Bart and Chris
by: E Walk
(© 2009 by the Author)
 

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Chapter 49

The Birthday Party

After we left the apartment, it seemed as if Mr. Oleander wanted to talk.  I had no idea what he might want to talk about, so I suggested that I introduce him to my bosses.

He stopped and looked at Zack and me, “I take it that you are partners from how Chris talked to you when we were saying goodnight to the boys.  Do you always kiss Chris like that?”

Zack answered before I could, “Every opportunity we get.  If Tip and Ty aren’t here, we kiss their children as well.”

“So you're saying this is the house of queers?”

I was upset by that comment, “Mr. Oleander, I resent that comment.  Some of us who live in this house are gay, but I doubt very much if any of the children are gay.  We’re rather sure that Bart isn’t and the children are too young to know what their sexual leanings are.”

“Mark, I apologize.  Would you please stop calling me Mr. Oleander?  Would you please call me Zavi instead?  What do Tip and Ty do to be able to afford this house and be able to afford a full time nanny?  Zack, how do you fit into the scheme of what goes on here since the other children called you Uncle Zack?”

Zack and I started to laugh. 

Xavi was confused, “What did I say that was so funny?”

Zack answered, “It’s not what you said.  It how you said it.  You basically asked three totally unrelated questions without taking a breath.  That’s something like our son, Chris, would do.  In answer to the first question, we’ll gladly call you Zavi if you start acting like a dad to Antonio.”

The look on Mr. Oleander’s face was priceless.  “Why did you refer to Horatio as Antonio?”

Zack shrugged his shoulders, “That’s the name on his birth certificate, isn’t it?  In fact Mrs. Oleander isn’t even Tio’s Mother.  His birth Mother died when he was six months old and you married the current Mrs. Oleander when Tio was 18 months old.”

Zavi sat down at the kitchen table, “Guys, you’re scaring me.  How do you know so much about me?  Are you going to try to blackmail me?  If you are, I can assure that I’m basically broke.”

Zack was almost cruel, “Yeah, we know.  We understand that you are about to lose the house.  The only thing we would want from you is for you to be a good Dad for Tio.  He is in need of a lot of love.”

I interjected, “I asked Zack to have one of his associates check you and your wife out, because I was really appalled by what I saw and witnessed at your house last night when I was there with Wilt.”

I continued, “In answer to you second question, Tip is an obstetrician and Ty is a lawyer.  In fact, it was Ty who bought this house.”

“He must be a very established lawyer to be able to afford a pad like this.”

We hadn’t heard Tip and Ty come into the kitchen, but Ty answered Zavi’s, comment  “Sir, actually I’m just getting started in the legal business.  I’ve only been in the legal business for about five months.  By the way, I’m Ty Jefferson.  This is my brother and partner, Tip Washington.”

Mr. Oleander stood and shook their hands.  I took it upon myself to offer everyone a drink.  After I served the drinks, I decided to finish answering Zavi’s questions.  “Zavi, in answer to your other question.  Tip, Ty and Zack are foster brothers.  Tip and Ty have been taking care of my partner, Zack since his grandmother died.”

Zavi smacked his head, “Ty, I just realized who you are.  You just retired from the Kansas City Chiefs.”

“I don’t suppose that you have a place in your firm for a soon to be bankrupt lawyer would you?”

Ty surprised me, “I’ll confer with your son, Tio, and see what I should do.  Seriously, I would be willing to discuss it with you.  I have two associates working with me already.  Do you have a client base?”

“I have, but my wife will probably make sure that I lose them as well as everything I own.  After your Nano Mark visited my home last night with his friend, the Third World War started.  She started divorce proceedings today.  That’s why I asked Mark to bring Antonio home with him.  I will not permit her to use him as her showpiece any longer.  I should never have married the bitch.”

I suddenly remembered Tio’s comment in the bathroom, “Zavi, pardon me for being crass, but what did Tio mean by all the pictures of men that you have on the computer.”

Mr. Oleander took a deep breath, “What is it with you people?  It seems as if all you’re doing is trying to make me look like a bad guy.  I played both sides of the fence so to speak when I was in college and law school until I met Antonio’s birth mother.  She was a wonderful person and we were so happy together.  When she died suddenly, I went into a deep depression.  Do you know how hard it is to take care of an infant and try to start a law office?”

“Finally I hired the current Mrs. Oleander to be an associate and we got married.  That was a big mistake.  We had sex one time and after that it was like a freezer.  We haven’t slept in the same bedroom for six years.”

