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Lucky Mr. Peters

Chapter 52

When we had finished cleaning up and the boys were about to go back down to the game room, I called out to Carlos and asked him to join me in the study.

“Why do you want to talk to me?” he asked tetchily.

“I just want to make sure that you’re ok. I know you’re not happy about Damarion going to that birthday party, but it was his choice to make, not yours. I love you more than I probably care to admit and it really hurts me to see you upset like this over something so trivial,” I answered, putting my arm around his shoulder.

He shook off my arm and moved away from me, unable to hide his anger.

“You could have told him he couldn’t go!” Carlos spat, his irritation getting the better of him.

“And what reason would I have had to do that? It wouldn’t have been fair and you know that,” I replied, my own patience now starting to wear thin. “Now, here are your choices, you can either just accept it and start acting normal again or face a horrible tickle death!” I threatened halfheartedly.

“You wouldn’t do that!” Carlos stated, his face slowly losing the frown that had been there.

I think I actually took him by surprise as I grabbed him and pinned him down on his back on the couch. When I started my tickle attack, Carlos’ arms began flailing and the initial giggling soon turned into outright laughter as I attacked his ribcage and armpits. Allejandro had been waiting in the living room for me and entered the study, alarmed by Carlos’ cries for help.

“What’s going on?” Allejandro asked casually as he watched me working over Carlos.

“This boy here doesn’t want to behave, so I’m tickling him into submission,” I replied as I continued my assault.

“Please stop, I’m about to pee in my briefs,” Carlos managed to cry out, tears running across his cheeks.

I stopped, but didn’t let him go just yet. “Let this be a lesson to you. I love you to bits, but the next time you misbehave I won’t be this forgiving,” I said, giving Carlos a kiss on the forehead.

“I’m sorry, papi, I love you too,” Carlos replied, putting his arms around my neck.

We both got up off the couch and then Carlos ran from the study, clearly in dire need of a toilet. Allejandro was smiling and complimented me on my choice of tactics to set Carlos straight. As we walked back into the living room Aidan and Jordan were coming down the stairs carrying some bags. What surprised me was the fact that they were followed by the twins, also carrying bags.

“We’re going to take this stuff over to my place and then we’re done,” Aidan said, giving me an apologetic smile.

I told the bunch to go ahead when I heard my cell phone starting to ring. I picked up and got Jorge on the other end of the line, telling me he was just a few minutes away. I told him I’d be right out to open the car gate for him and that he should park in the front yard. I then asked Allejandro to go and find Pietro and Mauricio so they could join us as soon as Jorge had arrived.

When I saw the car pull into the front yard a few minutes later, I was a bit surprised to see that Jorge was rather young looking, at least younger than I thought he would be. He got out of the car carrying a small briefcase as the car gate was closing again, and walked up to me with his hand outstretched.

“You must be Mr. Peters,” he smiled, “it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

I returned his greeting and suggested we’d go inside so he could meet the others involved in our meeting that afternoon. Allejandro, Pietro and Mauricio were already in the study when we entered and I introduced them to Jorge. It quickly became clear to me that Jorge hadn’t quite been aware of Allejandro’s age. Things even became weirder when he started talking in rapid Spanish as soon as all five of us had sat down. I knew he was somehow addressing Allejandro, but he was talking so fast that I couldn’t follow what was being said. Then all of a sudden Mauricio got up and I could see his face had turned ashen as he stepped towards Jorge and picked him up by the front of his shirt. I looked over at Allejandro and Pietro who were both sitting in their seats, looking pretty much stunned.

Next thing I knew, Mauricio was shoving Jorge out of the study and towards the front door, and I knew enough Spanish to know he was cursing.

“Can someone please tell me what’s going on?” I asked, totally confused about the whole situation.

“Mauricio is kicking the bastard out of the house,” Pietro whispered his reply.

“Why?” I questioned, feeling totally clueless.

“He just had the audacity to tell Allejandro that he won’t help him get married to an old pedophile like you,” Pietro then stated.

To say that I was stunned by Pietro’s revelation would be an understatement. I looked over at Allejandro and could see he was quite shaken about whatever Jorge had told him and I felt myself starting to get angry. Turning back to Pietro, I asked him to make sure that Jorge was actually off the property and then sat down next to my fiancé. Putting my arm around him, Allejandro suddenly broke down and started to cry.

“Why can’t some people understand that you and I just love each other and that there’s nothing wrong with that,” he sobbed.

“I don’t know, darling. The only thing I can come up with is that they’re just jealous of what you and I have and therefore want to destroy it. Now, don’t you worry, I’m sure we can find someone else who can help us deal with the preparations,” I whispered softly.

