Tales from the Ranch

Disclaimer: The following story is a work of fiction. If you are offended by descriptions of homosexual acts or man/man relations, please exit this page.

TALES FROM THE RANCH Copyrightc 2006 by Tulsa Driller. All rights reserved.

This is a story of men who have two common interests. You will see that they love the land where they live and work, but it is also the story of young men who love other men and their coming of age in a culture of prejudice and misunderstanding. It is a story, which deals with difficult and often disturbing issues but, nonetheless, issues which must be confronted in today's society.

This is a work of fiction and in no way draws on the lives of any specific person or persons. Any similarity to actual persons or events is entirely coincidental. This work is copyrightedc by the author and may not be reproduced in any form without the specific written permission of the author. It is assigned to the Nifty Archives under the terms of their submission agreement but it may not be copied or archived on any other site without the written permission of the author.

PLEASE: In a perfect world AIDS doesn't exist. My characters have unprotected sex. I hope you use proper precautions because I'd like you to be around to read the last chapter of this story.

Tales from the Ranch Book II, Chapter 6 A Christmas to Remember

It was Saturday, December 15th, a week before Christmas and the shoppers were out in full force. Joey was glad he'd completed his shopping a few days earlier. He hoped that everyone would like the gifts he had purchased for them. As this was the first time he'd purchased gifts for more than one family member, it was a different experience to figure out what his new relatives might like. But, he had discussed some of his shopping with Dale and Craig, as well as having gotten some help from Frank and Doris.

Saber Computers was full of customers and many times all six of the demo computers were in use by the salesmen as they were working with people.

Marty and Chris decided to buy a computer for Jason and Kevin to share. Jason was receiving some computer instruction in a class at school and several teachers in middle school were encouraging students to submit book reports and other papers prepared with a word processor. Other teachers took issue with the fact that it didn't promote students learning how to spell and also to write with legible handwriting. Computers were starting to change the world, starting at the very bottom and bubbling toward the surface.

This morning Joey was working with a customer and his son, giving them a demo of a Lotus spreadsheet and how the WordStar program worked. Daniel Pearson asked Marty if he could help him and was told that he would look around while he waited for Joey to help him. Later Forrest approached him and was told the same thing. One of the other salesmen, Phil Stephens, spotted Marty and asked the other two, "Do you know who that blond guy is?" Both Daniel and Forrest did. "He's the richest man in Williamsport," he told them.

Daniel said, "Sure, he's Dale's boss. Everyone knows Marty."

"Wow, I can't believe that he's in this store. He's got so much money that he doesn't have to come to a discount store."

Daniel couldn't believe what he was hearing. "That's probably why he's the richest man in Williamsport. He doesn't flaunt his money and he's interested in a good deal, just like everyone who shops here." He was annoyed with Phil, as he seemed to be overly impressed with everything that happened in the store. He was kind of nerdy, but sometimes he was too loud.

About that time Joey finished with his customers and handed them their merchandise claim form to take to the cash register. He turned around and greeted Marty, who had walked to the area. Joey flashed his full smile, held out his hand and said, "Hi Marty. It's good to see you."

Phil whispered to Daniel and Forrest. "He called him Marty instead of Mr. Williamson."

"Well, duh," said Daniel. "It's not like they don't already know each other."

Joey questioned Marty, getting a feel as to what he wanted to buy in the way of a computer. He knew that he would want software to help the boys in school as well as games they could play for entertainment.

"What about Internet access?" Marty asked.

"All we need to do is add a modem card that plugs into one of the slots on the motherboard and you'll need to have a phone line available to plug it into," Joey answered. "You might want to get a separate phone line so they don't tie up your house line while they are on the computer."

"Good idea " Marty said. The line is already available, we just need to have Southwestern Bell activate it and connect it to the phone jack in their room. The boys are at the age they should have their own phone anyway."

"After I tied up the line at our house for a couple of hours one evening, my Dads had another line installed immediately," Joey laughed.

They quickly decided how the computer should be configured and what software packages were needed. Joey wrote up the sales order, and then excused himself for a minute to see when the service department could have the computer ready to pick up. He checked with Earl Downey, who ran the department, then took the order to Frank.

"Grandpa, Marty Williamson is buying a computer for Jason and Kevin. Do we want to give him an extra discount?"

Frank quickly answered, "Of course. Give him 10%," he said, taking the ticket, writing the figure and initialing it.

"Thanks," Joey said as he took off for the area where Marty was waiting.

"The Service Department can have the computer ready on Wednesday and all of the software will be loaded," Joey reported.

Great, I'll pick it up sometime around 5 o'clock, if that's okay," Marty told him.

"Sure, I'll even have the processor unit and monitor gift wrapped. Sorry, but they don't wrap the other things like the keyboard, mouse and software."

"That's no problem," Marty said. "It will give me something to do in my spare time," he teased Joey.

As they walked to the cashiers' desk, Marty asked, "How's business going? Looks like you are busy today."

"My Dads' told me that sales were way above projection and they are going to start up the mail order business in February. Leland thinks that will more than make up for the drop in sales after the holidays are over."

Marty, of course, already knew that. Leland kept him up-to- date on Saber Computers each day and both were delighted with the sales volume.

"Thanks Marty," Joey told him. "I took the ticket to Grandpa and got you an extra 10% discount."

Marty offered his hand. "I appreciate that, Joey. You have a good store here and I'm glad it's starting out to be so successful."

"See ya at church tomorrow morning," Joey said as they parted.

When Joey returned to his usual work area, he was surprised to see Ranger Kyle MacGregor there, along with another fellow who looked familiar. Joey presumed he was the roommate Kyle had mentioned the day he and Craig went on the tour of the Longhorn Caverns, north of Williamsport.

"These men are waiting for you to help them," Daniel said, motioning with his hand.

"Ranger MacGregor." Joey started to say, offering his hand to shake.

He was rewarded with a big smile. It's just Kyle when I'm not wearing my uniform. He shook Joey's hand. "This is my roommate, Cory Walford," he said as an introduction.

"Joey Sullivan. You teach in the Vocational Ed Department at Davy Crockett, don't you?"

Cory shook his hand. "Yes, I teach Metal Working and I've seen you in the hallways from time to time, too."

"Cool," was Joey's reply. "I'd like to take that course sometime. I've seen some nice pieces some of your students have made. Some of them won honors at a convention, didn't they?"

"Yes, they did. Two students won first prizes at the last one." Cory was pleased that Joey was aware of his department; most kids looked down their noses at Vo-Tech students.

"That's good." Joey was glad to see the men. "What can I show you about computers?"

"Well, I'm pretty much in the dark about how to use one and what they can do. Cory is a lot smarter than me," Kyle laughed.

"You're the first person he's ever admitted that to," Cory grinned, punching Kyle's arm. All of the men laughed. Joey was sure they were a gay couple like his Dads.

"Let me give you an overview of the computer. Some people use them mostly for word processing. Others like to use spreadsheets for keeping track of their bank accounts, budget and other financial applications. Still, we sell a lot of games. Joey walked them to one of the display models that wasn't being used at the moment. He pulled a floppy disk out of his notebook and put it in the drive bay.

He, along with Daniel and Forrest had developed their own demos. A couple of the other salesmen had objected and cornered David Perkins about it. His reply was that none of the three used the same demos and advised them to develop something they understood and were comfortable using. End of discussion.

Joey opened a spreadsheet showing figures in a row of cells that had been added together, and then displayed an average of the input. He addressed this demo to Cory, who could use it for recording grades. Both men were impressed. Then he opened an MSWord screen and showed them how figures could be copied and pasted from one program to another. The third demo was pure word processing and both were impressed at how easy it was to correct spelling and also insert and delete words. They were impressed that fonts could be changed, enlarged or made smaller. Joey quickly showed them a game, but didn't get much response from the men. Then he accessed the Internet and he knew immediately he had cinched the deal. The next step was to sell them a printer and he made short work of that demo.

The two men conferred briefly and Kyle said, "You've convinced us that this is what we need." Joey told them about the classes starting in January. He wrote up the sales order and gave them each a card with information about the free computer class, urging them to enroll as soon as possible as the class was filling up. Kyle and Cory were really pleased with that information, but a little disappointed when Joey told them that their shop needed to configure the computer for their needs, install a modem card and ready it for use by loading the software they had purchased. They were hoping to take their new computer home and start learning about it immediately, but Joey was right; they would be better off waiting until the equipment was tested.

Joey shook hands with both men, thanking them for asking for him to wait on them and wishing them "good luck" with their new computer. Cory asked, "If we have a problem, can we call on you?"

"Sure. I can answer a lot of questions, but am sure I can at least find the answers elsewhere for things I don't know. But, you'll have fun with it."

Joey noticed that Cory was the one who wrote the check, then saw that both names were printed in the upper left hand corner. On a whim, he told the men he needed their names, address and phone number to add to his customer list while he wrote the information on a sheet in his notebook.

By noon, Joey had sold five computer systems. Daniel and Forrest had sold 4 each. Phil had sold one and the other two men had sold three each. That was 20 computers in three hours. By the time the store closed at 8:30 that evening the six men had sold an additional 22 computers with Joey leading, having sold a total of eleven himself. Forrest and Daniel were right behind him with 9 and 10 each.

Joey was glad that his two young friends were doing so well. He would have to talk to David and his grandpa about the other three salesmen. They didn't seem to be trying very hard and Joey knew they had each missed sales because they didn't know their product.

