The Hooded Bandit
 by: Hankster

© 2020 by the author

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

hankster@tickiestories.us

-1-

By the thief’s third heist, Det. Paul O’Connor, NYPD, had a good idea who he was pursuing.  He just didn’t have a good description of the perp. 

He was described by eyewitnesses as being anywhere from 5’7” inches tall to 6’3” tall.  He was very thin, or very portly.  He wore a black cape that enclosed his whole body, so it was hard to describe his body structure.  The cape had a hood, which hung down his face, and covered most of it.  He wore black surgical gloves as well.  His body was so obscured that witnesses further confused Det. O’Conner by insisting he was Caucasian, African American, Asian or Latino.  They also reported that the man was a teenager or middle aged.  About the only thing these eyewitnesses agreed upon was that the thief was a man, and he looked like The Angel of Death, all in black.

The detective also had a pretty good idea of the thief’s modus operandi.  He specialized in robbing high-end jewelry stores, but that further confused O’Connor.  The thief never took a fistful of pieces, but he confined his thievery to one or two very expensive items at any given time, sometimes rings, and sometimes necklaces.  Occasionally he took a brooch.

By the tenth robbery, the eyewitness reports became more and more confusing, and O’Conner became obsessed in tracking down this criminal.  He was more obsessed than Javert was in tracking down Jean Valjean in Les Misérables.

Fortunately, when Paul went home at night, he left his obsession at the precinct, but he loved to fill his son in on the cases he was working on.  Off-duty, Paul was a single father, who doted on his son, Jamie.  His wife, Maureen, died of leukemia when Jamie was twelve years old. Fortunately, the boy was old enough to care for himself.  Paul was too busy to be his nanny, and Jamie was too old to have one. 

Paul could not have been prouder of his son.  The boy was now seventeen and a senior in high school.  He was fully mature at 6’1” tall.  His curly hair was the color of the crust of a loaf of bread. He had deep brown eyes and a strong chin.  Paul hadn’t seen his boy naked in years, so he didn’t know that he had a five inch, cut cock, which grew to seven and a half inches, when he jacked off.  He worked out constantly in a gym to maintain his football-player body.  If that wasn’t enough, he was a handsome hunk.  Paul never gave it a thought, but the lad was a clone of himself.  That is to say, they were both handsome dudes.

*****

As his senior year in high school was coming to an end, Jamie received two scholarships; a football scholarship to Syracuse University, and an academic scholarship to NYU.  He chose NYU, because he wanted to become a math teacher.  He excelled in the subject.  Besides that, he had already found his soulmate in New York City, and he couldn’t bear the thought of a separation.

In spite of all his accomplishments, Jamie was a moody, brooding young man.  He was that way because he was gay.  He accepted that truth about himself, but he didn’t know how to tell his macho father.  After all, his father stared at pistols, and faced death every day.  He knew that someday it would be time to come clean, and worrying about it marred his otherwise perfect world.

Jamie’s high school offered seniors a chance to take a few introductory college courses in their second semester.  One of those courses was differential calculus.  Jamie jumped at the opportunity.  As you can imagine, the class was populated by twenty over-achievers.

On the first day of the class, which was Jamie’s last class of the day, he ran into the classroom, hoping to get a seat up front.  Most high school seniors would elect to sit in the back row, but Jamie could not get enough of absorbing mathematics.  His teacher came into the classroom.  He had a smile on his face, and Jamie was totally smitten.   The man was the most beautiful dude he had ever seen.  Jamie was tenting his pants, and wishing he had taken a seat in the rear.  He was afraid he wouldn’t be able to concentrate on the course material, staring at the Adonis before him.

The teacher was about six feet tall.  He had ash blond hair, blue eyes, a small nose and a strong chin.  He was a stereotypical WASP.  Jamie was of Irish-catholic descent, and he was not deterred by ethnicity.  The teacher’s trousers were loose fitting.  There were no clues there, and Jamie was disappointed.  His gaydar tried to pick up clues as to the man’s sexual orientation, but he remained a blank.  Actually, he didn’t have much gaydar.

The teacher put his briefcase on his desk, and turned to the blackboard.  He picked up a piece of chalk and wrote … Philip Higgins (no relation to Prof. Henry Higgins) – Dif. Calc.

“Now you know who I am, and you can confirm the fact that you are in the right class,” Higgins said, “so, it’s my turn to get to know you.”  He went around the class, and each student (eighteen boys and two girls) introduced themselves.

When Jamie stood to identify himself, Higgins was sure that the boy had an erection, and the look he was giving the teacher was pure “come hither.”  Higgins knew the look well, because he was as gay as Jamie. 

By the time a senior was in the second semester, and getting ready to graduate, he was generally past his eighteenth birthday.  Philip vowed to find out Jamie’s age by examining his records in the administration office.  He hoped he was old enough, because he was just as stricken as Jamie was.  Unfortunately, Jamie was accelerated and had just turned seventeen.

