Watching Brad

[gmoney]

He is something to behold! I hope this story goes on and on!

 

[caddymac]

I have enjoyed this story so much, I too hope it goes on. Thank you Neil for being such a wonderful writer.

 

[Kyanimal]

Huge Hugs, Neil! HUGE HUGS!!

Keep smilin'!!
Chaz

 

[gsdx]

Tick Tick Tick

Just a few more hours to wait, guys.

However, I'm delighted to announce that I'm more or less over my slump and I'm back on track - for the most part. Things are moving along again. Fingers crossed that they keep moving.

 

[gsdx]

WATCHING BRAD
Part LVI​

Her sons? This was the boys' real mother? My eyes burned into her. "Even if you are who you say you are, you gave up all your rights to those boys almost five years ago."

"I changed my mind."

"It's too late for that, sweetheart!" I turned that last word into a dagger and shoved it into her as deeply as I could. I could still hear the boys screaming through the door. "What have you been doing to my children!?" There was no hiding my anger.

"Nothing," she replied. Her coolness and nonchalance astounded me.

"‘Nothing'!?" I shouted as I pointed to the door. "You call that ‘nothing'!?"

"They wouldn't let me inside."

"That's because we don't want you here and that means you're trespassing! I suggest you get off my property right now!" The twins must have heard my voice. They began screaming ‘Daddy'.

"I'm not going anywhere without my sons."

I went ballistic. "They're not your sons anymore, you fuckin' bitch!! They're mine!! And they're not going anywhere with you! Now, get the hell off my property!" I pulled the keys out of my pocket, unlocked the door and went in, slamming the door behind me.

I ran to the livingroom. Terry was huddled with the children beyond the sofa near the fireplace, her arms wrapped around all three. "Daddy!" the boys screamed when they saw me. They broke free from Terry's clutches and ran to me. I met them half-way and grabbed them up in my arms and held them tighter than I had ever held them before. Lindsay came rushing to me as well, wrapping herself around my leg. She, too, was crying.

"It's okay," I said. "Everything's going to be okay. Daddy's here now."

Both boys had their arms wrapped tightly around my neck, their legs clinging to my waist and holding on for dear life. I held them and hugged them and kissed them, and all that time I was trying to make them feel safe again.

Terry was in a total panic and sobbing. "I didn't know what to do, Mr. Dee." she said. "I'm so sorry. She came around the house looking in all the windows and the back door and. . . and she was yelling and banging and pounding. I. . . I didn't know what to do."

I noticed the patio door drapes had been closed. "It's okay, Terry," I said. "I'll handle. . ."

The boys' ear-piercing screams suddenly filled the room again. They dug their fingers into me and they began kicking at me, as if struggling to get both themselves and me away from the front door. Lindsay's screams joined the twins' and she ran once more to Terry. I clutched the boys even tighter and spun around.

Cindy was standing in the hallway.

"Get the hell out of my house!!" I screamed. My entire body shook with anger and my face burned with fury.

"Not without my sons!" she shouted back at me.

The boys screamed louder and I held them even tighter. "God damn it! They're not your sons!!"

This was out of hand. I had lost control of the entire situation. My kids were terrified and screaming and I wasn't doing anything to help them. My fury at this young woman clouded my judgement. . . my thinking. She shouldn't be in my house, but she was, and I felt powerless to do anything about it.

A million empty thoughts flooded my mind. None of them made sense, and not a single thought helped me. My children were not in any physical danger. I could protect them from that. But the emotional danger was very real. My boys depended on me and I was failing them. This stranger was here to take them away from their home. I couldn't allow that to happen.

I had to do something. Anything.

"No-o-o-o-o-o!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. My face was burning red with anger. The entire room was stunned into sudden silence by my outrage. The boys stopped kicking and squealing. Even the strange young woman stepped back at the sound.

Yet, the scream had cleared my mind somehow and pushed out all those empty thoughts. They were clear again. Think, Ted! Think!

Okay, get the kids out of here first and make sure they're safe. That was the first thing I had to do. They had to be anywhere else but here.

"Terry," I shouted, "get Lindsay!" Terry picked up my daughter. "Follow me!"

I hurried them down the hall and into my bedroom. I set the boys on the floor, but they wouldn't let go. "Please, let go of me," I told them in a firm voice. Their arms grabbed at my neck with even greater force. "Let go!" I said, louder this time. Still, they wouldn't relinquish their hold. "Damn it! I said let go of me!!" I pulled their bodies away from me and they finally released me. They couldn't hold on anymore. I held them at arm's as I gathered myself. "Listen to me," I said as calmly as I could manage. The twins grabbed each other's hand. "Everything's going to be okay," I assured them. "I promise. Now, you have to stay here with Terry. She will look after you. I have to go talk to that woman, but I'll be back as soon as I can."

I looked at the fear in their faces and it tore me apart. I wasn't sure if it was fear of their own mother or fear of me because I had just pushed them away from me and yelled at them. I pulled them back into my arms and hugged them. "I love you both. I won't let anything happen to you. I swear I won't." I kissed them each on the cheek and pushed them toward Terry. "Please, you have to stay here with Terry. Can you do that for me?"

The twins finally nodded to me. Terry took them in her arms.

"Lock the door behind me," I said as I moved to the doorway.

Terry nodded. "Be careful," she said.

"Just take care of my kids," I told her.

I closed the bedroom door behind me and stood there with my hand on the knob until I heard the lock click into place. The young woman was still standing behind the sofa where I had left her. At least my kids were safe. I could handle this woman without having to worry about them.

