I ended up taking a full week off because of my black eye. With Kevin and Rick's encouragement, I went to the local walk-in clinic to have the doctor look at it. He checked to see if there were any broken bones, and there weren't any. The swelling had gone down completely, and he told me to use hot compresses to get the blood flowing in that area of my face more than it would naturally. He said there was nothing he could prescribe to make it go away faster and that bruises just had to fade naturally. He didn't ask me how I got the black eye, and I was very glad of that. During the time I was off and staying at Kevin and Rick's house, I did a whole lot of thinking. I had known I was gay since I was thirteen, and I knew that wasn't going to change. Being around those guys on North Lagoon Drive sort of inspired me to take my destiny into my own hands. I knew that in them I had friends I could count on, no matter what happened, and I grew more and more determined to come out. The first step, and probably the most difficult one, would have to be my parents. My parents really weren't overt homophobes because in their world homosexuality didn't exist. They owned a dry cleaning business, and they both worked hard in it. It did well, although it tended to be a bit seasonal. In the summer, men wore fewer dress shirts and more casual slacks that could be washed at home than they did in the fall, winter, and spring. Business wasn't really bad in the summer; it just wasn't as good as it was the rest of the year. Dad belonged to the Chamber of Commerce and the Lions Club, and Mom was active in the Ladies' Missionary Circle at the church. She had been a Brownie leader and a Girl Scout leader when my younger sister was involved in those activities, and more than once our yard had been proclaimed "Yard of the Month" by our neighborhood association. We were a rock-solid family, and we were definitely not the kind who produced a gay son. "Your face is looking a lot better, Ken," Rick said on Thursday night. "Are you telling me it's time for me to get my ass back to work?" I joked. He laughed. "No, I think one more day, plus the weekend, and it'll be as good as new," he said. It was just Kevin, Rick, and I in the den. The kids were home, I think--most of them, at least--but they must have been in their rooms studying for Friday tests. "This has been an incredible week for me," I said. "I can't thank you guys enough." "It's been great having you here, but you're not getting ready to move back home, are you?" Kevin asked. "We thought you were going to stay here until you found a place of your own." "That's my plan, if that's still okay," I said. "Of course it is," he said. "What I meant when I said this week has been incredible is I've grown so much in self-acceptance since I've been here. I've seen the way you two live your lives, and I've seen how happy and how much in love the two of you are. I've also seen the boys, and those guys are incredible. You have so much to be proud of," I said. They looked at each other and smiled. "Thanks, Ken. We are proud," Rick said. "I've been doing a lot of thinking, and I've decided it's time for me to come out," I said. They didn't really respond, and I really didn't expect them to. "That's a big step. Are you sure you're ready for that?" Kevin asked. "Yeah, I'm ready." I said. "As long as I know y'all are behind me." "Well, we're behind you," Rick said. "Thanks. I thought I knew that, but I wanted to hear it," I said. * * * My parents lived quite a distance from North Lagoon Drive. In fact, it was clear across town. Driving there on Saturday morning took me a good forty-five minutes, and several times I was within a hair's breadth of turning back. I didn't, though. My dad was in the front yard on his riding lawnmower when I drove up. I honked the horn to catch his attention, and he grinned and waved at me when he realized who it was. He cut off the mower and came over to the car. He shook hands with me when I got out, and then he hugged me. "Hi, stranger. It's good to see you, son," he said. "It's good to see you, too, Dad," I said. "Are you back for good?" "No, sir. I came to get my stuff," I said. "I won't be coming back, Dad." He didn't respond except to smile, but I knew what he was thinking. He was thinking I had spent the previous week with my wife and that she and I had been reconciled. I didn't say anything. When we went inside, my mom was watching the Home and Garden Network on TV. They kept that on constantly on Saturdays. She jumped up when she realized it was me, and she grabbed me in a big hug. She kissed my cheek hard, like I had been gone years. "Did you have breakfast?" she asked. "Yes, ma'am," I said. "Can we turn off the TV so we can talk?" "Of course," she said, and she hit the "power" button on the remote. "I hope you're here with some good news," she said, all pert and cute. "Well, I've got news, but I'm not sure you'll necessarily think it's all that good," I said. "Dad and I have assumed you've been at your apartment with