My advice to all: Live simply, love generously, care deeply, and speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.
Nudist Camp Vacation, Chapter 40 Carl jumped to his feet and practically ran to greet the old woman. "Greta!" he said, "So good to see you, again. This is Geoffrey Alan Stewart. He prefers to be called `Alan.'" I tried to hide my surprise that she actually belonged there. Carl was so effusive, that I figured this poor, withered old creature must be the woman he had chosen to work on my adoption of the boys. I decided that I'd better treat her with respect, if for no other reason than the fact that she reminded me of someone's grandmother. "Greta," I said, offering her my hand. She was carrying a brocade-covered briefcase that could have passed as a large handbag. I thought that appropriate, especially if she was trying to play out the façade of grandmother. She smiled kindly, her bright, observant eyes hidden behind thick glasses. "Alan," she nodded in a greeting. "From what I've heard of your case, these adoptions could be a real challenge." She even sounded like a grandmother. She glanced at Carl and returned her wizened eyes to me. "Carl speaks quite highly of you. I hope his praise is based more on you, and less that you pay him promptly." I chuckled and looked at Carl. He smiled nervously. "I hope so, too." She sat and opened her briefcase, not waiting on further ceremony, and pulled out a file with a sheaf of papers in it and a tablet of paper. "Now, let's get down to business." She was very organized and led the meeting with an energy that seemed to come from the earth itself. I could see why Carl had chosen her. Carl had given her copies of all of the paperwork he had on the boys, and she added to her file as she jotted down copious notes. "You know, of course, that we'll be petitioning the court for you, a single white male, to adopt the boys." "Yes, I assumed that would be the case." "We'll not bring up that you have a male partner. However, if the State knows that bit of information, they might want to make something of it. They may even go on a hunting expedition and stumble on it, or find out in their discovery efforts. If they do, we'll be prepared to deal with it." "Good." "Do you really have a friend who is an agent of the FBI?" "Yes, ma'am, I do." She raised her eyebrows and nodded. "Oh, and Amy Gonzales, the CPS caseworker recommended calling my housekeeper as a witness. Nell is almost like a mother to me and a grandmother to the boys." She nodded and said, "Yes, that might help. How do you feel about making your private life public?" "I don't have anything to hide. I'm perfectly comfortable with having my entire private life laid bare." "Good, because that is precisely what might happen. I think I have everything I need for now. Alan, if you're contacted by CPS or anyone else in the matter of the boys' disposition, contact me immediately. You have my card, so don't hesitate to call me." "Amy did come by for a visit last night. She said it was her initial visit as well as a surprise visit." "So she knows about your life style?" "Yes." "That's very interesting. That could work in our favor, or it could lose her a job." I shrugged. "I could always hire her as a nanny." She smiled at me and said, "Don't you think the boys are a little old for a nanny?" "Well," I reasoned, "It might be good to have someone around the house to confirm the boys are happy." She smirked. "So, you like to rescue people?" She had seen right through me, and I almost blushed. "Yes, I suppose you're right." "Well, don't go offering her anything until we reach some resolution." "Okay. Thanks, Greta." After she left, I said to Carl, "I like her. She looks like she should be handing you a plate of cookies instead of a legal document to sign, but it seems that there's a smoldering fire in her that could easily become a conflagration if she called on it." "I think you understand her, well. I always knew you were perceptive. You even read that FBI agent better than I did." I nodded. Carl seemed to want me to talk about him, but I remained silent. "Well," I said, after the pause lingered, "I think I'd better get to my office. Thanks for the good work, Carl. I'll be seeing you soon, no doubt." "I'll try to make myself available for the adoption hearing. I'd like to see how it comes out. Of course, I won't bill you for it unless I actually do something for you." I snickered. "I'll check your invoices to be sure you don't. Sorry, just teasing. I'd feel better if you were there, even if it was just for moral support." Shaking his hand, he said, "Wild horses couldn't keep me away." "Thanks, Carl. Oh, and just so you know, I'll be closing a deal on the purchase of a rather large ranch on Friday. It's about two thousand acres. I thought I'd better mention it in case anything comes up." He thought a moment then said, "That shouldn't have an effect on your will or any of your other affairs. What are you going to do with it?" "I'll become a rancher and run around with fresh bull crap on my boots." He laughed, "That'd be quite a change from computers and programming." I laughed as well, "Yes, it would. I'll