I pulled myself together as best I could and tried to stop my body from shaking. I took several deep breaths and walked back down the hall. The doorbell was ringing again. Through the front door, I could hear JW yelling at me. "Ted! Ted!! It's me, JW! Open up!" There was a pause, then more ringing and pounding. "Ted! What's wrong!? Open the door!"

I ignored him and moved toward Cindy, my hands balled into fists. She didn't back away from me. I kept my voice calm, but I made it as menacing as I possibly could. "I told you to get the hell out of my house. I suggest you do so."

"And I told you I'm not leaving without my sons."

"Fine," I said as I checked my pockets, looking for my cell phone. I didn't have it. I must have left it at my office. I went to the phone on the coffee table instead. It was off its cradle, right where Terry had dropped it. I reset it and dialed 9-1-1.

"What are you doing?" Cindy asked when I looked back up at her..

I kept my eyes on her, but I ignored her question.

A female voice came over the receiver.

* Nine-One-One Emergency. *

"My name is Ted de Villiers." I said as calmly as I could. "Small ‘D'. Small ‘E'. Capital ‘V-i-l-l- i-e-r-s'. I have an intruder in my home and I want her removed immediately."

* Is she armed? *

I could hear computer keyboard keys being pressed.

"I don't know. I don't think so." My eyes never left Cindy, and hers never left mine.

* Can't you remove her yourself, Sir? *

"Listen to me. I want the police here. This woman has invaded my home and she won't leave. She's trespassing and she's terrorizing my children and she's trying to kidnap my sons. I want her arrested."

I heard more clicking of a computer keyboard.

* An officer has been dispatched to your address, Sir. *

Thank God for Caller ID.

"Thank you." I hung up the phone and stood there, staring down Cindy as I tried to think what to do next. I made my decision and went back to stand at the entrance to the hallway, placing myself between her and the kids. I noticed that the doorbell was no-longer ringing and JW's voice was no-longer calling me.

Cindy approached slowly, standing just beyond arm's reach.

My voice was quiet, but intent. "The police are on their way. This is your last chance. You're not getting the boys. Now or ever. So you'd best just get out of my house now."

"I'll take you to court," she said. "I fight for them."

"Just. . . you. . . try," I warned her, dragging out each word for an eternity. "I hope you have a damned good lawyer because you're going to need one. I will never. . . never give up my boys!!" I paused. I leaned into her, my hand coming up and my finger pointing at her in challenge. "You hear me!? I'll never give them up without a fight! You want a fight!? Well, bring it on, sister!!"

Then a strange, cunning, and frightening smirk crossed her lips. "How much?" she asked quietly.

How much? What sort of a response was that? I was stunned and speechless for a moment. "How much ‘what'!?" My eyes flicked quickly up, then back down to her face again.

"How much will you pay me to get me out of your hair?"

"You want to sell them to me?" I asked incredulously.

"No," she said. "But you want them and I want the money. I figure they're worth ten grand each, don't you think? Pay up or I'll keep you tied up in court so long they'll be graduating college before they can call you Dad legally."

"That's blackmail," I said.

She shrugged, still smirking at me. "I prefer to call it ‘free enterprise'. You want the boys? Keep ‘em. But I want the money."

"Blackmail means serious jail time, you know," I said.

"You would have to prove it first," she said. "And there ain't no-one here except you and I. And I don't think Missy Prissy down the hall has super-hearing."

Stupidly, I corrected her grammar. "It's ‘you and me'."

The doorbell began ringing again.

"There's the police," I said. "This is your very last chance before I let them in. Just walk away and I'll forget any of this ever happened."

"Not without my money."

"Fine. If that's the way you want it," I said as I pulled my shoulders back, "so be it. I have lots of witnesses for trespassing and terrorizing. And now I have you on blackmail."

"Like I said, you have to prove it. My word against yours, sweetheart." She threw the word back into my face with a great deal of triumphant satisfaction.

"And against my word, too," said a voice behind her.

To Be Continued​

 

[gmoney]

What a BITCH! I assume that voice was JW's. Yet another great chapter. Thanks, Neil.

 

[Blktiger58]

I can't recall a movie, or novel that touched me like this story. Neil thank you.

 

[harry113]

Neil, you've really raised the temperature now.
I can't recall what (if any) comments were made earlier about the twins mother, but surely the authorities would have tried to find her after their father's death. Also there was the thing about the boys not liking females. Could there be a tie up ? Was she in prison ?Why has she only now tried to claim them ? certainly sounds like blackmail
Please don't keep us in suspense for too long.
Great chapter
Thanks

Harry

 

[gsdx]

Why has she only now tried to claim them ? certainly sounds like blackmail
Please don't keep us in suspense for too long.

Your suspense will end tomorrow morning.

 

[ronboy]

Neil, my heart was racing!

 

[sheep]

With bitches like that, it's no wonder I'm gay

 

[igamenir]

With bitches like that, it's no wonder I'm gay

Great line. I should save it in my personal qoute archive

But I agree. What a bitch is that. Neil, I hope it's not based on some person you know coz that would be

Great chapter You just can't help it, do you? Every chapter has to be better than the previous one

 

[gsdx]

What a bitch is that. Neil, I hope it's not based on some person you know coz that would be

As I've mentioned, Brad is the only character based upon someone I know, and it is only the resemblance upon which he's based. Believe me, Brad is a much nicer person than my friend.

Everyone else is a figment of my imagination. The 'de Villiers' name is real, though, from a young lady I went to university with back in the early 70s. I always liked that name, and I loved her accent. She, too, was an Afrikaaner. If I'd known how much research I would have to do to figure out how to write in Afrikaans, and then how to pronounce it, you might have ended up with a character named Francis Theodore Smith. (I do, sincerely, apologize to any Afrikaaners who may have noticed any errors. All my information came from the internet.)