Carolyn," she said. "No, ma'am, I haven't been. I've been staying with some friends on the beach. Some gay friends, Mom," I said. "I don't understand," she said. "I do," my father said immediately. "Kenny, it's okay." I felt a sudden calmness come over me. He said it was okay! He knows what I'm talking about, and it's okay! "What's okay? What do you understand that I don't?" she asked. "Kenny is telling us he's gay, Sweetie. It's something you and I have talked about a hundred times," he said. "Oh," she said. "Are you disappointed in me?" I asked. "Son, the only time you have ever disappointed me was when you married Carolyn. We knew that wasn't going to work. We couldn't tell you that, of course, but we knew you weren't in love with her. You're in love with Wayne, aren't you?" When he said that, my stomach hit the floor. "Was I that obvious?" I asked. "Obvious? That's a pretty relative concept. No. People seeing you guys together would never have known. But parents know their children, son. And brothers know their brothers," Dad said. "Does he know, too?" I asked. "Your brother has suspected that you and Wayne are gay--and in love with each other--for a long, long time. Has he never said anything to you about it?" Dad asked. "No, sir. He hasn't," I said. "That's because he loves and respects you. Both you and Wayne," he said. "Dad, Wayne's not gay," I said. "Did he tell you that?" he asked. "Yes, sir, in no uncertain terms," I said. "All of us might be wrong, but you thought he was gay, didn't you?" he asked. "Yes, sir," I said. "Wayne's still got some growing up to do," he said. "Your mother and I are proud of you, Ken. Now you can get on with your life as who you really are. By the way, who are these gay friends you've been staying with?" "Kevin Foley and Rick Mashburn. They're the two Executive Vice Presidents of Goodson Enterprises, and they're wonderful. They run a foster home for gay boys, and other gay boys live there, too. One of the other boys living there is Kyle Goodson, Mister Goodson's son," I said. "Gene Goodson has a gay son? I guess we're in pretty good company," he said to my mom. "Dad, Mister Goodson had two gay sons. Clay, the older one, died in some kind of freak medical accident in Gainesville," I said. "And Gene Goodson is okay with his son being gay?" Dad asked. "I haven't met Mister Goodson, but evidently he is. Kyle has had the same boyfriend for two-and-a-half years, and those boys are so much in love," I said. "How old is Kyle?" "He's eighteen. He was president of the Student Government Association at Beachside High School last year, and he was totally out when he ran for office," I said. "Are these boys, er, . . . " "Effeminate? Not a bit. Dad, there's one in the house who is, but he's the exception. That effeminacy thing is a stereotype. Most of the guys in that house are every bit as masculine as I am, and Kyle and another guy, named Justin, are probably more masculine than me," I said. "You don't see that on TV, do you?" he said. "Dad, these are just ordinary guys. Some of them hate sports, and some of them love sports. I've watched more baseball this past week than I have in my whole life before now. One day I hope you can meet them because they'll change everything you ever thought about gay men," I said. "They did me, and I'm one of them." My parents both chuckled. "So, what happens next?" Mom asked. "Mom, I want to get my clothes and other stuff. I'm going to go back out to Kevin and Rick's, and, as soon as I can, I'm going to get my own place," I said. "I'm not living in the closet anymore. In time, people will forget that Carolyn and I were ever married. She'll find some straight guy who will love her and care for her. I'm not worried about that." "Did you ever love her, son?" Dad asked. "Dad, I love Carolyn to this very minute. I hope we can be friends for the rest of our lives. But that's all we ever were. Friends," I said. "You don't have to answer this, but it's something Mom and I are both curious about. Was there ever any sex between you two?" "Yes there was," I said. "Is that what made you know you were gay?" he asked. "No, Dad. I've known since I was thirteen. That's what made me know I couldn't be married," I said. * * * Mom and Dad both went to Popeye's to get fried chicken and other stuff for us to eat for lunch. I was sure they wanted some time together. I went back to my room and got busy packing. I felt so light, so free, so incredibly good that I can't even explain it. I basically just packed up my clothes, my CD's, a few DVD's, and small stuff. I'd wait until I had a place before I came back for the rest. Lunch was good. We didn't talk about me. We talked about relatives, especially my brother and sister, items in the local news, my job, their business. Just stuff you talk about. I wasn't ready to leave until around four. Dad helped me carry my stuff out to my car. We had a time fitting it all in, but eventually we did. Mom came out to tell me goodbye. "Ken, I gave birth to you many years ago, but today I feel like