What Do I Do Now, Mom?
by: E Walk
(© 2009 by the Author)
 

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

Chapter 8 

I Feel Like a Man

On the way home I stopped at the ranch where we had bought Tommy and Tammy.  Mr. Chopra greeted me, “It’s good to see you, Hank.  You’re looking well.  I guess you’re glad that school is about done for the year?”

I shook Mr. Chopra’s hand, “It’s been a long year.  I really want to get the house finished this summer, now that I have three boarders.  It would be so much more convenient to be able to live in the house.  One good thing is that one of the boarders is a certified plumber, so it might work out.”

“Mr. Chopra, the reason I stopped was to see if you had any young colts that you might like to sell.   Tommy and Tammy had a young colt the day before yesterday.  I named him after the youngest of my boarders and his brother’s nose is out of joint.”

Mr. Chopra folded his arms together, “Look, Hank, I wasn’t born yesterday.  Have you found someone to take Ron’s place?”

“Sir, it’s a long story.  No, the man hasn’t taken Ron’s place, but he has two wonderful sons.  They’re eight and ten years old.  They’re at the farm working as I stand here talking to you.  The eight year and I witnessed the birth of Sir Robert when Tammy was delivering and I named the colt Sir Robert after Bobby.  I’d like to have a colt for Billy as well.”

Mr. Chopra sneered, “Boy, I think you’ve been smitten, not only by the two boys, but their Daddy as well.  I happen to have a colt that I’d be willing to sell.  He was weaned about two weeks ago.  I have to tell you that he is a frisky one, though.  Let me show him to you.’

We went to a pasture and a young horse that was the spitting image of Tommy was munching on grass.  He started to gallop around the area in which he was enclosed.  “Mr. Chopra, the colt looks a lot like Tommy.”

Mr. Chopra nodded, “Actually, he’s a brother of Tommy’s.  He has the same bloodlines as Tommy.”

‘Mr. Chopra, I’d like to buy him.  How soon can you deliver him?”

“If you will help me get him into the trailer, we can take him to your farm, now.  Of course, you realize that the price just went up.  Let’s capture the critter if we can.”

It took some doing, but we were able to get the colt into Mr. Chopra’s horse trailer.  When we arrived at the farm, I honked my car horn.  Bobby came out of the pig house, and Billy came out of the chicken house.  They both came running, as Mr. Chopra and I climbed out of our vehicles.

Bobby was the first to arrive, “What’s wrong, Dad?  You’re not going to take Sir Robert away are you?”

“Guys, this is Mr. Chopra.  We bought Tammy and Tommy from him.  He wanted to see how they were doing and check on Sir Robert.  Billy, why don’t you bring Sir William along, so he doesn’t get lonely?”

Both boys looked confused.  Billy asked, “Who and where is Sir William?”

I threw up my hands, “Your horse is in Mr. Chopra’s trailer.  We need to get him out, so he doesn’t get scared.”

Mr. Chopra and I both went to help get Sir William out of the trailer, because we had no idea what to expect from the young colt.  When Billy saw the colt he hugged me, “Dad, you didn’t really have to get me a horse.  Bobby and I could have shared Sir Robert.”

Mr. Chopra handed the reigns to Billy, “Son, you need to let Sir William know that you’re the boss.  You need to be firm with him.  You should probably take him to the stable and give him some food.  It would be good if you gave him a snack, like a carrot, so that he knew  you really liked him.  After he has eaten, you can put him in the pasture with the other horses.”

Bobby reacted, “I’ll go get some carrots out of the garden while you feed Sir William.  I’ll get some for Sir Robert, Tommy and Tammy, too.”

Sir William started to act up and Billy reacted instinctively, “Look, Sir Willy, if don’t behave, I’m not going to feed you and you’ll starve until you can be nice.”

Mr. Chopra nudged me, “You do have a feisty one there, don’t you, Hank.”

I grinned, “His brother is just as feisty.”

Bobby arrived with some  small carrots from the garden.  “I’ll wash them and them leave some for you to feed Sir William.  I'll take the others to see if Robbie and his Daddy and Mother want some.  I need to go finish taking care of the pigs.”

I took Mr. Chopra to the stable where Randy was just finishing the milking.  “Randy, this is Mr. Chopra.  He delivered Sir William.”

Randy scowled, “Who is Sir William?”

I smirked, “Sir William is Billy’s horse.  I need to write Mr. Chopra a check for the broken down stud.  We’ll meet you in the house when you’re finished here.”

Mr. Chopra and I walked to the house and I got my checkbook so I could pay him.  He started on me, “If that Randy person is a plumber, he’s the best looking plumber I ever saw.  Hell, I can see why you fell in love with the two young boys.  I wish my grandsons would be like them.”