The men in the computer department staggered their lunch and supper hours. As it worked out, Joey and Forrest went to lunch together and in the evening Daniel and Forrest went to get something to eat at the same time.

Much to Matt Rhodes' surprise and delight, his mother arrived at Tom and Eddie's house to visit with him on the afternoon of December 16th. She seemed genuinely interested in the progress he was making in school and talked with Tom and Eddie at length privately while Matt visited with his brother and sister who had come along. They brought a couple of their favorite board games in case Matt wanted to play them.

When she got ready to leave after having been there for about an hour, Tom helped her unload the car and brought in two large boxes of gift-wrapped presents. When Matt started crying (out of both joy and frustration since he didn't have anything to give his family) she gave him some little comfort, telling him that she had brought presents for Ruth and Thomas and they would have his name on the tag.

She didn't say anything to Matt about what was going on with his father, nor was his possible return home even mentioned. In her usual abrupt and cold manner she told him goodbye without giving him a hug or encouraging one from him.

Matt watched them drive away and then broke into tears as the car turned at the next corner and disappeared.

Eddie stepped beside him and put his arm around his shoulder. This had the opposite reaction from what was intended as Matt broke away and ran to his room, slamming the door before falling on his bed.

Tom wanted to go comfort him, but the two men decided that he needed some time to grieve alone. They needed their own time alone to discuss their conversation with Mrs. Rhodes as she had really laid a load on them.

"I need a drink, so why don't you fix each of us a double and I'll go downstairs and build a fire," Eddie suggested.

"Sounds like a great idea to me. I'll bring some snacks while I'm at it," Tom said. "I feel numb and if we don't have something to eat I'll get drunk."

"That wouldn't be a bad idea," Eddie told him. "I can't believe that family."

Tom put the drinks on a big tray, along with two kinds of cheese, crackers and chip and dip, something that usually wasn't in their pantry, but had been purchased for when company dropped in over the holidays. He arrived in the downstairs family room as the gas starter came to life. The men hugged each other and sat down close together as they needed some comfort themselves. They each took a big sip of their drink, saying "cheers" and touching glasses.

"What did you think about the visit from the Wicked Witch of the East?" Eddie asked.

"I don't think that title even begins to describe her. She deserves a place in the Hall of Shame for Nazi henchmen," was the reply.

"That's too good for her, she might deserve some respect if she got rid of her husband, but nobody dumps their child like she's doing. "I can't believe that she hasn't bothered to call Jeremy Houser to tell him what's going on." Eddie was livid.

"I can't believe that she came out here prepared to give Matt the news that they had decided it was best if he didn't live with them anymore and would put him in a foster home if you and I didn't agree to take him. That sucks! Big time!!" Tom was agitated.

"I'm not going to sit still and see that happen. Matt is just now starting to feel comfortable with us and I think we both agree that we'll do whatever is necessary to keep him here with us. He's a good kid and doesn't deserve this. I think you are with me on this, aren't you?" Eddie questioned.

"Oh yes, I agree, but why did she bring a car load of Christmas presents and then tell us she had bought him a new car as well?" Tom was really frustrated. Matt wouldn't be 16 for another three months "Well, we've agreed we are going to help Matt through this, but you and I have some decisions to make and we need to talk to Jeremy Houser before we get any deeper into this. There is no use allowing Matt to know what is going on until we know what all the options are." Eddie was starting to calm down, but only a little.

He got up to check the fire and turned the gas starter off. After that he pulled the mesh curtain open and moved the wood around as it was starting to burn. Then he added a small, fragrant log on top of the two that were starting to burn.

"Do you want to adopt Matt if we can work things out?" Tom asked as Eddie sat back down, working his way into Tom's shoulder. Tom moved slightly and turned to accommodate him.

"I'm all for it. I think we've helped Matt understand his sexuality better and now he's more comfortable with it. He's shy, but starting to open up to us and he's doing well in school. I'm just a little worried that he doesn't seem to have anyone to pal around with," Eddie stated.

"He may be afraid of developing any close friendships after what happened with him and his buddy getting caught by his sister. Then, too, we've warned him about telling others in his class that he's gay. He's probably overly cautious because of those things," Tom agreed.

"We need to have a talk with Fr. George about this, too. He may have some ideas as to how we can proceed. Texas law isn't exactly friendly to gay men adopting children," Eddie stated.

"Well, Jeremy Houser can help with that, too. He has said that it's a fairly easy process in some cases and it's documented in Matt's files as to what has happened and what is going on." Tom was hoping he was right. He turned to Eddie. "Let's not say anything to Matt until after Christmas. I don't want to ruin the holiday for him or for us, either."

"I agree," Eddie said. "We need to talk to Jeremy Houser first and get him involved. He may have some other ideas as to how to proceed. You are right, we want this to be a joyous Christmas for all of us."

"Hey, I almost forgot. Tonight is the Dignity/Integrity Christmas party. We're supposed to be hosts for the happy hour, so have to leave here in about 45 minutes," Tom said.

"Right. "We'd better check on Matt to see if he wants to go. I'm not sure if anyone else his age will be there, except maybe Joey. One of us had better call Joey now to find out," Eddie agreed.

"Good idea, I'll call over to the guys' house now and see if somebody is still home. Otherwise, I guess we'd better show up a little early and help get everything ready. I'm glad that Trisha from LeGourmet is catering this at her new shop. She puts out good food at a very reasonable cost," Tom said.

As Tom was making the phone call, Matt came down the stairs and into the room.

"Feeling better?" Eddie asked.

"Yeah, I'm sorry I lost it when Mom left. I just feel that she doesn't love me and you guys are always so great. I'm glad Mr. Houser brought me here and that you are both willing to be here for me and help me."

"Don't worry about it. But, you are right, we both love you and are glad you've been with us the last six weeks," Eddie told him.

Tom hung up the phone, nodding his head yes to Eddie. "Matt do you want to go to the Dignity/Integrity Christmas party with us this evening? We need to be there in about 45 minutes."

"Sure, do you think Joey will be there?" he replied.

"Yes, he'll be there. I just called to check. He comes to all of the meetings with Dale and Craig," Tom told him.

"Count me in. What are we going to do?" Matt asked.

"There will be a happy hour, then after we eat dinner there will be some music and skits, then some dancing. We're going to have a gift exchange after the dinner," Eddie explained.

"I don't have a gift to take. I didn't know we were supposed to do that." Matt sounded upset.

Tom spoke up, "I've taken care of that and the gifts are wrapped. I put a couple of kitchen gadgets in each package and didn't spend more than the $10 limit for each gift."

"Neat. You guys think of everything," Matt said, giving the men a hug in turn. Tom noticed tears in Eddie's eyes and felt the same in his own. They looked at each other, the sadness mixed in with their joy for having Matt as part of their family.

Almost all of the Dignity/Integrity members showed up for the Christmas party, plus several brought guests. John Sterling was surprised when he saw Dale and Craig walk in with Joey ahead of them. He turned to Ray. "Are they really queer?"

"It's pretty obvious to me, but maybe you should ask them," Ray replied. He knew that John still wasn't comfortable with being out. Before John could move, Dale crossed the room and held out his hand to John. "Merry Christmas, John. Glad you could come to our Christmas party."

He turned to Ray and they gave each other a hug as they said, "Merry Christmas."

Other than being in a gay bar in Austin, this was the largest group of gay people that John had encountered. He discovered that he knew several of the people from the business aspect of his job. RJ Barton worked at the Texaco station and convenience store. One of the other guests worked at the lumber yard where his company bought a lot of lumber and supplies and he had seen several of the others around town, but didn't know their names.

Ray grinned at Dale. "I guess you know my guest, John?" he laughed.

"Sure do, you stole my best help right out from under my nose." Dale was grinning his usual 1000-watt smile. I'm glad things are going well for you in the new job," Dale told John.

"Yeah, they are. You were a great boss and so is Ray. I've learned a lot while working for both of you," John told them.

About that time Craig joined them, exchanging greetings with Ray in the form of a hug and shaking John's hand. "Merry Christmas, John. I'm glad Ray brought you as his guest."

"Merry Christmas to you, too." John thought that Dale and Craig made a handsome couple. Then there was Joey, who he could easily tell that he and Dale were brothers. He was cute and John knew he was a lot younger than he looked.

Ray asked John what he wanted to drink and he replied, "Bourbon and Coke."

Craig looked at Dale, raising his eyebrows in question. "Scotch and soda for me."

Ray and Craig walked off in the direction of the bar, leaving Dale and John standing there to talk to each other. Dale wanted to cover the awkward silence, so said, "I'm pleased to see you and Ray together. Is this something new? He hasn't said anything about it to me."

John was somewhat embarrassed. This was the first time that anyone had questioned him about the fledgling relationship he and Ray had started. "Un. it just happened Thursday night." He could feel his face getting red.

Dale could tell that he was uncomfortable and wanted to let him know it was okay. "Hey, Craig and I started the same way and most of the others in the room did, too. We met one morning to discuss the idea for the crew quarter's house that we built at the Bar-W. I invited him to my place that evening and we ordered a pizza to be delivered. He invited me to his house the next evening after work and he ordered in. We've not slept apart since that first evening."

