Chapter
Thirty – David and Purev
As the boys
entered David’s room, Purev said, “Wow!
I love your room!”
The room
had a four poster bed made of cherry wood with a canopy showing the solar
system. David’s desk and dresser were
also made of cherry wood. He had
several framed posters on the walls of different robots.
David
blushed, “I’m glad you like it.”
Purev
walked over to take a closer look at one of David’s posters. “These robots are really cool.”
“Those are
the robots that the Virginia Tech robotics department built. They play soccer,” David said. “I’ve built one of my own based on their
robot design.” David walked over to his
desk and opened the bottom drawer. He
pulled out the diminutive robot and sat it on the floor. He flipped a switch on the back of the
robot. He handed the robot controller
to Purev. “This lever moves the robot
forward and backward. This joy stick
causes it to rotate.”
Purev
grinned at David and said, “Thanks for letting me play with your robot.”
The two
boys took turns moving the robot around the room. David pulled out a couple of miniature
soccer balls for the robot to kick. After
a while, David said, “We should go to bed.
It’s after midnight.”
Purev
nodded his head in agreement, “You’re right.”
He sat down on David’s bed and looked up at David. “Can I ask you a question?”
David sat
down next to Purev on the bed, their legs barely touching. “Sure.”
“Are you
gay?” Purev asked, watching David closely to gage his reaction to his question.
David
looked into Purev’s eyes and said, “I don’t know for sure but I think I
am. Why?”
“I thought
you might be gay or at least, I hoped you were gay because I really like you,”
Purev said. “I have always been
attracted to guys. My parents thought
it was just a stage I was going through and that I would grow out of it. How long have you known that you like guys?”
“I haven’t
really figured that out. But I can tell
you that I’m not all that interested in girls.
I think they are too emotional.
My sister is really smart but she sometimes lets her emotions get in the
way. Some of the guys I’ve met function
purely on emotion as well. I can’t
stand being around emotional people,” David.
“I have no patience for illogical people or those who are intelligent
but don’t use their intelligence.”
“Am I too
emotional for you?” Purev asked, hoping he hadn’t shown himself to be beneath
David’s standards. He really liked
David and wanted to make a good impression on him.
“I don’t
know. All I know is that I like talking
to you,” David responded with a smile.
“You seem to be smart and I can hold a conversation with you which is
totally awesome!”
Purev reached
over and took David’s hand in his. “Do
I have to sleep on the trundle bed? I’d
much rather sleep with you.”
David
smiled, “I was hoping you would ask me that.
Yes, you can sleep with me on my bed.”
Here David paused and his face took on a solemn look. “I have to be honest with you, Purev. My Dads are pretty strict about not dating
until we are 16 and not having sex before we’re 18.”
Purev
looked surprised, “Really? I would’ve
thought they would be pretty open to letting you do what you want.”
David shook
his head, “In some ways, they are very relaxed about things. However, when it comes to dating and having
sex with someone, they are pretty strict.
Kyle won’t be 16 until next September and he hasn’t dated anyone
either.”
“Do you
always do what your Dads tell you?” Purev asked seriously. He wanted to be David’s boyfriend in every
sense of the word.
“Yes, I do
because I love them and I know they wouldn’t ask me to do something unless it
was important. They have asked us to
talk to them about having sex with someone before we do it. They aren’t totally opposed to it but they
want to make sure we aren’t going to get hurt.
In fact, Dad has already showed me where he keeps his stash of
condoms. He wants to make sure that if
we decide to be sexually active, that we have safe sex.”
“But you
just told me that they don’t approve of you having sex before you’re 18,” Purev
said, confused.
“That’s
because they think we are too young to understand the consequences of our
actions,” David said. “However, my Dads
have always included us in their discussions and decision-making. They have expressed their concerns and
shared their reasons with us. We talked
about those reasons and we collectively decided on what our standards would be
as a family.”
“I can’t
believe your Dads let you decide what the rules are. My parents dictated to me what I could and
couldn’t do,” Purev said. “That’s why
they threw me out. They couldn’t handle
not being in control of my life.”
“My Dads
are really pretty cool about most things.
Dad told us that his job was to teach us correct principles and after
that it was up to us to govern ourselves.
We wrote down what we thought those correct principles were and debated
them among ourselves. Our Dads worked
with us to craft our family principles and then we voted on whether or not we
should adopt them as part of our family rules.
