February began with a bang with the arrival of the new puppy. I realize there are some people who maintain that dogs don't really have intelligence, in the conventional sense, and that the ones that appear to be smart are really only more alert and more attuned to their own instincts than others. I don't happen to subscribe to that theory, though. Not when it came to our dogs, at least. Or maybe it was our dog boy who made the difference. Brian worked all week at housebreaking Krewe, and by the time he and I took Krewe and Trixie to Mary Ann Pennington's house on the Friday afternoon before we left for Mardi Gras, she was fully housebroken. Trixie was incredibly protective of her at first, making sure she never messed in the house or did other things that were unacceptable, such as chew on furniture or try to go upstairs. As the first week wore on, though, and Krewe became more used to her new environment, Trixie slacked off. It was almost as though Trix knew the puppy was learning and didn't need her constant supervision as much as she had at first. Krewe loved her den, just like Brian said she would. I watched one time as Krewe got in the den and Trixie helped out by knocking down the gate with her paw. That seemed pretty incredible to me. Krewe was growing fast, too, and by the end of the week Trixie no longer tried to pick her up. It had been a struggle from the first, but Trixie had managed a few times. By Friday morning, though, Krewe was more than Trixie could handle, and she seemed to know it. Krewe never went outside to do her business without Trixie, and one time I saw Krewe wake Trixie up to go out with her. We still used the leash on Krewe to take her outside, but occasionally Brian would drop it on purpose to let her have a little freedom. He was gradually teaching her to come on command, and I knew the days of the leash were numbered. "Is there anything special I need to do," Mary Ann asked Brian when we took the dogs over there. "No, ma'am, not really. I think she's housebroken, but I still have her on a very rigid schedule for eating, drinking, and going outside," he said. "The weekend won't be a problem, but what about next week, when I have to work?" she asked. "If you would, feed and water her first thing in the morning, and let her out. I usually come home at lunch to do it again. Then again after school, and then again before I go upstairs to do my homework. That's usually around seven," he said. "Oh, I can do that easily," Mary Ann said. "I don't usually come home for lunch, but I can. No problem." "Mary Ann, come home on my time, not yours, okay?" I said. "Okay, but it won't be a problem for me, Kevin. I really shouldn't eat out as much as I do," she said. "Well, you're doing us a huge favor, and I don't want it to be burdensome for you," I said. "It won't be. Brian, how much time should Krewe spend out of her cage?" she asked. "I don't usually let her out more than about three hours a day," he said. "Sometimes she goes back to it on her own, if she gets tired of being out and wants to sleep. She and Trixie play quite a bit, but I really haven't started exercising her much yet." We were in Mary Ann's kitchen, and Krewe was out of her crate and on the floor. One of Mary Ann's dogs came in, and Krewe went over to greet it. The older dog wasn't interested in getting to know Krewe, and it sort of growled at her when she went up to it. Trixie was on that other dog in an instant. She growled and showed teeth. "Trix," Brian said in a normal tone of voice. Trixie backed off and she and the other dog sniffed at each other and became friends. "Oh, my," Mary Ann said. "Trixie is going to protect her little friend, isn't she?" "Yes, ma'am," Brian said. "Mr. Mack, the dog man I've been working with, said he thinks Trixie thinks Krewe is her puppy." "Kevin, we're going to have a very good time with these dogs. Thank you," Mary Ann said. "Thank me? It's you who gets the thanks, Mary Ann," I said. "Well, let's just thank each other, then," she said. In the car on the way home, Brian said, "Miss Mary Ann is a dog lady, just like I'm a dog boy and Mr. Mack is a dog man." "Are you saying my secretary looks like a dog?" I said. "Shut up. You know what I'm talking about. Do I look like a dog?" We were in his car, and he was driving. I stared at him hard. "Shut up. Don't even say it," he said. We both laughed. * * * We left really early Saturday morning so we could catch the afternoon parades. We got to my