Date: Fri, 6 Jul 2007 18:21:06 -0700 (PDT)
From: Matthew Templar <matemp1148@yahoo.com>
Subject: Never Take Love For Granted - Chapter 17

All rights reserved.  Other than downloading one copy for personal
enjoyment, no part of this story may be reproduced or transmitted by any
means, except for reviews, without the written permission of the author.
	Furthermore, every word of this story is fiction. Nothing within
this tale happened to anyone I know.  Any reference to anyone, anything or
any place, real, living or dead is coincidental.
	If there is someone that has written a law saying that you can't
read this story because of age or local laws or other such 'wisdom', then
you haven't really gotten this far into Nifty to read this anyway, right!
Write to me with the date of your legal birthday and I will...Not!
	I will answer all appropriate emails, but, thank you in advance for
your time to write.  Unless you've submitted a story, you can't know how
important it is to hear how you, the reader, like an artist's work.  Thanks
again.
		Finally, there is not enough room to express my gratitude
to my friend, Dwight Wilson for his dedication to the editing of this work
and encouraging me to continue. Read Brad's Idol in Adult/Youth and New
Horizons in Authoritarian (it's really anti-authoritarian) to know the
experience he brings to my story.  You will not be disappointed!  Then tell
him to write FASTER!  I need my fix too!

Your comments and suggestions are most welcome.  Matthew Templar at
matemp1148@yahoo.com

               * * *
	         * * *

I have received quite a few emails from those of you who suffered abuse,
physical and mental, at a young age from people that should have loved you
unconditionally.  To them, and because of that, to William, I dedicate this
chapter.

               * * *
               * * *

Never Take Love For Granted - Chapter 17

	All told, we had an enjoyable time with Aunt Charlotte.  The three
boys finally went off to play and we sat with tea and coffee and talked, or
rather, mostly listened to Russ and Charlotte exchange stories.  My
favorite part was the attention Sam was giving to the tales of his father's
youth.  I think it renewed his 'like' for his father, something that was
sometimes harder to achieve than a love of one's family.  I could relate
when I thought about my father and my relationship.  I had kept a love
kindled, waiting for it to roar up and burn down the walls we'd erected
between us, in our own ways.  Love of that kind is not always absent, just
pushed aside by resentment, bitterness and anger.  When it's set free it is
awe-inspiring, as it was with this family.

	But seeing Sam light up or ask a question of his dad, Pops, or his
aunt, was an incredible thing to see.  It gave me hope.  And hope is part
of what I needed to relieve the pressure I felt slowly building in me.  I
had something I had to do, but I was too unsure, too scared to commit to
the task

	Every once in a while Grant would run, walk or saunter up and
stroke his dad's hand or hug his grampa's neck.  He might stand by his
Auntie Charlotte until she patted his po-po and he'd giggle and run off.
He'd come over and stand by me too, leaning against my chair and casually
rub my crotch.

	Rub my crotch!

	When he did that and I looked over at him in shock, he looked as
shocked as I was at what he had casually been doing.  It was so innocent,
so natural and right in front of everybody!  The thing that got to me was
that his little peg was hard as it could be!  Luckily he wasn't the size
that caused people to duck when he turned, but it could have been noticed
by. . .Clayton.

	Grant's eyes diverted from mine and it made me look to see Clayton
with a wicked grin on his face.  When our eyes met, his head motioned to
the stairs behind me.  Well, there was no way I was going down those stairs
with...he did it again!  So I looked.  Just over the top of the stairs was
the head of a very happy, blushing red eight year old, who was wiping his
mouth!  I don't think 'blushing' was the right term.  My guess was that the
color came from him raising up so fast from his knees and running up the
stairs after he and Grant had...I looked down at Grant who was looking up
at me with all the love and tenderness in the world.  He was not the least
bit phased; as though he emulated his naivete with all sincerity.  I
returned his smile and he was off again, running to catch up to Dustin who
had already turned to go down the stairs.  I would have liked to see that
exchange.