“I hope I never see that guy’s face again!” Allejandro then stated with a bit more vehemence than I had expected.

We just held each other until a few minutes later Mauricio and Pietro returned with Aidan right behind them. Aidan immediately started to apologize, telling us that he hadn’t known that the guy would be so narrowminded. I rapidly managed to put his mind at ease, making it clear that we weren’t holding him responsible as Jorge even had me fooled.

“I’m going to call my friends to make sure they never give out this guys name and contact details again,” he said, getting rather emotional as he grabbed his phone and walked into the garden.

We definitely needed to all calm down, so I asked Pietro if he’d be willing to serve us all some wine on the patio as the weather had turned out quite nice again. The bugger smiled at me and then asked if two bottles would be enough, breaking some of the tension. I just nodded and Pietro made for the kitchen while the rest of us stepped out onto the patio and found ourselves a place to sit and relax.

“I really can’t stand hypocrites like that Jorge guy,” Mauricio said as Pietro brought out the wine for us.

“You took good care of him, that’s for sure,” I started to laugh and could see Mauricio turning slightly red in the face.

“I’m sorry, boss, but that guy was totally out of line. I can handle straight homophobes just fine, but he just touched a nerve that made me react without thinking,” Mauricio grinned and we all started laughing.

Aidan then re-joined us after making his animated phone call to his friends, within our line of sight, but out of earshot.

“Where are Jordan and the twins?” I asked.

“They’re at my place, unpacking Jordan’s stuff,” Aidan replied innocently.

“Are you sure the twins aren’t unpacking Jordan?” Allejandro snickered.

We couldn’t help it as we all burst out laughing at Allejandro’s remark and Aidan’s worried look towards the guesthouse. With the tension now thoroughly broken, our little group continued conversing and just enjoying our wine and the afternoon sun. About half an hour later Jordan joined us, while the twins disappeared into the house, likely making their way to the game room. For the time being, life was back to normal and we could just enjoy each other’s company.

After about an hour and with the weather suddenly getting chilly, we moved inside the house and continued the impromptu get together. I must admit that I lost track of time a bit until out of the blue Carlos walked in, fully dressed to go out.

“We have to go and pick up Damarion from the party,” he stated as he walked over to me.

The determined look on his face made it clear there could be no arguing and hearing some of the others starting to snicker didn’t help either. It was getting close to 5 o’clock, so I gave in and got up to be led by Carlos into the hallway. The little tyke was smiling as he gave me just enough time to grab my coat before dragging me out the door towards the garage. He truly could be quite single-minded and this was clearly one of those moments. The smug look on his face as we drove off to pick up his boyfriend was more than just priceless. He might be a masochist, but he definitely loved to get me to do his bidding.

Driving up to the house, I could already see a number of boys, including Damarion, waiting outside to be picked up. As I pulled over at the curb, Damarion was already running towards us with an unmistakably sugar-induced enthusiasm.

“Tu viniste a recogerme,” he yelled at Carlos as he all but jumped into his arms.

I couldn’t help but smile as I saw the two of them embrace each other like they’d been apart for years instead of just a few hours. Damarion was talking a million miles an hour as he got into the car with Carlos and belted up. I couldn’t understand a word of what he was saying, but the happy look on Carlos’ face was enough to ease my mind, driving off to go back home. I saw a few questioning faces, but it looked like most of the boys weren’t too surprised by the familiarity between my two charges.

By the time I drove into the garage, the two boys in the back of my car were smooching and, with their hands going everywhere, so close to ripping their clothes off. I told them they should go up to their room and that I’d send someone up when it was time for dinner. They took my suggestion and I watched them disappear up the stairs faster than Superman as soon as we made it into the house.

Walking into the living room, I found Aidan and Jordan still keeping Allejandro company, but Pietro and Mauricio had disappeared.

“So, was the boss happy to see his boyfriend again?” Allejandro asked, making no attempt to hide his merriment.

“I guess so as they’re both now up in their bedroom doing god knows what,” I replied, causing all three of them to start giggling.

Allejandro poured me a glass of wine as I sat down next to him and handed it to me.

“I think it’s beautiful to see how two boys even at that age can be so in love and dare I say it, even jealous,” Aidan remarked, getting silent agreement from the rest of us.

We made small talk until Pietro announced that dinner was ready. Aidan and I made our way to the dining room as Jordan went to call up the boys from the game room, leaving it up to Allejandro to go and get the two youngest. When he walked into the dining room a short time later, I could see Allejandro shaking his head and he told us that Carlos and Damarion would be down soon. We started eating and after about 5 minutes the two boys indeed appeared, both looking more than just a bit flustered. A couple of the other boys started snickering, but that soon ended when Carlos began to give them some dark looks. Remembering Allejandro referring to Carlos as the boss, I had to stifle a laugh.