parents' house around eleven, and that's when Rick and I met our new son. "Ron," my mom said, "these are my sons, Kevin Foley and Rick Mashburn." He didn't seem too lively. "Hey, buddy. What's up, man?" Rick said. God, he's such a jock, I thought. I half expected Rick to swat Ron's butt. But he didn't. "Hi," Ron said. "Not much, I guess." Ron was an attractive kid. He was smaller than ours, including Denny, but it was pretty obvious he was well along into puberty. "And these guys are our sons, Ron. They're going to be your brothers," I said. One by one, Kyle and Tim and Justin and Brian and Denny shook hands with him. "I remember you guys from when I was in the hospital," he said to Kyle and Justin. "And you're in the picture Doc has in her office," he said to Tim. "That's right. Very good, Ron," my mom said. Jeff and Tyler drove up about then, as did Rita and Gene. There were more introductions, and I think Ron might have been a bit overwhelmed. Then Craig and Cherie got there, and there was much hugging and kissing and handshaking and such. It had only been a week since we had all seen one another, but we did the whole long-lost-cousin routine. Poor little Ron was just standing there not knowing what to do. "Let's get our stuff in our house," Kyle said. "Let's go, Ron." "Do you mean the apartment?" Ron asked. "Yeah. The boys stay in there," Kyle said. "That's our house in New Orleans." "I put my stuff up there earlier," Ron said. "Cool. You can help us, then. Help Justin with his bag. He's weak as a damn kitten," Kyle said. Ron looked at the faces of the adults when Kyle said "damn," but he didn't see a reaction. Oh, little guy, I thought. You're going to be in for such a ride, son. They took off amid much laughter. "Therapeutic community," my mother whispered to me. She and I grinned at each other. "Has anybody heard from George and Sonya," Dad asked. "We talked to them once," Gene said. "They had just played the links at St. Andrew, and they were having a fabulous time." "They called Tim once, too, only from Amsterdam that time. And the overall message was the same. They were having a fabulous time," I said. "Who wants a Maria Sanguinaria?" Craig asked. "I beg your pardon," Rita said, in her best Charleston plantation accent. "That's his fractured Italian for a Bloody Mary, Rita," Cherie said. She giggled. "Yes, please. That sounds lovely," Rita said. My mother really liked Rita, and she was getting a kick out of her Southern Belle act. Rita was playing her audience, too. We all said a Bloody Mary sounded good, only Rick and Cherie wanted Virgin Marys. "Darling, I'm willing to believe that in Rick's case but never in yours," Craig said. "You! Foley! Outside! Right now!" Rick said. Craig and Rick both laughed hard, and then Rick went off to the kitchen to help his friend with the drinks. "I think those two are more bonded than you and Craig are, Kevin," Cherie said. "No, Cherie. I know that Craig loves Rick very much, as Beth and I do, but Rick won't ever replace Kevin in Craig's heart," Dad said. "I know. I was just teasing Kevin, Dad," she said. "But I know my husband, and it's a pretty close match." "Aren't you glad of that, son?" my mom asked. "I wouldn't want it any other way. I think Rick talks to Craig on the phone more than I do," I said. "And I know you and I talk on the phone more than you and Craig do," Cherie said. Just then the boys came back into the house. They took seats on the floor. Craig and Rick fixed them up with tomato juice drinks, too, of one kind or another. "Tyler, we're so glad you were able to come for Mardi Gras this year," my mother said, to start it off with them. "Yes, ma'am. Me, too. Thank you for having me," he said. "Jeff and Ty have some news, Mom," I said. "Oh? Do tell," she said. They looked at each other and grinned. They were really cute. "Well, Jeff and I went to visit my parents in Minnesota a couple of weeks ago, and the visit was a total success," Ty said. "And you boys came out to them?" she asked. "Yes, ma'am," Ty said. "And everything is fine." "That's wonderful, Ty. I'm proud of you. You might not know this, but Jeff has a very special place in my heart," she said. "Yes, ma'am, I do know that," he said, smiling. "And you know what else? You've got a very special place in his heart." We were having lunch there before the parade, and my mother had gotten Odille to make some hors d'ouerves. Among several other dishes, there were six huge stuffed artichokes, and I