be building a house as well. The property adjoins Tim's parents' place, so it'll be nice to be close to family." His eyebrows rose. "Next to the nudist resort?" "That's right. I'll be wearing nothing but smelly boots." He laughed, no doubt, at the vision of such a thing. "Now, it makes perfect sense, but is all that land necessary?" "To be honest, no, but we'll raise Longhorns, Angus and horses. The boys will have all that space to be boys. We may even turn it into a dude ranch." "A nude dude ranch?" he laughed. "I don't see why not, but we could always make it `clothing optional.'" He laughed and said, "You may have something there!" I laughed, but the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea. I knew Tim would go along with it, but we'd have to wait until after the boys' adoption was settled. It seemed that a lot of things hinged on that. I glanced at Grant. He was still standing there like a well sculpted, camouflage statue, expressionless and blending into the wall, but I knew he must have been taking it all in. "Well, Carl, I know we've both got a lot to do, so I'll be on my way. Thanks for everything, but thanks especially for finding Greta." We both stood and shook hands. "I know Greta will do a good job for you. Don't worry about a thing." "Sorry, it's my nature." He smiled and said, "Well, don't let it bother you too much, then. It'll all work out. You'll see." "I hope so. See you soon." Grant drove me to the office, and I think he was beginning to enjoy driving the car. We entered by way of my private door, but I stepped through to let Lucy know I was there. She jumped and shouted, "Boss! You scared me out of ten years' growth!" I laughed and said, "I'm sorry, but you knew I'd be here today, didn't you?" "Yes, but when will you ever rest, like the doctor told you?" she scolded. "As of this morning, I'm released from my tethers, with no restrictions, other than to work back into my exercising gradually. I'll be so glad to get back to my workout routine." She looked at me skeptically. "I thought you had a serious heart attack." "I did, but he said my EKG is remarkably normal, now. Anyway, I'll be coming back into the office regularly, but probably only for half days. I've got two boys to care for, now." She smiled. "You ought to bring them into the office, so we can meet them!" "I just might do that. I'm sure they could stir things up around here." She chuckled and said, "If they're anything like Stevey, they will." I raised an eyebrow and said, "I don't think there's anyone like Stevey, thank goodness. One's enough." She laughed and I went back into my office. It took the rest of the morning to go through the paperwork on my desk. I didn't take care of everything, but I organized it all to work on later. When I finally looked at my watch, I saw that it was just after noon. I buzzed Lucy and asked her why she hadn't left for lunch. "I'm just hanging around in case you need anything." "Go to lunch. I told Nell I'd be home early, so I'll be leaving after I make one phone call." "Okay. I'll see you tomorrow." "Actually, tomorrow I've got some things to do. I'll see you Wednesday." "So much for a regular schedule." I chuckled. "It is a regular schedule. It's just as full of twists and turns as it ever was." She laughed. "Okay, we'll see you Wednesday." The call I made was to Tim. "Alan! You're here?" "Yes, but I'm leaving for home as soon as we hang up." "How'd the doctor appointment go?" "Extremely well. He said I've healed better than he expected." "That sounds great! But you haven't been resting anyway, have you?" "No, but I didn't tell him that. Say, do you know Jody Phillips?" "Yeah. Tall, thin, blond. Nice guy. Kinda cute in a twinkish sort of way. Why?" "He's my doctor's son, and he's gay." "No shit! I wouldn't have guessed, but I don't have very good gaydar, anyway." "We'll talk more when I see you tonight. . . . I love you, y'know." He whispered, "I know. I love you, too." "I'll see you when you get home." "Okay, drive careful." "Grant's driving. I think he's a little nervous. We've got the Aston Martin." "Which one?" "The James Bond car." He whimpered. "I love that car. It's beautiful!" "Grant must like it, too. I'll tell you more tonight. `Bye, baby." "'Bye. Love you." "Love you, too." I sighed and looked at the phone for a moment. I was interrupted by Grant clearing his throat. Since he usually never made a sound, I thought he might have something to say. I looked in his direction and said, "You ready to go, Grant?" "Yes, sir, but I need to use the men's room." "Through that door is my private bathroom." "Thanks." He went in and left the door open. As much as I wanted to peek (to satisfy my curiosity, of course!), I didn't. He finished, I used the facilities, too, and we were on our way. While we enjoyed an apparently leisurely ride, Grant cleared his throat again and said, "Sir?" "Yes, Grant?" "Sir, can I ask you a personal question?" I smiled and said, "Certainly. Ask away." "Sir, do you always tell Tim you love him?" "At every opportunity." "Why? Once you tell him, he knows. Why do you have to keep telling him?" "I suppose it's because I love him so much that