As for the latest bitch, I made her up after I'd written the phone call in Ted's office. When I wrote down Terry's cryptic messages, I had to figure out what was going on. That's when Cindy came to mind. So, I backed up, edited the conversations, cut off Ted's 'hello' and made Terry's messages even more cryptic. I had no idea Cindy was going to try blackmail until I wrote the words 'How much?"

Like I've said before, the story almost writes itself. I have very little control over it.

Now, one final secret. Don't ask me why Brad loves Ted. I don't know. All those times in the story when Ted was trying to figure it out, so was I. When Ted finally gave up, that's when I, too, had given up. If anyone has any ideas, I'd be happy to hear them.

 

[gsdx]

WATCHING BRAD
Part LVII​

JW was standing at the entryway. I had seen him come tip-toeing in when I glanced up earlier.

Cindy spun around, her eyes suddenly wide and her mouth agape.

Bernice was standing beside JW. "Mine, too," she said with a satisfied grin. Then she calmly went to the door and opened it for the police.

* * * * *

"Terry! Open up!" I called through the door. There was a fumbling click and I turned the doorknob and shoved open the door. The still-crying boys were in my arms again a moment later. "It's okay, Babies," I said. "It's okay. It's all over now. She's gone now and she's never coming back."

The twins dug there fingers into me as they cried. It hurt and they were scratching me, but I didn't care. I just held them and kissed them. Lindsay was latched onto my leg once more.

"It's okay," I said again. "No-one is taking you anywhere. I promise."

"Oh, Mr. Dee," Terry exclaimed, "she just kept ringing the bell and banging on the door and yelling that she wanted her sons. I was so scared. I didn't know what to do."

"It's okay, Terry," I assured her. "You did the right thing. Thank you."

The boys cries reduced to sobs. "We have to go talk to the police now, okay? All of us."

"Will they take us away?" Justin asked in a small, weak, stilted voice.

"No," I told him. "No-one is ever going to take you away again."

"Promise?" Jeremy asked.

"My very best promise."

Lindsay released my leg, but held onto my pant leg as we headed back to the livingroom, Terry following behind. Bernice and JW stood there with a young police officer. The other officer and Cindy were gone. JW was holding my coat. He'd brought it with him from work.

"Justin," I said, "would you go to Grandma, please?" He hesitated. "It's okay," I told him. "I'll be right here with you. That's a good boy."

Bernice reached out for him and Justin reluctantly went to her arms. "Come on, Sweetie," she said.

I pulled the set of keys out of my pants pocket. "JW," I said as I held one of the keys out to him, "this is the key to my office. In the bottom-right drawer of my desk is a fireproof lock box. Could you get it for me and bring it up here? Terry, would you take JW downstairs, please?"

Terry nodded and led the way. JW laid my coat over the back of the sofa and followed her.

"And your name is?" the officer asked me.

"Ted de Villiers," I said and spelt it out for him.

"Did you know this woman?"

"No," I said. "I've never seen her before. She's the boys' birth mother, but she gave up all parental rights when they were born. I'm adopting them through CAS. I don't even know how she found out the boys were here."

"You say she's the boys' biological mother?" he asked as he wrote notes in his pad.

"Yes, but she gave up all rights to their father. He was. . . Look, I won't leave my boys and I don't want to talk about this in front of them. Can I make a phone call? There's someone from CAS who can probably answer your questions better than I can."

The officer nodded. I carried Jeremy to the phone and pushed ‘8' on the speed dial. The phone was answered on the second ring.

"Hi, Nancy. It's Ted. I've got the police here at my house. Cindy came back looking for the twins. Could you come over? . . . Great, thanks," I said, and hung up. I went back to the officer. "Nancy will be here in a few minutes. She's the case worker."

JW and Terry returned with the box. He set it on the sofa and I showed him which key on the ring opened it. "The envelope marked ‘Twins'," I said. He opened the box and found the manila envelope and handed it to me. I held it out to the officer. "Everything I have is there," I told him.

He opened the envelope and began looking through the various forms and papers and cards. He nodded. "They're yours," he said. As he replaced the items in the envelope, he asked, "Mrs. Hayes said something about blackmail?"

"Yes," I told him. "I don't think she really wanted the boys. She just wanted money. She said she would take me to court over them and prevent me from adopting them."

"Did she say how much she wanted?" he said as he continued making notes in his pad.

"Ten thousand each. Twenty grand total." And then I thought of Bernice and JW. They had just appeared suddenly and silently in my hallway. JW had been holding his finger to his lips. "What happened out there?"

"I could hear you through the door," JW said, "but I couldn't hear what you were saying. I tried to sneak in, but the door was locked."

"I didn't lock it when I came in," I said. "Cindy must have done it. I didn't think she would be stupid enough to come in the house."

"Anyway, I remembered Mrs. Hayes from your birthday party. I knew she lived right beside you, but I didn't know which side. I took a chance and found her house first. She called the police and got her coat and keys and she let me in. I was hoping to surprise whoever it was in here with you. I thought maybe I could wrap them in your coat or something, but we heard talking about money and we stopped to listen."

"We thought we'd make better witnesses than rescuers, Ted," Bernice smiled as she kissed Justin's cheek.

"Thank, Bernice," I said. "Thanks both of you." I recalled my phone call to 9-1-1. The operator had suddenly said that the police had been dispatched with barely any information on my part. So, mine was the second call to them. My name must have sent up a flag.

"I wanted to wait for the police," JW added, "but Mrs. Hayes would have no part of that."