	A few minutes passed and Clayton excused himself and went down the
stairs to see some guy about a bronco or something.  Oh!  'Man about a
horse!'  Well, I didn't catch on to those rural metaphors too quickly.  He
moved his buns downstairs to pee or poop!  Soon he was back with a big grin
all over his face.  I'd forgotten to ask him why he didn't use the powder
room up here when I noticed him doing that eye thing that was pushing me
down the stairs.  So I excused myself and went to powder my puff and find
out what was going on with the little ones.

	I was about to go down the second flight to our room when I heard
some noises, moaning really, coming from the hallway beyond Russ' room.  A
door was open that I hadn't been through so I walked up and looked in.  It
looked like a study with the kind of book shelves and furniture that
reminded me of my dream the other night of my father's study at home, his
home.  On the floor were three naked little boys, all sprawled out.  I
could see and hear Petey sleeping to one side.  He was sprawled out on his
tummy with one leg pulled up, making the cutest dimple in his tiny butt
cheek.  His hand was up near his mouth like it had fallen out, and his
mouth was open, breathing in and out, squirming some, now and then,
enjoying some wonderful dream.

	I looked to see if the other two were enjoying their own dreams.
They most certainly were but they were awake to enjoy those dreams.
Dustin's head was buried between Grant's legs and Grant seemed to be
enjoying the attention.  While they were laying head to foot, Dustin made
no attempts to have Grant tend to him; he simply enjoyed Grant's playing
with his legs and thighs with one hand.  Grant was stroking anything he
could reach and started to lean over toward Dustin for a better angle to
touch him.  This time, he didn't seem to be complaining that his stiff nail
was being 'licked' or even better, sucked by an all too eager eight year
old.  As Dustin continued his up and down motion over Grant, his
beneficiary was beginning to twitch and moan louder and louder.  Grant's
arm had pulled Dustin's legs against his side and his hand that had been
caressing Dustin's thigh was now grabbing handfuls of his little ass.  As
shocked as I was at the sight, it was a real turn-on too.  But I almost
laughed out loud when I heard Dustin laughing around the dessert that
filled his mouth.  He must have been tickled by Grant's reaction to his
attention.  That laughing must have sent Grant over the edge.  He shook and
rocked, almost bucking Dustin off his ride as he came and came in powerful
waves of pleasure.  When he finally began to come to a simmer, he lay back
with a silly grin plastered on his face.  Dustin turned and raised himself
up on his arms, over Grant and leaned in.  Grant turned his head away from
his lips to let Dustin kiss his cheek, then his neck and his shoulder.

	"I know, I know.  Your lips are for him alone.  S'okay by me.  I
just like to show you things and have some funnin', huh?" Dustin said with
a wonderful grin.  He lay down on the other side next to Grant where I
couldn't see him again and I think I heard a weak voice coming from a ten
year old, saying,

	"I let my dad kiss me too; but mostly my David.  Hm-m-m!  That felt
so-o-o good."

	"You got a good thing going Grant.  I'd love to get to David.
Maybe we can attack him together sometime and tie him up and, and..."

	My clue to leave!  I tip-toed as tenderly as I knew how until I was
outside of Russ's room.  Since I hadn't been in his room I decided to take
a gander.  I could still hear a laugh or raised voice from the troops
upstairs, so I went in the room.

	It was essentially the same as our room only reversed and on the
opposite side of the house.  The bed was as huge as ours and there was the
same hallway that probably led to the commode and bathroom.  The main
difference, besides the color scheme, was a piece of plastic on a bedside
table.  I'd almost forgotten they existed until then.  Its brother never
even voiced itself in my hospital room.  A black phone sat there, minding
its own business.  It caught me funny that I'd never heard it ring.  I was
almost going to ask the walls what they noticed him using it for when I
thought of the only phone number I had memorized.  It figures that I would
have been thinking about him.  I walked to the bed and sat down on it, next
to the source of endless hours of connectivity with loved ones and friends,
business associates, clients and places so remote that you'd wonder how
they got a wire from here to there.  It was a direct line to the
relationship between my father and me.  All I had to do was pick up the
phone and dial.

	So I did.

	It rang twice, three times, then four...no!  It was picked up.

