Lucky Mr. Peters
Chapter 65
As Mauricio came to tell us that dinner was ready, he was a bit surprised to see a lot of the boys already in the living room.
“Damn, you guys must really be hungry to be up here already,” he laughed.
A few of the boys set him straight, but that didn’t lessen the overall merriment. I saw John going down to the game room to inform the few that were still down there about dinner being ready. The rest of us started to make our way into the dining room and find our seats.
Even though he’d already been there already for lunch, I got the impression that dinner overwhelmed Julio a bit. While the other boys chatted, he kept mostly quiet, only reacting when Hugo or Rafael engaged him in conversation. To me it was another sign that his stay at the shelter must have been a rather traumatic experience for the young boy.
I could tell that Aidan also noticed Julio’s demeanor as he gave me a questioning look. I gave him a nod to let him know I knew what he meant and mouthed ‘after dinner’ to him. I saw him whispering something in Jordan’s ear, who then gave a slight smile and nodded his agreement.
When dinner was over, I saw Jordan joining the other boys going down to the game room. Aidan stayed behind and sat on the couch with me and Allejandro.
“That’s one very troubled boy,” Aidan said after pouring himself another glass of wine.
I quickly brought him up to speed on what I’d learned from Julia about the reputation of the shelter he’d been in.
“You know, Jordan has told me stories about a few of the shelters he’d been in. Some I could hardly believe. At some of them, the counselors actually participate and/or encourage raping young gay boys. I’ve asked Jordan to tell some of his stories, so maybe Julio will open up about his experiences,” Aidan explained.
“I’m well aware of some of those problems. The twins came here after being raped on their first night in one of those shelters,” I said.
We talked for a while longer, until Aidan had finished his wine. He told us he still had some files to peruse for two court cases that he had the next day, so he had to go back to his own home. When Allejandro asked if he needed us to inform Jordan, Aidan told him not to bother and let him, maybe, help Julio more and also enjoy himself. We exchanged hugs and then Aidan left for the guesthouse. Allejandro and I decided to just watch some TV so I could further improve my skill at listening to and understanding Spanish.
It wasn’t until close to 10 o’clock that Jordan appeared from the game room and asked us where Aidan was. When we told him he’d already gone home to do some work and hadn’t wanted us to bother him, I could tell he got slightly upset. Allejandro and I just looked at each other after watching Jordan stomp out through the sliding doors in the living room. It was about half an hour later that the other boys started to make their way up to their bedrooms, only John joining us in the living room.
Of course, we questioned John about what had been going on down in the game room and got a rather extensive summary. John actually got a big grin on his face when he told us that Julio was to sleep with Rafael and Hugo for his first night in his new home. Other parts of the recap weren’t as uplifting, especially those where Julio had disclosed some of the things he had experienced in the shelter. John was wise enough to spare us the graphic details, but it was clear that some of the counselors participated in the raping of boys.
I was happy to learn that, at the very least, Julio had opened up, even if it was only to the other boys. As John told us, Julio had cried a couple of times, but the boys all pulled together in comforting him as best they could. Hearing the stories from Jordan and the twins had definitely helped Julio conquer his shame. Not that there was anything to be ashamed of, but boys too often do feel that way, tending to blame themselves for their abuse.
By the time we’d finished our wine, we’d learned everything that had transpired and it was definitely bedtime. I waited for Allejandro and John to return from the kitchen where they’d put away our glasses and the empty bottle before we made our way up to our bedroom. We had some fun, but far less than usual as we just weren’t in the mood for that, and it didn’t take much for us to fall asleep.
Walking into the dining room on Tuesday morning, the three of us were actually the last to arrive for breakfast. The first thing I noticed was that Julio was a lot more talkative than the previous day and was wearing some of his new clothes. He was still seated in between Rafael and Hugo, but engaged in conversation with the other boys also. Seeing the progress he’d made in such a short time, I was convinced that he would fit right in with the crowd eventually.
During breakfast, I informed the 5 boys that were destined for clothes shopping that I intended to get us going around 9 o’clock. If everything went smoothly, it would have us back home well before lunch time. I left unsaid that it would also make sure we’d be back before Bernardo would arrive for his visit. The twins understood though, as I could see the smiles on their faces light up.
The weather was a lot better than the previous day. It was still cloudy, but the sun managed to get through every now and then and it didn’t look like rain would be a problem. Fernando, Roque, Russel and the twins were ready in time for the planned departure as everyone else stayed behind. I could see the face of the store clerk break out in a smile as we walked in and he immediately took us towards the fitting rooms. Except for the shoes, everything was ready for fitting and it turned out that John had been right for the most part. Roque’s jacket was a bit too big and Russel’s trousers a bit too short, but those problems were easily overcome. I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed watching ordinary boys change into perfectly dressed young gentlemen. Felipe and Juanito, in particular, looked stunning and if I didn’t know them the way I did, I wouldn’t have been able to tell them apart.
