The Metamorphosis of Jeremiah Long, Chapter 39
Warning:
This story contains scenes of love and sexual interaction between males of similar age. If the reading or possessing this material is illegal in your country, state, province, county, municipality, etc., please leave this site immediately and do not proceed further. If you are under the legal age to read this, please do not do so.
The author retains the copyright, and any other rights, to this original story. You may not publish it or any part of it without explicit authorization from me.
I have written several other stories. My longer ones on Nifty include: "Always and Forever" (March 25, 2004), "Jacob and Jacques" (May 30, 2004), "Zeke" (August 29, 2005), "Tales from Bentonville" (November 16, 2008), "Second Chance" (September 24, 2010), and "Tommy and Tanner (October 21, 2012)under "High School" and "Someone to Watch over Me" under "Beginnings" in the gay male section.
My short stories include: "Brad and Alan's Canoe Trip" (April 22, 2004 under "Camping", "Of Angels and Dragons" (November 8, 2008) under "Camping", "A Christmas Tale" (December 22, 2009), "Wyatt's Thanksgiving" (November 20, 2012)under "High School", "Brazil Affair" (October 1, 2010), "A Technological Christmas" (December 23, 2011), and "Patrick's Christmas (December 19, 2012) under "Beginnings," I have one story in the Sci Fi/Fantasy category called, "Seth's Gift" (October 10, 2010).
"Banana Splits" was added under "adult friendships" (September 17,1013).
You can easily access most of my tales by going to the "Author" button in Nifty's home page and scrolling down to David Lee. Some of these stories are also posted at: www.storylover.us and www.saberpeak.com.
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Thanks and hugs to Tom and David (boxerdude) who edit for me so that there are fewer mistakes! They not only proof-read, but make other valuable suggestions.
Your donations to Nifty are appreciated to keep this a free site for us and for you.
David (dlee169@hotmail.com)
The Metamorphosis of Jeremiah Long, Chapter 39
Tyler ran into the airport waiting area and practically mowed down his cousins in his exuberance. Unlike his father, he had slept a lot on the plane. All of that rest plus the realization he was finally going to live with his cousins had put him in high spirits. His grandparents felt a moment of relief that they weren't going to be the ones to care for this ball of energy.
"I'm so pleased you can spend a few days with us," Brock said to Sean as he hugged him.
"Well, it seemed irresponsible to let Tyler travel alone with the connections we had to make in Frankfort, New York, and the Twin Cities. We had a long wait between flights in New York. I know he's independent and mature, but he's my only son and if something happened..."
"I know how you feel.
So, a lot has changed since Christmas? We'll have to get caught up when you're rested."
The extended family had come to the airport in two vehicles to accommodate everyone. Mark and Jon had come with their boyfriends to welcome Tyler, and the elder Harts had extended their stay after the state swimming finals and were living in the basement apartment until the end of Sean's stay.
Sean and Tyler had traveled fairly light because of the high price for bringing extra suitcases. With the prospect of changing jobs in a tough market, Sean was watching his pennies more than he had in a number of years even though he wasn't going to be hurting financially if all went well. The bulk of Tyler's things had been shipped ahead, but hadn't yet arrived. It would still be less expensive to purchase a few clothes for Tyler until his came than to pay for excess luggage.
The Mason-Hart household had attended early church and Brent had stayed home to put the final touches on brunch. When the rest of the clan got home from the airport, the aroma emanating from the kitchen made everyone's mouth water.
"Thanks for the great welcome home," Sean exclaimed as he hugged his brother-in-law. "I feel like the prodigal son having a feast in my honor."
"I wish I could take credit for preparing `the fatted calf,' but in fact, I had a lot of help. Amanda whipped up several of these delights."
"Thanks to you too, Mom, and to everyone involved," Sean smiled. "This is a superior spread!"
After everyone had eaten their fill, the boys went off to get Tyler settled while the adults talked.
"I really do think it's best to take the offer from Pier 1 and sell the business. I have interviews for executive positions in several cities, and I really want to come home to the US." Sean said.
"It seems to be a generous offer," Grandpa David agreed. "My main reason for keeping the company was that I didn't want to disrupt your life by selling it. We will have capital gains taxes to pay, but we'd have faced that sooner or later, and who knows how the economy will fare in the future. We're better off to put our eggs in several baskets.
But, how will you be doing financially in the mean time? We can certainly help out if necessary."
"I have good news on that front," Sean smiled wanly. "I was holding back about telling you so that you could all hear it firsthand because this kind of thing shouldn't be floating around in cyber space.
