Window
to the World
By Indiana
Jon
indiana_jon@aol.com
(New!)
©
2011
This is a fictional work. Any resemblance to actual
persons, events, or dialog is strictly coincidental.
Teacher disclaimer:
While the
author has attempted to correct all spelling and grammatical
errors in this story, he has chosen to take special liberties
with the dialog in order to retain the ‘natural’ speech
of the characters involved.
Contractions, slang, and even swearing abound, as it does
in today’s society, so put your red pens down and loosen
up a bit!
Chapter
Fifteen – The Jury is In…
As Jordan’s mind slowly
transitioned from sleep to consciousness, he thought he felt
something barely moving around in his hair on the back of his
head. His initial
indifference abruptly turned into near panic when he suddenly
realized that it just might be a spider!
Quickly using his hand to repeatedly swat at his hair,
he was mortified when he heard Dalton loudly complain.
“Ouch…, what are
you doing?” the confused, younger boy questioned;
backing away, while rubbing his injured nose with his hand.
“I woke up thinking a
spider was in my hair,” Jordan lamely confessed, blushing.
“How did I end up hitting your nose, anyway?”
Now it was Dalton’s turn
to blush.
“Um…, because I
might have been smelling your hair?”
“Smelling my hair???”
“Yeah…, it smells
real good!” he bashfully admitted, with an ornery grin.
“Dude, we’re gonna
have to have a serious talk about what you can and can’t
do to your friend while he’s asleep,” the older boy
teased, moving his fingers to Dalton’s ticklish ribs and
making him break into a fit of giggles.
“Don’t, PLEASE,”
Dalton begged between giggles, “I have to pee, Jordan, and
I’ll wet the bed.”
The older boy instantly stopped;
feeling terrible about making Dalton confess something so personal.
“I’m sorry, little
brother,” he sincerely apologized.
“If I had known, I wouldn’t have tickled you
before letting you to go to the bathroom first.”
“It’s okay,”
Dalton replied, without giving it any thought.
“You stopped before I peed…, but one time in
an elevator, Tim made me wet my pants, so I ran to our hotel
room before he could get there, and I locked him out, and got
a glass of water. Then
when I opened the door, I soaked him, so it looked like
he peed his pants too!”
“That is too funny…,
I mean about the part where you got Tim wet, that is,” Jordan
quickly clarified, with a grin.
“So…, would you
carry me to the bathroom, ple-e-e-e-e-e-z-e?” the eleven-year-old
cajoled, using his best ‘begging puppy’ face on his
guest, while holding out his arms.
Jordan felt incredibly uncomfortable
with this request, and tried to put it off, but Dalton continued
to insist; arguing that Tim carried him every morning.
“Well, he’s your
dad, and that makes a big difference…, but…, I suppose
just this once…, I could make an exception.”
Dalton immediately started
to crawl onto Jordan’s lap.
“Whoa, hold your horses
there, partner,” the older boy interrupted, while using
his hands to impede Dalton’s forward progress.
“It’s gonna be nearly impossible for me to stand
up from in here if I’m holding you. Let me get out first, then
I’ll pick you up,” he patiently explained, hoping also
for a tactful opportunity to adjust his throbbing five inch erection.
Dalton happily scrambled out
of the bunk and anxiously stood at the foot of the bed, while
Jordan took his turn getting out.
He had no sooner straightened up to his full height, when
he felt seventy-five pounds of solid boy jump onto his chest;
latching on around his neck.
Completely unprepared for this sudden change in physics,
he stumbled backwards; entangling his feet in a six-foot toy
python! Unable to keep his balance,
Jordan fell backwards, with Dalton still attached around his
torso. Amazingly, the older boy
was able to avoid hitting his head on the floor, as the two of
them came slamming down onto the carpet.
“Jesus Fuckin’
Christ, that hurt!” the sixteen-year-old cursed,
trying to assess his damages.
“I’m sorry, Jordan,”
Dalton whimpered, as both of his eyes quickly filled with tears.
“Shit, Dalton, I’m
not mad at you, dude,” the older boy softly reassured, trying
to catch his breath under the full weight of the boy lying on
top of him. “I’m
pissed because Fang thought it was funny to trip
me up!” he joked, lifting his right leg and thumping the
snake in the head with his heel.
This immediately got Dalton
laughing again. While
the younger boy jockeyed to get up, he suddenly froze in place.
“Uh, Jordan…, do
you have….”
Jordan rolled his eyes, fully
aware that the boy was now laying on his erection.
“Yes, Eeyore, I have
a boner. It’s okay to say that
word, you know.”
Dalton giggled, and then appeared
lost in thought; which eventually led to his next question.
“Um…, are you that
way…, because of me?”
“I promise to answer
your question, little brother, but it really should be when we
have more time alone. How ‘bout we take
a bike ride after breakfast, and we can talk all we want, okay?”
Dalton heartily nodded his
head yes, before urgently scrambling to his feet.
Dashing for the door, he yelled, “Gotta PEE!”
“My, what a fine
looking pair of lads we have here,” Tim announced;
noticing the two underwear-clad boys enter the kitchen as he
was pouring his coffee.
“I bet at least one of them is in need of
a morning hug, though,” he hinted, while replacing the coffee
pot on the warmer.
Dalton immediately darted
over and wrapped his arms around Tim’s mid-section, burying
his face in the warmth of the man’s robe.
“Morning Dad,” he
purred, and then promptly held out his arms to be lifted up.
“Good morning my favorite
son,” Tim replied, lifting the boy up and giving him an
affectionate kiss.
Feeling more at ease around
the man, Jordan unflinchingly acted on his impulses and joined
in on the greeting session, walking over and wrapping an arm
around Tim’s back.
“Good morning Tim.”
“And good morning to
you too, Jordan. Did you sleep well?”
“Yes…, considering
I had company,” he teased, giving Dalton a play-frown.
“Yeah Dad, he thought
I was a spider and hit me in the nose!” Dalton shot
back, while shoving Jordan playfully.
“You were smellin’
my hair!” Jordan warbled, his teenage voice cracking.
“Boys, boys…, you’re
not real brothers, so don’t argue like you are,”
Tim chuckled, as he put Dalton back down.
“Now…, what would you like for breakfast?”
“Me and Jordan’s
goin’ on a bike ride this morning,” Dalton enthusiastically
declared, “so can we just do cereal?”
“Fine by me. I’ll get the bowls
down and you show Jordan the cereal,” the man instructed,
opening the cabinet door.