In fact, I wrote the one about no sex before age 18 after we talked
about it and did some research. I originally
put the age limit at 21 but Kyle complained he would have to remain a virgin
until after he graduated from college,” David said.
“Why did you
want it to be 21?” Purev asked curiously.
He was amazed that anyone, particularly a teenager, would want to limit
their sexual activity.
“All of my
research showed that pre-marital sex between teenagers in high school increases
the risk of not finishing school or at a minimum causes lower grades and
reduces the likelihood of students going on to college,” David said. “As for sex during the college years, my
research found that sexual activity also had a negative impact on grades at the
college level as well. I think that
having sex before getting married shows a huge lack of discipline and
self-control.”
Purev’s
face fell and he looked away from David.
His hopes of being David’s boyfriend seemed to be diminishing by the
second. David saw the look on Purev’s
face and said, “But that doesn’t mean we can’t be boyfriends.”
Purev gave
David a confused look and asked, “But how can we be boyfriends if you won’t
have sex with me?”
“We can
still be boyfriends,” David insisted.
“We don’t need to have sex to be boyfriends.”
Purev shook
his head in disbelief. “You can’t
really mean that, David. I always
thought that the only way you could truly be boyfriends was to have sex with
each other. How will you know if you
like being with them if you aren’t fucking each other?”
“Purev, the
act of copulation is purely a physical act.
Anyone can perform sexual acts with another guy but that doesn’t mean
they are boyfriends. To me, the
definition of a boyfriend isn’t whether or not you’ve had sex with each
other. It’s about being best
friends. Like tonight for example, I
have never been able to relate to another guy like I have been able to do with
you, Purev. You are smart, funny, and
good looking. A boyfriend needs to be
loyal, kind, loving, gentle, and totally into being together with me. A boyfriend needs to understand me and be
willing to help me become a better person and I will do the same for them. Purev, I want you to be my boyfriend.”
Purev
looked at David. His indecision was
evident on his face. Finally, he asked,
“But does this mean we have to wait until you’re 18 to have sex?”
“Yes, it
does. I think it’s important to get to
know each other and to make sure we are really meant to be together,” David
said.
“Maybe it
would be better if we just remained friends, David. I want to be fucked by my boyfriend. I get so horny sometimes I can’t wait to
have an intimate relationship with another guy. I don’t want to wait,” Purev said.
It was
David’s turn to feel disappointed. “I’m
sorry, Purev. I can’t do that right
now. I guess we will just have to be good
friends,” David said glumly; his disappointment expressing itself in the drooping
of his shoulders and in the downcast look on his face.
Feeling bad
for rejecting David’s request to be boyfriends, Purev leaned over and kissed
David on the lips. “Maybe when you’re
16, we can talk about being boyfriends.”
David
smiled, “Okay, but you have to promise you’ll still be my friend.”
Purev
nodded his head. “I promise I’ll be
your friend, David.”
David stood
up and pulled out the trundle bed. He
turned and retrieved a blanket and a pillow out of his closet. The trundle bed already had clean sheets on
it. Purev made up his bed and then
stripped down to his boxer shorts.
Purev noticed David watching him closely and smiled, “Okay, you’ve seen
me in my underwear. Now, it’s time for
you to show me yours.”
David stood
up and shyly stripped off his clothes.
He wore white briefs. Purev
laughed, “I thought only little boys wore that kind of underwear.”
David
blushed but replied, “I like them. My
Dads like to wear Speedo bikini briefs and Kyle likes his boxers.” He climbed into his bed and pulled the
covers up to his chin. He was feeling
dejected after their discussion about being boyfriends and Purev’s comment
about his briefs only made things worse.
Purev
walked over and turned out the light and then climbed into bed. He said, “I’m sorry, David. I didn’t mean to make fun of your
underwear.”
“It’s okay. Kyle likes to tease me about it, too. It doesn’t bother me because it’s what I
like to wear,” David said. “Good night,
Purev.”
“Good
night, David,” he replied.
*** ***
David
couldn’t sleep. His mind kept going
over his conversation with Purev. He
knew what Purev wanted went against everything his Dads had taught him about
building a relationship of trust with someone.
He finally climbed out of his bed and silently crossed the room and
opened the door. He walked down the
hall to his Dads’ room. The door was
slightly ajar and he pushed it open. He
could see his Dads sleeping in each other’s arms. He walked over to the bed and sat down on
the edge.
