We're In This Together Chapter 6

We're in This Together

This story may occasionally include explicit depictions of sexual acts between consenting adult males.  If you are underage or it is illegal to view this for any reason, consider yourself warned.  If you find this material offensive, please leave.

This story is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to people, living or dead, is entire a coincidence. As the author, I keep all rights to this story, and it cannot be reproduced or published without explicit consent from me.  This work is copyright © 2017 by Steven Wells.

I love to hear any feedback you have, be it positive or negative.  Send me an email with any comments or questions at steve@stevenwellswriter.com.

This is a sequel to my original story on Nifty.org, Sam and Chris. I have tried to make this a standalone story. I look forward to hearing from you.

Previously

"What you mean by `tape the progress of building the house?'" I asked Zach.

"HGTV wants to put the building process of the house on one of its shows," Zach explained as he shuffled papers in his lap.

"Why?" I asked. "It's just a house."

"Sam," Zach began with an exasperated tone of voice. "The choice to use sustainable building materials, a technology rich control system, and geothermal heating and cooling makes this house more than `just a house.' The positioning of the house reduced the impact of building on a pristine parcel of land. And this house marks the start of an enormously powerful and creative design theory of contemporary homes. Besides, Sam, you're paying a lot of money to be environmentally friendly and still build the house you want."

"What about liability and security?" I asked. "I don't want the production company to disclose the location, nor do I want the filming to delay the construction in any way."

"The network assured me they have their own liability insurance," Zach explained. "They don't give a physical address on air, and I don't foresee any reason the filming would delay the contraction."

"The show would give you, the architect, instant, nationwide name recognition," I said with a smile.

"Ah..., yes," Zach replied.

"Good," I added. "Let me speak with Chris before I give you an answer. I'll try to meet him for lunch."

"Thank you for considering this, Sam," Zach added as he prepared to leave. "The recognition this brings to me is important, but I want you to be totally on board with this."

"I'll let you know after lunch," I said as I stood as Zach left my office.

I grabbed my phone to call Chris.

Chapter 6: The Saga Continues

"Our house will be on TV?" Chris asked with surprise in his voice. "Will we get to play Jackie Kennedy and give a walking tour of the house?"

"I suspect you'll not be offered a contract," I replied. "Do you like the idea of having HGTV broadcast the progress of the house?"

"Sure," Chris replied. "Even though I won't get a starring role, I can't stand in the house's way of becoming an instant celebrity."

"I'll tell Zach tomorrow we'll approve the taping," I said as I saw Donny, Mathew, and Joshua slinking into the living room.

"What may we do for you?" Chris asked.

"Are we getting a new brother?" Donny, the spokesperson, asked.

Chris and I looked at one another with panic in our faces.

"Why would you think you're getting a new brother?" I asked

"You got me, and, two years later, you got Mathew and Joshua," Donny began. "It's been over two years. You don't want to be late, do you?"

"I believe your Dad and I have decided we needed to take more than the usual two years to add another brother," I explained.

"Doggie then," Mathew said. Naturally, this was a translation to the best of my ability. The dogs suddenly joined the fray.

I looked at Chris. "You can handle this one."

"We have one dog per family member," Chris explained. "One dog per person, I believe, is sufficient."

Matilda slinked into the crowd.

"No more cats either," I added.

"We thought an older brother would be nice," Donny explained. "Then we'd need another dog."

"Why don't we compromise," Chris added. "We'll contemplate an older brother. You'll have our decision in about a year or two. You need to get ready for bed. We'll be in to tuck you in shortly."

In a flurry of feet, the crowd of kids and dogs and cat dissipated.

"What brought on the big brother idea?" Chris asked.

"I'm not certain," I said. "Since you have next week off for break, why don't we take a drive to Saint Louis?"

