Tommy and Tanner, Chapter 77
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. It is not my intention to offend anyone or to get you in trouble.
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.
This is not my first attempt at writing fiction. My longer stories 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), and "Second Chance" (September 24, 2010) under "High School" and "Someone to Watch over Me" under "Beginnings" in the gay male section. There are a few short stories also: "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) under "High School", "Brazil Affair" (October 1, 2010) under "Beginnings," "Seth's Gift" (October 10, 2010) under the Science Fiction/Fantasy category, and "A Technological Christmas" (December 23, 2011) under "Beginnings."
I am listed on Nifty under the category of "Prolific Net Authors" which will make it easier for you to access earlier stories. Some of these stories are also posted at: www.storylover.us along with those of other writers that may interest you.
My only reward for contributing to Nifty is your emails. Please write if you like the story. Please include the name of the story in the title of your email because my email service sometimes puts them in the "spam" file.
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.
Finally, David has a new site that is hosting a number of authors. It's at: www.saberpeak.com. My first story, "Always and Forever," is posted there.
David (dlee169@hotmail.com)
Tommy and Tanner, Chapter 77
Tim came home from college the following Friday. Tuck was overjoyed to see his eldest brother and the two hugged for several seconds, both with a bit of moisture in their eyes.
"I suppose you think I was a fool to kick the gun out of Quentin's hand," Tuck said when the stepped back from their embrace.
"Nope, you did what you felt you had to do. That's what a man does."
"But I didn't stop to think of the consequences..."
"If you had stopped, the split second might have made the difference between life and death. If the gun had been loaded and you had hesitated, you might have been the first casualty since you were so close to him. Besides, your action defused the situation immediately, and you probably saved at least one life."
"How do you figure that, when the gun wasn't loaded?"
"Stop and think. If that idiot, Banes, had come on the scene while the boy was still in possession of the weapon, he'd have shot to kill. He's the type to shoot first and ask questions later."
"Hmm..., I hadn't thought of it that way. Perhaps you're right."
"Of course I'm right! I'm your big brother and I know everything."
"If you're so special, how come you're home without your fiancée?
"Melody didn't come with me because she has a project she needs the weekend to finish. If I'd have stayed, I'd be one more temptation standing in her way – a pretty big temptation if I say so myself," Tim joked, cupping his package.
"I'm still not sure you know everything, but I do know how cocky you are," Tuck teased back, imitating his brother's gesture.
The boys were still bantering back and forth as they entered the house. Tim had kept his spur-of-the-moment trip a secret from the rest of the family, so everyone was surprised to see him. He had to fill his other brothers in on why he was alone and would have to repeat the story when the `rents got home from school.
"We have a game tonight," Tuck reminded him. "And I'll have to be on the field in a few hours. Mom said we're supposed to start dinner so I have a chance to digest it before I get the stuffing knocked out of me."
"What position are you playing tonight?"
"Coach Dad is going to let me quarterback for part of the varsity game! He wasn't going to let me because he didn't want it to look like he was playing favorites, but Lance was injured in practice yesterday, so he can't be in the game the whole time and I'm the best of the backups, `if I do say so myself.' Cory Hahn is pretty good, but not as good as me," he grinned.
"Wow, I didn't get to do that until I was a junior," Tim beamed with pride for his sibling. "You're the man!"
Tanner made a quick run to Dominick's for an extra pound of hamburger, a can of diced tomatoes to extend the spaghetti sauce, and a bag of salad greens at Tommy's suggestion. They wanted to have plenty of food since there was an extra mouth to feed.
Moments later, Tori's babysitter dropped her off on the way out of town for the weekend. Tori ran to Tim as fast as her little legs would carry her. He scooped her up and she planted baby kisses all over his face. Then she stopped to feel the pencil-line beard he'd grown again. She seemed to appreciate it as much as Melody did. It did make him look like a stud!
Soon after the boys had the sauce simmering and the water heating for the pasta, Tark and Teri came in the back door.
"Oh my God!" Teri exclaimed. "What a nice surprise. Where's Melody? I thought her parents were out of town."
"She's back at school. I have some bad news to lay on all of you when we sit down to eat."
"You're not breaking up are you?" Teri gasped.
"No, not at all. I shouldn't have said that all at once. There is a lot of drama in our lives right now, but most of it's not about us. We're as much in love as ever and looking forward to the wedding."
After the food had been blessed and passed, Tim filled his family in on the happenings that were causing problems for all involved.
"It's Chas and Mindy that have broken up. It's like the plot from a bad pulp fiction story. It seems that Chas has been studying a lot with a very bright girl from his advanced physics class. It all began quite innocently before the first test. Mindy was okay with it because she didn't want to appear possessive and drive him away.
