Eff Del

The Oak and The Ash

Book 4 of Young But Daily Growin'

Chapters 19-

Author's note:
I have nothing but gratitude for those many of you who have written over the past five months [August-December 2016] almost universally expressing concern for my wellbeing.
I am mortified that I've been unable to respond to you but I have truly been fighting for my life.
It seems that I have won this particular long battle and for better or for worse have (as you can see) begun writing again.
Thank you my many friends and I hope that you understand that I have not been rude in not answering your kind messages. I assure you that I have read and appreciated every one. It is my hope that in the future you will all receive a grateful reply from me but until that time, I truly wish you all a Happy New Year.
God Bless!
-Eff
30 December 2016

Chapter 19

Positive change can only occur from within us.
You need only use as your example a simple egg;
An eggshell that is broken from the outside destroys any chance that the egg will produce life.
On the other hand, an eggshell that is broken from the inside is only broken by a chick emerging new into the world.
Wonderful things always come from the inside.

I stared blankly at the Skuggor leader before I was able to blurt out something slightly less articulate but to the point of;

"W-what the hell are you talking about? How could Sean be under arrest? He was buying souvenirs!"

"Please calm down and review protocols with me as we are required to do.

Richard officially suggests that I take you to that tavern across the street and buy you a drink. I think that's actually a great idea.

You come with us as well Doctor Mohamed if you don't mind."

Doctor Mo nodded his head and with a big smile he said;

"If I keep up with this Tucker family, I may wind up as one of the first alcoholic Islamists in the country. The problem is, it's so exciting.

Let's go get the boss a drink."

I was still very much in a fog as Skuggor Level-10 Frank and Doctor Mo escorted me into the little tavern and sat me down at a corner table. There seemed to be no single malt scotch on the shelves above the lovely antique bar, so, I settled for a glass of 'Chivas Regal' while Doctor Mohamad to my surprise, sipped on a gin and tonic and Level 10 Frank took a swallow of his 'Jack Daniels'" and water.

"So now Eric, this is all happening quickly but from our point of view, it is happening very efficiently. Richard is currently putting the entire scenario together to share with you and the local law enforcement people. We already have two of our high-priced lawyers down there protecting Sean's rights through every inch of the process.

He's safe and though certainly not happy, he's secure."

Suddenly, his telephone sounded. After answering and speaking into it briefly, he said;

"Richard would like to speak with you." He handed me his phone.

"So our perfect little boy seems to have finally fucked up eh?"

"I doubt that seriously Richard."

He chuckled.

"I doubt it as well Eric and actually, I can prove it. He's very innocent of any wrongdoing and I've got it well documented. This is a total mistake by the police officer actually.

Once I've got the video and eye-witness testimony in the hands of our lawyers I'll let you watch and listen to their interaction real time via 'shadow fly' seeing as how one of our lawyers is wearing one." He actually giggled over that bit of information.

"What seems to have happened; and this can all be verified by video from three security cameras and recorded testimony from six eye-witnesses'; is that Sean was leaning over a counter examining some items that he was interested in buying when an older and bigger boy sidled right up behind him and attempted to lift his wallet from his pocket.

Sean, either felt or otherwise detected the attempt and spun around. The older boy was obviously used to the possibility of detection and was ready for it… he punched Sean in the eye.

Much to his attacker's surprise, Sean reacted instantly and punched the older boy twice in both eyes and then four times in the stomach.

The bigger boy sank to the floor and Sean was quickly on top of him throwing punches when the Police Officer grabbed him and pulled him off the larger boy. He literally slammed Sean into the wall, pulled him violently around and quickly placed him in handcuffs.

Right at that point, many eye witnesses were yelling at the police officer that he'd arrested the wrong guy but he ignored them dragging Sean off to his squad car.

Level 10 Frank and his Skuggor of course took the time to apprehend the actual perpetrator and he'll be presented to the police after we deliver our video package to them via our lawyers.

Wait!… Barry tells me that they've gotten the package and are going into a meeting with Police Captain Fulbright. Have you got your tablet L10?"

"Yes Sir I do and I've got the images right now." Frank responded. Soon, we were witnessing the live meeting.

"Captain Fulbright, thank you for responding so quickly to this sad situation. My name is Martin Cole and this is my colleague Monique Rhodes. We are attorneys specifically hired to protect the rights and privileges of the son of our employer who we believe we shall demonstrate to you was improperly incarcerated by one of your officers and with your co-operation, we believe we can prevent unpleasant repercussions beyond those that have occurred thus far.

Perhaps the best way to begin this would be for you to view this video that has been compiled from the near-by mall surveillance cameras. "

As the video played out to its conclusion, it was obvious that Richard's earlier short synopsis had accurately described the incident.

"Where did Sean learn to fight like that?" I asked Richard over the telephone.

"Well, it started with Jack. He decided that his two little brothers needed to know something about self-defense and so; he began teaching them some boxing and wrestling.

It wasn't long before Wolfman and later Brutus were helping.

The boys learned fast since they're both so damned smart and so athletic. I have no doubt that the boy who tried to lift Sean's wallet received the surprise of his life.

Right now though Eric, I think you guys had best head down to the Police Precinct because I suspect that based upon the video they're going to cut Sean loose very soon."

I agreed that was a good idea and while L-10 Frank drove, Doc Mo and I continued to watch the events as they were transmitted from the shadow fly.

A very red-faced Captain Fulbright almost yelled into his intercom;

"Send Stauer into my office right this minute!"

He turned to the two lawyers…

"What you've just shown me is so different from the version I received from Officer Stauer that these could have been separate altercations.

This indicates to me that my officer is not only lazy and careless; he is a liar as well."

Just then, a medium build uniformed police officer entered the office.

"You wanted to see me Captain?"

"Yes I did. It seems that your little incident was well documented on video and it had eyewitnesses none of whom you bothered to question.

Sit down over there, watch this video, and then let me know if you want to change any parts of your original story to me."

Obviously flustered, the officer sat at the table and Attorney Rhodes began the video. As it progressed, the already flustered officer began to sweat profusely.

When it was finished, Captain Fulbright stood over the man.

"Well, what have you got to say for yourself?"

"It was just about my lunch time Captain so I didn't actually see what started the fight. When I got there, they were both on the ground and the kid I collared was on top whaling away on the other boy so I grabbed the top one and put him against the wall… uhmmn… I guess if the truth were told, I kind of slammed him into the wall.

I guess I should have spoken to the witnesses but I was pretty certain I'd got this one right and I was in a hurry; like I told you, it was my lunch time so I just cuffed him and brought him down here.

I put him in a holding cell and figured I'd do all the paperwork when I was finished with my break."

"So then, you didn't actually question the boy and you haven't actually placed him under arrest either? You didn't even file any official written report?"

"No Captain. At least not yet, Like I told you it was my lunch time. Actually, I was just about to before you called me in here."

"So you've had this poor kid locked up for almost two hours and you've done nothing about it?"

"Well, no… like I said: at least not yet."

Looking at the officer in disgust the Captain muttered;

"Stauer, that ranks among the worst pieces of Police work that I've ever seen. I'm taking you off patrol until a hearing is conducted regarding your performance. After which, you may not have to worry about lunch anymore because you'll probably be out there working at a fast food joint.

We'll talk about that after we've undone this fuck-up of yours."

Attorney Cole interjected;

"Captain, the boy's father; Mr. Tucker would like to be present when he's released. He should be here shortly. Some associates of his are bringing in a boy who they've placed under citizen's arrest. I think you'll recognize him from the video as the potential pick-pocket."

The Captain nodded and spoke into his intercom again;

"When Mr. Tucker and his party get here, they're to be escorted directly to my office."

By this time, we had arrived in front of the Police Precinct and L10 Frank, Dr. Mo and I were soon ushered into Captain Fulbright's office.

After introductions, the police captain could not have been more profuse in his apologies. It became obvious that it had dawned upon him who I was and he did everything just short of telling me that Officer Stauer would be dismissed.

I suggested that a better course of action might be intensive retraining.

Officer Stauer, still red-faced and perspiring looked at me gratefully.

"Well then, let's attend to the most important thing; releasing your son from custody." Captain Fulbright exclaimed.

His professional demeanor could not disguise his relief over my seemingly magnanimous attitude.

"Stauer, go down and bring the young man up here."

"I'd like to accompany Officer Stauer Captain."

"Of course Mr. Tucker, just follow him."

I nodded in assent and accompanied the nervous police officer through the door.

I must confess to some trepidation as we walked down the hall.

In my life, I have watched a fair share of movies and read countless novels… enough at least to stir my imagination into action.

In my mind, I envisioned that soon the officer and I would be descending a long dark staircase into the stygian depths far below the precinct building to the place where Sean languished in a dark cold cell.

Happily, the reality turned out to be quite different from what I had been imagining.

We walked down just one level onto a brightly lit corridor. There were two large floor to ceiling windows on either side. Through these, I observed several people variously sitting on the long bench at the back of the room or even on the floor.

A few were standing and some were nervously pacing the length of the confinement area.

Through the first two windows, the men held inside were accepting their current predicament with very divergent levels of apprehension.

"There are four holding cells in this section." Officer Stauer explained.

"These windows are actually unbreakable one-way glass. From the inside, the detainees essentially have a mirrored wall.

This way, we can keep them under observation. Out here, we can see into the room but they cannot see out.

I placed your son in the cell down the hall on the right side. He should be alone unless there's been a large influx of arrests."

"But you told your Captain that Sean hadn't actually been arrested yet."

He nodded.

"That's why I placed him in a cell by himself."

By this time, we had reached the far end of the corridor and I turned to look through the large glass to my right and saw my boy.

He was indeed quite alone in the confines of the brightly lit room.

He was sitting scrunched up on the bench that ran the length of the back wall.

There was a red/purple mouse under his left eye where the pickpocket had initially punched him. Somehow, this just served to make him cuter if that were possible.

His legs were pulled up and his arms were wrapped around his shins almost hugging them to his body while his chin rested upon his knees.

His shoes and belt had been taken from him and I smiled as I observed his toes wiggling absently within his socks.

His fingers thrummed distractedly against his legs and his face; his beautiful face bore an expression of bewilderment and anger.

Anger… It suddenly occurred to me that I had never seen Sean angry.

I guessed (from what I knew about him), that this was an emotion very new to his nature. I sighed softly as I realized that yet another shard had broken away from the inherent naivety that had been such a part of his character when I'd first taken him from the NEST and drawn him into the center of my world. This was why the anger that occupied his sweet countenance was tempered by confusion.

I stared at him through the one-way glass and caught my breath as I silently drank him in with my eyes. He had no idea that anyone (let alone me) was watching him and therefore his actions were natural and not contrived.