Billy came in and hugged me, “Dad, how much do I need to pay Mr. Chopra for Sir Willy.  He’s in the pasture teaching Sir Robbie how to be bad.  I need to go finish collecting the eggs.  Ask Mr. Chopra to stay for dinner, Grandmother was here and started some ribs in the crock-pot while we were at school.  You’re supposed to start the oven to reheat the vegetable casserole.  I’ll be back as soon as finish in the chicken house.”

Mr. Chopra was laughing, “Hank, I hope you can remember everything that Billy told you to do.”

I grinned, “Sir, I’ll probably forget something.  Will you be able to stay for dinner?”

“Yep, that would be great.  My wife has gone to visit my rotten grandchildren and help take care of them while their mother is in the hospital having another of them.”

The conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Randy.  “Mr. Chopra is going to stay for dinner, I’ll set the table while you get cleaned up.  I hear my Mother has struck again.

Randy nodded, “Okay, I'll take a shower and come help you.”

Mr. Chopra sneered, “Yeah, guess you need to relieve your balls of some of their weight so they will fit in your shorts.  I think I’d better come to watch to make sure you don’t waste away to nothing.”

Bobby and Billy arrived with two dozen eggs, Billy announced, “Mr. Chopra, these eggs are for you to take home.  Dad, we’ll set the table as soon as we wash our hands.”

Mr. Chopra looked at me as the boys went into the bathroom, even though Randy was taking a shower.  “Isn’t it highly unusual for two young boys to disregard their Dad’s privacy in the bathroom?”

“Sir, the boys and Randy had been living in a hotel room before I brought them here.  In fact, the boys have seen me naked.  I decided that if we didn’t make a big deal out of it, they wouldn’t even think about it.”

Mr. Chopra asked, “Hank, is there anything happening between you and Randy?”

“No sir.  It’s a long story and there is nothing happening between us, yet.”

We had just finished dinner, when a car pulled up and Uncle Mark walked in unannounced.  “Good you’re all here.  Hey, Si, it’s good to see you again.  I understand you’re a Grandfather again for thousandth time.”

That caught the boys attention and Billy asked, “Mr. Chopra, do you really have a thousand grandchildren?”

“Mark exaggerates.  We only have 19, although, when they’re all at the house at the same time, it seems as if there are a thousand.  I need to go home and take care of the horses.  I’ll talk to you soon.  Thanks for the delicious dinner and fun company.  Call me if Sir Robert and Sir William give you any trouble.  See you all later.”

Billy looked at us after Mr. Chopra had departed, “I suppose you would like Bobby and me to do a disappearing act again?”

Uncle Mark laughed, “It might be best if you did.  I need to talk to your Daddy and Mr. Adler for a few minutes.”

I grinned, “Bobby and Billy, I’ll take care of the dishes.  Why don't you take the horses and an apple, so they will come when they see you approaching and think you have a treat for them.  We’ll have to stop at the vet's and get some snacks that are healthy for them.  We’ll need to have Dr. McLane come and check the horses out and give the horses their shots.”

After the boys had taken four apples from the refrigerator, they disappeared and Uncle Mark got down to business, “Guys, who have you talked to about what happened to Randy?”

I spoke, “I’m the only person from school who knows what happened. The only people I know about are the Emergency Room people.  We really didn’t discuss what happened, but I’m sure Doctor Lowe has a pretty good idea, since he recommended that Randy see a urologist and an internal medicine doctor.  Kenny and Blake  know, because they helped with Randy when I brought him home from the hospital.”

My parents know, and other than you, I don’t think there is anyone else I know about.”

Randy added, “Mr. Adler, the only other persons who know are the two doctors that Dad Adler sent me to, today.”

Uncle Mark nodded, “I talked to Dr. Lowe and he does know and he did indeed take a DNA sample of the deposits that were in the Randy’s bowel track.  As far as the doctors Randy saw today, they won’t talk because of doctor/patient privacy.”

I’ll bust Kenny and Blake’s butts if they were to say anything.  Kenny will be mucking stables instead of going to med school. I’ve already talked to Leon and Meg and they aren’t going to say anything. I was hoping the boys didn’t know what happened.  You haven’t contacted the law authorities have you?

“Uncle Mark, we’ve been very careful about keeping it from the boys and I was waiting until Randy talked to you before we went to the police.”

Uncle Mark opened his briefcase and took out three folders, “Guys, I called Mr. Pierson this afternoon, and he did visit me at the office at my request.  I laid it on the line to him:  either he pays all of Randy’s medical expenses and provides Randy a settlement for disrupting the lives of Randy and his two sons, or Randy would take the case to the police.”

“Randy, you are to bring all of the medical bills that you receive to me, and I’ll pay them so Mr. Pierson isn’t connected with the case in any way.  He, in turn, will pay me.  He’s scared shitless, if you will excuse me using that term, that his wife will find out what he did.  I know for a fact she has the money in the family, because I just happen to be their lawyer.  I have the feeling that you may not have been the first person he ever misused.”