	"Do you know what time it is?  This had better be..." Click!  I
hung up.  God, what was I thinking?  There was at least two hours
difference and he went to bed early.  I must really be losing it.

	I wandered back up and found Clayton giving me all sort of signs
with his eyes.  You know the ones: 'Well?'  'Down there?'  'Yes?'  So I
answered him with a continuous assortment of arbitrary scrunches, winks,
shrugs and nods that all ran together and, much to my delight and his
angst, were meaningless, that is, except to Aunt Charlotte.

	"Oh my word!" she cried out.  "Won't someone help that boy?  I
think he's having a full blown seizure.  Call Dr. Owen, Russell and get him
some help; poor boy.  Take those clothes off of him so he can breathe
properly.  Oh my!"  By this time we'd all looked at her so, of course, I'd
stopped what she thought was my 'Grand Maul' attack.  Funny, they never
asked me to explain myself.  It could have been that they thought I was a
little strange; different.  Me?  Naw!

	Soon the boys came up and we bid goodnight to Aunt Charlotte.

	It had been a really long day.  I was exhausted again.  Hard to
believe I was the party animal back at...hm-m, wherever that was.  Of
course, I was never blown away by a place like Euphoria before.  Literally!

	Russ left to take Aunt Charlotte and Sam home while Clayton was
herding two young cowboys toward showers and beds.  I must have been in
some kind of fog until I felt a young hand take mine.

	"Tomorrow's half a day of school.  I can't wait!"  Grant was fairly
dancing as he twirled me around once and began to lead me toward the
stairs.  "C'mon!  We need to get to bed so I can wake up and your lazy ass
can sleep in."  What?

	"Where'd you pick up that bit of fiction, potty mouth?" I asked,
looking for Russ.  "I'll be up when you are.  You can count on me.  You're
the one that keeps falling back to sleep after being worn out."  And I
pulled the hand that he had grabbed me by, swung him around to face me and
scooped him up into my arms.  His legs immediately went around my waist and
squeezed, like I would ever let him fall. But I got some good laughter out
of him and it was glorious.

	"Ha, ha!  Hey!  Quit it!  I'll fall!"  I was trying to squeeze my
arms together to tickle his sides as I held two perfect cheeks in opposite
hands.  It was really awkward and I could see where he was worried.  I
finally slowed down my play and we looked into each other's eyes.  As we
stared, oblivious that there was anyone else in the room, hell, in the
world, little hands began playing with Grant's naked backside and legs and
my, yuk, clothed butt.  Dustin and Petey made a speedy retreat before I
could run them over with Grant in my arms.  We were all laughing and, just
as quickly, I think we all realized how tired we were.

	"Night, all!"  "Goodnight!"  "Tootles!"  "Sweet dreams!"  Lots of
people were saying their 'goodnights' as they too made their way to their
rooms and needed sleep.

	Grant lay next to me with his head on my arm, both of us too hot
for a sheet and kind of geed up from the day.  I think Grant was drawing a
picture on the ceiling, his finger making swooping shapes once in awhile.

	"Whatcha thinkin', little man?" I asked, stroking his tummy with my
hand, just enjoying being alone with him and his closeness.

	"Tomorrow," he said, shifting his head to look at me.  It didn't
work, but I could feel him trying to turn his head without getting up and
turning.  "I'm scared, I think.  What if I do something stupid or nobody
likes me, somethin' like that?"

	"You're going to school so you can learn and grow and learn to
grow.  You'll meet kids that will be your friends and some that won't. And
if you do something stupid, just do what I do."

	"What do you do?  Talk some of your weird stuff and really get
people to hate ya?"  I could feel him giggle at that one.  I felt him scoot
in closer, kind of making his nest in my arm and side.  He brought one arm
over to lay across my chest.

	"Honestly, Grant.  Just be yourself.  I can't imagine who wouldn't
like you.  Just promise me you won't say anything more about me than I'm
staying at Russ' and I'm a friend, okay?"  Silence.  "Okay?"  Silence and
heavy breathing.  Lights out on this little one.  I was close behind after
one last gentle squeeze of my Grant.  "Goodnight, little man."