could tell Kyle wanted to put his face down into the platter. He had made those for us several times since he had had them at my parents' house, but Odille's were, simply, definitive. He scooted his way closer and closer to the coffee table that held the food, all the while looking around, hoping nobody was noticing. He knew his parents expected him to behave politely, so doing what he really wanted to do, which was to take a whole one into his lap, was out of the question. "This crab dip is marvelous, Beth," Rita said. "Thanks. The crab came from Emerald Beach. Some boys I know there caught them and picked them out for us," Mom said. "I wonder who those boys could be? Some boys there gave me five or six pounds of it, Beth," Rita said. People chuckled politely. "The artichokes are good, too, Grandma. Very good, in fact," Kyle said. "Kyle, take a whole one and put it on one of those plates," Cherie said. "That's what they're there for." Kyle looked at Rita, and then he looked at Beth. And then he took a whole stuffed artichoke and put it on a plate. He ate the whole thing, but that wasn't all he ate, either. After lunch we boarded up our various vehicles and headed downtown for the parades. Ron, our newest son, rode with us in Rick's Suburban. He was quiet, as I expected he would be, but the stress that had been on his face earlier was gone. He was sitting on Justin's right in the middle seat, and Jus kept pointing to things out of the side window and purposely knocking the bill of Ron's baseball cap. Justin would say, "Oh, excuse me," each time. Every time Justin did that, Ron laughed a little. By the time we got to the parade route, Ron was giggling over that horseplay. The magic had begun. * * * We congregated in front of Cherie's office building on St. Charles Avenue. It was a homecoming of sorts. Seth and his parents and sister were there. Seth's boyfriend Curt was there, as were his two best friends from school, Jason Cook and Shane Gautier. We had met Curt in October when we were there, but Jason and Shane were new. Our boys, except Denny and Ron, hugged Seth, and they shook hands with the other ones. Jeff and Seth hugged harder than I expected they would, so I assumed they were closer than I thought. You never really knew about Jeff. Typically, people found a comfortable place for Mardi Gras and tended to go back there year after year. In our case, we had the benefit of Cherie's building. Of course, by then we were very good friends of Matt and Cathy Adams, Seth's parents, so we would have been welcome there if Cherie left the firm the next day. Cathy Adams pulled me aside to talk. "They don't usually begin the canonization process until somebody has been dead for fifty years, but I've got an appointment with the Archbishop next week to talk about yours," she said. I laughed. "What are you talking about?" I asked. "I'm talking about you and Rick and those boys saving my son. That's what I'm talking about," she said. I laughed some more. "Yeah, that's it. Laugh," she said. "Well, what do you want me to do? Cry?" She was laughing, too. "Kevin, to say that he is a different child is a gross understatement," she said. "He's so happy now. He has friends. He's active in the newspaper at school. He's working out every day. He has a boyfriend. He loves you and Rick and the other kids. He and his sister are even friends now. I can't begin to express my gratitude to you and Rick." "Well, you know what, Cathy? You don't have to. He's a damn fine kid, and he's our son and our brother. We're just as proud of him as you are," I said. "I know. And that's part of the miracle, Kevin. It was just a year ago, almost to the day, that my son finally got a life, and it was because of you and those boys. That Kyle kid must be extraordinary. I plan to talk his mother's ear off. Seth worships him, Kevin. Absolutely worships him. He talks about him and the others constantly. For example, I even know that Kyle is circumcised and how large his penis is. Both ways." I cracked up when she said that, and she laughed hard, too. "You've got a great sense of humor," I said. "You'd fit right in with us." "I know. I'm sort of jealous," she said. "Come on and spend the summer with us," I said. We both laughed at the absurdity of that idea. "I don't know if Seth is going to want to leave Curt for a whole summer, but I hope you'll have him back, if he is," she said. "Curt can come, too. We're filling up fast, though," I said. "Oh? Who's going