Tel Pere, Tel Fils, Chapter 3
Before driving to the grocery store on Monday morning, Nate left some notes for the housekeeper, Ella, concerning which beds would need to be changed and which could be left as they were. He didn't want her to assume the twin beds would need it before the end of the week. No sense in making more work for her than necessary. He also mentioned that there would be four people at dinner from now on. Of course, Kevin had already texted her with the information about meals.
Once at Fareway, Peter clocked in while Nate sat on a bench near the office waiting for the manager to be free for an interview. The store had been open for only an hour, and there weren't a lot of customers yet. Business would pick up around 9:00 or so. Currently, Peter was the only sacker since people who were grabbing only a couple of items for breakfast tended to use the self-check. Nate observed the counters from the office area which was situated above the room where produce was packaged. He also saw two other boys and a couple of girls who were stocking and straightening shelves.
It wasn't long before the manager came up the steps and introduced himself.
"I'm Mr. Pankow, but you're welcome to call me Greg – everyone does." he said, offering his hand.
"My name is Nathan Huber, but most people call me `Nate.' It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir."
"Well, Young Man, I understand that you're looking for a parttime job. Do you have any references?"
"Um, I don't have any from work experience, but I know some teachers who would vouch for me, and the pastor of my church would."
"That's probably enough. Do you happen to know anyone who works here already?" (Mr. Pankow thought he'd seen Nate come in with Peter.)
"Yes. I know Peter Richards."
"And what is your relationship with him?"
Nate blushed at the word "relationship" because it made him think of something intimate.
"Well, um, we've worked on school projects together and he's going to be living at my house from now on."
"So, he would put in a good word?"
"I hope so. He's the one who urged me to apply."
"His word is as good as gold with me! I can't remember having an employee with more drive and integrity. If he recommends you, you're in. I suppose if you're living together, you'd like to keep similar hours. I think that can be arranged. If you fill out the form with your name, address, social security number, and all; I can even let you work a few hours today. Two of my regulars are on vacation and one is sick, so I'm suddenly short-handed."
"That would be great! I'll do whatever you want."
"First, I need to ask what you know about bagging groceries."
"You mean like keeping frozen items together and putting things with chemicals like detergent and cleaners in separate sacks? And I believe the sackers usually put rotisserie chickens in their own plastic bag in case they leak."
"Right answer! You've just spared me reciting my first set of instructions. What do you know about carrying them to people's cars?"
"I think I'm supposed to offer to take them out unless the customer can carry them. If they want to use the cart, I'd go with them to bring it back in because you don't leave the carts in the parking lot."
"You know the routine. I take it you've shopped here before."
"Yes, Sir, with my uncle."
"You know enough to start. I'll put you with Cathy who's been with us for years. Peter will be at the next register and between them, they can answer any other questions you might have. Let me find you a red shirt to wear and make you a nametag. Then I'll show you how to punch in as soon as you're done with the paperwork."
Peter greeted Nate with a thumbs-up and a huge grin when he came to help at Cathy's register. Cathy was a woman in her middle years who had a daughter about the same age as Nate. She immediately took him under her wing to help him get established. Before the morning was over, she began to sense that he was going to be okay on his own. Still, she hoped to mother him to some extent. He seemed to appreciate her caring attitude. Perhaps, she could introduce him to her daughter sometime. Having a responsible young man around to escort her to school events would be good.
Given the ratio of customers to baggers, the boys were kept busy. Unfortunately, that meant that their breaks were staggered and they didn't get to spend them together.
However, when it came to lunchtime, Greg took over Nate's duties so he could have his meal with Peter. They bought a small package of croissants and a few slices of lunch meat and cheese from the meat counter to share. Coupled with a bag of chips and a bunch of grapes, the boys made a fairly balanced lunch together.
One of the men from the meat counter and two from produce joined them at the picnic table outside the back door. Nate found that the other employees were friendly and included him in their conversations along with Peter whom they already knew. One of the girls who had been stocking flirted with him a bit. That made him uncomfortable. Peter noticed and tried to turn the conversation in a direction that would help Nate out.
He later told Peter that they could pack lunches from home in the future. In fact, he was certain that Ella would prepare them if they desired.
Kevin had an interesting Monday as he tried to obtain formal custody of his son before September 21st. Having learned that Thelma Richards was a stay-at-home mother, he figured he might be able to speed things along by paying a visit to her home. He took Elden Price with him so that he wouldn't be representing himself. Mainly, he wanted another witness if he ran into trouble when he requested that she sign the papers he'd had drawn up by his firm. It turned out to be a wise decision.