John was surprised. "I have to tell you that I thought you were as straight as could be. All three of us were scared to death that you would find out we were gay and fire us." John realized that he had just outed Michael and Pat. But it was out in the open and he'd tell the other two men what was going on; that he had met Dale and Craig at a gay party. They could handle it from that point on - if they wanted to say anything to Dale.

He felt badly about what he had done, but the whole idea of meeting so many gay people all at one time at a party was a bit overwhelming.

Dale was cool about it though. He realized what John had inadvertently said. "Don't worry, their jobs are secure and I won't say anything to them about what's going on. If you want, you can tell them that you met Craig and me at a party for a group of gay people." Dale thought, 'Maybe that will break the ice.'

John was relieved. He told Dale, "I visited with Ray several times when his crew was building the house. It was just friendly conversation and the next thing I knew he was offering me a job with his company. I was really hesitant to change jobs because I liked working for you and the ranch, but Ray told me that even if things didn't work out in my new job, that I could still work on one of his construction crews and earn more money than I was making at the ranch. He and the other guys have been super to me and I think I'm doing pretty well."

"Ray has told me that you are. You were good help at the Bar-W, but you have to take opportunities when they open. Things don't always work out for the best, but you never know if you don't try."

"Thanks," John replied.

Craig and Ray were visiting while waiting in line for the bartender to serve several people in front of them.

"You didn't tell us that you had a hot romance going," Craig teased.

"It just started, but I've been hoping it would happen. I just trust it's not a mistake since he works for me," Ray told him.

"Just take it slow and easy," Craig smiled. "I'm sure that things will workout if they are supposed to. They certainly did for Dale and me."

"Thanks for the support," Ray said as they moved up to the counter at the bar. Craig ordered two scotch and sodas. Ray ordered the Bourbon and 7 that John wanted and a Vodka Collins for himself.

The bartender lined their drinks up on the bar and they each put a couple of dollars in the tip jar before heading across the room to their mates.

About that time Fr. George and Paul arrived. Fr. George was wearing casual clothes, khakis and a sweater. It seemed strange he wasn't wearing his usual clerical collar and cassock.

John spotted him. He looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where he'd seen him before. He quietly asked Ray, "Who are the two men taking to the two women over there?"

The other three men turned to look and all had smiles on their faces. Ray replied, "That's Father George Tikker, the rector of St. James Episcopal Church."

John's mouth was agape.

Craig added, "That's his lover with him. Paul is the organist/choirmaster and they live in the rectory together. Everyone in the parish knows they are a gay couple and it's a non- issue. He's increased the membership of our church by about 200 people over the last three years."

Dale added, "After I'm baptized and confirmed in February, Fr. George is going to officiate at a commitment ceremony for Craig and me. It's kind of like a wedding and we would like the blessing of the church."

That was more information than John could absorb

"He's had that ceremony for two other men who are here this evening. It has no legal bearing at all, but some priests will officiate for ceremonies like that as long as there is no publicity. Some Bishops won't allow it, but others are more enlightened and have given permission; but again, they don't want a big deal made of it," Craig told the two men.

The crowd at the party was growing and people were circulating around the room, introducing themselves, visiting with friends and guests, wishing everyone Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays.

The bar was doing a land office business and the aroma of the food was making everyone hungry. Ray made sure John was introduced to everyone he knew and together they introduced themselves to the people they didn't know.

Soon, Fr. George and Paul stopped to talk to Ray and John and introduced themselves. They had a nice visit and, of course, Fr. George wanted to know if they attended church. Ray explained that he hadn't been to church for 10 years and that was for a wedding. John told him that his parents didn't go to church on a regular basis and he didn't either.

"Then you must come to our Christmas Eve mass. Be there early because the church will be filled. We have a service that will make you think you are in an English Cathedral. Paul has a wonderful choir and Joey Sullivan is going to sing 'O Holy Night'."

Without giving the men a chance to reply, Fr. George added, "I'll tell Dale and Craig that you will be sitting with them and their family. They sit about the 4th row on the north side of the nave."

With that the two men moved on. John was wondering what had happened. 'No wonder the church had grown by 200 members, he didn't take no for an answer,' he thought.

Ray had similar thoughts. He had heard about the beautiful services at St. James, but had never been inside the building. He'd have to talk to John and find out if he was going to be in Williamsport for Christmas. Maybe they could go together.

The party continued. When Tricia was ready to serve the meal of roast turkey and all the trimmings, she passed the word to the President, Eddie Thompson, to get everyone's attention. He said a few words of welcome, thanked Tricia for preparing the meal and told the group that they were the first ones to use the dining room in her new facility. Then he asked Fr. George to say the blessing.

The round tables were set for 8 people each and beautifully decorated with greenery and four candles. The meal was served buffet style and everyone found a place to sit. This group seemed to enjoy being together and it was obvious from the sound level that everyone was visiting as well as eating.

Sales at Saber Computers were running way above projection. The new catalog was shaping up and would be available to those customers shopping in the store about the middle of January, with a mailing going out to their customer database on the first of February. They had fixed up a room large enough to handle several people working on the order desk and set up an "800 number" for incoming calls. A shipping department had been established to handle mail orders. Additional inventory items were appearing on the shelves and new component parts were arriving each day.

The company Christmas party had been put on hold, as Frank and David couldn't find a place to have the party. Every restaurant with a party room had been booked months ahead of the holiday season. So, the next best thing to do was have a party for the employees in January. The Sunday evening date of January 13th was chosen and would be at the new facility LeGourmet had opened early in December. Tricia didn't have a liquor license yet, but that wouldn't be a problem. Frank would stock the bar and Leland volunteered to serve as bartender. There were several employees who were under 21, so that situation would have to be monitored carefully.

Frank and David, along with Leland decided that a year-end bonus should be given to each employee. Some employees were new and wouldn't get as much, but there were 14 employees who had been with the new company from the very beginning and 6 others who had been hired during December. Two more employees would be added in early January. It was decided to pay the bonus on three levels. Those hired in November would receive $750, those hired the first half of December would receive $500, those hired he last 2 weeks of December would receive $200.

This plan was submitted to Dale, Craig and Joey who happily endorsed the idea. Those who received a commission would receive an additional two-percent of their commissions through December 31st. That should make all of the employees happy and let them know their work at Saber Computers was appreciated. Hopefully the employees would get the idea that this could become and annual occurrence.

Joey was the only one of the owners who would receive a bonus as he was paid an hourly wage as well as a commission. But, they allowed him to think that he would only receive profit sharing later in the year. Hopefully, he would be surprised, too.

Frank, along with Dale and Craig approached Leland about paying David a bonus for his work in helping Frank getting the company up and running and being a good manager. Leland agreed and it was decided to pay him $5,000. He would receive a profit- sharing payment along with Dale, Craig, Joey and Frank at the end of the first year of operation.

Although the store was busy, the young men working in the computer sales area had plenty of time to go to lunch and supper that day. As it turned out, Joey and Forrest went to lunch together and in the evening Daniel and Forrest walked up the street to McDonald's to eat.

Forrest was sad because the nurse at the rest home told him that his grandmother wasn't responding to the nurses and starting to get confused about things. She wasn't eating well and had to have someone feed her what little she would try to eat. Forrest knew this as he had tried to get her to eat more when he was there. Everything they gave her looked like baby food to him.

Joey was sorry to hear this and assured Forrest that he could turn to his friends to do whatever was needed to help out. He would remember to tell Dale and Craig what was going on as well as his grandparents. For his part, Forrest was grateful that helping customers occupied his time and helped him forget about her decline.

Daniel also assured him that he could call on his friends to help out. Daniel wanted to tell Forrest about staying at Joey's house the previous evening and night, but couldn't think of a way to work it into the conversation since Forrest was concerned about his grandmother.

Paul Rathborne had scheduled two choir rehearsals this week. The regular rehearsal was on Wednesday the 19th and the special, extra rehearsal was the next evening. Everyone was to be there, no excuses. There was music for three services he needed to finish polishing. The 4th Sunday of Advent was December 23rd, Monday was Christmas Eve and the Christmas Day mass was at 9:00 a.m. The choir sounded great, but he wanted it to sparkle and by the time the rehearsal was over on Thursday night, it sounded like they had been singing the music forever - and it seemed like it since they had started working on the harder sections of it at the beginning of November.

Joey arrived for choir early on Thursday evening to make sure his solo; "O Holy Night" was as Paul wanted it to be. The first time through, Paul stopped him twice, pointing out places where he wanted more sound, going back over those sections again. The second time Joey sang it as Paul wanted and it was wonderful. Joey was elated. Paul was proud. Those of the choir who had arrived early gave them a big round of applause.

The choir worked hard during the rehearsal and at 8 o'clock, Paul told them that everything was perfect. He had prepared a little reception for them, with punch and cookies and gave each of the choir members a new silver choir cross to wear around their neck. They were hung on a red ribbon and would show easily over their choir surplice. At Joey's urging the choir had taken up a collection about three weeks before to purchase a music composition program for the computer in Paul's office. Needless to say, Paul was very pleased with that gift. It would make his arrangements easier to read than the hurriedly hand-written pages, which he copied and handed out.

The Christmas tree in the condo was not large, but it was real and smelled good. Craig had purchased new ornaments, consisting mainly of red, gold and silver balls. Joey wanted some "bubble lights" which were back in vogue again, so there were two strings of those and two long strings of small multi- colored lights. At Joey's suggestion, they popped corn and strung the kernels on thread, doing the same with fresh cranberries and draping them on the tree. After Christmas they could be hung on the balcony for the birds to eat. To the three men, it was a beautiful tree. It was the first time they had shared Christmas with each other. More gift-wrapped presents seemed to appear under the tree each day.