Although the anger on his face was not in itself attractive, it didn't spoil his beauty and to an extent; added a certain charm that complimented his slowly emerging maturity.

He was my boy… the owner of my heart and I stood silently appreciative of everything about him as I watched through the glass.

The sound of the door to his holding cell opening broke his reverie.

He was on his feet at once; assuming a pose that was tense and wary. His fists balled at his side, as he stood poised to react to who or what had suddenly interrupted his silent solitude.

He recognized Officer Stauer at once and his face tightened into what was almost a scowl. There was no fear on his countenance. He knew too much of the world and his position in it to be afraid; rather, he looked at the man disapprovingly. He knew that he had been treated unjustly and this troubled his innate sense of fairness and trust.

To his credit, it was the police officer who spoke first;

"First of all, I need to apologize to you young man. My actions were improper and unprofessional. I have treated you badly and I'm very sorry for that but I'm even sorrier if my poor performance at my job affects your opinion of police in general.

If you'll come with me now, we'll get your shoes and other personal belongings and you'll be free to go."

"I need to contact my Father and let him know what's happened."

"Your Father knows Sean." I said as I stepped away from the glass and into the doorway so that he could see me.

He was in my arms almost instantly and I hugged him to me tightly. We stood together wordlessly for long moments.

Eventually I cupped his chin in my hand and raised his face up to look into mine. His extraordinary gem-like eyes were moist but no hint of tears escaped them.

He had obviously made a private promise to himself that he was not going to cry in front of this stranger.

I nodded to Officer Stauer and placing my arm over Sean's shoulder, we followed him out of the bright room.

Sean stopped for a moment after leaving the holding cell and looked at the Policeman locking him into eye contact. He spoke one sentence;

"You should know that when you see a person winning a fight, that doesn't mean he started it."

Officer Stauer swallowed hard and nodded his head.

He didn't say anything. He simply turned and led us silently up the stairs.

My opinion of the man was very mixed. He certainly wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer but he didn't seem to be evil or ill intentioned either.

I couldn't tell if he was nervous about what his own future had in store or if he was genuinely remorseful over the careless way he'd treated Sean.

Ultimately, as Sean and I followed him up the staircase, I decided that his fate was a matter between him and his Captain. My lawyers would have already taken care of all legal documents so; we would be free to go short of enduring the mandatory flood of apologetic rhetoric directed at Sean from Captain Fulbright.

I thought to myself that things didn't look so good for Officer Stauer even though I knew my Lawyers had assured the Captain that we didn't intend any litigation.

***

In the back seat of the car, Sean had retained a very introspective mood and he nuzzled tightly against me grasping my hand as L10 Frank drove us back to the Hay Adams.

I'd decided we would spend one more night there and fly to Boston in the morning.

Doctor Mo had gone to his own room leaving Sean and me alone in our suite. We'd agreed to meet later for dinner.

I sat holding the boy I loved as we gazed at the view from the balcony in stillness but I knew the silence needed to be broken.

"I guess I owe your brother and some others a great vote of thanks. You certainly handled yourself pretty well with that guy."

He giggled.

"Dad, I knocked the snot out of him." His eyes twinkled as he looked up at me.

"Jack an' Wolfman told both me an Brian that if we ever needed to start throwin' punches, we shouldn't stop 'til the thing was over an I wasn't gonna stop. 'Course then that cop pulled me off the guy.

Then Dad, the Cop let that jerk get away!

He'd tried to steal my wallet an' I wasn't gonna let that happen cause it wasn't right an I knew that I could stop it from happinin' you know what I mean? "

I nodded my head as I drew him closely against my chest.

"Yes Sean… yes my son I know what you mean because you have always known the difference between right and wrong."

"Dad… Dad I-I just…"

I pulled him tightly to me.

"I don't know how it happened Sean, but you are the finest boy in the world and I'm so proud to be your Dad and have you to share your life with me.

Now, what about a shower and a change of clothes and supper up on the roof of this great hotel?"

His smile was electric.

"You're gonna shower with me right?"

I grabbed him and raised him up to my face.

"You little jerk! How could you think that I'd let you shower without me?"

He giggled and kissed my nose.

Moments later we were both naked and working body wash over each other under the hot stream of the shower.

As I worked my hands over him, I realized once again that he was growing. His muscles were developing and they were hard and well formed. The little eleven year old that I'd brought home with me what seemed so long ago, had grown into a sturdy newly teenaged boy and he would continue to develop into a strong young man.

Thirteen seemed so young but I realized that sadly, it was not. It was just the crux of a fast coming maturity.

I hugged him to me under the hot water and wanted so much to enjoy him young, pure, and innocent.

I wanted him to remain my little boy but I understood that couldn't happen. He would grow into a magnificent man and I knew that I would continue to love him. In the meantime, though, he was my little boy. I had lots of time to enjoy him as he grew.

I reflected on the wisdom of Professor Swaim way back when I'd first discussed adopting the boy. The big "wizard" had warned me that nature would take its course and this would happen.

I realized that without a doubt, I'd made the right decision and I would love Sean as long as we both lived.

Everything else aside, he was still a young boy and a great treasure to me.

***

The three of us sat comfortably at our table near a window overlooking Washington.

Dinner had been delicious and Doctor Mohamed and I sat enjoying a cup of coffee as we watched Sean methodically destroy a hot fudge sundae.

We would be flying to Boston in the morning but Doctor Mohamed had informed us we would be parting company there as he intended to return to Joyous Gaurde with Captain Lucas and the jet.

"My presence on this wonderful little adventure was really just to observe your behavior and confirm your stability Eric.

I'm satisfied with your recovery as will my colleagues be when I report to them.

You two should enjoy the final stage of this trip without me tagging along."

Although I had actually enjoyed his company, I didn't put up much of a protest as the idea of just Sean and I was very appealing.

"That being the case, there is one more thing we need to do together."

I pulled out my phone and arraigned to have a car waiting for us.

"I'd always intended that this be a part of this trip. It's something every American should see."

It was a very short drive to the West end of the National Mall and just as I remembered it, the Colorado marble of the exterior looked yellow gold under the bright but somehow appropriate lights. It would have looked perfectly at home in Greece or Rome. It was an almost perfect structure with its 36 doric columns.

I didn't give them much time to look or wonder. I ushered them up the marble stairs and into the central chamber and stood back and watched as the magic, the wonder and the awe overtook them.

It is carved out of Georgia white marble and is so heavy that it had to be cut into twenty-six sections to be shipped to this site.

The pensive figure is seated and still measures nineteen feet tall. If he could stand up and walk, he'd be just short of thirty feet… a big man but then, he actually was a big man not just in stature.

I was fourteen when I first came here and looking into the stone face of the great man, I suddenly felt fourteen again.

There is a French word; 'formidable' and there is no word in English (that I know of) that describes an encounter with this sculpture better or more honestly.

Sean grasped my hand and spoke in an almost whisper;

"D-Dad… it's like he's looking right into my heart."

"Yep little man, just like he looked into the hearts of everyone in this land once."

"Dad, his face looks so sad but also so full of love and worry. It almost makes me wanna cry but it also makes me proud an' happy."

I hugged him to me and squeezed us together for a long time.

"Here's something most people don't know about this sculpture Sean, the artist; Daniel French had a son who was deaf and so, if you look at Lincoln's left hand, he is signing the letter 'A' and if you look at his right hand, he is signing 'L' .

This is a very special place little man and I'm so glad to have been here when you first saw it."

Doctor Mohamed walked over and grasped my arm.

"Thank you Eric. This is magnificent."

I just nodded and then allowed them to explore and enjoy the entire building including the words of the great man inscribed in marble.

Later that night, he pulled his sleek naked body against mine and rested his head upon my shoulder.

He murmured softly;

"Dad I love you so much."

I paused for a moment and then responded;

"I love you too my little Jail Bird."

It didn't take long before he began giggling only to be replaced by kissing and hugging.

My son was all right and I was more than all right.

As we approach the end of our years, often we'll wisely ruminate back upon and find new value in things we held true and important much nearer to the beginning and had somehow been put aside.

It is a rather grand discovery to learn that there was real wisdom in youth and tranquility in age.

It's a process of elimination and discovery in one fell swoop.

His head was nestled on my shoulder almost as if it was a pillow. His right arm, cast across my chest and his strong young leg thrown across my own; he was drawn as close to me as was possible.

This was how we'd slept together since the first night I'd brought him home.

I adored the closeness and smiled as I softly ran my fingers down his young body.

When he first came into my life, he was usually up at the crack of dawn but now, as he grew older, he liked to sleep later and snuggle under the covers. I had no problem with that.

I hugged him close to me and smiled as I thought about our day.

We'd said goodbye to Doctor Mohamed as we got off the jet and into the limo.

After checking into the Four Seasons: a four star hotel that was right on Back Bay and just off the Boston Common, we'd showered and begun hiking Boston's Freedom Trail.

The brick marked trail is about two and a half miles long and there are sixteen dedicated locations, all of which are significant to the early history of America.

This all entwines through a modern city so that subtly slipping from past to present is an almost surreal experience.

There are several privately maintained sites that charge a fee… one of which being Paul Revere's home and workshop. Sean enjoyed that.

He also loved Old North Church. He stood up straight as an arrow and proclaimed in his most serious (for a little boy) voice;

"One if by land, two if by sea… and I on the opposite shore shall be!"

I smiled and smacked his young ass in congratulation for his performance.

However, his greatest pleasure came at the end of the walk.

The Freedom Trail ends at Charleston Navy Yard and docked there is the USS Constitution.

"It's Old Ironsides Dad!" He was jumping up and down.

"I never thought I'd actually get to see it… come on, let's go onboard!"

He tugged my hand and pulled me as we approached the still magnificent and meticulously maintained old frigate.

She is the oldest fully commissioned ship afloat in the world. Saved from destruction thanks to a poem written by Oliver Wendell Holmes in 1830, she has been the pride of America and of the Navy ever since.

Sean knew all about her and he lovingly ran his hands along the wooden sides as we bordered her.

She was one of six frigates commissioned for construction however, due to a short tenuous peace treaty with the Sultan of Tripoli, only three were actually finished initially; 'Constitution' and her sister ships 'United States' and 'Constellation'.

"Do you know how this ship got her nickname Sean?" I asked the excited boy.

"'Course I do Dad!"

He was beaming.

"In August of 1812, she fought a famous battle with the English frigate 'Guerrier' and during the fight, many cannonballs bounced off her sides doin' no damage. One of her sailors saw this an he cheered to his shipmates;

'Huzzah! Her sides are made of iron!'

An she's been known as 'Old Ironsides ever since."

He smiled as only Sean can smile.