I've given birth to the real you. Thank you for trusting us, son. We love you," she said. She was crying a bit as she kissed me on the cheek. "You'll be over some, won't you?" Dad asked, as he pumped my hand. "Of course I will," I said. "I'm not turning into Queer as Folk. I'm the same son you've always had, only now you know." "Now we know for sure," Dad said. "Now we all know." "Yeah, I guess that's right," I said. "'Bye. I love you both more than I can say." "We love you, too, Kenny," Mom said "He wants to be called 'Ken,' not 'Kenny,'" Dad said. "I always want to be called 'Kenny' by you," I said. "I love you." * * * My life had made a sea change that day, but back on North Lagoon Drive things were as they always were. Kevin and Rick went to Mass that night, and we all went with them. We went out to eat at the same bar and grill they always went to. It was my first time there, and the atmosphere there was totally friendly and open. We had two waiters because we were such a large party, but they were ready for us. If those waiter boys weren't gay, then I didn't have any gaydar at all. Kyle told us about SCUBA diving and getting a mess of lobsters for us. "I took my first underwater pictures today," Kyle said. "Cool. Did you get some good ones?" Rick asked. "I think I got some very good ones of Philip," he said. "I need to go to the Caribbean to get good ones of fish," he said. "I can go to the Caribbean," Tim said. We all chuckled. "We're all going there eventually, that's for sure. The problem is finding the time. I said it before, and I'll say it again. School takes up too much fucking time," Kyle said. "It's way too confining." "I've learned more on the trips we've gone on than in school," Justin said. "See, that's what I mean," Kyle said. "You guys have been on some fabulous trips, and I have absolutely no doubt that you have learned a lot from your travels. The thing is, school gives you a much more complete picture of it all. I mean, take a history course, for example. Sure, you learn about the American Revolution when you go to Boston, but do you get the whole deal? Why it happened? What happened after the Revolution? Bits and pieces of it happened in different places. You need somebody to tie all that stuff together. That's what a real education is all about, guys," Kevin said. "Kevin, what kind of education do I need?" Kyle asked. "Tim and I might not want to come back here, you know? Has anybody ever thought about that? I know I'm going to inherit whatever my parents have to leave, but that's forty years from now. How old are we going to be then? Fifty-eight, sixty?" "Kyle, believe it or not, your dad and I have talked about that. He knows that you and Tim have to find your own way in the world. He respects that, Kyle," Kevin said. "Hold up. Wait a minute, here," Justin said. "Ain't you and me going to be partners, Kyle? That's what we've been saying, man, ain't it?" "That's what I want, Bubba. You know that, but there's no way in hell I'm going to insist we come back here if Tim gets some fabulous opportunity somewhere else. And you know the same damn thing is true for you and Brian," Kyle said. "I don't want to talk about this," Justin said. "And we don't have to right now. All I'm telling you is, nothing on this fucking earth is as important to me as this boy right here," Kyle said. "And I'm not going to make him give up his life so I can be some big shot in this one-horse town." "This isn't a one-horse town, Kyle," Justin said. "Maybe not, but it is compared to Los Angeles or New York or lots of other places, too," Kyle said. "Tim, what do you say?" Rick asked. "I say that Kyle and I will make our decisions together, as a couple, when the time comes. I haven't even graduated from high school yet. My God!" Tim said. I decided to change the subject. "By the way, guys, I came out to my parents today," I said. There was dead silence at the table when I said that. "What happened?" Brian asked. "They were okay with it. Evidently, they had suspected I was gay for a long time, and my dad and my brother thought Wayne and I were in love with each other," I said. "Is Wayne the one that popped you?" Kyle asked. "Yes," I said softly. "Are you in love with him?" Justin asked. "Yes, even after what he did. But if Wayne is gay, he's so deep in denial that there could never be anything between us," I said. "It's great about you coming out, but it's too bad about Wayne," Kevin said. "They got some cute little waiter boys around here," Justin said. "You might want to ask one of them out tonight. In fact, ask him out before he brings the check. He might put it on the house, if you do." We laughed. "I want to date, but I'm brand new to all of this," I said. "My wife, Carolyn, and I have been together since right after I graduated from high school. She's really the only girl I ever dated, and I haven't dated any guys." "You can take your time," Rick said. "Hell, there are some in your department, aren't there, Tony?" "You mean besides him and me?" Tony asked. "I mean, I could