	"Hm-m-m"

                             * * *

	I woke up once in a cold sweat.  I'd felt really alone and
exhausted and I didn't know where the feelings were coming from.  Then I
felt the warmth of a naked Grant next to me and realized that I was so
close to screwing us up earlier that I had probably been obsessing about it
in my sleep.  I snuggled up to him and held him, enjoying the feel of his
richness, smoothness, youth against my skin until I drifted again, though
much more deeply.

                           * * *

	When I woke up it was still dark but no one was next to me.  I was
two floors down so there was little chance I would hear anyone upstairs.
The alarm clock said 6:20 but I'd never paid attention to know if it was
even set right.  That's when I heard the shower going in the bathroom.  I
swung tired legs over the edge of the bed and regretted getting up so
quickly.  Flopping back on the bed, I knew how much good another hour or
three of sleep would be to me.  I faintly heard the water stop.  It didn't
quite register.  I put my arm over my eyes and tried, yes, really tried to
conjure up the strength to go join my Grant in the bathroom to encourage
him on his special day.  It was only a minute when I heard the soft sound
of feet on the carpet and then a...a giggle?  Why...woe!  Someone just
licked me; along the shaft of my hard staff that was waiting to provide a
means to empty a very full bladder!

	Of course, my arm came off my face and I had to see who had...my
Grant, standing there in his naked glory, beaming from wet ear to ear, arms
behind his back, almost like he was waiting for my next move.  I smiled my
biggest smile.  It would never, ever match a DeWitt blaster smile but I
tried my sleepiest best.

	"Little man, you just...I felt you!  Wow!"

	"Hm-m-m!" he beamed.  "I licked ya!"  Then he climbed up on me,
being careful, thank God, to watch where his killer knees were planted.

	"You sure did."  He was still pretty wet, but I got to hold him
again.  That was worth drowning for.  "What made you do that, Grant?"

	"Well, if it feels so good when you did it and when, well..."  Now
he was blushing through a much weaker smile.

	"I know, Grant.  When Dustin does it too."  His head went down a
little, then sprang back up.

	"But, you know why?"  He was, all of a sudden, very animated, like
when he told his father about the first time I lick him, hell, the only
time I'd licked him.  I opened my mouth to reply but he barged on.  Seems
he already knew the answer.  "He was showin' me how to make you feel good!
Isn't that neat?  I know how to do things and you don't."  He gleam was
back as he crossed his arms on my chest, still laying on me.  Now, the good
thing about this was the added pressure down below, where his little
mushroom met my walking stick.  The bad part was that it reminded me of
where I was headed to relieve myself when I was flopped upon.

	"I know all that stuff.  I know how to make you feel good, don't
I?" I replied.  I had to smile at him.  He was so bubbly that he had
something on me, besides his whole naked body, that is.

	"Hm-m-m.  You sure do.  Hm-m-m.  But, I wanted ta surprise ya."

	"Well, Tiger, unless you want to learn about golden showers I
suggest you let me up and finish drying while I go drain the Lily."  The
scrunch, then the realization, followed by another wonderful smile.  He
rolled off of me laughing, like having to pee was the funniest thing in the
world.  I suppose to a ten year old it was just that.  I was hoping that he
didn't know about the golden shower part.  I knew but had never done it and
hardly wanted to imagine peeing on Grant.

                                  * * *

	After quickly showering and dressing in work clothes, shorts
T-shirt and boots, I joined a busy family at the breakfast table.  Everyone
was alert, talking and carrying on, except for a very quiet Petey, who was
pushing his Captain Crunch around in his bowl, head down.  He had a T-shirt
on but nothing else.  I noticed a pair of little boy shorts behind his
chair, ready to be worn out with his brother and Grant, I think.  I was
looking at him when I noticed some tear tracks and his lips moving to form
the words of a five year old but they couldn't be heard.

	I looked up and caught Clayton's eye.  He was dressed in a robe
this morning, much to my disappointment.  I pointed to Petey with my head
and mouthed, 'What gives?"