"Saint Louis?" Chris asked. "Why Saint Lou... oh."

~~~~~

"How's the book working out?" I asked as my mother and father sat with Chris and me after we'd finished Sunday lunch at our house.

"We've made remarkable progress," my mother explained. "Your father's been doing well. One new revelation brings on a host of other leads from the past. This could work out to another War and Peace. War and peace. I didn't realize this town had so many skeletons."

"We're not only looking at a local focus, but we've also found links to New York, Hollywood, and Vegas," my father added. "It's surprising how many nationally known dirt bags this town has fostered."

"Maybe it's the water?" Chris added.

"More like greed and power," my mother added. "We find it amazing the lure of greed and power can have on people."

"Not to change the subject, but would the two of you be available next Wednesday to look after the boys?" I asked. "Chris and I have an appointment in Saint Louis. We thought it best not to include the little ones."

"We'd be delighted," my other replied. "Who's the lucky kid?"

"Kid?" I asked.

"Sam," my mother began. "I'm sitting here watching the two of you. You both have that look in your eyes. I've only seen it twice before. Once with Donny and once with Mathew and Joshua. I'll ask again. Who's the lucky kid?"

"Just a second," I said as I pushed back from the table. I retrieved a folder from my briefcase and slid two photos in front of my parents. "Twin boys. They're twelve. Mateo and Diego. Their parents died when a meth lab blew up in East Saint Louis. They've been in foster care for a year. It seems twelve-year-old boys with HIV are tough to place."

"Daniel and Frank want to talk with another set of twin boys," Chris explained. "They're four, and their mother was from Columbia. A drunk driver smashed into her car and killed her. Daniel and Frank plan to visit the boys on Saturday."

"If our trip runs according to our plan, Mateo and Diego will spend a few days with us," I said. "If everyone gets along, they'll stay. We're fairly certain the boys and Chris and I will fall in love with them upon contact."

"They're also tri-lingual," Chris added. "English, Spanish, and French."

"I'll have a reason to practice my Spanish and French," my mother added. "We're so, so proud of you guys. You, Sam, have always been a magnet for strays. Dogs, cats, and, now, kids."

"Our decision to build a six-bedroom house also helped in our choice," Chris added. "We still have two spare bedrooms."

"Chris!" I exclaimed. "Do not even think about filling the spare bedrooms with more kids. You realize we'll need two more dogs."

"Maybe another cat," Chris said with a smile.

~~~~~

"Why does it seem the progress on the office out paces the progress on the house?" I asked Zach and Tom as they sat in my office as we reviewed the office plans.

"We need to carefully work on the outside of the house so as not to over tax the environment around it," Zach replied. "The office building sits on a once vacant lot."

"You'll see considerable progress now. We have the foundation work complete," Tom added.

"Chris and I are in the preliminary stages of adopting twin, twelve-year-old boys," I explained. "Our current rental house gets smaller and smaller by the day."

"We begin accepting shipments of the pre-constructed exterior walls on Friday," Tom explained. "You'll begin to see the shape of the house come to life on practically a daily basis.

"How much longer will you need to finish it?" I asked with my fingers crossed.

"Six months with the crew we have now," Tom explained. "Three months if I put another crew on the job."

"Put another crew on the job," I said.

"Another item of business," Tom interjected. "A friend of mine has a geothermal well business in New York State. He received approval from the State of Illinois EPA to do business in this state. He told them he'd be based in the Chicago area. He can start on your geothermal wells two weeks from today. He will need a place to stay for him and his crew of three. He suggested he can finish the wells in two weeks. Three at most. Same price as the other shyster."

"I'll have Janice make reservations," I said. "I hope he has a big sign to put in the front yard with his company's name on it."

"If he doesn't, I'll have one made," Tom replied.

"How's the new supply company working out?" I asked.

"Phenomenally well," Tom replied. "They have your entire house in their warehouse."

"Maybe we could have another sign to plant in the lawn," I suggested. "Building material supplier: Wendel Building Supplies."

"When did you get so evil, Sam?" Zach asked.

"This town will make anyone vindictive," I said with a smile.

"How's the investigation going?" Tom asked.

"I haven't heard anything about it," I explained. "I don't ask, either."

"Probably a good strategy," Zach added.

I saw Jake Jat standing beside my doorway.

"Can I help you, Jake?" I asked.

"I can come back when you're not busy," Jake said as he started to disappear.

"We're almost finished here, Jake," I said as I turned my attention to Zach and Tom. "Anything else?"

"Nope," Zach said.

"No," Tom added. "We have our marching orders, Captain."

As Zach and Tom filed out, Jake took a seat in front of my desk.

"What' can I do for you, Jake?" I asked.

"Well," Jake began. "I have this issue. My car is dying. I don't want to drop any more money into it. Do you know any of the car dealers around here?"