to be there?" she asked. "Well, I don't really know for sure. The Big Four, of course. That's Kyle, Tim, Justin, and Brian. Denny, whom you just met, and Ron, a kid from here we're taking back with us. That's six. Then, there are Chris and David from Montana. Tim's cousin Paddy from Boston, and Seth and Curt from here. And it wouldn't surprise me if Alex and Cody came down for the summer from New York. That would be thirteen boys," I said. "Oh, my God! It's summer camp. Maybe you could have sessions, like other camps do," she said. I screamed with laughter. "What's so damn funny?" Rick asked, when he walked up to us. "We're organizing summer camp at your house," Cathy said. "I want to be a counselor." "What are you talking about?" Rick asked. "We're talking about all the kids who could potentially end up with us in Emerald Beach next summer, Babe. I just counted up thirteen," I said. "Jesus Christ! The twelve apostles plus a replacement for Judas," he said. Cathy and I laughed. "We can potentially put up fourteen, if we use the study for Chris and David," I said. "Chris has cerebral palsy, Cathy." "Oh, I know who Chris is. I've seen the Web site. Repeatedly." I loved her deadpan. I figured we could team her up with Justin and put the two of them on the road as a comedy show. "The fact of the matter is, I know everyone, except Denny and Ron," she said. "They're the two newest. We really don't know Ron yet," Rick said. "Oh, and where is Super Dog?" she asked. We laughed. "She's at my secretary's house, along with our new puppy, Krewe," I said. "Do you get a dog for every x-number of boys?" she asked. "Not officially, but that seems to be the way it's working out," Rick said. "Well, boys have to have dogs. That's a law of nature," she said. "Brian is our dog boy," I said. "He seems to be a natural with them. He housebroke the puppy in less than a week." "Oh, my. I need him to come to my house and work with our Cocker. She's a year old, and I'm still mopping up after her," she said. "Talk to him about it, Cathy. Seriously," Rick said. "He knows how to do it, that's for sure." "I will," she said. Matt Adams joined us just then. He had beers for everybody. Rick took one, but I noticed he just held it. "What's going on," Matt asked. "We're just talking about summer camp in Emerald Beach," Cathy said. Matt laughed. "I want to go," he said. "Me, too. I want to be a counselor," Cathy said. "I don't think you have what it takes, Pet," Matt said. "I know," she said. "But I still want to."
Seeing everybody on the street in front of my dad's building, waiting for the parade to come, brought back all the happy memories I had of last year. So much had happened. So much good stuff had happened that I had a hard time believing it. "You're going to love it there," I said to Ron. He didn't reply, but he sort of shrugged. "They're going to take care of you. You're going to have so much fun and feel so good," I said. "I hope so," he said, barely above a whisper. "Oh, you will. I know you will. What grade are you in?" "Ninth," he said. "Cool. You'll be able to go to their high school. Kyle's the president of student government there," I said. "He's a senior." "Are all of them gay?" "Yep, every last one of them. Are you?" He looked down instead of at me, and I knew he was. "I am, too," I said. "Curt is my boyfriend." "Do your parents know?" "Sure," I said. "Well, don't think everybody's got it that good," he said. "Yours know?" He nodded. "And they have a problem with it?" "My mom's okay about it, but my dad isn't. That's why I have to go to Florida," he said. "Well, at least you've got a great place to go. A lot of boys get kicked out and don't have any place to go but the street," I said. I had started doing Web searches for gay stuff, and that theme came up pretty often in the information I found. That, and a very high suicide rate among gay boys. "I'll bet we can find guys your age on this very street right now who don't have a place to go and who are hustling blowjobs to get something to eat tonight. I'm serious, Ron," I said. "I miss my mom and my little brothers," he said. "I know. Do you think your mom could go see you in Florida?" I asked. "I doubt it. We're pretty poor," he said. Shit, I didn't know what to say to him. I wanted him to feel good, to feel the magic of the Florida boys, but I didn't know how to make that happen. Fortunately, Kyle came over to us just then. "What are y'all talking about?" he asked. "This and