He watched
as his Dad’s eyes opened and stared up into his own. Rick said, “What’s wrong, David?”
“I need
someone to hug me, Dad,” David replied.
Rick shook
my shoulder and I rolled over. “What?”
I asked sleepily.
Rick
replied, “Wake up, Babe. David needs
us.”
I looked
over and saw David sitting next to Rick on the bed. “Okay,” I said.
After I
moved away from Rick to make room for David, Rick said, “Okay, son, climb in.”
David
slipped into the space between us. Rick
pulled the blankets over us and we wrapped our arms around the young man. David asked, “Am I so different than
everyone else?”
Rick asked,
“No. Why do you ask?”
“I told
Purev I wanted to be boyfriends but that I didn’t want to have sex with him
until I was older,” David said.
“Okay,” I
replied. “How is that a problem?”
“He said he
wants to have sex now and doesn’t want to wait,” David said.
“That’s his
choice to make, David,” Rick said. “You
have to respect his decision to have sex with someone just as he should respect
your wish not to have sex until you are ready.”
“David, why
did we as a family decide that our rules would be that you would not have sex
with anyone until age 18?” I asked.
“Because we
decided that sex should be between two people who love each other,” David said.
“Did we set
an age limit?” Rick asked.
“Yes, we
did. I wanted it to be 18 and I still
think it should be 18,” David said.
“Why do you
feel that way?” I asked.
“Because I
want to be married to the person I have sex with for the first time,” David
said. “When I give myself to someone,
it will be to the one I love.”
“We agree
with you, David. We support you 100
percent,” Rick said. “What are you
going to do about Purev?”
David said,
“I already told him I wanted to wait until we were older.”
“Did he say
he wouldn’t be your friend if you didn’t have sex with him?” I asked.
“No. He promised we would still be friends,”
David said.
“Then you
should be happy he has agreed to be your friend. When you are older, you can ask him to be
your boyfriend if you still feel that way about him,” I said.
David
nodded his head. “I know that, Daddy, but
I still wanted to make sure I’m doing the right thing.”
“Rest
assured, David, you’re doing the right thing by waiting to have sex,” I said.
David
hugged each of us and said, “I love you.”
“We love
you, too, son,” Rick said.
“I’m going
back to my bed now,” David said.
Rick stood
up and pulled David into his arms.
“Good night, son,” he said releasing the young man from his embrace. David left the room, closing the door behind
him.
Rick
returned to his place beside me and pulled me into his arms. “I’m glad he told Purev, “no.” I was worried that we had made a mistake by
letting the two boys share a room tonight,” I said.
Rick said,
“I wasn’t worried. David knows what he
wants and isn’t easily swayed by peer pressure.”
“You’re
right about that,” I said with a sigh.
Rick
laughed, “Be grateful he has a good head on his shoulders and knows how to use
it.”
“Oh, I’m
not complaining about David’s intelligence.
However, I wish he were a little more malleable sometimes. He is so stubborn! He reminds of his father in that regard,” I
said.
Rick
laughed, again, “Yes, he is just as stubborn as I am. That’s a good character trait in my book.”
“It is a
good trait but it can be a difficult one sometimes,” I replied.
Rick kissed
me and said, “Let’s just say you love me and leave it at that.”
“Yes, I do
love you; stubbornness and all,” I replied.
I snuggled
closer to him and rested my head on his chest.
I soon drifted off to sleep.
*** ***
Purev awoke
with a start and looked up at the ceiling wondering where in the world he
was. He rolled over and caught site of
David’s sleeping form on the bed next to him.
He remembered their conversation from the night before and wished he
hadn’t been so forthright about wanting to have sex with someone. He really liked David and hated himself for
hurting David’s feelings.
Maybe they
could be boyfriends without having to fuck each other’s brains out. He had read a lot of erotic stories on the
internet and his ideas of having a boyfriend mostly came from what he had read. Since he didn’t know anyone his age that was
gay, he didn’t have a frame of reference for what would be considered normal behavior
for gay boys who wanted to date someone.
He only knew that his straight friends at school all considered a
serious relationship to mean they were fucking their girlfriends. In
fact, they thought it was a badge of honor to prove they were real men. Talking to David last night had set him to
thinking that maybe he should talk to some of the gay adults he knew about
dating and courtship practices among gay men.
