The Metamorphosis of Jeremiah Long, Chapter 45
Warning:
This story contains scenes of love and sexual interaction between males of similar age. If the reading or possessing this material is illegal in your country, state, province, county, municipality, etc., please leave this site immediately and do not proceed further. If you are under the legal age to read this, please do not do so.
The author retains the copyright, and any other rights, to this original story. You may not publish it or any part of it without explicit authorization from me.
I have written several other stories. My longer ones on Nifty include: "Always and Forever" (March 25, 2004), "Jacob and Jacques" (May 30, 2004), "Zeke" (August 29, 2005), "Tales from Bentonville" (November 16, 2008), "Second Chance" (September 24, 2010), and "Tommy and Tanner (October 21, 2012)under "High School" and "Someone to Watch over Me" (January 21, 2011 under "Beginnings" in the gay male section.
My short stories include: "Brad and Alan's Canoe Trip" (April 22, 2004 under "Camping", "Of Angels and Dragons" (November 8, 2008) under "Camping", "A Christmas Tale" (December 22, 2009), "Wyatt's Thanksgiving" (November 20, 2012)under "High School", "Brazil Affair" (October 1, 2010), "A Technological Christmas" (December 23, 2011), and "Patrick's Christmas (December 19, 2012) under "Beginnings," I have one story in the Sci Fi/Fantasy category called, "Seth's Gift" (October 10, 2010).
"Banana Splits" was added under "adult friendships" (September 17,1013).
You can easily access most of my tales by going to the "Author" button in Nifty's home page and scrolling down to David Lee. Some of these stories are also posted at: www.storylover.us and www.saberpeak.com.
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Thanks and hugs to Tom and David (boxerdude) who edit for me so that there are fewer mistakes! They not only proof-read, but make other valuable suggestions.
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David (dlee169@hotmail.com)
The Metamorphosis of Jeremiah Long, Chapter 45
While Tyler and his buds were at the lake, the boys back home were busy. Joe and Mark hadn't been called upon to counsel anyone in quite awhile, though they faithfully kept their phones on during the hours when they were on-call. Therefore, they were surprised when they heard from Erica Dahl, the female coordinator of the program, and not her husband.
"This is a strange request from a girl who wants advice from boys, not other females. I'll put her through if you're willing to take the call. She doesn't sound desperate or anything, so it may be trivial. However, what might seem unimportant to one person isn't necessarily frivolous to another. I'll stay on the line, but won't interrupt unless there is some reason to."
"We're okay with it," Joe answered. "I hope we can help."
There was silence for a few seconds and then a hesitating voice.
"Hi, my name is Marcy and I just finished my sophomore year in high school."
"I'm Joe, and I'm in the same grade as you."
"Hi, I'm Mark, and I'm going to be a junior next year too."
"I was raped at a party in the fall and I have a problem." Marcy began.
"Wow! Are you sure you want to discuss this with guys?" Mark wondered aloud.
"I do. I've had counseling from women and girls, but I want a guy's point of view. Would you still consider having a relationship with a girl who's been had by someone else?"
"That's kinda hard for us to answer because we're a gay couple." Joe told her.
"Okay then, if your boyfriend had been molested, would you still want him or would you think he was damaged goods?"
"That's easy to answer." Mark said. "I was molested and Joe loves me very much. In fact he knew about that going in and helped me a lot."
"That Mormon girl, Elizabeth Smart, was used by that crazy man and she's now married to a nice guy who obviously knows all the facts." Joe added. "Someone tried to take something precious from you too, but you don't have to let them win any more than she did."
"I know that I've been told that, and I feel pretty good about myself, but, here's my problem. I like this boy, Danny, very much. He was at the same party and we, um, messed around in one of the bedrooms, but these older guys came in and pulled him away and forced me. They even used a hairbrush handle...," her voice broke.
"I'm really sorry to hear that," Joe said, not knowing exactly what to say. "I can't imagine how awful that must have been. That still doesn't mean you're not worthy of being loved."
"Thanks. I'm physically and emotionally better and the assholes have been sentenced to prison, but the problem is that Danny won't even look me in the eye. I really want to be at least friends and I do have feelings for him."