	"Two big boys are going to school this morning and Petey and I are
going to stay here and read and color and do things together until Dustin
is done at his school.  Then we all get to go see his mommy and daddy and
make them feel so good like only their two favorite boys can do."  As
Clayton said that, Petey began to lift his head, slowly forming pictures in
his head of the coming events.  As Clayton got to the 'mommy and daddy'
part, the smile was back and he banged his dish with his spoon in
excitement.  "Because, who could not love someone as special as a little
Petey guy, huh everyone?" Clayton asked.

	'Everyone' was too busy with their own stories it seemed.  But I
reached over and patted Petey on the shoulder and said, "Petey, you are the
apple of your parent's eyes.  I'm sure they can't wait to see you again.
You will make them feel so special."

	"Yeah.  Special.  They gots apples in their eyes?  Ow-w!"  And then
he laughed at the funny joked he made and slopped a humongous spoonful of
cereal mostly into his mouth.  The next big swoop was to pull his t-shirt
over his head so he was, once again, a comfortable little Petey person,
naked as the day he was born.  Legs swinging, smile beaming, he gulped
happily at his cereal, knowing what the day had in store for him.

	The plan was for Russ and I to take Grant to the bus stop and
Dustin to a local play school.  We would stay down there and begin the
clearing process of the forest land where Grant and Sam had lived.  Grant
was so excited until he found out that his lunch box was empty.  He took it
to Clayton with a whine in his voice, "Hey!  How come, Clayton?"

	"Sweetie, you only have a half day today.  You'll be home with all
of us before you know it."

	Anyway, Sam, Russ and I were going to start work on the restaurant.
Oh boy!  The last time I tried to help out somewhere I got blown up.  But,
it would be good to feel like I was finally earning my keep.  The two boys,
Russ and I were on our way.  I had Dustin on my lap because he was the
smallest.  They talked a mile a minute all the way down the mountain.  When
we reached the property and stopped, Grant jumped out and ran toward the
forest where his house was buried in the shrubs and bushes.  We could hear
his dad meet him and could barely see his head, but Grant was too short.
Dustin had a hard time knowing what to do.  He wanted to run after Grant
but wasn't sure if he should interrupt them.  He looked back over his
shoulder at us, looking for answers.  We still had almost an hour before
Grant's bus came and Dustin's school opened.  I held out my hand to Dustin.
His warmth this time reminded me of the cold hand the first time I met him
in the hospital only days before.  We just waited.

	Soon, Grant was running back, trying to pull his dad's arm out of
his socket to get him over to where we were.

	"Okay! Okay, whippersnapper!  Leave my arm connected.  Good grief,
guys, anyone wanna buy a hyper kid off a' me?"

	I started rummaging in my short's pockets for money, saying,
"Sorry, I don't have any change.  But I could come up with fifty or sixty
cents by Friday?"

	"I don't recommend throwin' money away for something so frivolous,"
said Russ, walking over to stand behind Dustin, draping his huge hands over
the little chest in front of him.

	"Um, I got forty-five cents and a stick of gum."  We all turn to
see Dustin with a worried look on his face and his hand sticking out with
his loot in it.  We all chuckled and Russ gave him a hug for his generous
offer.  But Sam grabbed up Grant amidst the little guy's disdain for the
way the conversation was going.

	"Sorry guys.  I'm not letting this guy go for less than a dollar,
two-fifty, cash on the barrel head."

	"Hey!" retorted Grant, hitting his dad's shoulder, "I'm worth more
than that, whatever that is!  You guys are teasin' me!"

	"Okay!  Three dollars, but I don't think we'll get any takers.  Do
you, son?"  He was laughing so hard with his arms full of kicking, hitting
ten year old he almost dropped him a couple of times.  He finally set him
down and started showing Russ where the new driveway would go and other
boring stuff.

	Grant got all excited to show Dustin and me something by the river.
It was quite a hike but when we got there, it was just the bank of the
river.  Grant was busy looking around for something he evidently thought
should have been right there.  I was explaining to Dustin that it was this
very river that carried me into Grant's arms, or wheelbarrow, as it were.

	"Wait!  I found it.  It's over here, guys," shouted Grant a few
yards away.  We both ran over to see what he'd been looking for.