When he went home that afternoon, Phil was truly disappointed to have learned that Jamie was jail bait, and he would be for nearly another year.  That bit of information did not stop him from lusting after Jamie.  In fact, Phil believed that it was more than lust.  He was willing to admit that he had feelings for the lad, but he wasn’t ready to call it love yet.

Jamie usually did his homework as soon as he got home after school.  It was not a chore for him.  He loved learning.  The afternoon that he met Philip Higgins, he couldn’t concentrate on his homework.  All he could do was fantasize that he was sucking Phil’s cock.  He masturbated twice that day.

*****

One afternoon, after the hooded bandit had committed his fifteenth robbery, Det. O’Conner sat at his desk, and studied everything he knew about the perp, over and over again.  The robberies were committed exactly one week apart on a Saturday morning.  So far, the thief had not robbed the same place twice, and each jewelry store was located either on Madison or Fifth Avenue.  He was no closer to capturing the bandit, whom he had dubbed, “The Hood,” than he was before, but he now had something solid to analyze. 

The detective was certain that if he kept studying the few things he learned about the thief, it would give him away somehow, and it would lead to the apprehension of this arch criminal.  The only conclusion he had come to so far is that the thief did not work weekends at a regular job, if he worked at all.

Every Saturday, after robbing a jewelry store, the thief removed his cape and the surgical gloves faster than superman.  He continued to wear his hoodie, which everyone thought was part of the cape, but he turned it down off his face as soon as he was away from security cameras.  He placed the cape over his arm, put the gloves and the stolen piece of jewelry in his pocket, and went home.  Once he was home, he changed into a pair of old jeans, sandals, and a tee shirt, which made him look like a typical twenty-seven-year old New Yorker, which he was.

He took a bus to a seedy section of town on the lower east side.  His favorite fence lived there.  The fence just happened to be his childhood friend, Mickey.  On the afternoon of his latest caper, he went downtown as he always did.

Mickey always greeted him with a kiss on the lips.  “Watchya got today, Bro?” Mickey asked.

“I got a diamond ring,” the thief said, and he showed it to Mickey.  The fence examined the stone with a loupe. 

“I can give you $750,” he said.  That was Mickey’s standard fee, no matter what the bandit brought him.

“It’s worth at least four times that,” the burglar protested. “It’s at least two carats.”  Even though he protested, he knew that was all he would get.

“Sure, it’s worth more,” Mickey explained,” but it’s hot, and I gotta make a living.”

They bantered that way every Saturday, but they both knew it was an act.  The thief would take whatever his friend gave him.

As he was paying the thief, Mickey asked, “Hey Bro, you’re as hot as this ring. Wanna hang out in The Village tonight?  The guys always crowd around us when you’re with me.  You’re good for my sex life.”

“Sure, why not?” the bandit answered.  “I’ll meet you at The Male Room at eight.”

“It’s a date,” Mickey said.

Every Monday afternoon, on his way home from work, the thief took the money the fence had given him, and entered a small independent bank.  He deposited the money plus $5.00 into a non-interest-bearing account owned by John A. Smith.  The name, address, and social security number on the account were all fictitious.  He personally banked elsewhere.  Then when he got home, he wrote a check from that account for the amount the fence had given him.  He didn’t want the account ever to have a zero balance.

The check he wrote was always to his favorite charity.  The charity serviced abused women and children.  He himself had been abused physically and sexually by his father when he was a child.  If his mother objected, his father beat her up.  On his way to work the next morning, he mailed the check to The Sisters of Mercy Shelter for Abused Women and Children.

The thief was amused that the press had begun to refer to him as “The Hood,” the name the detective had given him.  He was also dubbed “The Hooded Bandit” by some.  He preferred to think of himself as Robin Hood.

-2-

With every class Jamie had with Mr. Higgins, the attraction grew stronger and stronger for both of them.  One day Phil could not control himself any longer.  He asked Jamie to please stay for a moment after class.  It was the last class of the day for both of them.

When they were alone, Phil said, “It should come as no surprise to you, O’Connor that you’re my best student.  Can you meet with me one afternoon after school?  I’d like to discuss, and maybe guide you, with your plans for the future.”

“Gee, Mr. Higgins, that’s so nice of you.  I’m free right now, if you are?”

“I sure am, but is there someone you have to call at home?” Phil asked.

“There’s just my dad, but he works all kinds of crazy hours.  No matter what I do, I usually beat him home.  I’ll call and leave a message on our machine.  If I get home before he does, I’ll erase it.”

“In that case,” Phil said, “I live very close by.  If you’d like to come over, I’ll make us dinner while we talk.”

“Yes, I’d like that,” Jamie said.