"Not when my grandchildren might be in danger."

"You were here with the children?" the officer asked Terry.

"Yes," she replied. "I'm the sitter."

"What time did she get here?"

"Oh, I don't know," she said, looking down at the floor as she tried to remember. "About five minutes before I phoned Mr. Dee."

"Who's that?"

"Me," I said. "That's what she calls me. She called me a few minutes before two."

"Yes," JW confirmed. "Seven minutes to. I checked my watch when you were on the phone."

Back to Terry, the officer asked, "What happened?"

"Well," Terry began, "the doorbell rang and I answered it. The kids were behind me to see who it was. She just. . . Oh, God, I'm still shaking." She took a deep breath to calm herself. "She said she was the boys' mother and she was taking them home with her. I told her to wait until Mr. Dee got home and started to close the door. She pushed her way in but I used my foot to shove her back out and I slammed and locked the door. That's when she started ringing the bell and banging on the door. The kids were screaming by then and I tried to calm them down and took them into the livingroom. The doorbell stopped ringing, and I phoned Mr. Dee. That's when she showed up at the back door and Lindsay started running to it." She looked at me. "And that's when I dropped the phone. Sorry, Mr. Dee. I forgot about you."

Jeremy was still clinging to me, his arms around my neck and his legs around my waist, but his head was resting on my shoulder now.

The doorbell rang once more. "I'll get it," Terry said and left to get the door.

Nancy entered the room a few moments later with Ron Sparks at her side. "Ted?" she said anxiously. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes," I assured her. "It's okay now."

Ron held out his ID card. He carried a file folder under his arm. "Ron Sparks," he said. "CAS. I have everything here."

"Good," the officer said. "I think we should talk alone." To me, he asked, "Is there somewhere we can go?"

"The dining room if you wish," I said. "It's just inside the front door."

"I'll show them," Terry said. "This way, please."

They followed Terry out of the room.

"I'm sorry, Ted," Nancy was saying. "We had no idea she was still around. She has no legal standing, so don't worry. I phoned Ron after you called and he insisted on coming himself."

I shook my head. "She didn't want the boys, Nancy."

"Money?" she asked with a shocked expression.

I nodded. "She said she'd tie up the adoption in court for years if I didn't pay up."

"That's blackmail."

"And he has witnesses," Bernice said proudly.

"Are you taking us away again?" Jeremy asked Nancy weakly.

"No, Justin, you're staying right here with your father."

"I'm Jeremy."

Nancy looked from one twin to the other and chuckled. "One of these days I'm going to get it right. But don't you worry. No-one is going to take you away. Not me, not the police, no-one. You're staying right here with your father."

"If you don't mind," I said, "I think I'd like to sit down." I reached out for Justin again and he came to me. I carried them around the sofa and sat down, the boys settling on my legs and against my chest. Lindsay sat beside me, cuddling against me. Nancy took the chair as Bernice and JW sat on the settee.

"Can I get you anything?" Terry asked. "Coffee? Tea?"

Coffee sounded good to everyone except JW, who declined any refreshments. Terry went to the kitchen to prepare it. I looked at JW then, and he looked at me. "Why are you here?"

"Are you kidding? After that phone call, I knew something was seriously wrong, especially after you took off without your coat. I thought I might be able to help, so I followed you."

"Well, you did," I said, smiling. "Thanks."

"I'll head back as soon as the police say I can go. You stay here with your family. They need you more than we do."

"Thanks again."

Ron and the officer returned. "If you wish to press charges, Mr. . . how do you pronounce it?"

"de Villiers," I said.

"Thank you," he said with a chuckle. "No wonder your sitter calls you ‘Mr. Dee'. If you wish to press charges, you'll have to come to the station."

Did I really want to spend time in court again? Did I really want to deal with another trial? I looked at Ron, who still stood near the officer. "Is there anything either she or her family or anyone else can do to me or the boys? Now or in the future?"

"Nothing whatsoever," he said calmly. "Her case wouldn't even make it into court. However, if you don't want to press charges, I understand, what with court and all, but I strongly recommend that you pursue an Order of Protection against her and her family for both you and the twins, just to keep them away."

I looked at the officer. He nodded. "Okay, I'll do that," I said. "Will I have to go to court for that?"

"Yes," he said, "but it would only be for an hour or so, just to talk to the judge and explain why you want the Order." He looked at JW and Bernice. "If you could go with him, it would certainly help his case. From what I've heard, there shouldn't be any problem getting it."

"Just try to keep me out of that courtroom," Bernice said. "No-one threatens my grandchildren and gets away with it."

A pleasant smile crossed the officer's rugged young face. "I bet you'd even take me on."

"And you'd lose, Buster," Bernice said sternly.

His smile turned into a wide grin. "I've dealt with a few scrappy grandmothers before. I haven't won an argument against them yet." He looked at me again as he closed his notepad. "Well, that about wraps it up here, then. We'll scare the lady a little bit," he said. "Put her behind bars while we check her. Find out where she lives. Let her know how much time she can get for trespassing, and then we'll hit her with the blackmail. It should make her think twice about coming back here again." Then, with a wink, he added, "But we'll have a nice, long coffee break first, and maybe even a few doughnuts. Let her sweat a little."

I smiled back as I stood up. "Thank you," I said. "From all of us."

"You're welcome," he said. "I'll bid you good day, then. I'll find my own way out. And don't forget that OP."

"I'll get right on it, thanks."

Ron joined me on the sofa as Terry arrived with a tray full of coffee mugs and Root Beer floats and a plate of cookies. I set the boys on the floor and they knelt at the coffee table. Lindsay joined them there. I turned on the television and found the cartoon channel for them to watch.