“KEWL, you guys have
Cocoa Pebbles,” Jordan exclaimed, spying the familiar,
brown box setting amidst the other cereal boxes that Dalton had
just revealed.
Dalton quickly looked at Tim,
and the two started cracking up.
“Why are you laughing? It’s good!”
the older boy insisted, quickly grabbing it from the shelf.
“Where we goin’,”
Jordan asked, throwing his right leg over his black and green,
26-inch, Kawasaki® KDX1 mountain bike to straddle
it.
“I don’t know,”
Dalton replied, shrugging his shoulders.
“I just rode once since I got my new bike, and it
was only around the block,” he sheepishly confessed.
“Well, then, I guess
we’ll both learn your neighborhood at the same time,”
the older boy proclaimed with a chuckle.
After double-checking to make
sure he had brought his trusty cell phone, Jordan led the way
onto the quite neighborhood street and headed to the left.
“If we ride towards that
water tower, I’m pretty sure it will lead us to town,”
he explained, shouting back over his shoulder.
Dalton glanced up ahead and
noticed a large, pale-blue water tower looming overhead in the
distance.
“How do you think
of those things?” he asked with fascination, as he pulled
up beside the older boy.
“Cause that’s how
it is at my house, too.
If I want to ride to town, I head towards the water tower.
It holds the water for all the fire hydrants in town,
so they usually build them close to the middle.”
Jordan knew that if he allowed
himself, he could fill the entire bike ride with useless trivial
chatter; captivating Dalton with his wisdom, while successfully
avoiding discussing his gayness.
As they brought their bikes to a halt at the first of
many four-way stops, he decided to get their talk over with,
though, so that Dalton would have a better understanding of him.
“Dalton, I’m not
the only smart one between us,” the older boy stated
with a grin, as he held the weight of his bike up with his left
leg.
“What do you mean?”
Dalton asked, using both of his legs to steady himself, while
looking up to study the sixteen-year-olds’ face.
“Well…, you
figured out why I got a boner this morning.”
There was an unusually long silence, as Jordan remained
perched on his leg, closely gauging the younger boy’s reaction.
“So…, it was
because of me?” Dalton cautiously reasoned, adding a slight
grin.
Jordan nodded his head yes,
before quizzing the boy further.
“Which means…?”
“Which means…, you
will do it with me?” the blond boy blurted out with
renewed expectation.
Jordan hadn’t anticipated
Dalton’s child-like line of reasoning, and was totally caught
off guard.
“NO!” he
reactively exclaimed, startling himself, as well as Dalton.
Before Jordan could even process
his abrupt response, though, and offer an apology, Dalton’s
eyes welled up with tears of rejection.
“FINE!
I HATE YOU, JORDAN!” Dalton spat out, before tearing
out across the deserted intersection, leaving Jordan to sort
out what just transpired.
“WAIT!
DALTON…, IT’S NOT LIKE THAT!” the older
boy called out, while feebly attempting to get his bike shifted
into a lower gear. His legs strained at the
slow turning pedals, trying to gain speed from the fifth-gear
setting he had to settle for, as he stood on the pedals and slowly
accelerated. By the
time his speed matched that of his fleeing target, Dalton was
nearly a block ahead of him!
Little by little, Jordan began gaining on the younger
boy. He was only a half block
behind as Dalton approached the next four-way stop.
‘He’s
not stopping!’
Jordan warned himself, as he tried to pedal harder. Suddenly he noticed Dalton
was braking…hard!
A red pickup truck abruptly entered into Jordan’s
field of vision from the left, approaching the intersection!
Jordan watched helplessly, as Dalton’s rear tire
flared to the right. The
young boy immediately responded by letting off the brake and
turning into the slide.
‘Good one!’ Jordan silently praised,
as he continued bearing down on the unfolding scene. Dalton was unable to maintain
control, however, and overcorrected for his front wheel wobble. His speeding, out-of-control
bike darted between two parked cars setting on the left side
of the street, and plunged into a shoulder-high hedge.
Hurriedly following the smaller bike’s path, Jordan
arrived seconds after the wreck. It appeared as if the hedge
had eaten the front half of Dalton’s bike, including the
rider’s arms, up to his elbows!
“Are you okay?”
Jordan anxiously shouted, dropping his bike to the ground and
running over to the still-stunned boy.
Dalton’s frown returned. “Leave me alone!”
he hissed, tossing his helmet and gloves to the side, before
trying to get off his bike.
Despite the severity of their
quarrel, Jordan broke out laughing; mostly from relief that Dalton
wasn’t hurt any the worse for wear.
“Quit laughing at me
and get me out…, I’m stuck!” Dalton demanded.
“Only if you promise
to hear me out, Dalton,” Jordan firmly countered.
“You took off back there because you assumed
you heard something that I absolutely did not say.
Now…, do we have a deal?”
Dalton tried his best to glare
at the older boy, but he could tell that Jordan still cared for
him, and he had obviously misunderstood why the older boy said
no, so he reluctantly agreed.
Straddling Dalton’s rear
tire, Jordan wrapped his arms under Dalton’s, and carefully
lifted him off his bike. He set him to the side,
but not before giving him a heartfelt hug and a kiss on the top
of his head.
“I really do love you
like a little brother, Dalton, and I nearly lost it when you
almost hit that truck.
Feeling horrible, but at the
same time feeling like he didn’t do anything wrong, all
Dalton could offer was a weak ‘thanks’.
Jordan promptly reclaimed
Dalton’s bicycle from the clutches of the evil hedge, and
once the older boy gave the bike a detailed inspection, they
quietly decided to continue their bike ride.
After proceeding several more
blocks in near silence, Jordan happened to notice the city park
a block over to their left.
“Hey, let’s check
out the park over there,” he suggested, momentarily taking
the lead.
Dalton obediently followed
his friend, and soon discovered that the park encompassed a full
city block.
“Kewl, I have
a park I can come to now!” he exclaimed, peddling faster
as a result of his excitement.
Jordan
willingly allowed the younger boy to take lead, and fell in behind
Dalton. The eleven-year-old led
them to the near corner, where he had spied a bike rack.
“Let’s park our
bikes here, and explore the park on foot,” he eagerly suggested,
skillfully maneuvering his front wheel between the upright bars.
Noticing that Dalton’s
bike didn’t have a lock, Jordan promptly hopped off his
bike, and steered it into the slot directly next to the younger
boy’s bike.