Remember when I thought Marilyn was in the south of Spain over Christmas? Well, it turns out she was in Vegas establishing residency so she could get a quickie divorce. She had even bribed the private investigator I'd hired so he would file a false report. I've made sure that he will be losing his license, by the way.
Anyway, she's pregnant with Ramon's child and he is concerned about alienating his family members who have rather strict religious views. Ramon and Marilyn were married in Nevada the minute our divorce was granted, but we still might have to have an annulment from the Catholic Church so they can have another ceremony. Since ours wasn't a Catholic wedding, I don't think it really counts with the pope, but who knows? Anyway, his parents are quite wealthy and they are calling the shots."
"So the concern that Marilyn may have wanted your insurance money was a red herring?" David asked.
"I'm not sure. Perhaps they were intending to thumb their noses at his family, or maybe Marilyn allowed Tyler to overhear the phone call to muddy the waters. I'm not big on conspiracy theories, but I've come to realize that I never really knew her like I thought I did. Whatever the case, I think the pregnancy changed their plans and she wanted out of our marriage quickly enough to settle for very little financially.
Here's the sad part, she doesn't want anything to do with Tyler and she doesn't want me to have anything to do with Gabby. She claims that Gabby isn't mine and she's turned her against me completely."
"How could she not be yours?" Amanda exclaimed.
"We had been having marital problems before Gabby was conceived. I thought Marilyn was cheating on me, but I didn't pursue it when she was suddenly all lovey-dovey and wanted to have another child. If I had a DNA test, it might prove that Gabby isn't mine. Her coloration is somewhat darker than mine, but I never really thought about that because she resembles Marilyn in that way."
"You could never doubt about Tyler," Amanda grinned, "He's the spitting image of you at that age. Sometimes I forget and call him by your name."
"Yup, Tyler is definitely my son. I don't want him to know that his mother doesn't want him and I'm going to do my best to be both mother and father to him when we get settled. I'm not looking to find him a step-mother anytime in the near future!"
"Wow, this is a heavy conversation!" Brock said. "You weren't kidding when you said it needed to be done face to face. It sounds like a soap opera."
While the adults were conferring in the family room, the boys were with Tyler in the guest bedroom which was being turned into his new room. It had been freshly painted in a pale blue which was his favorite color. Brock and Brent had done their best to make it a place where he would feel at home.
"Dad and Papa said you can move the furniture around however you like," Joe told him. "We can get posters or whatever to hang on the walls so it will be like you want it."
"That's really nice of them," Tyler smiled. "It makes me feel wanted."
"Of course you're wanted!" Davy exclaimed. "Why would you think otherwise?"
"My mother doesn't want me," Tyler said sadly.
"How can you say that?"
"Dad's trying to keep it from me, but I hear things and I can feel them too. I know he wants me and I love him for not saying bad things about Mom, but all of his efforts can't erase what I know about her."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Davy said as he hugged his cousin.
"It's okay. She's always liked Gabby better than me. Kids can't be fooled."
"I know what you mean," Joe bit his lower lip. "Neither of my parents showed love to me. I'm not sure why they had me in the first place unless the rubber broke."
"However you were conceived, I know it was for a purpose," Mark assured him. "My life wouldn't be complete without you."
As the two embraced, it was obvious to Tyler that they were deeply involved emotionally as well as physically. He made an internal vow that he wouldn't do anything to mess up their relationship, although he was envious of them. He hoped to find someone he could be that close to. Right now, he wasn't terribly concerned if that "someone" were a boy or a girl.
After the few things Tyler had brought with him were squared away, the boys sat on the bed and the floor to discuss their list of house rules. Jon started by telling how Jim and he had talked about his expectations before Jim moved in with them.
"I think it was the best thing we did so that we knew exactly what to expect in a new situation of people living together for the first time. I know it helped Jim fit in to our routine and it helped me to know some of his needs.
We have met to try and figure out how we can all best interact. I'm being the moderator because I'm not related to you and if you don't like what I say, you can be mad at me instead of your cousins," he grinned.
"I can guess what some of the rules are and I'm sure they're probably like what we had in the dormitory," Tyler said. "I know I need to pick up after myself and do chores when I'm asked. I also know that I need to respect other people's space and not barge in when they're with their boyfriends or other buds. I guess you might be concerned about me keeping my hands to myself if I sleep with any of you. I'm sorry about what I did at Christmas time."
"Dude, you've covered most of them in a few sentences," Jon smiled. "I don't think there's anything else other than maybe not being a picky eater."