it's hard to keep it to myself. I want to shout it from the rooftops and tell everyone around me that I love the most perfect, talented, and intelligent person on earth." For the first time since I met him, I saw Grant smile. "That's Marty," he whispered. I laughed. "Then shout it from the rooftops! Just make sure Marty hears you." He glanced at me with a wicked smile. He is quite attractive when he smiles! "I might do just that," he whispered. "Thank you, sir." "Why are you thanking me? You don't need my permission." He cleared his throat and said, "No, sir, maybe not, but I'm glad you did. It makes it feel . . . right." I'm sure there was a lot more psychology behind that, like thinking of me as a father-figure, either to him or to Marty, or any number of other things, but I didn't want to spoil his mood. I could sense that Grant had a certain level of respect for me and I didn't want to spoil that, either, so I didn't ask him to elaborate. Sometimes it's best not to put your feelings into words and analyze them. The rest of the trip to the house was uneventful, and I'm sure Grant had a lot to think about. When we approached the house, I asked Grant to let me out close to the front door, and he drove on to put the car away. It was a little manipulative on my part, but I wanted Grant to have some time alone with Marty. The door to the entertainment room was closed, so I opened it carefully. The boys were quietly playing video games when I tiptoed into the room, but I was startled to see Paul laying prone on Stevey's back, holding his controller over Stevey's shoulders. The thing that surprised me most was that they were both nude! As I watched, Paul blasted one of Stevey's video men to smithereens. What happened next, made me know that I shouldn't be watching. Stevey hoarsely said, "Ahh! You won again! You know what that means." "Yeah," Paul giggled. He set his controller to the side and put his arms around Stevey's shoulders then began moving his pelvis on top of Stevey's butt! Stevey laid his head on his arms and began to moan. I was a bit shocked as I tiptoed as quietly as I could back out of the room and closed the door, being careful not to make a sound. Once out of the room, restoring their privacy, I sighed loudly, and went to the kitchen. There I saw Nell working with a young woman I'd never met. Nell was quick to explain, "Boss! You're just in time! This is Cheryl. I'm interviewing her. She's showing me some of her cooking skills. Cheryl, this is Mr. Stewart." As I approached her, I saw that she was tall and, well, "sturdy." She wasn't fat or heavily muscled, she just struck me as not being very petite. Actually, she had the appearance of a stereotypical Russian Olympic athlete. When I shook her hand, I saw that her hands appeared a little masculine, and she had a firm grip. "Hello, Mr. Stewart," she said in a voice that sounded a little husky. I smiled and said, "Hello, Cheryl. May I ask a personal question?" She smiled, but it seemed a bit forced, as if she was nervous. "Of course," she said, but she didn't appear to mean it. "Are you post-op?" She smiled wide and laughed with relief. "How did you know? Do you know other TGs?" "No," I said. "I guessed." "Well, to answer your question, I'm pre-op. I'm saving up for the last operation. There's a doctor in Colorado that I want to do the honors." I nodded and looked at Nell, who had questions written all over her face. "Cheryl was born male," I explained to Nell. She raised her eyebrows and said, "Oh!" She turned to Cheryl and said, "No wonder I like you so well." Nell turned back to me and said, "She's a good cook, too." Cheryl just smiled. "Now," Nell explained, "All you have to do is pass the background check." "Background check?" Cheryl repeated, nervously. "No one said anything about a background check." "Cheryl," I said, "Is there something you want to tell us?" She took a deep breath and looked around the kitchen. "I would have liked this job," she said, softly. "You haven't failed the background check, yet," I said. "Tell us what you're afraid of." She took a deep breath and said, "I've done some things I'm not proud of. Some things I'd rather forget." "Such as?" She looked at me sadly and said, "I had to do some things to get by. I was quite confused and depressed when I was younger. I stole some things and I hustled." "What kind of things did you steal?" "Oh, nothing small, of course. I stole a couple of cars, burglarized a house, and I picked a couple of pockets. The pocket picking is the only thing I didn't get caught doing. I spent five years in prison, I got out about six years ago, and I'll be on parole for about another nine years. I intend to keep my nose clean from now on." I nodded, sadly. "Did your parents kick you out?" She looked at me and cocked her head. "How did you know that?" "Again, I guessed. We won't hold any of it against you, especially because you were honest about it. I think you'll fit right in, here." She smiled wide, but then scowled. "I won't have to do anything like that, here, will I?" "No! For goodness' sake, no! We want you to lead as normal a life as you can. That is, of course, considering the