“I’ll use my chain
lock to lock up both of our bikes, since you don’t have
one yet,” he quickly offered.
“Good idea!
I didn’t even think of buying one when we
got my bike,” Dalton openly confessed with a grin.
Jordan swiftly locked the
bikes up, and then shared the combination with Dalton, who felt
as though the older boy had just trusted him with the code to
the country’s entire defense system!
“Jordan…, I’m
sorry for getting mad at you earlier…,” Dalton finally
confessed as the older boy stood up.
“Well…, I deserved
it for the way I answered you.
I wasn’t expecting you to say what you said, and
I promise you I wasn’t angry…, just surprised.”
As they talked, both boys
casually made their way towards a small arched stone bridge near
the middle of the park that spanned a shallow creek, which eventually
fed into the duck pond on the far side.
“The truth is,”
Jordan continued, “I was trying to make you guess
what I had to tell you, instead of me just coming out and telling
you, like I should have.”
The older boy stopped walking
and performed a quick visual sweep of the area to make sure they
couldn’t be heard, before uttering his next sentence.
“Dalton…, the reason
I got hard this morning is because…, I’m gay.”
The eleven-year-old studied
the older boy’s face for a long moment, while using one
hand to shield his eyes from the sun’s glare.
Finally the hint of a grin settled on his lips before
he reacted.
“So…?”
Jordan was staggered by the
reaction, or rather, the lack of alarm.
“You understand what
that means… right?”
“Yeah, you like boys
instead of girls…, like Tim.”
Hoping that he hadn’t
just opened up a whole can of worms, Jordan quickly looked around
and spotted an empty park bench on the other side of the bridge,
which was strategically isolated by itself near the creek.
“How ‘bout I race
you over to that red bench, then we can talk more over there,
okay,” he suggested, wanting to find a better place to chat
freely.
Dalton followed Jordan’s
gaze with his eyes and quickly spied the park bench that the
older boy was referring to.
“Nah…, how ‘bout
that one,” he countered, pointing back in the direction
they had just came from.
As Jordan looked back over
his right shoulder to find the bench Dalton was referring to,
he felt the younger boy give him a blunt shove, before realizing
he’d just been suckered.
By the time Jordan had regained
his balance, Dalton was a good twenty feet away, sprinting madly
for the bridge. Jordan
instantly broke into an all-out dash; unconsciously utilizing
the training he’d received in high school track to optimize
his speed. By the
end of the bridge, Jordan was close enough to touch Dalton. In four more strides, he
would overtake the younger boy and touch the bench first.
It was a surprised Dalton who ended up with that honor,
however. The duo shot past the wooden
bench, decelerating to an eventual stop.
“What happened to you?”
Dalton questioned, panting madly while wiping the sweat from
his forehead. “You were going to
easily beat me, even though I cheated.”
“I guess I used up everything
I had catching you,” Jordan fibbed, while patting the victor
on the shoulder.
Dalton looked him in the eye
and gave him a devilish grin.
“You’re lyin’…,
but I’ll pretend it’s really the truth.”
“You’re just too
smart for your own good, Eeyore,” Jordan playfully
teased, as he took a seat on the bench. Dalton promptly took a
seat next to him, while noticing that Jordan’s face had
become serious once again.
“Dalton…, I’ve
just told you something about me a minute ago that only you and
Tim know about. My parents don’t even
know. And the only reason Tim
found out was because I wrote him a note before I tried to….”
There was a brief, uncomfortable
silence before Dalton’s mind filled in the blanks.
“Before you tried to
kill yourself?” he whispered in intrigue.
Jordan nodded his head in
confirmation.
The younger boy sat quite
for a second, while contemplating this information.
“So…, is that
why you tried?” he timidly asked.
“Yes, Dalton…, but
you need to understand something.
That was before Tim came back, and before I met
you! I felt
like I couldn’t tell anybody, and that trying to
live a secret life would be worse than dying.
So I wrote a note to Tim, because he understood me better
than my own parents. I
told him that I was secretly gay, but it definitely wasn’t
because of what he and I….”
Jordan stopped mid-sentence,
and his face turned ghostly pale as he suddenly realized how
what he was about to say might sound to the younger boy.
Dalton cocked his head in confusion.
Jordan knew that the best option now would be to just
continue.
“Uh, Dalton…, what
I’m having a hard time saying is…, I’m not gay
because of what Tim and I did together. And just because you and
Tim share your love for each other right now doesn’t mean
you’re gay either. If you’re like most
boys, you’ll start liking girls in just a few years.
But even if you don’t…, there’s never an
excuse to do what I tried to do, understand?”
Dalton solemnly nodded his
head yes.
“Now…, what questions
would you like to ask me, little brother?
You can ask anything.”
Dalton thought for a moment.
“If you like boys…,
then why can’t we….”
“DALTON…,
quit tormenting me!” Jordan growled in mock anger.
Dalton heard the playful tone
in Jordan’s voice this time, and knew he wasn’t really
mad.
“Don’t you see
yet?” the older boy continued.
“It isn’t because I don’t want to.
JESUS, I’ve been wanting to since you
walked into my hospital room!
I can’t because I respect Tim as though he
were my dad. If we did mess around,
I wouldn’t be able to look your dad in the face again without
being ashamed. I will, however, promise
to be your best friend as long as you want me to be, and to always
answer all your questions honestly.”
“Good,” Dalton said
with an appreciative grin.
“Can I ask one more question?”
“Absolutely,” the
older boy assured, as he quickly checked his watch.
“Why is it wrong for me and Tim to love each other
the way we do, if we both want to do it?”
Jordan looked at the younger
boy in amazement.
“How the heck do you
come up with all these hard questions, anyway?”
Tim caught himself glancing
at the kitchen clock yet again.
‘This is absolutely insane,’ he silently
chided himself. ‘What
happened to the peace and contentment I had BEFORE I met this
boy?’ The restless man sat down
at the kitchen table with his freshened cup of coffee and took
a slow drink. ‘Will I ALWAYS
feel this anxious when he’s not around?’ he rhetorically
quizzed himself. He fretfully snatched a
cookie from the open package sitting on the table, and began
nibbling at it. Just as he finished
it off, he heard familiar adolescent laughing coming from outside. ‘THEY’RE HOME!’
he celebrated with a sigh of relief, while hurriedly making
his way to the picture window for confirmation.