"The only one in town I would recommend would be the Ford dealership," I suggested. "My father bought my Mustang from a guy named Gus. We know the Mercedes, Chevy, and Cadillac dealerships in Effingham. I can give you contact information for anyone of the Effingham dealerships. I suggest you see Maryann at the bank. She takes care of employee loans for houses and cars. See how much you qualify for and go shopping."

"I've never had a loan before," Jake said. "I only have one credit card. I'm not certain I could get a car loan."

I handed Jake my business card. "Flash my card and yours in front of Maryann. You'll get a car loan. I guarantee it."

"Thank you, Sam," Jake replied before he left my office with a smile on his face.

~~~~~

"Ready?" I asked Chris as he pulled into a parking space in the lot next to the agency.

"I must admit I'm a little nervous," Chris said.

"Why?" I asked.

"What if they don't like us?" Chris asked.

"Wow them with one of your song and dance routines," I suggested.

"I'll take it under consideration," Chris replied as we walked into the agency.

"Sam and Chris Williamson to see Mr. Hayes," I said to the receptionist.

"He's expecting you," Harriett the receptionist said to us. "Mateo and Diego have looked forward to your visit all week. I must warn you. They will ingratiate themselves to you in about three seconds."

"We'll beat them to the punch," Chris added. "I'm certain we'll fall in love with them in one second."

"Good morning, gentlemen," a man said as he stepped through the doorway into the reception room. "I'm Rutherford Hayes."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Hayes," I added. "I'm Sam, and this is my husband, Chris."

"The boys are eager to meet you, but I'd like to have a brief word with you first," Mr. Hayes said as he opened the door. We followed him to a vacant conference room.

We settled around the table, and Mr. Hayes began. "First of all, please call me Rutherford. Secondly, we have shielded the boys from some interviews with prospective parents because many people shy away from adopting twelve-year-old twins. But something caught my attention when I read your application. You both seem to be exceptionally progressive in your thinking, especially when you consider where you've decided to live."

"Thank you, Rutherford," I began. "We both were raised in extremely progressive families. I also hadn't planned to move back to my hometown after I graduated from college. But we decided we wanted to be part of a growing town in rural Southern Illinois and to take my parents legacy and Chris's grandparent's legacy and make the world around us just a little better than we found it."

"I've seen your names pop up when I Googled homeless gay youth, Washington Family Foundation, Green Peace, just to name a few," Rutherford added. "Now, let's talk about the boys."

"Terrific!" Chris replied.

"Mateo and Diego will remind you of confident, precocious young men," Rutherford explained. "But we've discovered a lot of pain behind those dazzling eyes of theirs. Before their mother and father blew themselves up, Mateo and Diego saw things no youngster should even know exists. Drug addicts coming and going. Group sex parties. Verbal abuse. Shaming. Rituals likened to Satanism. Both parents often served as prostitutes. Both serviced men. They are in therapy, and we hope they can continue once they settle in with you and your sons."

"Don't forget dogs and cats," Chris added with a smile.

"Of course," Rutherford said with a smile. "Both boys have shown an interest in having a pet."

"I'm guessing we should try to avoid topics involving their parents," I said.

"For the most part, yes," Rutherford explained. "Sometimes you will need to face some questioning from the boys. You never know when or where. Just be as honest and calm as you can with them. Ready?"

"Absolutely!" I exclaimed.

We followed Rutherford to a playroom a few doors down. We saw the boys through a huge window. They played with Legos as we quietly watched.

"Boys," Rutherford said as we entered the room. "I'd like you to meet Sam and Chris Williamson. Sam, Chris, these two fine boys are Mateo and Diego."

"I'm Mateo. He's Diego," Mateo explained. "Mr. Hayes said you had dogs at home."

I sat on a seat sized for a kid. Chris followed suit.

"We do have dogs at home," I explained. "Five to be exact."

"And two cats," Chris added.

"And three boys," I continued. "Donny is almost seven. Mathew and Joshua are three."

"What do you boys like to do when you're not studying?" Chris asked.

"We're learning to play the piano," Diego said. "It's fun. Our foster mother is teaching us."

"Do you like living with your foster family?" I asked.

"No," Mateo replied. "They have two sons. The house seems crowded when we're all home. We sleep in the same room with Billy and Tucker."

"Is your house crowded?" Diego asked.

"Nope," Chris said. "We have four bedrooms in our current house. The new one we're having built will have six bedrooms. We also spend a lot of time with the kids in our big kitchen. So, you'll have lots of room at our house. Did Mr. Hays tell you I teach music at the high school?"

"Really?" Mateo asked with eyes wide. "Do you teach music, too?"

"No," I replied. "I leave the music to Chris. I work at a website development company."

"We made a website at school," Diego added. "It had our pictures on it."

"I'll take you to work sometime so you can help make websites," I suggested. "Would you like to do that?"

"Yes!" Mateo and Diego exclaimed in unison.