	Hot damn!  The door.  The very door that changed my life.  It was
propped up on the side of a tree.  There were no scars or scratches in it,
almost like it was never catapulted into the river at all.  But Grant had
walked around to where he could see the other side of the door.

	"Hey!  You're not gonna believe how lucky you were, David.  Looky
here!"

	"Wow!" Dustin said as he joined Grant on the other side of my raft.
You woulda been cut in half or worse, David."

	"What?  What are you two talking ab...oh my God!" I said weakly as
I saw what had impressed them so.  "I...I...could've been skewered."  I sat
on my haunches.  I was looking at about a dozen pieces of glass, some metal
and even wood, sticking into that door.  It didn't look like any of the
pieces were in deep but I'm pretty sure a twenty-one year old body wouldn't
have stopped them as well as a two inch thick, solid wood door.  Of course,
everything was also blackened by the fiery blast too.

	I think I was nauseous.  I had to sit down.  Oh, I was sitting.
Grant and Dustin had their hands on my shoulders to comfort me.  What a
reality check.

	"You okay, David?' asked Sam as he and Russ walked up to the door
and the three of us.

	"Oh, I see you saw it.  I saw it a couple o' days ago.  Pretty
amazing huh?"  Russ came over and helped me up.  My knees weren't of much
use just then until he said, "David?  David!  That's in the past now.
Something that screwball could never happen twice.  Besides, you're with us
now; part of our family and we don't let anyone get hurt, right DeWitts?"
He yelled.  And three other voices yelled just as loud,

	"Right!"  So, of course, we all looked at Dustin and laughed as his
enthusiasm and he did too, caught up in the excitement of being with us
right then.

	We heard some cars then, doors slamming and some laughing and Grant
was getting pretty excited.  He started to pull on Sam's sleeve and wanted
his school gear so he could go stand and wait for the bus, too.

	"Well I don't have it, Po-dunk.  Get to the dodger and get it and
get your sorry ass to school so you can get smart and start supporting your
old dad and grampa.  Now, git!"

	Flash!

	Dustin was kind of lost in what had just happened and was kind of
looking like he would have liked to wait there with Grant too.  His Grampa
Russ picked him up and started to walk that way and Sam and I followed
them.  As we came closer to where the bus would come, we could see several
kids standing around, though certainly not as eager as Grant was.  Soon
there was another body waiting with his face beaming at us as he proudly
stood as straight as he could and swung his head back and forth, eyeing
each of his prospective new friends.  He could see us but we tried to stay
back so he wouldn't be embarrassed by our spying on him and his new group.
Dustin was fidgeting to get down but Russ whispered something that made him
mouth an 'oh' and calm down nicely, with another great smile on his face.

	"Hey guys.  Newbie on my right.  Check it out."  This kid was a
head taller than Grant and I swear he had more hair on his arms then I did
on my whole body; okay, before it got singed off!  Grant was looking around
to see who they were talking about.

	"Hey kid!" said a boy of about Grant's height but a year or two
older, I guessed, "You new here or sumpin'?"

	"Huh-uh!  I live right there, but I didn't go to your school until
today.  I just got taught stuff at home."  I glanced over at Sam when I
heard that and saw his head lower a bit, trying to forgive himself for the
past ten years.  "See, my dad wasn't feeling so good after my mom died an'
now he's back and so's my grampa.  His name is Russ."

	"Hey!  We know Russ!  He's your grampa?  Wow, guys.  He's Russ's
grandkid.  Wow, kid!  He talked about you and his son, uh, Sam, all the
time."  It was the big kid that said it but the others were talking too,
agreeing, it looked like, to everything he was saying.

	"Huh!" Grant was overwhelmed.  I knew the feeling.  I was too, as I
realized the impact that that gentlemen next to me had made on his
community, on the kids here.  "How do you know my grampa?"  And, just then
some air brakes were heard and all attention was diverted until a long,
yellow school bus drove up and stopped.  The kids were still talking as
they let Grant on first.  We couldn't hear a damn thing for the noise of
the bus.  We did see two remarkable things happen as the bus waited for a
runner to get to the door.  First, we could see the big kid yelling
something to a very full bus load of kids.  It must have been about Grant
being Russ' grandkid because they all piled as close to Grant as they
could.  The second was the best.  There was a gleam coming from the other
side of the window as Grant beamed proudly and waved to us as he
disappeared down the road toward West Fork and an amazing day, no doubt.