Since Kevin had phoned ahead to set up an appointment with Thelma, she knew in advance what the meeting was about. It gave her time to think up some ways she might stall things to prevent him from having his son before his 18th birthday. It also gave Elden time to anticipate what she might do if she happened to be in a spiteful mood, which he thought likely. He'd brought along a recorder to document what she would say, and he had a notary on call in case she would voluntarily sign the forms he'd prepared. He would turn the recorder on the moment their conversation began.
"I've been thinking about this whole thing and I have reservations," Thelma began. "It seems rather QUEER to me that you're interested in my teenage son. He is good-looking and I suspect a lot of men your age would be attracted to him. How do I know you're really his father and don't have some lascivious motives? It would be irresponsible for me to put him in danger."
Kevin was seething inside, but he held his tongue, and let his associate take charge. Elden had a lot of experience in negotiating because of handling divorce disputes.
"I must commend you for thinking of the welfare of your adopted son, despite how you feel about his orientation. There ARE predators out there who take unfair advantage of children. In our case, we have documentation from his birth mother that shows Kevin is his father. She had left his name off the birth certificate because of how our welfare system worked at the time.
"In addition, we have an appointment set up to have their DNA samples taken and compared. Scientific evidence doesn't lie."
"As his legal guardian, I feel it's my responsibility to keep him under our roof where he'll be safe until there's final proof," Thelma countered.
"How does my client know that his son will be safe under your roof?"
"What are you insinuating?"
"Peter told Kevin about the severe punishments he received through the years and the whipping he got when your husband first suspected he was gay."
"The Bible says, `spare the rod and spoil the child,'" Thelma quoted.
"So you don't deny that Peter has been abused?"
"I'm not saying anything else. This interview is over!"
"No it isn't. I have something to play for you that may help to alter your decision."
With that, Elden played his copy of the video Nate had made when Peter and he had their encounter with her on Saturday. Thelma was forced to hear her own words, which proved her distain for her adopted son. She cringed as her harsh tirade, that she never wanted to see the boy again, filled the room."
"Would you like to read a copy of what Peter said about your husband's punishments, or is this sufficient to make the case?"
"His claims mean nothing. It's all hearsay," Thelma insisted. "There are no witnesses to back up his lies."
"There's one," Paul said, stepping into the room.
"Who are you?" Elden asked.
"His brother, Paul."
"You won't say another word if you know what's good for you," his mother shouted.
"You'd better not threaten this young man unless you're prepared to have him also removed from you home for his safety. I will alert social services and get a no-contact order."
"Who's going to take your word for it?" Thelma smirked.
"Judge Harrington knows me well; plus, I have the word of my client and this recording."
"You're the one in trouble now. You can't record someone without their knowledge."
"In this state it's legal if one of the parties knows the conversation is being recorded. I suspect you missed that in law school, Ms. Richards. I didn't."
"This is outrageous! Look, I'll sign the bloody paper to let this man have custody of Peter. That's it and we're done."
"On the contrary, I'm calling the police to have Paul placed in protective custody until I have absolute assurance that he'll be safe."
Thelma Richards didn't have any self-discipline when she was confronted by the policemen. She ranted, threatened, and quoted passages from the Book of Revelation to support her views on how the end of the world was imminent. The officers had a difficult time not rolling their eyes or laughing at her performance. They ended up calling a social worker to come to take custody of Paul because they too feared for his wellbeing.
Once outside, Kevin spoke to the boy.
"Paul, I'm truly sorry that I came here today and put you in this predicament. I'll do whatever I can to make it right."
"Thank you, Sir. But it's not your fault. I could have stayed out of the room and kept my mouth shut. I wanted to get her going when there were others to witness what she's like. And thanks to you, Mr. Price for calling the law. I'd have been in real trouble when my father got home. He'd have taken the belt to me for sure."
"Have you been abused in the past?" Elden asked. "Is there any evidence?"
"I have scars on my back to prove it. I'm sure Peter does too, and I know he'll back my story."
The evening meal at Kevin and Glenn's home was a festive one which helped dispel the stress of the day. At Kevin's suggestion, Ella had prepared a dinner fit for royalty on Monday evening. He had originally wanted it to celebrate his guardianship of his son, but that was still in the air after the confrontation with the boy's adoptive mother. Given the way it had gone, she had refused to sign anything to speed up the process. However, social services had strongly recommended that Peter remain with his biological father and had temporarily placed Paul there too, pending the investigation into allegations of abuse.
Eldon's standing with Judge Harrington hadn't been idle talk. The judge knew Kevin and him socially, as well as professionally, and had great respect for them. He was also aware that Kevin and Glenn were licensed as foster parents and had temporarily housed other kids in emergency situations in the past. The request to take Paul home with him had been approved without delay.