The two men walked to Phil’s apartment.  They both had boners, and neither cared if anyone noticed. When they entered the apartment, and Phil locked the door, all pretense was abolished.  They fell into each other’s arms and kissed passionately for quite a long time.

“Please,” Jamie said, “I’m a virgin, and when I leave here, I don’t want to be anymore.”

“I guarantee you,” Phil laughed.  “In just a very short time, your virgin days will be in the distant past.”

That having been said, Phil undressed Jamie and himself.  His cock was the same size and heft as Jamie’s, but he was uncut.  He dragged Jamie into his shower, and started his sexual orientation under the cascading water.  He rimmed the boy’s ass and sucked his cock.  When Jamie insisted on doing it to him, Phil said, “Go for it.”

After they were dried off and in bed together, Phil introduced his student to anal sex.  Jamie couldn’t get enough of anything they did together.  They both came several times.  They lay side by side in the afterglow, fondling each other.  Occasionally, they bent over and sucked each other’s cocks.

Jamie whispered in Phil’s ear, “Please don’t give me any crap about being too young.  I’m old enough to know that I love you, and want to spend my life with you.”

“Heaven help me,” Phil said, “but I love you too.”

“After my eighteenth birthday, will you help me tell my dad that I’m gay.  I’ll need your strength and support,” Jamie begged.

“Of course, I will.”

As Jamie’s senior year moved inexorably on, the two men made love as often as possible, usually after school.  The best time would have been on weekends, but Phil kept saying that all day Saturday, and on Sunday mornings he donated his time to a charity for abused women and children.

“That’s very altruistic of you,” Jamie said, “but do you think you could skip it once in a while and save some of your time for me?  After all, I’ll be starting college in a few short weeks.  I might not have as much time to see you as I do now.”

Phil never answered, and Jamie had to be content to cater to Phil’s will, but he kept badgering him all the same. 

“Can’t I help you with your charitable work?” Jamie asked.

“Yes, but not now.  In the future, perhaps,” Phil answered cryptically.

One Saturday, Jamie decided to surprise Phil, and visit him at the charity’s shelter, but he had never asked him the name of the organization.  He searched the internet for not-for-profit shelters serving abused women and children in Manhattan.  He only found two such facilities. 

He called one and asked to speak to Philip Higgins.  They never heard of him, so he called the other charity, Sisters of Mercy.

A sweet female voice said, “Oh, Mr. Higgins isn’t here on Saturdays.  He only comes in on Sunday mornings.  He’ such a dear.  I don’t know what we would do without him.  Most of our staff is off on Sundays.”

“What does he do?” Jamie asked. 

“He helps us prepare breakfast and lunches for our charges.  He even serves the food.”

Jamie should have been proud of Phil’s charitable work, but he was crestfallen.  Phil had lied to him about Saturdays.  What the hell did he do every week?  Jamie’s father was a detective, so he vowed to do some detecting of his own.  He decided to question Phil first, and if he wasn’t satisfied with his explanations, he would follow him without Phil’s knowledge.

Jamie waited to question Phil until they were in bed, done with love making, and fondling each other.  He felt Phil would be the most vulnerable at that time.

“Phil,” Jamie started, “I wanted to surprise you last Saturday and I called the shelter where you volunteer.  They told me that you’re only there on Sundays, but you told me that you were there on Saturdays also.”  He tried to sound curious.  He didn’t want Phil to think that he was accusing him of wrongdoing.

Phil didn’t answer for a long time.  Finally, he said, “That was an invasion of my privacy.  I never told you I was there on Saturdays.  I said that I donated my time to them on Saturdays.”

“What do you do?  Where do you go that it’s more important than I am?”

There was another long pause.  “I’m a fund raiser for the shelter on Saturdays,” Phil finally admitted.

“Shit.  That’s wonderful.  Why were you afraid to tell me?  I want to help you.”

“I told you, you can’t help me until you’re over eighteen.  Find yourself your own charity.”

Jamie let it drop, but Phil’s cryptic answers led him to one erroneous conclusion, and it was a whopper.  He concluded that Phil was selling his body for charity, and that’s why he didn’t want Jamie involved.

Obviously, Jamie was dissatisfied with Phil’s answers, so he decided to do what he said he would do.  As much as it hurt him to spy on Phil, he vowed to follow him this coming Saturday.

*****

Jamie stood across the street from Phil’s apartment house, doing his best to stay out of sight.  He was racked with guilt at what he was doing.  Several times he wanted to turn and run away, but he was glued to his station.  At about 9:30 AM, Phil exited his building.  Jamie was surprised.  The temperature was near 80^oF, but Phil was wearing a hoodie.  He was carrying something over his arm.  Whatever it was, Phil had his hands underneath it as if it were a muff.  He was effectively hiding his hands.