	"Well, your worship, have you got some 'splainin' to do, Ricky!" I
said in my best Latin accent, mimicking one of my all-time favorite TV
comedies.  Of course, the others just looked at me like there would never
be any hope of finding my mind again.  And it left Sam to ask my question
straight.

	"So, what's the hoopla, Pops?  Whadya do that got those kids so
excited?"

	"Oh, pshaw!  'Tweren't nothing at all.  I just saw to it that they
had a place to play ball.  Hell, they weren't supposed ta know it was me
that did it."  Russ set Dustin down and started toward the dodger.

	"That was you?" Sam asked.  "Well I'll be.  But that was no little
place, Pops.  That's a full fledged, little league diamond with a snack
shack, restrooms and two team meeting rooms; oh, and a scoreboard."

	"Okay, okay!  I know," said Russ, trying to calm Sam down with his
hands.  "It was just that I wanted a place to see Grant play if he wanted.
I never got a chance to be too close to your games, ya know."  Sam walked
over to his dad and put his hands on Russ' shoulders.  It looked like Russ
was going to back away like he might have done a short week ago, before
their confrontation.  But he relaxed and let his son lean in to put their
foreheads together.  That tear was there in one eye again, but it had no
chance to stay there long.  Another tear was right behind it, pushing it
out of the way.

	"You did what you were allowed to do, Pops.  Now that I look back,
it must have been quite an ordeal not being able to be a family because of
our jumping to conclusions.  I'm sorry, Dad." Matching tears.

	"You'll never know how hard it is to give up your son, Sam.  Thanks
to our David here, you won't need to anymore."  They both kind of rolled on
each others foreheads to turn to look at me.  It looked pretty funny
actually and it even got them to start laughing.  They bumped heads with
their laughter until they figured out they could just pull away and
straighten up.  I looked down at my side to Dustin and he was smiling up at
me, taking my hand in his.

	"Grant told me the story.  You're a hero, huh?"  He brightened even
more; probably because I was sure I was blushing.

	"Okay!" Sam said, clapping his hands together, "Let's get this show
on the road."

	"Now wait a minute.  I got a speech to give." Russ said as Sam
started to turn into the forest.  We all turned to look his way as he
continued, "We're gonna be busy down here and with kids and four adults.
First thing is, Sam, won't you move up into my...our house so we can be
together more?"  Sam shrugged and as he was opening his mouth, Russ barged
on, like he was picking up some confidence.  "Settled then.  And we need to
get around, so, Sam, you and I get to take Po-dunk over there to his school
and then we're goin' into West Fork and get you some wheels.  I'm not
lettin' you wreck the poor ole dodger and you need to cart supplies and
people from time to time."  Sam opened his mouth to argue but there was
Russ again.  "It ain't a request Sam.  We need it.  I got the money and
it's gonna happen.  Hell, you got the money.  You can buy it."

	Needless to say, Sam's jaw dropped at those last two sentences.  He
looked at me and then, even at Dustin but we were both shaking our heads.
Then Russ looked at me while he grabbed his speechless son's hand and told
me, "David, when the guys get here, see to it they start clearing the land.
Not everything, just the junk and dead stuff and overgrown crap.  It'll
take forever.  Come on, Dustin.  You got fun waitin' for you around the
corner, son.  At least until Grant is out today.  Let's go."  And they
left!

	So, I'm standing about twenty feet inside the property and
wondering what it was he said.  Men, brush, clean.  Who and where were
these guys that I was supposed to....

	HONK!  HONK!

	Oh.

NTLFG - The End of Chapter Seventeen
To be continued

Comments on the story are very much appreciated.
Thank you for the emails you've written.  Each one is an encouragement.
I'm Matthew Templar at matemp1148@yahoo.com