Getting the right size shoes for the boys was a slightly different matter. I really took pity on the store clerk as the boys were extremely picky and each of them tried on at least two different sized pairs of shoes. It was already getting close to 11 o’clock when everyone had what they needed and the store clerk was able to add up the bill. I was just about to wrap things up when my phone rang and seeing it was Allejandro calling, I excused myself for a moment.
“Hi, Allejandro. What’s up?” I asked after taking the call.
“Rudee, you have to come home right now!” Allejandro replied and the tone of his voice told me he meant it.
“Okay. I just have to pay for everything and then we’ll be on our way. Did anyone get hurt or what?” I shot back.
“I don’t want to tell you over the phone. Just get back here as soon as you can,” Allejandro responded.
“We’ll be back in 15 minutes,” I said and ended the call.
The credit card went through without a hitch and I even remembered to give the store clerk a € 50 bill as a tip for his great assistance. I then herded the five boys towards and into the car, telling them there was some kind of emergency back at home. I think I broke the speed limit at least twice and I may have ignored a traffic light once, but 15 minutes later I was driving through the car gate. I could already see Allejandro standing at the front door as I drove the car into the garage. We were all out of the car in no time and I hurried over to where Allejandro was waiting for me.
“What’s going on?” was the first thing I asked him when I was within earshot.
“It’s Paolo and you’d better come inside and see for yourself,” Allejandro replied and I could tell he was quite upset.
I followed Allejandro into the house and then into the living room where I found all the boys hovering around a figure laying on the couch. As I got close enough, I recognized Paolo from the clothes he’d also been wearing during our brief encounter the previous day. When the boys gave way and I actually saw him though, he didn’t look anything like the stuck-up boy from 24 hours earlier. I could hardly believe my eyes as I saw his bruised and battered face, a black eye that was almost shut and abrasions beyond believe.
“Why on earth didn’t you take him to a doctor?” I asked both Mauricio and Pietro who were also present.
“He doesn’t want to go to a doctor,” Allejandro replied in their stead.
“We wanted to, but he just wouldn’t let us,” Mauricio added.
I felt my own legs shaking as I looked at the poor, savagely ill-treated boy, who was clearly still in pain. I turned away, got my cell phone out and speed dialed Julia’s number as I walked over to my study, Allejandro in my wake.
“Julia? You’ve got to come over here right now!” I said as soon as she’d picked up the phone.
“What’s wrong, Rudee?” she asked.
“It’s Paolo, the boy from yesterday, he’s been beaten up very badly. You’d better bring a doctor, too,” I managed to say, just before I broke down.
I simply collapsed on the couch in the study and Allejandro quickly took over my phone and the conversation with Julia. I could hear Allejandro talk, but I couldn’t make heads or tails of what he was saying. I felt tears pouring down my cheeks and then, moments later, a small boy getting on my lap and putting his arms around my neck.
“It’s going to be OK, papi,” I heard Carlos’ soft voice as he tried to comfort me.
With Carlos calming me down, I slowly regained my composure and began to understand snippets of what Allejandro was telling Julia. He was still talking in quite rapid Spanish and his gesturing told me that he was rather agitated. Finally the conversation stopped, Allejandro ended the call and handed the phone back to me.
“She’ll be here in half an hour and she’ll bring a doctor that specializes in abuse cases,” he said softly.
“Can you tell me what the hell happened?” I asked.
“Well, as I understood it, he was caught last evening with Julio’s file as he wanted to find out where Rafael was living. The counselor that caught him concluded that the only reason for doing so was if he was gay himself. He incapacitated and raped him right there in the office. When he was done, he took Paolo to the dormitory, told the boys there he’d lied to them and that they should teach him a lesson. He was gangraped and beaten for a good part of the night. Only this morning was he able to escape with a small plastic bag with some of his stuff. It took him a couple of hours to find this place as he was on foot and didn’t know the area well,” Allejandro explained.
“Has he had anything to drink or eat yet?” I questioned.
“Not that I know of. I let him in and called for Rafael. He apologized to him, then he slumped down on the couch and I called you.”
I gave Carlos a squeeze, kissed the top of his head and then put him down on his own two feet so I could get up. As I walked into the living room, I could see that Paolo was sitting up with Julio and Rafael on either side of him. He winced every time he moved though, so I knew he was still in pain. After learning that he hadn’t had anything to eat or drink since the previous evening, Pietro and Mauricio immediately made for the kitchen without needing to be told.