Phil turned toward downtown, and Jamie followed at a discreet distance.  When Phil reached 53^rd Street, he turned east, and when he reached Madison Ave., he turned left, heading north.  Jamie hurried to catch up to him.

When the novice investigator turned onto Madison Ave., Phil was nowhere to be seen.  He searched and searched, but the mass of people on the street overwhelmed him.  He had lost his prey, which prompted him to decide to leave detecting to the detectives.  He wondered if he should discuss his suspicions, that Phil was a prostitute, with his father, but it was hardly a police matter.  It concerned him only.  Besides, if he discussed it with Paul, he’d have to come out, and he wasn’t ready yet.

The Hooded Bandit reached Madison Ave. moments before Jamie.  He approached the second store on his left.  It was a high-end jewelry shop.  As he came closer, before security cameras could catch sight of him, he dropped his hood, obscuring his face.  Quicker than you could say, “Good Morning,” he wrapped his cape around himself.  He was already wearing black surgical gloves, which was now revealed.  He whipped a toy pistol out of his pocket as he entered the store. 

Before anyone in the store was aware of what was going on, he approached one of the clerks.  A tray of necklaces sat on the counter.  A portly woman was attempting to make a decision.  The Hooded Bandit walked nonchalantly to the counter, and grabbed one of the necklaces.  Before all this even registered on the clerk, the bandit was out of the store.  The cape was over his arm, and the gloves and necklace were in his pocket.  As soon as he was out of security camera range, he pushed back the hood on his hoodie.  All this was accomplished in about twenty seconds.

Having admitted defeat, Jamie dropped into a corner coffee shop.  He hadn’t eaten that morning, so he decided that coffee and a roll, would hit the spot.  He hated to take up a table when he was alone, so he sat at the counter.  the counterman took his order, and before it arrived, Jamie heard the wail of police car sirens.  He looked out the window.  Two police cars, and two unmarked cars pulled up in front of a jewelry store up the street.  All four cars were flashing their lights.  Uniformed police emerged from the police cars, and plain-clothes police emerged from the others.  One of the plain-clothes cops was his father.  Jamie wanted to run over and say hello, but his senses kicked in, and he didn’t want to interfere in police business.

Then something terrible occurred to him.  It hit him like a tsunami.  His beloved Phil wasn’t prostituting himself.  He was The Hooded Bandit.  “No,” Jamie admonished himself.  “The evidence is all circumstantial.  I didn’t actually see a crime being committed.”

He made a decision.  He wasn’t going to be coy with Phil, as he was when he questioned him about his weekend activities.  He was going to confront him with everything he had witnessed, and demand an explanation.  As soon as he had his coffee and a roll, he headed to Phil’s apartment.

By the time he got there, Phil had changed and was headed downtown to fence the necklace with his buddy, Mickey.  Jamie did not expect Phil to be out, so he knocked on the door.  When there was no answer, he let himself in with the key Phil had given him.  As soon as he entered the apartment, he looked around for more evidence.  It was so easy.  The hoodie and the cape had been carelessly thrown on the sofa.

He went over to Phil’s desk.  His laptop and some note pads were on the desk.  He opened the top drawer.  The first thing he saw was a check book.

By this time, he wasn’t feeling guilty for spying.  He opened the check book, and he knew immediately that it was fraudulent.  He recorded the account number, and the name on the checks, John A. Smith.  He didn’t really know the bank, but he had heard the name before.  It was a small independent bank in the Yorkville section of town.  It was very near to Phil’s apartment.  He tried not to touch anything but he perused the apartment, and found nothing else.  He made sure that there was no evidence of his visit, and he left.

Jamie went home early in the evening.  He didn’t want his father to ask questions.  Fortunately, he beat his father home by one elevator ride.

When Paul got into the apartment, he spat out, “Sonofabitch, he hit another jewelry store today.”

“I know,” Jamie said, without thinking.

“How do you know?” Paul asked.

Jamie realized his slip up, and recovered quickly.  “Because it’s Saturday,” he said.

“The fucker works so quickly, I can never get two witnesses to agree on anything about him,” Paul whined.

“You’ll get him, Dad.  I’m certain of it.”

-3-

The next morning, Sunday, Jamie went to the shelter.  Phil was surprised to see him there. Jamie expected him to be upset, but he seemed delighted to see his soulmate.

“What are you doing here?” Phil asked his student.

“You can’t have all the fun,” Jamie said.  “I came to help.”

“Great.  See all those trays and pots over there?  They’re full of breakfast food.  Bring them out and set them on the serving tables.  When everything is set up, you can help dish out the food.  Then we’ll clean up and start preparing lunch.”

“Aye, aye, Captain,” Jamie joked. 

“I guess you expect me to show you extra special attention in bed later for helping out,” Phil grinned.  “You may be right.” His smile was so disarming, that Jamie was convinced that he couldn’t be the bandit.