"I think we should adjourn to the kitchen," I suggested.

Terry set out the floats for the kids and the plate of cookies and carried the coffees back to the kitchen.

"Well, I must get going," JW said as he rose to his feet. "I might take a few of these with me, though," he said, grabbing up a few cookies. "You kids be good now, okay?"

"We will," Lindsay said as she set down her float.

"If you need tomorrow, too. . ." JW said to me.

"I'll be in," I told him.

He nodded, then looked at the kids. "You be sure to come to work with your Dad some day. I've got a whole new stash of chocolate bars there. Bye, all," he said with a wave, and then he left.

I squatted down and kissed each cheek. "I'll be in the kitchen if you need me, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy," the three children said in unison.

Terry set out the coffee mugs and milk and sugar, then prepared her own mug as we too our seats around the table. "I'll sit with the kids," she said and headed back to the livingroom.

"I'll have the parental release forms photocopied and sent over to you, Mr. de Villiers," Ron said. "I believe we have your fax on file?" Nancy nodded. "We never thought this would become an issue. That's why we didn't include them with your packet."

"How did she know the boys were here?" Nancy asked.

"I don't know," I told her.

"A couple hundred bucks a year for a private detective to keep track of them," Ron suggested. "She had to know CAS would get them and wouldn't split them up if possible, and she had to know the family who got the boys would be pretty well off. Being twins and all. All she had to do was wait for the right moment and then go after the money."

"Do your really think that's all she was after?" Bernice asked.

"She wanted to abort the pregnancy," Ron said. "She didn't want them then. I doubt if she would want them now. Scare Mr. de Villiers with the threat of taking them away and then hit him up for the money."

"How very sad," Bernice added.

"But it doesn't make sense somehow," I said. "I mean, I haven't even adopted them yet. What would make her think I would pay? Even if I could afford to?"

"Think about it," Ron said. "They wouldn't be here for their trial period if you weren't serious about adopting them. If she had that private investigator, she would know everything. If she got you in court before May, the adoption would be delayed and it could be years before the case was cleared up. I think she thought you'd pay up rather than face all that time and money fighting her in court."

"She would have been wrong," I said.

"If it came down to it, I believe she would have backed down. She knew she didn't have case and no legal standing, but here was a chance that you'd be desperate enough to keep it all out of court and pay her what she wanted."

I thought about as I listened to the kids laughing at the cartoons. And then I nodded. If it came down to it, I would have paid anything she asked. Somehow, I would have found the money to pay her.

* * * * *

Brad crushed me in his arms that evening when he arrived home and learned what had happened. I had to push him back as much as I hated to have to do so. "Brad!" my voice was strained. "Brad! I can't breathe!"

"Sorry," he said as he relaxed his grip, but he wouldn't let go of me. He simply held on for the longest time, hugging and kissing me, and then he went to the three kids and did the same. After dinner, he went to the computer, went online, and began checking out local home security companies. I didn't know that at the time, though, until he joined me again in the livingroom and told me about it.

"We'll have a representative here Saturday morning," he said after he'd explained what he'd done. "No-one's getting near this house again without us knowing about it."

"I can't afford this right now, Brad," I told him.

"I can," he said.

"Not your Christmas money. That's yours."

"And I can spend it any way I want. We're getting a security system. So shut up and kiss me."

Of course, I would have kissed him anyway, but I shut up just to make him happy.

* * * * *

I couldn't fall asleep. Every sound brought me wide awake. Finally, at midnight, I slipped carefully out from under Brad, grabbed my robe. I checked the doors, both front and back, then went to the twins' bedroom. I counted two sleeping bodies and heaved a sigh of relief. I moved to the end of the bed and looked down at them.

My thoughts flew back to that afternoon, to the terror I had seen and felt in them. They needed me, and they relied upon me. In their eyes, I was their father. In my eyes, they were my sons. I loved them as if they were my own. Two months and a few days. That's all the time they had been with me. Just two months and a few days. And it felt like they had been with me forever.

The night lights cast a soft glow over them. They looked so peaceful lying there together, holding their Teddy bears with one arm and their brother with their other arm. Their foreheads were touching. Probably sharing the same dream.

God, how I loved those boys. I moved to the side of the bed, knelt gently on it, and leaned over to kiss each cheek. "I love you, my Sonskyns," I whispered.

I was going to leave then. Really, I was. But I sat on the bed instead and stayed there watching them some more. The next thing I knew, Brad was beside me, propping an armful of pillows against the boys' toy boxes. He, too, wore his bathrobe. He dropped a blanket on the floor nearby and took my hands and pulled me to my feet, then into his arms. He held me for the longest time. We didn't kiss. He just held me.

He led me to the makeshift bed. "Come on," he said. "You need to get some sleep."

"You don't have to stay," I told him. "Go back to bed. I'll be okay."

Brad hugged me again. "Where you are, Ted, that's where I'll be."

He sat on the floor and lay back against the pillows, holding out his right arm to me. I sat beside him and curled up against him. Brad kissed me and told me he loved me, and then my cheek came to rest against his shoulder, my arm thrown across his chest. He pulled the blanket over us, and then he held me again.

Minutes later, I was asleep.

To Be Continued​

 

[gmoney]

Well, now I've had my early morning cry! Thanks again, Neil

 

[newkidondagayblock]

Hi Neil, your words have a strange effect on me. I have never been a dad, never been IN love with anyone (just crushes), yet when I read about the sons holding Ted I feel them holding me clutching those tiny fingers in my hand, when Brad holds Ted, I feel some warm feeling....

