All for Acceptance II

By: Rod
(© 2010-2017 by the author)

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

Rod@tickiestories.us

“Then with that taken care of please have your attorney prepare the proper forms for the change of names and upon receipt I will sign them putting them into effect.  In the mean time I will document the forms for the adoption and I hereby declare Paul and Kelly as the sons of James Townsend and Jeffery and Bobby the sons of Bill Murphy.  The word on the winds is that Minnesota will soon be allowing same sex marriages and when that is the case and the two of you have tied the knot please do not hesitate to petition this court for the cross adoptions so that both of you can legally claim the fatherhood of all four boys.”

A cheer rose first from the four boys and then from the gallery as the ramifications of the Judge’s statement became clear.  The Judge had to restore order using his gavel while a very evident grin emanated from the bench. As soon as order was restored the Judge adjourned court for lunch.

Chapter 10

“Mammy I can understand why the boys say what they do about your food.  I don’t think I have ever tasted better.  That fried chicken was even better than the Colonels’.  I appreciate the invitation,” commented the Judge as he wiped the last evidence of fried chicken from his face.

“I told you so!” said Paul as he finished another chicken leg. “I don’t think I can ever get enough chicken, especially Mammy’s.”

“Thank you both for your appreciation but only the best is good enough for my family and everyone here is my family,” replied Mammy.

“James you are very fortunate to have someone like Mammy, I don’t know of very many people who care about their job as does she,” said the Judge.

“I don’t know what we would do without her as she does so much more than just prepare the food for this brood,” replied James.

“As much as I have enjoyed the food and the company, I need to get back to the court house for this afternoons sessions, so I must thank all of you again, wish you four youngsters the best for the future as I am sure you will be very happy with your new fathers, and extend another thank you to Mammy for the excellent food.

All of those at the table joined together in saying goodbye to the Judge and thanking him again for his actions in court making a very happy family.

“Dad, can I you Dad?” asked Jeffrey, “Where are we going to live now?”

“I would be honored for you to call me Dad,” replied Bill. “I guess it will up to all four of you to decide how you would like to address the two of us.  As for where we are going to live I think James would be better to answer that, James.”

“Good question, let’s see, there are of course your rooms here in the home but perhaps Phillip and Tony would like you move out of them so they could fit in some more boys.  Then perhaps we could find some room in the attic, this building is pretty big and I don’t remember what might have been up there.”

The boys sat with the saddest and most confused look on their faces as James seemed to ponder the question out loud.

“James,” inquired Bill, “didn’t Phillip say something about a carriage house on the property somewhere that had a loft or something where the boys could move the hay around and make some beds?”

“You know you’re right I think he did mention that the other day just after the Judge called and scheduled us to come into court to handle the adoption.  After all, the inspections are over and everything is approved so now they are our sons and the adoption is final, there won’t be any more inspection of their rooms or anything, so anyplace we can tuck them away should be OK, don’t you agree Bill?”

Mammy, Phillip and Tony had all they could do to keep a straight poker face as they watched the sorrowful faces of the four boys looking to each other in disbelief and then to their two Dad’s.  It was impossible to determine which of the boys were more surprised or more saddened with the turn of events. 

“I think since lunch is completed we should all go out and check out the carriage house and see just what we will need for that loft,” said James, “of course we need to clean things up as usual after a meal, we aren’t going to leave cleanup to Mammy as she did such a fine job cooking this great luncheon.”

It was an unhappy group of boys that assisted Phillip and Tony in clearing the table and putting everything through the dishwasher then away in the storage spaces where they belonged.  Phillip and Tony had the hardest time though trying to maintain the appropriate demeanor, while they worked side by side with the new adoptees.  Just as they finished James and Bill returned to the kitchen and instructed them to grab their coats so they could make the walk out to the carriage house.

Every resident of the home knew of the carriage house but none had every crossed its threshold.  Stories had abounded about the nature and history of the place but no one knew for certain just what the story was behind the building.  Its location on the grounds allowed it to be accessed without view from the main building so no one was aware of any comings or goings to the place.

When they arrived James used a key on his key ring and gave them entrance through the main door.  As they entered they came into a grand foyer two stories in height with a beautiful and huge chandelier hanging from the second story ceiling.  To the right was a staircase circling from the first floor to the second in a grand manner against a rounded wall.  Scones with crystal shades were placed every so many feet on the rounded wall to provide illumination during the evening.  All could imagine the beauty after dark when the scones and chandelier would light the area.

As they passed though the foyer under the stairs they could see a grand dining room, a solid wood table and chairs, a grand china cabinet with a glass front filled with exquisite china service.  A long buffet matching the china cabinet and dining room table extended along another wall.  Fresh cut flowers in Waterford vases had residence on the buffet and table.  Above the center of the table was another chandelier, a miniature of the one in the foyer, but still several feet across in diameter.  As they passed through a swinging door they traversed through an eight foot long hall that had cabinets on either side both above on the walls and below with counter tops atop the lower cabinets extending on either side of their pathway.  The opening at the end of the hall brought them into the kitchen.  Not quite as large as the one Mammy used in the main building but still commercial is appearance with everything they could imagine.  A door off of the kitchen opened into another room where they found a place designed with boys and men in mind.  A huge TV hung on one wall with cabinets below that housed a stereo system and the game cartridges for the X-Box© sitting on top.  Another wall was covered in the middle with a stone fireplace with French doors on either side to provide entrance to the patio outside.  On one end of the room opposite the TV sat a pool table and a dart board on the wall.  Just far enough away for safety sake was a wet bar with a refrigerator, microwave and popcorn maker. Through a short hall the formal living room could be seen and off the hall a door to a private office.