"Good," I added. "We planned on taking you to our house to meet the other three boys, the dogs, and the cats. You'll also meet your grandparents."

"We'd have grandparents?" Diego asked. "We've never had grandparents before."

"You have another grandmother and great grandparents as well," Chris explained.

"Wow!" Mateo responded again with big eyes.

"We have a two-hour drive to get home, so, before we leave we'll get lunch," I explained. "Where would you like to have lunch? Do you have any favorite places?"

"McDonald's," Diego replied. "We've only been to McDonald's. Where do you want to go?"

"How about a sandwich shop down the street?" I suggested.

"Okay," Mateo agreed. "Mr. Hayes has our stuff we wanted to take."

"Good," Chris replied.

Mateo grabbed my hand as we walked to Rutherford's office. Diego took Chris's hand. I wanted to pick them both up and hug them.

We said our good byes to Rutherford and Harriett. I saw Mateo and Diego look at one another as we approached the car.

"Is this a school bus?" Mateo asked.

"It's our car," Chris replied. "You'll understand why we need a big car once you meet your brothers and the dogs and cats."

Chris buckled Diego into the back seat behind the driver. I did the same for Mateo on the passenger side.

"What's that?" Mateo asked as he pointed to the DVD monitor build into the back of the front two seats.

"It's a screen so you can watch a DVD while we're driving," I explained. "We have Peter Rabbit, Harry Potter—all eight films, Wonder, and Toy Story. You can decide which one you want to watch on our trip back if you'd like."

"Wow!" Diego replied.

Chris drove the three blocks to the sandwich shop we had picked. We unbuckled the boys from their seats and made our way into the restaurant. This time Diego took my hand and Mateo took Chris's.

Once we had ordered, the boys decided they needed answers to some of their questions.

"Will you be our Daddies?" Mateo asked.

"Would you like us to be your Daddies?" Chris replied.

"Yes," Mateo and Diego said in unison.

"Then, we'll be your Daddies," Chris added.

"Will we have to go back to our foster home?" Diego asked.

"Guys," I said as I leaned in to look both kids in the eyes. "We want you to be part of our family. We'll love you. We'll keep you safe. We'll take care of you when you're not feeling well or sad. We'll always be available for you to talk about whatever bothers you. Donny, Mathew, and Joshua will be your brothers. They'll love you just like you'll love them. Do you understand what I just explained?"

"Daddy," Mateo said. I saw tears in his eyes. "Can we get a hug?"

I slipped off my chair and knelt as Mateo slid off his seat and into my arms. Chris engulfed Diego in a hug.

After I explained Chris and I want them to be part of our family, the boys relaxed. We relaxed. The conversation flowed.

"Where will we go to school?" Diego asked.

"Not far from where we live," Chris explained. "Donny goes to the same school you'll attend. Mathew and Joshua don't go to school yet, but Kristin takes care of them while we go to work. You'll join in the fun on days you don't go to school. You'll like Kristin. She's fun."

"I thought you'd like to go to work with me tomorrow," I said. "I'll introduce you to the people I work with. You'll like them all. I'll set you each up with a tablet. Do you like to take pictures?"

"We learned how to take pictures with a tablet at school," Diego said. "We had fun taking pictures. But we didn't have a tablet at home. Our foster parents couldn't afford one for us. Their other boys each had one and a cell phone, too. We didn't though."

"You won't have problems of equality in our family, guys," Chris added.

"Do you have a piano at home?" Mateo asked.

"Yes, we do," Chris replied. "What have you learned to play?"

"I like to play Moonlight Sonata," Diego said. "But Mateo likes Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy."

Chris looked at me and smiled. "You must learn quickly. How long did you say your foster mother has given you lessons?"

"She started in the summer," Mateo explained. "Her other two boys don't like the piano. They said playing the piano is for sissies. What's a sissy?"

"Let me correct the other two boys you used to live with," Chris began. He was not happy. "Anyone who plays the piano shows a mastery of skill, intelligence, and creativity. All three qualities associated with strong, brave, and confident people. As for the word Sissy, ban it from your vocabulary. It is a silly, meaningless word. Do you like to play baseball? Football? Soccer? Lacrosse? Basketball? Swimming?"

"We played soccer at school," Diego explained. "We went to the public pool in the summer, but we didn't swim much. Too many people."

"We'll have a pool at the new house we're building," I said.

"A pool at the house. Wow!" Mateo exclaimed.

"Do you like to read?" I asked.

"Yup," Diego replied. "We've been reading Harry Potter. We didn't get to read it when it first came out. We were too little."

"Mom and Dad didn't like us to read," Mateo explained. "They thought reading was a waste of time. They thought you should watch television. It was easier. But we found out they weren't right."

"Oh! Hey! It's late. We should be on our way home," I suggested. "Donny, Mathew, and Joshua will want to throw a welcome party."

"We like parties," Diego said.

"We haven't been to many, but we like them," Mateo added.

"We'll have lots of parties, guys," Chris added. "Sam is right. We need to be on our way home."

We got the boys settled in the back seat. I started the first Harry Potter movie, and we never heard much from the boys until we pulled into our driveway.