"I'm not," Tyler insisted. "I'm an omnivore and I'll eat about anything that's considered edible and doesn't crawl off my plate. I don't care much for steak tartar and I'm not big on cantaloupe, but most things are fair game."
"What's that steak thing you were talking about?" Joe asked. "I can't imagine not loving everything that has steak in it!"
"It's spiced raw hamburger and I can gag it down, but that's about it."
"Eew! I don't think I could do that," Joe agreed. "Besides I'd be afraid of getting salmonella or E. coli or something."
"Yeah, that's a definite possibility these days,"
"Well, Tyler," Jon said getting back to the subject, "what expectations do you have of us that you'd like to make known? We want to consider your comfort too."
"I just want to be treated like you treat each other. I'd like to be hugged when I'm down and I'd like you to tease with me and treat me like family. Really, it's pretty much like you've always treated me."
"Welcome to this crazy extended family," Mark said as he got up off the floor to hug Tyler on the bed.
"Thanks!" Tyler said emotionally. "My cousins are kinda stuck with me but you're not, so that means a lot coming from you."
"Hey, we're not `stuck' with you!" Joe insisted. "We had a family meeting and we all asked that you be invited to live with us."
"Even after I hit on you?"
"Of course! If any of us were to be judged on one thing we did when we were feeling horny, no one would be found blameless."
"Thanks," Tyler began to tear up.
"And we love you too," Davy said as he and Jon embraced him and kissed him on the cheek.
"I am NOT crying," Tyler grinned. "It's the effects of jet lag and living at a lower altitude."
It was probably a good thing that Sean had come with Tyler on Monday to enroll him in school. Despite having faxed his son's transcript ahead of their arrival to facilitate getting him a schedule of classes. Several forms needed Sean's signature so that Brock and Brent would be recognized as Tyler's guardians. Brock went along to help smooth the way.
Tyler had arisen early because of the time change and because he was apprehensive about his first day in an American high school. He had changed his outfit twice and hadn't eaten much breakfast. Now, waiting in the counselors' suite, he was beginning to settle down. His schedule looked good and he would have lunch at the same time as his cousins. The staff treated him with deference and made him feel welcome.
The preceding week, Davy had done his part to get his cousin off to a good start by talking to Ms. Proctor (their favorite counselor) to see if she would place Tyler in classes where there were boys Davy knew would befriend him. His efforts had paid off.
Joe and Mark walked Tyler to his first class a few minutes before the bell. Outside, Eddy and Paul were waiting for them.
"This is my cousin, Tyler, Joe announced. "Tyler, these guys are Eddy and Paul. They are in most of your classes and have volunteered to show you to your next one. Their buddy, Jack is in some sections with you and he said he'd help show you around as well."
"Cool!" Tyler exclaimed as he dapped fists with his new acquaintances. "I feel a lot better about being here with someone to guide me."
At the sound of the first bell, Joe and Mark scurried off to their rooms while Tyler and the other two went into theirs.
At lunch time, Tyler arrived at the guys' usual table with Jack leading him through the maze of students jostling to get into the serving line. Davy, Jon, Joe, and Mark were there. Bradon and Micah would arrive as soon as they had their trays of food.
"Well, what did you think of your first day?" Davy asked him.
"It's really cool being here. My classes were matched up well with what I've been studying. I feel ahead in mathematics, but a little behind in the language arts class because they're about 50 pages into "A Canticle for Leibowitz," but since I love to read, I'll catch up soon. We were supposed to read it next week at my old school, so I already have some background on it."
"How do you feel about the other kids?" Joe enquired.
"I like everyone I've met so far! Thanks for hooking me up with these dudes," he exclaimed, gesturing toward Eddy, Paul, and Jack. "They've invited me to be the fourth musketeer."
"That's cool," Mark observed. "I guess no one's teased you about your accent then."
"One kid did, but that lady principal overheard him and had a little talk with him. He came back later and apologized. I think I'm going to like him because he's in another class with me and he smiled at me when we met again."
At the end of the school day, Tyler was bushed. He was thankful to have a ride home instead of having to walk. Since Davy had driven, he could take his cousin and his brother along with his boyfriend legally on his license. Bradon dropped Mark off at Davy's house on the way home with Micah.
Tyler took a short nap before starting his homework. It had been a long day and his system was still not completely adjusted to the time change.
It was in the second semester of his junior year that Davy discovered his talent for writing, quite by accident actually. His humanities teacher assigned the students to write a fictional biography for a famous person currently in the news. They were supposed to make up a name for their character that would be close to the person's name, but kind of a play on it. The creative part was that story must be written as if the person lived in a different time period – either before the 20th century or in a future millennium. They had two school days plus the weekend to come up with a rough draft.