be wrong, but I don't think I am," Rick said. "Oh, I know who you're talking about," Tony said. "Yeah, and he seems like a really nice guy." "I can name four, not including these two," Kevin said. "Oh, yeah," Rick said. God, I wish you would name them, I thought. I couldn't believe I hadn't picked up on something, at least. "Tell us who they are," Kyle said. "Why do you care?" Kevin asked him. "I don't, but he does," Kyle said, indicating me. "All Ken has to do is casually mention to one or two people that he came out to his parents this weekend, and I guarantee that everybody in IS will know it by the end of the day. By the end of the week, he'll know exactly who the gay ones are," Rick said. "Should I do that?" I asked. "If you want to be fully out, that's about the only way to do it," Jeff said. "And guys won't approach you until you're fully out." "They won't?" I asked. I felt rather naive. Probably because I was. "You've been married. You still are, in fact, legally. Guys who might suspect you're gay won't come on to you because of that," Jeff said. "I know I wouldn't." The others agreed that they wouldn't, either, under those circumstances. I had a lot to think about after that discussion. I knew they were right, and I really did want to start dating. I wanted to find somebody like them, somebody who shared my values and whom I could love the way they each loved their partners. I felt as though I was starting the adventure of life.
Hearing that kid say he was Sean Kelly made me weak. "How did you get here?" I asked. "Greyhound," he said. "It took forever. I left the day before yesterday." It was pretty obvious he had been in those clothes that long. His hair was dark, and he had a fine shadow of beard all over his face. The Sean Kelly I had written to had said he was fifteen. That guy looked twenty, or older. "How old are you?" I asked. "I'm fifteen. Almost sixteen. I know I look older than that, though," he said. "Yeah, you look like you could be much older than that. Twenty. Twenty-five, even," I said. "Come on. Not that old, huh?" He had a captivating smile. He was very masculine acting, and he seemed very self-assured. I didn't know what to do. I still had two more hours of my shift, and I knew Stephen would be supremely pissed off if I asked him to cover the whole desk by himself. "Stephen, I'm taking my break," I said. "Okay. Who's the new friend? He's a hottie," Stephen said with a lurid grin. Stephen was so gay. He wasn't particularly effeminate, but he turned everything into a sexual situation. At first I had been put off by Stephen, as Kyle, Justin, and Tim had been. Now, we liked him a lot and considered him a good friend. "Yes, he is," I said. "I plan to ply him with coffee and get him into the backseat of my car." "You devil. Does that mean Tyler's now available?" "If you touch Tyler, I'll get Kyle and Justin to wear your ass out," I said. "Oh, my God, Jeff. I'm going to have an orgasm just from the thought of that," he said. I laughed. "I'll be back in a few minutes," I said. "Take your time. It might require two cups of coffee," he said. I took Sean to the employees' lounge. "Would you like some coffee?" I asked. "I'd love some," he said. "Is it okay to smoke in here?" "Yeah. Just don't blow it in my direction," I said. He lit up, and I put a cup of coffee down in front of him. "So, talk to me," I said. "Well, where do I begin? I got your email, and I was going to call you. I got it at school, actually, and I didn't have my phone with me. I was going to call as soon as I got home, but the wrath of God was waiting for me when I got there. I had ordered a couple of gay porn DVD's, and they had come in that day. My mother opened them. She called my father, and they were waiting there for me. It got pretty ugly," he said. "Did they hit you or anything?" I asked. "Oh, no. They would never lower themselves to that. We're upper-middle class, after all," he said ironically. "No, they wanted us to engage in 'dialogue.' Actually, they wanted to engage in monologue, and I was to be the audience," he said. "For--oh, I don't know--seven hours, let's say?" "Shit," I said. "Oh, yeah. Shit is right," he said. He was obviously extremely intelligent and very articulate. On the sophistication scale, this was no Justin Davis or Kyle Goodson I was dealing with. This kid was slick. "What did you do? Just sit there and listen?" I asked. "I sat there, certainly, but I'm not sure how much I listened. Something they commented on several times, by the way. Jeff, they simply will not take me seriously. They tell me I'm not gay. I tell them I've got the condoms to prove it. They say it's a normal adolescent flirtation with homosexuality that I'll outgrow. I say it's the way I am. I had been dating this boy for about a month. They said I was to have nothing more to do with him, and they got a court restraining order against him. I wasn't in love with Jared, but, damn it, I should be able to choose who I date," he said. "How old is Jared?" I asked. "He's twenty-one," he