The Village

Seth’s Perspective

Christmas was still a few of weeks away but the excitement at our house was INSANE! Bob The Elf was working his can off moving around the house every night after the kids went to bed and doing everything from rearranging the ornaments on the tree, to eating the leftovers in the refrigerator. He even set out an outfit for Izzy to wear one morning (it was coincidentally the day after she insisted on wearing pink tights and a purple tutu to daycare), she wore the outfit Bob picked without question. Bob did an amazing job of keeping the kids in line. Every morning they would look for Bob, and then ask, “how many more days ‘til Santa comes?” So, we got an Advent Calendar for the kitchen wall, it was a Christmas Tree with 25 tiny ornaments. Each day we added a new ornament to the tree and when it was full, Christmas would be here. We ALL took turns putting the ornaments on the tree (yes, me and Daddy Sach were as into it as the kids were). For the most part the kids were on their best behavior, yeah, there was the occasional slip up, tantrum, or argument, but it never lasted long. They were both on a mission to make sure Bob the Elf reported only good things back to Santa so that he would bring Freddy a bike and Izzy everything Barbie. I’ll share a secret (if you haven’t already figured it out), it didn’t really matter if they were good or bad… we had every intention of spoiling the fuck out of the two amazing little shits who changed our world.

All the families around us were going through the same thing. The Harrington-James gang, the Dylan James clan, and of course Sammy and his moms. Sammy, Teddy, and Freddy were playing at our house after school late one afternoon and I overheard them whispering about bikes. Apparently, Sammy had asked Santa for a bike too (a fact I texted his moms’, they were already on top of it) and the three of them were on their best behavior and keeping each other in check at school so nobody messed up the plan for all three of them to have bikes. “It’s not fair, you guys don’t have Izzy around all the time… she makes it hard to be good sometimes” Freddy complained to his friends… Oh my god, that made me crack up and I instantly texted all the other parents. We had a group text going since the beginning of December sharing all the Elf On The Shelf and good behavior stories. All the kids (except DJ who was still too young to give a shit) were kissing Santa’s ass and it was hilarious.

Zach had met with Karen and asked about past Christmas’s with her and the kids. She told him they were simple, but she had a few traditions like cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate on Christmas morning (we added that one to the growing list), and Freddy always got a superhero PEZ from Santa in his stocking (check), little stuff like that. She didn’t have much, but it was clear that she did her best to make things special for the kids at Christmas. Zach told her about our Idea to Facetime her in for Christmas, her eyes lit up and she got so excited. So… we decided to make it happen. I was glad she was into it, but was still afraid it might depress her.

While they were talking, he asked her what happened to all their stuff, she had no clue. She basically just abandoned the house when she got arrested and assumed the landlord just threw it all out. Zach got the name of her landlord and promised to investigate it for her, she gave him permission to take possession of anything he found. Besides Harold The Angel (who we discovered had been in her family for decades, but was named by Freddy the first time he heard the song Hark The Herald Angel Sings), she had a lot of Christmas ornaments and decorations from when she was a kid, including a little Christmas village that belonged to her grandmother. She wanted the kids to have them if we found them. Zach told her that Freddy mentioned that he got a firetruck last Christmas… apparently it was a gift from Toys For Tots, Ms. Elkin had signed them up with several charities to help. Lastly, they discussed her case and sentencing.

“I dunno, Seth. I have to question if her court appointed attorney was working in her best interest” Zach said. “The boyfriend (Johnny Black) has a rap sheet a mile long and is facing less jailtime than she is, I suspect the boyfriend either pled out, or his lawyer leveraged her somehow to help ease his sentence… it just seems fishy.”

“Can you help her?” I asked.

“It’s not my specialty, but I can talk to the partners at the firm, and maybe my dad can talk to Karen more when he goes to see her at Christmas, this is more in his wheelhouse.” Zach answered. When the kids first came to us, we viewed Karen as the enemy who neglected those kids and put them in danger. Over the last year we had come to see her as a young, dumb, kid who was doing the best she knew how in a bad situation… in a lot of ways she was as much a victim as Freddy and Izzy. Doctor Aarons (my mentor) used to say ‘always assume best intentions. Try to understand why people do what they do.’ Karen’s intentions weren’t bad, just misguided. She did what she did to try and provide for her two kids… that included giving them up to us when the time came. I hoped Zach could help her somehow; it was heartbreaking to see the kids mom wasting away in jail like that. She deserved a second chance.