Maybe Scott and Alonzo could help him out.
His bladder
soon had him up and moving to the en suite to relief himself. As he return, he noticed that David was
awake and staring up at the ceiling. He
said, “Good morning, David.”
“Good
morning, Purev,” David replied, sitting up in his bed.
Purev
walked over and sat down on David’s bed.
“Do you still want me to be your boyfriend?”
David
smiled and responded, “Yes, I do.”
“I thought
about what you said last night and decided that I don’t need to have sex with
you to be your boyfriend,” Purev said.
He pulled back the blankets and joined David in his bed. He leaned over and kissed him.
David
pulled back in surprise when Purev tried to push his tongue past his lips. “What kind of kiss is that?”
“It’s
called French kissing,” Purev said.
“You’re the
first person I’ve kissed,” David said.
The boys
were still experimenting with French kissing when they were interrupted by a
knock on David’s door.
Rick said
through the door, “May I come in?”
David
released Purev from his embrace and said, “Yes, Dad.”
Rick opened
the door and smiled when he saw the two boys.
“I guess you decided to be boyfriends after all.”
“Yes, we
did,” David said.
Purev
looked up at Rick uncertainly. He
hadn’t thought about how David’s Dads would react.
Rick asked,
“May I ask what since our conversation last night?”
Purev
looked at David in surprise. David
hadn’t said anything about his Dads or any conversation they might have
had. David explained, “I couldn’t sleep
last night I was so upset so I got up and went into my Dads’ bedroom to talk to
them about it.”
Purev said,
“I apologized to David this morning for insisting that we had to have sex in
order to be boyfriends.”
Rick nodded
his head, “Good. I hoped that you would
realize that David was right about not needing to have sex with you in order to
become boyfriends.”
Purev said,
“I’m sorry I made David upset. I was
being selfish and I hope you’ll forgive me.”
“David,
you’re the one he offended. Are you
satisfied with his apology?” Rick asked.
“Yes, I
think we will be okay,” David responded.
“Good. Apology accepted, Purev. It’s time for breakfast. Please get cleaned up and join us in the
kitchen,” Rick said. He left the two
boys to take care of their bodily needs, etc.
David said,
“You take the shower in here and I will use the one in the hallway.” He grabbed some clean underwear from his
drawer and his towel from his en suite.
He said, “There’s a clean towel for you on the rack.”
A few
minutes later, they both returned to David’s bedroom to finish getting
dressed. Purev pushed the trundle bed
back under David’s bed and then walked over to David’s dresser. He picked up a photograph and asked, “Is this
your mom and dad.”
“Yes,
that’s our entire family. It’s the last
photograph we have of everyone together.
My mom and dad were killed in a car accident and grandma died of
cancer. My Dads adopted us last year,”
David said.
“I wondered
what happened to your parents,” Purev said.
“Doesn’t it feel weird to be adopted?”
“No, it
doesn’t bother me. I have known my Dads
since the 3rd grade. I was
in the 3rd grade when my mom and dad died. My Grandma was in a nursing home at the time
and couldn’t take care of us. I
remember Mrs. Evans took us to my Dads’ house to stay until my Grandma was well
enough to take care of us. Daddy took
me into arms and held me when I figured out that my parents weren’t coming
home. My Dads have been there for me
every time I’ve needed them even before my Grandma died,” David said.
“That is
really cool! For me, it’s been Mr.
Eccles. He is one of our
neighbors. His partner died and he
lives alone now. When my parents kicked
me out of their house, I didn’t know where to go at first. Then, I thought of Mr. Eccles. He’s gay and I figured he would understand
what I was going through with my parents,” Purev said.
“Are you
going to live with Mr. Eccles now?” David asked.
“I don’t
know. Mr. Eccles has told me he would
adopt me if my parents will terminate their parental rights. He is worried that he’ll die before I’m 18,”
Purev said sadly. “His health isn’t
good.”
I overheard
the last part of their conversation as I stood in the doorway to David’s
bedroom. Purev startled when I said,
“Purev, Scott and Alonzo have told us about Mr. Eccles and his concerns. I wouldn’t worry too much about things. I’m sure that between Mr. Eccles, Scott and
Alonzo, everything will work out just fine.”
Purev
looked at me with a doubtful expression.
“After what my parents did to me, I worry about everything.”