"Have you told him?"
"I can never get him to talk to me. He avoids me. Do you think he hates me?"
"That's impossible for us to say, but I have an idea," Mark said. "Maybe you could slip him a note to tell him you like him."
"Maybe you should also let him know that what happened was not his fault," Joe suggested. "I know I'd feel guilty if someone I cared about got attacked and I was powerless to do anything about it. I'll bet he feels terrible. Maybe you could put in the note that you don't blame him for anything that happened. If he doesn't respond, then you'll probably have to move on, but I'd give it a try. It might help him emotionally at least."
"Thanks! You've given me an idea that might work. It's worth a shot."
"Please don't go off the deep end if it doesn't work," Mark said, "Um, we're not psychologists or anything. We don't want to give you false hope."
"I won't blame you if it doesn't work," Marcy insisted. "And I'm not going to do anything stupid."
"Please let us know how it comes out," Joe requested before she disconnected.
"Are you guys still there?" Erica asked.
"Yup," the both boys said at once.
"You guys did a great job! I imagine partly she wanted to talk to guys just to see how they'd react to the fact that she was raped. You both did well in telling her that she's still a good person. You were very professional."
"Thanks, we just said what we'd want to hear from someone else in that situation," Joe demurred.
"Actually, it's the kind of things Joe said to me," Mark said, biting his lower lip so as not to give in to his emotions.
"Well, it was all good. I hope she does call me back so I can let you guys know."
Davy and Jon had both snagged part-time jobs in the mall for the summer and had the possibility of keeping them into the school year. If they did continue, they would need to cut something out of their schedules. Their dads told them they wouldn't interfere with their decisions, but didn't want them to bite off more than they could chew their senior year.
Jon was hired as a stock boy and general gofer at CVS drugs and Davy got the job of a clerk, and part-time model, for Abercrombie and Fitch. The manager offered him a deep discount on new merchandise if he'd wear the apparel around school and other places where it would be seen by his peers.
Jon told him to be careful because he'd be hit on by both boys and girls. Davy laughed it off. He still didn't see himself as others did.
Their schedules weren't fulltime and the work tended to be pretty boring at times, but they did get to keep similar hours and normally could eat lunch together. They both agreed that at least they were more resolved than ever to get a good education in an area that interested them. While there was nothing demeaning about working retail, they had other, more profitable career possibilities.
Joe celebrated his 16th birthday without his grandparents and younger cousin, but the rest of the family made it into a special event with a backyard barbeque and a pool party.
After they'd eaten and had a piece of birthday cake, the boys watched Joe open his gifts. He was thankful for everything he received, and more so for having a loving family. No one could ask for more.
"Oops, I almost forgot," Brent grinned as he handed Joe a small padded envelope.
Inside was a picture of a little 2005 red Honda Civic and two keys.
"What's this?" Joe exclaimed.
"What does it look like?" Brent smiled.
"It looks like a photograph," Joe grinned, hoping it was more than that.
"Why don't you guys walk over to Jon's house and see what's stowed in their garage."
"Is it for me, for real?"
"Of course! We wouldn't tease about something that important," Brent assured him.
The boys all ran the couple of blocks to see Joe's present. Just as they got there, Todd pushed the button on the remote and the door went up.
"Oh my God!" Joe yelled. "I never dreamed I'd be getting a car. Oh wow!"
He ran over to hug his dads who had finally arrived, a bit out of breath.
"May I take it for a drive?"
"Certainly, it's all licensed, insured, and ready to go. Remember the restrictions and don't take too many people who aren't related to you."
"I'm only gonna take Mark over to the park and back. We won't be long because I don't want to desert everyone else."
"The rest of us will be skinny dipping in the pool," Davy said. "So you'd better get your skinny butt back quickly."
Joe drove away carefully. Mark and he parked for a few minutes in a remote location and made out. They wanted to do more, but figured they'd save it for later since Mark was sleeping over.
In the short space between flying to Fort Worth to finish up details with Pier One and picking up his son and buddies, Sean had the chance to look at several houses. His realtor, Ken, had been very busy trying to come up with something to fill his desires.