that," I said. "What are you doing?" "I'm trying to organize a hike down to where the parade starts. Do you know how far it is?" Kyle asked. "No, but I don't think it's real far. I'll go. Maybe we can meet it," I said. "Well, let's go. This standing around here is boring the piss out of me," Kyle said. "Come on. We're hiking," Kyle shouted. We started up the parade route, looking for the parade. It was Kyle, Tim, Justin, Brian, Denny, Ron, Jeff, Tyler, Kevin, Rick, Craig, Cherie, Curt, and me. We held hands in the thickest crowds so we wouldn't be separated, and we weren't. We met up with the parade, eventually, and we walked down the street with them. Sometimes we had to run a little, behind the crowd on the street, but we stayed with the second float all the way down to where our people were. And we got a ton of beads, too. When we finally stopped, we told the people on the float we had been dogging that we were where we wanted to be. They dumped out whole bags full of beads and trinkets and stuff. I had a sleeve of plastic cups large enough to water a stadium full of people, and I had so many beads around my neck that it was beginning to hurt a little. I loved doing that. It was really fun. I noticed Ron was caught right up in it along with the rest of us. He was laughing and carrying on, just like we were. He was going to have such a great time in Emerald Beach. I almost envied him a little bit, what with getting to live there, and all.
"What do you think?" I asked Kyle. "What do I think about what?" "The new boy. Ron. I think he's scared shitless. Ain't that what he's supposed to be?" I said. "Yeah, I know. Bubba, what's up with you, man?" "Kyle, I'm hurting for him, you know? You've never been homeless, man. You don't know what its like to not know where your next meal is coming from, or if you're ever going to have one again," I said. "Speaking of that, you still owe me that $7.50 I spent on that lunch for you the day we found you," Kyle said. "That's right. And you know what?" "You ain't ever paying me back?" "That's exactly right, Kyle. I'm going to owe you $7.50 for the rest of my fucking life," I said. He was laughing all over himself. "I know. And I wouldn't take it if you gave it to me. A million times that much, if it was for that lunch. That was the best money I ever spent in my life," he said. "Well, that was damn sure the best money I ever borrowed, and that's why I'm not paying you back," I said. "I'm going to hound you till the day you die, Justin. And I'm going to be right there at your bedside asking for it, too, Bubba. I'm going to be there, Justin. Or maybe you'll be at mine," he said. "I think it'll be me at yours, Kyle," I said. "This is depressing. Let's cut this shit out," he said. "Okay, but you're going to be at my bedside, aren't you?" I said. "You're damn right. I'm going to make sure your ass is dead." We both laughed.
Moving to Florida was very scary to me. A whole lot of scary stuff had happened to me, so I was sort of used to being scared, but that move was scary. I didn't know Kevin and Rick. I knew Kevin's mom, and she was about the best lady I had ever known, but I didn't know them. And I sure didn't know those boys. "Ron, let's go for a walk," Kyle said to me while we were between parades Saturday afternoon. It was Kyle and Justin, and I was afraid of them. They were so big and so athletic looking. I looked over to Dr. Foley, and she smiled and nodded, so I figured it was all right. I was very scared, but I went with them because of her. "Ron, we want to get some things straight, okay?" Kyle said. "Okay," I said. God, the way he said that scared me to death, but I didn't let on. "First off, you're our brother now. Anybody messing with you is also messing with us. You got that?" Kyle said. "I think so," I said. That was not at all what I expected. "I mean that now, man. If anybody messes with you at school, you tell me. You hear? The same day. Don't put up with shit for weeks, you hear?" Kyle said. "You don't even really know me," I said. "Yeah, but we're going to get to know you real good," Justin said. "But it don't matter. You're our brother, and me and Kyle will kick ass if we have to, and ask questions later. You got that?" That was a big relief. "The people at Beachside High School, where you'll be going, probably won't mess with you, even if you come out on the front steps the first day you're there, which I don't recommend, by the way. But if anybody pesters