Joey's anticipation was growing as this would be his first Christmas with a full family of parents, grandparents and aunts with potential uncles, too. He would miss his father, of course, but Joe was a happy memory. Joey never thought about his mother, as he didn't remember much about her. Joe had given him enough love to make up for both parents. And now, there was even more love in a somewhat unconventional family.

No predictions had been made as to how busy Saber Computers might be on the last Saturday before Christmas. The store was not as busy as the previous Saturday, although Joey sold more printers than computers. It seemed like this was the day to buy "add-ons" for existing systems, along with other accessories such as modem cards, games, some software and floppy disks. The service department was emphatic that they could not build computers or load software for delivery before Christmas.

Craig and Doris, with Joey's help, had planned a Christmas Eve buffet dinner as well as their Christmas Day afternoon meal. Since Joey had to sing his solo at the early Christmas Eve mass, they planned to eat about 8 p.m. They decided that simple was best for Christmas Eve, so would serve ham with two casseroles and potato soup. They could have dessert after they arrived back from the late Christmas Eve mass.

The Christmas Day meal was going to be more English in tradition. Everybody loved prime rib, so Doris asked the butcher at Food Land to bone and roll a large rib roast. The finished product was close to ten pounds and virtually no waste to it. Doris liked to serve this instead of a standing rib roast and everyone agreed this was better for a large group of people.

Yorkshire Pudding, fresh green beans, Harvard Beets, Cranberry Relish, Scalloped Cabbage, Au gratin Potatoes, Broccoli salad and Squash pudding would accompany the roast.

Doris suggested that a table be set up with hors d'oeuvres during happy hour when they were opening gifts. Craig agreed, suggesting serving shrimp with several sauces, a cheese board with crackers and some chip and dip. It was nothing elaborate, but enough to snack on during the early afternoon.

Joey had received permission to have a small party for the gang of boys he ran around with. The best time was right after school on Friday evening, December 21st. Dale and Craig gave their permission and Joey insisted that they attend the party, also. So, invitations were given to Bret Jenkins, Jr., Bryce Barnett, Daniel Pearson, Forrest Ross, Hal Shaw, Barry Tilford and Matt Rhodes. They drew names for a gift exchange with the limit being $10. Joey drew Forrest's name. He finally decided on a sport watch that had several special features on it, including a stopwatch. It would also show the time in both Military and regular format.

Bret Jenkins, Jr. drew Joey's name and gave him a really neat kaleidoscope that he had found in a science shop that carried all kinds of gadgets and learning aids. Dale and Craig bought each of the boys a solar-powered calculator. They were starting a small gift department at Saber Computers and these had come in just a few days earlier. Dale happened to be in the store when they were unpacking and arranging a display of all the items bought for the sales inventory. All of the young men were very appreciative they were remembered. The guys had a great time together; playing Monopoly while they were waiting for Tony D's to deliver two giant pizzas. Dale and Craig were appreciative of the fact that they had been asked to stay for the party. Most young people didn't want any parental supervision at their age, but Dale and Craig seemed to be treated more like older brothers.

Daniel was hoping they could watch some of the movies in Joey's extensive collection, but realized that wasn't going to happen. In the first place he didn't know what kind of reaction they would get from the other boys. He didn't want to upset anything as he had enjoyed what Joey and he had done the previous Friday night.

The family members from Dallas arrived the same evening, about an hour after Joey's party for his gang was over. Doug drove his car because he had to return to work the day after Christmas. Becky would stay for a few more days and ride back to Dallas with Chuck and Susan on the Sunday before New Years. It seemed strange to Craig's sisters not to be celebrating Christmas in their parent's home in Arlington, but Frank and Doris were enthusiastic about what was going on in their lives. After all, Dallas and Williamsport were less than three hours apart.

There was great excitement, as everyone knew that the two Williamsport families would be living in new homes before the next Christmas rolled around. On Saturday everyone rode out to see the land that had been purchased by Dale, Craig and Joey. The burnt-out house had been torn down and the ground leveled. Dale drove them around the larger farm so they could see it. Everyone agreed that they should buy it if possible.

Afterward, Dale drove them down to Kawarce so they could see the lot Frank and Doris had purchased. The people who were living in the trailer had refused to vacate the property, so Frank told them they could do as they pleased, however, the trailer would be moved off the property and taken to the landfill in 30 days. The people were defiant and had threatened to sue him. Actually this was a pretty good idea. Frank wouldn't have to spend his money to file a suit against them.

The four people from Dallas thought the little town was charming and liked the lot Frank and Doris had purchased. Doris was hoping that Marshall Sidney would come out to visit so Susan, Chuck, Becky and Doug could meet him. All had a hard time visualizing the description they had been given.

On Sunday morning all of the family attended church together. The "Bastian family" as Dale liked to think of them were in their usual chairs in the fourth row, north side of the aisle. Paul Rathborne had chosen to play a prelude of his own arrangement based on the hymn tune, "Helmsley" (Lo, he comes with clouds descending). The piece ended in a joyful toccata. The thundering pedal passages gave foundation to the sparkling scales played on the manuals. When it was over, Craig nudged Dale, saying "Wow"!!! Dale shook his head in agreement.

Susan and Chuck were wishing that the organist in the Dallas parish they attended could play like that. It was enough to make them consider having their wedding in Williamsport. Frank and Doris had similar thoughts and both were pleased at the uplifting worship services they had experienced at St. James.

The processional hymn was "Sleepers, Wake" and with Paul's accompaniment and the choir processing down the aisle made one want to lift their voice in joyful song. Jason and Kevin led the procession. Jason had learned some things about handling the thurible at Acolyte Camp and was swinging it in a full 360-degree circle part of the time. Jason thought it was neat as it really produced a lot of smoke from the packed incense.

At the end of the introit the Advent candles were lit, today's candle representing "Love". Dale and Craig were pleased that Bret Jenkins' family took part in that ceremony, with each of the family members reading a portion of the explanation of the candle for that particular Sunday. Bret and Beth, along with Bret Junior and Paul had been attending the inquirers class and had declared their intention to be confirmed. Bret Junior and Paul had not been baptized, so that would take place two weeks before confirmation. Bret Senior and Beth had been debating about being re-baptized because of having come from a church with a much different background than St. James. In the end, the entire family would be baptized together at St. James; however, Terry and Sally were not old enough to be confirmed at that time. A lot of healing had taken place in that family in a short time, but they were still seeing a counselor on a weekly schedule. They had also been meeting on their own initiative with Fr. George and had received excellent counseling from him.

It was the 4th Sunday of Advent and the vestments worn by the acolytes and clergy were deep purple with red and gold trim. The cope worn by Fr. George was gold with purple trim. These were new vestments and were being worn for the first time.

The service went smoothly with the Gospel procession moving up the aisle and back to the sanctuary area. Fr. George's short homily summed up the message of the Advent candles; Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. Dale was always amazed that Fr. George could squeeze so much into five minutes. His messages were well thought out, short and to the point.

Mass resumed with the congregation chanting the Nicene Creed. Then the Prayers of the People were offered in Litany form, followed by the exchange of the Peace. Fr. George greeted the congregation and guests present. His offertory sentence was "The Lord loveth a cheerful giver."

Craig remembered the joke that Fr. George had made in the Inquirers' class. "The Lord loveth a cheerful giver, but he will joyfully accept from a grouch." The class had a big laugh over that line and Craig couldn't help but smile.

The choir's offertory anthem was a beautiful arrangement of "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel", starting as a stark, unaccompanied plainsong verse and building through various rhythms, accompanied and unaccompanied by the organ. Finally the last verse was sung in 4-part harmony in the key of E-flat Major. It was enough to bring shivers to those who loved good choral music. The organist picked up the melody after the choir was through singing and the congregation stood for the presentation of the gifts. The doxology was sung to the traditional tune and Paul really outdid himself with the extended improvisation he played while the altar was being censed, then the thurifer and boat carrier moved into the chancel to cense the choir and on down to the chancel steps to offer incense to the congregation.

The Mass continued with the Sursum Corda, leading into the Sanctus-Benedictus and the consecration prayer. After the Lord's Prayer and Agnus Dei, it was time to go to the communion rail. Dale led the family and knelt to wait for his turn to receive the bread and wine. He was aware that the choir was singing "Watchman, tell us of the night" as they passed through the chancel to the altar rail. He caught Joey's eye and they grinned at each other for a moment, Dale giving Joey a 'thumbs up'.

After the mass was over, the family sat to listen to the organ postlude, then greeted some of the people sitting around them who had stayed to listen, also. They walked down the hall to the parish hall for coffee and cookies. Craig was always amazed how quickly the boys in the choir managed to take off their vestments and arrive at the table to claim their share of the treats.

Fr. George entered the parish hall, joined shortly by Paul. As per usual they both had a line of people waiting to greet them. Finally some of the people began leaving and the two men started moving around the room. Chuck and Susan were amazed at the love the men received from the congregation and that both Fr. George and Paul gave each of their family a hug. The priest at their parish church in Dallas was a very aloof person and was only rarely seen at coffee hour.