“Purev, may
I give you a hug? You look like you
need one,” I said.
He nodded
his head and permitted me to pull him into my embrace. “Purev, please trust us to take care of
you.” I smoothed his hair with my hand
and then released him.
He looked
up at me and said, “I trust you.”
I smiled at
him and replied, “You can trust Scott and Alonzo, too.”
Purev
returned my smile. “I like Scott and
Alonzo. Scott is so good looking.”
“But he’s
married, Purev,” David pointed out.
“I don’t
care if he’s married. He’s still good
looking,” Purev insisted.
“I agree
he’s very good looking and if we weren’t married, I would be very interested in
him,” I said with a grin. “We have the
same taste in men it seems, Purev.”
Purev
nodded. “Scott is my dream guy.”
David
protested, “I thought you like me, Purev.”
Purev
responded, “I do like you but I think Scott is super “hot.” Don’t you think so, David?”
Before
David could reply, I said, “It’s time to eat breakfast. We’ve been waiting for you two to join us. Let’s go.
We can debate about Scott’s good looks over breakfast.”
The two
boys preceded me out of the room. We
met Rick on the stairs. He moved to the
side to let the boys pass and I put my arm around his waist as he turned to go
back down.
Rick gave
me a quick kiss. “I was beginning to
think you had gotten lost somewhere.”
“I did,” I
replied with a grin. “We got
sidetracked discussing “hot” studs.”
Rick
laughed, “How typical. I should have
known you couldn’t resist talking about good looking guys.”
“It’s
because I have such good taste in men,” I said as we entered the kitchen.
Kyle
overheard my comment and remarked, “Yes, Daddy chose well when he chose you,
Dad.”
Rick smiled
and said, “Of course, he did.”
I walked
over and took my seat next to Rick. I
leaned over and gave him a quick kiss.
“I love you, sweetheart.”
Rick said,
“Let us say grace.”
We reached
out and took the hand of the person on either side of us. Rick led us in saying grace. Afterwards, we dug into the heaping plates
of pancakes, sausage, eggs, and fried potatoes.
We heard the front door open and Cameron and Skye came into the kitchen
followed by their Dads, Zach and Todd.
Cameron
said, “We brought a fruit bowl.” He
handed me a bowl with mixed fruit in it:
watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple, strawberries, kiwi and grapes. I placed it on the table.
“Sorry
we’re late,” Zach said.
“Not a
problem,” Rick said. “There is plenty
of food for everyone.”
Zach looked
across the table and asked, “David, who is your friend?”
David
grinned and said, “Uncle Zach, this is Purev Javklan.”
Zach said,
“Nice to meet you Purev.”
David said
proudly, “Uncle Zach plays hockey for the Washington Capitals.”
Purev’s
eyes grew round with excitement, “You’re number 43!”
“Yes, my
jersey number is 43,” Zach replied with a smile. “I’m glad to see you’re a hockey fan!”
“I love
hockey and the Washington Capitals are my team. You must be Zachary Anderson-Ingram,” Purev
said. “You have scored most of the
Capitals’ goals over the last six games.”
Zach looked
impressed, “Wow! A real, live Capitals’
fan right here at our breakfast table!”
Skye said,
“Dad made two goals last night and he has another game tonight.”
“That’s so
awesome! I thought the tonight was an
away game,” Purev said.
“It
is. I have to leave in about an hour
for the airport,” Zach said.
“I’m going
with him this time and we will be back on Tuesday,” Todd said.
Cameron
said, “We are staying with Uncle Rick and Uncle Glenn while they’re gone.”
They
finished their breakfast and then everyone helped clear the dishes. The kitchen was clean in a flash and
everyone moved into the family room.
Zach and Todd hugged and kissed their boys.
“Boys, I
expect you to listen to your uncles while we’re gone,” Zach said, looking each
boy in the eye. They both nodded their
understanding.
“We’ll be
good,” Cameron said.
“Good,”
Todd said. “We’ll see you guys.” He turned to me and Rick, “Thanks, guys, for
watching the boys for us.”
Rick
grinned, “Not a problem, Todd.”
I stood up
and went over to them. I kissed each
one on the lips and gave them a hug. “I
love you both. Have a great time and be
safe!”
Zach
grinned, “We will do both. I promise
you!”
Zach put
his arm around Todd’s waist as they made their way out of the house. Purev turned to David and said, “You never
told me your uncle was on the hockey team!”