Luckily, the rest of the evening was less tumultuous and I ended up with Allejandro on the couch for our final glass of wine for the day. After the day’s events, we were still without a good wedding planner and decided our best course of action was to start searching online the following morning. We would have to find someone who wasn’t just gay-friendly, but would also not have a problem with our age difference. It wouldn’t be an easy task, but we felt we definitely needed some help with all the paperwork involved and, of course, a lot of the other details.

 

Sunday morning we woke up at our usual time and I was looking forward to a less hectic day. After breakfast the boys disappeared down to their game room while Allejandro and I went into the study to do some searching on the Net. We found some promising leads and went ahead, sending out some emails with basic information and our own ideas. We were just about done when the twins walked in around 10:15 and asked if they could go swimming. Giving them permission brought about some commotion and within no time the pool was filled with naked boys, including Allejandro.

As I went into the kitchen to get another cup of coffee I could just see Pietro and Mauricio taking off their clothes near their house, ready to join the fray. I got my cup of java and just sat down on the patio in one of the lounge chairs to observe the frolicking going on. It didn’t take long before I saw Jordan sprinting naked from the other guest house, clearly eager to join the fun. He was followed by a fully dressed Aidan, his own cup of coffee in hand coming my way, obviously not keen on joining the crowd.

“You certainly know how to enjoy the good life, Rudee,” he smiled as he took his seat in one of the other loungers.

“Tell me, Aidan, what idiot wouldn’t enjoy a view like that!?” I said as we watched on how, one by one, most all of the boys got tossed up into the air by Mauricio and Pietro.

Aidan chuckled, then said, ”Believe me, I’m no idiot.”

After about a little over an hour I saw the first of the boys getting out of the pool and nudging Aidan’s arm told him, “Now pay attention because here comes the best part.”

We looked on as, one after the other, the boys excited the pool and started running for their respective homes. At least my boys had brought out towels, so they could quickly dry off, but Pietro, Mauricio and Jordan disappeared indoors still completely wet.

“Well, that will be a lesson learned for Jordan for next time; take a towel,” Aidan smiled as he appreciatively looked at the goings on.

All too soon though, the whole crowd had disappeared indoors, leaving just Aidan and me sitting in the morning sunlight. I asked Aidan about the temperature and he informed me that the average for this time of year was about 64.5F (18C). Warmer days like the one we were having, with up to 70F (21C), were nonetheless nothing exceptional and the forecast was for even warmer weather ahead.

“I bet that back in Holland, the night temperatures are still hovering around freezing,” I smiled and I could see Aidan shudder.

“I’d better make sure my boyfriend isn’t making a mess,” he said, getting up and then, over his shoulder told me, “If I’m lucky, he might still be naked.”

A short while later I was joined by Allejandro, his hair still damp, but he was fully dressed. At about the same time I saw Pietro and Mauricio coming out of their house, obviously ready to get back to work.

“We hope you didn’t mind us joining the boys in the pool,” Pietro announced apologetically when he was close enough.

“Of course not, I still enjoy seeing your naked butt,” I replied, causing Pietro to immediately turn red as I heard Allejandro snickering beside me.

“You really can be a tease sometimes,” Allejandro said as soon as Pietro was out of earshot.

“Don’t worry, babe, yours is still the prettiest one I’ve ever seen,” I replied, giving him a broad smile.

Allejandro and I started to banter a bit and I realized how much I enjoyed his sense of humor at times like these. He could be incredibly sensitive, but then bounce right back with a comment that would make even the biggest sourpuss laugh. We both enjoyed another cup of coffee, until Mauricio announced that lunch was ready and we went inside.

When lunch was over, Felipe wasted little time in getting me upstairs and into the bedroom he shared with his brother. The boy was as enthusiastic as ever and I really did enjoy the time we had in bed together. It wasn’t until after we had recuperated that I raised the subject of Jordan and Felipe made it quite clear that it wasn’t a problem. He then told me that they really hoped they could go swimming on their birthday also.

When I asked him why, he gave me a sly smile and said, “Abelardo, Luis and Mario have seen our butts, it’s time for us to see theirs too.”

I couldn’t help but smile at his pointed reply, but was already dreading how such an event would or could turn out. If those three boys were all heterosexual, it could lead to all kinds of trouble and I wasn’t looking forward to any of them. I’d have to have a talk with Allejandro about the possibility of talking the twins out of it somehow. For now though, it was time to get dressed again and head back down.