I hadn’t realized how late it was.  Bart came in the door.  He looked around, “Am I in trouble or what?”

I looked at the clock. “You’re in before your curfew, and unless something happened that we don’t know about, then I guess you aren’t in trouble.  This is Tio’s Dad, Mr. Oleander.”

“Zavi, this is our older son, Bart.”

Bart shook Zavi’s hand, “Dads, your not going to believe what happened tonight.  It is totally different with Roddy in the band.  We sound even better than we did before.  The band really made Tory and I look good when we sang.  In fact the owner of the Guys and Gals gave us a raise.”

Bart wasn’t done, “Mr. and Mrs. Del Rio, Mr. Franklin and Mr. Berger were there whooping it up and having a good time.  The band members are excited about the possibility of us going to New York to perform.  They’re a little concerned though about how much it would cost us.”

“Uncle Ty and Uncle Tip and Dads, the band will be meeting here tomorrow to practice for tomorrow night, since Roddy joined the band and we do an entirely different show at the Pizza Palace.  Do you think Bobby would be upset if I didn’t go to his birthday party?”

Ty looked at Bart, “Bart, I’m sure Bobby won’t be offended if you aren‘t there.  We’ll take Tio in your place.”

Bart threw up his arms, “Oh great, I'm being replace by an eight year old.”

He hugged and kissed Zack and me, “I’ll make sure I clean any mess I make in the shower, and yes I remember I’ve been relegated to sleeping on the sofa bed in the sitting area.”

After Bart had departed, Zavi commented, “You guys must have your hands full with that young man.”

Tip spoke before either Zack or I could, “Mr. Oleander, if every teenager were like that young man, the world would be a much better place.  The transformation from when we first met Bart has been remarkable.  He’s extremely loyal and very patient with the children.”

Ty looked at Mr. Oleander, “Zavi, why don’t you meet me at my office in the morning at ten?  I’ll call my associates and Philip, and have them  meet us there.  We’ll see if we can help you.  Here’s my card.  Mark, is there anything I need to do for Bobby’s party?”

 

I shook my head no, “Nope, all we have to do is pick up the cake and be at the miniature golf course at two o’clock.”

Mr. Oleander finally left and it was almost midnight when Zack and I got to the apartment.  Bart was lying on the sofa reading.  He looked up at us, “Dads, don’t forget I have an appointment with Dr. Feren in the morning.  Are we going running in the morning?”

I hugged Bart, “Son, let’s see what happens in the morning.”

The next morning, Zack and I were awakened by two eight year olds.  Chris was shaking us, “Dads, can we go for a short run.  Tio has never been running and wants to know what it’s like.”

I climbed out of bed even though I was naked, since Tio had seen all of me last night in the shower. “Okay, go wake your brother and see if he wants to go with us.”

Tio was transfixed as he watched us get out of bed.  He looked at Chris, “Your dads have bigger peckers than my Father.”

Chris shrugged, “Yes, they do have big penises.  We only refer to them by their proper names in this house.  Let’s go wake Bart.  He’ll probably have a tent in his briefs.  His penis is almost always hard in the morning. ”After Chris and Tio had departed, I hugged Zack, “I hope you’re satisfied now that you’ve turned our youngest son into a sexpert?”

Zack pulled me on top of him, “Don’t blame me.  It’s your fault.”

The run proved to be fun.  Tio was struggling to keep up with Chris, but Chris kept encouraging him and when we got back to house, Tio sat down on the steps.  “I don’t think I’ll be able to move anymore today.”

Chris was brutal, “Either you start to move or you won’t get anything to eat.  Dads, can we have Eggos and bacon this morning?”

“If that’s what you would like.  Dad Zack can set the table and get the juice while you and Tio fix the Eggos.  Bart needs to go take a shower since he has an appointment with Dr. Feren”

Chris got the step stool and took two packages of Eggos from the freezer and handed them to Tio who looked totally confused.  He looked at the packages, “Chris what are these?

Chris thought for minute, “They’re like a lazy man’s waffle.  You eat them with a little butter and some syrup.  I like to have one with maple syrup and one with raspberry syrup.”

After we finished eating, Bart went to get ready for his appointment.  When he returned from the apartment, he asked, “Dad, are you going to call that man in New York this morning?  I would like to be able to tell the band members how much it is going to cost us to appear on television.”

