T.J.’s Getting Settled

I registered T.J. at one of the local Catholic High Schools on Friday and he’ll begin his classes tomorrow, Monday.  I had to take him shopping to get suitable clothes – no jeans or tee-shirts for this school!  The tuition was a little steeper that I thought it would be, close to eight grand a year, but it will be worth it for T.J. to get a good education.  I looked into the local public high schools, and I was not thrilled with what I learned about the quality of their academic performance.  So, it’s Catholic school for T.J.

We had a little incident Wednesday morning.  The house I live in is an older home, built sometime in the 1910s, so there was only one bathroom originally; on the second floor where the bedrooms are.  (My Grandma did remodel about fifteen years ago and put a half-bath on the ground floor, but we only have one full bath upstairs.)  Anyway, Ian walked out of the bathroom after his morning shower like he usually does – naked – only to run unto T.J. in the hall while I was coming out of my bedroom.  T.J. was a little embarrassed, not knowing where to look and getting a little flustered.  Ian acted like it was no big deal and to him it wasn’t; Ian and I often walked from the bathroom to the bedroom or vice-versa naked (Billy did too when he lived with us).  I mean, walking around naked in the privacy of your own home?  Who gives a fuck?  After all, it was just us guys, right?  But the situation has changed and I should have realized something like this was bound to happen sooner or later.  I didn’t say anything about it and T.J. has come to accept Ian walking around bare-ass in the morning as part of who he is, but I’ve started putting on my boxers when I get up in the morning.  After all, I’ve started to feel a little self-conscious about being naked outside of my bedroom with my little brother around.

Since I didn’t register T.J. for school until Friday, Wednesday and Thursday it was just the two of us while Ian was at work, so there was a lot we needed to talk about – my relationship with Ian, T.J.’s relationship with his Mom and our Dad, Grandma, and Dad’s will.  Over lunch on Wednesday, we decided it might be best to rent out the house T.J. grew up in rather than let it remain vacant.  I wasn’t sure what the rental market was like in Hackensack, but I knew that a house rental would certainly bring in a good deal of money every month, money that we could set aside for T.J.’s college fund.  Of course we couldn’t rent it out right away, we needed to go through Dad’s things, see what repairs needed to be done, pack up the things we wanted and donate the rest.  I found the names of Dad’s contacts in the paperwork his lawyer had given me and I called them that afternoon, setting up meeting for tomorrow.  

About a week ago, I mentioned to a friend of mine, Diana, who works for an interior designer that I might have to furnish my brother’s bedroom if he didn’t want to keep his furniture from New Jersey and was at a loss as to where to start.  Well, she called Wednesday with some ideas for his room and came over Thursday to take us to some places in the city she knew of and thought might be a good fit for T.J.  He was so excited to have someone help him create a really unique room he could call his own.  The three of us spent hours searching second-hand shops, prop shops, outlet stores and Pier One for just the right things.  Finally, after hours of not liking anything, T.J. finally decided on one piece, a retro-50s metal desk that Diana was able to use as a jumping-off point and after another two hours, we had gotten everything T.J. needed and wanted for his room.  It should be delivered by the middle of the week, so by the weekend, T.J.’s room will finally be finished!

T.J. and I went back to Hackensack yesterday to get the last of his things.  It should have only taken a few hours, but he got sidetracked when his friends found out he was back and they dropped by to say their good-byes.  They were so pathetic trying to be macho and not letting it show that T.J. moving to New York was upsetting to them.  I just didn’t have the heart to cut their visit short, so I told T.J. he could hang out for a few hours while I stayed at the house, figuring out what needed to be repaired before we rented the house out.  He didn’t get back until nearly 8 o’clock, but I wasn’t mad.  How could I be?  I made my list of obvious repairs, then took a ride to drop off my father’s clothes at a local thrift store then got some pizza and beer before heading back to the house and watching some T.V.  After T.J. got back, we packed the last few things in the car and left.  We got home about an hour later.

Ian had dinner waiting for us when we got back, nothing elaborate, just hamburgers, fries and backed beans, but it was nice to sit down as a family and eat and talk and joke a little.  I guess T.J. is settling in just fine.  Hopefully tomorrow will go just as well as he settles into his new school.

My Little Brother, T.J.

I heard from “Mrs. Button”, the case worker at Child Services concerning my half-brother yesterday.  She was very happy to tell me that I had been approved to become Tommy’s legal guardian and I made arrangements with her to pick him up this morning. 

I got to the Child Services offices a little early because I was nervous about meeting him.  It felt worse than the time I first met Ian’s parents.  I didn’t know what to expect from him.  I was pretty sure that he had been told about me, but I didn’t know how much.  I waited in the moving van I had rented for about half an hour sipping the gas station battery-acid in my paper coffee cup before going into the building were the offices were located. 

Inside, I found the right office and “Mrs. Button” showed me to a small conference room and told me to wait; then she left.  A few minutes later she came back and she had my half-brother with her.