The rest of the day sped by uneventfully and I was quite happy with that mere fact. When it was back to just me and Allejandro on the couch, enjoying our evening wine, I brought up Felipe’s remark about going swimming on Saturday.

“There’s definitely something else at hand as I’m sure they’ve seen each other’s butts plenty of times in the showers at school after PE,” he said, confirming my suspicions.

“Do you think those three might raise a stink if some groping was going on?” I asked, having seen the boys myself only once.

“I don’t know them that well, but I think those three might very well be doing most of the groping,” Allejandro replied and just the look on his face told me he was serious.

“Do you think the twins, and maybe even Roque, have been talking to them about our ‘setup’ here?” I questioned, getting slightly concerned.

“Dear Rudee, the whole school knows about the twins, about Roque and Fernando, about Rafael and Hugo and I’m sure they’re thinking John and I have a thing going on too,” he smiled, giving me a slight squeeze around the shoulders. “Kids really can put 1 and 1 together to make 2, and the whole thing with Hugo blew everything out in the open.”

Allejandro’s statement made me realize that I only really knew part of the boys’ lives. Most of what went on at their schools was simply unknown to me and that wasn’t likely to change anytime soon. Asking them about their day at school and getting the standard ‘it was fine’ reply wasn’t very illuminating. Somehow I usually managed to find out what had been going on down in the game room, but I guess school time would for always be a mystery to me.

“So you think the three of them might actually be gay too?” I asked, now getting more curious.

“Hard to tell, but I don’t think Felipe and Juanito would have invited them without some degree of certainty,” Allejandro replied.

Allejandro’s answer just served to confuse me even more, but I knew that he was telling me the truth and really didn’t know himself. Besides, I still had opportunities to talk to Juanito and Roque to find out what they knew or possibly didn’t. For the time being I thought it was best to let it rest and we changed the subject.

 

On Monday morning, after the boys had left, Russel again joined me in the living room and I knew exactly what he wanted. He got a big smile on his face when I suggested we’d get some coffee and get back to work on his English lessons. We’d just wrapped up our second lesson of the day and were going for some more coffee, when my cell phone started ringing.

“Mr. Peters, it’s me, Primo Calvaroz,” the voice on the other end of the line said after I’d picked up.

“Mr. Calvaroz, I’m taking it that you’re calling me with some news about Russel’s situation?” I quickly replied.

“In fact I do and I think you’ll be quite happy about it. My researchers in Ceuta have been quite busy and they’ve discovered Russel Talhaoui’s birth record. He was born on August 12, 2001 in a hospital in Ceuta, which automatically gives him the right to apply for Spanish citizenship. I could start the application right now, but please be advised that, with all the paperwork involved, it could still take about a month or more before he gets his own passport,” I heard Mr. Calvaroz rattle.

“Mr. Calvaroz, you’ve already made a lot of people very happy. Please do start the application process and if you need anything, let me know. The sooner you can get things done, the better and I don’t care about the costs,” I replied, feeling myself getting rather emotional.

“Eh, one final thing Mr. Peters. It was my understanding that you wanted to enroll young Mr. Talhaoui into school as soon as possible?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Well, all you’ll need for that is the birth certificate and I can send you a copy of that by email right now,” I could hear Mr. Calvaroz say. “Are you still there?”

“Sorry, Mr. Calvaroz, I’m still here, I was just a bit shocked by what you just said,” I replied after some silent moments and then gave him my email address.

It was only after I ended the call that I noticed Russel looking at me intently and with tears in his eyes.

“I have to go back to Morocco, don’t I?” I heard him ask but his question didn’t quite register with me. “I heard it was that lawyer man and I heard you say you are shocked,” he said, almost sobbing.

“Oh, no!” I exclaimed, putting my arms around him. “He’s just going to send me some documents that we’ll need for you to go to school,” I muttered, hardly able to keep my own emotions in check.

I managed to get him to sit down on the couch in the living room and started to explain to him what I’d learned from the lawyer man. Slowly, as he learned ever more, Russel’s demeanor started to change and when the truth dawned on him, his tears became happy ones. I told him it would still take some time for everything to become fully official, but that he could start school soon with the documents I was getting from the lawyer man.

In the meantime, my own mind was working overtime. He was a smart enough kid and I could have him tested for the International School, but I wasn’t sure what it would do to him if he got rejected. On the other hand, putting him in school with Carlos and Damarion could also seriously damage his self-esteem and I didn’t want that either. Once again, I found myself in between a rock and a hard place.

* Tu viniste a recogerme = You came to pick me up

TBC