The synopsis of Davy's idea was this. His character was a young guy named Justinian Beaver, a troubadour in the middle ages. He started his career by singing at the various courts in Europe where the young princesses swooned over him.
Handsomely paid for his performing, he accumulated enough wealth to purchase a manor house staffed with servants and filled with an entourage of leaches and sycophants. His ego grew along with his prosperity, but he felt nothing but emptiness inside. Soon he was carousing in taverns and riding fast horses. In fact, he had a stable filled with some of the finest mounts in the kingdom.
In his idle moments, he made a sport of terrorizing the poor, riding rough-shod across their gardens, scattering their goats and chickens, and laughing as he saw them weeping over the destruction.
One day as he was engaging in this pastime, a peasant boy about his age stood in his way to keep his mother's garden from being ruined. Justinian threatened to mow him down, but the young man crossed his arms and stood resolute. He said that he would face death rather than to give way to a spoiled brat who had talent, but had no soul.
Shocked by the pronouncement, Justinian backed down and returned to his palatial dwelling, brooding. He sought council among his followers, most of whom advised him to seek the peasant out and challenging him to a duel for daring to cross him. Obviously, a peasant with no training would be dead meat. He decided to do it the very next day.
During the night, Justinian had a strange and wondrous dream. In it, he felt a connection with the young peasant as they kissed and embraced amidst a swirling light. He sensed the peace and love he'd been missing in his life. The two of them rode off together into the sunset.
Justinian awoke with a start as the birds greeted the morning with their joyful songs. He couldn't remember ever hearing such beautiful sounds.
He arose and bathed, putting on the simple, practical raiment he had worn early in his career, before he could afford finery. Gathering a similar outfit from the chest, he put it in a burlap sack along with a leather purse with several gold Ducats and hastened to break his fast. The bread and cheese tasted especially delicious that morning.
Before he left, he sent for all those who had given him murderous thoughts and told them they were banished from the manor. They must be off of his estate by noon or face the swords of his loyal guard. And if they took anything that didn't belong to them, they would be hanged.
When he arrived at the humble dwelling by the garden, he was immediately challenged by the young peasant. Justinian held up his hands to show he was unarmed. Then he dismounted and knelt in front of him offering the gold coins and asking him to help find his soul.
With a huge grin, the boy assisted him to his feet, kissed his cheek, and invited him in for a bowl of porridge. It too had a magical sweetness.
The peasant lad gave the gold to his mother for her keeping, changed into his new clothes, and rode away with Justinian, presumably to live happily ever after.
The humanities students were doing seat-work during the class period on the following Monday so that Mr. Bousek could have a quiet conference with individuals about their ideas for the assignment. When Davy was called to the desk in the back of the room, he felt a twinge of anxiety, wondering how the session would go. He caught Jon's eye and received a smile and thumbs-up which made him feel better.
"Have you done any serious fictional writing in the past?" Mr. Bousek asked.
"Um, not really; just a few very short things in my language arts classes during the past couple of years and I've read some on the web."
"So, you've probably never considered writing as a career?"
"Definitely not! I'm going into computer programming if I can get accepted. Are you teasing me because I messed up this assignment?"
"To coin a phrase, `definitely not!' This is one of the most sensitive and creative ideas I've seen from a student at this level in a very long time. It could have become a trite, humorous parody of the life of Justin Bieber, but you made it into a story of a young man who discovers the root of his unrequited longing. Justinian found his soul-mate."
"Um, I was afraid you were going to say it was too gay or something and I was prepared to do something else."
"I'm not sure what you mean by too gay.' There isn't anything sexual. There is no haranguing about society's lack of acceptance. The words gay' or `homosexual' never appear. It's a tale of emotional fulfillment, and as such, is beautiful."
"Thanks!"
"May I ask if there is anything autobiographical about it? You don't have to answer if it makes you uncomfortable."
"Um, I guess in a way. You know Jon and I are boyfriends, right?"
"I haven't missed the way you two communicate without words, and I've heard some rumors to that effect."
"Then you've probably guessed that we're soul-mates like the guys in the story."
"I suspected that might be the case, and that's the kind of thing that should be celebrated. There is a niche in young adult literature for this kind of story and I would encourage you to think about publishing it when it's finished. I know a writer, Eric Larson-Brady, who is making a good living writing children's books and the occasional novel. He might be willing to teach you the ropes if you're interested in pursuing it."
"This is gonna sound crazy, but does he have a partner who's an artist?"
"He does; do you know him?"
"Not really, but my grandmother has purchased several paintings by Joshua."