craziness that goes on around here." I looked at Nell and asked, "Do you know where Mike is?" "He's in his room. I think he's playing on his computer. Paul and Stevey are in the entertainment room." I nodded. "Yes, and do you know what they're doing?" She looked at me curiously. "I think they're playing a video game." I smiled and said, "Yes, but do you know what the stakes are?" The color left her face. "I don't know if I want to hear this." I chuckled. "I just looked in on them. I seriously doubt that they knew I was there. They were nude, and Stevey had just lost the game, I think on purpose." Her eyes widened and I nodded. Cheryl had her hand over her mouth, trying to suppress her laughter. I looked at her and asked, "Are you sure you can tolerate this place?" "How old are they?" she giggled. "Thirteen." "Oh! My! Well, I understand, then. Raging hormones." She raised her eyebrows and looked at Nell. Nell just bit her lips and shook her head. "I'll have a talk with them, later," I said. "That's not appropriate for public rooms, even if they did have the door closed." I looked at Nell and said, "If Nell approves, I think you'll work out fine, here." Nell nodded. "Welcome to Happy Acres Funny Farm!" she said to Cheryl, taking her hand and holding it gently. Cheryl put her other hand over her mouth and her eyes clouded. "I take that as acceptance of the job offer. There is something else you'll need to know. We don't have any place for you to stay on this property, but we'll be building a new house a few miles from here. We'll have apartments there, if you want one, or we'll give you a small housing allowance to live where you want. I'm not sure when the house will be finished, since we haven't even finished the plans for it, but I'm guessing we'll be moving there in a year or so." Cheryl's mascara was beginning to run, so Nell handed her a tissue. Dabbing at her eyes, she said, "I don't know what to say. There's something about this place that feels . . . comfortable. Like it's home. I haven't felt that way in a very, very long time. Thank you, both of you." "Nell hasn't told you how much we're paying you, yet, has she?" "No." I looked at Nell and said, "I'm sure it'll be appropriate. How many more interviews do you have?" "One more young lady this afternoon for the kitchen, but I don't think she'll show up for the interview. It's just a feeling she gave me when I spoke with her on the phone. Then I have two young men lined up for housekeeping and one for the job of gardener. Those interviews are all tomorrow." "Good. Excellent. Just get a hold of Lucy at the office and get everyone you want on the payroll as soon as they can start." Cheryl asked, "Um, do you suppose I can start right away? I've been out of work for a while, and I could really use the money." I pulled out my wallet and asked, "How much of an advance do you need?" "Oh! Please, I didn't ask for an advance!" "No, but it sounds like you might need one. It'll be interest free, and you can pay me back a little at a time." She thought a moment and said, "Would five hundred be too much? My rent will be due at the end of the month, and that's only a week away. I won't have quite enough to get by until my first check." "No problem. I'll tell you what," I said as I handed her the money, "Let's just call this a signing bonus, and it'll make things simpler." She registered shock. "No," she said, softly, "I couldn't allow you to do that." "Nonsense. It's my money, and I can do what I want with it. Besides, if Nell likes you, you must be something special." "Better take it," Nell said. "You never know when he'll loosen his purse strings again." Cheryl gave her an odd look then looked at me, questioningly. That's when I began to laugh. "Either you'll get used to her sense of humor, or she'll drive you to distraction. Welcome to the family." I waited for Cheryl to blow her nose then I hugged her. She was a little reluctant at first, but she gave a warm hug in return. I left Nell to take care of the details of the paperwork, and excused myself to go to the toy box. Stepping into the building, I yelled, "Marty? Are you decent?" I heard a gasp that sounded like, "Ohmygawd!" Chuckling, I yelled, "Ready or not, here I come!" I strolled slowly past the line of sports cars, reminding myself of which cars I had, when I got to the end closest to the shop. Marty appeared, out of breath and red in the face. "Boss! I can explain! It was all sort of . . ." I held up my hands and said, "Stop! In the twenty-odd years I've been running the company, I've heard a lot of excuses. I would have thought by now you'd at least know that you didn't have to try to explain your actions to me." I looked at a stunned Marty and said, "Marty, you've worked for me for how long?" "Fifteen years," he said softly, looking at the floor in front of me. "I was nineteen when I came to work for you." I nodded and continued, "Don't you think that counts for anything?" He looked up at me with a hopeful expression. I let a smile grow across my face, and his smile quickly followed. I stepped up to him and took him in my arms, letting his head rest on my shoulder. I whispered to him, "Haven't