After breakfast, Jamie and Phil cleaned up and started to prepare lunch along with some of the clients of the shelter.  After lunch, the shelter’s dining room was spic and span by 2:30 PM.  Other volunteers would handle dinner, but Jamie and Phil rushed home, and spent the rest of the day in carnal bliss.  They were both too hot to play games.  They both pounced on each other in a sensuous game of sixty-nine.  Then they fucked each other.  They each came twice.

*****

Jamie woke up very early the next morning.  Even so, his dad was already gone.  The young lad called Phil.

“Hi, handsome,” Phil said.  “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, but you knocked me out yesterday,” Jamie answered.  “I’m taking the day off.  Don’t worry if I’m not in your class.  I’ll be there if I feel better later on.”

“Thanks for the heads up, Buddy.  I’ll see you tomorrow.”

As soon as he hung up on Phil, Jamie called the bank in Yorkville.  Everything was automated.  He didn’t have to speak to another human being, and he was grateful for that.  He kicked himself for not having called on Sunday.  The robot would have answered.

He gave the machine the account number on the checks.  He also knew the last four digits of Phil’s social security number.  He had heard Phil give it to someone once to establish his identification.  The robot didn’t ask for it, but it did ask for his date of birth.  Jamie prayed that Phil had given the correct date.  He did, and Jamie was connected to another robot.  The balance in the account was $75; the last check written was to Sisters of Mercy for $750.00. 

Jamie was stunned.  Phil was indeed the bandit, but he didn’t know how he should feel.  Should he be proud of Phil for stealing from the rich to give charity to the poor, or turn him over to the police?  After all, Maid Marian kept Robin Hood’s secret, from a sheriff no less.  The only thing he was certain of was that he shouldn’t act hastily, but to give this enigma lots of thought.  He also instructed himself to be objective, and not let his love for Phil taint his thinking.

Staying objective was an impossibility.  He was madly in love with Phil, and he loved his father just as much, in a different way, of course.  The two loves of his life were adversaries.  His father wanted nothing more than to put The Hooded Bandit in jail for life.  He might as well put his own son in the same cell.  Jamie was racked with grief.  He wanted to cover his bedroom floor with sand, and bury his head in it. 

Jamie spent most of the morning in bed crying his heart out.  In the end, he decided to get dressed, attend his calculus class, and go home with Phil.  He needed Phil’s love badly right now.  He also needed to confront Phil with what he knew.

*****

Phil’s arms were wrapped around Jamie.  The boy hunkered up to his teacher as much as he could.  At last, he didn’t feel the anguish that had been with him all day.  He and Phil had just finished making love.  Their seeds were deposited high up the other’s colon, so there was no mess in the bed.

Suddenly, without warning, Jamie pulled away from Phil, and sat bolt upright.

“Is anything wrong?” Phil asked.

“Plenty’s wrong.  I have lots to say.  Let me get it all out, and don’t interrupt me until I’m done.”

Phil nodded.

“I gotta start by telling you that I love you.  Whatever I tell you, I want you to know that, and I want you to know that I’ll do whatever you ask of me.”

“You’re scaring me, Jamie.  I won’t interrupt you, but please spit it out.”

“Did you know that my father is a detective with the New York police department?”

“Can I answer?  I know I’m not supposed to interrupt.”

Jamie nodded.

“No, I didn’t know,” Phil answered the question.  “You just told me that he worked weird hours.”

“He’s the head of the task force that’s searching for The Hooded Bandit.”

Phil didn’t say anything, but he turned ashen white.

“I know that you’re the bandit,” Jamie murmured.  “Can you see what a dilemma I’m in?  My father is obsessed with nabbing you, and I love him very much.  I love you more, and I want to protect you.  Do you have any idea of the conflict I’m struggling with?”

Jamie ended his speech with a question, so Phil figured he could talk now.

“How did you find out?” he asked.

“When you told me that you worked for charity on the weekend, I called the shelter.  The lady at the shelter told me that you never came in on Saturdays.  Frankly, I was shattered.  I thought that you were cheating on me.  When you explained that you did fund raising on Saturdays, I actually believed you might be prostituting yourself for the shelter.”

Phil laughed.

“Please don’t laugh at me.” Jamie begged.

Jamie continued.  “I’m not proud of what I did next, but I thought you were cheating on me, so the next Saturday, I followed you.  Please don’t get angry at me.  Chalk it up to a teen-ager’s curiosity.

“I followed you until you got to Madison Avenue.  Then I lost you in the crowd.  A short while later a bunch of police cars surrounded a jewelry store up the street. My dad got out of one of the cars, and I knew, or at least, I suspected.”

Phil hugged Jamie and started to cry.