As he covertly peered out from the very edge of the window,
he observed the boys heading to the front door, so he rushed
back towards the kitchen, hoping to appear as though he hadn’t
noticed their arrival.
“We’re back!”
Dalton loudly announced as he entered the house; making sure
Tim could hear him, even if he were next door at Jerry’s
house.
“Ah, ‘Lewis and
Clark’, I presume,” Tim teased, instantly appearing
from the kitchen with coffee cup in hand.
“Who?” Dalton
asked, wrinkling up his button nose in confusion.
“ I think your dad is
making a lame joke about us being two great explorers,”
Jordan quickly interjected, while watching for Tim’s reaction.
“Lame joke, huh? Well…, on my worst
joke day I could have you rolling on the floor in laughter,”
Tim proudly bragged.
“That would have to
be today, then… and neither one of us are rolling or
laughing,” Jordan taunted, while winking at Dalton.
“Yeah!” the younger
boy chimed in, proudly declaring his loyalty to his ‘big
brother’.
“But the fun hasn’t
even started yet…,” Tim declared, using his best sinister
voice, while deliberately setting his cup down on the coffee
table.
“Oh, SHIT!” Jordan
exclaimed, as he began to slowly back up to the closed front
door.
In no time, Tim had the sixteen-year-old
writhing on the carpet in uncontrolled laughter from being tickled,
while the very wise eleven-year-old chose to set this round out
on the couch.
“DUDE, I need
some help here!” Jordan pleaded between giggling fits.
“NO WAY!” Dalton
respectfully, but forcefully declined.
“Remember yesterday? He whipped both of us!”
“You’re right, Sport,”
Tim boasted, while continuing his ‘torture’ on Jordan.
“But it looks like Gumby here wasn’t
paying attention like you were, so he has to have a second object
lesson.”
Much to Jordan’s delight,
Tim’s attack was suddenly interrupted by the phone.
When the man finally hung
up, his playful mood had changed into a more somber one.
“Who was that?”
Dalton asked, getting up from the couch.
“It was Jordan’s
parents,” he replied, sounding disappointed.
“They need him home by four now, because the family
has been invited to a dinner down in Indianapolis at the last
minute. They said
to tell you both they are extremely sorry, and promise to make
it up to you, since this was something they couldn’t turn
down.”
Tim’s news and sudden
change of mood quickly infected both boys, as they looked at
each other with grave disappointment etched in their eyes.
“How long do we have?”
Dalton asked, struggling to hold back tears.
“Couple hours,”
Tim replied, having already checked the time.
“So, the way I see it…, the three of us can
continue to feel cheated for the rest of the day, and have our
own pity party…, or we could call Mr. Porter next door,
and organize a quick pick-up game of two-on-two hoops.
“HOOPS!” both boys
eagerly shouted in unison while glancing at each other.
“And it’s the men
against the boys!” Dalton hurriedly pointed out; extending
a high-five to his teammate.
“Let’s go change,
so we can school the old guys,” Jordan playfully
mocked; trash-talking Tim on his way back to Dalton’s room,
while his smaller ‘shadow’ closely followed in deep
admiration.
In less than five minutes,
both teams were assembled on Mr. Porter’s driveway/ basketball
court, where they would spend the next hour and a half playing
their hearts out. When Tim’s watch alarm
finally sounded, the boys had beaten the men three games to two,
since the winner of the current game (the boys) was determined
by who was ahead when time ran out.
“Tim, if you hadn’t
been off your game today, we could have swept this little tournament,”
Jerry ribbed, as everyone took a minute to catch their breath
and put their shirts back on.
“Well, ‘LeBron’,
I didn’t see you scoring any ‘threes’ from
downtown like I was, so I guess we both just got out-hustled,”
Tim conceded with a chuckle.
“Next, they’ll be
crying for a rematch,” Jordan spouted to Dalton,
who laughingly agreed.
“No rematch,” Tim
stated, as he gathered the two boys to head home, “but we’ll
see how well you guys can keep up with the old men
this fall when we play two-on-two football! Right, Jer?” he
said, pointing at his neighbor before waving good-bye.
“NO FAIR,”
Dalton quickly protested.
“You guys weigh like a gazillion pounds!”
Dalton’s comment instantly
had the other three nearly doubled over in laughter.
“We’ll take ‘em,
little brother,” Jordan encouraged, draping his arm over
Dalton’s shoulder as they walked across the adjoining yard.
“Besides, it’s touch football, and we’re
way faster than they are.”
“Well, we’ll need
to see some of that speed right now, guys, cause we only have
a half hour to clean up before we leave,” Tim informed them,
as he tried to gently state the obvious.
“Me and Jordan could
shower together!” Dalton hurriedly suggested, looking
up at Tim with his begging blue-grey eyes, while sounding a bit
too eager.
Jordan’s face immediately
went flush as he gave Tim a dumbfounded look; easily convincing
the man that he had nothing to do with this request.
“That would be up to
Jordan, Sport,” Tim replied nonchalantly.
Jordan suddenly felt nauseous. Did Tim just do that? Was he placing the decision
on his shoulders?
Why didn’t he just say NO!? Was this some kind of sick
test he was conducting?
Dalton quickly turned his
attention to his friend.
“Can we, Jordan???”
Jordan looked back over at
Tim, who appeared no different than if they had been talking
about what to fix for lunch!
‘SHIT, Tim, don’t
do this to me!’ he thought to himself.
He looked back into Dalton’s begging eyes.
“Dalton, your dad was
right; we only have a half hour,” he reasoned, trying unsuccessfully
to sound upbeat. “If we had more time,
I’d let you, but I know it would take longer that way, than
if we showered in both bathrooms.” Jordan furiously bit the
inside of his lip hard enough, he started tasting blood.
Big tears filled the eleven-year-olds’
eyes, and he took off running for the front door.
Jordan froze in place, enraged
and totally confused.
“What the hell was
THAT?” He angrily implored, uncertain if he were
closer to crying or fighting.
“I dunno, Jordan. What did it sound like
to you?” Tim cautiously asked.
“It sounded like
you were testing me, Tim.
Did I pass…, cause I sure as hell just
pissed your son off!”
“It wasn’t any kind
of a test, Jordan. It was me saying ‘I
trust you with my son’.
Jordan’s mouth fell open
in stunned disbelief, as he stood there totally speechless.
“Look…,” Tim
continued, “I know you’re gay.
You know I’m a boy-lover…, who has found a very
special boy that I soon hope to call my real son. We both know he’s
at the age where he is intrigued with sex.
