At fifteen, Mikey was a little old for trick-or-treating, but he wasn't too old to go out on Halloween and raise a little hell with his friends. No, he didn't do anything malicious, but he wasn't above toilet papering a few trees and shrubs, having shaving cream fights with his friends, or pulling a few other harmless pranks. After all, it was fun and Mikey got to have a great time with his buddies. He had just spent a wonderful and raucous evening enjoying those simple pleasures and was still dizzy from all the fun he'd shared with his pals when he realized it was time for him to head home. He thought back to what his father had told him before he left.

 

"Don't forget Michelangelo, it's a school night and you're to be home by eleven."

 

His dad always called him that when they were alone. Although his given name was Michael, he had given Mikey that nickname because of his artwork. You see, Mikey was not only a budding artist, but he was also gay. His father knew it and accepted him for the way he was and went out of his way to explain to his son that he thought the nickname was fitting. He had given it to him after he first saw some of Mikey's very realistic sketches of his male friends.

 

Mikey's dad told him that his talent of drawing the male form could only be rivaled by Michelangelo's ability to capture the beauty and grace of the male body. His father also explained that the artist Michelangelo had been gay, too, so maybe that's why Mikey and his namesake had the rare and unique ability to capture the true essence and nature of maleness. Afterward, whenever he heard his father call him this, it always made Mikey feel warm all over, because he knew his father was not only proud of his ability, but he was also willing to accept him for who he was.

 

Although Mikey could never explain why he did so, that evening he decided to take a seldom-used path home. Although it was shorter, the primary reason he didn't use this route more often was because he had to climb over a couple of stone walls along the way. These barriers weren't that tall or difficult to navigate, but in order to use this path to get to his house, he did have to travel through the small cemetery those walls enclosed.

 

Tonight he wasn't concerned with it being shorter or where it would take him, he only knew that he had to get home quickly and this was the quickest way he knew. However, as he approached the tiny graveyard, he began to have second thoughts. Although he was normally a pretty brave guy, he was a little nervous about entering the area tonight, especially considering it was Halloween. As he jumped over the first of the walls, he almost crapped his pants when he heard someone call out to him.

 

"Are you Michelangelo?" a small, high-pitched voice asked.

 

Mikey jumped in the air, as his heart leaped into his throat and began to beat wildly, since he was totally unprepared for anything like this to happen. Who would be hanging out in a cemetery on a night like tonight? Besides, he couldn't believe what the person had asked him. No one else called him by his nickname, only his father used for him, so why would anyone address him that way now? Mikey didn't even think anyone else knew his father called him this, so what was going on here? Suddenly, the hairs on the back of Mikey's neck and along his arms began to stand on end. Something was very strange about this.

 

Slowly, Mikey turned around. He had to find out who was there and how this person knew so much about him. Much to his surprise, he discovered it was another boy, but he couldn't tell much about him. The kid was masked by the shadows, as he lay curled up in the corner of the wall. It appeared that he might be trying to keep warm and fighting to stay awake, by why would he be camping out here?

 

"Uh, who are you?" Mikey stammered, a little unnerved by this encounter.

 

"Ah. I'm Gary," the boy explained.

 

The boy suddenly began to wonder if it had be wise, or even safe, for him to confront someone he didn't really know like this. Sucking up his courage, he continued.

 

"My mother told me to wait here until Michelangelo came to get me," the smaller boy choked out, showing as much bravado as he could muster. "Are you Michelangelo?"

 

Mikey looked perplexed. He wasn't sure how he should respond to this boy, but he had the feeling it would probably be best to tell him the truth.

 

"Yeah, that's my nickname," he stated a little nervously, but quickly he went on to clarify his statement. "Only my dad calls me that though, so how'd your mom know about it?"

 

"I don't know," Gary admitted, "but she made me promise I'd wait here until you came to get me."

 

The boy was still scrunched up in the corner of the stone wall, but he was making no effort to move or sit up.