Frank drove Doris, Susan and Becky to their condo to change from their good clothes into something more casual to go to lunch. It had been decided earlier that morning to eat at the Mandarin Palace as they had an excellent buffet.

Frank took a route past Saber Computers and was surprised to find that there were about a dozen cars in the parking lot across the street. He was pleased, but was hoping that it would be the last Sunday they would be open. It was hard to juggle hours to have experienced people working and many of them didn't really like working on Sunday. They were going to have to analyze the sales to see if it was really worth opening the doors.

Tom and Eddie hosted a Christmas open house for fellow teachers and other friends that afternoon. The invitation had arrived about two weeks before and was marked RSVP. Craig called to accept the invitation, asking is they could bring anything. Tom assured him that he had everything under control. Frank and Doris had received an invitation, also, and had responded that they could stop for a few minutes. When Eddie saw that they had relatives with them at church that morning, he immediately told the family that he was unaware that they were going to have company, otherwise Susan and Becky and their boyfriends would have received their own invitation. They thanked him and assured him that they would stop for a little while.

Christmas Eve Day was family time with everyone being at Dale, Craig and Joey's condo. The store was going to close at 3 p.m. Joey had been given the day off. He enjoyed working at the store and especially the paycheck and commission but, Frank and David had assured him the other young men could handle the customers without him. As it turned out, Forrest and Daniel's sales were far ahead of the other young men.

Joey and Susan helped Doris in the kitchen as needed, but she had things so well organized that she was able to enjoy quality family time with the rest of the family. Craig had rented some classic Christmas movies, "Holiday Inn", "Miracle on 34th Street", "It's a Wonderful Life" as well as "Christmas Carol" and "Christmas in Connecticut". These were playing on the TV in the living room and there were always a couple of people who were half-watching them. The aromas drifting in from the kitchen made the condo smell good and helped make everyone hungry.

Frank, Chuck, Dale and Craig started a poker game. The players seemed to change every few hands and Joey decided he wanted to learn to play. Frank had him sit in his chair, pulling up another one so he could coach him. To his own surprise, Joey quickly absorbed the basic rules and Frank needed to help him less and less. There was a chessboard set up on a wooden TV table, but no takers for that game. Becky and Doug were working a complicated jigsaw puzzle on another card table.

It was a nice, relaxing day. Everyone had time to visit and other than having to make two trips to the grocery store for something needed in the kitchen, nobody left the house.

Frank had also taken the day off, but went in at 2 o'clock to make up the bank deposit so it could go to the night depository. He was surprised that the sales for the day were almost $25 thousand. Five computers had been sold, all with printers. Then another five printers had been sold, along with computer parts, modems and a lot of games. The shelves reflected the high sales volume, being bare in a number of places.

The kitchen crew had prepared a lunch of Lasagna with an Italian tossed salad and homemade Italian bread. Doris worked with Susan and Joey on their pastry skills so there were three kinds of pie for dessert; mince, cherry and apple with ice cream available. The lunch fare accounted for just a few of the smells coming from the kitchen.

Forrest was invited to the condo after the store was closed, but he wanted to go to the rest home to visit his grandmother and take his gift to her. He found her in the dining room with other residents, being entertained by choral groups from several churches in town. She was seated in a wheelchair, dressed in a nice red and green dress. Her hair had been washed and set and someone had helped her apply makeup. She was in good spirits and enjoyed their visit. Forrest moved her to a more private area so they could talk and he gave her the gift he brought; a nice boxed gift set which had powder, cologne, and body lotion in the box. She was pleased with the gift, as it was her favorite scent. Much to Forrest's surprise, she had a gift for him. The nicely wrapped box contained a beautiful sweater she had knit. There was a ladies needlework guild in Williamsport and one of their projects was to provide patterns and yarn to people in rest homes, like old Mrs. Ross. She had picked the pattern shortly after moving from the hospital. One of the ladies selected the appropriate yarn provided by the group. The sweater was perfect and Forrest was elated, as he had not even thought about receiving a gift from his grandmother. He realized that this was a special gift; because it was something she had made just for him and might possibly be the last gift he would receive from her.

At 4:30 they started getting the residents ready for their dinner. The lady that came to take Mrs. Ross to the dining room invited Forrest to eat with his grandmother. He happily accepted the invitation and they were seated at a table for six people. Forrest had met two of the people before and soon was laughing and joking with all of them. Mrs. Ross seemed to be more alert today than lately and Forrest attributed it to the fact that they had something special going on at the rest home.

His grandmother was pleased that he was going to spend the evening with friends and go to church, and then be with the family again on Christmas Day. She indicated that she was tired after finishing her meal. Forrest also noticed that she had eaten better than usual.

He told the others at the table good-bye and wished them a Merry Christmas and thanked the nurse's aid that took his grandmother to her room. He kissed her, thanking her again for the beautiful sweater. He left the rest home with a happy heart, stopping at their home to change clothes before walking on to the condo where his friends lived.

Happy hour started at the condo at five o'clock. Craig fixed the first round of drinks and everyone was on their own from that point.

It had been a great day. Dale and Craig (and Joey, too) felt they had gotten much better acquainted with each of the family members. The day had been unhurried, people had watched some of the movies, the poker game had been fun and Becky and Doug had almost completed the 500-piece jigsaw puzzle, which was a rural scene in New Hampshire with a covered bridge. Things were on schedule in the kitchen. Everyone was always thankful for Doris' great food and she thought it was great to have Susan and Joey to help her as needed.

Dale drove Joey to the church at 7 o'clock. The service was already underway, but Paul had told Joey to go to the choir room to put on his vestments, then he was to wait at the chancel door, close to the organ console for Paul to cue him to take his place to sing the offertory solo. Dale went with him and they walked to the choir room together, then down the hall toward the church. He intended to duck around the corner and take a chair in the chapel in the south transept to listen. There were only a few seats available, but he had a view of Joey as he stood at the end of the choir stalls, close to the crossing. "O, Holy Night" had never sounded like Dale heard it sung that evening. He had goose bumps on his arms and the final page brought tears to his eyes. He wanted to applaud when it was over.

As the gifts were being presented, Dale left to meet Joey back in the choir room so they could go home. The two men greeted each other with their famous 1000-watt smiles. Dale hugged Joey. "Bud, you really wowed them tonight. It was just great!"

Joey was modest in accepting the accolade, but was pleased that he could share his talent with others. "Thanks Dad. I'm glad you came in."

"I wouldn't have missed it for anything," Dale assured him as they walked back outside to go to their car.

They returned to the condo as the food was being put on the buffet table. Craig fixed Dale a scotch and soda as he gave everyone a glowing report of Joey's solo and, of course, they would all hear it later at the midnight mass.

Tables and folding chairs had been set up so they could enjoy the Christmas Eve buffet of ham, potato soup, a cheese- mashed potato casserole and a pasta salad. For those wanting sandwiches, there was freshly baked bread, cheeses, mustard and other condiments. Doris had prepared a fruit salad to go with the meal, plus the same kinds of pie as had been served at lunch.

The family gathered in the living room, holding hands so Frank could ask the blessing. Everyone crossed themselves as they said, "Amen". The women started the line and it didn't take long for everyone to fill their plates and find a place to sit.

Conversation was lively during dinner. There was a lot of teasing among the assembled people as well as good conversation. It was a leisurely meal and everyone had plenty to eat. It was after 9 o'clock when they cleared the tables and put them and the chairs away to use again for their Christmas dinner. Everyone needed to freshen up and change clothes to go to church and both bathrooms were available to use, the men using Dale and Craig's and the women using Joey's bathroom.

The singing of Christmas Carols was to start at 10:20 and the family decided that they should be in their seats by 10 o'clock. They divided up into two cars, as there were 10 of them to go to the church. They didn't get there any too early, but Eddie Thompson had blocked off the row of chairs where they usually sat. People at St. James generally sat in the same area each time, but the visitors didn't know that fact. However, the ushers did their usual good job with seating visitors. Dale was surprised when Eddie brought Ray Evans and John Sterling to their row of seats. Since there was no extra seating in that row, Dale and Craig moved up one row, seating the two men between them.

The singing of the carols was fun. On some, the brass ensemble joined with the organ and it was a majestic sound. The church was beautiful, decked out in greenery and poinsettias. It was simple, but effective. At 10:50 the brass joined the organ to play a ten-minute prelude of Christmas hymns and carols. As they were finishing the last of the prelude music, the acolytes carrying the processional cross and candles moved in from the south side of the chancel to stand at the gate into the sanctuary, turning to face the congregation. The congregation stood. Fr. George, wearing a white and gold cope, entered from the same side with Jason and Kevin ahead of him. Jason ran the lid up on the chains of the thurible so Fr. George could put 8 large scoops of incense pellets into it. He made the sign of the cross over it as Jason lowered the lid and secured it.

Fr. George raised his hands, addressing the congregation. "Alleluia, Alleluia! Let us go forth in the name of the newborn Christ. Alleluia, Alleluia." The congregation responded, "Alleluia, Alleluia. Christ is born. Alleluia, Alleluia.

`There was a brass fanfare and the organist started playing "O Come, All Ye Faithful". Jason and Kevin led the procession down the main aisle toward the front door. The processional cross and candles followed with the choir entering the chancel from each side to join the procession. After the choir, came the verger carrying his symbol of authority followed by the lay people assisting with the mass. The clergy cross was next in line, flanked by two candle bearers, then the Deacon carrying the Gospel book. The Sub-Deacon was next with Fr. George bringing up the rear, sprinkling the congregation with Holy Water.

