Fantasy World
Chapter 6
I settled in to my new life, making sure Tom had all the love and support I could give him. He loved computers so with a contented home life he shone in his job. I was writing regularly, but that only ever took up half of my working day. I needed something else to fill in the gaps and started looking for that.
I remembered what Reece had said. I had another life thanks to my perceived compassion so I looked at what was going on with kids in this town. Stonewall had a club that emphasised sexual diversity as being a key element in the running of it. I wondered if I could be of any help there, so I asked. The director interviewed me going quite deeply into my character with his questions.
"Charlie, we could really do with a counsellor for the young gay boys that come in. Legal doesn't mean acceptance and many of them are still being bullied and ignored socially."
"I don't suppose that is ever going away, the same as racism and religious intolerance. I'm a black belt Karate so I could teach self-defence classes here, at least, at a level that gives the kids confidence to defend themselves. What would be needed for me to become a counsellor?"
I realised I could get the first level of that very easily and went for it. I was now involved with Karate classes and helping some of the kids sort out their emotional problems. I wasn't a lot older than some of the boys so they talked more freely to me. Plus I came across as human, mainly I suppose because of my other activities. A problem arose quite early. One of the boys was almost a clone of Tom, not disabled in any way, but small for his age and obviously vulnerable. Because he was almost too pretty to be a boy he had already started to be bullied for being a little queer. He admitted he was but had never shown any interest in other boys at school to get that title and hadn't joined the club that had formed to bring sexual diversity into the big picture of school culture. He was at the same school that Tom and I had gone to, so over a period of time I got the names of the bullies from him. Talking to other boys from the school I had those names confirmed. The next step for me was to make an appointment to see the headmaster.
"Good morning Watkins, this is a pleasant surprise."
I smiled and took the proffered hand.
"Good morning Headmaster, I'm sorry this meeting is necessary because it takes me back to our first encounter all those years ago."
He went on the defensive then even before I had said any more. I told him what I was doing with my time when I wasn't writing and then I hit him with the reason for my visit.
"I counsel some of the youngsters from the Stonewall Club, and one of them is Joel Matthews."
The look told me that Joel was on the radar here as well.
"The usual small clique of cowardly jocks is systematically bullying the boy here. He is getting very close to desperate, which to me means suicidal. I have here a selection of incidents that Joel has told me about, and a list of the boys that are doing the bullying. In the same way that you clamped down on the bullying when I was in the sixth form, I'd like you to take this new case in hand fairly urgently before we have an incident that would deprive parents of their son and you and this school of their reputation."
He bristled then.
"That sounds very much like a threat Watkins."
"Good, because that is exactly what it is. I am six years older and much wiser in the ways of the modern world than I was as a student in this school. I am also financially independent with a steady stream of income that will allow me to do all the things I would have done before, plus I have money to throw at it as well to advertise the failings if that should happen."
The point was obviously going home so I continued.
"Tom Hector is now a super productive member of our society and a credit to this school. You would do well to look at young Joel in the light of that knowledge."
I turned and left without any further words. The secretary was stood by the door as I left with a broad grin on her face.
"Hello, Charlie, I see you haven't mellowed yet."
I grinned at her, checked there was no one else around and gave her a quick hug.
"No Mrs. Fellowes, I'm still wearing my shining armour. My white charger is tied up outside the door."
She laughed, "It is good to see you Charlie, we need your character around here again, what a pity you can't come in for a few days and dish out a little corrective action."
She hadn't mellowed either, she should have been headmistress, I bet the bullies would have got short shrift from her. I gave her my business card and asked her to be disloyal to the head and let me know what happens, if anything.
"Of course I will if you will autograph all your books that I have in my collection."
I looked at her quizzically.
"I don't know how you managed to write some very good books when you were only a little boy, but I do love your writing style, particularly your new novels. I suppose young Tom Hector is responsible for that."
I had no idea how she knew and what she made of it but I didn't deny it.
"I will talk to Tom, you and Mr. Fellowes must come to dinner one night and if you bring your books I will autograph them all for you."
I saw the tears in her eyes and realised I had made a faux pas.
"Just me Charlie, my man passed away the year you graduated."
I was gutted, this lady had been my supporter throughout my last year here.
"I am so sorry, I didn't know."
She patted my arm as though it was me needed comforting.
"Let me have your address and telephone number and we'll arrange a dinner and I'll collect you in my car."
She didn't want to put me to any trouble she said, but when I telephoned and confirmed a day with her she agreed to wait for me to pick her up. We invited Zoe as well, with her boyfriend, who was also an old boy. Mrs. F. would know everyone.
We unashamedly spoilt her that evening. She was quite tickled at my way of addressing Zoe, I still called her Kitten, and explained to Mrs. F. why. It was patently obvious that Tom had been a special favourite of hers in school, and still was, particularly as he had cooked the dinner, which was quite superb.
We gave her the grand tour of the house. She loved the study, it was set up so that both Tom and I could work. I had a beautiful Regency desk with my laptop on it, and reference books in the bookcases behind it. Tom had a modern miracle with two computers on it and a lot of paper with writing on it that was as readable to me as Egyptian Hieroglyphics.
The rest of the house was coming together slowly. Rooms that were furnished looked very chic, good quality, but not fussy. Empty ones had not even been decorated, just plain white walls ready for whatever we decided.
"No TV or music systems, Charlie, I'm surprised."
I laughed, "Oh we have that. Come and see, be careful though, the spiral staircase is quite narrow."
We turned the corner and she saw the spiral disappearing into the attic. When she emerged at the top, she giggled like a little girl.
"Oh, Charlie, my grandsons would love this room."