They evidently started out reviewing physics, but after a few sessions ended up studying advanced anatomy. He didn't share his secret with anyone, including me, but somehow she found out. Now Mindy's angry with Melody for not telling her he'd cheated because she's sure that I MUST have known and would have told Melody. That's caused a rift between them, and it's very uncomfortable being roommates in that situation. I'm kinda caught in the middle too because Mindy won't speak to me either, not that it keeps me awake at night."
"She sounds like she's being unreasonable, but I suppose she's really hurt and can't believe you guys didn't know," Teri said. "Perhaps she'll come around."
"I rather doubt it," Tim disagreed. "That brings me to another problem, but it may be a partial solution as well as being a difficulty. The university `lost' our application for married student housing next term. We had to scramble to find somewhere else to live. However, we've found a so-so spot in a duplex. The unit is empty and the woman won't hold it for us. We'd have to take it by November 1st. That's a bit of a strain on the budget, but it would give Melody a place to live in peace for the rest of this term.
Unfortunately, it needs a LOT of work, mostly painting and such. It's also for sale and we're not sure how much we want to do to it in case a new owner would raise the rent or want to live in it themselves."
"I'm sure Melody's parents and we could help with the financial end." Tark suggested. "Perhaps the boys could find time some weekend to freshen it up with new paint. There's a sale going on at Menard's, so we could get it at a good price."
"Do you know how much the lady's asking for the duplex?" Tanner asked. "Is it in a good neighborhood?"
"What are you thinking, Tanner?" Tark asked. "I can hear the wheels turning."
"Tommy and I plan to go there next year and would rather not live in the dorm after our freshman year – possibly after the first semester. We have the money to buy it for our use and as an investment if it's worth it."
"You have the money," Tommy corrected.
"No, WE have the money. What's yours is mine and what's mine is yours. Which brings up another subject, we'd like to get married soon if it's okay with everyone. We could have a simple ceremony out at Uncle Lee and Uncle Peter's place and can become legal domestic partners if you'll sign for us."
"Wow, that's a lot to consider all at once," Tark grinned. "I'll support you in whatever you decide on both issues. Probably Lee and I would have to be named on the deed to the duplex until you're both of age, assuming that the property is a wise investment. Also, I'm guessing you'll run into difficulties becoming partners since we've adopted you. There's probably a way to resolve it because you aren't blood brothers, but it may take time and a bit of fancy legal footwork."
"In that case, we should run it by a lawyer and get it started as soon as possible. We're out to everyone that matters and it would be cool to be husbands before we graduate in the spring," Tanner said.
"We've talked about this a lot," Tommy confirmed. "It's not like we're trying to beat you and Melody to the altar, Tim. But we've been in love longer than you have, if that matters."
"I wouldn't be offended in the least." Tim smiled. "You guys have definitely been soul-mates since you were barely out of diapers."
"Oh, look at the time," Tark exclaimed. "My chief substitute quarterback and I have to get to school soon. We can't be last minute."
"Get out of here, Dad," Tanner said. "We can take all of this up later."
The Cougars hit the field ready to win despite the injuries that left some of the players on the bench. Cory started in the quarterback position, but things didn't go well. He couldn't seem to make a decision and got sacked early in the 2nd quarter. The other team eventually kicked a field goal for the three points. Cougar defense had prevented them from making a touchdown.
When there was a time-out, Lance asked Tark to give Tucker a shot at it. Others agreed, including Cory who said he was simply too hyper to keep his head in the game. That was all it took for Tark to make the switch.
Some of the fans of the opposing team scoffed at the notion of a sophomore as the leader of the varsity team. Tuck's long pass to receiver, Bud Meyers, resulting in a touchdown, shut them up quickly. Devin kicked perfectly for the extra point. Now, the Middleton boys led seven to three. They went into the locker room ahead at halftime.
In the third quarter, Tark put Lance in to give him playing time and to give Tuck a rest. Lance managed to help score another touchdown, and with the conversion point, the Cougars led by 11.
During the last quarter, the opposition made a touchdown, but their place kicker missed. So, the score was 14 to nine.
When Tuck got back into the game, he was able to lead the team to another touchdown which went unanswered by the Lions. At the end, the score was 21 to nine. The Middleton fans went crazy, carrying both Lance and Tucker off the field on their shoulders. It was an awesome night for Tuck!
The next morning, with Tim's help, Tanner located the duplex in question on a website. A Ms. Lenore Pagel had the listing. When he called her, she agreed to show the property that afternoon if they wanted to see it. She indicated that the owner, whose husband had died the past winter, was eager to deal. It looked like the list price would be even more negotiable than was usually the case.