Meanwhile, back at The Village things were going well. The holidays were rough on the guys and we did our damnedest to be family for them. Max invited all of them (and all of us) to BroMax Farm on Christmas Eve. Max’s parents and grandmother were coming to visit for Christmas, Daddy James was going to make an appearance as Santa, the board members all pitched in again to get Christmas gifts for everyone, and of course the Harrington family was planning a seafood feast for all. BroMax Farm would be bursting at the seams with family.

Trevor was settling in nicely; he was an easy client. We found him at his worst that night at the club, but he was a smart kid and a hard worker. He turned out to be an amazing asset to BroMax Candle Company and helped Timmy with the challenge of moving the shipping operations from the barn to the new plant and ensuring no orders got dropped along the way. Trevor was working with Timmy and Ricky on some new process for inventory and distribution that would help the company be more efficient and profitable… Max couldn’t say enough great things about him. Trevor was also good for Asher. He was one of those guys who was in the middle of everything but not loud or obnoxious about it, kind of like a quiet storm. He and Asher became true friends (I hate to say this, but he may have been Asher’s first true, close friend). He broke Asher out of his shell a little more and got him to hang out with the guys more often, and even go out and explore the city a little. Trevor was a good addition to The Village.

“I did it, Seth. I sent a text to my parents about going home for Christmas like we talked about” Trevor said in our therapy session.

“And?” I asked.

“I got an invite to Christmas dinner” he said then paused… for like EVER.

“AND?!” I sked with anticipation… dear lord it was like Asher was rubbing off on him too… short answers that left me hanging and forced me to pull more information from them.

“And… I think I wanna go. Do you think I could borrow the Beetle for a couple of days?” he asked.

“Of course,” I answered. “Was it just a text or did you talk to them?”

“Just a text, but my mom promised to call me this week” he answered. We talked through it and I asked if he felt safe going home. “Yeah, I mean, they’re kind of homophobic but I know they love me” he reasoned. “My dad just didn’t want me bringing guys around for my brothers and sisters to see, and is still convinced that being gay is a choice, one he can’t support. I guess I get it, but it still hurts” he said. “I’m building a life here, and I think they want me to have a good life, but they just don’t want to see me with guys, they say that’s flaunting it in their faces. Does that make any sense?”

“Yeah, a little” I said. “Some people can accept things easier if they don’t have to actually see it.” I paused for a minute, “listen, people deal with things their own way. If you want to go home, and feel safe doing it, then do it… but if you think there is any danger, then stay here.” He wanted to be with his family, which I got, but I my main concern was his safety. He said he wasn’t worried about danger, just awkwardness. He agreed to call me when he got there, and text me every couple of hours so I knew he was okay. He also gave me their address and contact info in case I didn’t hear from him. He voluntarily added the name and number of his best friend back home… just in case. He knew we had his back. Although I was nervous about the whole thing, I was glad that he had a chance at a nice Christmas with his family.

Maverick and Ray Ray were heading to Kentucky (as friends) to celebrate Christmas with Maverick’s family. Mason would be with Terrence and Harrison’s family, Alejandro was having Christmas with the original Phoenix villagers, Trevor was spending Christmas Day with Noah, and several other villagers had their own plans. Those who were alone were coming to BroMax Farm on Christmas Eve, and then to Colton and Ella’s on Christmas Day for dinner (I loved how Colton had become the host of the villagers… like their homebase). No one was going to be alone. Meanwhile, BA was in charge of getting personal gifts for each villager with the money the board had donated (she knew them all very well), and Rodney and I were planning for the year end board meeting. Last year we did Vegas, this year it would be at BroMax Candle Company with a few board members joining via zoom… not as glamorous as the event in Vegas the year before, but more fitting of a nonprofit organization (even though, unlike most newer nonprofits, money didn’t seem to be an issue. On top of Grandpa Harrington’s initial endowment, we had some very generous donors and with BroMax Candle Co, The Resort, and Jordon’s Hotels all donating part of their profits, plus additional income from cars for queers and individual donors, we were more than covering our expenses and the needs of the villagers). All in all, things were going well.

It was the middle of the week and a big night for our extended family… the first grade Christmas show at the school auditorium! We had all been scrambling to pull costumes together for the three boys, and had suffered through about 233245789234573 screamed verses of Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer in our homes and our cars. Brody had been at the school a couple of times helping Mr. Pringle with additional costuming, and Ronda was helping him direct the kids. We had all gotten to the auditorium early so we could sit together. The six parents, Izzy, Eli and Riley, Daddy and BA, and Gina, Dylan, and family all came to support the boys. Zach’s parents had talked about flying down for the big event but we talked them out of it… two flights from Wisconsin to North Carolina to watch their grandson sing off key for five minutes hardly seemed like a good investment… but I loved that they wanted to be there that badly. As a compromise, Riley promised to record it.