Her sides were actually made of live oak timber harvested from Georgia's golden Islands primarily Saint Simons just over the short causeway near our cottage on Sea Island.

Sean knew that and it gave him a sense of pride and kinship with the wonderful old frigate.

We'd spent almost two hours exploring the ship and he seemed unable to keep his hands off the wood and his smile was constant and glorious.

"Dad, that was so special! I've known about this great ship since I was eight years old an' I've always wanted to see it. Thank you so much for this."

"No little man, thank you so much for sharing this experience with me. I enjoyed it at least as much as you did."

We could have chosen to walk on a little further to the Bunker Hill memorial and museum, but when I made the suggestion, he begged off saying that the grand old frigate had been the hi-lite of his day and wanted it to end there.

I received a 'Sean smile' and he hugged himself against me as we slowly walked back to the hotel.

"I love you so much Dad." He whispered into my side and I almost choked as I tried to respond.

"I can't begin to tell you how much I love you Sean. You've changed my whole life and made it worth living. You own my heart and my soul."

"Nah, I don't own anything Dad but we share everything… unnerstand?"

I held back a sob as I pulled him tightly to my side.

"Yes Sean. I do understand."

His smile lit up the world and instead of weeping, I smiled back and hugged him tightly

We ate dinner at the restaurant at the top of the hotel. We were not very adventurous, and both had the New York strip steak, mushrooms and whipped potatoes.

We'd played our well-practiced little game and therefor, Sean shared a bottle of wine with me. Knowing that it was essentially against the law, he gave me a 'bad boy' grin as he took his first sip. I of course grinned back.

When Sean grins, how could anyone not grin back.

"Tomorrow, we'll get into a car and shoot out to the Maine Turnpike. We'll spend the night at Bar Harbor and then we'll explore Arcadia National Park. Will that be OK with you?"

"Anything you decide is kay with me Dad." He grinned as best as he could with a mouthful of sautéed mushrooms.

I smiled and surreptitiously refilled his wine glass. He giggled and I laughed back.

For what seemed to be the thousandth time I stood transfixed as he undressed with no pretense of modesty or shame and laid his beautiful body down upon the bed. I took off my clothes and lay down beside him. My love for this little boy was so all encompassing that he often made me feel inebriated.

I became not so much sad as I did melancholy as I gazed upon him and realized that he was slowly moving from the gorgeous little boy that I'd brought home those years ago, and metamorphosing into a lovely young man. Although he was maturing, he would always be stunning. Stunning was actually a proper description of him.

We awoke and showered together before heading down to breakfast.

He grinned all the time as he ate his pancakes. While he was finishing his orange juice, I walked over the front desk and asked that the car I'd requested be brought to the front of the hotel and then, I returned to the table to finish a cup of coffee with the apple of my eye.

Our bags had been brought down from our suite already so, we were ready to go once our car arrived.

We were casually sipping on second cups of excellent coffee when a hotel employee approached our table and quietly said;

"Excuse me Mr. Tucker, your car is waiting out front. We're moving your bags there now."

"Thank you, we'll be right out."

I looked at Sean and winked. He winked back and giggled.

I was stunned when we walked out of the front of the hotel.

Waiting for us was a long sleek black limo.

"What in the heck is this?" I exclaimed to both the driver and the hotel staff member.

"This is the car that you requested Mr. Tucker." The poor driver barely managed to get that sentence out. I was certain that the man had never received such a negative reaction to his vehicle and his services in his entire career.

The limo was beautiful and the driver seemed competent and professional. It was just that I'd ordered one of my local companies to provide me with a car… not a limo.

"The hell it is."

I said… trying not to sound too unpleasant.

"You can take this lovely limo back and this is for your trouble."

I handed him a hundred dollar bill because after all, none of this was his fault. I then requested that our bags be moved back inside and I called Uncle Phil.

I explained what had happened and asked him to contact the president of our company who had sent the limo and instruct him to make it right;

"When I want a limo, I'll specify a limo. When I want a car, then I want a car. Sean and I are going to drive up the Maine turnpike together.

I want either a luxury sedan or a high end SUV. I want it here in thirty minutes and I want him to bring it here himself and to be prepared to talk to me.

He's to ask for me at the front desk."

After we'd broken the connection, I turned to the Hotel employee;

"It seems that our departure will be slightly delayed. Is there some place my son and I could wait privately for about an hour?"

He smiled professionally.

"Of course Mr. Tucker. Why not the suite that you just occupied? I'll get you a new key card although I must apologize that 'housekeeping' hasn't been there yet."

"Thank you. I'll just retrieve my shoulder bag and leave the rest down here.

You've been most kind and co-operative."

I handed him a hundred dollar bill as well and retrieved my bag before we headed for the elevator.

Sean and I were in the suite sipping on glasses of single malt. I knew it was early and I was probably teaching him bad habits, but I couldn't drink another cup of coffee if my life depended upon it.

Uncle Phil had emailed me the information on the man I was expecting shortly.

His name was Arthur Lyons and he'd been president of this medium sized company of ours here in Boston for just short of three years.

He was doing a more than competent job and there were no black or even grey marks on his record so far.

Phil had shared with me that the man had sounded terrified by the end of their phone call.

I decided not to be as harsh as I'd originally intended to be although I was going to drive home some points that I hoped would sharpen his wits a bit.

We sat on the coach sipping our drinks when the telephone rang. It was the front desk advising me that Mr. Lyons had arrived.

"Please direct him up to this suite." I requested and soon I was answering the door.

Sean had taken his drink into the bedroom to allow Mr. Lyons the illusion of a private meeting.

Arthur Lyons turned out to be a respectable looking man of about thirty eight to forty years old. He was about five foot ten inches tall and while not astonishingly athletic looking, he was certainly not an out of shape lump either.

After introducing himself, he immediately began trying to apologize and explain the error at the same time. After letting him go on for a bit, I stopped him.

"Arthur, Mr. Phil Regent specifically told you to provide me with a car. You provided a limousine. You do understand the difference I suppose?"

"Yes Sir. It's just that considering who you are, I just naturally assumed that you'd… "

"I don't pay you rather well to assume things Mr. Lyons. I pay you to run your company wisely and successfully but, to also do what is instructed from those far superior to you.

Thus far, you seem to be doing the first part well however, on the second part… this time at least, you've failed by making assumptions that you had no reason to make and as a result have wasted time on my private vacation."

He was nodding his head in agreement and had begun to sweat profusely.

I became certain that he expected to be fired right there on the spot.

"I understand and once again I'm sorry Mr. Tucker. In this case, I promise you that I thought I was doing the right thing.

Mr. Regent told me that I needed to get a car to you in half an hour. The only way I could do that was to bring you my personal company car.

It's a Mercedes-Benz E300 so it's not top of the line but it's no Chevy either.

I realize that it's far below what you're used to but, it's only three months old, less than three thousand miles and she drives really nice."

"I wasn't aware that we supply Mercedes as company cars Mr. Lyons."

The color and tone of his face blanched.

"B-but when I accepted this job, Mr. Regent told me that you expected me to drive a high-end car and this one falls right into his price range. It's actually my second one because I've been with you almost three years and they are on two year leases."

I gave him a half smile.

"I wasn't accusing you of anything and Phil Regent is right. We do expect our important employees to drive fine cars.

The E300 will do very well. I'll have it for up to two weeks and I won't be bringing it back to you.

When I'm done with it, you'll be informed where I've parked it and you can send someone to pick it up.

My son and I are going to drive around through Maine and then a few more spots in New England before flying home so you can see how a limo wouldn't work."

He nodded his head and the color returned to his face as he silently realized that he wasn't going to be fired after all.

"OK then." I said as I shouldered my bag and called Sean out of the other room.

"Sean, this is Mr. Lyons and Mr. Lyons, this is my son Sean."

They shook hands and exchanged greetings and we took the elevator down.

The hotel staff were waiting for my approval to load our baggage into the trunk and I gave them my nod.

It was a lovely car. Not large but certainly more than adequate for Sean and me. It was a deep rich black and the interior was a grey so light it could almost be cream colored.

I couldn't help but think that this was more like the car I'd wanted Jack to have but, he was in love with his Beemer… his 'Bonnie Blue' so, who was I to interfere.

I shook Lyons' hand and thanked him for his efficiency.

"How will you get along while I have your car?"

He smiled.

"You pay me well enough that I can handle the cab fare and then when I get back home, I've got a sweet MGB in my garage that I've been restoring for a couple of years.

It still needs paint and a few other cosmetics but mechanically, I've got her running great.

That'll be fun for a couple of weeks.

You guys have fun."

We shook hands and I realized that my opinion of that man had turned around in less than an hour.

We DO hire quality people and largely, this trip had confirmed it so far.

Sean and I climbed into the lovely black sedan and were soon headed out onto the road.

The 2.0 straight four turbocharged engine responded magnificently. It was rated at 241 horsepower, which was more than adequate for our needs. This was going to be a fun drive but not always exciting for the passenger who had nothing more to do than look out of the window. I glanced over at Sean

"This is going to be a long, sometimes boring ride so if you feel like reclining back and taking a snooze, that's fine with me."

He gave me his 'evil boy' smile.

"If you can take it so can I Pops. Before I fall asleep tonight, I expect I'll have a belly filled with lobster and… you.

After all, ain't we goin' to 'Butt Harbor?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Bar Harbor you little devil."

"Whatever you say Pops just so long as it comes out right in the end."

He began to giggle because he thought he'd just been so clever and he continued to giggle off and on until we'd reached the Portsmouth Circle in New Hampshire.

Three quarters of the way around and we were very soon in Kittery, Maine and cruising up the Maine Turnpike; which is also an over 300 mile stretch of US 95.

"We'll find a lobster pound and stop for lunch about halfway there. OK?"

"That sounds great Dad." He'd finally gotten over his private amusement over his 'right in the end' joke.

He readjusted his seat and sat there smiling at me.

"Find us some music Punkin Pie, we've got a long ride."

"Prolly Dad, but we're takin' it together."

My heart flip-flopped and I decided that I'd better pay attention to the road.

Chapter 21

There is no such thing as time. Time is an illusion and a cage that we have created to imprison ourselves and constrain our lives.

It has become more constrictive and controlling as we have become more technically advanced and civilized.

Hours, minutes and seconds do not really exist; neither does a day, week, month or year.

These are all artificial concepts that we've used to divide our life into segments rather than events and experiences.

A "year" in our life should be lived based upon what we've done, felt, experienced and accomplished rather than an aggregate total of 8,760 hours or 525,600 minutes.

Just thinking of it in those terms makes a year somehow seem trivial and pathetic.

Don't compartmentalize life into pre-defined units… just live it.