The first one looked great in the photos and was nearly as good in reality. It had a walkout basement completely done up as an apartment with a separate entrance. However, it was 10 miles away from Brock's place and in another school district. Sean felt like Mr. Compton hadn't been paying attention to the primary requirement which was location, location, location!
The second one he went to see wasn't close to his brother either and was in pretty poor condition. In fact, the whole neighborhood left something to be desired. Sean was beginning to wonder if he should engage a different realtor, but if possible, he wanted to stay with one who had kids in the same school Tyler went to.
The third house had most of what Sean was looking for; however, it was priced too high. It wasn't that Sean couldn't have afforded it, but he felt it wasn't a good investment. Both Brock and Brent agreed.
The situation was beginning to look hopeless by the time Sean left for Wisconsin to spend the weekend at the lake before bringing the boys back home. He had hoped he and Tyler could get settled before the end of summer. Davy and Jon had been generous in giving up their usual living space for Sean. It was comfortable and private, but he didn't want to wear out his welcome. He was in a frustrated mood as he headed north on Friday after lunch.
Sean's mood lightened considerably as he pulled into the driveway of the farmhouse and his father came out to greet him. The love he felt in David's embrace along with the smells and sounds of the place gave him a sense of peace.
"Ah, you're in plenty of time for the picnic down by the lake. Amanda has made all your favorites, potato salad, baked beans, and strawberry banana Jell-O. We'll be grilling steaks over the embers of the fire the boys are building. Tyler's friends are seasoned outdoorsmen. He's learning a lot from them."
"That sounds great! Let me put my bag in the bedroom and go down with you."
"Hey Dad!" Tyler yelled as he ran up to meet his father. "This has been an awesome week! It's better than Barcelona."
"That is high praise indeed," Sean grinned. "Have you grown up while I was gone?"
"It's only been a week, Dad."
"I know, but suddenly you look more mature. I'm so glad you won't be away at boarding school anymore. I don't want to miss these years with you."
"Me too. Did you find a house?"
"Sadly, I haven't, but something will turn up. We may have to adjust our expectations."
"As long as I can be near Davy and Joe, I can put up with a lot of other things," Tyler said. "I certainly don't want to change schools after all the friends I've made.
Tyler's buddies all came over to greet Sean as well. Their manners and attitude reinforced Sean's determination to make sure Tyler wouldn't be separated from them either.
The boys invited him to play on the Jet Skis with them until it was time to eat.
Grandpa David was an expert at cooking over an open fire. The steaks were cooked to perfection with a slight taste of hickory smoke from the wet chips he had spread over the hot coals.
Everyone ate their fill and decided to wait for the s'mores until after their dinner had settled.
The early part of the evening was spent playing in the water again. The boys had to show off their water skiing routine to Sean and he applauded their efforts, agreeing with his mother that they should see about joining a team.
At one point, Tyler pushed the envelope a bit in showing off his skills and wiped out, popping up with his suit part way down his thighs. Sean noticed that what he exposed was not a lily-white butt, but one which seemed to be about the same color as his back. It let him know that the kids had enjoyed many hours free from the constraints of "civilization."
When the boys gave Sean a turn at the skis, he proved that he was no armature. He hadn't skied on the water much in recent years, but had frequently hit the slopes. Tyler glowed with pride as his companions noticed what an athletic father he had.
After the adults had gone up to the house, the boys stayed by the fire to make another s'more or two.
"Your dad's a lot of fun!" Jack commented. "He's really cool, sorta like one of us. We could have had him here all week."
"Except we couldn't have gone native," Tyler giggled. "I doubt he'd want to become part of the brotherhood, or should I say be-cum part of it?"
"Maybe not," Jack laughed, "but he might have had friends like all of us when he was our age."
"That's possible," Tyler agreed. "Gram and Gramps aren't uptight about kids going bare-assed and all that."
"Speaking of going native," Eddy said, "I wish we had brought our loincloths."
"Never fear, Jack is here!" Jack quipped as he produced his plastic bag. "I stashed them all in here just in case. Your initials should be on the inside of the front flap so you can claim yours; that is, if you're insistent on wearing your own."
"It would be kinda hot to use someone else's other than mine," Paul suggested.