The auditorium lights went down and the piano started to play. You could hear a couple of dozen off key voices sing, “You know Dasher” while one child ran onto the stage in a reindeer costume complete with antlers, then they sang, “and Dancer” and out came a reindeer in a tutu doing a pirouette (Izzy clapped and cheered for the ‘wanedeo in a dwess’), “and Prancer” and the next reindeer pranced on stage, etc. When they got to Rudolph, Sammy took center stage dressed like the other reindeer with the addition of a red lightbulb for a nose, then the lights came up to reveal a chorus of elves in the background. We looked for Freddy and Teddy as the kids continued to belt out the song. Then they sang ‘you would even say it glows’ and a group of kids sang ‘like a lightbulb’ and out came Freddy with a lightbulb sandwich board over his elf costume. He got a big laugh, then left the stage. Izzy yelled “Hey! Dat Fweddy… he a wight bub” and got a laugh of her own. When they got to ‘they wouldn’t let poor Rudolph join in any reindeer games,’ the same group of kids sang, ‘like Monopoly’ and out came Teddy wearing a Monopoly sandwich board over HIS elf costume getting another laugh. This went on for the entire song, the kids added lines to the song and Teddy or Freddy would come out in costume. At the very end they all sang, ‘you’ll go down in his…. tor… ree. Like George Washington’ And out came Freddy with a powdered wig. Teddy and Freddy were the comic relief and it was cute as hell. We all cheered as the first graders took a well-deserved bow. We watched the other grades sing and do skits (okay, I admit it… once we saw our kids perform, the rest was torture). After the show it was punch and cookies in the back of the auditorium. Carrie Ann Sloop was there with her husband, I watched as she interacted with the kids… well all the kids except our three boys. I have to admit, I had no respect adults who took their prejudice’s out on kids, but in reality, those people existed and our kids would probably be dealing with them forever. The funny thing was that the three boys didn’t even notice, neither did the other kids. Maybe there was hope that prejudice would die with the next generation.

Eventually, our group surrounded Mr. Pringle and congratulated him on a great show (well, as great as a bunch of first graders are gonna get anyway). He introduced us to his wife (they were a cute couple, both about our age), we ended up inviting them out for Pizza at Ricky’s parents place afterwards as a thank you, and they accepted. The kids were so proud and it was such a fun night out… a family night out. After Pizza, it was home and off to bed for the kids.

Inspired by the night, I stayed up and wrote. I had been writing for a few weeks and things were starting to gel. I realized I had two different books brewing at the same time, one was the original psychological analysis of acceptance I had set out to write, and the other was a parenting guide for dummies type thing full of stories and anecdotes from our short time as young gay parents. The two books were completely different, but they both occupied space in my head. Zach went up to bed and left me to write. My fingers were tapping away and the pages were filling up as I worked late into the night. My energy started to wind down around midnight or so and I was getting sleepy. Soon I was attending Izzy’s wedding to a giant elf version of SpongeBob who liked to eat fruit rollups while wearing a tutu. The next thing I knew, my thoughts were interrupted by a warmth enveloping my sleeping manhood. I had dozed off while sitting in the big leather armchair writing and was off in dreamland when Zach came down to check on me and decided to wake me with a blowjob.

My eyes opened and I looked down to see Zach’s sparkling eyes looking up at me and his full lips wrapped around my soft cock. “What are you doing?” I asked with a groggy chuckle.

He took me out of his mouth and his perfectly chiseled face lit up with a brilliant smile. “You were sleeping so peacefully that I hated to wake you up. So, I figured I’d try and do it in the best way possible” he said in a quiet voice. I couldn’t help but smile back and I wasn’t about to argue with his method. He went back to work awakening my sleeping beauty. He licked me from stem to stern lubing me with his spit while his hand stroked up and down in perfect rhythm with his bobbing head. Zach transformed my limp tube into a veiny, throbbing, raging flesh beast yearning for release. My hands grabbed the back of his head and my hips started to thrust, giving him a face fucking that choked the tears right out of him. Zach didn’t pull back or thwart my efforts, he valiantly continued to slay the beast, giving my balls a tug at the perfect moment to drive me into a frenzy. One moment I was asleep, the next I was in the throes of lust and on the edge of release. I caught myself just in time and stopped thrusting into his mouth, then I looked down at him and asked, “Can I fuck you tonight?” Zach was almost always the top, but he gave in every now and then and let me dominate his perfect soccer-built ass.