His little boy snores made me smile as he slept cuddled against me. His head was resting on my shoulder and his arm was stretched across my chest and his leg across my waist. This had become our customary sleeping position since the first time we'd shared a bed and I adored it. It made me feel so loved and so loving.

I never slept better than when he was with me and we slept this way.

He was the boy that owned my heart and yet, he was so innocent of his own importance, that he didn't even realize it.

I slowly stroked my fingers down his lovely butt cheeks and ran the fingers of my other hand through his thick silky hair taking time to stop and caress his ear.

We'd had quite a day as we drove up the Maine Turnpike.

It was essentially an Interstate Highway not anymore scenic than another. The rocky coast of Maine was well protected from the traffic of the travelers and therefore, pretty much invisible from the road.

The Interstate Highway System (first conceived during the Eisenhower administration) was actually brilliant and propelled the United States into a new era decades ahead of what might have happened naturally.

Suddenly, running through the vast nation became as plausible as a casual Sunday drive; suddenly unthinkable miles could be engulfed at mind breaking speed.

Fifteen or twenty-five mile an hour speed limits posted on normal local roads were silly little rules that used to apply. Enter upon the modern new Interstates and you could race at sixty to seventy miles an hour and any slow pokes had better stay in the right lane. What used to be an all day trip now took a few hours. From the essentially rustic and wide spread nation that had entered World War II, in a short couple of decades, the nation had been stitched together into something cohesive and powerful.

The thread of that stitching was the Interstate Highway system.

There was a price to be paid for this of course. Towns and cities expanded and swallowed up land that had once been considered too rural to be important.

The highways themselves had been institutionalized… turned cookie-cutter. All with a phony belt of trees and other greenery so as if to give the driver the illusion that his car was cruising through a forest of blissful vegetation.

"Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore… " Actually, you weren't supposed to think you were anywhere; you were supposed to drive and keep driving.

The fact of course, was that everything was designed to keep things moving from point 'A' to point 'B'… to hide the highway traveler from whatever part of the country they were traveling through.

No sights of poverty, no sights of urban decay, no sights of blight and just as sadly… no sights of natural beauty.

The new highways were strictly for moving people from one place to another as quickly and efficiently as was possible.

There was nothing evil in the concept, quite the contrary; it was brilliant and well thought out.

The railroads are often credited with unifying the nation but, the truth is; it was the Interstate Highway system that actually did it.

Sadly, if a flying saucer pulled your car up from the Maine Turnpike and set you down on I-95 in South Carolina, you would scarcely notice the difference. Such is the price of convenience.

I'd known at the beginning that this would be a relatively boring drive and I'd gently warned him.

Sean being Sean, had tried to 'soldier it out', but eventually, his youth had overcome his macho and he'd fallen asleep.

I smiled as I played with the radio until I found the local PBS station and drove on figuring that we'd stop to eat at some point after he woke up.

Sean was so cute when he woke up. It was like a broth of confusion and enthusiasm. He stretched his arms and yawned widely.

"Sorry Dad, guess I must have dozed off."

I grinned.

"Yep, guess you did little man. Are you feeling hungry?"

He thought for a minute.

"Yeah, I guess I am. How 'bout you?"

"Oh, I could eat I suppose." I didn't laugh as much as I wanted to. Little boys are always hungry.

We were just north of Kennebunkport so I took the next exit and drove east towards the coast. It didn't take very long to find a Lobster Pound.

Lobster Pounds are essentially rustic restaurants with very limited menus; fresh boiled Maine lobsters usually with very simple sides such as fried potatoes, Cole slaw and often: good thick chowder.

Any place else in America these places would be called things like; 'lobster shacks' or 'lobster huts' but here in Maine, they've been called 'lobster pounds'. I don't know if it's true or not, but I've been told that the name stems from the fact that originally these were spots where you could purchase fresh lobsters 'by the pound'.

I'd ordered us each a two-pound lobster with slaw and fries. Those were big lobsters but, I knew my appetite and I certainly knew Sean's

"Just ovah yondah" the waiter said; "You could buy y'self a beeyah er two. We don't mind ya drinking them heyah."

I thanked him for his advice though I smiled and thought to myself that the man could have almost been speaking a different language. I left Sean and walked the short distance down the road to the little store he'd indicated.

The inventory wasn't very extensive so I settled on a six-pack of good old Budweiser and carried it back to the rough wooden table where Sean was waiting.

Although Sean had eaten lobster meat before, this turned out to be the first time he'd had a whole Maine lobster placed before him and it took him aback.

My mind flashed back to those first mornings when Martha was presenting him with different ways eggs could be eaten other than scrambled and he had that same baffled look on his face.

I smiled because I knew my Sean and if there ever was a boy who was adventurous with food… this was the boy. He was however: perplexed. The red steaming carapace of the crustacean fresh from the boiling pot seemed to him to be an obstacle that was making enjoying his lunch un-obtainable.

"Watch me Sean." I said and reached over my plate and twisted the tail off.

He of course copied my actions and did the same thing.

"Ouch! Hot." He grinned as he said it.

I drove my fork in and extracted the white steaming meat. Pulling off a large chunk, I dipped it into the pot of melted butter, plunged it into my mouth, and smiled with pleasure.

It certainly didn't take the kid long to catch on and the grin on his face was enough to make me reach over the table and squeeze his arm.

It took us almost an half hour before we'd devoured our lobsters literally down to the bare shells. That feast included the fries and slaw.

He sat back on his bench and smiled. His face glistening with melted butter.

During the meal, we'd each had two beers and lots of conversation.

I walked him over to the public restrooms and we washed our faces.

"Dad, that was maybe the best thing I ever ate. No wonder Doctor Mohamed said he was sorry that he was gonna miss this."

"Don't worry little man. Before we leave Maine, we'll ship a whole bunch back so that they all can enjoy it but, we've got to hit the road now."

As we'd walked back to our car, I felt his arm wrap around my waist.

"You're the best you know that don't ya?"

I looked down into his turquoise eyes and felt my heart tug. I pulled him into me and said;

"I don't know about that little man, but I do know that we're the best together and with your brothers… we're the best that ever was."

"You bet Dad!"

After getting back on the Maine Turnpike, we drove north until we'd reached Bangor and took the exit.

Driving along highway 1A, we were soon in Bar Harbor.

I owned a relatively small four-bedroom home on the hills overlooking Frenchman's Bay. The caretaker had been notified I was coming and unlike the incident in Georgia, everything was ready and waiting.

It was late afternoon and as we unpacked, I asked him;

"Tomorrow we can walk around the town and drive through Arcadia National Park. What would you like to do for supper tonight?"

He gave me a 'Sean smile' and said;

"You're kidding right Dad?"

I smiled and hugged him to me as he threw his body against mine; arms wrapped around my neck and legs around my waist.

As we were so entwined, we … or should I say; ' I' collapsed onto the bed laughing.

"I guess that means lobster again eh little man?"

He grinned up at me and we soon walked out of the door hand in hand and down the hill toward the village.

This was a more formal restaurant than a lobster pound. It had proper menus and significantly more choices but there was never any doubt for us.

We ordered pound and a half lobsters with fries, slaw and corn on the cob. I also ordered us each a cup of chowder.

We were soon adorned with bibs because a mess was about to be made.

It had only taken one lesson and little Sean was now an expert. He devastated his lobster meticulously like a doctor performing a dissection.

Aside from enjoying my own meal, watching him devour his with precision was a source of the greatest pleasure.

We climbed the hill back toward the cottage and we'd sat on the porch looking out over Frenchman's Bay.

I pointed to my right;

"Out there is Bar Island. You can only walk out there at low tide."

I pointed to my left.

"The Warf there is where the lobstermen come in and dump their catch. They each have their own designated areas out there and the floats for their traps are specially colored and marked. There is probably no place in the coastal waters of North America where areas are so fiercely protected. Killings have actually occurred over poaching lobster traps.

Bar Harbor was established in the late 1700 hundreds and was named 'Eden'… not the Bible Eden but actually after a guy… Sir Richard Eden.

It became an exclusive vacation resort for the very rich… actually rivalling Newport Road Island and it had its own 'mansion walk' on top of the hills overlooking Frenchman's Bay. It was quite a place. They changed the name of the town to 'Bar Harbor' in 1918 and the place continued to be a rather exclusive area to vacation and boasted several hotels and a small colony of elite homes until the terrible drought of 1947 when a sudden and uncontrollable fire engulfed Mount Desert Island and destroyed most of the structures. Somehow, downtown was spared, including a few of the mansions, which are now part of the historic district.

Most of the island is now Arcadia National Park. We'll tour it tomorrow.

So come now, let's get to bed."

He grasped my arm and pulled me close.

"Dad, you sure know a lot of stuff don't you?"

"Oh Sean, yes I know a lot of stuff but it's all stuff I'm interested in and once I learn it, I just don't forget it… kind of like how you are with music I guess."

In our bedroom, I asked him to let me undress him. He'd smiled at me and actually blushed.

I sat him on the bed and guided his tee shirt over his up-raised arms and then knelt down and removed each sneaker followed by his white socks. I paused briefly to play with each of his ten perfect little toes. This drew soft giggles of pleasure from him.

He wasn't wearing a belt, so all I needed to do was pop the snap on his shorts and then slowly pull down the zip of his fly.

Placing my hands under his arms, I stood him up and his shorts dropped down to his ankles.

His smiling face gazed up at me as I looked adoringly down at him. I placed my thumbs under the waistband of his black boxer shorts.

"These gotta go too little man." I almost mumbled as I worked them over his little hips and helped them down his smooth thighs.

He calmly stepped out of his shorts and underpants and smiled unabashedly up at me.

It reminded me of that first time long ago in my bathroom when he'd first stood before me ready to enjoy his first bath and Jacuzzi… the first time I'd seen him naked.

He'd spread his little arms and smiled at me then and asked;

"Am I alright for you?"

As I remembered this, I felt my heart throb. From that long ago moment, nothing was more 'alright for me' in this world than Sean.

I lifted him up onto the bed and kissed his lips with a passion that almost made my heart break.

He reached over to the bedside table and silently handed me the tube of KY I didn't need a hint and I quickly undressed.

With an evil little boy grin, he raised his knees back up to his shoulders.

I knew what to do and I did it.

As I entered him, I paused and reflected upon how right this felt and what a miracle it seemed that we were together in this way.

I moved in him slowly and he responded in perfect unity.

It was loving in the most legitimate form; now well practiced and refined. It was a perfect combination of desire, affection and yes… lust. We moved with complete precision… each knowing the other's needs and desires.

Our lips were locked together in gentle passion and my tongue probed his mouth and fairly danced against his own.