“It gets worse,” Jamie continued.  “Everything was circumstantial, and I had to know one way or the other.  I went to your apartment to confront you, but you weren’t there.  I let myself in with the key you gave me.  To cut to the chase, I found a check book belonging to John A. Smith.  There was no register, so I called the bank pretending to be Smith.  I learned that the last check was made out to Sisters of Mercy.  Now I knew it was you for sure, but I also knew that you were stealing for charity.  I was actually relieved when I realized that you weren’t cheating on me.  I love you so much.”

Phil hugged Jamie tighter.

“Even if I can be proud of you for acting like Robin Hood,” Jamie continued, “you committed a crime.  My dad’s a cop, for God’s sake.  What should I do?  I’ll do whatever you tell me to.”

“The jewelry stores are all well insured,” Phil said.  “It’s the insurance companies who are supporting Sisters of Mercy, and they can well afford it.  I don’t feel guilty at all, but would it help if I killed and buried The Hooded Bandit?” Phil asked.

“I don’t think so.  The deed is done and cannot be undone.”

“Yes.  Thanks for reminding me, Lady Macbeth.  Besides if I retire The Hooded Bandit, the shelter will have to close.  It’s very dear to my heart.”

“I want to know, why this particular charity,” Jamie said.

“My father was a drunkard.” Phil began.  “Every time he got drunk, which was most of the time, he beat me and my mother.  I didn’t know what he was doing at the time, but I saw him rape my mother often.  She would scream and cry out in pain.  Then when I was about five, he began to rape me a couple of times a week.  On one of those rare occasions when he had a job, as soon as he left for work, my mother packed a few things and we ran to the Sisters of Mercy Shelter for Abused Women and Children.  They harbored us and fed us.

“They found my mother a job, and a one-bedroom apartment for us to live in.  They suggested that she change our name for protection.  The night before we left the shelter, there was a movie in the social hall.  The movie was My Fair Lady.  Hence my surname Higgins.  My mother fell in love with Rex Harrison.  She passed away just before I met you.  The doctors said that she had too much scar tissue on her kidneys where she had been beaten, and her immune system was down in the cellar.”

Jamie hugged Phil harder.  “Poor baby,” he said, “why didn’t you ever tell me?  I was so much luckier than you.  I could not have had folks more loving.  After my mother died, my father was both mother and father to me.”

“What shall we do?” Phil asked Jamie.

“I asked you that question,” was Jamie’s answer.  “My first gut feeling is to applaud you, and tell you to continue doing what you do, but if you got caught, I’d die,” Jamie whimpered.

“It’s not jail that frightens me,” Phil said, “but the thought of us being separated, fills me with dread.”

Jamie started to sob.  “What happened to your father?”

“Nothing good.  We heard that he got apprehended in a stick-up, but he also shot a clerk.  He’s serving time for robbery and attempted murder.  I don’t know when he’ll be released, but I’m not afraid of him anymore.  I’m bigger than he is, and I can take care of myself.”

Jamie kissed Phil.  “Poor baby,” he muttered again.

“Tell you what,” Phil said.  “You go home now.  Your dad will be home soon.  We’ll talk about it tomorrow when our heads are clearer.”

Jamie nodded, and untangled himself from Phil.  He dressed and left without saying another word.

-4-

When Jamie got home, Paul was already there for a change.

“Hi Pops,” Jamie said, trying to sound cheerful.  Watchya doin’ home so early?”

“Too much stress.  I needed to get home and away from my desk for a while.  I started dinner for us.  What were you doing that you’re getting home so late?”

“I was just hanging out with a buddy,” Jamie said.

“Just hanging out?  I think it’s time for you to tell me something.  Don’t be afraid to confide in me, Paul insisted.”

“Wh..wh..what do you mean?” Jamie stammered. His knees buckled.

“You know my friend, and fellow detective, Howie Brown, don’t you?”

“Sure, I know him.  As far as I’m concerned, he’s your only friend.  I don’t know you to have any other friends, male or female.”

“That’s because for the time we have left together, before you fly out of the nest, you’re the only one I care to be with.  Howie’s gay, and he told me that he’d bet our next pay check that you are too.”

“Howie’s gay? I never would have guessed.”

“I suppose he has better gaydar than you do.  Now talk, and stop trying to change the subject.”

“Howie said it all.  I am gay, and I was so afraid to tell you,” Jamie cried.

Paul gathered Jamie up in his brawny arms.  “I’m disappointed that you didn’t trust me.  Don’t you know how much I love you?”

“I do know, Dad, but I was afraid anyhow.”

“Never be afraid to be yourself,” Paul said.  “Now, tell me.  Was the buddy you hung out with this afternoon, your boyfriend?”

“Yes, but I can’t tell you who he is.  He’s over eighteen, and if you arrested him, I would continue to love you, but I could never forgive you.”

“You still don’t trust me.  I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you, but if you don’t want to tell me his name, I’ll respect your privacy.”