 

"How did she know I'd even come this way?" Mikey asked, even more confused. "I hardly ever go through here to get home and I didn't even know I was going to come this way tonight, at least not until a few minutes ago."

 

The boys stared at each other, as each tried to comprehend what was really going on.

 

"I'm not sure," Gary replied, while avoiding eye contact with the other boy, "but that's what she told me."

 

"But why did she tell you to wait for me?" Mikey followed, trying to make sense out of what he was being told.

 

"She just said you'd take me home with you," Gary explained, while looking a little nervous.

 

Gary seemed to understand how strange this must sound, so he couldn't bring himself to look at Mikey while answering his questions. He wanted to see how Mikey was reacting, but he chose to stare at the ground instead.

 

"She said what?" Mikey gasped, unable to believe his ears. "She told you I'm supposed to take you home with me? But I don't even know you or your mother, and I'm pretty sure you don't know me or my dad. Why would your mom tell you to do this then?"

 

Mikey was eyeing this stranger thoroughly, while trying to make heads or tails of his story. He didn't see the boy as a threat, but he was ready to fight or flee, if it came to that.

 

"I don't know why she told me that, but it is what she said," Gary reiterated; although he was becoming embarrassed by the fact that he couldn't tell Mikey more.

 

"Well, if that's what she told you, then you'd better follow me," Mikey informed him, although he still wasn't entirely convinced this was the right thing to do. "Hopefully, my dad may know more about this. I'm hoping he knows your mom and she said something to him about this."

 

Gary started to relax a little, hearing the other boy's reasoning and acceptance of what he told him.

 

"So, uh. What's your name, again?" Mikey asked, as he held out his hand to help the boy up.

 

"Gary," the boy answered, simply.

 

He willingly took Mikey's outstretched arm and pulled himself up and off of the damp, chilly ground. As he stood up, the bigger boy spoke to him.

 

"You can call me Mikey or Mike, but we'd better get going," he told him.

 

Mikey did take a moment to check the other kid out a little more thoroughly, so he could now tell Gary was probably a little younger than himself. Gary also wasn't quite as tall, but he was definitely cute. At least that's what Mikey thought, as he eyed the boy in the soft moonlight.

 

Gary was a little uncomfortable with the way Mikey was looking at him, but he didn't complain or argue with his request. As his new friend turned and began to head off, Gary trailed obediently behind him.

 

When they reached the house, Mikey led him inside and then called out to his father. He not only wanted to let him know he was home, but he also wanted to see if his dad knew anything about this other kid. As his father walked into the room to speak with him, he quickly noticed his son had someone with him.

 

"Who's your friend, Mikey?" he asked.

 

"This is Gary," Mikey responded, while looking at his dad as if he expected him to know this fact already. "He said his mother told him that I was supposed to bring him home with me. Didn't you talk this over with his mother earlier?"

 

Mikey and his father looked at each other, obviously very confused.

 

"No, I haven't spoken to anyone about anything like that," his father explained.

 

At this point, he began to look the new boy over, to see if he might recognize him. When he realized he'd never seen this kid before, he decided to see if he might be able to get to the bottom of this by asking him a few questions.

 

"Gary, do I know your mother?" he asked, skeptically.

 

"She said you did," the nervous boy answered, while looking even more uncomfortable by the second. "She also said it was a few years ago, but you'd still remember her."

 

"Oh, and when did she supposedly talk to me then?" Mikey's dad asked, even more puzzled by this revelation.

 

"I'm not sure," Gary explained, "but she did tell me I was to wait for Michelangelo and then go home with him."

 

Mikey's father's mouth dropped open at the use of the nickname. Only he and his son knew he called Mikey that and he'd only been doing it for the past year or so, since he learned his son was gay and discovered his artistic talent.

 

"Uh, what's your mother's name then?" Mikey's dad finally managed to ask, once he'd regained his composure.

 

"Sarah," Gary told him, simply, while still avoiding eye contact with the man.