I had seen a picture of him before, when “Mr. Norman” told me about my father’s death and the fact that he had another son, but it had looked a little like a mug shot you see on T.V.  I was not prepared for the actuality of meeting this kid, my little brother.  I saw some of my father in him, not all that surprising after all, and a little of me.  But what struck me was how scared and kind of sad he looked.  There he was, a couple of inches shorter than me, sandy-brown hair a little long and scruffy, a peach-fuzz stubble and a bit of a mustache, a faded Green Lantern tee-shirt straining against his chest, arms pumped and solid, like he could snap a tree in two and he was scared; of me!

I came from around the table, extended my hand and said “Hello Thomas.  I’m your brother, Garth.”

He took my hand, pulled me in to him and buried his face in my shoulder.  “You look so much like Dad,” he sobbed into my shirt.

I was taken aback for a second then I patted him on the back and told him it was going to be alright; that he was my brother and nothing would come between us.  “Mrs. Button” excused herself and left us alone to become acquainted.  I found out that only his teachers called him “Thomas”; everyone else called him “T.J.” (for Thomas Jacob).  He also told me that he’s into weight-training, comic books, and playing his guitar.

After about fifteen minutes, she returned with some paperwork and when that was finished, I was allowed to leave with my brother. 

We got in the moving van I rented and drove to the house that T.J. grew up in.  On the way there, T.J. and I spoke a little.  I told him about Ian and that I was gay and that they would meet when we got back to my, our house in New York.

The house T.J. grew up in was really nice and had a pool in the backyard.  Once inside, T.J. went to his room to pack his clothes and get whatever he wanted together so we could take it with us when we left.  I asked him if he wanted his furniture or if he wanted new things for his new room, and except for his mattress and the night table his dad made, he said he was ready for a change.  After about two and a half hours, the van was filled with everything he wanted to take – his bed (just the box spring and mattress) and pillows, the night table, a lamp, his T.V., stereo and computer (and all the stuff that went with it), his guitar, some knickknacks and photos from around the house, several boxes of comics, a couple boxes of books, some bed linens (I reminded him of those), a teddy bear in a Hackensack High School jersey and his clothes.

While T.J. had been getting his things together, I cleaned out the fridge of all the leftovers that had gone bad, had a beer, washed, dried and put away the dishes that were still in the sink and took out the garbage.  Since there was still some stuff in the freezer, I scrounged around in the basement for a cooler for about twenty minutes before T.J. told me they kept it in the garage.  I made some frozen pizza and chicken tenders for lunch, packed up the rest of the frozen food and most of the boxed and canned foods and after one last check, we left for Queens.

When we got home, Ian was watching T.V.  I introduced T.J. to Ian but T.J. was quiet and reserved.  Even though we had spoken a little more about my relationship with Ian on the drive back to Queens, I guess it was still a little too much for T.J. to take in all at once.  Ian helped us unpack the van.  That was about an hour and a half ago.  T.J.’s in his new room, unpacking and getting settled.  I called for some Chinese delivery and that should be here soon.  There’s still a whole lot that has to be decided – first and foremost, where T.J.’s going to go to school; one of the Catholic high schools in the area or one of the public schools.  I guess we’ve got some research to do tonight.  I’ll let you know what we decide once he’s settled and registered.  I just hope the rest of the school year will be a good one for him.

The Renaissance Faire

Ian and I went to the Renaissance Faire up in Tuxedo yesterday and, man, was it fun!

I’ve wanted to go back to the Faire for years – I hadn’t been there since my freshman year of college when a bunch of guys I knew back then decided to go and make a camping trip out of it.  There were five of us all crammed into one car along with all the things necessary for a week-end of camping – the tent, sleeping bags, toilet paper, the cooler of beer, the stockpiles of food, bug spray, matches; you name it, we had it.

Anyway, Phil, the college buddy who was driving, knew this secluded place in Bear Mountain that no one was supposed to use.  It was off the highway, in the woods and down a dirt road.  We had to leave the car about a hundred yards from the actual site and carry everything, but it was worth it!  The actual site was awesome!  It was a smallish, flat-topped island created by the crossing of several streams.  The island was mostly treeless, but was covered nonetheless with a carpet of leaves and twigs from the surrounding trees.  Toward one side were these two trees spaced perfectly apart for a hammock; in fact someone at some point in the past actually put these large hooks in the trees to hang a hammock from!  There was a good-sized space near the middle of the island perfect for setting up our tent and a few feet off to one side was a stone ring that someone had fashioned that was obviously used for campfires, judging from the accumulated ash inside the ring.