~~~~~

"Who else lives here?" Mateo asked.

"Just Chris and me, Donny, Mathew, Joshua, five dogs, two cats, and now you two," I explained as we headed to the front door.

I had phoned my parents and told them our ETA. When we opened the door, three clean boys, five calm dogs, and two lazy cats joined my mother and father in the entry hall.

"We have a welcoming committee I see," I said as we closed the door behind us. "I'd like you all to meet your new brothers, Mateo and Diego. Mateo, Diego, these are your brothers Donny, Mathew, and Joshua."

For a moment silence took over the entry hall. Then, Donny moved forward and one by one greeted his brothers.

He pulled Mateo into a hug. "Welcome home, Mateo!"

Then Diego. "Welcome home, Diego! We've been waiting for a big brother. Now we have two!"

Then, mayhem broke loose! Mathew and Joshua joined the fray as did Roosevelt, Lincoln, Simon, Winthrop, and Wallaby. The cats stood off to the side and watched.

"I want you guys to meet someone else," I said as I led Diego and Mateo to where my parents stood. "These are my parents, your grandparents, Elaine and Charles Williamson."

"Do we call you grandma and grandpa?" Mateo asked.

"If you'd like, of course," my mother replied. "Bienvenido a tu nuevo hogar."

"Gracias abuela," Mateo and Diego said in unison.

"Parles-tu Français?" my mother asked in what I assumed was French.

"Oui, grand-mère," Mateo and Diego said in unison again.

"Will we need to learn Spanish?" I asked.

"No, Daddy!" Mateo replied. "We like English better."

"Miracles never stop happening!" Chris added before we went into the kitchen. "How would you guys like a snack?"

"Yes," all five boys said at the same time.

The noise level went up five times as each boy struggled to hold court during snack time. Mathew and Joshua had sleepy eyes by the time they consumed their snack.

"Someone needs a nap," Chris suggested. "Sam, why don't we take these two to their room and then help Mateo and Diego unpack."

"Sounds like a plan," I replied and turned to my parents who were preparing to leave. "Thanks for taking care of the kids today. You helped us do what we needed to do today."

"You realize Mateo and Diego are adorable, right?" my father asked.

"Yes," I replied. "I suspect we'll see some hidden talent behind those big brown eyes, too."

"I suspect you're right," my father said as he and my mother hugged me good bye.

"Let's get you two settled," I said as I turned toward Chris, Mateo, and Diego. I followed behind Chris and the boys as we went upstairs. I noticed they touched one another much like they talked privately. Donny followed me as Mathew and Joshua napped on the sofa.

"Your room shares a bath with Donny," Chris said as we walked through the door. Their eyes looked big with excitement.