If he decides he wants to experiment with you, YOU
are the only one that ultimately grants him approval or not.
Just cause I tell him no won’t keep him from doing
it. Did the fact
that knowing your dad would have strongly disapproved of our
times together stop you from finding a way to do it anyway…
no. The same goes for Dalton. The only thing I can do
is to tell you up front that I trust you with him, and that I
believe you will ALWAYS honor HIS will, as well
as my wishes for his safety and well-being. You know what I
would consider out-of-bounds, and anything he says no to is strictly
forbidden. He should always
take the lead, and never be coaxed or talked into something,
understand?”
The older boy dazedly nodded
his head yes, unconvinced that this bizarre dialogue was indeed
taking place.
“I have to admit, Jordan,
I didn’t expect myself to ever allow you into my
life again, let alone trust you with Dalton.
But this weekend you have shown me how much you have changed,
and the qualities I previously loved about you have returned
once again. Now I
have one more request.”
“What is that?”
Jordan managed to ask.
“I’m not asking
you to spy or betray Dalton’s trust, but will you promise
me that you will always come and talk to me if you feel that
Dalton is making poor choices, or heading down the wrong path?”
“Absolutely, Tim. I would have done that
even if you hadn’t asked me.
He’s like a little brother to me now, and I want
the best for him.”
Without anymore words, Tim
firmly embraced the sixteen-year-old; hugging him with as much
passion as if he were his own son.
The man’s eyes burned with tears as he whispered
in the boy’s ear.
“I’m so sorry, Jordan,
if anything I did when you were younger screwed up your life.”
Jordan hugged the man harder.
“I’m not sorry for
anything we did, Tim, you need to believe that.”
Tim slowly loosened his embrace.
“Well, Gumby, I think
you should go check on your biggest fan, before he gives himself
a shower in his own tears”.
Jordan grinned before sprinting
off to check on Dalton.
“Oh, and I’ll use
the guest bathroom,” Tim called out for clarification.
“Just don’t make us late!”
Dalton waved his final good-bye
as the semi pulled away from the curb.
Settling back into the big seat, he immediately began
to recall the events he had just experienced during this fantastic
weekend. His face,
glowing with contentment, was accentuated by his radiant smile.
Tim studied him for a moment before interrupting his thoughts.
“So, on a scale of one
to ten…, how was your weekend?”
The boy faced the driver and
shot him his biggest toothy grin possible, while holding out
ten extended fingers.
“Now that’s really
funny, because that’s the same score I came up with too.”
“Thank-you, Dad, for
letting Jordan come over.
He told me he was worried at first you wouldn’t forgive
him, but he said when we all wrestled in my room it was like
old times.”
“Jordan has done a lot
of growing up, Dalton, and I’m very happy to see how he
turned out. But YOU are the
one I’m the proudest of, son.”
“Why…, what did
I do to make you proud?” Dalton inquired, taken aback
by Tim’s statement.
“Well, you were…,
just you!”
The boy appeared puzzled.
“Dalton, what I’m
trying to say is, I’m the luckiest man in the whole world,
that you would want me for a dad. Everything about you is
so adorable. You’re tremendously
athletic, you’re funny, you’re amazingly compassionate
and loving, and what's more, you know everything about
me…, all my… secrets…, but yet you choose to stay
with me when you could leave at any time.
I don’t deserve a treasure like you, Sport, no way.”
Dalton’s face beamed
from all the accolades, but at the same time he was certain that
Tim had to be exaggerating a lot, because after all, he knew
himself better than anybody.
“Well, I don’t deserve
you either, but you still want to be my dad, even though I’m
not really all those things you said.”
“In my eyes you are,
Dalton. You are the perfect son
for me…, which brings me to what I really wanted to talk
about.”
Dalton
immediately felt butterflies in his stomach, but he wasn’t
sure if it was from being scared or excited.
“If you remember, before
Jordan came over we talked about having your mom visit.
I think it’s time.
I don’t want to wait any longer to officially become
your dad…, that is, if you are ready to make that decision.”
“I’m ready now!”
the anxious boy interrupted, restlessly swinging his legs back
and forth.
“Well, unfortunately
we might have to wait until next weekend, since tomorrow is Monday,
and I’m not sure what her work schedule is.”
“Do you think she might
have changed her mind?” the boy blurted out, suddenly becoming
apprehensive from doubt.
“There’s always
that possibility, Dalton, but if I were you, I wouldn’t
even think like that. I know that your mom wants
the best life possible for you, and she realizes that if you
live with me, everyone ends up better off…, especially
Mandy and Jake.”
“Will they be coming
too? I really miss them a lot.”
“Sadly, you probably
won’t be able to visit them this first meeting, but if all
goes well, you will see them up there when we go to sign all
the papers. We might
even spend the night.”
“Awesome!
Maybe we can all sleep in the truck again!”
“We’ll
see, Sport,” Tim replied, warmly recalling the special overnight
arrangements during his last visit.
“Now, since you will be a big part of our first meeting,
do you have any questions you want to ask me?”
Dalton sat for a moment, and
then slowly his expression changed to one of worry, as a troublesome
concern that he had tried hard to repress suddenly surfaced.
“What is it, Dalton?”
the man asked, sensing that the boy was deeply bothered.
“Well…, what would
happen if…, Mom finds out about us?”
“Is that something you
want to share with her?” Tim gently asked.
“I don’t want you to ever keep a secret that
you don’t feel comfortable about, understand?”
“No, Tim, I don’t
want to tell her. It’s
just…, she might somehow find out, and I’m scared.”
Tim knew that this issue had
turned into the boy’s dreaded ‘monster’, and the
man had to find a way to destroy it…, or at least tame it,
so that it wouldn’t start to eat away at him.
“Dalton,
there are only three people in the world that know what we do
together; you, me, and Jordan.
The same three people know about Jordan and me.
YOU hold the magic key, son.
Our secret will never be shared, unless you really want
it to be, and then you just use your magic key to unlock the
secret and share it. You’ll
always have that key, so if the secret gets too powerful for
you to keep, all you have to do is let it out…, do you understand?”
“I guess you’re
right, Dad. Jordan told me earlier
today that he kept his secret about being gay from his parents,
and I know for sure you or I wouldn’t tell, because that
would mean we couldn’t see each other ever again…,
so Mom will never find out.”
Tim watched in awe, as the
boy successfully ‘fought off’ his monster with simple
logic.