Everyone, especially the teens, had a healthy appetite and ate more than they usually did. Fortunately, the succulent roast beef was more than large enough to accommodate a fifth person and provide leftovers for lunches the next day. Kevin insisted that Ella take some home for her and her grandson's dinners.
Conversation about Thelma's attitude was a major dinnertime topic. However, Nate got to relate how his day had gone. Kevin made sure to ask leading questions so that his nephew didn't feel left out. Peter was proud of his father for doing that. He'd been serious when he'd said he didn't want to supplant Nate in the family.
Before it got much later in the evening, Kevin felt it would be good to let Paul tell them about the apparent abuse he'd suffered at the hands of his father. Both Peter and Paul removed their shirts to reveal the scars on their backs. Although Paul's had faded a lot with time, they were still there if one looked closely. Glenn got out his high quality camera to record the evidence. Peter had some that were more recent because he'd been punished over his orientation and refusal to change.
"We don't know where this will lead, but we need to document everything," Glenn said. "I think we should record it."
"I agree with you," Kevin nodded. "You'd make a good lawyer, Bae.
"Oh, speaking of documentation, can you take a long break from the store tomorrow, Peter, so we can have our DNA tested? It may not be necessary now that the judge has given us temporary guardianship, but it couldn't hurt."
"I'm pretty sure Greg will be fine with it. He said that he owes me for recruiting a new bag-boy who is perfect for the job."
Nate grinned.
"Boys, now that we have all the unpleasant stuff out of the way, why don't you get Paul settled in whatever room he'd like to claim before it gets any later," Kevin suggested.
"I can move back into my room and he can have the other twin bed where Peter is sleeping," Nate offered.
"I don't want to put you out, Nate," Paul insisted. But it would be nice to have company."
"Here's a thought," Glenn suggested. "We have that really fine queen-size inflatable mattress we bought for overflow company. Perhaps you could set that up in the same room. There's plenty of space for it and it would be nice to actually get some use out of it."
"Cool idea, Pop! I'm on it."
Paul was thrilled, and spontaneously hugged Nate.
In order to speed up the process of getting the teens to bed at a reasonable hour, Kevin and Glenn offered to let one of the boys use their shower. Paul chose to use it while Peter and Nate shared the other one since they'd skinny-dipped already and the shower was large enough to accommodate them easily.
Nate was excited because it gave him another opportunity to be naked in close proximity with Peter. Given what he was beginning to feel for his friend, it was going to be difficult to hide his excitement and his orientation. Now, he was ruing the fact that he hadn't come out to him when he first learned that Peter was gay. He also felt bad that he hadn't come out to his uncle and Kevin. Certainly, they would have been understanding. It wasn't that he couldn't tell them now, but it might be awkward if they assumed he was just doing it to get closer to Peter.
He was suddenly brought back to reality when he realized that his stiffy had come into contact with Peter's and the result was like an electrical shock. From the way Peter was gazing into his eyes, he must have felt the same.
"Oops, I'm sorry," Nate mumbled.
Peter didn't answer, but he put his right hand on the back of Nate's neck and guided their lips together. The resulting sensation was more like a bolt of lightning!
"I guess it's my turn to apologize," Peter said, closing his eyes. "I shouldn't have forced myself on you."
"Did that kiss mean more than just a sexual thrill?"
"Yeah, I've always liked you from afar, but now it's definitely deeper. I know you're straight and I don't want to mess with your head."
"Peter, I'm gay like you are. I should have admitted it a long time ago. I really wanted to share a bed with you instead of just a room."
"Wow! Do you think we'll get heat from your uncle and my dad if they figure out we're fooling around with one another? You know them a lot better than I do."
"I know they're not the kind of people who say one thing and do another. I mean, if they're attracted to each other, I can't see how they could tell us we couldn't be like them."
"I sorta wish we could sleep together tonight, but that's gonna be impossible with my brother in the same room."
"Maybe after he's asleep you could crawl in my bed for a while," Nate said, hopefully.
"That would be cool!"
Unfortunately for them, Paul stayed awake talking until Nate fell asleep. By the time the sandman finally got to Paul, Peter was in dreamland too.
Author's notes: Thanks to John L, Jim M, Ott H, Charles G, Mendy D, Peter S, Pup, Rod R, Bill T, JLF, Tony C, Jim W, Paul F, Paul R, and Ken McM for your words of encouragement. Thanks for reading this story. If you enjoyed it, please feel free to contact me a dlee169@hotmail.com and let me know. Your emails are the only reward I receive for writing. Please put the story title in the subject line in case your email goes into the spam folder.
Thanks to David S for editing. He finds typos and missing words! He also makes valuable suggestions.
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Thanks, David
Ps: I have a chronological list of all my posted stories which I can email to you if you have an interest.