Although he'd originally placed his feet over my shoulders, they'd slid down and his long strong legs were now wrapped around my back as he strove to pull me closer into him… to almost make us one body occupied by two souls.

We came almost instantaneously. His young cock splayed his emission against his chest as he moaned out his pleasure.

There could be no more expression of love than this.

I cleaned him up with a towel I retrieved from the bathroom and then, pulled him to me and hugged him with a fierce passion that I was afraid might actually hurt him.

I rolled over and he climbed on top of me and quickly fell asleep.

It couldn't be any better and I followed him into dreamland very fast.

Chapter 22

When we are young, we form strong attachments to people and if we are lucky, those attachments last into our older years.
Friends are precious treasures that we accumulate as we move through life.
They are jewels that we wear with pride and distinction.
They are rare and cherished gems and our lives are so much richer because of them.

He was sitting astride my torso and his smile was brighter than the morning light. He'd awakened before me. There were certainly worse way to wake up in the morning.

"Morning little boy. I assume that you're ready for our day to begin."

"Yep Dad. We should get goin' I s'pose. I slept so good last night an' I think you did too."

"I always sleep good with you Little Man."

He sighed and fell down upon me hugging his arms around my neck. With a contented smile I kissed his shoulder and said;

"Up, up little slugabug. Into the shower and into clothes. We've got stuff to do today."

"Nooo Dad.I changed my mind. You gotta hug me for ten more minutes."

He nestled against me burying his head into the crook of my neck and squeezed me tightly. I reciprocated the squeeze forcing him against me and we stayed in that embrace for at least a half an hour.

We finally but reluctantly got out of bed and entered the shower.

Since I only had a caretaker at this house and had not arraigned for any staff, we ambled down the relatively gentle slope towards the water in search of breakfast.

We stopped in the first small café that we came across and pigged out on pancakes and scrambled eggs. Thus fortified, we set out to begin our day of exploration.

The town of Bar Harbor is like a clamshell- descending down the hill and ending at the water. It contains hundreds of restaurants and specialty shops. Proud of its interesting history, it remains a mecca for tourists who crowd its quaint and sometimes steep streets.

Sean and I strolled along but neither of us were true tourists and very little on display in the shops was of more than minor interest to us. We walked along the shore and watched the lobster boats heading out. At one of the waterfront shacks, I purchased half dozen clams for each of us and we sat at a wooden table and enjoyed them despite the fact that we had only shortly consumed a large breakfast.

I smiled to myself as I wondered how many thirteen-year-old boys would relish raw clams in the morning. I then reminded myself that Sean was no ordinary kid and he was adventurous with food. If I told him that something was good to eat, he ate it and usually loved it. His one 'kryptonite' still was broccoli and that was fine with me because I pretty much detested the stuff as well. Martha knew that and never prepared it back at the estate.

We each swallowed our last one and he grinned at me.

"We shouldna had all those pancakes an we coulda' had more of these."

"Well, you live and you learn my Little Man. Let's hike back up to the house and get into the car so we can tour the National Park. Its small so we can pretty much do it all today."

On our climb up the hill, I stopped into another little seafood shop and bought six lobster rolls, a small tub of slaw and a six pack of beer.

"Lunch." I winked at him as we continued our climb up to the house.

I opened the garage door and we got into the Benz and soon we were slowly driving down the Park Loop Road.

Acadia National Part is over 47,00 acres. While it is mostly located on Mount Desert Island, it also encompasses a great deal of land on at least three surrounding smaller islands. It is the oldest National Park east of the Mississippi River. It was originally named 'Sieur de Monts National Monument' in 1916 but its name was changed to 'Lafayette National Park' in 1919 when its status was upgraded. Eventually, the name was changed to 'Acadia Nation Park' in 1929. The name pays tribute to the Acadian people who were French Colonist living in 'New France' which consisted of Eastern Canada, the Maritimes and a large portion of the very North East coast of the USA… primarily what is now Maine.

At the end of what we call the 'French and Indian War', these people were largely displaced and many for the Acadian people relocated to Louisiana. The term 'Acadian' soon evolved into; 'Cajun 'and remains so.

Sean actually loved facts like this and he listened with delight as I rattled off gems of trivial knowledge. He also gazed out the windows drinking in the rocky rough glacial coast, the thick mostly pine, evergreen and coniferous forest, and the high bare-topped mountains that had led the explorer Champlain to name the island; 'Mount Desert'… essentially; 'empty mountains'.

"Dad, I've noticed that every now and then there are beaches along the water. Do people swim here?"

I smiled at him.

"I'm certain that people try Sean but the water out there would make the water in the grotto at Long Bear Lake seem warm."

He laughed.

"I'll bet. It even looks cold."

I suddenly saw the sign that I'd been looking for, and pulled off into the small parking area. Sean read the sign and looked at me questioningly.

"Thunder Hole? What's that Dad?"

"Nature does amazing things little man and this has always been one of my favorites. Come on and get out of the car."

Thunder hole is one of those quirks of chance… or perhaps not (who knows?) It is a small inlet that the waves crash into. At the end of the inlet, down low, there is a small nature made cave and when the waves enter, the water combines with air that has been compressed by the force of the in-rushing water and they 'explode' and shoot forth with a thunderous noise and depending upon the tide level, can shoot the expelled water as high as forty feet with great froth and force. I'd checked the tide charts and knew that we were close to high tide so the effects should be spectacular.

I was right and as we walked hand in hand across the road, an incoming wave crashed into the cave and a glorious water-filled explosion occurred. The noise was extraordinary and it stopped Sean in his tracks.

"WOW! Dad, what the heck was that?"

I laughed and explained the mechanics of the thing to him.

"As you can see, there's an observation deck over there but if we go up on it at this tide level, we're certainly going to get wet."

A bright 'Sean smile' answered that comment;

"Who cares? It's only water an' the sun is bright an' warm." He grabbed my hand and we walked up the observation deck. We reached top just as another wave crashed into the smallish opening. The noise was truly like thunder and we both were instantly soaked by the massive expulsion of cold salt water.

"WHOA! How great was that Dad?"

"My Father first took me to this place when I was eight years old Sean. It's been one of my favorite things ever since. I knew you'd like it."

The waves continued to pour into the little cave and the natural explosions continued to soak us as we stood there together for about an hour. Finally, I put my arm around him and guided him off the observation deck.

"Lunch and then back to town little man. We're going to bed early because we need to get up in the dark of night."

"Why Dad?"

"Because I want to share with you something very few people have experienced. That's all you need to know right now O.K?"

"Kay."

There were some picnic tables just across the road not very far from the parking area. We walked up and retrieved our cooler with the lobster rolls, slaw and beer and soon tuckered down while the thunderous noise of the ocean provided background music.

Sean was already on his second lobster roll and only his first beer. The warm sun was drying us off and making us comfortable as we ate. I enjoyed the heat upon my shoulders and I enjoyed watching the apple of my eye devour his lunch.

"So, I'm going to tell you why we need to go to bed so early. In the middle of the night, we're going to the top of Cadillac Mountain on the East end of the island. It's the highest point on the Eastern Coast… it's about 1,500 feet high… a little more I think, and on most days, it's the first place that sunshine hits in the entire United States. We're going to be among the first people in the country that the sun shines on tomorrow."

For that, I received a 'Sean smile'.

"Is that for true? Is it really possible?"

"Of course it's for true little man. Have I ever lied to you?"

His lips scrunched up and his eyes crunched together.

"N-no, never. I'm s-sorry."

"Don't be sorry Son, I know it sounds a little fantastic but that's what is going to happen tomorrow morning. After that, you won't believe the views as we drive back down."

We finished lunch and slowly completed the Park Loop Road and headed back into Bar Harbor.

"Time to wash off the seawater baby boy." I said as I pulled his tee shirt over his head. He grinned and quickly shucked off his shorts and underpants.

The house we were staying in had been owned by my family for over sixty years. My father had the interior completely restored about twenty years ago so, it was quite comfortable and the master bathroom shower was large enough to comfortably accommodate us both together.

As I soaped up his back and butt, I thought to myself that I'd never tire of this simple but pleasurable procedure. He giggled and chatted throughout the entire shower. It seems he'd thoroughly enjoyed our day and the prospect of our early morning adventure fascinated him. He couldn't quite grasp the concept. I explained again that the combination of the mountain's elevation and its eastern proximity made it the first place in America to view daylight at sunrise.

"You'll see in the morning when we're up there. Right now, it's too early for dinner yet and I'm supposed to be recovering so how about we lie down and read awhile?"

"Yeah but only… I finished my book two days ago so I've got nothin' to read Dad."

I smiled and took his hand. "This house has a pretty nice collection of books, I'll bet we can find something that will interest you."

I perused the healthily stacked book shelves and two titles fairly leaped out at me. I pulled both volumes off the shelves and proffered them.

"This first is a wonderful story of a group of adventures who go on an exciting quest for survival and to seek a new home. It's a great read… only thing is; the characters are rabbits."

His eyebrow shot up and he looked at me as if I was crazy for a moment.

"This other book is a more modern telling of the life of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. It's broken into smaller books. The first one is called; 'The Sword in the Stone' and it tells the story of Arthur as a boy right up to when he becomes King.

The rest of the book, you might not like as much because you're still young. Whichever book you choose Sean, we have both of them in our library back home so either is going to be available."

"But Dad, if I start one of these books, do I have to wait until we get home to finish it? Will the owners of this house mind if I take the book with me?"

I laughed and gave him a soft smack on his butt.

"Goofus! WE are the owners of this house so… WE won't mind."

He broke into a half amused, half embarrassed grin.

"Dad, I keep forgettin'. You own so many great places."

"WE own so many great places Son."

He nodded his head in acknowledgement but the truth of course, was that our wealth meant nothing to him and therefore made very little impression upon him. Having said that, he was certainly a normal young boy and just took for granted the fact that the bounty of the earth was at his disposal. This didn't make him greedy or spoiled, largely, it made him naïve and innocent.

Sadly, someday he would emerge from that cocoon not so much as a butterfly but more as a wasp with a sting and an understanding of the world. I hoped that day was not to dawn soon and I prayed that whatever emerged from the shell would be a wise and strong creature that was filled with understanding and still good nature. Sean had a good heart and I hoped it remained that way forever.

Somewhat to my surprise he said;

"I think I'll read the one about the rabbits Dad. I'll read the other one when we get home."

With a smile, I handed him the copy of 'Watership Down' and together (still naked from our shower) we walked into the bedroom and pulled the comforter up over ourselves, propped up our pillows and dove into our books. He scrunched up next to me and occasionally he playfully wiggled his still boney hip against mine.