Tark went with his middle sons so that the realtor would know they were serious about buying the place, but he held back to let the boys look it over without interfering. He would, of course, intervene if necessary, but wanted them to have a taste of bargaining in the business world. As always, he felt it could be a valuable learning experience whether or not a deal was struck.
Ms. Pagel might have found it comical to see two high school boys armed with a clipboard and a Smartphone tagging along with their father. However, she soon learned not to take them for buffoons. The details they noticed and the insightful questions they asked changed her mind quickly. It was more like their father was being pulled along.
Tanner mentioned early on that the seller would have to make a several thousand dollar allowance for the Masonite siding which would need to be replaced. He dug his key in a soft spot to prove the material was in poor condition.
Tommy shook his head over the aged furnaces, declaring that both would have to be replaced along with the air conditioning systems. He checked prices on his phone and was able to get a ballpark figure from Hank by text-message as to what he thought a contractor would charge.
The owner had already stipulated that she'd make an allowance for paint and carpet. However, Tanner said that the vinyl would need to be replaced as well. By the time they were through, they would consider paying 175,000 for the place which had been listed at $225,000. The realtor blanched at their offer.
"That's way below the property values of this neighborhood!" she exclaimed. "No one in the area will want to see it sell so cheap."
"The place is an eye-sore and far below the houses surrounding it," Tanner said evenly. "The neighbors should be thrilled if we were to take it on and bring it up to the level of the rest. In the long run, it would increase their property values. We're looking at it as a long-term investment."
"Mr. Torrance, surely you can see what I'm talking about. These boys don't have a clue as to the value of this place."
"These young men have been working in construction this past summer and have a more realistic idea of what it's going to take to make all the necessary repairs than the owner probably does," Tark boasted. "If you'll fill out a form with our offer, I'll gladly sign it since they're minors. This is a serious offer and you need to treat it, and them, as such."
"I'll do it, but don't hold your breath!"
"We'll only be interested in going through with this deal if it's expedited quickly. If not, we'll look for something else that needs less attention. It IS a buyer's market as you well know and duplexes are more difficult to turn over than single-family units."
On the way home, the boys finally gave in to the excitement they'd felt all afternoon. They'd been afraid that if they showed too much interest in the duplex the realtor would tell the present owner to come back with a high counter-offer. Tark praised their restraint.
"You guys could play poker in Vegas! You didn't give anything away in your expressions. I'm impressed!"
"You summed it up well at the end too, Dad," Tanner grinned. "You put the right amount of pressure on without saying that we wouldn't negotiate further. I think we could give $20,000 more without being taken. I spotted the worst piece of siding and picked at it. Putting vinyl over it would be best, but we could replace parts of it and repaint if we had to."
"We could, but adding a Tyvek wrap and new siding would save a LOT on energy costs. That and new heating and cooling systems could pay for themselves in a few years." Tommy countered.
"That's true," Tanner admitted. "At least the roof was replaced last year and the place is structurally sound. I'll bet we could get Hank and Toby to work on it around their other commitments and we could do a lot inside. Maybe Chris and Drake would be able to spare some time to help get the vacant unit shaped up in time for Melody to move in. If we had one bedroom finished where she could sleep, she might be willing to wait on the rest a little."
"You guys have big plans, but I think they're realistic. However, we don't know if the old gal will even consider our offer. Don't count your chickens until they're hatched!"
"Yeah, we know." Tommy agreed. "We're going to be very busy once swimming season begins. Who knows, we may have to put off getting married until spring."
"We could," Tanner said. "It's not like it would change anything we're doing."
"That might be too much information," Tark kidded.
The rest of the weekend slowed down for Tommy and Tanner, but sped up for Tim. Although he was eager to get back to school and his sweetheart, he also enjoyed the time home with his family. He'd always been Tuck's hero and Tori viewed him like another father. All that adoration was awesome.
He received a warm welcome at church too. Many friends and extended family hugged him, and Grandma Dorothy was chief among them. She couldn't get over how mature he looked with his neatly trimmed facial hair. If she'd been familiar with the term stud-muffin, she'd have used it to describe him. Yet, despite his grownup appearance, he seemed to be the same, sweet boy inside. That made her even happier. And, he was still keeping "Betsy" looking and running like new.
After brunch out with most of his extended family, including Lee, Peter, and Jake, he left for school. He hoped that his brothers would be able to swing the duplex as they'd talked about because it would definitely become a decent place for his bride and him. If she were to occupy it yet this term, it would give them a place for quality time. Their arrangement with Chas and Mindy was obviously not a viable one anymore.
On Monday morning, Tark received a counter offer from the owner offering to sell the duplex for $200,000. After a quick conference with his sons, he countered with $180,000, again citing the repair that they'd have to make. He said that it was their final offer – a take it or leave it deal.