He looked up at me red faced and tears running down his cheeks from the pummeling I was giving him, “I really was just waking you up with a playful BJ, I hadn’t really planned on…” I cut him off my pulling his face up to mine and shoving my tongue down his throat. He always protested at first, but once I was inside him, his euphoric cries of passion gave him away… top boy Zach Hall loved getting fucked. While he was distracted by our passionate kiss, I pulled his boxers down and started fingering his tight, tight, hole. I licked the middle finger of my right hand and inserted it. Holy fuck he was tight! His sphincter clamped down so tightly on my finger that I could hardly move it in and out. As always, Zach gave in. He started writhing his taut jock ass on my finger while his hardening cock gently pushed against mine. God, it felt awesome, hot flesh on hot flesh.

I rolled us over so Zach was sitting on the couch and I was on top now. I shed the sweatpants that were already at my ankles and pulled off my shirt so I was buck naked. I pulled Zach up, “bend over the couch” I growled and Zach reluctantly obeyed. His perfect, dimpled ass was displayed in front of my and my tongue went to work prepping him for the main event. Damn, his scent, his tastes, that sweet little pink hole winking at me, begging for entry… OH MY FRIGGING GOD!!! It was all so amazing. It. Never. Got. Frigging. Old! I know for some guys (like Taylor for example) the more guys the better. For me, the more sex with the RIGHT guy the better. I couldn’t get enough of Zach.

His feet were planted on the floor, his back was stretched above the seat of the couch and his arms were folded on the back of it. I pulled my face out of his addictive hole, stood, stepped back, and admired the work of art before me. I gave his ass a hard, loud slap that made him yelp, he looked back over his shoulder and grinned at the fact that he had me all riled up. I lined up, drooled some spit down on my hard cock and then entered him. “Oof” Zach grunted as my thickness made its way up his tight chute. I planted myself up to my root and then just held myself inside whim. Zach emitted whimpers of pleasure as he wriggled his ass getting every bit of me. I pulled out slowly, then reentered at the same pace… then again then ag….” My phone rang just as I was getting going.

“It’s almost 1AM, who the frig is calling me?” I asked while Zach reached over to my phone sitting on the end table.

“It’s Ms. Elkin” Zach said, then he answered my phone. “Hey Maureen, it’s Zach. what’s up?” He asked causally with my member still lodged up his ass. “No, no, no, we were up… um wrapping Christmas gifts” he lied to the social worker who introduced us to the best part of our world. “Wow, um… is he okay? Oh my god, how tragic. Of course, let me check with Seth” he said then looked over his shoulder at me. “She has a little boy who’s a little under two years old, his mother was found dead by the landlord, an apparent suicide. The little guy needs an emergency placement while they try to locate other family” Zach said.

I nodded, “She can bring him here if you’re good with it” Zach just nodded in response. “We don’t have a crib.”

Zach gave Maureen the greenlight and she promised to bring a portable crib with her then hung up. I pulled out of my husband. We ran upstairs to the shower to clean ourselves up, then we both put our blue balls inside of a pair of clean sweats just in time to answer the door and meet Ms. Elkin. She stood in the doorway with a very large police officer behind her holding a sleeping toddler. Ms. Elkin introduced the daunting figure as Officer Phil, he nodded hello as he firmly held onto the child. Maureen hugged me and Zach as they stepped over the threshold and she explained the situation to us. The police had responded to a call (multiple calls) that there was a baby crying for hours in an apartment, the neighbors tried knocking on the door and there was no answer and they feared the child had been abandoned. The building manager met the police there and let them into the apartment, when they entered the apartment, they found the baby crying in his crib and the mother locked in the other bedroom, dead with a bottle of pills next to her.

“The neighbors said there was a man who came around but they hadn’t seen him in a while” Officer Phil added in a whisper. “We’re trying to locate him or any other family, in the meantime this little guy needs a home.”

“He’s got one here” I said as Officer Phil handed the sleeping boy to me… he didn’t stir at all.

“What’s his name?” Zach asked Maureen.

“One of the neighbors said his name is Ollie. That’s literally all we know about at the moment” she replied.

“Welcome home, Ollie” I whispered in his ear as I kissed the sleeping little guy on the forehead.

 

To be continued…