After breakfast, the children were doing the dishes and I called Mr. Corbin.  “This is Mark Leavitt, the young people are excited about coming to New York, but are concerned about the money it would cost.  I must also tell you that the music group has added an additional person since you saw  the tape.  While I have not had a chance to see them, they were given a raise after the young man joined the group last night.”

“Mark, we’ll pay for the airfare and the accommodations while they are here.  How soon can they be here?”

I took a deep breath, “Assuming that we can get airline reservations, we should be able to get there on the third.  Since the young people are all under the age of 18, we will need to bring some chaperones.”

“Mr. Leavitt, that’s why it’s so exciting if they could be here.  We‘ll pay the costs for the chaperones as well.  Let me know when you will be arriving and how many people will be coming, as soon as possible so we can make hotel reservations near the studio.”

After the call, I took Chris and Tio with me to pick up the birthday cake that we had ordered.  Tip was staying with the other four children.  Ty and Zack had gone to the office to meet with Mr. Oleander.

We got the cake and stopped at a novelty shop to find some items for gift bags for the people who would be attending. I told to the boys to pick out some things that they thought Bobby’s guests would like, since I had no idea what to get.

Chris looked at me, “Daddy, what should we get?”

I shook my head, “Chris, I don’t know, just find some things that the two of you like and think that Bobby’s friends might like too.  Why don’t you start looking while I get a cart and find some bags to put the gifts in.”

By the time we departed the novelty store, we had three bags of items that the boys had picked out.  When we arrived at the house, I had the two guys making sixteen gift bags in the garage so no one could see them while I put the cake in the fridge.

When Bart arrived, he was exuberant, “Dad, Doctor Feren says I can play football.  If I have any problems with my vision, I’m to call him immediately.”

I was fixing grilled cheese sandwiches to stop everyone from starving to death, until they ate at the party.

When Ty and Zack arrived, they looked tired.  Ty looked at Tio, “Son, I think you may be staying here for the night.  Your Daddy is trying to find a suitable place for you to live.  He looked at everyone, “If Tio’s stepmother comes looking for him, we need to tell her that he’s not here.”

Billy had a question, “But Daddy, isn’t that like lying when he is here.”

“Billy, we don’t know what Mrs. Oleander is going to do.   She’s not a very good mother.  She really isn’t even Tio’s mother.  She’s his stepmother.  I haven’t met her, but I’m guessing we wouldn’t like her very much.”

We went to the miniature golf course, and Bobby’s invitees arrived at two o’clock and they all had packages with them.  Bobby was almost crying, “Guys, I thought I made it clear that I didn’t want any presents.”

One of the boys spoke, “Look, Bobby, we talked it over, and we decided that we each should get you something.  I mean, some of us, me for one, have never played miniature golf before.  You’re invitation said that food would be provided, so it’s only fair that we give you something.”

I was surprised when Mr. Oleander showed up with an envelope.  “Happy birthday, Bobby. Your Dad said I could come today.”

I took all of the presents and placed them on the table where Bobby would be sitting while Zack got everyone organized to play golf.  I was so busy placing the gift bags in front of where the young people were going to sit and giving the cake to the servers that I hadn’t seen what was happening.

When everything was ready, I went to watch what was going on.  Bobby and his friends were having a blast.  Tip and Ty were playing with Ty’s other three children and Zack and Zavi were playing with Chris and Tio.

As I was watching, I saw Zavi, put his arms around Tio and show him how he should hit the ball.  Tio tuned  around after the shot and looked at his Dad, “Why couldn’t it have been like this all the time.  Dad, I’m not going to have to live with that woman again, am I?”

When everyone had finished their rounds of golf, the attendants started to bring food and the young people were still eating when their parents came to pick them up. 

After everyone had departed, Zavi asked, “Would it be permissible for me to take Chris with us?

I almost refused, but relented.  “As long as you have him home by eight, I suppose it would be okay.  He turns into a werewolf after eight o’clock if he’s not home by then.”

Chris took exception to that comment, “Don’t believe Dad.  He’s the Grinch who Stole Christmas.  He doesn’t know how to have any fun.”

It was a good thing that we let Mr. Oleander take the two boys.

To be continued...

Editor's Notes:  I suppose the logical thing to comment on first would be the ominous sound of that last sentence.  I sure hope everything is okay.  Zavi seems to actually love Tio.  

I think the band members are going to have a wonderful time in New York.  I know for sure that I want the next chapter very soon.

Darryl AKA The Radio Rancher

Posted: 09/11/09