“I’m sorry about yesterday, sir, but I couldn’t run the risk of that counselor finding out I’m gay,” Paolo croaked, his voice hoarse.
“Don’t worry about that. Julia, the lady that was with us yesterday, is on her way with a doctor to check you out. I’m sure we’ll have you fixed up in no time,” I said softly.
“Is she going to take me to another shelter?” Paolo asked, hardly audible.
“No, she isn’t, you’re going to stay right here! Right, papi!” Rafael exclaimed, slightly louder than he probably intended.
“You know quite well that that’s not up to us, Rafael. Paolo can decide what he wants to do himself,” I corrected Rafael, still keeping my voice low.
“You’d let me stay here, even after what happened yesterday?” Paolo questioned.
“Of course. You were scared and from what I can see, rightly so,” I replied.
Right then, Mauricio came back from the kitchen, carrying a tray with a plate of sandwiches and a glass of orange juice. He put it down in front of Paolo, who immediately slid painfully forward and started eating. I told Mauricio that he and Pietro had better hold off with lunch until about 1 o’clock, as I expected Julia and the doctor to be here close to 12 o’clock.
It was clear that Paolo had been quite hungry as he consumed the food and drink within a minimum amount of time. He was still in pain though, evident from him wincing every time he stretched out his arm to pick up another sandwich. When he was finished and sat back on the couch, I carefully suggested that it might be better for him to wait for Julia and the doctor up in John’s old bedroom. I explained to him and both Julio and Rafael that the doctor would probably want to examine him and it might be better if that happened in the privacy of a bedroom. I think Rafael understood the reality of the situation as he convinced Paolo it would indeed be better. As Paolo was still in considerable pain, I proposed that Rafael and Julio would take him up to the second floor using the elevator. I told the other boys to go down to the game room and wait there to be called up for lunch. In the meantime, Allejandro and I went outside to open the car gate and wait for Julia and the doctor.
It was almost 12 o’clock when Julia drove into the courtyard, followed by a car with another female behind the wheel. I closed the car gate and waited for Julia and the woman whom I supposed was the doctor to exit their cars. As usual, Allejandro and I got our hugs from Julia before she introduced Dr. Melia to us and we shook hands with her. Inside the house, in the hallway, I gave Julia a quick rundown on things and we were just about to go up the stairs when I heard the bell ring for the outer door. I told Allejandro to show Julia and the doctor up to the bedroom where Paolo was, while I’d see who was at the door.
When I opened the outer door about a minute later, I was quite surprised to find two police officers standing there. What astonished me even more was the third person there, a man I recognized as one of the counselors I’d seen at the shelter the day before.
“What can I do for you, officers?” I asked, trying my best to keep civil.
“Are you Mister Peters?” one of the officers questioned.
“Yes, I am,” I replied, as calmly as possible.
“Well, Mr. Peters, we have reason to believe that you are harboring a young criminal by the name of Paolo Cardona. The shelter he was staying at is missing a large sum of money and the boy is the main suspect. Would you allow us to come inside?” I was asked.
“Sure, officers, but I don’t want that man to enter my property,” I answered, pointing at the counselor.
The two police officers were a bit stunned by my demand, but quickly realized it was my right to refuse him entrance. I stepped aside to let the two policemen in, but then slammed the door shut in the counselor’s face, that definitely looked angry.
As we walked to the front door of the house, I informed the officers about the presence of Julia and the doctor, which took them clearly by surprise. I also managed to tell them about what Paolo had communicated as well as his dire condition. I took the two of them up the stairs but found the door of the bedroom where Paolo would be closed. Not wanting to barge in, I stopped and knocked on the door.
Allejandro had likely been close as he quickly opened the door to me. I could see Julia turning her head and from the look on her face I saw she was both sad and angry. The moment she discerned the two policemen standing behind me, she got up off the edge of the bed and marched over.
“Well, isn’t that convenient, two police officers show up, just in time to take my statement,” Julia sneered after she’d walked out and closed the door again behind her.
“Mrs. Peralez, what are you doing here?” one of the officers asked.
“In all likelihood I’m here to prevent you from making a very stupid mistake, Mateo,” Julia replied sharply. “Why are you two here?”
“We’re here to talk to Paolo Cardona. He’s suspected of stealing a substantial amount of money from the El Paraíso shelter. That means we’ll also need to search him and his belongings,” the officer that Julia called Mateo replied.
“So, they’re playing that old trick again. Accusing a boy of stealing or something to make sure he doesn’t tell anyone what really happened. It’s unfortunate, but you’re a bit too late for that. Am I correct in my assumption that Giorgio Hermano is around here somewhere and has told you where to look?” Julia scoffed.