David
responded calmly, “You didn’t ask me about my uncles.”
David’s
tone of voice reminded Purev that to David’s logical mind, he should have asked
a question about David’s uncles if he wanted to know more about them. He’d have to remember that for future
reference.
Cameron
asked, “May be go ice skating today?”
“Sure,” I
responded. “Does everyone else want to
go?” There was a chorus of approval
from the rest of the children. “Okay,
then we’ll go skating. Open skating
begins at 11:30. We have time for your
Spanish lessons this morning before we have to leave for the recreation
center.”
The older
children groaned. “Do we have to?” Kyle
asked with very noticeable whine in his voice.
“I’m already taking Spanish at school.”
“Yes,
everyone has to attend our Spanish lessons, especially those you have it in
school. You have to admit that
practicing Spanish at home has helped you get good grades at school,” I said.
Kyle said,
with reluctance, “Yes, it did help me with the last test I took.”
Purev
pointed to the little yellow notes attached to the lamp and lamp table and
asked, “What are all the notes for?”
“Each note
has the object’s name in English, Spanish, French and German to help us
increase our vocabulary,” I said.
Purev
asked, “Do you speak all of those languages?”
Rick
answered, “No, we don’t. That’s why we
are all learning them together. I speak
Spanish, Glenn speaks French and Spanish, Todd speaks German and Zach speaks
French.”
“We take
turns teaching the different languages to the boys,” I said. “I’m enjoying the challenge of learning a
new language.”
“Isn’t it
hard to learn too many languages at once?” Purev asked. “I speak Khalkha like my parents but I
learned English at school.”
Kyle
responded to Purev’s question, “It’s hard but it’s fun at the same time. My little brothers already speak Spanish and
French fluently with my Dads.”
“They like
to keep secrets from us sometimes by speaking French,” Ashley said. “But I’m learning it, too, so they won’t be
able to do that for much longer.” She
caught JJ up in her arms as he dashed past her with Josh in hot pursuit. “Why are you running for Josh?”
JJ pointed
at his twin and said, “He’s trying to tickle me. He’s pretending to be a tickle monster.”
Josh
giggled and wiggled his fingers at JJ as if to tickle him. JJ laughed and clung to Ashley, “Save me
from the tickle monster!”
I asked,
“JJ and Josh, are you ready to study Spanish this morning?”
Josh answered, “Sí, estoy listo a estudiar.” (Yes, I’m ready to
study)
I continued
in Spanish, “Sit down please and let’s go over the vocabulary words.”
I pointed
to the different objects in the room and pronounced their names. They repeated them after me. We also did some conversational dialogues
and reviewed verb conjugations.
After about
an hour, I said, in English, “We’re done for today. Are we ready to go ice skating?”
The younger
boys shouted in chorus, “Yes, we are!”
“Okay, get
your ice skates and let’s go,” I said smiling at their enthusiasm.
Purev said,
“I don’t have ice skates.”
“We’ll rent
some for you at the recreation center,” I replied.
Rick said,
“I’ll grab our skates from the hall closet.
We will need to take two cars, Glenn.”
I nodded my
head in agreement, “You’re right. There
are too many of us to fit into one vehicle.”
After
everyone had their gear, we piled into our cars and caravanned to the
recreation center. We paid our entry
fee and rented skates for Purev. Ashley
and Kyle assisted the younger boys with their skates while David helped
Purev. Soon everyone was on the
ice. Cameron and Skye were showing off
for Purev.
Purev shook
his head in amazement, “How do they do that?”
“You have
to remember that their Dads are good skaters.
Both Todd and Zach played hockey in college,” I said.
David said,
“I’ll teach you how to skate, Purev.”
David took Purev’s hand and helped him out onto the ice. David guided him around the outer edge of
the rink. After a couple of times
around, Purev seemed to have the hang of it and the two boys moved out from the
edge of the ice.
Kyle
organized a game of tag on the ice.
Fortunately, there weren’t many other skaters so the game didn’t
endanger anyone. I sat out the game on
the sidelines with JJ and Josh. Cameron
and Skye managed to tag Kyle every time, much to his chagrin. The two boys were ecstatic to say the
least! They would come at Kyle from two
different directions and while he was avoiding one, the other would tag
him. JJ and Josh would cheer them on as
they passed us chasing Kyle around the rink.