“Thanks, Dad, but there is someone, I would like to introduce you to.”

“Who’s that?”

“My math teacher.  You know how much I want to teach math at the high school or college level.  Mr. Higgins is my math teacher.  He’s more than that.  He’s my mentor.  I’d like for us to take him out to dinner, or better yet invite him here.  He has no family, and no wife.  I think he’d appreciate a home cooked meal.”

“Sure, set a date with him, and I’ll cook up a storm.”

“Would you like to invite Howie also, Dad.  I know he’s the only friend you hang out with.”  Jamie winked when he said that.

“What are you inferring, young man?” Paul asked.

“Nothing. I just want you to trust me as much as you want me to trust you.”

Paul began to roar with laughter.  “I guess you have some gaydar after all.  Let me explain.”

*****

Paul O’Connor returned to work two weeks after his wife passed away.  He was an utter mess.  His best friend, Howard Brown, could see the condition his fellow detective was in.

“Are you sure you don’t need some more time off?” Howie asked.

“Thanks for asking, but no.  I’m better off working.”

“Fine, but I insist on buying you a beer after work.”

“Sure, why not?” Paul answered.  Howie wasn’t sure if Paul was happy about the invitation or not.  He showed no emotion.

They began to have a beer every day after work.  As soon as they left the precinct, they dropped into a nearby bar.  Paul hated to come home late every day because of Jamie, but Jamie actually encouraged his dad to have a social life. 

“I can take care of myself, Dad,” Jamie assured him.  “You can have dinner out with your friends.  I want to see you happy.”

Paul knew what a smart kid Jamie was.  He hugged his son, and said, “If it weren’t for you, I couldn’t get past this.”

When Paul told Howie what Jamie had said, they began to have dinner out occasionally, and they even went clubbing on the weekend.  The two handsome cops were cruised constantly by beautiful women, but neither seemed interested, and neither thought anything about it.  Then one fateful evening as Jamie was approaching his sixteenth birthday, Howie told Paul that he had cooked dinner for him that night, and he was invited over.  Paul was grateful for a home cooked meal, and he gave Howie a resounding yes.

*****

“I was so lonely after your mother died,” Paul began to explain to his son, “that Howie spent all his free time trying to console me.  One night, he invited me to dinner at his home.  While the dinner was warming, Howie started to cry, and he came out to me.  He told me how much he loved me, and he begged me to let him make me happy.  I was so lonely, and I needed to get laid so badly, I let him seduce me, and I didn’t try to stop him.  I needed for someone to love me so badly.  I think that I needed him more than he needed me.

“I had a lot of fun that night.  I was not revolted or angry at myself at all.  We began to make love more and more often.  At first, I was happy to do what Howie wanted me to do.  I was only in it for the sex, but one day, as he was cumming inside of me (Jamie blushed), I realized that I loved him.  I loved him as much as he loved me.  I finally admitted to myself that Howie and I were meant to be together.  I love him with all my heart, Son.  I’m confessing this to you now, because I want to urge Howie to move in with us, with your permission, of course.”

Jamie embraced his dad and kissed him on his lips.

“Sure thing, Dad.  I’m so happy for you.  Let’s plan our big dinner party.  I can’t wait for you and Howie to meet Phil.”

“Phil???  You call your math teacher, Phil?” Paul asked. “He’s your secret lover, isn’t he?”

Jamie turned red and nodded. 

“Don’t fret, dear son, I would never do anything to hurt you, especially over a couple of measly months.  To tell the truth, I’m glad you’re experiencing the joy of loving sex.  I know how much I enjoy it with Howie.”

“Thanks, Dad.  You’re the greatest.”

“You’re welcome,” Paul said.  “Now that we’ve come clean with each other, there’s only one thing I need to make my life complete.”

“What’s that, Dad,” Jamie asked.  “Maybe I can help you.”

“I need to catch that bastard, The Hooded Bandit.”

Jamie cringed.  He and Phil just had to come up with a solution to this troublesome situation.

They set the dinner party for a Saturday evening two weeks down the pike.  When the date was set, Paul said to Jamie, “If The Hood robs another store that day, I’ll be too busy to care.”

After they set the date, Jamie called Phil to tell him that his father knew all about them, and he gave them his blessing.

Phil started to cry.  “All the more reason to find a way out of the mess I’ve made.”

*****

There were no robberies the following Saturday nor the day of the dinner party.

“I wonder what’s up with The Hood?” Paul asked Jamie as they were preparing dinner.

“Maybe he’s on vacation,” Jamie said laughing.  “Everyone deserves a two-week annual vacation.”

“Well, I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.  He’s given me a little breather, and just at the right time. We can concentrate on bonding with our new family.”

“I’d like that, Dad,” Jamie agreed.