"Just for us?" Diego asked.

"Yes," Chris replied. "Just for you."

"My room is next door," Donny explained. "Simon sleeps with me. Winthrop and Wallaby sleep with Mathew and Joshua."

Lincoln and Roosevelt each settled on the foot of the twin beds.

"Traitors," Chris said to the dogs as we began sorting through the things Mateo and Diego had packed.

"We both have almost the same stuff," Mateo explained as he sifted through his bag. He pulled out one pair of jeans, one pair of slacks, one dress shirt, one polo shirt, three pairs of underwear, and six pairs of socks.

"It looks like we'll need to go shopping," I said to Chris.

"Do you want to meet me somewhere after work?" Chris asked.

"Target," I replied. "What time can you be there?"

"Four," Chris replied. "This might take all night."

"I'll get a tablet for them from the office," I added. "I'll have Clarice find phones appropriate for eleven-year old boys."

We watched Lincoln and Roosevelt watch Mateo and Diego as the two boys put their belongings away.

"I think we've solved the dog situation," I whispered to Chris as Lincoln and Roosevelt began to follow the boys everywhere they went.

~~~~~

~~~~~

"Hello, Clarice!" I said as Mateo and Diego followed me into the reception area. "I'd like you to meet the two newest additions to the Williamson family. Clarice, I'm pleased to introduce you to Mateo and Diego. Guys, this is Clarice. She runs the office."

"Good morning, Mateo, Diego," Clarice said to the boys as she stepped in front of her desk to welcome the twins. "I'll get you employee badges once we have your picture taken. The badges will help us decide which one of you is Mateo and which one is Diego. You realize you look exactly alike!"

"Diego has a little scare on his right eyebrow," Mateo explained. "Our old daddy hit him with a board when we weren't doing what he told us."

"Oh!" Clarice replied. "I'll remember the little scare; although, I can hardly see it."

"We learn something every day, don't we?" I said to Clarice. "When you make up the badges, could you give them access to everything except the server room and the storage area.

"Got it," Clarice said as she smiled at me.

"Also, do we have two extra Surface tablets Mateo and Diego can have?" I asked.

"We just received ten of the new ones yesterday," Clarice replied. "I'll have Juan load Office. Anything else they should have?"

"Access to the creative suite as well as Spark," I suggested. "I'd like to have access to their OneDrive storage for security reasons. No IMs and limit e-mail to Safe Senders."

"Consider it done," Clarice replied. "I'll add the parent control app as well."

"Thank you, Clarice," I said. "I'm off to introduce these two to the rest of the crew."

I circulated with the boys and introduced them to all Buzzers. We retired to my office.

"Why do you have a room by yourself and the others stay in the big room?" Diego asked.

"I need to have private conversations sometimes," I explained.

"Don't let him kid you, boys," Clarice walked into the room with two new tablets. "He's the boss. He owns the place. And, don't forget, everyone loves your dad."

"So much for being one of the guys," I replied. "Which one is which?"

"The purple keyboard belongs to Mateo," Clarice explained. "The green one belongs to Diego. They picked out the colors."

"How clever," I said. "Can't be any arguments about which one has which tablet."

"Unless we switch the keyboards," Mateo said with a smile.

"We're in trouble, Clarice," I added.

"I know," Clarice replied. "It'll be so much fun having two twelve-year-old creative geniuses as part of the family now, won't it, Sam?"

"Yes, it will!" I replied.

"The parental control feature allows you to lock and unlock apps as you see fit," Clarice explained. "Juan set up Outlook to only accept e-mails from you and Chris. They will also need your permission to access portions of the internet. And I found these phones. They have limited e-mail, text messages, and safe numbers to accept and to make calls. You can allow apps as you decide is appropriate. Questions?"

"The phones are already turned on under our plan?" I asked.

"Of course," Clarice replied. "If you need anything else, please let me know."

"I can't think of anything else at the moment," I replied. "Thank you for all the work you did this morning getting these ready?"

"I enjoyed it," Clarice replied. "Oh! Before I forget. I made an appointment with Pat at his store for 10 am Saturday for the boys, you, and Chris."

"Thank you, Clarice," I replied as she headed out of my office.