"Great! You should consider contacting him when he's at the university this spring. He's very open and friendly. I'd bet you and he would have been good buddies if you were the same age and had gone to school together. I'll recommend you for the workshop if you want."
"I'll think about it."
"Now, your next task is to flesh the story out with details you've learned about medieval times. You might elaborate on the tavern scenes and possibly throw in a sword fight for color. Lots of young men enjoy that element.
To thicken the plot, you could include an aristocratic young lady who has her father petition the king to knight him so he will be on her social level and they can marry. But, of course, we'd find out that he wasn't interested."
"Cool! So, I don't have to drastically change the general plot?"
"Definitely not!" Mr. Bousek grinned.
That night at the dinner table, Brock, Brent, and Todd listened to their sons talking excitedly about their humanities assignment. (Todd had been invited to eat with them since Jim was on duty.) The boys were both pumped after the positive feedback they had received from Mr. Bousek.
"He actually said he thought I might have a future as a writer," Davy exclaimed. "I'm not sure I want to go that route, and I'd hate to disappoint you guys."
"Whatever makes you happy is fine with us," Brent insisted.
"You need to follow your own path and not go into computer-related work just because we're in that." Brock agreed. "You could never disappoint us by doing what's meaningful for you."
"I know, but I think writing would be a chancier career. It seems like books are going the way of the dinosaur."
"There will always be a need for the written word whether it's in book form or on-line. Clay tablets and papyrus scrolls went out of fashion, but writing didn't. You never know but what someone will invent a computer program that can replicate itself and keep making improvements so that guys like me are obsolete."
"You'll never be obsolete!" Davy assured him.
"I have news from school too," Joe proclaimed. "We have a math genius in our midst and it isn't me."
From the way Tyler was blushing, everyone knew he must be the subject of Joe's announcement.
"Eddy told Mark and me that Tyler had the highest score by far in the pop quiz today. Old Hines thought he was cheating until Tyler solved several more problems while he watched. The best part is that Jimmy Wang got taken down a couple of notches. Eddy said the kid thinks he's God's gift to the math department. His ego is so big it fills the room and spills out into the hall. He's always been teacher's pet, but now he's playing second fiddle."
"Is that a fact, Tyler?" Brent asked.
"Um, yes sir."
"Why didn't you tell us?"
"I'm trying not to be an `insufferable braggart.' At least I think that's one of the 11 commandments."
"What?" Brock asked.
"We kinda got creative with the house rules," Davy admitted. "We were trying to keep us all humble, but we didn't mean to squash Tyler completely."
"I hope not!" Brock exclaimed. "Tyler, you can't let the older boys dominate you."
"It's okay," Uncle Brock, "They're doing it so I'll fit in. I used to brag a lot. It was mostly because I didn't feel that confident, but I'm changing. The karate lessons and my new friends at school are really helping me.
"In that case, I'll keep my mouth shut," Brock grinned. "I'm really glad you're adjusting well."
"Uh, Mr. Hines wants to talk to you about putting me in a junior level maths, uh math, class." Tyler said. "I'm not sure if I'd fit in there. I think I'd face a lot of kids like Jimmy who would resent me."
"Perhaps you might, but you never know. You have two guys in this room who are juniors and who have a lot of friends. It could go smoothly. Since you've transferred in, few people know you're a freshman. You need to do what's best for you in the long run. High school is a passing phase. Learning lasts a lifetime. You could be doing college level work by the time you're a junior. It could be an important foundation for your future."
"Okay, I'll consider it," Tyler agreed.
Author's notes: I heard from JJ, Paul R, Walter Sz, Tony W, Tom A, Wayne, Bill K, Jim W, Walt S, Bill T, Eric A, Paul F, and Ott H since last posting. Thanks guys!
I have several links that may interest you. Walt S sent the first one which I highly recommend checking out for safety reasons. The rest have to do with bullying, acceptance, and sex in general. I hope you find them interesting.
Fire safety:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSJH21WmALc
http://www.upworthy.com/his-dad-was-disappointed-in-him-when-he-came-out-for-not-telling-him-sooner?c=upw1
http://www.upworthy.com/to-the-bullied-7th-grade-girl-whose-life-is-hell-heres-a-special-message-to-you-from-a-wise-nerd?c=upw1
http://www.upworthy.com/a-20-something-guy-goes-on-and-on-about-sex-for-6-minutes-nails-it?c=upw1
Again, I recommend "Father and Son Outing" under "Camping" on Nifty. It's not about incest! It does contain a lot of sexual scenes, if that is what you enjoy.
David