“Jamie,” Paul said.  “I’ve asked Howie to stay over after dinner tonight, and he said that he can move in with us in two months.  Is that okay with you?”

“Of course, it’s all right.  In that case, would it be okay if I went home with Phil tonight?” Jamie asked.

“Yes, but I have a better idea.  Why don’t you ask Phil to stay over in your room, and then we can all have Sunday brunch together tomorrow.  If we’re going to be a family, let’s act like one.”

“Yes, Dad, that’s a great idea.  I’m going to call him right now, so he can pack an overnight bag.”

“Geez, Jamie.  I feel like a kid again,” Paul said. “This is going to be so much fun.  We’re having a slumber party.”  He broke out laughing.

“We’re having a slumber party?  Are you suggesting all four of us sleep in your bedroom, Dad?”

“Don’t take advantage of my liberal generosity,” Paul said.  He slapped Jamie on his rump.  “Go, call Phil.”

Jamie went into his bedroom to make the call.  Phil agreed gladly to sleep over with Jamie in his bedroom.  “It’ll be a switch,” he said.  “What size is your mattress?”

“Small!  The better to love you by.”

“I like the way you think,” Phil said. 

“Keep liking the way I think, because I think I have a solution to our dilemma,” Jamie advised Phil.

“Tell me, tell me.”

“I will.  Tonight!  When we’re in bed together.”

Phil had pangs of guilt knowing that he couldn’t volunteer at the shelter this Sunday morning.  He rationalized that one week wouldn’t hurt, for the privilege of being with his family at last.

*****

Paul and Howie slept behind a closed door, as did Phil and Jamie.  In spite of that both couples could hear each other making love.  Fortunately, there was no embarrassment.  Jamie and Phil decided then and there, that when Howie moved in with Paul, Phil was going to move in with Jamie.  Phil had the need to have a family ever since his mother passed away.  She was his only living relative.

The older couple each came once in their mouths.  The younger couple each came twice, once in their mouths and once in their asses. 

When Jamie and Phil were smooching, after they had satisfied each other, Phil said, “Okay, Buster, talk.  How are we going to save the shelter so I can retire The Hooded Bandit?”

“I know I’ve got four years of college ahead of me, and another month of high school, but just for fun, I was searching Craig’s List to see what kind of openings there were for math teachers.  While I was surfing, I came across an ad for a company called Grants 4 U.  The name caught my eye.  The ad said that for a nominal fee they would write a grant for small not-for profits, who couldn’t afford a high-priced grant writer.  Not only that, they promised to submit the grant application only to grantor’s most likely to help that particular not-for-profit.

“I called the next day and I spoke to a Mr. Baum.  I filled him in on The Sisters of Mercy Shelter.  I explained that their diocese could hardly afford to keep the shelter open.  He actually got excited, and assured me that he knew of several foundations who would fund them, if they met with their approval, and if they met their criteria.  Mr. Baum thought that the shelter more than met the criteria. He wants to meet with us as soon as possible, and if it’s a go, he wants to meet with one of the sisters.”

“That’s fantastic,” Phil said.  “When are we meeting him?”

“I told him that we both volunteered at the shelter on Sundays, and could meet with him late Monday afternoon.  He’s anxious to get going, so he’s coming to interview us at the shelter tomorrow.”

“I thought that God sent you to me so I could love you, but he did more than that, he sent you to save The Sisters of Mercy.”  Phil started to cry.  Jamie put his arms around him.  They held each other for dear life until they both fell asleep.

The next day, Baum explained that it could take as long as six months to get the grant money.  Sister Elizabeth said that they had suddenly stopped receiving weekly contributions from a generous donor.  She was certain that they could probably last that long, but after that they would have to close permanently if they didn’t get grant money.  Phil looked at Jamie, and Jamie knew what he was thinking.

“Forget about it,” Jamie said to Phil.

As quickly as possible, Mr. Baum submitted the grant request to a foundation whose mission it was to save churches and church outreach programs.  They called themselves simply, The Church Foundation.  Every fiscal quarter, the foundation announced their chosen grantees.  Sisters of Mercy was on the list the very next quarter.

When Jamie and Phil arrived at the shelter the Sunday after the news was released, the sisters were all excited and jumped all over them.  Jamie and Phil hugged each other, and Phil was sobbing.

That night at dinner, Paul expressed his confusion that The Hooded Bandit had stopped his criminal activities just as suddenly as he had started.  He couldn’t understand it.  “I’ll never catch him now,” he lamented.

“Maybe he’s as old as you are, Dad, and he decided to retire,” Jamie laughed.  Howie laughed with him, but Paul did not.

“Watch yourself, Kiddo,” Paul said.  “You’re still young enough for me to spank.”

Alone in their room that night, Jamie took out his missal, and found a prayer for the dead.  They recited the prayer together, and buried John A. Smith.

Posted: 07/10/2020