“Now, is there anything
else you have a question about?
“Nope,” the boy
sang out. Dalton’s sunny disposition
had returned.
“Well, I guess will give
your mom a call as soon as we get home then.”
Deborah steered the red 2009
Ford Focus rental car onto the exit ramp at 6:23 pm.
She had left work an hour early this Monday, and had hurried
home to feed Miranda and Jake a quick bite, before whisking them
over to the babysitter’s (her next door neighbor), and then
picking up this car at the leasing agency.
The phone call Sunday evening had caused her to ditch
her customary agenda, and rush around in a state of chaos in
order to get everything ready for this spur-of-the-moment trip.
She had hastily thrown some things together into a travel
bag late last night, after confirming that her new neighbor of
only a few weeks would be willing to watch her two youngest overnight
tonight. When Tim
had spoken to her during the phone call, he had left it totally
up to her whether to schedule the visit this coming weekend,
or to work it into the week sometime.
She opted for today, even though all of the required last
second planning and shuffling would be nerve-racking.
If she didn’t decide Dalton’s fate soon, she
would simply fall apart. No…, it had to be
now!
Tim had called her on her
cell again this morning to update her that he had indeed set
up a rental car for her (complete with GPS) under her name, and
that he would give her gas money when she arrived, along with
fifty dollars for the babysitter. He provided her with his street
address, and told her to call if she had any problems at all
on the drive down. The
truth was, Deborah had been so preoccupied deliberating on her
decision during the trip, that she lost track all of time, and
almost missed her exit, had the GPS not prompted her to get off.
Pulling into a nearby convenience
store after exiting the interstate, she ran in and purchased
a roll of antacids, which she desperately needed.
Dalton restlessly kept pacing
back and forth in front of the picture window, despite the fact
that his favorite movie, ‘Transformers 2’, was
playing in the DVD player.
“When do you think she’ll
get here?” he asked, turning back around to face the man
sitting on the sofa drinking a Coke, while balancing a plate
and sandwich on his leg.
“I’m guessing anytime
now, Sport. Would you like to call
her?”
Before the anxious eleven-year-old
could say yes, a car horn interrupted his response.
“SHE’S HERE!”
he yelled, jumping up and down in place, while waving madly at
the red car pulling into the drive.
Tim promptly sat his food
down and turned off the movie before walking over to join Dalton
at the front door.
Dalton dashed out onto the
concrete porch in his socked feet and waited impatiently for
his mom to grab her stuff out of the back seat before coming
up. Upon reaching
him, she barely got her travel bag set down before he smothered
her in hugs and kisses.
“My goodness, I’ve
missed you too!” she exclaimed, wiping a tear from
her eye before standing upright again.
“Come on in, Mom, and
I’ll show you around,” Dalton instructed, picking up
her bag before she even had a chance to.
The adults exchanged warm
hellos as Tim held the screen door open for the small entourage.
“You get to stay in Tim’s
room tonight, since you are the guest,” Dalton explained,
taking his mom’s hand and leading her down the hallway.
“We changed the sheets and cleaned the whole house
today, just for you,” the boy bragged with a proud smile.
Tim quietly slipped off to
the kitchen to start some coffee, while Dalton proceeded to show
off the house.
“I’ll put your bag
here on the bed, Mom,” he explained, as he continued to
lead her into the master bath. “Here’s your
towels and stuff,” he pointed out, proudly gesturing to
the neatly folded towels and wash cloths he had painstakingly
arranged on the countertop.
“Did my little man do
all of this just for me?” she asked, giving him a warm kiss
on the forehead.
“MOM…!”
he playfully complained.
“Let me show you my room,” the blushing boy
suggested; quickly changing the subject.
When Deborah stepped into
Dalton’s room, she could no longer hold back the tears.
“Oh
my God…,” she whispered in amazement as she slowly
took in everything.
“Yeah, that’s sorta
the same way I reacted too,” he candidly confessed,
drawing up close and putting his arm around her waist.
“Well, I can definitely
see that Tim is taking very good care of you.
Just look at you,” she said, marveling at
Dalton’s fit appearance and healthy tan. I think you might have
even grown an inch or two, as well,” she observed, tussling
his long, blond hair with her fingers.
“Come on, Mom, I’ll
show you the rest of the house,” the boy anxiously offered,
taking her hand and leading her to the door.
He had felt his tears building up, and he wanted to avoid
crying at all costs.
After giving his mother a
complete tour of everything, including showing her Tim’s
old pickup truck, the two ended up on the living room sofa, where
Dalton started catching his mom up on his activities from the
last time he had talked to her. Tim brought in a plate
of warm slice-and-bake peanut butter cookies and set them on
the coffee table, then returned to the kitchen to bring back
the drinks. He handed
Deborah a cup of coffee, as he sat a cold glass of milk on the
table in front of Dalton.
“Black, with sugar, correct?”
he politely interrupted, hoping his memory was accurate.
“Yes…, thanks,”
Deborah confirmed with a smile.
She was caught off guard by Tim’s attention to detail.
The man disappeared once more
before finally joining mother and son on the couch with his own
cup of coffee; taking a seat closest to
the kitchen, with Dalton in the middle, and Deborah on the other
side. He listened with interest,
as Dalton continued his light-hearted conversation with his mom,
thoroughly bringing her up-to-date.
When he eventually ran out of things to say, the boy awkwardly
looked over at Tim.
“Okay, I guess you
better take over now,” he suggested, grinning so much from
embarrassment, that both of his dimples prominently stood out.
Tim thanked Deborah once again
for making the trip on such short notice.
He then went into quite a bit more detail about why he
was ready to move forward with signing the papers necessary to
become Dalton’s father, and shared that he and Dalton had
discussed the timing and the process at length. As he talked with Deborah,
he kept a watchful eye on the boy, making sure that Dalton was
comfortable with everything that was being said, and that he
felt a part of the discussion. Upon finishing, he turned
the dialogue over to Deborah.
She took a brief moment to collect her thoughts.
“Well…, I can tell
that even though you want to make this official sooner than we
had discussed, you both have given it a lot of thought first.”
She turned her attention back
to her son, who was nervously fidgeting next to her.
“Honey, I need you to
be totally honest with me right now, because what we decide will
be very hard to undo later on, if you change your mind.”
The boy‘s heart began
to pound from the emotional intensity of the moment, as he waited
on his mother to continue.