you heard me say you're like family to me?" He pulled back and said, "Does this mean that the rules don't apply to me?" I laughed, "No, it means that since I've broken my own rule in a major way, I can no longer enforce it." He smiled wide then kissed me on the lips. We both turned to Grant whose mouth was hanging open. His eyes were darting back and forth between us. "Grant," I explained, "I told you Marty was like family to me. Marty? Did he tell you?" Marty blushed and nodded. "Then, Grant, I want you to treat him well. Understand?" He smiled and nodded. "There's just one more thing: I want you to be careful about the personal stuff. No hanky panky on the clock. Okay?" They both nodded. Marty said, "You got it, Boss. Oh, and while you're in such a good mood, I have a question to ask." I smirked at him and said, "Okay, ask." "No matter what I do, I can't seem to keep up with all the maintenance on the cars. Several of them are overdue for exercise, and some are overdue for their regular inspections and service. I need some help." I glanced at Grant and said, "So, you want Grant to join you in the shop?" "Uh, no, but that's a thought." He looked at Grant and Grant smirked. "No, I was thinking about my nephew. He just turned sixteen and can help me in the afternoons. If we hire him, he can get into a school work program and work here for a few hours each day." "If you think that's what you need and it'll help him, too, then it's fine with me." I chuckled, "There's nothing like nepotism to bring a family together. Let him know, though, that he's not my family. If he doesn't work hard, we'll have to let him go. That means you'll have to make sure he works. It wouldn't do anyone any good if he came here and goofed off." "Oh, he won't goof off. I can assure you of that." "Good. And another thing: you drive the cars, he doesn't. You know how easy it could be for a teenager to get carried away in some of them." He smiled wide and said, "Don't I know it! That won't be a problem." "Okay, get with Nell and see if she'll process him with the other people she's hiring. I don't think she'll mind handling one more. Just don't get carried away with his pay." "Thanks, Boss." I smiled and winked at Grant, which made him blush crimson. "By the way, did you ask the armored car people about another car?" "Oh, yeah! I forgot to tell you. They have two that they fixed up as demonstrators, but they're willing to sell them. One's a Lincoln Town Car." "Hmm. I don't know. It might be too much of an obvious display of wealth . . ." ". . . and the other's a Hummer. Not a big HumVee like yours, but the smaller model; the H2, I think. It's got all the bells and whistles, and all the current technology." I'm sure my eyes lit up. "You said the magic word: `technology.' How much do they want for it?" He told me. "Tell them to send it down here on a flatbed and I'll send the hauler back with a check." "You got it. The Suburban's going to be a few more weeks." "Why so long?" "It seems there was a lot more damage than appeared on the surface, plus they're going to upgrade the armor a little. They said the edges of the doors were a little weak." "Okay, sounds fine, but I want it back as soon as we can get it. I like that car." "I'll see if they can rush it." "Also, call Bill and tell him about the Hummer. I want it outfitted with that communication system just like the Suburban." "You got it, Boss." "See you guys, later." It seemed right to be getting another armored car. The memory of Robert's warning was still fresh, even if it was in the back of my mind. I still needed to check on Mike, so I made my way through the kitchen (Nell and Cheryl seemed to be planning menus and a shopping list) and on to Mike's room. Along the way, I noticed the door to the entertainment room was open, the room was empty, and the equipment was turned off. Mike's door was open and he was sitting at his computer, engrossed in reading something. The next thing I noticed was that he was nude. I cleared my throat and he jumped, quickly closing the program he had open. I saw enough to know that it was an internet browser, so there's no telling what he was reading. I made a mental note to check the history, later. When he turned around, he had a very red, very guilty look on his face, and a very hard little pecker. "Don't worry," I said with a smile, "We all try to find things that we know we shouldn't be looking at. I didn't block any of your computers on purpose." He ran to me and threw his arms around my middle, burying his face in my chest, and hugging me tightly. I chuckled as I held him close and rubbed his bare back. "Now, why don't you get some clothes on? We need to have a family meeting when Tim gets home." He looked up into my eyes and said, "Papa?" I ran my fingers lightly through his hair and said, "Yes?" "Do you love me?" "Yes! Of course I love you!" I knelt on one knee and looked up into his beaming face. He quickly sat on my raised knee and hugged my neck. I wasn't too stable in that position, and I teetered a bit, but I managed to balance us. After a short while, he kissed me on the lips and ran to his bathroom. I smiled to myself and