I sifted through project reports as Mateo and Diego tried their luck with the tablets. The project reports soon turned into watching Mateo and Diego interact. It's as if they were talking with one another, but not words came out of their mouths. A look. A touch. A nod. I tried to return to the project reports. I looked up to see Mateo and Diego standing in front of my desk waiting for me to acknowledge them.

"You need something?" I asked.

"Can we show you something?" Diego asked.

"Sure," I said as I moved between the two boys and sat on a chair. They took seats on either side of me. "What's up?"

"We did a Spark Story just like Mr. Bubbler showed us," Mateo began.

"We need pictures, though," Diego continued. "One of our house. One of our brothers. One of you and Daddy. One of the dogs. One of our room."

"Don't forget the cats!" Mateo added.

"We wrote this," Diego added as he pointed to text below the spaces where they want the photos to go. "We want to keep track of the new life you and Daddy and our brothers are giving us. We want to remember this and not a lot of other stuff."

Our new Daddies took us to lunch. We ate at this not McDonalds sandwich place. We split a sandwich while our new Daddies each had one of their own. We drove to our new home. We got to watch Harry Potter movie on the way.

Our new Daddies told us they wanted us to be part of their family. They told us: We love you. We'll keep you safe. We'll take care of you when you're not feeling well or sad. We'll always be available for you to talk about whatever bothers you. Donny, Mathew, and Joshua will be your brothers. They'll love you just like you'll love them. Our new Daddies hugged us for the first time.

The drive home took two hours. It didn't seem like two hours. We watched part of the first Harry Potter movie.

We arrived at this huge house. We thought it was a mansion. Our new Daddies told us this is home—where we all live. We met our three brothers. We also met the five dogs and two cats. And we met our grandma and grandpa. They were nice. We've never had a grandma and grandpa before.

We saw our room. We thought we'd share a room with our brothers. This room was all ours. We share a bathroom with our brother Donny. Lincoln and Roosevelt stay with us. They're dogs. The cat Matilda sat on the window sill for a while and then disappeared. Our new Daddies said Matilda always disappears.

We went to Daddy Sam's work today. We met lots of people. Clarice runs the office. She gave us new tablets and cell phones.

"Wow!" I responded to their writing. "You've done a super job so far. I'm amazed. You're both talented writers. Who taught you how to write?"

"Our el hada madrina," Diego explained.

"She visits us sometimes," Mateo continued. "Usually when we're asleep."

"She tells us stories," Diego added.

"Who is el hada madrina?" I asked.

"Ahm...," Mateo said to himself as the thought. "We don't know what it is in English. But she told us she was el hada madrina."

"We'll go with el hada madrina for now," I replied. I should have paid more attention in Spanish class. "You did this on Spark! Your teacher taught you how to use it?"

"He showed it to us, and we just figured it out," Diego explained.

"Terrific!" I said. I decided I am more than a little amazed. "Have you written a lot of things? Short stories? Life events?"

"Not so much," Mateo replied. "We didn't have anything to write about. Our mommy and daddy died. We lived with foster families. No one wanted us. So, we thought something must be wrong with us. Now, someone wants us. We'll write more."

"Good," I replied. "What should I do to help you with your project?"

"We need a connection to the Internet," Diego suggested.

"I can get you on the Internet, but you need to promise me something," I began. "You need to tell me or your Daddy Chris if someone you don't know tries to contact you. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes, Daddy," Mateo replied. "We can't talk to people we don't know."

"You also need to promise me you won't explore the Internet without Daddy Chris or me with you," I replied. "Do you know why?"

"There's a lot of icky stuff on the Internet," Diego said quickly.

"Great," I added. "We'll get you on the Internet after we go to lunch. I'm taking you to one of our favorite places to eat lunch. It's just across the street. Ready to eat?"

"Yes," Mateo and Diego replied in unison.

We gathered a few items and made our way out the office.

"Will you be bringing the five furry fellows back anytime soon?" Clarice asked. "I've saved their employee badges just in case you decide they're an indispensable part of the BuzzZone team."

"I'm sure they'll be back sometime," I explained. "I'm introducing Mateo and Diego to Mel across the street. Call if you need us."

"Will do, boss man," Clarice said as we left.

"Why does Clarice call you boss man, Daddy?" Mateo asked as we settled at a table near the window in front of the cafe.