After about an hour, I detected soft breathing noises. Looking over to my side, I realized that he had fallen asleep; his book was still in his hand. I took the book and marked his place. I laid it on the bedside table.

We still had at least three hours before we needed to think about dinner and I decided that a nap wasn't a bad idea at all. I marked my place in my book, laid it aside, and curled up next to my sleeping cutie. His body sensed what was happening and he instinctively rolled over and threw an arm and a leg on top of me as he pulled close against my side. We slept for about two hours before our internal clocks seemed to wake us both up at the same time.

He smiled up at me, his beautiful eyes half hooded by his thick dark lashes. I pulled in and down and kissed his thick strawberry red lips.

"Have a good nap?"

"Oh yah. I feel like I could stay up till sunrise right now."

"Well that's not going to happen, but we could do an early dinner and then walk around the water for a bit. Are you enjoying your book?"

"Yeah Dad. It's funny that you kinna forget that they're rabbits they're just… characters in the book an the author really paints pictures with his words if that makes any sense."

"It makes all the sense in the world Sean and that's exactly how I felt when I first read it. I marked your place after you fell asleep."

"Thanks Dad." He reached up and kissed me again.

"So, then, dinner and a walk and then back home for a little reading and a little sleeping?"

"Just sleeping Dad?" His grin was total naughty boy.

"Well, perhaps a little more Punkin Pie. Now though, we'd better get out of this bed and get some clothes on Sean Michael Tucker!"

"OR… Eric Arthur Tucker, we could just wrap ourselves in this comforter and walk through town cuddled this way."

We both giggled and I said as I kissed his nose;

"Trouble with that idea little man is that YOU'D do it."

He giggled wildly and rolled around under the quilt. As he slowed down I asked what we were going to have for dinner. He poked his head out from under the comforter and said with a large grin;

"I'm gonna have lobster an you're gonna have me."

He poked back under the quilt and began laughing hysterically. I tried to grab him to get him under control but it was like trying to chase a happy little puppy in the mood to play.

I finally resorted to pulling the entire comforter off the bed leaving a gorgeous naked boy exposed and vulnerable.

"Dad… now I'm cold." He'd turned on his 'sad puppy' eyes but he couldn't hide his grin, which gave him away instantly.

"Aufstehen!" I ordered with a false scowl.

Sean always took me seriously when I spoke another language. Language seemed not to be one of his many talents but the harsh German word had its affect and he jumped out of bed and retrieved his clothes.

We were walking together down the hill into the village.

"So really, what do you want for dinner Sean?"

"Well Dad, if we were back in Georgia, what would you want besides shrimp?"

"Maybe a pork chop sandwich."

"A what?"

"A pork chop sandwich. I'll show you the next time we go back there."

"OK but we're in Maine now and there's nothing I want more than lobster is that alright?"

"Of course it's alright Little Man. This is our last night here so, let's get you a two or two and a half pound lobster and fill you up. Do you think you could handle that?"

We were early enough that we were escorted to a prime table overlooking the Warf. Sean's eyes gleamed as he gazed through the window looking out across the water. There was always activity on Frenchman's Bay though most of the lobster and fishing boats were in for the day.

"We sure have been to some intrestin' places this trip haven't we?"

"Yes Son. They're places that I love and places I wanted to see again while I rested and recuperated."

"Well, I don't know how me getting' thrown in jail helped you to rest an' recuperate very much."

I smiled and squeezed his shoulder.

"It helped because I learned how strong and resolute my son is. It helped a great deal little man."

By now, our dinners had been served. I'd ordered a normal pound and a half lobster, and Sean was the recipient of a two and a half pound monster. It took up almost half the table.

"Better put that bib on boy. I suspect that you're gonna make a mess."

He grinned at me.

"Don't worry about me Dad. You take care of yourself. Just by the way, I AM strong and resolute but you helped make me that way. You're the father that I never thought I'd have. You're the man who loved and still loves me… you're the light of my life. If I ever can find a way to show you how much I love you I will, but right now, all I can do is tell you. I'm only a kid but I unnerstan things an I can figure out things an soon I'm gonna help you with all those things. Trust me on that."

Then he attacked his giant lobster and conversation was over.

***

We'd snuggled and kissed for about an hour before I snaked down the bed and taken his little ramrod into my mouth and worked him into oblivion. He'd cuddled close to me and I spoke softly to him;

"So, I've set the alarm. You are responsible for dressing warmly… including a jacket and a hat. It will be very cold up there. Now get some sleep. Tomorrow will be near the time for Don Quixote and Sancho to return to La Mancha."

He wrinkled up his cute little nose and his eyes were wide.

"What Dad?"

I smiled and pulled him to me.

"Never mind little man. You'll understand that all later. Right now, you just sleep."

"Kay." He murmured and was soon fast asleep. I smiled thinking that having eaten a two and a half pound lobster might have had something to do with that.

***

The ride up to the top of Cadillac Mountain is really a cautious drive even in the daytime. In the black of night, it is something that grabs your nerves and your mind and your wits. The ride back down would be extraordinary because the views would be mind blowing but now in the dark… it was essentially just a ride.

At the top, there is a small parking lot and a gift shop/visitor center that was closed of course. I parked the car and we got out. I'd been right, It was quite cold out here and we both zippered up our jackets. I pulled down my wool slack hat and Sean pushed down his St. Louis Cardinals ball cap and we began to walk down the trail to the eastern end of the peak.

There was a small gathering of other people when we emerged at the end of the trail. I suspected that many of them were local people who did this regularly.

This suspicion was confirmed when a burly old man in a leather jacket approached us and even in the dark, you could see his smile.

"Hellow you two. I suspect that this is your first time eh? Name's William Winslow an' you?"

Sean took the lead and offering his little hand he said;

"I'm Sean Tucker Mr. Winslow and this is my father Eric."

"Well, I'm pleased to meet you the Tucker family. This is a very special thing for me. My son and I used to come up on this mountain every Saturday night and we'd sit here and wait for the light to break and we'd hold hands and yell out loud; 'Good morning America!' We did that every week since he was eight years old. Then we'd go down the mountain and have us some breakfast and grab Mom and head off to Church.

There's something special about family and family tradition. Billy Junior turned out to grow into a fine young man just as I suspect you will Sean Tucker. Trouble was, he believed all the crap the government was pitching out and he enlisted in 1990 and was soon over there in Iraq. He wasn't lucky and he came back to us in a box.

We buried him facing East so he could see the sunrise. Cancer caught his Mother two years later so… now I come up here every week and on Sunday I tend the flowers around her grave. Its special and life lifting.

My son and I used to stand against that wall and watch the sunrise and as soon as it broke, we'd raise our hands and shout; "Good morning America!"

Sean walked to the old man and took his hand.

"Do you think we could do that Mr. Winslow? Could we join hands an do that? My Dad would sure like to be a part of it. We came up here for sunrise to be somethin' special… this would sure make it special."

I struggled to hold back tears as I listened to my young son.

"Thank you Sean Tucker. I think I'd like that a lot. We've still got an hour before that happens yet so we've got to make ourselves comfortable."

I stepped forward and said;

"Well, if you were a man who liked the occasional taste, I've brought a couple of flasks."

He smiled and said that he wouldn't mind.

After we'd taken a few sips, Winslow checked his watch and said that we'd best head to the East wall.

"The crack of light over the horizon will be the first light of dawn upon the United States today and so, we will be the first bathed in its brilliance. My son and I always greeted the dawn by wishing America 'good morning'"

I offered him my flask one more time and he took another sip and then we walked together to the rugged stone wall.

Sean placed himself between us and we faced the east.

Almost theatrically, the horizon took on an orange/yellow color while the mostly black sky became more and more purple. Unannounced and almost unexpected, a sliver of blazing yellow light that was almost white broke the even line of the ocean horizon.

William grasped Sean's hand and Sean grasped mine and together we raised our arms and shouted;

"Good morning America!"

Sean turned and hugged William and the old man returned the embrace.

"Thank you for this experience Mr. Winslow it means a lot to me."

"You are more than welcome Sean Tucker. You have no idea how much this has meant to me. I've done this vigil alone for so many years. You've made this morning special.

This was Bill's service cap. It's one of the few things that they sent back with his body. I take it up here to the top of the mountain so that I feel he's with me. Maybe, if you'd take it, part of him might be out there moving about the world."

He offered a ragged desert camo service cap.

Sean had almost spilled tears in his eyes and he took his Cardinals baseball cap off.

"Then Mr. Winslow, you gotta take my cap. That way, the next time you go to the top of the mountain, me an' Bill will be with you an' I'll be proud and happy to wear Bill's cap."

I shook Bill's hand and the three of us walked back to the parking lot. I invited him to breakfast but he declined explaining that he had a group of friends that always met on Sunday morning. I told him that I understood and then scooted Sean over to the car.

"Dad… that was one of the greatest things that I ever did in my life!"

"I knew it would be Sean but meeting Mr. Winslow made it even more special. Today will be a lazy day while I think about where we are going next."

We were reading an cuddling together at the house when my phone rang for the first time,

Based upon my orders, this could only mean something serious and so' I answered it with trepidation.

Chapter 23

If you think that life is meant to be gentle and kind, you are terribly mistaken.
Life is meant to gobble you up.
It is meant to test you and at times tear you to pieces, but it is also meant to bind your wounds and to bring you back upon the path.
There is no one that can protect you from life and you cannot hide from it.
Life must be lived and if you live it properly, you will allow it to engulf you and bring you joy.
You have to love, you have to feel. It is the reason you are here on earth. You are here to risk your heart. You are here to be swallowed up by life.

I disconnected the phone call and sat silently on the side of the bed thinking about the conversation I'd just had.

"Dad… Dad what is it? What's the matter? Can I help?" He'd wrapped his arms around me and was staring into my eyes and his sweet face was drawn into a look of fear and concern.

"Trouble at home little man. Brian's Mother has had an embolism burst and it doesn't sound good."

He snuggled tighter against me and grasped my hand.

"What's a 'nenblueism' Dad?"

"An embolism Son. Well, it's kind of like a clot or an air bubble in a blood cell. Lots of folks are born with them and yet, many people live their whole lives never even knowing that they've been carrying one. Sometimes though, the bubble rises into their brain or near their heart and it either stops the blood flow or it bursts and does serious damage… often deadly damage and that is what seems to have happened to Brian's Mother."

He pulled himself into me and sighed.

"Poor Brian. Me an Jack are lucky that we lost our parents when we were very little an don't remember who we lost. Brian's like you though Dad… he remembers his Mom like you remember your Father, Mother an' Kyle. I think it's better not to remember losing people. You know… like I'm still sad about losing Walter."