"Okay, just grab one and put it on."
In a flash, four scantily clad teens were dancing suggestively around the fire, the fronts of their garb tented out seriously.
By 3:00 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, Sean and the boys were about 30 miles from home when Sean's cell phone rang. He flipped it to Tyler in the middle row of seats because he didn't like to talk and drive at the same time.
"Hello."
"Is this Sean? You don't sound quite the same."
"No, I'm Tyler, his son."
"Hi Tyler, this is Ken from Compton realty. I guess we haven't met, but I've seen you scoring goals in soccer games with my son, Forrest. By the way, he thinks you're the best thing that's ever happened to the team."
"Oh, you're our realtor dude! Do you have any good news?"
"Boy, you've picked up American slang quickly. Yes, I may have some news. May I speak with your dad?"
"He'll have to pull over because he doesn't like to be on the phone when he's driving."
"Maybe I can have you relay the message."
"Okay."
"Ask him if he can look at a property yet this afternoon."
"Dad, can we see a house yet today?"
"Sure, if it's not too far to drive."
"I heard that," Ken said. "Tell him it's within walking distance of Brock's place, easy walking distance."
Tyler relayed the rest of the conversation, and the men agreed to meet at the Mason-Hart house in about 45 minutes, as soon as Sean had dropped off the other boys.
As Sean and Tyler pulled into the drive, they saw Ken and Brock talking on the front steps.
"Well, tell me about this place that's such a big secret." Sean said, as he joined them.
"First, I have to let you know that it doesn't fill the bill perfectly, but it has the possibility of being made into what you're looking for," Ken began.
"Uh-Oh, that means it's a dog and I'll need a pot of money to make it livable." Sean grimaced.
"Not at all. It was built by the same contractor who did your brother's and it's been updated and well kept. The only thing is, the basement isn't finished at all. It is a walk-out and can be made to be like Brock's house if you want. The price is low enough that you could afford to hire a professional to do it."
"Why is it moderately priced?" Sean asked. "There must be a catch."
"The lady is a recent widow and she wants to move as quickly as possible. She knows it could be on the market for six months to a year and that she probably wouldn't get any more money by then and she'd still have the upkeep in the mean time."
"Okay, where is it? I don't see any for sale signs in the neighborhood."
"Right next door," Brock grinned. "Do you remember when the boys were helping Mrs. Johnson by shoveling her walks and drive toward the end of winter after Mr. Johnson died?"
"Vaguely," Sean nodded.
"Well, that's the house and if you buy it, we could make a gate in our fence so you guys would have easy access to the pool and all of that."
"Ken, you'd better show it to me quickly before my brother makes me take it sight-unseen," Sean grinned.
Mrs. Johnson had arranged to be out of the house so that the men could go through it and check whatever they wanted to see without feeling inhibited. Brock and Brent accompanied Sean, as did Tyler, Davy, Jon, Joe, and Mark.
Brock and Brent inspected the furnace and electrical service while Sean went through the various rooms to get a feel for the layout of the house. He found it to be fairly similar to his brother's. The bedrooms were on the second floor and the main floor consisted of living room, dining room, family room, and kitchen with a mud room between it and the garage.
Looking out the master bedroom, Sean noticed that the houses were far enough apart to maintain privacy. He couldn't see the pool and patio in Brock and Brent's yard. He'd often wondered if anyone could see the boys skinny dipping.
He made a mental list of things he would want to change, but it could be occupied without having anything done. The wallpaper in the dining room and main-floor powder room would have to go. And the color scheme would need changing.
It might to possible to hire Tyler and his buds to do some of that. He knew Davy and Jon had helped friends with their remodeling job. Perhaps they could be involved too. The more he looked at it, the more he liked it.
"The furnace is like ours," Brock announced. "It's highly efficient."
"The electrical service is up to date," Brent said. "In fact the box and breakers were all made by Square D! That should please your new employer."
"The best part is the location!" Tyler exclaimed. "Let's get it."
"Whoa, we haven't even talked about the price. If you guys are all excited about it, how am I going to negotiate a good deal?" Sean asked. "Ken is likely to tell Mrs. Johnson that she doesn't have to do any dealing."