“Is there anything that
you are feeling uncomfortable about Dalton…, anything at
all?”
“NO, Mom,”
he blurted out in protective frustration mixed with guilt, before
the tears started trickling down his cheeks.
“Tim will make a great dad, I promise!”
Dalton sniffed, as he wiped his eyes with his hands.
Deborah put her hand on her
son’s shoulder and gently rubbed it.
“Honey, I’m not
attacking Tim in any way right now, I promise.
I know he will make you a wonderful dad.
However…, I need to hear it from you that you want
this with all of your heart, and not just….” she paused
and took a deep breath. “And not just because you have a
lot of nice things now.”
Deborah’s insides revolted
from her having to play the part of devil’s advocate, but
she had to be absolutely sure that her son was making the right
life-changing decision for the right reasons. She watched uneasily as
the boy’s face quickly reddened, but before Dalton could
reply, Tim wisely jumped in; causing the boy to switch his focus
onto him.
“Dalton, listen to me. Your mom is not being disrespectful
with her questioning, so why don’t you take a few deep breaths,
and then tell her in your own words exactly why you want me to
be your dad. That’s what she wants
you to share, okay?”
The boy looked back at his
mom, who nodded her head in agreement.
He wiped the remaining tears from his eyes before continuing.
“Mom, Tim has been really
good to me, and I know he has bought me a lot of stuff I wouldn’t
have if I still lived with you.
Sometimes that bothers me, because I feel like I’m
not being fair to Mandy and Jake.”
As he thought about his two
absent siblings, he could no longer keep the repressed tears
at bay any longer. He tried to continue between
sniffling.
“I know Tim loves me,
because he didn’t have to change his life for me,
but he did. And
I know he will make a perfect dad, because since I met him, that’s
what he’s been to me.”
He coyly looked over at the
man, who gave him a wink of encouragement.
“Mom, I promise
you…, I love you and Mandy and Jake with all my heart, but
this is really something I want to do, and I don’t have
any doubts.”
Deborah smiled at her son,
as she secretly bit her lip to keep from crying herself.
For the next hour and a half,
the three of them continued their serious talk about everything
from school to last names, with a very emotional Dalton often
breaking into tears; fearful that his mother would decide against
letting him stay. Finally
around 9:30 that evening, the two adults felt that it would be
wise to wait until morning before making the final decision. As Deborah and Dalton continued
to talk, Tim cleared away the dishes and quickly changed into
his pajamas and robe, before returning to the living room.
“Deborah, I’m sleeping
out here on the couch, but if you need anything at all tonight,
don’t hesitate to wake me up.”
“I really feel bad about
taking your bed…,”
“No, Mom,” Dalton
interrupted. “We both wanted
you to sleep in there. Our
feelings would be hurt if you didn’t,” he added, with
a playful grin.
Dalton got up and took his
mom’s hand, helping her to her feet.
“I’m fixing breakfast
in the morning, too…, with a little help from Tim,”
“Wow, I’m impressed,”
she bragged, as she allowed her son to lead her to the bedroom.
Dalton made sure that his
mom had everything she needed before giving her a goodnight kiss
and then slipping out and closing the door behind him.
He quietly made his way back out to the living room, where
Tim was preparing his bed on the sofa.
“Hey, Sport. You better get to bed soon,”
the man suggested; turning his attention to the weary boy who
was giving him a tight hug.
“I’m scared, Tim.”
There was a long pause.
“I am too, Dalton, I
won’t lie. But it’s only because
tomorrow isn’t here yet, and we don’t have your mom’s
answer. But in my
heart, I know that when tomorrow gets here, her answer will be
‘yes’.”
“How can you be sure?”
the troubled boy asked, not releasing his hug.
“Because it’s the
decision I would make if I were her.
She loves you so much, Dalton, that she will allow you
to live with me, knowing it’s the best thing to do for everyone,
even though it’s the hardest choice to make for everyone.”
The eleven-year-old squeezed
his eyelids tightly shut, trying unsuccessfully to hold in the
tears that resulted from realizing his mother’s love.
Tim pulled him closer, knowing that this evenings’
conversation had been an emotional tidal wave for such a young
boy. When Dalton
finally finished his cry, he shyly pulled back.
“I guess I better go
to bed now,” he half-heartedly reasoned; not sure what else
to do.
“Good-night, Eeyore,”
Tim said with a chuckle.
His attempt to cheer Dalton
up seemed to be successful, as the boy grinned before turning
around and mooning the man.
Deborah startled from her
restless, fitful slumber, and glanced at the clock by the bed.
‘Only one-thirty?’
she thought to herself, as she turned back over to get comfortable. It was just at that moment
that she realized what, or rather, who had truly awakened
her. Noticing first,
the opened bedroom door, then the small, barely distinguishable
silhouette standing next to the bed, she softly spoke up.
“Are you okay, honey?”
“I can’t sleep,
Mom…,” an exhausted voice responded, sounding close
to tears.
Deborah promptly patted the
bed next to her, inviting the faceless silhouette to join her. Dalton instantly responded,
crawling in and snuggling as close to his mother as possible.
She instinctively started gently brushing the hair off
his forehead with her fingertips, as she listened for his breathing
to gradually settle down.
“Do you remember the
last time you came and got into bed with me,” she lovingly
asked.
Dalton thought hard, but couldn’t
recall, as he shook his head no.
“You were in second grade,
and a loud crash of thunder scared you from your sleep.
You ran to my bed in tears, and crawled in close, just
like you are now. I
explained that there wasn’t anything to be afraid about,
because thunder was only loud noise and couldn’t hurt you…,
remember that?” she inquired, never stopping her gentle
caressing.
Dalton eventually remembered
that night vividly, and nodded his head yes.
“Well, tonight is no
different, my little man,” she reassured, trying to comfort
him with a subtle hint.
“What do you mean?”
he eventually asked, unsure what she was trying to say.
“I mean…, there
is no reason you shouldn’t go back to sleep, my little guy,
because there is nothing to be afraid about.”
At once, Dalton positively
knew by his mom’s voice, and by her touch, that she was
referring to her decision. Overjoyed, he carefully
took her hand that she was brushing his hair with in both of
his, and gently brought it down to his lips and kissed it, before
clutching it tight to his chest. In a matter of moments,
his grip relaxed, as he was sleeping soundly.
Dalton lazily opened one eye
half way. It was morning, and he
was in Tim’s bed, facing the wall.