said. Wow, that's quite an age difference, I thought. "I need to make a couple of phone calls, okay?" I said. "Sure," he said. "I guess my showing up here was a bit of a surprise." "Yeah, it was." I called Justin's cell phone number, but I got his voice mail. Shit, I thought. Then I called the main house number, and Kyle answered. "Hello," Kyle said. "Kyle, it's me. Is Justin home?" "Hey, Jeff. What's going on, Bubba?" Kyle said. "A lot. I want to talk to Justin," I said. "You don't want to talk to me? That hurts my feelings, Jeff. As much as I care about you," he said. "Kyle, you are a total shithead. Get Justin on the phone," I demanded. Kyle burst out laughing. "Okay, let me find him. I think he's working out," he said. "I'm moving toward the French doors to the patio. I'm turning the handle and opening the door. I'm stepping out onto the patio right now, headed toward the clubhouse. Nobody is in the pool or on the patio. The dogs are with me." He was whispering like he was broadcasting a golf game, and I was laughing. "I'm opening the door of the weight room in the clubhouse. I'm greeted by the acrid aroma of male sweat, and I immediately develop an erection. I spot Justin across the room. He's nude, and his short arm is rampant. I'm approaching him from the rear. He hasn't spotted me yet, and the music is so loud he can't even hear me talking to you. I move up behind him, and I scream 'BOO!!!'" "Jesus Christ! You scared the fucking shit out of me, man. Don't ever do that again. I could have dropped this fucking thing down on my neck and died," he shouted. "I could have broken my Adam's Apple." "If you had done that, we could have had Adam's Apple sauce," Kyle said. "I ain't never had that before." I was laughing so hard I could barely breathe. "It's for you," he said. "Who is it?" Justin asked, still obviously pissed off at Kyle. "It's Jeff," Kyle said. "Turn that music down, Kyle," Justin said. "Do you know what he just did to me?" Justin said when he took the phone. "Yeah, I heard every word of it," I said. "Why are you laughing? It ain't funny," he said. "Yes, it is," I said. "And you know it." "Well, it might be a little bit funny," he said. "Are you nude with your short arm rampant?" I asked. There was a longish pause. "Jeff, if this is phone sex, I need some time to get cleaned up, Bubba," he said. I was laughing so hard tears were streaming down my face. "Are you nude with a rampant short arm?" I asked. "No, I've got on gym shorts, and I'm soft as a down pillow," he said. "I know you don't want phone sex. What do you want?" "I want you to come and work the rest of my shift for me. I'll pay you back. I promise," I said. "All right. What's going on?" he asked. "Sean Kelly's here," I said. "The guy in Virginia that we've been worrying about?" he asked. "Yeah, only he's not in Virginia. He's here," I said. "I'm totally nasty right now, but I'll be there as fast as I can. In fact, I'm going to make Goodson go in until I can get there. He owes me," Justin said. "Okay. Thanks a lot, Jus," I said. "No thanks about it. That's just the way we do. 'Bye. Let me go shower and get dressed," he said. "It sounded like you were having quite a good time," Sean said. "Yeah, well, it was Kyle and Justin. They always make us laugh," I said. "I can't wait to meet them," he said. "Look, Justin is coming to take my place, but he's sending Kyle over here until he can get showered and dressed," I said. "You wait in here, okay? Do you have money for the vending machine?" "Yeah," he said. "I'll be okay." I went back out to the desk. "Well, I see there's no assignation in progress," Stephen said. "No. Justin's coming in to work out the rest of my shift, but Kyle will be here in a few minutes to give Justin time to clean up and get dressed," I said. "Where are you going?" Stephen asked. "I need to go see Kevin and Rick. This is family business," I said. "Oh, 'family' business. I'm surprised you're not driving over to Destin to see Old Man Goodson," he said. "'Old Man Goodson?'" I asked. "Well 'young-looking-middle-aged-Goodson' then," he said. "That's better," I said, and we both laughed. Kyle walked in just then. "Damn, you got here fast," I said. He was in shorts and a polo shirt, but that would have to do. "Speed limits don't apply in an emergency. Where is he?" "He's in the lounge," I said. Kyle started walking toward the lounge, and I caught up with him. He walked into the lounge right before me. Sean was sitting at the same table, smoking and reading the newspaper. "Hi, I'm Kyle Goodson, and you must be Sean," Kyle said. Sean got a bright smile on his face as he looked up from the paper. He stood and approached Kyle. They shook hands. "It's good to meet you. I feel as though I know you," Sean said. "From what Jeff's written?" Kyle asked. Not a trace of an accent. "Yeah," he said. "I think Jeff writes very well, and I also think he really captures us pretty accurately," Kyle said. "I expected you to have an accent. You look about like what I expected, but you don't talk like it," Sean