 

"Sarah what?" the father pressed. "What's her last name?"

 

"Sarah Kopcik," Gary informed him.

 

Upon hearing this name, Mikey's father seemed to lose his balance and looked as if he was about to fall over. He recognized the name at once, but he hadn't heard it for years.

 

'Could it be?' the man thought. 'It isn't a common name, so it has to be the same person I remember.'

 

"She used to be my next door neighbor," he finally told the boys, who were now looking at him oddly.

 

They were extremely confused by his reaction, but they were equally bewildered by the strange expression plastered across his face.

 

"I haven't seen her in years, nor have I heard from her or even rumors about her in over a dozen years. The last I knew, she got mugged in the park one night several years ago."

 

He stopped abruptly and didn't continue the story, because then he'd have to admit she didn't get mugged, but was raped that evening. Momentarily, he found his mind drifting back to that time, while he considered how long ago it had been since that had taken place. That's when he began staring at Gary again, which made the boy feel even more uncomfortable than he had been up to that point. Suddenly, everything began to come together and the truth suddenly dawned on him. Gary was the result of that rape. Once he got over the shock, he decided to ask his next question and attempt to regain control of the situation.

 

"What's she doing now?"

 

"Nothing. She died," Gary announced dryly, almost matter-of-factly, and this caused the other two to react in shock and disbelief.

 

"I'm so sorry to hear that," Mikey's father offered, with the deepest respect and sympathy in his voice.

 

Although both he and his son were growing even more confused with every passing second, they weren't sure what they should do next. Thinking quickly, Mikey figured it might be best if he tried to empathize with the poor kid.

 

"My mother died, too, when I was little," Mikey told him, while trying to put him more at ease.

 

Mikey could only imagine how much it was hurting Gary to talk about this, so he was hoping this might make it a little less painful for him. However, Mikey's dad was almost oblivious to his son's effort and proceeded with his own line of questioning.

 

"Gary, when did your mother pass away?" he pressed.

 

"When I was ten," Gary replied, shocking the duo even more. "She had cancer."

 

"And how old are you now?" Mikey's father followed, more perplexed than before.

 

"Fourteen," Gary told him. Both Mikey and his father's mouths dropped open again. Nothing was adding up.

 

"But you told me your mother said you were to wait for me," Mikey protested, unable to keep from blurting this out.

 

"She did," Gary confirmed, unable to comprehend why Mikey was questioning him about that again.

 

"When did she tell you this?" Mikey's dad asked, while trying to understand how any of this was possible.

 

"Earlier tonight," Gary confirmed, although not plausibly.

 

"But if she's been dead…" Mikey began, but then his voice trailed off.

 

"I know, it sounds really weird," Gary admitted, "but that's how it happened. You see, I was coming out of my foster parents' house when this lady came up to me. She was dressed like an angel and at first I didn't realize what she was up to, and then she began to talk to me. She started telling me all this stuff, but when she called me 'pumpkin,' I knew it was a message from my mom. She always called me pumpkin when I was little, so I was certain this had to be my mom coming back to save me. Either that or it was someone she sent to do it for her.

 

"It's funny, but I wasn't scared or anything," Gary continued. "I guess I probably should have been, seeing my mom's been dead for so long, but I just wasn't. I somehow knew everything was going to be all right. I talked to the lady for a little while longer and that's when I began to understand this really was my mom. She told me everything was going to get better and I wouldn't have to live in my foster home any more. She knew I hated it there and that they were mean to me. She also told me she understood I was gay and that was okay with her, too. She promised me I'd be happy now and in a place where I'd be loved and accepted for the way I am, because I was coming to live with you."

 

Both Mikey and his father were left temporarily speechless by this pronouncement, but finally Mikey's dad found his tongue again.

 

"I'm not sure what this is all about," he began, while trying not to upset the boy, "but there's no way I can arrange for you to live here legally. You're obviously in the foster care system, so that makes you a ward of the state. That means I can't just have you move in with us, without getting into trouble."