you, you let me know, you hear?" Kyle said. "If Kyle can't handle them, him and me can. And if we can't handle them, we've got a bunch of boys who'll have your back, too," Justin said. "He's right, Ron. Don't you worry about anything. You'll be safe on my turf, that's for damn sure," Kyle said. "Where's your boyfriend?" Justin asked me. "I don't have one anymore," I said. "His parents wouldn't let him come over to my house after they found out what my dad did to me." "Do you think they'd let him come down here and watch the parade with us?" Kyle asked. "I don't know. They might, since my dad isn't here. They like me okay, I guess. It was him and what he did to me that they didn't like," I said. "Why don't you call him and see if he can come down here?" Kyle asked. "Shouldn't I ask a grown-up first?" I asked. "Naw. It's all right. There are like three tons of food in there. Nobody cares who joins us, and everybody but you and Denny has a date," Kyle said. "Call him." He handed me his cell. I dialed Aaron's number. I wasn't sure anybody would answer it because I thought they might already be at a parade. His brother answered it, though, and I asked to speak to Aaron. "Aaron, it's your boyfriend," his brother said. He said that matter-of-fact. Aaron was out to his whole family, and they didn't care that he was gay. "Hey," Aaron said. He sounded like he was glad to talk to me. "Hi. What are you doing?" "Just hanging around. My dad wants to go to the parade tonight," he said. "Cool. Where are you guys going to be?" "I don't know. We usually go down around Gallier Hall. Do you know where that is?" he asked. "It's across the street from where I'm standing," I said. "Do you want to watch the parade together?" "Is your dad there?" he asked. "No." I explained to him about who I was with and that I would be moving to Florida. He seemed a little sad when I said that about moving. Aaron and I were boyfriends, or had been, but we didn't think we were in love with each other. We kissed a few times, and both of us got erections. The second time we did that, we took them out, and we let each other touch the other's. The third time we got pretty bold, and we made each other shoot. There hadn't really been a fourth time, even though we both wanted to do it again. I had my accident, and that was that. I knew it really wasn't an accident, but I didn't know what else to call it. "I told him I didn't feel like going to the parade, but I'm going now," he said. "I miss you, Ron." "I know. I miss you, too. I don't think you and I were meant to be boyfriends," I said. "I know. But we can have fun during Mardi Gras," he said. "Tell him we want him to be with us the whole time, if he wants to," Kyle said. "Tomorrow and Tuesday, too." "Kyle said we want you to be with us tomorrow and Tuesday, too. Do you think your parents will let you?" I asked. "Maybe. They know Dr. Foley. He operated on my grandpa, and he's okay now. I'll ask them," he said. "Maybe my dad can talk to Dr. Foley tonight." "These are nice guys I'm with, Aaron. You met Kyle and Justin when they came to the hospital with Dr. Foley. Do you remember them?" "Yeah, I do. Those guys? Those guys were both gorgeous," he said. "I know. Listen, we're in front of some lawyers' office about a half block down from Gallier Hall, but on the other side of the street. Come and look for me, okay?" "I will. Thanks for calling," he said. "Thanks for coming to see me," I said. We told each other goodbye. "Is he coming down?" Kyle asked. I nodded. I was smiling because I felt so good. "You're getting laid tonight, dude," Justin said. "Me and Kyle will fix you up. Your brothers will fix you up." It would be nice if that happened, but I wasn't counting on it. We had a few more hours to wait before the Krewe of Endymion started their parade, but there was another daytime parade before it started. We walked back down the street to the building where everybody was hanging out. "Ron's friend is going to be joining us later on, and I invited him to spend tomorrow and Tuesday with us, too," Kyle said to Kevin, Rick, and Dr. Foley as they were standing there talking. "Good, Kyle. That was a nice thing to do," Dr. Foley said. They all called her Grandma. I wondered if she would let me call her that, too. "Where are Tim and Brian?" Kyle asked. "Grandpa got a call to the hospital, and they went with him. Denny went, too," she said. "Does he want to be a doctor, too?" Justin asked. "I don't know about that, but