whispered, "I love you, Mike." Turning, I was about to head for the other boys' rooms, but Mike beat me to the door. He grabbed my arm and pulled me down, reaching for my neck. When he'd pulled me down sufficiently, he planted a very wet kiss on my forehead and said, "I love you, Papa." Since I was unable to speak, I grabbed him in my arms and picked him up, spinning his naked body around the room. He squealed with glee! I managed to whisper, "I love you, too, munchkin!" When I set him down, he had a very wide smile on his face and ran back into the bathroom. I slowly shook my head, wondering what had brought that on, but I certainly didn't want to question his motives or his wonderful spontaneity. When I got to Paul and Stevey's rooms, Stevey's door was closed, but Paul's was open. He wasn't in it, so I knocked on Stevey's door. There was a sound of shuffling around, but no one said anything. "Stevey? May I come in?" There was sudden silence in the room. "Stevey?" More silence. "I know you guys are in there." Still it was silent, so I rattled the door knob without the intention of entering. "Wait!" Stevey screamed. "Don't come in!" "Okay, but I want you two showered and dressed, and then come to my office downstairs. Be there in fifteen minutes." I used a stern voice, so I was sure they knew I meant business. I also knew they couldn't make it in fifteen minutes, but they didn't know I knew that. I wanted them not to dawdle, and if I had given them more time, they would have doubled it. It was about thirty minutes later that the boys showed up in my office, wearing shorts and t-shirts. I was going through some fresh email when they appeared. I looked them over and said, "Have a seat on the couch, boys." Paul appeared to be a little nervous, but Stevey took it with amusement. I closed the door while Paul sat on the couch stiffly. Stevey sat close to him, took his hand and put it in Paul's crotch. I sat in a chair across from them and scowled at Stevey. "That's exactly the kind of thing we need to talk about." "What?" Stevey said, still playing the innocent clown as he groped a very nervous Paul. "We need to discuss what's appropriate." Stevey lost his silly grin and scowled back at me, crossing his arms over his chest. "Stevey, calm down and listen. I know what you two were doing earlier in the entertainment room. I walked in on you, but you didn't know I was there. What you were doing is not the problem. Where you were doing it, is. I know you'll be doing what you want, when you want, but you shouldn't be doing it in public or in front of others. That wouldn't be appropriate. Understand?" Paul said defensively, "We closed the door." "I know, but it doesn't lock. What you were doing should be done in private. What if Nell had walked in on you? Pretty soon we'll have more staff around the house and any number of people could come walking in." Stevey said, "Without knocking?" "The entertainment room isn't a room where anyone has to knock before they enter. All of the rooms downstairs are considered public, except, of course, for this office when I'm in it. Listen, if you're doing something as personal as what you were doing, you should do it in private. Your bedrooms are appropriate for that, as long as you keep the noise down." Stevey whined, "You don't keep the noise down." "Stevey, this is my house. I don't have to keep the noise down. But, it might be more appropriate if your brother and I had more of a noise cushion around our room. Since your room is right next to ours, I think you should move out of it." He pushed out his lower lip and said, "And move where? Down the hall? I wouldn't be close to Paul, then!" Paul grabbed his hand and said, "You can move in with me!" Stevey smiled wide and said, "Yeah!" "No!" I retorted, sternly. "That wouldn't be appropriate, either. You two are only thirteen. I can tolerate a little playing around, doing a little age-appropriate experimenting, but you will not live like a couple of love birds! I was thinking more along the lines of Stevey moving back home. I can provide for his security there, and besides, I'm sure Stevey's parents have been missing him a lot." Both of them appeared to be in shock, Stevey more than Paul, so it wasn't surprising that Paul was the first to speak. "Dad? I'm sorry – really, really sorry. I didn't think we were doing anything wrong." I left my chair and knelt in front of him, hugging him. "Paul," I whispered, "you didn't do anything wrong. You just did it in the wrong place." Moving between the two, I said, "Look, guys, I want you to understand that I'm not punishing you. That's the last thing from my mind. But, it's probably time for Stevey to spend some more time with his folks. Is that so bad?" Stevey's eyes were red and he was sniffling. He didn't respond. I reached for him to give him a hug, but he dodged my arm and ran from the room. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To be continued . . . . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you want to keep track of what I'm up to, check out my website and blog at www.lancekenman.com. While you're at it, make a contribution to Nifty to keep this website free!