The procession moved toward the vestibule, then turned right to go down the aisle on the north side of the nave. At the crossing, the procession moved to the aisle on the south side of the nave. The choir and congregation were singing their hearts out, the organ and brass were adding to the glorious sound as the procession arrived back at the front door to go down the main aisle of the nave to the chancel. It was a well-rehearsed procession and was the grandest thing that many in the congregation had ever seen.

The choir chanted the Introit as the clergy party moved to the altar, genuflecting then bending to kiss the top of the table.

After the Introit the Christ candle in the Advent wreath was lit. The other four candles had been replaced with white ones that were already lit. Morris Johnsmore and his wife, Margaret, took part in that ceremony, Morris reading the scripture verse and explanation while she lit the candle.

As they were taking their seats in the front row, Fr. George intoned the "Gloria in Excelsis", the choir singing the music from Mozart's "Twelfth Mass". Paul's accompaniment was very orchestral and the choir sounded wonderful.

The service moved on with the Old Testament Lesson being read by a layperson, the choir chanted the Psalm, and then the Sub-Deacon chanted the Epistle. The hymn for the Gradual was "Once in Royal David's City". Fr. George added more incense to the thurible as the processional cross and candles moved into position for the Gospel procession. Fr. Whyte, vested as a Deacon, was carrying the Book of Gospels and the Sub-Deacon was ahead of him with Jason and Kevin bringing up the rear of the procession. The Gospel was announced at the end of the hymn and the book was censed. The Deacon chanted The Holy Gospel. After the Gospel, the brass ensemble played "Break Forth, O Beauteous Heavenly Light" as the procession moved back to the sanctuary area.

Fr. George's homily was short and to the point. The Nicene Creed was chanted, with the choir leading and then it was time for the Prayers of the People. At the Peace, everyone turned to greet each other, many in the congregation hugging loved ones, others simply shaking hands and saying. "Peace".

Fr. Whyte, reminding people of the mass schedule for the Holy Days that followed Christmas, made the announcements. Fr. George then welcomed everyone. He knelt at the altar rail so his cope could be removed and replaced with the chasuble during the chanting of the offertory proper. He took his seat next to the Bishop's chair as the Deacon prepared the table. Paul was playing quietly before starting the introduction to Joey's solo. Although Joey had the music in his folder, he had no reason to look at it. The soft passages were crystal clear and as Paul increased the volume, Joey easily sang over the organ. By the end of the solo, Paul had pulled on plenty of the stops to support Joey. Many people were sitting in the congregation with tears running down their cheeks. Dale wished that Craig was sitting next to him so they could hold hands. You could hear audible sighs and murmurs of approval as the solo came to a conclusion, the organ soaring after Joey finished singing.

Paul used the melody and improvised as the ushers came back down the aisle. Fr. George moved to the altar, blessing the collection plates which had been gathered on a brass tray, then the Sub-Deacon moved them to a niche in the wall beside the altar.

More incense was added to the thurible and the mass continued with the censing of the altar, the celebrant, the clergy party, then the choir and finally the congregation, during which time Paul's playing added to the solemnity of the service. The trompette en chamade on the west wall was used liberally. It was such a grand sound, meant to cover full-organ.

The mass continued with the Great Thanksgiving, followed by the choir singing the Sanctus-Benedictus and on to the consecration prayer with the Sanctus Bell being rung at the appropriate times. The congregation chanted the Lord's Prayer and the choir sang the Agnus Dei. Dale and Craig quickly explained how to receive communion to Ray and John and then they left their seats to go to the rail. The choir was singing "Of the Father's Love Begotten" which was followed by "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence" and then two Christmas hymns, "What Child is This" and "O Little Town of Bethlehem".

Dale and Craig both caught Joey's eye and gave him a "thumbs up" as the line moved to the communion rail. Craig's family also let Joey know they had appreciated his solo.

After communion came the General Thanksgiving, then after the blessing there was a brass fanfare leading into the hymn " The First Nowell". The procession moved to the rear of the nave and after the hymn the Deacon said, "Let us go forth in the name of the newborn Christ, Alleluia". The congregation responded, "Alleluia". People knelt for their personal prayers as the organ and brass played a selection of Christmas hymns that Paul had arranged.

The family greeted those who had been sitting around them, receiving many compliments on Joey's solo. Marty's family came over to offer their praise, which was joyfully received. He handed Dale an envelope, probably containing a Christmas card, but telling Dale to open it when they opened their Christmas gifts. Dale looked at the outside. It said, "To Dale, Craig and Joey". He thanked Marty, wishing him a Merry Christmas.

As they moved toward the back of the nave to go outside, more people made themselves known, again thanking Joey's family for his contribution to the grand music of the evening.

Fr. George gave each of the family a big hug, telling each of them that he was blinking back the tears of joy created by Joey's singing.

Meanwhile, Joey had gone to the choir room to remove his vestments. All of the men and boys in the choir either had hugs or a slap on the back for a "job well done". He had tears in his eyes caused by the accolades given him.

Upon leaving the building, more people stopped him to offer praise, as did his family as they were making their way to the cars.

Ray and John were introduced to the members of Craig's family and they were at a loss of words about the beautiful church service they had just taken part in.

The family got into their cars to go back to the condo for dessert.

Christmas morning came early and the family had to get ready to go to the 9 o'clock mass. It almost seemed like an anti- climax. The man who was supposed to sing the solo during the offertory had been feeling like he was getting a sore throat the evening before. Much to everyone's delight, Joey sang "O, Holy Night" again.

Dale and Craig were surprised that the church was over half full this morning. There had been about 400 people at the "family service" on Christmas Eve and only a few seats were empty at the 11 o'clock mass.

They were back at the condo by 10:45. Doris had prepared a breakfast casserole to be baked. With that she served fruit and sweet rolls. Everyone was hungry but didn't want to eat too much as they knew about the hors d'oeuvres to be eaten while people had drinks and opened Christmas presents.

The "kitchen crew" put things away, loaded the dishwasher and Doris put the rolled prime rib roast into the oven. She had prepared four pies and two cakes the day before and there were other food items that Dale and Frank brought up from their car.

Finally it was time to open Christmas presents. Joey was really excited; he had been appointed as the "official Santa Claus" to distribute presents that were under the tree. People were to take turns opening gifts so everyone could see the gifts the others' received.

Joey received a gift certificate for a new suit from Dale and Craig, along with two shirts from Susan and Chuck. Becky and Stan gave him a gift certificate to The Gentry Shop. He was really pleased with the Seiko sport watch that Dale gave him. He proudly replaced the cheap Timex watch he had been wearing. Craig gave him a silver St. Christopher's medal that was made in the shape of a 4-leaf clover. It was on a silver chain so he could wear it around his neck. His other gift from Craig was a pair of gold cufflinks with music symbols on them.

Dale, Craig and Joey proudly modeled the new leather coats given them by Frank and Doris. All three seemed to be the correct size.

Joey had purchased a weekend at a Bed and Breakfast Inn in San Antonio for Dale and Craig. All they had to do was check for an open date. They both thanked him for being so thoughtful and gave him a big hug and a pat on the back.

Frank and Doris' gift from Joey was a set of Big Band CD's from the old "Hit Parade" show. They were very appreciative of his thoughtfulness.

Joey had purchased a book of "Treasures at the Metropolitan Museum" for Susan and Chuck. He thought a coffee-table book was neat and he knew they loved museums.

He had purchased separate gifts for Becky and Doug, giving Becky a copy of the newest Lotus software package and a book of coupons from Blockbuster for Doug.

Frank and Doris, along with Dale and Craig gave Forrest a gift certificate for $100 at Dillard's. Forrest was elated that they had thought of him. He had tears in his eyes when he told them that he had gone to the rest home this morning before coming to the condo. His grandmother had slipped into a coma during the night and they hadn't been able to rouse her this morning.

Everyone felt sad as his report of being with her the previous evening had been very positive. Doris remembered how it was with her mother before she died. She had been very lethargic, and then they thought she was getting better when she suddenly passed away. She hoped for Forrest's sake that Mrs. Ross didn't linger in a comatose state for a long time.

Joey had purchased a book of Garfield cartoons in the form of a daily calendar. Forrest loved Garfield.

One of the gifts that Dale and Craig gave Frank and Doris was a scale model of the house they proposed to build. They had found the one Craig had built for them was great in that they were able to plan furniture placement as well as location of outlets and other utilities.

Dale remembered the envelope Marty had given him at church last night. He went to the bedroom to retrieve it. When he came back into the living room, Craig asked, "What's that?"

"I don't know, Marty gave it to me last night and said to open it with the rest of our gifts. It has all of our names on it." He handed the card to Craig, who untucked the flap and pulled out the card. On the front was a picture of a horses' face. Inside was written, "Gentlemen farmers need horses to ride around their farm. Please accept our gift of three horses from the Williamson Family." The card had been signed by Martin, Jeanine, Marty, Chris, Jason and Kevin.

Dale was stunned. Craig was astonished. Joey let out a whoop, "When do we get them?"

"Well, not until we have a place ready for them," Dale said. "Besides, we have to buy hay and feed, as well as saddles and other tack we'll need."

"Maybe next week?" Joey pushed.