said. "I really do talk the way you think I do. I just didn't know you just now, so I wanted to sound good," Kyle said. "That's the accent I expected to hear," Sean said. He was grinning. "Well, y'all need to get your asses over to see Kevin and Rick, and I need to get my ass out there to pester Stephen a little bit," Kyle said. "Be nice to Stephen, Kyle," I said. "I'm just going to tease him in fun. I like that guy," Kyle said. "I know. Let's go, Sean. Do you have bags or anything?" I asked. "Yeah. I left them in the lobby," he said. We recovered his bags and left for the Goodson Building. * * * I had been to the Goodson Building a bunch of times with Kyle, to use the machines they had there, but I had only been one time during the business day. That was the day I did my personnel work for my job. We went up to the fifth floor where Kevin and Rick had their offices. I followed the signs that pointed the way to where they were. I found the office that had Kevin's name on it. I opened the door, and I was instantly greeted. "Hi, may I help you?" It was Kevin's secretary, Mary Ann Pennington. I had heard her praises sung many times. "I'm Jeff Martin, and I wondered if I could see Mr. Foley," I said. She thought for a moment. "You're Jeff? Oh, my God! I know who you are," she said. "You're one of them!" I didn't know what that meant, exactly, but she was obviously friendly. She got up and came around her desk. She extended her hand to shake mine, and we did. "You know who I am?" I asked. "Of course. I know who all of Kevin and Rick's family are," she said. "They talk about you guys all the time." "This is Sean Kelly," I said. "I know I should have called, but it's kind of sudden." "Have a seat, fellows. Kevin and Rick are both in there with Tony Miller, our Information Services director. You work for Goodson, don't you, Jeff?" "Yes, ma'am," I said. "I'm a desk clerk at the Laguna." "And you and Clay . . . " "Yes, ma'am," I said. "So, you're really Goodson family, not just Foley-Mashburn family," she said. "Yeah, I guess I am," I said. The door opened just then, and Kevin, Rick, and Tony were laughing as they were coming out. "Jeff! What are you doing here, man?" Rick said when he saw me. "I'm here to talk to you and Kevin. I realize I should have made an appointment, but I've got Sean Kelly with me," I said. "Oh," Rick said. "Back it up, Tony." They went back into Kevin's office, and Sean and I followed. "Can we have some refreshments, please," Kevin said to Mary Ann before he went in. "Yes, sir," she said. "Kevin, Rick, Tony. This is Sean Kelly," I said, and they all shook hands. "Have a seat, guys," Kevin said. "When did you get in, Sean?" "A couple of hours ago. I know this is cheeky of me, but I had to leave where I was," he said. "No, you're welcome," Rick said. "I don't know if you'll be able to stay, but we'll work on that." "We all read your letter to Jeff. Did you ever call him?" Tony asked. "You read it?" Sean asked. "Tony is Chuck's boyfriend, and Chuck is part of the brotherhood. So that means Tony is, too," I said. "Oh," Sean said. "No. I wanted to, but things got out of hand. So I just left." "Do your parents know where you are?" Kevin asked. "No," Sean said. "Well, before we say another word, you're calling them right now and letting them know you're safe," Kevin said. Sean got a pained look on his face. "I mean it, Sean, or we're not talking to you for another minute," Kevin said. There was a long silence. "Okay," Sean finally said. Kevin handed him his phone, and he punched in the number. There was a long pause, like maybe an answering machine kicked in. "Mom and Dad, this is Sean. I want you to know I'm safe and doing well. I'm where I belong. 'Bye." "That was awfully quick," Rick said. "Yeah, but that's the way it is with them," he said. "Besides, it was just the machine." Kevin and Rick had pained looks on their faces. "So. Sean. You present us with a legal problem," Kevin said. "How so?" Sean asked. "Well, you're a minor and a runaway," he said. "We need to deal with that." "I'm only a minor by age," Sean said. "Yeah, I know. That's kind of the definition of 'minor,' though," Kevin said. "And it's kind of the definition of 'runaway,' too." "Are you saying you're not going to shelter me?" Sean asked. "No, we didn't say that. But Sean, we're only going to do what's legal. We're not going to jeopardize what we've got going with the other boys for you, son. That can't happen," Rick said. "But it's so beautiful here. I heard Jeff talking on the phone to Kyle and Justin a little while ago, and they were all laughing. That's all I want. A little fun and a little laughter in life," Sean said. The four Emerald Beach guys in that room were quiet. I knew all of us wanted that kid to be happy, and we all knew he could be very happy on North Lagoon Drive. But Rick was absolutely right. They couldn't jeopardize what they were doing just for him. It was almost four o'clock, and the guys would be home from school by then. "Let's go home," Kevin said. And we did. |