He flopped around some until he was facing the other way,
and then opened both eyes half way. The bed was empty! He opened both eyes fully,
as he listened attentively.
He heard his mom and Tim talking in the kitchen…,
and he smelled coffee. Kicking
the covers off, he scampered out of bed and made his way to the
kitchen, after first stopping in the bathroom.
“Good morning, Sport,”
Tim greeted, while refilling his coffee cup.
“Your mom was just telling me that she had an unexpected
visitor last night. You wouldn’t know
anything about that, would you?”
Dalton displayed his shit-eating
grin, as he rubbed his eyes and gave his mom a big hug before
sitting next to her.
“She also told me that
I need to ask you something about thunder, and about being afraid,
and why you were able to fall asleep so quickly.
Do you know anything about that?”
Dalton anxiously looked at
his mom; his face beaming with an ear-to-ear smile.
She grinned, and softly nodded her consent.
“You get to be my
DAD!” he shouted loud enough for the neighbors to hear.
He jumped up and ran over
to Tim (who had wisely set his coffee cup down just seconds before)
and embraced him in his best bear hug.
Next, he returned to his mom and affectionately hugged
her around her neck, while kissing her soft cheeks.
“Well, this calls
for something very special for breakfast, then.
Come over here a minute, I need to ask you something.”
Dalton gamely walked over
to the man, not quite sure what to expect.
Tim leaned over and whispered into the boy’s ear.
“Do you still
want to fix breakfast, or would you rather take your mom out
to eat?”
Dalton thought about it for
a second, then stood on his toes and cupped his mouth to Tim’s
ear.
“I’d
like to fix breakfast for her, if it’s still okay,” he whispered
loud enough for his mom to overhear.
“Okay, then,” Tim
loudly announced, straightening back up.
“Dalton would like to fix all of us breakfast, and
he has chosen to make blueberry pancakes.”
“Sounds tasty to me,”
Deborah agreed, while the boy started digging around in the cabinet
for the pancake mix.
Tim got out all of the necessary
utensils and cookware, while Dalton concentrated on the ingredients. Once everything was collected
onto the counter top, Tim joined Deborah at the table, and let
Dalton have the spotlight.
“I have to be honest,”
Tim softly confessed, not wanting the occupied boy to overhear
his candid conversation, “I was amazed at how much
he has learned from you.
He even knew how to do our laundry without any
instruction from me!”
Deborah smiled fondly, allowing
her face to reveal her deep pride in her oldest son.
“Well, he’s always
been a fast learner, especially if it’s something he
wants to discover.”
Just then, Dalton stopped
what he was doing, and playfully frowned in their direction.
“Are you talking about
me?”
“That’s none of
your business, Eeyore, now get back to work,” Tim
teasingly chastised.
Dalton complied with Tim’s
request, but not before sticking his tongue out at the man.
In short time, everyone was
enjoying the yummy (albeit irregularly shaped) pancakes that
the boy had cooked completely unassisted.
Immediately after breakfast,
Tim once again cleared up the dishes, while Dalton and his mom
went into the living room. In about ten minutes, he
joined them, carrying a piece of notebook paper with pencil writing
on one side. This time, he sat beside
Deborah behind the coffee table, so that he could set his paper
on it.
“Deborah, there’s
one more thing that I want to go over with you before I officially
become Dalton’s father.”
Dalton’s tummy suddenly
started doing cartwheels, because Tim had mentioned nothing
about what he was doing now.
Nevertheless, the man continued without even glancing
at him.
“I’ve given it a
whole lot of thought the last couple of weeks, and I’ve
decided that it’s only right to make Dalton the beneficiary
in my will.”
Deborah couldn’t keep
her mouth from dropping open in utter shock.
She sat there dumbfounded, looking first at Tim, and then
at the scribbled paper he had put on the table.
“But since my becoming
his dad will end up affecting your entire family, I want to show
you what I’ve come up with for Miranda and Jake, also.”
Still awestruck, Deborah scooted
out to the edge of the sofa in order to see the paper more closely. Tim continued explaining,
hoping he hadn’t lost her so soon in his presentation.
“Since I’ve only
been with Dalton for a very short time, I feel it is only right
to include the other two as well, for now.”
While Deborah tried to catch
her mind up to what was being said, Tim referenced his calculations
on the sheet of paper.
“Here’s exactly
what I was thinking. Tell me if you think this
is fair,” he matter-of-factly stated.
“Until Dalton turns thirteen, all three children
will have equal, identical shares. On his thirteenth birthday,
Dalton’s share will become fifty percent, while each of
the other two children’s’ becomes twenty-five percent
each. Every birthday
of his thereafter, their shares decrease five percent each, while
Dalton’s will increase ten percent, until he reaches eighteen,
when he becomes my full beneficiary.”
He looked back up at Deborah,
who still exhibited the classic deer-in-the-headlights stare.
“I fashioned this plan
because at the onset, all three of the children deserve to benefit
equally, should something happen to me.
But as I continue to raise Dalton, I feel that my responsibilities
to his well-being increase, the longer he’s with me.
I will also name you as the guardian of the estate, so
that you would manage the money until they turn eighteen.”
Tim paused momentarily for
a response, but there was none.
“Will
this meet with your approval, Deborah?”
She was still silent for several
moments, before finally speaking up.
“Why, Tim?
Why would you do this for us?” she asked, trying
to hold back more tears.
“The real question
is, why would any father not plan like this?
When I become Dalton’s dad, he also becomes my son,
and my heir. I sure can’t take
it with me, so the fatherly thing to do would be to make sure
he is taken care of. By the time we come up
to sign, I will have all of these papers drawn up, and provide
you with copies, along with copies of my life insurance
policies. I don’t feel there
should be any surprises when it comes to their future.”
Comprehending the gist of
Tim’s conversation, Dalton crawled over next to his mom
and put his arm around her.
“Even my real
dad only gave me records…, and that was because he forgot
‘em when he left. Tim’s already a better
dad, and I’ve only known him a few weeks, right Mom?”
Deborah grabbed her eleven-year-old
in a loving hug, and began sobbing uncontrollably.
“It’s okay to cry,
Mom,” he said, patting her back, and crying with her, “Cause
those are happy tears. It’s like you told
me last night…, there’s nothing to be afraid
about anymore.”
--
The End --
Don’t
miss ‘New Beginnings’, the sequel
to ‘Window
to the World’, coming soon.
Next month, read ‘Rendezvous Pointe’,
a short story by Indiana Jon.