I ran my fingers through his thick black hair and rocked slowly back and forth, as I hugged him closely and ran one hand down from his neck to the small of his back.

"D-Dad, you don't think Brian will go crazy like you've told me you did when your family died? Do you."

"No Sean, he has OUR family to help him and protect him. He has all of us and, I have an idea that might help him heal but first, I hope that he'll play this entire soccer season. I don't want him lose that focus. You and I were supposed to move onto another state tomorrow but now, we're going home. We'll drive out to Portland and leave the car at the airport and Captain Lucas will fly us back to Joyous Gaurde. Oh my, I've got to call Art Lyons and tell him where his car will be. Please remind me to do that when we get to Portland Sean."

"Kay Dad." He nuzzled closer to me.

"Do you want to sleep more or should we leave right now?"

"Let's leave right now Dad. I need to be with Brian an' I think he really needs to be with you even more than with me."

"OK then, don't even bother packing carefully, just throw your stuff into your case and let's get into the car."

He grinned at me and said: "Think we should get some clothes on first?"

He caught me so off guard that I actually thought about his question for a moment before I broke out in laughter. I pulled him closely and hugged him tightly as his smooth young skin slid against my own. I loved this boy so much that I often felt my heart would stop just from the exertion of loving him.

***

It was still dark when we reached Portland. Richard let me know that the jet was about twenty minutes away. I'd called Art Lyons to let him know where I'd left his car and suggested… more or less ordered… that he and his wife make a vacation out of retrieving it. I also told him that I'd be sending out a crew of body specialists to help him complete the restoration of his MG.

The jet touched down just a bit ahead of time and we were in the air in twenty minutes. Sean made no move to enter the cockpit. He stayed behind and hugged me. I pulled out a drawer from one of the furniture-like side cabinets, grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around the both of us. I put my hand under his shirt and ran it up and down his back as he nuzzled his head against my shoulder. We both fell asleep rather quickly. Neither of us woke up during the refueling stop and we were oblivious of the second take-off. The fact is that we had to be awakened when we reached our final destination.

It was Captain Lucas' face that I first saw as I thrust myself up from sleep.

"Eric, the car is waiting to take you both home."

"You are some pilot my friend. Neither of us even felt the landing."

He smiled, not bothering to remind me that there had been two landings actually. He helped me gently wake up the boy sleeping by my side.

As Sean opened his heavy lidded eyes, he smiled and said: "Hi Captain Lucas. I never got to spend time with you in the cockpit. I think I slept the whole flight."

The man smiled down at him and offered his hand to raise him up.

"There will be many other opportunities Sean. Now, it's time for you and your Dad to get home."

"Kay Captain, but you'll fly with me soon but I'll be doin' the flying right?"

The man smiled as we both raised the still groggy boy to his feet.

The limo was right at the foot of the stairs and John was waiting with the door opened.

Sean looked at me and I knew what his question was and I simply nodded my head. I entered the car and Sean closed the door.

"John, I gedda ride up here with you. Maybe, I'll fall asleep though."

Almost as soon as he said that, it was exactly what he did. His young body practically collapsed into the seat and he never budged during the short ride to the estate. Smiling at John, I unclasped the boy's seatbelt and raised him into my arms. I carried him up to his own bedroom and slowly undressed him and placed him under the blankets and sheets.

I went downstairs to find out what was going on.

***

Daniel greeted me and explained that Brian was at Fish Camp with Doc Swaim and Jack.

"Does he know everything?"

"Pretty much Eric, all of us (knowing you), didn't think you'd want him deceived or eventually taken by an unpleasant surprise. He'll be very happy to see you though. We haven't told him you were coming."

"Thank you Daniel. You are an incredible bunch of guys. Sean is asleep in his room and I'm going out to Fish Camp to see Brian."

He nodded his head.

"I'll watch out for Sean and I'll also make certain that Martha knows that you're both home for breakfast."

I smiled and walked out the back door and selected a golf cart harnessed at the charging area.

The cart had headlights but I almost didn't need them. I'd made this drive so many times in my life that I felt that I could do it with my eyes closed… although of course, I never intended to try doing that.

The little cabin glowed. The interior lights poured invitingly through the windows. The slight mist gathering upon the surface of the pond with the bright moon above, gave it an almost 'Thomas Kinkaid' sense of quaintness… an unnatural beauty and a feeling of remote and safe welcome. Of course, wise Doc Swaim would have taken the hurting boy here… He would feel safe, protected and comfortable.

My emotions were raging as I stopped the cart and stepped off. What in the hell was I going to say to this poor little boy. My sneakers crunched heavily upon the leaves and twigs as I walked slowly to the front steps and opened the door, which was (seemingly) always unlocked.

The three of them were sitting huddled together off to the right and they didn't notice me as I first walked into the cabin. Jack had his arm around Brian who suddenly looked so small to me and Doc Swaim was sitting just in front of them holding the younger boy's hand and saying something so softly that I couldn't hear it well enough to understand.

I stepped into the great room and said: "Brian… Brian… Son, I…"

In an instant, his head was up and his eyes met mine. He was off the couch and wrapped around me with his face buried into my chest.

"Dad! You came."

"Of course I came sweet boy… just as soon as I heard." I guided him back to the couch and urged him to sit while I greeted the other two in the room. Jack, tall and strong was on his feet and his emerald green eyes were moist as he wrapped his arms around my neck. 'My God!' I thought to myself, 'He is getting near as tall as I am'. We hugged ferociously before I pushed him back and just looked at him… my red-haired wonder. What a young man he was becoming. By the grace of whatever gods may be, he was still a boy but the shadow of man-hood was strong upon him and my heart burst with love as I looked at him.

"Jack, what a bastion you've been for your brother."

"No Dad, I've just been a brother that's all."

I smiled and nodded my head.

Turning to Doc Swaim I noticed that he was offering me a drink, which I accepted.

"Well Doc, it looks like I inadvertently left you a lot to handle eh?"

He nodded and then with pride in his voice replied;

"Nothing that family can't cope with."

I almost lost it then as I remembered our conversation when I'd asked him to consider this his home and us as his family. Somehow, I managed to keep control. We all sat down and I took a sip from my single malt.

"Brian, you're not a small child and I know that Doctor Swaim would never try to sugar coat a harsh reality and so, I think you know what is going on with your Mom."

His eyes were bright and wet but he bravely nodded his head in the affirmative. I motioned to him to come over to me and silently and instinctively, he climbed up on my lap and curled up against me. Perhaps many people would consider he was too large for this but, I didn't give a shit… I wanted to hug and comfort my grieving boy.

"Your mother is a cloistered Nun. That means under ordinary circumstances you would not be allowed to see her. However, she is currently in a public hospital and therefore you may visit her. Sadly Brian, there may not be much for you to visit. She won't be awake and even if she was, she won't recognize you. Having said that, I think it's important for you to see her and so, we'll leave in the morning. We can either fly or drive… your choice.

He was silent for a long time and then he looked up at me.

"Could we drive there together Dad? Could we take the Red Cat and maybe try to have a little road trip going there before … .b-before Mom… before Mom d-dies? I know she's going to die. She's pretty much dead already. Doctor Swaim has told me so."

I hugged him tightly to me and said: "Of course we can Brian. That sounds like a great idea. Jack, why don't you stay here tonight and come on in with Professor Swaim for breakfast in the morning. I know that Sean will be excited to see you both."

"Sounds like a plan Dad." He smiled as he gently helped Brian up to his feet. My tall bold 'Spider' suddenly seemed to have become a small sad little boy and I quickly wrapped my arm around him and walked him to the door. I bid Doc and Jack a soft goodnight ensuring that I'd see them both at breakfast.

Brian was slightly better by the time we'd reached the cart and we were back at Joyous Gaurde quickly and soon at the elevator and up to my bedroom.

I slowly removed his clothes as Brian just stood there; limp and motionless. When he was naked, I laid him on the bed. I quickly undressed and lay down beside him and gathered him into my arms. I drew our bodies together in a tight protective hug.

"I love you my little Brian. This will be sad but I promise you that your life will be happy. I PROMISE you son."

He snuffled as his face was pressed against my chest.

"I k-know Dad it's just that… "

"We'll have lots of time to talk son. Right now, you need to sleep."

He nodded his head and casually threw one long young leg over my hips as he pulled himself even tighter against me. He had adopted Sean's favorite position sleeping with me except from the other side. Almost instantly, he was breathing rhythmically and softly snoring. He was obviously emotionally exhausted.

***

Martha's welcome for me and Sean was effusive and my little boy basked in her attention. He and Brian had experienced a private reunion and commiseration early in the morning and by the time we were seated for breakfast, the brown haired boy seemed to be in control of himself and his emotions. He actually laughed a couple of times as Sean began telling everyone about our trip.

"You actually got locked up in jail Sean?" Brian's eyes were wide open and excited.

"Yep. I got locked up for beating the heck out of the guy that was trying to rob me. Those self-defense lessons that we've been takin' really do come in handy Bri."

"I can't wait to hear about the rest of your journey."

"But not now Brian." I interjected. "We've got to get on the road. You and I have our own journey. We've got a long ride ahead of us with a sad ending I suspect."

Hugs were exchanged the last being with Martha who held the boy closely and slowly stoked his back.

"Be strong Brian. Your Mother is in God's hands you know."

The boy nodded his head and hugged the loving woman tightly. After a few moments, he pulled away snuffling and walked over to me.

"OK you guys, we'll see you when we get back."

I'd informed Richard about our general plans but he understood we might diverge from the planned route. I knew there would be Skuggor on our tail but I'd gotten used to it. They were pretty much like their name; 'Skuggor' meant 'shadows' and that was how they were. They were hand selected for the organization and to a man, they were loyal and sedulous in the performance of their duties.

We walked out to the garage and John was there. He didn't say anything instead, he took Brian in his arms and raised him up and hugged him.

"Courage Brian." He finally said as he set the boy down.

"Thanks John." The boy replied as I placed our small travel bags into the trunk of the little sports car.

"We've just got to make one quick stop in town." I told Brian and he nodded his head in acknowledgement.

***

Shortly, I brought the little red Jaguar to a stop in the parking lot of Struthers. Brian looked slightly confused but I just told him to wait in the car because I'd be right out. True to my word, I was back behind the wheel in less than fifteen minutes.

Brian looked at me quizzically and I simply smiled at him as I reached into the bag I'd brought out from the haberdashers and displayed it to him.

It was a brown Irish tweed flat cap much like the one I'd given to Sean when we took our first ride together in the 'Red Cat' what seemed like a half a lifetime ago. I placed it on Brian's head and then reached back in the bag and presented him with a pair of high quality aviator- style sunglasses.