 

"NO! It will be all right," Gary told him, since he wasn't willing to accept his response. "Mom told me it would be okay. She also told me to give you this and it would take care of everything."

 

Gary then grabbed the trick-or-treat bag he had been carrying with him and began to dig inside. Eventually, he pulled out an envelope and handed it over to Mikey's dad. Patiently, he waited for him to open it and look at what was inside. The man began to leaf through all the papers, while continually glancing up at Gary and Mikey as he did so.

 

"Did you already check these papers out and then put them in a new envelope," he asked Gary, figuring a curious teen would probably have investigated this on his own first.

 

"Nope," Gary answered. "Mom told me just to give it to you and I didn't want to mess things up by opening it first."

 

Gary appeared to be telling the truth, but Mikey's father was totally baffled.

 

"I can't stand where I'm living and didn't want to take the chance of having to stay there any longer because I'd screwed up by opening that letter," he added, to explain it better.

 

Mikey's dad wanted to accept Gary's explanation, but it just wasn't making any sense. Seeing his father's reaction was only making Mikey more curious, so he could keep quiet no longer.

 

"Why? What is it, Dad?" Mikey asked, unwilling to be left in the dark any longer. "What are those papers?"

 

"Well, there's a note and all kinds of legal documents that give me legal guardianship of Gary," he explained.

 

"Really?" both boys exclaimed, almost in unison.

 

"The confusing part is that the letter has a recent date on it, but the other papers are all dated a little over four years ago, just prior to his mother's death," Mikey's dad explained. "They seem to be in order and even have the official state seal on them and all of the required signatures. The confusing part is the note and that the envelope looks brand new, not four years old."

 

"What does the note say?" Mikey asked.

 

He wanted to know everything, but he ignored the incongruities his father had mentioned. His dad hesitated before responding, because he wondered if he should disclose the contents of the letter to the boys. After all, it had some pretty sensitive information in it. After thinking it over, though, he felt both of them deserved to know what it said, seeing it did affect both of them.

 

"Well, let me read it to you," he told them.

You may not remember me, but I used to live next door to you. And you might be able to recall what happened to me in the park a long time ago, but I'll bet you never knew what I was doing there that night. Even though you were almost thirty and I was only fifteen back then, I had a big crush on you. I knew you were married and your wife had just had a baby, but I thought you were soooo handsome and I was in love with you. That's why I was running behind you that night. I'd been jogging behind you for weeks and staying about ten or twenty yards back, while pretending we were doing it together.

Mikey's dad stopped reading for a few seconds, since he was still unable to believe his eyes. His face had paled, his breathing was erratic, and he kept swallowing over and over again. Finally, he went back to reading the note out loud.

 

We had been running for quite a few minutes when this guy jumped out of the bushes and grabbed me. I tried to scream to you for help, but he'd put one of his hands over my mouth and prevented me from doing so. When we crashed to the ground, it knocked the wind out of me and I couldn't fight back. After that, he did what he wanted to me and then left. I walked home and told my parents, but I'm not sure they believed me, even though they did call the police. The man was never caught, but when my folks found out that I was pregnant, they sent me away, to stay with some distant relative. I ended up having Gary all alone.

 

I'm sure you know my religion wouldn't allow me to have an abortion, so I didn't have many options, but once I saw him, I just couldn't give him up. When I decided to keep Gary and raise him myself, my family would have nothing more to do with me. I've never regretted that decision, because he's such a good boy, and I know you'll grow to love him, too, just like I know you love your own son. More importantly, I know the boys will grow to love each other, too. I realize now that both boys are gay and I want them to be together, so they can share the type of love I could never share with you. Maybe they will only love each other as brothers, but possibly it may develop into something more, but in time they'll be able to determine that for themselves. I want to thank you for doing this for me and I just know you are all going to be very happy with each other.

 

With all my love, Sarah Kopcik.