When there was no response in the afternoon, the boys figured they'd probably lost it and wondered if they should have tried to compromise at $190,000.
As they were getting ready for bed on Monday night, it was still on their minds, of course.
"There are other properties in the area," Tommy said philosophically. "We've seen several better ones on the `net. I think we did the right thing. It's either in the cards or it's not."
"I agree!" Tanner said. "There's no use crying over spilled milk."
"Um, speaking of milk, would you care to spill a little boy-milk?"
"I'd rather drink it than spill it," Tanner grinned. "If I get it right from the tap, it won't go to waste."
"You're a man after my own heart."
"I've heard that the way to a gay man's heart is through his hard," Tanner joked.
"You heard right!" Tommy assured him.
For the next 20 minutes or so there wasn't much conversation. In the afterglow, they discussed what they'd like for their commitment ceremony.
On Tuesday, Tark received a fax from Ms. Pagel saying that her client would accept the offer of $180,000 if it were paid in cash, but that she'd entertain a counter offer of an additional $7,000 if it were not.
She was certain that this teacher and his two adolescent sons wouldn't have that kind of liquid capital at their disposal. Therefore, she'd left them an out so they could still agree to a deal although they'd claimed it was their final offer.
When he emailed back, he said that he couldn't see her need for cash since a mortgage would still give her all of it within a month or so, but that it was not a problem. They could hand her a cashier's check upon signing.
Ms. Pagel was not happy. She'd overplayed her hand and it was going to cost her some bucks in commission. She had been so certain that her ploy would work. However, it was a sale and given how things had been going, the proverbial bird in the hand was a plus.
Thursday night's football win with Lance back to full health and Friday afternoon's successful cross-country meet were exciting, but they paled in comparison with what Tommy and Tanner were doing on Saturday. That was the day that Uncle Lee and Tark were going to DeKalb with them to sign the papers that would make them property owners. The men's names would remain on the deed until the boys reached majority age and then they'd have full control over it.
The adults were amazed at how quickly the signing had come about. Its speed stemmed from two things, the cash deal and the fact that the owner had had the title search done ahead in anticipation of getting out from under a piece of property that she didn't feel she could handle by herself. She had never wanted to be a landlord and had put it on the market practically before her late husband's body was cold.
They celebrated by taking Tim and Melody out to lunch and then going over to look at the unit the two would be moving into. The boys were happy to allow them to pick the colors they'd like for each room and said they could look at vinyl and carpet samples too, as long as they chose neutral colors that other tenants would be able to live with when they moved out.
Tim promised to come up with paint samples by the next morning because the boys planned to drive back on Sunday to begin work on the larger of two bedrooms.
While Tim and Melody were taking measurements in order to plan for window treatments and furnishings, Tommy and Tanner went next door to meet their other renters.
There were four guys living together and the place could use a bit of picking up and cleaning, but all in all, it didn't look like a pigsty. The two guys who were home apologized for their slovenly habits, picking up the occasional piece of clothing as they gave the boys the tour.
"So, is you dad going to be a strict landlord?" one of them asked.
"Dad and Uncle Lee are only on the deed as a formality. We are your landlords," Tanner grinned. "We're not going to be real hard-ass, but we do expect not to have damage to repair when you leave."
"Will you be asking us to vacate next term? It's really difficult to find a good place unless you plan ahead about a semester."
"Nah, we won't be living in it for at least another year. Our brother will be living next door after he gets married at Christmas time and we may move in here second term next year, but we think we'll try dorm life for at least a semester." Tommy said.
"It's cool living in the dorm for a while at least. You make a lot of friends that way, but it does get old – especially if you're serious about getting a degree and not just partying. You'll want to be able to have a job when you decide to get married someday."
"We're thinking about getting married yet this year," Tanner grinned, waiting to see how the guys would react.
"But, you can't have your wives as roommates in the dorm the last I knew."
"No, but we can have each other," Tommy smiled. "We can only be domestic partners in Illinois, so we might get married in Iowa as well."
"That's cool!" both of their tenants said.
Tanner had his answer to two questions that were on his mind. Their tenants were serious about their studies and they evidently weren't homophobic. That was a good sign indeed.
Author's notes: The list of responders this week includes: Roger L, Bill T, Walter Sz, Rutabaga, Lisa T, Jim C, Steffan F, Paul R, Nala I, Eric S, Ricky the Writer, Tom A, Trisha R, Wayne, Jack S (Tales), Dave L, Daniel L, Jim W, Katarina S, Paul F, and Walt S.
We are still praying for rain in the Midwest. Hope something happens soon. It's too late for this year's harvest, but we need the subsoil moisture for next season!
David