"I don't know, Bud, we'll have to talk to Marty and see what horses they are and if Lee can deliver them to the new farm. I'll talk to Marty in the morning, but you need to write a thank- you note, as Craig and I will."

"This is the coolest gift ever." Joey was about to bust his buttons.

It had been a great Christmas as far as giving and receiving gifts. There was a lot of "ooing" and "aahing" as gifts were opened. The food on the dining table was good and the shrimp disappeared quickly. Several were consuming mixed drinks. It was a wonderful day for friends and family.

• • • • *.

The Christmas Day meal started with everyone gathering in a circle so they could hold hands for the blessing. Dale led off with his being thankful to have found Craig and his loving family and for discovering his brother, Joey. The prayer passed on to Craig, then Doris and around the circle with Frank completing it with a thanksgiving for food, and for the loved ones around the circle.

The food was great and the conversation was fun while they were eating. Someone was always at the buffet table to help themselves to more food. The quantities prepared seemed to have worked out to what people ate. There was little left to put away for another meal. It had been decided much earlier that dessert would be served a couple of hours after they finished eating.

It was a nice day and several decided to go for a walk to help settle the food they had consumed.

Joey walked with Forrest to the rest home to check on his grandmother. The nurse told Forrest that there hadn't been any change except that her heart rate and respiration was getting slower. Her skin felt cold to Forrest and he had tears in his eyes as they turned to leave the room.

"Why don't you stay with us tonight?" Joey asked Forrest. "Give them our phone number in case they have to call you."

"That's nice of you. I'll do that because I don't want to stay by myself tonight," Forrest replied.

"That's what friends are for," Joey told him. After they left the rest home, they walked to the house where Forrest lived with his grandmother. Forrest was scheduled to work in the store the next morning. He packed a few things so he could shower and have fresh clothes for work.

By the time they returned to the condo, Doug had left to drive back to Dallas, as he had to work the next day, also.

Forrest told everyone about his grandmother and received a hug from everyone. Joey told them that Forrest was going to stay with him for a few days, that the rest home had the phone numbers for the condo and the store. That was fine with Doris and Frank since Susan and Becky were staying at their apartment. Otherwise, Forrest would have been welcome to stay with them.

Later that evening, although no one needed more food, Doris had prepared more potato soup and there was plenty of ham for sandwiches, or however people wanted to eat it. By the time they were through eating, there was little left from any of the meals consumed the past two days.

Doris and Frank, along with Becky and Susan left about 9:45 to go to their apartment. The five went back inside after walking them to their car. The telephone was ringing. It was for Forrest.

A nurse at the rest home was calling to advise him that his grandmother was experiencing respiratory failure and that he might want to come to the rest home immediately.

Forrest was going to walk, but Dale wouldn't hear of it. He and Joey drove him to the rest home and went to Mrs. Ross' room with Forrest. They could tell that although she was comatose, she was in an agitated state. Her hands seemed to be reaching for something and Forrest took the cold hands into his. This had a calming effect on her. He leaned over the bed. "Grandma, I'm here," he spoke softly into her ear. He thought he felt her squeeze his hands and he gently squeezed back as he kissed her cheek.

The nurse was watching the monitors as the blood pressure and respiration rate dropped. Mrs. Ross quit responding and shortly afterward, the alarm on the monitor sounded as the readings went to a straight line.

Forrest stood up. "She's gone, isn't she?" he asked to no one in particular. The nurse nodded her assent.

Joey, who had gone through this just 3 months before had tears in his eyes. As Forrest turned around Joey gave him a full- body hug, saying, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Forrest."

Dale joined in the hug. It was comforting to Forrest to have the men with him. Tears poured from his eyes and this triggered tears from Joey and Dale, also. They were remembering their loved ones. After a few minutes, Forrest composed himself. He went back to the bed, bent over and kissed Mrs. Ross' cheek. "Good-bye Grandma. Thanks for taking care of me after my parents died."

He turned back to Dale and Joey. "Thanks for being here for me. I really don't know what I would do without your being my friends."

"I'm glad we could be with you," Dale replied, while pulling out a handkerchief and wiping his eyes.

The nurse said, "I don't want to hurry you because you can stay as long as you want, but would you stop at the desk on your way out of the building?"

Forrest looked back at his grandmother one more time. "I'm ready to leave," he said to the nurse. Dale walked on one side of Forrest and Joey was on the other. Both had their arms across his back, Dale's hand resting on his right shoulder. They stopped at the nurse's station and the nurse pulled a folder from the file.

"Your grandmother wished to be taken to Oakhurst Funeral Home, where she is to be cremated, then her ashes are to be buried in the plots where your grandfather and parents are buried. Is that right," she asked.

"Yes," Forrest said. "We talked about that several times recently. I think it's already paid for," he added.

"We'll call the mortuary and they will take care of the rest. I suggest that you call them in the morning to work out any arrangements you want to have."

"Thank you," Forrest said, starting to move away.

"You can pick up the personal effects she had here anytime after noon," the nurse said.

"Ok," Forrest replied. He was ready to leave. This had been a long day and he was tired.

The men arrived back at the condo about 11:45. Craig and Chuck were having a drink and visiting. As soon as Forrest walked through the door Craig knew what had happened. He walked to Forrest and drew him into a hug. "She's gone," Forrest told him. Craig hugged him again, and then stepped back. Chuck had walked up to offer his condolences and was going to shake hands. Forrest drew him into a hug, too.

Dale said, "I could use a scotch." Craig went to the bar to fix it for him, and then poured some port wine into two sherry glasses, giving them to Forrest and Joey.

He raised his glass. "To the good life your grandmother had and to the wonderful grandson she raised."

Forrest thought that was the nicest thing anyone could say at that point in time. He raised his glass. "Thank you, all of you, for being my friends."

Dale put his arm around Forrest's shoulder. "You can stay with us as long as you want. You don't have to stay in the empty house alone unless you want to."

This brought more tears to Forrest's eyes. These men had been so good to him and it was an accidental meeting to begin with. He remembered the first time he saw Joey, when he opened the door to let Mitsy out as Forrest was delivering the paper. Joey wasn't wearing any clothes and obviously had just gotten out of bed.

Then Joey had invited him to eat with his friends. When they were getting ready to open Saber Computer Store, the men encouraged him to apply for a job and he had done well there. He seemed to have a natural aptitude for computers and had done well with sales, thanks to help from Joey and Daniel. Then the men had taken him in at his hour of need, not questioning it, just being here for him. These men had become good friends, almost like he had always known them.

They sat down, Dale and Craig ending up on the loveseat together, Craig cuddled close to Dale. That didn't bother Forrest a bit. He thought it was cool that they were comfortable with him and Chuck being there.

Finally, it was time to go to bed. Craig suggested that Forrest take the day off from the store. There were no special offers this week as the next ad was scheduled for next Sunday's "Austin American-Statesman". They weren't expecting too much in the way of merchandise returns, but might sell a few computers to people who had received gifts of money for Christmas. He would talk to Frank in the morning and suggest that they might pay Forrest for several days of bereavement as he still had to arrange a funeral and there were other things to be accomplished, too.

The men took their glasses to the kitchen, and then were ready to go to bed. Chuck, of course, was sleeping on the sofa bed in the living room and Forrest would sleep with Joey.

Joey showed Forrest where he could put his bag and gave him some hangers if he wanted to hang anything up. Forrest went into the bathroom first to brush his teeth and take care of other things. The wine had warmed him and made him sleepy. He came back out and Joey asked him if he was okay in sleeping on the other side of the bed. That was fine with Forrest.

Joey took care of his needs in the bathroom, then walked back into the dimly lit bedroom, wearing only his boxer shorts. He debated about pulling them off before going to bed and decided he'd be more comfortable in the nude. He turned off the lamp, pulled his shorts off and scooted into his bed.

Mitsy jumped up on the foot of the bed and settled into her usual place.

"Good night, Forrest," he said.

"Nite, Joey. Thank you for everything you've done for me since I've known you and your Dads. You are all neat guys and thoughtful, too."

"Thanks," said a sleepy Joey, who turned on his side to go to sleep.

"Joey?" Forrest quietly asked.

"Yeah," he answered sleepily.

"I need a hug. Do you mind?"

Joey rolled around to scoot up to Forrest, his chest against his back. He put his arm under Forrest's and across his chest.

A very sleepy Forrest said, "Thanks. You're the greatest."

Both young men went to sleep immediately.

Everyone slept late - for them - the next morning. It was after 7:45 when Chuck came to. He slipped into Joey's bathroom from the hall and saw that the door into the bedroom was open. He started to shut it before turning on a light when he noticed that Joey and Forrest were cuddled together. "Hmmm." he thought, closing the door.

Mitsy jumped off the bed, waking up Joey, who discovered that he had been spooned behind Forrest during the night. He and Daniel had stayed on opposite sides of the bed the night Danny stayed over a couple of weeks before. Joey thought it felt good to have a warm body to cuddle up to. Mitsy indicated that she wanted to go outside so he needed to get up. As he moved away from Forrest he discovered that he was hard. Forrest came to, discovering they were entangled. Neither was embarrassed and nothing was said.

Craig drove Forrest to the funeral home after an appointment was made for 1:30 p.m. On the way they talked about funeral arrangements and Forrest told him that his grandmother hadn't attended church on a regular basis. The family was Presbyterian, but that was about as far as it went. "Do you want to talk to Fr. George and have him hold a simple service at the cemetery?"