James redirected them back towards the kitchen and commented that there was a back stairway that he thought they should use to check out the upstairs.

After climbing the stairs to the upper floor they found a long hall leading to several rooms.  As they passed the rooms they saw each was a bedroom.  There was one bathroom off of the hall and evidently the bedrooms had their own private baths.

Towards the end of the hall was a somewhat larger bedroom with its own ensuite.

A door close to the end of the hall appeared to not be a room but instead another staircase.  It was with trepidation the boys looked at the door thinking they were now going to actually see where they were going to stay.  After all the grandeur of the home it was quite a letdown to think that this was their future.  Their hopes had been so high that things would be so much better once they were adopted and now it appeared things couldn’t be much worse.  Jeffrey started to mentally compare how things had been while under the so-called care of the Professor and now this?

Reluctantly they climbed the stairs.  As they reached the top they turned to take in the full 360° surrounding them.  As they looked around they saw several large windows in dormers through the roof allowing a magnificent view of not only the grounds of the property but also of the sky.  Telescopes were placed in the alcoves created by each so that a viewer might look to the various compass points of the heavens and gaze at the constellations.  Comfortable furniture was scattered throughout the area with a stereo almost hidden by one of the alcoves.  The rest of the walls were covered with custom book cases and laden with books of all descriptions.  One could be certain that any topic could be found contained within the collection before them.

A sudden sigh of relief and outbreak of laughter abounded when very quickly, after clearing the stairway and turning about the room, encountered a rather large sign that simply read, “GOTCHA!”  They then understood that in fact the loft with the hay was simply a prank in return for some of their previous transgressions.  Once recovered sufficiently, James and Bill explained that the bedrooms downstairs were in fact their new bedrooms and it was up to them to decide which one they wanted.  Since it was still daylight the telescopes were ignored, but, in their mind they had each stored a thought of when they could return to the attic and begin their examination of the heavens.

Having to be reminded not to run in the house the four hurriedly returned to the lower floor to make their choice of rooms.  Would they each have a room or would they share? Would they continue as they had been? Jeffrey with Bobby and Paul with Kelly or would the younger bunk together and the older, now knowing they were in fact brothers bunk together?  Decisions, decisions!

They soon found, after examination, that the rooms were sets of two bedrooms sharing each bath.  The bath was in between the bedrooms and accessible only from the bedrooms. Since there were three set of rooms besides the Master Bedroom, which of course James and Bill would share with its own ensuite, they boys decided to take individual bedrooms but continue to share the bath with their former roommate. It was also decided that the rooms of the younger boys would be directly across the hall from each other and likewise the rooms of the brothers. Though they would no longer sleep in the same rooms with their former roommate they would still share the bathroom and could without entering the hall, spend time together.  Crossing the hall was easy enough for the younger boys or the brothers to spend time together.  Besides, the attributes of the house would certainly allow them the ability to spend as much time together as possible when they were there and not in the main building during the day for classes and most of their meals.  The only question remaining was could James or Bill actually cook or would they need to sneak over to the main building to get Mammy’s cooking?  Could they?

The next few days were filled with the tasks of moving what they did have, shopping for a few more things that James and Bill felt they should now buy them since they were now the boys Fathers, and the boys deciding just how they wanted their individual rooms decorated.  Paul and Jeffrey were the most important consultants, being they were after all, each of the respective younger boys big brother and James and Bill, being their Dads, were too old to know how a boy’s room should look. 

Since Paul and Jeffrey had found out the DNA connection, they had also begun their own joining of souls.  Each day they found more similarities and were quickly growing to depend on and appreciate each other. As each day went by the four new brothers where growing closer.  Their daily schedule was soon becoming routine as they joined everyone else to enjoy their meals with Mammy’s cooking.  The younger boys attending classes thru the day, the older boys’ day split between college level tutors and time spent with the other teachers assisting with the various classes.  Every student grew envious that the two “new assistant teachers” were so great in the classrooms, making things so easy to understand then making no bones about claiming Kelly and Bobby as their little brothers, none the less leaving every evening after dinner to go home with James, Bill and their brothers to the carriage house.

Things had settled in as far as a schedule and everyone was very content.  James, Bill, Paul, Jeffrey, Kelly and Bobby fell into a routine and all had been quiet for a while.  Professor Sanders and his assistant Brad had been brought up on charges and due to the evidence that Rory had provided it had not been necessary for Jeffrey to even testify.  The two had been convicted on a series of charges and sentenced to a long period of time in incarceration. The University was not only embarrassed but had been hit for a hefty fine that was put in trust for Jeffrey.  It was understood that it was doubtful that Jeffrey would ever want to step foot on the University campus again so it had been handled so that the money would be available for the continuance of his education to whatever level he desired at a different institution.  After all of those expenses were covered there would still be a tidy sum to help him with the onset of his adult life. 

