Mentoring, Chapter 10
Naturally, Travis was extremely upset that his mother was stirring up trouble. Kyle assured his son that their lawyer could take care of it. However, it might necessitate a five-hour roundtrip-drive to get it settled. It would kill an entire day, meaning missing school for Travis and work for Kyle.
It was a given that Travis would share his frustrations with his boyfriend. Later, he confided his fears to his lunch companions in the cafeteria. Each of them said they'd be happy to do anything they could to make him feel better. The ones who were in classes with him offered to share their notes from the day he'd have to be gone. Just knowing he had their support eased his mind.
A casual observer wouldn't have noticed anything particularly unusual about the assortment of teens sitting at the round table in the far corner of the lunchroom, but Dr. Dickinson did. She wasn't usually on duty at noon, leaving that to her capable staff, but she had come to support a substitute teacher who wasn't known to the kids. Subs didn't necessarily garner respect unless they'd been in the building awhile.
It pleased her to see Vin and Caen "holding court." They had blossomed into leaders this year. Not only did the younger gay kids look up to them, but many others respected them. It stemmed, no doubt from their friendly manner, and how they carried themselves. Their martial arts training had a lot to do with the latter, she suspected.
In the center of the group was the junior boy who was in the process of changing his name from "Harry" to "Harrison." He was an intriguing mixture in his own right. He'd grown up hovering on the cusp of trouble. Dr. Dickinson suspected he might have supplied weed to some of his "friends" in the past. She hadn't had hard evidence, so there was nothing she could have done about it. Recently, he'd evidently cut ties with that crowd because they were nowhere around him. Whatever had drawn them together had evidently stopped after the deaths of his father and his uncle, leading her to wonder if one of them had been involved in some way – perhaps as the supplier of something illegal.
Christmas break came just in time to keep the kids (and maybe the teachers) from going bonkers. Having more than a week off would reset their supply of energy and patience. The staff certainly needed the R and R too.
Aidan and Neil had made their plane reservations in plenty of time to get tickets at a decent price. Traveling around the holidays was always a bit more expensive than in most other seasons of the year but buying in advance helped offset the cost to an extent.
The opportunity to be in the milder climate of the Southwest would lift the spirits of the Midwesterners who had lived through a colder than usual November. December temperatures had moderated somewhat but were still a good deal lower than in Arizona.
The welcome the men received from Aidan's parents was a warm as the desert sun. Again, Neil felt like part of the family.
Martha and Don knew the young men would enjoy plenty of down-time to unwind after their first semester of school. However, they also suspected the guys would like to explore some of the sights in the area. Thus, they had tentatively planned a couple of short trips.
The day following their arrival, the men were treated to the Arizona-Senora Museum. It was a full-day excursion since the facility housed collections of art and minerals as well as a zoo and aquarium.
It turned out to be fun and educational. On top of that, Mom and Dad insisted on paying for everything. They could afford it, and they wanted to help a couple of teachers who didn't get paid like company executives for their important jobs of guiding teenagers through those formative years.
The following day was Christmas Eve, and Martha thought it would be good to have that day and the next as times to relax completely and do nothing. She didn't even bring up the subject of attending a Christmas Eve service until Neil asked about it. Then she mentioned there were both an early and a late service at their church. Despite the difference in time zones, the men chose the early one so they could get a full night's sleep.
In the afternoon, it was warm enough for the Iowans to feel comfortable sunning in the back yard. In deference to Aidan's mom, they wore boxer-type swimsuits instead of bikinis. At least they would get some color back to their bodies. Of course, both used number 15 SPF lotion to keep from burning.
On Christmas morning, they opened the modestly-priced gifts they'd agreed upon exchanging. It was, after all, more a time of remembrance than an excuse to give lavish presents.
After breakfast, Don mentioned the stockings hanging on the mantel. They were hand-knitted ones with the guys' names worked into the pattern. Yesterday, they'd simply been decorations. Today, they were bulging.
When the men looked inside, they saw the kinds of things Aidan had received as a child – a bag of mixed nuts, three kumquats, and one pomegranate. Those brought back pleasant memories, and a smile to Aidan's face.
He almost missed the tiny envelope in the bottom. Folded up in it was a check for $3,000. Neil received the same thing.
"Wow! You shouldn't have given this to me." Neil exclaimed. "I'm not your son."
"Yes, you are," Don differed. "You're our son's partner; and therefore, our son as well. This should help defray your expenses for the plane fare and perhaps buy you something you'd like to have but feel you shouldn't spend the money on."
"For sure it will help shorten the time we have to wait until we get married," Neil grinned.
Then, he got on one knee in front of Aidan and proposed. Aidan accepted, of course. He was surprised when Neil pulled rings from his pocket to make their new status official. Neil had planned to propose even before his new-found prosperity.