Nice work Neil..

I seriously think you should make a book out of this, maybe a script or a movie... It really is that good.

Take it as a serious suggestion, I am sure others would agree with me.

Of course, I feel sad that this too is gonna end, but I think you are writing other stories too. All the best with them.

 

[gsdx]

Of course, I feel sad that this too is gonna end, but I think you are writing other stories too. All the best with them.

Thanks for your kind words.

I want to assure everyone, though. This story will end, but it won't. It's too real to me now, and, since it's advancing in real time, the de Villiers family will continue to exist in my mind.

I'm not planning a sequel, but I'm certainly planning on doing updates as the story advances in real time. The updates may be weekly or fortnightly, or even monthly. I don't know. But the story will continue after it ends.

 

[Kyanimal]

But the story will continue after it ends.

THAT is the best thing I've read in many a long time, Neil!!

Keep smilin'!!
Chaz

 

[sheep]

Neil,
There is no way you can convince me you're not a major stakeholder in Kimberly-Clark.

 

[gsdx]

WATCHING BRAD
Part LVIII​

I don't mind winters in Canada. I'm used to them. I grew up with them. But, they were way more exciting when I was a kid. I mean, as a kid, you bundle up and go outside and the snow could become anything you wanted - tunnels, caves, forts, hide-outs, trails. You name it. Your fun was restricted only by your imagination.

You could make toboggans out of cardboard boxes and green garbage bags. You could roll down hills in the snow and try to turn yourself into a giant snowball. If the snow was frozen enough, you could carve it into a snow castle or try to figure out the architecture of an igloo. Lots of fun, exciting, story-worthy things to do.

As you get older, though, after you start shovelling it often enough and walking or driving through it enough, the novelty begins to wear thin and you find yourself spending more and more time out of it unless you're into snowboarding and skiing and such - which I'm not.

So, after Christmas and New Year are over and done with, there is little left to do except sit back, lock yourself indoors, and wait for it all to go away. Sure, I was used to it, and I didn't really mind it, but it didn't make it any more exciting than it really was, and it certainly doesn't make for exciting story-telling.

It was good for the boys, though, especially when Lindsay was in school. Terry could bundle them up and send them out into the back yard where they would play for hours and lose their toys in the snow and we wouldn't find them again until the Spring thaw.

For the grown-ups like myself, who spent most of the day away from the house, it meant coming home and being locked inside the house with the kids at night. Not much you can do outside when it gets dark before dinner time.

Not much happens which didn't happen the day before. And the day before that. Each day becomes a repeat of the last one. It's not easy to make a story out of that.

* * * * *

First, I'll tell you the good news. Then I'll tell you the bad news.

The good news was that Brad's new security system was installed the week after Cindy showed up and, by the end of January, I had my Orders of Protection against both Cindy and her entire family. One call to the police and they would be in jail if they came anywhere near either myself or the boys. I don't expect they will show up again. They didn't even appear at court to challenge the Order. I was in and out in no time at all. JW and Bernice needn't have bothered even going with me. They weren't even called as witnesses The report from the young police officer and the 9-1-1 tape was enough to convince the judge to grant the Ops, especially with no challenges.

The bad news is that, by the end of January, the boys' rink was melted. It was still cold outside, but not cold enough to keep the ice, especially during the daytime when the sun beat down on it. Such is the fickleness of backyard ice rinks and such are the challenges. One good thing came out of it, though. The twins could build snowmen, and we faced quite the challenge trying to keep up with them. We had dozens of little snowmen all over the front and back yards, but nothing compared to what I had made with Bill and Warren. We did make one, large, life-sized snowman, though. When the boys stood next to it, when I had to pick up Justin and hold him up so he could put on the hat, it looked huge. They were happy and so were we.

Still, even without our rink, the boys skated. We made semi-regular trips to the Community Centre when open skating was available. The boys were naturals on skates. Yeah, I know. Sounds like I'm bragging. Okay, so I am. They certainly didn't get their talents from me, that's for sure. I give all that credit to Brad. He has the patience of Job and he's a superb teacher. I suspect he'll have the same success when we dig out the swimming pool next summer. He'll have those boys swimming in no time at all. I was looking forward to that. It had been awhile since I'd seen Brad in his Speedo.

Anyway, by the end of January, the twins were skating on their own, side-by-side and holding hands as Brad and I skated along behind them - holding hands. Lindsay skated along beside me, holding my other hand. It wasn't long before I noticed a few other same-sex couples had joined us and held hands with each other. At least Brad and I didn't stand out anymore except for the fact that we always had three kids tagging along with us.

I suppose I should tell you about Lindsay now that I've mentioned her. She took to her role as ‘big sister' to the twins from the very first moment they met, and that role expanded with each passing day. In fact, when Cindy arrived at the back patio doors that fateful afternoon, it was Lindsay who had run to confront the intruder and to protect her brothers. She understood adoption, and she understood that the boys weren't her real brothers, but you'd never know it to see or hear her. She loved the twins as much as either I or Brad did, and they loved her right back. I can count on one hand the number of jealousies which have arisen since they moved in with us. I was so very proud of her.

She didn't even object that the boys spent more time sitting in my lap than she did. "I don't mind, Daddy," she told me once. "I already had my turn when I was a little girl." She still was my little girl, but she was quite the grown-up sister to the boys now.

Still, Lindsay had plenty of chances to be a little girl again. Every night, before she went to bed, she would sit in my lap and cuddle with me and I would hold her. There were plenty of other times, too, of course. As long as Brad was around, Jeremy sat with him and Lindsay and Justin would sit with me.