"That might be okay," Forrest said. "Do you think he would do it? I mean I've only been to church there a few times and hardly know him."

"That doesn't make any difference to him. He had never met Joey and Dale's father and yet he held a beautiful requiem mass for him. There were no questions asked, he just volunteered to do it."

"He's a neat guy. Everybody seems to like him really well. He's always been nice to me," Forrest said.

"Let's call him later and see what he suggests," Craig said.

The meeting at the mortuary was brief. The director asked Forrest if he wanted the body to be prepared for viewing. When Forrest found out that the pre-paid amount only included cremation and a brass urn for the ashes, he nixed the idea. The director told Forrest that the ashes could be picked up on Thursday afternoon.

Craig called Fr. George from his cell phone after they got back into his car. The church secretary put his call through to the rector. Craig quickly explained what had happened and immediately Fr. George told him he had a meeting at 4 p.m., but if they could come to the church right then, he would make the time to visit with Forrest.

Craig parked in the lot about 12 minutes later and they made their way to the church offices where Donna Appleman greeted them and took them into Fr. George's study. He stood to greet the men, giving both of them a hug.

"I'm very sorry to hear of your grandmothers death, he told Forrest. I stopped in her room twice when she was in the hospital and gave her communion. She was at the weekly chapel service in the rest home and received communion there, too."

"Thank you," Forrest told him.

They discussed the possibilities for a funeral service and Forrest told Fr. George that she didn't have many friends left and he would be happy with just a short service at the gravesite when the ashes were buried. It was decided that the service would take place at 3 p.m. on Friday afternoon and Fr. George would keep the service short and simple. That was fine with Forrest.

They thanked Fr. George and left to return to the condo.

When Dale returned to his office at the ranch the next morning, he called the house to see if he could talk to Marty. Mrs. Wood told him that he hadn't come downstairs yet, but she would have him call Dale a little later.

Pat and Michael had taken the week off to visit their families, so there wasn't much to do around the ranch.

He was working on the bills that had come in when the phone rang. He could tell that it wasn't an outside call, so said, "Good morning. This is Dale Richards."

Marty replied, "And a good morning to you, also. I trust you had a nice Christmas."

"Yes, it was a grand Christmas for all of us. Especially with the three horses you gave us. All of us are very appreciative."

"Hey, you guys deserve it. I do want you to know that these horses aren't show quality, but will make good saddle horses for you. We just can't register and sell them as top-line horses because of imperfections in their markings. They are in good health and one of Lee's men will break them to ride, so you can probably take them to your spread in a month or so."

"Gosh, Marty, you have been so kind to all of us. I can't thank you enough," Dale told him.

"Well, all of us can thank you. I'm surprised that you came to the ranch this morning. This is supposed to be a holiday week for all of us. As soon as you are through with whatever you're working on, I expect to see that Blazer of yours heading out the driveway and going toward Williamsport."

"Marty." Dale thought he wouldn't win, so said, "Thanks. I guess I'll see you soon."

"Don't mention it. And, don't forget that we are having a cocktail party and dinner for Mort and his wife on Sunday at the country club. It's at 5 p.m. and I expect the three of you to join us," Marty said.

"Yeah, it's on our calendar. I hope we'll see all of you at our place for cocktails on Saturday evening?"

"Wouldn't miss it for anything," Marty told him. "Listen, Mrs. Wood is ready to serve breakfast, so we need to eat while it's hot."

They told each other "Good-bye" and hung up. Dale was thinking that he had the greatest job in the world, working for people who really cared for their employees.

Dale and Craig, along with Joey, Frank and Doris decided to have a cocktail party on Saturday evening, December 29th, from 5 to 7 p.m. They really wanted to have a Sunday party, but with other things that were going on, it seemed like the best time. They sent their own invitations and were surprised when they made up the guest list and merged it with the one Frank and Doris gave them, there were 60 people to be invited. Invitations were sent with an RSVP. Surprisingly there were only 3 regrets. Doris was of the opinion that people would stagger their times, with some arriving early and leaving for dinner after one drink. Others would arrive later, and then go to dinner. There were always those who would arrive promptly and stay for the entire time.

Chuck and Susan took advantage of their time in Williamsport to make two trips to Austin. They did a little shopping and Susan looked at wedding dresses. They had made several appointments for interviews before leaving Dallas and on Thursday evening they made the big announcement at dinner.

Chuck had been offered a job with the Texas Parks Department and would be working for the Lake and Watershed Division. That agency was similar to the Army Corps of Engineers, but on a state level. He would be monitoring water conditions in the lakes and would be tracing pollution back to its source. There was a round of applause. Then Susan told them that she had been hired to work for the Austin Department of Streets in a similar position as to what she now had in Dallas. They would be moving to the area at the end of January, but hadn't decided where they wanted to live. Each had plenty of vacation time, so they would return to work on Monday morning, give their 30 days notice and take vacation until their quit date at the end of January.

That brought forth a lot of discussion among those at the dinner table. Chuck would be working in the district around Austin, stretching about 150 miles in all directions. Susan, of course, would be working in Austin, but the office and yard facility was in the west part of the city, so living in Williamsport was a possibility.

Also, they had discussed their wedding plans and decided that they would be married at St. James Church in Williamsport and would have a May wedding. They would invite their Dallas friends, but expected only a few to actually attend. They had talked to Fr. George and he had put the date of May 25th on the church calendar. It was Memorial Day weekend.

Craig spoke up; "Dale and I are going to have our commitment ceremony sometime after the middle of February. We could have a double wedding and save a lot of money."

There was much laughter around the table.

Susan had a quick retort. "I've seen pictures of you in your Cinderella dress and I'm not about to be upstaged at my own wedding."

Everyone in the room howled with laughter.

It was some minutes before anyone could look at Craig without laughing again.

Dale spoke, "I still like you better as a man."

"Hey, Mom. I thought you looked pretty neat," Joey told him

Poor Craig. He thought the whole idea was funny, but was embarrassed that his joke had made him the one being teased. He loved his family.

Christmas at Tom and Eddie's house was a lot of fun. Matt's mother had bought him a lot of new clothes and that was the main reason for their being so many presents, everything was wrapped separately. The two men had bought Matt a number of games and educational software for his computer. Then they found out that Matt's computer was pretty obsolete and wouldn't run some of the programs they had purchased, so the next step was to talk to Joey to find out if Matt's computer could easily be upgraded.

On the Saturday before Christmas Eve, Eddie had a phone call from Hampton Ford in Austin, wanting to make arrangements to deliver a car for Matthew Rhodes. They agreed on a time of 10:30 a.m. on Christmas Eve. Tom would take Matt with him to run a couple of last minute errands.

The doorbell rang at the agreed time. Parked at the curb as a 1991 Mustang "muscle car".

'Geeze,' thought Eddie. 'Just what the kid needs.'

Their neighbors to the south were gone on a cruise and Eddie had keys to their house so he could take in the mail, water plants and have access in case of an emergency. He and Tom had decided to park the car in their garage.

The salesman parked the car, then gave Eddie the paperwork, title, insurance papers, etc. He was surprised that the car title showed his name as the registered owner. He determined that everything was in order, signed the delivery sheet and by the time he was through, a second car arrived to take the salesman back to the dealership.

'Pretty nice car,' Eddie thought, hoping that it was the right thing for Matt's mother to buy him.

He closed the garage door and walked to his own house.

So, Matt was elated when he opened the small package that had a set of car keys in it. The men put on their jackets and walked Matt to the garage next door. He let out a big squeal when he saw the car. He had his restricted driver's license with him, so Tom crawled in the backseat and Eddie sat in the passenger side. He helped Matt adjust the seat and mirrors before he started the car. He turned the ignition and the Mustang came to life. The exhaust had a throaty roar to it. Matt had a grin from ear to ear. He carefully backed the car out of the garage and turned it around in the driveway so he could exit to the street.

"Sweet!!" he exclaimed.

Much to Tom and Eddie's surprise, Matt was a careful driver. There was no traffic on the street and Matt drove down the main street of the business district, then to the highway leading south out of town. He drove the speed limit, but no faster. They rode down to Kawarce and turned around. On the way back to Williamsport, they discussed the car and rules for driving it.

"I didn't think my parents would allow me to have a car, let alone one like this one," he exclaimed.

"Yeah, you are pretty lucky," Eddie told him. "You realize that if you are going to drive the car before your birthday, that either Tom or I have to be with you, or that you have a responsible licensed driver with you that is over 18, don't you?"

"I know. But it won't be very long. I'll be 16 on March 14th. To him, that was going to be a long time, but he knew Tom and Eddie would allow him to take them on errands and other places. He would have to call his mother and thank her when they returned home. He then realized he was thinking of Tom and Eddie's house as "their" home.

Author's Note: Thank you for the overwhelming amount of emails you sent following the release of Book II, Chapter 5. It was wonderful to hear from all of you, some new people and a lot of old acquaintances. I enjoyed reading your comments and appreciate your continued interest in the story.

This was a longer than usual chapter. I was trying to get the timeline to the New Year of 1991, but didn't make it.

My special thanks for proofreading help to Paul Daventon ("Dukes of Windsor"), who has taken time to help me catch obvious errors. Also to Randy Smith of San Juan Capistrano, who has been a loyal reader from the very beginning. Any comments are appreciated and you can reach me at TulsaAuthor@hotmail.com

Thanks, David.