Purev said,
“I love your family, David. They are so
much fun to be around.”
“They are a
lot of fun,” David acknowledged.
When the
children tired of their game, Kyle came over to sit by me and said, “I like
Purev. Do you think we can convince him
to transfer to Edison?”
“Maybe, but
we need to talk to his friend, Mr. Eccles.
Purev can’t transfer to Edison unless his parents agree and right now,
they aren’t speaking to him,” I said.
“Couldn’t
you and Dad adopt him?” Kyle asked.
“We could
but let’s see how things work out for Purev with his family,” I said. “We shouldn’t give up hope that his parents
will see the error of their ways.”
“But what
if they don’t change their minds?” Kyle persisted.
I put my
arm around Kyle’s shoulders. “Kyle, I
want to help Purev as much as you do; however, we need to give his parents the
chance to do the right thing.”
Kyle nodded
his head in agreement. “I still hope he
decides to go to Edison. It would be
much better for him there than at Lake Braddock. I’m sure that my buddies on the football
team will protect him if anyone tries to bully him about being gay.”
We returned
to the ice and skated until the public skating session ended. After everyone was back in their regular
shoes, I asked, “Okay, where do you want to eat lunch?”
Kyle said,
“I want Five Guys.”
Ashley
said, “Five Guys is okay as long as we get their French fries.”
I looked at
Rick and he nodded his head in approval.
“I like Five Guys, too.”
“Okay, Five
Guys it is,” I said. We piled in the
cars and headed to the nearest Five Guys restaurant. I like Five Guys but I can’t eat there very
often or I’ll gain a ton; however, I do have to admit that their French fries
are the best!
*** ***
After
lunch, we drove to Mr. Eccles’ home to drop off Purev. Purev invited us inside to meet Mr.
Eccles. Purev opened the front door and
shouted, “Mr. Eccles! Are you home?”
“I’m in the
front room, Purev,” Mr. Eccles said.
“I’ve
invited the Lerniers to come inside to meet you. Is that okay?” Purev asked.
“Yes, I
would very much like to meet them,” Mr. Eccles said. He struggled to his feet, leaning heavily on
his cane. He shuffled into the foyer
and met us as we entered. “I’m Mr.
Eccles,” he said, extending his hand towards Rick.
Rick took
his hand and said, “I’m Rick Lernier and this is my husband, Glenn Lernier.”
Mr. Eccles
said, “Nice to meet you both. I assume
that these are your children.”
“Yes, they
are. This is Kyle, Ashley, David, JJ
and Josh. Cameron and Skye are staying
with us while their Dads are out of town for the weekend,” Rick said.
“Please
come in and sit down,” Mr. Eccles said.
“Would you like anything to drink?”
“No, thank
you. We just came from Five Guys,” I
said as Rick and I sat down on the couch with the children spread out on either
side of us.
“You have a
very handsome family. I’m glad to see a
happy family with gay parents. I always
wanted to have children; but my partner didn’t want to adopt and refused to use
a surrogate,” Mr. Eccles said. He
sighed and said, “He has passed on so now maybe I can adopt Purev if his
parents decide to terminate their parental rights.”
Purev asked
anxiously, “Have they answered your letter?”
“No, they
haven’t but I’m going to contact the county to let them know that I am taking
care of you and to start the process of forcing a decision on their part,” Mr.
Eccles said.
“Do you
have a lawyer to help you with the adoption process,” I asked.
“Yes, I
do,” Mr. Eccles said. “I will meet with
them tomorrow.”
“Please let
us know if we can do anything to help.
We think Purev is a fine young man,” Rick said.
Mr. Eccles
smiled, “I do, too. I will let you know
if we need anything.”
Rick said,
“We need to be going. Thank you for
allowing Purev to stay overnight with us.”
Mr. Eccles started to get up but Rick said, “You don’t need to get up. Purev can see us out.”
Mr. Eccles
smiled, “Thank you, Purev. It’s been
nice visiting with you.”
Purev saw
us to the door. We climbed in our cars
and waited while David said his good byes.
Purev
kissed David and said, “I’ll call you later.”
“Okay,”
David responded with a smile.
He climbed
into the car; grinning from ear to ear.
Ashley laughed, “David’s got a boyfriend.”
David
didn’t stop smiling as he said, “Yes, I do.”
*** ***
Author’s
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