Jeremy still called Brad by his first name, but Brad was just as much a father to him as I was. We still don't know why Jeremy took to him so quickly and clung to him so long. Perhaps it was the fact that Justin was the eldest of the two - the dominant twin - and, therefore, always got ‘first dibs' on everything, and that included me. Jeremy finally had someone he could call ‘his own'. Justin rarely, if ever, went to Brad.

I was still Daddy, though. Jeremy never looked at me as anything else, and never tried to substitute Brad for me. When it really mattered, Jeremy looked to me for his safety and protection. I was still ‘Daddy", and I was the one who would take care of him. Brad didn't mind when Jeremy shunned him in favour of me. He knew his role in the family, and he also knew that it was important for both boys to put me first. He was quite satisfied with playing second banana, but when he was needed, he was always there.

Speaking of Brad, he excelled at his studies at Ryerson. I questioned him about how his engineering would help his landscaping business. He responded, "Landscaping isn't all gardening, Ted. It involves building things, too. Maybe I won't be building bridges or skyscrapers or pyramids, but if I design and build a pergola or a gazebo or a retaining wall or something, you can be damned sure it will stay up."

Question answered, even if I had to look up ‘pergola' in the dictionary. Now that I know what it is, I want one for my patio.

"And think of the business boost you'll have if your customers can see that diploma hanging on your wall," I told him.

He just showed me his chipped-tooth grin. "Yeah," he said.

Terry was my Wonder Woman. She truly deserved more than I was able to pay her. She adored the kids and they all adored her. She was tireless, even trying to keep up with the twins. She was patient and king and gentle, but stern as well, and handled virtually every situation with surprising calm and ability. That day with Cindy had been the only time I'd seen her without control of a situation. Still, though, she had kept my kids safe until I got home, and that's all that really matters.

Still, I relied on Terry to take care of my children, and I knew she would do so to the very best of her abilities. She, too, was an excellent teacher. Shortly after Christmas, she mentioned to me about the LeapFrog systems. Similar to the Leapsters, they are educational toys, teaching children things like reading and phonics and math and such.

Terry had mentioned the LeapFrogs to me before Christmas, but I forgot to buy them. So, right after Christmas, I bought one LeapFrog system for both boys, but I bought a whole pile of learning cartridges to go with it. Since it wasn't a gaming system per se, the boys could use it at the same time. Within two months, they were doing simple arithmetic and recognizing and reading small words.

The boys already knew their ABCs and 123s, and now they were learning what to do with them. I know, it sounds like I'm bragging again, and I am. . . again. I'm convinced that, had the twins not been so neglected over their first four years of life, they would be reading by now. Their vocabulary was quite amazing, really. Those years of silence certainly hadn't done anything to their listening skills. They listened and they learned, and I suspect they spent hours by themselves talking to each other somehow.

I'm proud of my boys, and I love them dearly. I consider myself one of the luckiest men alive to have them in my life now. I simply can't imagine why no-one else hadn't snatched them up and loved them and adopted them, but I like to think that they had waited for two years for me to come along. We were meant to be together. We were meant to be a family.

* * * * *

Our lives weren't all peaches and cream. We had our bad moments as well as good. There were a lot of minor arguments and tiffs amongst the children when someone had something that someone else wanted, or when someone wanted to watch one thing on television and the others wanted to watch something else. Things like that. It happens. It's life. But they were few and far between and the situations were usually solved quickly and easily.

One afternoon, though, Brad turned on me for the first time in our relationship and stood up to me and challenged my authority.

It was a Saturday afternoon and one of the worst days of the season. There had been an ice storm the night before and the streets were a mess. It was dangerous even to walk in our yards. A layer of ice covered everything. We spent the day together inside the house.

That afternoon, we were downstairs in the den. I had a nice, warm fire burning in the fireplace and the kids were playing. Lindsay was playing on one of the Gameboys and Jeremy was playing on the other. Justin was playing with his Legos, which were his favourite toy. He loved building things with them.

Jeremy got stuck in the game he was playing and was quickly becoming frustrated. Justin crawled over to his brother and tried to help him, but Jeremy wanted to do it himself. Justin became annoyed at his brother and reached for the system, but Jeremy jerked it away. Justin grabbed it out of Jeremy's hands and Jeremy grabbed it back and the yelling began.

"Hey hey hey!" I warned them loudly. "Cut it out or the game goes away and neither of you will play with it!" Brad and I were sitting together on the sofa, watching them.

Justin gave one more yank, pulled it out of Jeremy's hands and suddenly slammed the system onto the floor. Small bits of game casing flew everywhere.

I jumped up and ran over to Justin, grabbing him under the arm with my left hand and pulling him to his feet. Both he and Jeremy began to cry. I spun Justin around and my right hand came back to smack him a good one on the butt. Brad grabbed my hand from behind and spun me around instead, pulling me free from Justin. He'd never looked at me like that before. There was so much anger in his face and the look in his eyes scared the hell out of me. I tried to pull my arm free, but he clenched his jaw and held on more tightly. His green eyes were frighteningly red.

Brad's voice sent icy chills up my spine. It was quiet, but full of threat and admonition. "If you touch him, Ted, so help me, I'll deck you where you stand."

I tried to twist myself out of his grasp again. "Don't you dare tell me how to discipline my children!" I yelled. I was furious despite my sudden fear.

Brad held on and his eyes never left mine. "I swear, Ted," he said softly, "I'll lay you flat if you touch him." He stared me down, and then he released my arm. He turned to Lindsay. "Lindsay? Take your brothers upstairs, please," he said quietly. "I'll be right up."

