going to invite some of his old friends to come too. You'll need to think about what present you'll want to get him."

"When's his birthday really? Is it the 9th?" Ricky asked me. "And how am I going to be able to buy him a present? I don't have any money."

"No, his birthday is actually on May 6th," I corrected him, "and I'll give you the money. I just want you to pick out the gift for him yourself."

"Oh, all right, Dad," Ricky agreed. "I'll start thinking about what I want to get him then. Oh, by the way, you remember my birthday is July 7th, right?" he added, flashing me his most innocent grin.

"Yes, Ricky, I remember," I told him. "How in the world could I ever forget that?" Reacting to the sarcasm in my tone, Ricky flashed me his 'quit pulling my leg' look and went back to what he was doing. Later that night, I overheard Ricky pumping Danny for information.

"Danny, I know you like sports," Ricky began. "Are you going to sign up for any teams this summer or next year at school?"

"I want to play baseball this summer," Danny answered, "but my old glove's kind of small for me now, so I might not be able to. I think I want to play soccer, basketball and lacrosse at school, though, if I can. I'll be a freshman next year, so I'll have to try out for the junior varsity teams."

"Good, I want to watch you play," Ricky countered, trying to deepen his deception. "I think it will be fun having a brother on the team."

"How about you, Ricky?" Danny countered. "Are you going to play any sports?"

"Nah, I'm not that good," Ricky admitted. "I like to watch, though."

"What if I help you learn?" Danny asked him. "We could practice at home and I'll help you get better. If I did that, would you think about joining then?"

"Yeah, I guess I might," Ricky conceded, "if I got good enough that anyone would want me on the team." Ricky looked seriously at Danny, trying to judge his sincerity. "You'd really be willing to help me get better?"

"I just told you I would, didn't I?" Danny responded, a little annoyed. "Don't you believe me?"

"Yes, I believe you," Ricky told him. "I was just giving you a chance to change your mind, once you found out I wasn't very good. I guess I like just about any sport, but I think it would be fun if I could play the same ones you did."

"Awesome," Danny replied, somewhat honored that Ricky would want to do that. "Okay, starting tomorrow I'll work with you on baseball. My old glove will be perfect for you."

"I don't mean to interrupt," I said, as I broke into their conversation, "and I didn't mean to eavesdrop either, but I have an old glove, some bats, and baseballs in the basement. They used to belong to my older son, but I could dig them out and you could use them, if you want."

"That would be great and we don't mind if you listen to what we talk about, Dad," Danny told me. "I was just planning on using a whiffle ball set I found in the rec room, but that wouldn't really work as well, so having some real equipment would be better. Thanks, Dad. You always seem to come up with the things we really need."

"Yes, thanks, Dad," Ricky added, while giving me a wink, but he also managed to keep his face positioned so Danny wouldn't notice his signal. "I know Danny is good at sports, so it's going to be great that he's helping me." Needless to say, I already had a pretty good idea about what Ricky wanted to buy Danny for his birthday.

I went and got those things for the boys and then they went outside to practice. I didn't go with them, instead preferring to peek through the window to see how they were doing. Just as they were at the pool, Danny was the patient teacher and Ricky the eager student, trying his hardest to please and impress his mentor.

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