Don had been privy to Neil's intentions, and brought out a bottle of Champaign he'd purchased for this special moment. Mom and Dad toasted their sons and the guys toasted each other.
On December 26th, the family went to Tucson Mountain Park. They spent the day there driving around in the beautiful countryside. A couple of times, they stopped for short hikes. Don and Martha were active and fit, so neither of them had any problem on the trails. Thus, their guests were treated to some gorgeous scenery which wasn't viewable from the road. The men took many pictures. Aidan thought he might commission an art student to make some paintings based on them.
The following day, they lazed about the house and spent more time in the sun. Both young men were glowing, but not from the rays alone. Their relationship had reached a new plateau and Aidan's parents were pleased for them.
All too soon, it was time to head back to chilly Iowa. Aidan wanted to adjust to central time well ahead of going back to school. They would spend a quiet New Year's Eve at home and not be tired when school took up again.
People who hadn't gotten away from town had a good holiday too. Travis and his dad, Kyle, got together with Tavis's boyfriend, Sawyer, and his mother, Jane. She enjoyed having Travis around, and had found his father to be great company. He was pleasant and attractive. However, she felt she should be careful not to get too close. Given that their sons were going together it might complicate things for everyone if they were to become romantically involved. Never-the-less, they could be friends.
Since none of her relatives were available that year, Jane invited father and son for Christmas dinner and would cook most of the meal. Kyle had been brought up not to arrive empty-handed, so he offered to bring a salad and dessert. He'd worked in a bakery during his college years and was an accomplished pie-maker, so he made both a French Silk and an apple pie.
The adults had agreed not to exchange gifts, but they didn't discourage their sons from doing so, realizing it would be unrealistic for them not to, since they were dating.
Neither parent was sure exactly what same-sex dating involved. They suspected some kind of intimacy was a part if it. However, neither was entirely comfortable about bringing up the subject with the teens.
Their Christmas celebration was low-key and very pleasant. They looked like the all-American family with a mother, father, and two sons. The atmosphere was comfortable.
The boys dutifully played cards with their parents in the afternoon although they'd have enjoyed being alone in Sawyer's room exploring each other. There would be time for that later, as Travis had brought his overnight bag for their sleepover.
No one wanted the day to end, so when Kyle made a move to go home, Jane insisted he stay until after supper. She had the turkey bones simmering on the stove to make soup. There were lots of leftovers as well, more than Sawyer and she could eat without getting tired of them. There was no reason for Kyle to go back to an empty house and scrounge up something to eat. He wholeheartedly agreed.
With the games they were involved in and the warmth of the fireplace, no one paid any attention to what was going on outside. They didn't notice the rain coming down until it had turned into sleet which pounded on every hard surface. Everything began to be coated with ice.
"Kyle, I'm going to move the bicycles out of the way so you can put your car in the other stall of the garage. Whatever's beginning to stick to it will melt quickly in there, and we can't have you scraping ice later if you don't have to."
"Thanks! I'll pull it in as soon as you're ready," Kyle said as he donned his parka.
A few minutes later, he came into the mudroom where he slipped out of his wet shoes.
"I just checked the news," Jane told him. "This isn't going to get better until tomorrow. I think you should stay over. The guest room is made up, so we can easily accommodate you."
"I'd have packed a bag if I'd known it was going to be a sleepover for me too," Kyle laughed. "I don't have jammies or a toothbrush."
"If you're like my son and my ex, you probably sleep in your birthday suit anyway." Jane teased, before she realized she might be embarrassing him. "I'm sure there's an old pair of boxers around you could put on, that is, unless you have an aversion to wearing used clothes. Um, they're clean."
"I have no problem with it," Kyle smiled, to let her know he wasn't offended.
"We always have spare toothbrushes. Have I convinced you?"
"Sure. Having seen what it's like outside, I'd have been content sleeping on the floor under a throw rug to avoid driving home in that!"
When Jane stifled a yawn, Kyle announced he was ready to hit the sack. She provided a towel in case he wanted a shower. He decided to take one before going to bed.
Jane was going to set the security alarm but figured one of her guests might set it off accidentally. Besides, who in their right mind would try to burglarize a house on a night like this?
Kyle was a light sleeper, especially when he wasn't in his own bed. Sometime around 2:00 AM, he heard a noise like breaking glass over the volume of the howling wind. Perhaps something breakable had blown down on the patio and he should roll over and go back to sleep. But it sounded closer than that, so he pulled his trousers on over the boxers he was sleeping in and quietly opened the door to peer into the hall.
What he saw made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Silhouetted against the light from the streetlamp was the figure of a man with a gun in his right hand. Kyle stepped back, looking for anything he could use as a weapon. He carefully unplugged the brass lamp on the dresser and removed its shade. It was no match for a firearm but might be enough if he had the element of surprise on his side.