Lindsay turned off her game and got to her feet, taking the crying twins by the hands and up the stairs. When they were gone, he turned to me again. "It's a game, Ted. It's just a thing. It's no different than that make-up case. Now, sit your ass on that sofa and keep it there until you've thought about that."

"You wouldn't hit me," I challenged him.

Brad pulled his shoulders back and lifted his head. His eyes still burned into me. "Just try me."

I returned his gaze, but I knew he was right. The game was no different than the make-up case, and Brad would flatten me if I ever did anything to hurt the kids for such an insignificant reason. I walked back to the sofa and sat down.

Brad followed and stood in front of me. "Justin deserves to be punished, but he doesn't deserve that spanking you were going to give him. Not for what he did. Think about it and don't come upstairs until you're ready to hug those kids instead of smack them around."

He left me alone with my thoughts. He was so right. I'd never laid a hand on either of the boys, and I'd never, ever spanked Lindsay. I'd never hit anyone in my life. I was no better than the woman I had sent to prison for hurting my daughter. I might have hurt my son, and all over a piece of plastic and microchips. Just like Connie had hurt my daughter over a make-up kit.

I sat there and thought for a long time before I picked up the game and all the little pieces and went back upstairs. Brad was sitting on the sofa. Lindsay sat beside him. The boys sat in his lap. They were watching cartoons on DVD. I set the game on the coffee table and picked up the DVD remote and hit the ‘pause' button. And then I held out my arms to Justin.

"I'm sorry, Justin," I said. He hesitated, but, with a nudge from Brad's arm, he came to me and I held him in my arms and hugged him. I stood there and explained, "What you did to the game was wrong, Justin, and you have to be punished for it. You can't play the other Gameboy until next Saturday, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy," he said. "Do you still love me?"

"Of course I do, Son," I said and hugged him again. "I'll always love you. Now, what I did was wrong, too. I almost hurt you and I'm sorry. What do you think my punishment should be?"

Justin thought for a few very long moments, his index finger hooked between his teeth. Then he said, "You can't kiss Brad until next Saturday."

"Ouch!" Brad said from nearby, echoing my sentiments.

"Okay," I said. "I won't. But can I kiss him one last time before my punishment begins? It's very important."

Justin nodded.

Brad set Jeremy on the sofa and stood up. My lips found his. I gave him a one-armed hug as well. "Thanks," I said in his ear. "I love you,"

"Just doing my job, Pops."

Brad saw to it that I didn't kiss him for the entire week. I think I would rather have been marooned on a deserted island for a month. It would have been less torturous.

Just so you know, the casing was the only thing broken on the Gameboy. Brad managed to glue the pieces back into place with epoxy and it was as good as new.

Oh. And at the end of my punishment? Brad and I kissed for one full hour before our lips saw the light of day again.

* * * * *

As it turned out, both Brad and Lindsay would have their Spring Break vacations at the same time. In mid-March. We spent day trying to figure out what to do. Unfortunately, none of the major theme parks would be open, like Marineland at Niagara Falls or Canada's Wonderland. Nothing really opened up until June.

I was going to take a week of my holidays to do something with everyone, but there really wasn't anything to do. In the end, Brad decided to get a head start on his parents' landscaping project and, with high hopes, drum up a bit of business for the summer months.

So, instead of planning Spring Break, we began planning our upcoming nuptials. We were still thinking of June wedding. The boys would be adopted by then, but I wanted to make sure we had time for a bit of a honeymoon before their first birthday with us as a real family. I had already been planning a honeymoon as a surprise for Brad, and all I would tell him was that he needed a passport. For myself, I would need an International Driving Permit. I wouldn't even give him a hint where we were going, but I promised we would be back in time for the twins' birthday on Canada Day, July 1.

We finally settled on a tentative date - June 17, 2006.

* * * * *

Nothing new appeared on the sexual front. Our sex life certainly wasn't boring, but there was nothing new in it. No innovations. We still loved making love with each other, and our love for each other never waned. I still enjoyed watching Brad masturbate for me, the way it had all begun, and he loved doing it for me.

We went in cycles, doing what we enjoyed most for days on end. Sometimes it would be sucking. Sometimes fucking. At one time, I got heavy into rimming Brad and I would spend hours lying between his spreadeagled legs with my face in his ass and my tongue up his asshole. Another time it was his chest and nipples. Yet another, it was his armpits. Another, his balls. And when the cycle was complete, it would start all over again.

Of course, Brad had his cycles as well, and he did everything for me that I did for him. Just at different times. Still, whatever fun and games we enjoyed, it always ended with a blowjob or a fuck and, at least once a week, a super jerk-off session by the Master of Masturbation, Brad.

We were always careful about not being seen by the kids. As far as I know, the twins never saw us do anything more than hug and kiss, and I don't think they had seen either of us naked, except, perhaps, for those times when we were out and about and had to use public washrooms and the boys had been in the stall with me when I peed. But that certainly wasn't the same as seeing us naked or having sex together.

We were very careful about that.

* * * * *

So, there you have it. Half of January and all of February, wrapped up in a few lines. Boring stuff indeed. Perhaps I shouldn't have included it here, but I'm sure many of you would be wondering, "Okay, what didn't he tell us? What did he leave out?"

I assure you, I have left nothing out except one single item, and I am about to impart that upon you as an exciting climax to this chapter.

On February 14, St. Valentine's Day, Bernice and John looked after the kids while I took Brad out for the night. We both had our left ear pierced and I bought matching diamond studs for each of us. Later, we went out for a nice, romantic dinner complete with candlelight and wine.

We both tried sushi for the first time. We didn't like it.

To Be Continued​