It took a couple of trips to unload Phil’s car and less than 90 minutes later, the camp was set and a fire was going.  We set up some lawn chairs, opened some beers and started roasting some hot dogs.   It wasn’t long before someone passed a joint around and between that and the beer, we started feeling really good.  Sometime after the third beer and the second hot dog, one of the guys got up and wandered off to take a piss.  When he come back he was holding his shirt, his pants were still unzipped, and his cock hanging out.  He took his empty seat as if nothing was out of the ordinary.  It wasn’t long after that that we were all naked and having fun.  After all, five horny guys in the woods and a little weed – when wouldn’t it turn into a sausage fest?

Anyway, that had been a great trip and made my first time at the Renaissance Faire one to remember.  I’ve told Ian about the Faire a few times, and he finally agreed to go.

Ian drove and by the time we got to the fair site, the second parking lot was nearly full.  Inside the Faire, it was like being transported to some Medieval English village with lots of 21^st century tourists.  Many of the young women were in short shorts and tiny tees, looking more like they were ready for the beach instead of a day walking among people dressed in peasant garb and armor.  There was this one guy dressed in full armor that must have cost him hundreds, if not thousands of dollars!  He had the complete outfit – tunic, cloak, helmet, metal gloves and sword!  Others were dressed in elaborate costumes pretending to be royalty.  Lots of little girls were dressed as princesses and little fairies with wings (or fairy princesses) and many of the little boys had wooden swords and shields that were sold in several of the shops.  In addition to that, other shops were selling all sorts of things from handmade soaps and candles to hand-blown glass and jewelry, there were the weapons vendors and all manner of food sellers.  Of course it wouldn’t have been a faire if there hadn’t been events to watch like the living chess game, knife-throwing and archery demonstrations and the games of chance and skill.  But the best thing was the joust at the end of the day!  I loved watching those men on those beautiful horses trying to unseat each other with their long poles!

 

I loved spending the day with Ian doing something a little out of the ordinary.  Tomorrow, we might do the San Gennero Festival in Little Italy!  That promises to be fun!

Photo Set -- Austin Masters 2

Photo Set -- Austin Masters 1



I love hairy men!  They make me spring a boner every time!  I was digging through my photo files and ran across some of the guy below.  He is one HOT Daddy!  I'd love to run my fingers through all that chest fur and suck that cock!  Wouldn't you?

 

Photo Set: Adam Holland

 

Child Services’ Visit

“Mrs. Button” (not her real name), the woman from Child Services, came late this morning and Ian and I spent close to an hour and a half talking with her over coffee and fresh, home-made cookies (what can I say, when I’m nervous, I bake).  She asked both me and Ian a lot of questions – What was my childhood like? What was it like growing up without a father?  What was my Grandmother like?  How did I do in school?  When did I first realize I was gay?  How long have Ian and I been together?  Do I or Ian engage in promiscuous activity like bringing strangers home for the purpose of having sex?  What would either of us do if we caught Thomas drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana, doing hard drugs or having sex?

I had anticipated a lot of those questions, but it was still difficult and a little embarrassing to answer a few of them.  I think I surprised her when she asked me how I would feel as a gay man if I learned Tommy was into girls and not boys.

“I’d be relieved,” I said.

“You wouldn’t be disappointed that he wasn’t gay like yourself?”

“Heck, no,” I said, trying to be polite.  “Why would I want him to be gay; it’s not like it’s my choice after all.  Besides, if he’s straight then he won’t have to put up with the insults and the comments and the name-calling.  He won’t be victimized by school bullies or get a beat-down in the locker room because the straight jock he’s standing near is in his underwear or jockstrap and thinks that Tommy might be looking at his ass or something.  It’s gonna be hard enough for him leaving his old school, all his friends, and starting Junior year in a new school, not knowing anyone and trying to fit in, especially if he’s able to move in here with me and Ian.  Just being a teenager is hard enough; it won’t be easy for him living with two openly gay men.  I may not be able to tell him what kind of things a teenage girl likes or expects from a boy, but if he treats his dates with respect and doesn’t pressure her, or him, I guess he’ll get through the rest of high school just fine.  And, if he is gay, then he’ll have two people he can go to when he has questions, me and Ian.”

After a few more questions I gave the woman from Child Services a tour of the house, upstairs and down, showing her the freshly-painted, but unfurnished bedroom that would be Tommy’s.  She was impressed with the general cleanliness of the house, but when we got to the basement, she asked about the lock on one of the doors.  I was frank about it and told her that Ian and I like to indulge in a little leather and bondage sex play once in a while and that was where he did it.  We assured her there were only two keys; I had one and Ian had the other.  And while she seemed a little taken aback with the idea, she was impressed that we had the foresight to put a lock on the door.

Back upstairs, she commented that she had seen what she needed to see and that her report would speak highly of me and Ian and, although it was not the typical household, it was clear that the two of us had Tommy’s best interests in mind and that she would recommend Tommy be placed with us as quickly as possible as the school year had already started. 

When I asked her how quickly that might be, she said she would call me by the end of the week and, if everything went well, we would be able to pick Tommy up as early as a week from Monday.

I thanked her and walked her to the front door.

Now we wait.