As he peeked out again, he saw the man struggling with the doorknob of the bedroom where his son and Sawyer were sleeping. Evidently it was locked. His protective-parent instinct overcame his fear of bodily harm. With an adrenalin-fueled burst of energy, he lunged forward just as the man kicked his boot through the hollow-core door. Kyle brought the heavy lamp down on his head. The gun went off aimlessly, but the guy never knew what hit him.
Jane emerged from her room brandishing a 9 mm Ruger, pointing it in the direction of the men.
"It's okay, Jane, I've knocked the intruder out. I may need to replace the lamp in your guestroom, however," Kyle said, attempting to lighten the mood.
Jane lowered her pistol and turned on the lights.
"Thank God you were here to stop him. If the lamp's damaged, so be it. It's served its purpose! Oops, I hear the 911 operator on my cell. I need to let her know all is well. I'm sure she heard the gunshot."
She ran back to the bedroom to retrieve her phone which she'd laid on the bed in order to have a good two-handed grip on the gun. While she did that, Kyle kicked the intruder's gun down the hall and around the corner so he couldn't reach it, in the unlikely event he'd regain consciousness anytime soon.
Two very frightened teenagers emerged from Sawyer's bedroom and into Kyle's arms.
"I'm such a wuss," Travis cried. "I can't stop shaking."
"Me too," Sawyer agreed.
"It's over and you're safe. Jane's speaking to the emergency operator to make sure they know we have it under control. We'd rather they not shoot their way in!" he joked.
"Have you checked on the guy?" Jane asked.
"Nope, I felt the boys needed me more than some stranger."
"That's for sure," she agreed. "I suppose we should check his pulse."
Kyle got down on the floor and turned the guy on his back to see how he was doing.
"Oh my God, it's Roy! I have a no-contact order on him. Last I knew, he was in jail!"
"Who's Roy?" Travis asked, fearing he knew the answer.
"My father," Sawyer said sadly. "He was a good guy till meth fucked up his brain. Um, sorry about the language, Mom."
"I don't like that word, but it fits in this case," she replied. "When are those cops gonna get here?"
The words had barely left he mouth before there was a knock on the front door. Kyle opened it and raised both hands to show he wasn't armed.
"You're fine, Sir. The lady told us you had the burglar knocked out."
"It turns out he wasn't a burglar," Kyle shook his head. "He's Roy Smith, Jane's ex-husband. He came with a gun and was forcing his way into his son's room when I knocked him out with that lamp. I can only speculate what he was going to do, and I hate to think of it!"
"I have a pretty good idea," Jane said. "He's threatened both of us in the past when he was high on something. That's why I had the court order against him. I'm such an idiot for not setting the alarm before going to bed. I never dreamed anyone would be foolhardy enough to brave this weather for any reason."
"I'm not faulting you Ma'am, but you can never predict what a user will do. Some of them don't seem to feel the cold, or much of anything else."
The officers put restraints on Roy before the EMTs put him on the stretcher. As he'd said, there was no telling what a druggie might do.
It had taken another hour before the policemen were satisfied that they had the evidence they needed. The boys helped Kyle board-up the broken window in the kitchen.
When the house was secure again, they sat at the kitchen table drinking hot chocolate. Jane poured a dollop of crème de menthe in everyone's cup, including those of the teens. They didn't turn her down.
The boys seemed spooked about going to sleep in the room with the broken door, so Kyle offered to give them his. He was a bit too keyed up to sleep for the moment, so he chose to lean back in the reclining love seat in the family room.
Jane asked if she might join him. She brought a fluffy twin-sized microfiber blanket to spread over them. He took her in his arms to comfort her, and that's how the boys found them in the morning.
Harrison and his mom spent a very low-key Christmas day. The quiet they shared was the exact opposite of the holidays of the past few years. Not having Richard or Barry around to raise hell, the peace of the season was more evident.
The next day, Harrison took Sophia and Gio to see a movie they'd talked about before break. It was a good way to spend some time with the girl without its looking like a date as such. Harrison didn't want to go steady with anyone right now. It was better to remain a free agent.
Truth be told, both brother and sister would have loved to have been his date.
Author's notes: Thanks to
Gordon, Ott H, John L, Joe W, Bill T, Marty H, Bill K, Tim T, Hotrod, JLF, Don MacK, Addam J, Tony C, Rich H, Skip M, Wayne, Mendy D, Tom A, Walter S, Jim W, Paul R, Paul F, and Jonathan R for your emails this past week. I appreciate hearing from satisfied readers.
Thanks to David for editing this chapter.
Thanks to Nifty for providing this free venue.
http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html
This tale will end with Chapter 11. Hmm... sounds like it's going bankrupt...
Some of these characters will likely turn up again in a future story.
If you're on my "alert" list, you'll be getting a notification when a new tale is posted.
David