Satisfied with the 'look', I reached over into the glovebox and retrieved my own tweed flat cap and sunglasses. After putting them on, I smiled at Brian and said: "Now, we're ready to hit the open road with the top down and the sun on our faces."

The smile he returned to me was a gift that could not be purchased for all of the gold and silver in the world. It suddenly dawned upon me that because of everything that had happened this year; this was Brian's first real ride in the 'Red Cat' and certainly our first road trip together. I thought bitterly about what almost certainly lay ahead of him. Despite that, Brian was my son and I was determined to make this trip as enjoyable as possible for the boy. He'd experienced a surfeit of sadness for a kid just barely fourteen and I had decided that enough was enough. Brian was going to be happy goddamit!

***

We stopped for lunch at a little roadside restaurant; the kind of place that I enjoyed immensely. The further East we drove, the more divergent the 'fast' food became. In one short day, the 'road food' had morphed from predominantly TEX-MEX into barbeque and my boy and I were happily diving into plates of ribs, corn on the Cobb and tasty beans cooked in a sweet brown sauce.

Brian raised his head up and grinned; his chin was slick with sauce and butter from the corn.

"We need a place like this back in town Dad! This is so good."

I smiled and said: "I'll remind you of that the next time we have lunch at Alfredo's."

He blushed and grinned at the same time.

"Yeah I know, but you have to admit this is good."

I reached over the table and stroked his cheek. "Yeah, I DO have to admit this is good."

Now, let's talk Brian. Your Mother may already be dead or she'll likely die while we are on the road… you know this. It's a fact so let's not hide from it. We're going to pay last respects. There is nothing we can do; no miracle you can produce that will change the end of this drive. It will end with your Mother's peaceful death and if she's right, her delivery into the arms of her God. I don't share her belief but that doesn't make her wrong and me right. We will all find out eventually that's a certainty Brian.

Since time is not really a constraint, how would you feel about spending the night just about twenty miles ahead of us? The motel will be rather cheap by our standards but it will be clean and the bed will be comfortable. Nearby, there is a genuine ghost town. We can explore it this afternoon. Then, we'll get up early in the morning and make it to your Mother's hospital by late afternoon tomorrow."

"Sounds great Dad." He smiled as he said it and I smiled back.

***

There was nothing special about the 'Rorrytown Inn' except for its prime proximity to 'Rorrytown' itself. That was the name of the ghost town just down the road. The motel certainly wasn't sleazy. It was freshly painted and seemingly well maintained. When all was said and done however, it was simply a motel quite unlike the four-star hotels that I was used to. After checking in, Brian and I changed into light clothing and headed for the Ghost Town.

It turned out that the ghost town; 'Rorrytown' was genuine. There had been a small gold strike in the hills and soon a bustling little town had grown up around the meager claims. It lasted less than three years but local residents have worked to preserve the town for historical purposes. It was a minor but modestly successful tourist attraction.

Beside the restored buildings, there were volunteer re-enactors portraying everything from shopkeepers to blacksmiths and gunslingers. These latter staged mock gunfights on the main street every half an hour.

I was going to explain to Brian that these were historically not accurate. There is not one iota of evidence that the classic movie/tv showdown we'd grown up with ever occurred in the old west. True shooting confrontations were actually events that took place when the combatants already confronted each other drawn, cocked and ready… not a fast draw in the bunch. I changed my mind when I realized that Brian was enjoying the spectacle too much for me to want to spoil it just for the sake of historical veracity.

We enjoyed the entire visit and laughed together as we explored the little village. The entire presentation was quite well done. The buildings were well maintained and the working staff were cheerful, helpful and quite good at their respective roles in depicting what life might have been like in the little town over a hundred years ago.

We walked back to the car through the laughable 'Boot Hill' cemetery getting a great kick out of some of the epitaphs written on the wooden grave markers. Brian wrapped his arm around me.

"Thanks Dad." He almost mumbled.

"For what Brian?"

"For loving me."

"Brian, I've loved you from the first time I met you. Thanks for agreeing to become my son."

"I'm so… so… so sad and happy at the same time." He sniffled and tried to hide his tears.

"Brian, you and your brothers mean everything to me. You have tears ahead of you but you also have a happy life with family and friends. Be strong."

***

Just down the road from our motel was a steak house that looked to be quite popular and after only a short discussion, we took its popularity to be a recommendation and decided to have our dinner there. It turned out that we were not disappointed; the steaks were big, juicy and seared and grilled perfectly.

I wasn't able to sneak Brian a beer or a glass of wine because there were too many people in the restaurant. That didn't seem to bother him because he knew there was a cold beer waiting in our cooler back in our room.

***

We were lying side by side on the big bed in our motel room. I was drinking a glass of Glen Fiddich and Brian was enjoying a bottle of 'Tucker Brothers Pale Ale' that I'd packed before we left Joyous Gaurde. We were both naked and content.

As soon as we'd returned to the room, he had insisted that I make love to him. We undressed swiftly and I took him into my arms pressing my lips against his. Soon we were sharing a frenzy of love and passion.

I'd initially intended to take him slowly and gently but our shared ardor predestined a rougher more physical coupling.

I have no idea how long we moved against each other fervently… joined together in that special way while our hands and lips enthusiastically exploring the other's body.

Brian's release came first and he moaned with pleasure as he sprayed his young juices onto his chest and belly. I exploded inside him just a few moments later and we cuddled with each other tightly, breathing heavily. Eventually, we returned to normal respiration and we propped ourselves up on our pillows. I rose up from the bed, got him his beer and then made my drink.

We were smiling at each other and sharing funny recollections of our trip so far.

***

The light just barely coming through the window awakened me. I hadn't closed the curtains or the blinds and so, when I looked out, I was greeted by the sight of a blazing white ball right in the middle of an orange band that separated a grey sky and a purple horizon.

I shook his shoulder and once he began to stir, I spoke loudly to him;

"Up you get Brian, shower time and we'll grab breakfast along the road."

"OK Dad." He half yawned as he rolled off the bed. His young body was magnificent and I had to retrain myself from pulling him back down upon the mattress.

"That shower isn't big enough for both of us, so you go first son."

Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he walked into the bathroom and soon I heard the shower running. Shortly, the beautiful boy emerged from the bathroom; his body glistening with moisture from the shower as he worked the towel against his skin.

"Mighty little shower Dad, but it's your turn." He was smiling as he toweled his hair. I was looking at his body; shining with the remaining dampness on his skin and wished that we didn't need to be on the road so early. Despite the temptation, I entered the shower and soon was out, dry and dressed.

We stepped into the already warm air. I lowered the top on the red car and we were back on the road. Brian was chatty today. I suspected that he was trying to forget what was certainly lying ahead of him. I let him chatter on and replied when it was relevant.

About two thirty, we pulled into the parking lot of the regional hospital and walked to the reception desk. "Would you tell us what room Maria Williams is in?"

The elderly woman scanned her screen frowning at her lack of success. I quickly interjected; "Perhaps she's here under the name of Sister Maria."

"Oh yes, Sister Maria… from the Cloister. She's in room four twenty two. That's on the fourth floor of course and the elevators are just down that corridor to your right.

When we reached the fourth floor, a large Hispanic nurse asked us what we were here for and I explained that Brian was here to see his mother before she passed.

"Sir, I'm sorry but there must be some mistake. The patient in room 422 is a Catholic Nun." I nodded my head and smiled ever so slightly.

"I know that and I also understand that this is very unusual but I assure you that she is Brian's mother. It's a long and complicated story, but perhaps these papers will make it a bit clearer."

I handed her the packed of documents that I'd brought with me. She perused them for a few minutes and then looked up at me with a sad smile. Glancing down at Brian she said: "Brian, you understand that your mother's condition is very grave. It's a miracle that she has lasted this long."

He raised his face with a grim smile of determination.

"She's lasted this long because she's waiting for me. God could have taken her anytime he wanted but they're holding off until I get to kiss her and take her hand. God will have her forever but I'm being allowed a short time first. Can I see her now?"

"Of course Honey, follow me."

As we walked down the corridor, I felt my eyes flood with tears. What Brian just said had shocked and stunned me to the point that I felt unworthy to be walking to his Mother's room with him.

Maria was lying in the hospital bed semi-propped up. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was open as she breathed rapidly. It was as if her body was desperately trying to save itself even though it knew it was a losing battle. She looked so much smaller than the last time I'd seen her. I has been my experience that when in repose, dead and dying people seem to shrink in upon themselves making their earthly burden smaller and lighter.

If I were a truly spiritual man, I think I'd attribute this to the exit of the soul or spirit that is the actual life force of the individual. I am sadly either too young or too jaded despite the several questionable contacts with my dead family and Walter, to believe. Maria, literally brain dead lying on the bed had far more faith than I did and now I realized; so did Brian.

He walked over and kissed the limp body on the bed and then grasped her hand.

"I'm here Mom. You can go when you're ready. You made sure that I was safe and loved and I'll always adore you for that. You were the best Mom ever and I love you."

Seconds later, Maria's breathing stopped and the machine monitoring her vital signs flat lined.

After a few minutes of checking, the nurse wrapped her arms around Brian and told him what he already knew;

"Your Mother is gone Honey. I'm so sorry."

He shook his tear streaked face and said to no one in particular;

"She squeezed my hand! I swear to you that she squeezed my hand. She knew I was there and she waited for me."

***

We checked into the nearest and best hotel and I quickly gave him a beer which he drank almost instantly.

"So, do you realize that now we are a family of orphans?"

I thought about that for a moment and then replied;

"Perhaps technically because none of us have our original parents but, you and your brothers have me as a parent. You have two loving brothers and we have a wonderful family. How can you be an orphan when you have all that?"

Tears were streaming from his eyes.

"What if this had happened when it was just me and Mom? What would have happened then?"

"But it didn't happen that way Brian. That's got to be for a reason. Now, the restaurant in this hotel looks decent. Go wash your face and let's have dinner."

Brian smiled and walked into the bathroom. He returned several minutes later looking much better.

As we were eating dinner, I shared a few thoughts with him;

"Your Mother will be interned tomorrow but we will not be allowed to participate. This will be a Nun's funeral. We will be able to visit her grave next year and we will Brian.

I truly want you to play goalie this season and do your best. When the season is over, I think that I'd like for you to spend about four weeks out on the ranch with Pete and of course Paulie and Howie.

You'll learn to ride and perhaps many other things… Pete is a great teacher. The thing is Brian, it will clear your head and heal your heart."

"Thanks Dad. I really do want to play the soccer season just to show them that I'm the best but, time on the ranch sounds great. I love Paulie and Howie almost like they were brothers. So now, instead of desert, what about we go upstairs and you make love to me?"

I smiled and offered him a hand to raise him up from his chair.