I giggled with her. Tom and I had reverted to pre-teen when we furnished this huge space. We had eventually put dormer windows in so that we had natural light, but besides a state of the art TV and home theatre system, it was a boys room, big bean bags, thick carpet so that we could lay on that if we wanted to. Some normal soft furnishings, but all low level unitised stuff so that we could change it round all the time. There were posters instead of pictures on the walls and ceiling, and they were either action pics or stunning young athletic men. There were a few scale model classic sports cars on square blocks dotted round and on a couple of low level tables were working models of odd mechanical machines all sectioned and gaily painted and working. The lighting was ridiculous, some floor units, down lights in the ceiling, some wall lighting. It was a fun room where Tom and I could unwind completely.
We sent one very happy lady on her way with Zoe and her boyfriend, promising to do it again sometime.
Tom looked at me in an odd way as we were clearing up so I just tilted an eyebrow at him and said, "What?"
He laughed and replied, "You get a real kick out of being nice to people don't you?"
I knew where he was coming from with that comment so I just smiled and said, "Yes, but only people I like."
He nodded, and grabbed another glass to wipe.
How could I have been so lucky? Two of the most wonderful men in the world had been my lovers. First, Max, and now this apparition that I still wasn't sure was real.
The thinking process continued and I knew I was going to do as much for Joel as was humanly possible. He was ten years younger than Tom and me. Well within the bounds where he could become a lover, so, I had to make sure that whatever I did for him or with him didn't cause Tom any angst, difficult or what? A beautiful boy and I was planning to have him spend time with me at the house to try to build his self-confidence and give him some one on one lessons in self-defence. I started the ball rolling at the club one afternoon. Joel came in straight from school looking a little upset. With a lot of cajoling I managed to get out of him what was wrong. A couple of the big jocks had given him a bit of a roughing up. They hadn't done anything to mark him but they had pushed him around, tripped him up a few times, made him drop all his books and folders so that his papers were spread all over the place and then walked on them. He was going to need to redo all of them. I calmed him down and took him home with me. We hit the study via the kitchen where I got him a drink.
"Ok Joel, we're going to see how quickly I can type. You read the papers to me and I'll type them as you do so."
He started reading at a normal speech speed so I had no problem at all. It only took us about an hour, then I made him proof read it before I printed it all for him. I found him some binders where we could punch the sheets and install them so that even if they were dropped they would remain whole. I gave him a small punch that I never used, and told him he could keep the folders up to date every lesson.
"Thanks Charlie, this would have taken me days if I had to do it myself."
"No problem, now the names of the two miscreants."
He was no snitch so it took me ages to make him tell me.
"Don't worry, things won't get worse for you because of this knowledge I now have."
I don't know if he believed me but he nodded an ok to me.
"Now, the real reason for touching base with you. How often could you be available for some self-defence lessons, about an hour at a time?"
"Every day Charlie, and almost anytime at weekends."
"Good, would you like me to teach you Karate?"
"If I can stop the bigger boys from hitting on me, yes please."
That was it. We sorted out a fairly heavy schedule for him, most afternoons after school at the club, and I started a Karate school there. I wasn't really Sensei material but as a black belt I could show them what they needed to do to train themselves in between my lessons. I organised for him to come over to the house at weekends when Tom and I weren't going anywhere.
I took a photo of him for my rogue's gallery at the club but also had one which I put in a small frame on my desk.
Tom thought it was a little odd until I sat him down and told him.
"He's a repeat of you Tom. I felt an immediate empathy with him. I can't protect him in school the way I could you so I am doing the next best thing."
"He's very cute, Charlie, you aren't going to fall in love with him are you?"
I laughed, "Probably, as you say, he is cute."
I grabbed him then and gave him a kiss.
"Don't you dare start getting jealous or worrying about that though. At most I'm going to love him like a little brother, he is never going to threaten us."
Of course he was sceptical but I would show him and that was all I could do. I was just a little upset that Tom kept him at arm's length with regard to their relationship, I hoped they would become friends.
I did talk to the headmaster about the bullies and was really pleased when he asked me to give the sports teams a talk about bullying. Telling them what it said about them as human beings, and what impact it would have on their lives when the head made examples of the offenders in school assembly, and then banned them from their sports.
I introduced myself to them and told them the story about Tom Thumb. When I had finished I asked them how many of them knew Joel Mathews. Almost all of them put their hands up.
I then called out the names of the two bullies that had caused Joel problems the day he came to see me. They stood up and I went at them.
"These two big brave boys roughed up Joel and ruined all his lesson notes by kicking them round and trampling on them. You all know that Joel is small for his age, you also know that the guy is as friendly and helpful as anyone in his year. What do you think it says about these two?"
Deathly silence so I continued.
"What is says to me is that they are lowlifes who lack feelings of self-worth so they try to make themselves feel good by bullying smaller boys, and they do it together even though they could eat the kids they bully, singly. In my book that makes them cowards, and anyone with a yellow streak down his back needs caging and putting in a sideshow for decent human beings to look at."
I addressed them directly then, "I hope your teammates show you what they think of you, and that anyone else contemplating bullying will have a big rethink. Bullying does not make you decent human beings, in fact, I'm not even sure it qualifies you to be in the human race at all. If any of you take umbrage at my comments, I would be delighted, almost any afternoon for you to come down to The Stonewall Club where I will be happy for you take out your annoyance on me."
The headmaster had stood at the back of the room and listened to my talk. At the end he told the two boys I had pinpointed that they were suspended from the football team for the remainder of the term. I thought they were going to cry. Weeks later the headmaster called me and told me that bullying appeared to have died a natural death.
Joel confirmed it, but still came to Karate lessons. He wanted to be a black belt like me.