he wanted to go with them," Rick said. "Since you guys left them stranded here." "We had business to take care of," Kyle said. He sounded pretty aggressive when he said that. "I'll just bet you did," Dr. Foley said. "We did, didn't we, Ron," Kyle said. "They had me to take care of," I said. "Did you get everything worked out?" Rick asked Kyle. "Yes, sir, we sure did. Excuse me for just a second. I need to talk to Cherie," Kyle said. He walked over to Cherie, and they talked privately for a few seconds. She looked over at me and smiled. Kyle came walking back, grinning. "Come here," he said to me when he was back with us. "She said you and Aaron can use her office for a little while, if you want to, but nothing on the furniture, and nothing on the floor, either. You know what I'm talking about?" I knew exactly what he was talking about, and I'm sure I turned as red as the cap he was wearing. "Here's the key. Justin and I will go up with you to run interference, if any is needed," he said. "Put it in your pocket, and don't lose it. She needs this key back tonight, you hear?" "Thanks," I said, putting the key in my pocket. "I won't lose it." "Good," he said. He flicked my nose with his finger and winked at me. God, what a nice guy, I thought. * * * After the second parade, we went upstairs to the place where the lawyers had their offices. It was a pretty big building, and there were quite a few people in there. The elevators were crowded, so we took the stairs. We only had to go to the fourth floor. We all had to use the bathroom, and we had to stand in line in front of the four urinals that were in the men's room to wait our turn. At least we had a clean place to go. Kyle was right about the amount of food they had. I hadn't been eating very much because I just hadn't been hungry, but I ate quite a bit that night. Somebody had set up some long tables, and they just put the food out for us to help ourselves. They had ham, turkey, roast beef, sliced cheese, and other stuff to make sandwiches. They also had a crock pot with hotdogs in it, and another crock pot with chili. That's what I ate. I had three. I ate one piece of fried chicken, too, and it was the spicy kind, just like I liked. "I'm glad to see you're getting your appetite back," Dr. Foley said. "I've been worried about you." "Yes, ma'am," I said. "Eat some of those vegetable casseroles, too, now. Don't forget that," she said. "The eggplant is excellent." "Yes, ma'am." "Grandma, this is a mighty good feast," Justin said. He sounded real Southern, like he was from the country or something. "Thank you, Justin. Everybody brought food." "I reckon Miss Odille cooked what you brought, right?" "No, Justin. I cooked every bit of it," she said. "For real?" She laughed. I could tell she liked him a lot. "No, baby. Odille cooked it. I can't cook, Jus," she said. "You know that." "You can take care of boys, though, can't you?" "I seem to have some skill in that regard," she said. "You got more than some skill. You got a prize talent, that's for sure," he said. After we ate, we went back down to the street. I was really excited about seeing Aaron, and I didn't have long to wait. He and his dad found us. I got an erection as soon as I saw him, and I noticed he had one, too. Kyle and Justin noticed, too, and they were both smiling. I introduced Aaron and his dad to Kevin, Rick, Dr. Foley, Kyle, and Justin. "Y'all excuse me. I need to go into the building," Justin said. "Yeah, me, too," Kyle said. I didn't get it at first. "You coming?" Kyle asked me. "Yeah. Let's go, Aaron, so we won't miss any of the parade," I said. "Now, y'all take your time, but you've only got a half hour. After that we're coming in to get you," Justin said, once we were up to Cherie's office. Inside the office, Aaron and I flew at each other and kissed. It felt so good to do that with him. That ended up being time number four and time number five. "Break it up," Justin was saying, pounding on the door. "The parade's almost here." I opened the door. Justin and Kyle had grins on their faces that were as big as any I had ever seen. "Y'all didn't leave any mess, did you?" Kyle asked. Aaron and I both blushed hard. "Cut the bullshit, Bubba. We know what y'all were doing. We set it up, remember?" Justin said. "Come on. Let's get out of here. I hear a band coming down the street," Kyle said. Kyle and Justin both grabbed hotdogs, squirted mustard on them but no chili, and we went down to watch Endymion. |