Rory had compiled his data and written his thesis.  He too, did not want to spend any more time than he absolutely had to on the campus, and in so doing was in the process of preparing to defend his thesis and attaining his PhD.  It would only be a matter of weeks before he would join the staff at the home.  Between him and Bill, along with the efforts of Jeffrey and Paul it was felt that at least for the time being, they would be able to cover the needs of the homes residents.

*******

Paul’s Mother had disappeared after the ordeal with Paul being thrown out of his “so-called” home.  It was believed that either Ricky or Professor Saunders had something to do with her disappearance but she had never been found, at least not yet and no one had been able to prove the involvement of either party so no one had been brought to justice.  Ricky had left town for a while but his habits had drawn him back to the twin-city area.  He was hurting for cash and wasn’t having any luck as yet.  He figured it was a matter of time before he could come up with something that would yield him some green.  His only question was what it was going to be.  Every day he tried to come up with something he could do to turn some cash but every evening he ended up with bumpkus.  His pockets were empty and he was barely able to afford to feed himself. Only due to the fact that he was having so much of a problem was he able to mooch off of some old friends and have a place to sleep, usually getting something to eat while he was at it.

In the paper he had seen that Paul had been adopted by a James Townsend who ran the Phillips Second Chance Home.  It took some snooping around but he found that James Townsend not only ran the place but lived on a building on the grounds.  It had been several weeks since the adoption.  The papers didn’t print everything right away; some news wasn’t that new when it finally reached a court blotter printed in the newspaper.

It also took a week or two to case the home and find out what kind of schedule Townsend, his partner and their new kids followed.  The problem was he needed to find a time when Paul was alone and he could get to him.  He had pimped out Paul before and he could do it again.  One way or another, Paul would start earning for him again and at least for the near future, that was going to be his meal ticket.  Maybe if that worked out he could grab a few other boys.  He always seemed to find the prospective buyer for his provision of services.

Ricky took up constant surveillance of the home just waiting for the opportunity to present itself for him to grab Paul. 

Late one evening Paul had remembered he had forgotten a book in the classroom where he had been assisting that afternoon.  He needed it to be able to finish a lesson plan he was working on to present the next day in class.  Upon asking his Dad if could get the book, James just admonished him to wrap up warmly.  Buttoning up his coat he jetted out the door to run his errand.

Ricky was cold.  He had staked out the home’s grounds every day for over a week.  He had a pretty good idea of their schedule but it seemed that the six individuals always walked together to and from the home each day.  One of these days Paul had to make the trip by himself, and when he did, he would grab him and his, that is Ricky’s problem, would be over.  He just needed to bide his time.

In the pale light he saw movement coming from the carriage house.  It was Paul, finally the time had come.  Soon all would be well again, he would have Paul to trick out, money would be coming in and he could go on with his life.  A few new boys as well perhaps later and things would be even better.  But right now he wanted Paul, the arrangement he had made with Professor Saunders was supposed to yield him some real cash.  He had gotten Paul’s mother so high she didn’t know what she was doing.  He hadn’t known she had already signed Paul away to Children and Family Services when he had worked out the deal with Saunders that with her signature to give Paul to Saunders, Saunders would pay a tidy sum.  When Saunders found out that she had signed Paul over to Children and Family Services before signing the document with him he had refused to pay anything.  As for Paul’s Mother, she was so afraid of Ricky that she was too concerned for her safety, to tell him that she had already signed him away.  When Ricky found out what she had done he had seen to it she would never be in the way to foul things up again.  They would never find her body, and if they did, it would be too difficult to identify and anyway, if they did find it, it would be some backpacker in Canada who would have to be the one to do so.  Getting Paul was going to be his way of finally putting it to Paul’s Mother.  The final revenge. Ricky would get out of Paul what Saunders was going to pay, one way or another.  Paul owed him that.  Maybe then he could get a few more boys and just keep the income materializing.  But, till then Paul owed him, and he was going to collect.

Ricky moved out of the car and took his position.  He had already picked a place where he couldn’t be seen by someone looking out of the windows of the carriage house and he figured he could get Paul back to his car quick enough that no one from the home would notice either, until it was too late.  Now all he had to do was wait.  Any time now, Paul should come out that door and he would grab him.  Once he did his problems would be over.  He could handle that little kid.  He wasn’t stupid as the other jerk who had thrown Paul out of his Mother’s house that day.  He had searched and searched to no avail when he found out what had happened.  Unfortunately it wasn’t until they heard from Child and Family Services did he find out where Paul had gone and then it was too late for him to get him back.  Picking him up from school and providing him to his customers had been so easy, and profitable.  It would be again.  He just had to wait for Paul to come back out of the building.  “Hurry up kid, it’s getting cold out here,” he thought as he shifted from foot to foot trying to stay warm while he waited.  “Come on kid, move your butt so I can take you home with me!”

To be continued...

Comments encouraged and appreciated

Rod

Posted: 03/24/17