"He owns the business," Mel said as he slipped beside us ready to take our order. "These two angles must be your sons!"

"Yup," I said as I turned toward Mel. "Mel, I'd like you to meet my sons Mateo and Diego. Guys, this is a dear friend of mine, Mel. She owns this café. We went to high school together."

"Welcome," Mel said to the boys. "I heard the two of you were in town. You made an excellent choice when you picked your dads."

"They picked us," Diego countered.

"Not necessarily," Mel suggested. "How many kids do you think they interviewed before they took you home?"

Mateo and Diego looked at me.

"Just you," I replied. "So, Mel's right. You picked us. We walked into the room, and we knew we loved you. You made it happen."

Mateo and Diego looked at one another. Then they smiled at each other. I had to figure out what they said to each other with a look and a smile.

~~~~~

"Let's not go overboard, Dad," my Dad and me sat at our kitchen island while we discussed the state EPA department. "No mob members. No concrete overshoes. And, most of all, no blood. Do I make myself clear, Dad?"

"You're taking all the fun out of this, Sam!"

"What's proposal number two?"

"First, I've organized a team of people who are backing an independent person for the next Governor of the State of Illinois."

"Who will be our next Governor, Dad? And please tell me it isn't you."

"Not to worry, Sam. I'm not running for Governor. I did, however, think of Chris."

"No! Fucking! Way!" my nostrils flared. "Chris will not run for Governor!"

"Why can't I run for Governor?" Chris asked as he waltzed into the kitchen to join us. "It might be fun! We could move into the Governor's mansion. You could be the First Lady of the State of Illinois! Just think of the possibilities."

"I don't want to be First Lady of the State of Illinois, Chris," I looked directly into Chris's eyes. "We just adopted two very sweet boys who need us to be in their lives. I have a business to run, and you have a music program at the high school to run. You will NOT even think about running for Governor."

"You have a point, Sam," Chris looked at my father. "Then, who's the lucky person?"

"Who is the most respected woman in this area?" my father had a grin plastered over his face.

"Janet Lopez?" I took a wild guess.

"She's not the one. You're close, Sam, but she's not the one. Your mother and I have been friends with her for eons."

"Deloris Santiago? The Illinois State Senate President?"

"Perfect, Sam!" my father looked quite pleased with himself. "She's already agreed to run."

"My mother knew her from college," I explained to Chris.

"You mean I wasn't your first choice?" Chris asked my father.

"Of course, you were, Chris!" my father knew enough not to tell my husband no. "I knew Sam would not be pleased if you did decide to run. Once she becomes Governor, she'll cut power play in the office of the EPA just as quickly as it began. In the meantime, we've garnered support from foes of the current Governor to begin an investigation of the EPA's activities."

"The heat will be on the EPA officials to do things by the book," I finished my father's thought before I continued. "And I don't suppose you might feed some interesting dirt to the Santiago campaign."

"Great idea, Sam! I wish I had thought of giving the campaign some choice bits of information."

"I doubt you didn't think of leaking information before I said something."

"And there is the information your mother and I dug up about the current Governor's father. He fleeced the S..."

"Stop! I do not want to know what you and Mom have dug up about the Governor's father. I want to find out about whatever scandal you've uncovered like everyone else... at his trial!"

To be continued.

~~~~~

I would enjoy hearing your comments about this story. You can write to me at steve@stevenwellswriter.com.

Visit my website: www.stevenwellswriter.com

My Author Page at Amazon.com is https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B01NBUIQA6

If I have time, I will get back into the twitter game. Twitter: @stevenwellsma1

The following lists links to all my stories on Nifty.org:

Please also see:

John's Journey Forward found in the Beginnings section

Together Forever found in the Beginnings Section (Sequel to John's Journey Forward)

Sam and Chris in the College section.

We're in This Together found in the Relationships section. (Sequel to Sam and Chris)

Jeffery Comes Home  in the Beginnings section.

Taking a Stand in the College section. (Sequel to Jeffery Comes Home)

Other Stories by the Author

CAUTION!

Please note, the following stories are not for everyone because there are several scenes depicting Master/slave and BDSM relationships. So, if you are not interested in this type of literature, please, please do not read this story.

Life with Tim in the Authoritarian section

Steven's Evolution in the Authoritarian section. (Sequel to Life with Tim)

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