“This is the agreement saying that you will not notify the authorities of what happened, and that Mr. Pierson will pay all of your medical expenses associated with the incident.  He has already signed it. If you will, please sign and date all three copies.  I’ll leave one copy with you, give one to Mr. Pierson and keep one for my records.”

Uncle Mark took the second set of papers and handed them to Randy, “Randy, if you will sign these papers, I have a cashiers’ check for you.”

Randy looked at the papers and he turned white.  “Mr. Adler, this has got to be a joke, doesn’t it?”

 

“Randy, I was going to initially ask for a larger settlement.  I decided to go for a more modest amount.  If you will sign this paper, stating that you have received the check and will not attempt to get more money later, I have the cashier’s check here so the funds can not be traced Mr. Pierson.”

Randy was struggling to speak, “But, Mr. Adler, I never expected this much.  How much do I owe you?”

 

“We’ll discuss that after you sign and we have taken care of the last piece of business.”

Randy signed for the $50,000.00 dollar cashier’s check, and then it was my turn to be blindsided.

“Hank, you need to sign these papers, so you can be the legal guardian of William Nelson Taylor, and Robert Lyndon Taylor, in the event that something should happen to Mr. Randall Lee Taylor.”

I looked at Randy and he pointed, “Sign the papers, would you?  I hear the boys.”

As I was signing, there was a knock on the screen door and Billy asked,  “Dads, can we come in and get ready for bed?  We need to take our shower and get ready for bed.  We’re getting tired.”

Uncle Mark answered, “Guys, come on in.  We’ll be finished as soon as Mr. Adler signs a couple pieces of paper.  Did the horses like the apples?”

Bobby grinned, “Sir Robert was very gentle and nibbled on his apple, but Sir William grabbed his from Billy’s hand and gobbled his down and wanted another one.  He even tried to steal Sir Robert's.”

I laughed, “Uncles are like that.”

Bobby and Billy both had funny looks on their faces.  Billy asked,  “How can Sir William be Sir Robert’s uncle?

“Sir William is a brother of Tommy, so therefore, Sir Robert is his nephew, just like I’m Uncle Mark’s nephew.  I suggest you two get ready for bed, and I’ll find a snack for you, before you brush your teeth.”

Uncle Mark had put his copies of the papers in his briefcase and asked, “Randy, how did your doctor’s appointments go?”

“Dr. Fitzgerald gave me a complete physical.  He’ll let me know later what the results of the blood test were.  He scheduled me for a colonoscopy next Monday morning.  I figured that Hank could take me, since I’m not supposed to drive afterward.  The urologist couldn’t find anything wrong and agreed that I should have the colonoscopy as soon as possible.  Mr. Adler, how much do I owe you for your work?  I need to cash the check before I can pay you.”

Uncle Mark scrunched his face as if he was thinking, “Randy, I’ll tell you what.  The fee for this work will be that you make sure that my nephew and your sons and you can start living in the house as soon as possible.”

Uncle Mark stood to leave, he went to the bathroom, “Billy and Bobby, I’ll talk to you later; have a good night.”

I hugged Uncle Mark as he was leaving as did Randy.  When we had the boys in bed, Randy tried to hand me the check, “Hank, you take this, so we can afford to buy the plumbing fixtures and I can repay you for buying Sir William.”

I pushed Randy against the wall, “Look, buster, I have the money already set aside for the plumbing fixtures.  If you do the work, then I can easily afford it.  As far as Sir William, I wanted to do that.  Billy didn’t really complain when he didn’t have a horse.  It was something that came to mind when I was passing Mr. Chopra’s spread this afternoon.  You need to meet me after school tomorrow, and we’ll get the money working for you and the boys.  While the boys and I are slaving away at school, you can take some measurements and see if you can find anything that would look good in the house.  I’ve waited this long; I can wait a little longer and we might as well go for the best.”

When Randy and I were in bed, Randy rolled toward me, “Hank, are you sure you want me and the boys to live with you?”

I kissed him, “Randy, I’m sure.  Now, would you shut up and go to sleep, so I can get some sleep?”

Randy hugged me, “Hank, I almost feel like a man again.”

I turned and put my hand on his pelvic area, “Randy, no one ever accused you of not being a man.  You need to forget what that creep did to you, so we can move on with our lives.”

To be continued...

Editor's notes:  Things are still plugging along, and the guys seem to be getting closer and closer to becoming romantically involved. Obviously the boys need their two dads to get together,  They pretty much can see that the men are falling in love with each other. I am not saying that what happened to Randy is good, but it was the trigger that caused Hank and Randy to find each other and brought the boys into Hank's life.  Both of those things can't be considered anything but very good!

I will be very happy to see more of this wonderful story!

Darryl AKA The Radio Rancher

Posted: 03/05/10