"I don't think you'll have to do any bargaining," Ken told him. "The price she wants is below market value and I'd highly suggest buying it before it goes on the multiple listing and someone else grabs it. She's asking only $210,000. I'm giving her a break on my commission if it goes quickly. I know she could get more if she held out, but there's always the risk of having to hold onto it longer and, as I said, there would be upkeep in the mean time."
"Hmm... Do you guys think that's a fair price?" Sean turned to his brother and brother-in-law.
"Definitely!" Brock answered. "You should probably offer her more."
"Seriously?"
"No, I'd never offer more than someone asked, but I do think it's a steal," Brock said.
"Okay. I'll have the money available as soon as the papers can be drawn up. I assume we can have quick possession since I won't be carrying a mortgage."
"You bet!" Ken assured him. "This looks like a win/win deal to me."
Sean signed the offer and wrote a check for $2,000 as earnest money so that Mrs. Johnson wouldn't change her mind.
Todd wasn't unhappy to have Jon and Davy living at his house on a regular basis while Sean was occupying their usual living quarters. It made the place livelier when they were around. At the same time, he had no problem with his son sleeping with his boyfriend a couple of blocks away, but he did miss him at times.
With school out until fall, Todd was working some of the regular shifts like he used to do, so he didn't see his son quite as much. His availability for working flexible hours was particularly welcome to help cover vacation times for other officers on the force. It felt good to be back, though he really loved being assigned to the high school. He hoped to keep that position at least through the next year.
June is often a busy time for weddings, and this year was no exception. Davy and Jon were asked to be ushers for the marriage ceremony of Bernie Rapoport and Frances Campbell which was being held at Norwood Presbyterian. The guys felt honored to participate. Jon could see why Davy was asked because of his heroic action, but he wasn't sure why he had been included. He guessed that it was because of being Davy's boyfriend. But, at the rehearsal, he discovered that Willa and Jenna were taking care of the guest book and overseeing the gift table. It looked like Dr. Campbell had wanted to include several students whom she had grown close to.
The madrigal singers from the high school had been engaged to provide the music instead of having soloists, so it did include several other members of the student body.
Pastor Ted officiated, and many of the guests were teachers and others from the community known to the boys as well.
The other wedding that involved the boys was a small one in Todd and Jim's backyard. Melba and Matthew (G-Matt to the boys) became husband and wife about a week later. Now Jim's dad was truly Jon's grandfather. It made everyone in the family pleased to be more closely related.
Melba wore a cream colored dress and Matthew had on dark brown dress slacks and a linen jacket. Their clothes had been purchased especially for their wedding, but were ones which could be worn on other occasions. Both of them were practical and careful with their money.
Davy's grandparents were invited as part of the extended family. Todd and Jim hosted the dinner at Zephyr as a surprise for them.
The happy couple drove to Niagara Falls for their honeymoon. Neither had ever been there, and it had been known as the traditional destination for newlyweds when they were growing up.
"It will be nice to need fewer bedrooms when the grand `rents visit," Jon observed as he and Davy cuddled before going to sleep. "Grandma has been so proper that she wouldn't sleep with G-Matt until they were legally wed. She so wanted to avoid any suggestion of impropriety."
"That's not necessarily a bad thing," Davy observed. "It might not have hurt anything if they had cohabitated, but not everyone is only interested in screwing like rabbits."
"You mean except for horny boys like you and me," Jon grinned.
"Hey, we've messed around, but we haven't done the deed."
"Maybe not, but we're virgins in a very technical sense only. We've shared a lot of cum."
"That's true. Would you like to keep up the tradition?"
"YES!"
Author's notes: Thanks to the following who emailed since last posting: Trish R, Bill T, Ott H, Walt S, Scott W, Roger L, Tony W, Bill K, Wayne, Paul R, Paul F, JJ, Walter Sz, Rod, Luke C, Mendy D, and DA.
I really appreciate hearing from all of you.
Our weather seems to be breaking a bit. Today is only in the 30'sF, but that means thawing! By Monday, we are supposed to be on the 50's!!!!
Think spring, unless you're in the southern hemisphere,
David