“I don’t think such a response is necessary, Mrs. Peralez, we’re just here to do our job,” the other officer countered.
“Well, Paolo is currently unavailable as his injuries are being documented by Doctor Melia. You will have to come back in a couple of days and advise me when you do, so I can be present during the interview. You can also tell Mr. Hermano that I fully intend to bring charges against him for rape of a minor, causing bodily harm to a minor and inciting others to do the same. I’ll be more than happy to make sure he gets the maximum sentence of 12 years in jail and that his fellow inmates know what he’s in for,” Julia spat, even scaring me a little with her vehemence.
When the unnamed officer started to protest, the one called Mateo stopped him in his tracks. I was quite surprised when he next apologized to Julia and told her he would let her know when they were coming back. He then thanked me for letting them in and said they’d find their own way out, before turning around and moving off down the stairs. I watched their backs for a moment before turning to Julia and seeing an incredibly smug look on her face.
“Mateo is really a good guy. I remember he had a huge crush on me, back when we were in high school together,” she smiled.
“Damn, woman, I sincerely hope I’ll never get to piss you off,” I laughed.
Julia simply smiled, opened the door to the bedroom, went in and shut it again in my face. I was a little flabbergasted that she’d shut me out, but I assumed she had her reasons and thought it best not to antagonize her. I shook my head and decided it was best to go down to the living room to wait for whatever was going to happen next.
As I walked down the stairs, I found the twins waiting for me at the ground floor.
“What were those two policemen doing here?” Felipe asked.
“Don’t worry, guys. It was a misunderstanding and Julia took care of it,” I replied, not wanting to go into too many details.
“Bernardo just called to say that he’s on his way. Would it be okay for us to open the car gate and wait for him?” Juanito questioned next.
“Sure, but if anyone else enters, I want both of you to come back in and warn me about it,” I answered, still feeling a bit uneasy about the presence of the counselor earlier.
They said they would and made for the front door as I went into the living room. I felt a definite need for a caffeine fix, so I continued on into the kitchen, got myself a cup of coffee and returned to settle myself down on the living room couch. It was a few minutes later that the twins came back in with a broadly smiling Bernardo in their wake. He thanked me for letting him come over and told me he was really looking forward to go karting the next day.
“I have to tell you that there’ve been some unexpected developments. It means that you’ll probably have to sleep with Felipe and Juanito instead of having your own bedroom,” I said.
Hearing all three boys snicker at my remark made it obvious that they wouldn’t have a problem with the new arrangement. The twins then grabbed Bernardo and dragged him along to the stairs down to the game room. There was still about half an hour until lunch would be ready, so I really didn’t mind.
It was close to a quarter of an hour later that I heard voices and Julia, Dr. Melia and Allejandro came walking into the living room. Allejandro asked me if I wanted another cup of coffee, but when I declined, he disappeared into the kitchen. Julia and Dr. Melia joined me on the couch and both of them had a rather concerned look on their face.
“Will you let him stay here, Rudee?” was the first question Julia asked me.
“My dear Mrs. Peralez, do you really think your little brother would give me a choice in that matter?” I countered, trying to break the tension.
Julia raised an eyebrow, but then her familiar warm smile returned as she shook her head. “I should have known you’d say something like that. And I’m not going to ask which boys are sharing bedrooms to make this all possible,” she grinned.
“I do need to know if he’s going to be all right. We’ve got a trip planned for tomorrow to go karting and I’d hate to cancel that at the last moment,” I commented.
“Well, Rudee, it’s okay for me to call you that, right?” Dr. Melia started, and I just nodded my consent. “Well, Paolo is definitely going to be pretty sore for a while, so I would strongly advise him not to go karting. He’s received quite a beating and his anus has also sustained substantial bruising, confirming his statement that he was raped. Allejandro found some Ibuprofen and Paolo can use that to lessen the pain he’s experiencing. Do not exceed the maximum dosage per day though as that could cause stomach problems. I will leave you my card with my cell phone number in case of an emergency. You should call me immediately if Paolo starts getting dizzy spells or if there’s blood appearing in his stool or his urine.”
It was a lot to take in and things looked glum for the next day until I asked the doctor if Paolo would be able to join us if he wasn’t going to get into a kart himself. That changed the situation and the doctor actually thought it was a good idea as it might distract Paolo from feeling sore. I think the look of relief on both my and Allejandro’s face spoke volumes as the doctor and Julia smiled.
I then informed Julia that I had, indeed, seen one of the counselors when the policemen had called and gave her his description.
TBC