Lucky Mr. Peters
Chapter 67
“What did I do to deserve this?” I asked Rafael, who wasn’t letting go of me.
“For letting Julio and Paolo stay with us, of course,” he muttered emotionally.
“Well, I guess it’s time for them to get a bit of good luck. Now, why don’t you and Hugo go and have fun. I’ll stay with Paolo,” I whispered.
Rafael finally let go and I couldn’t help but smile as he wiped his nose with the sleeve of his jacket. I gave him a kiss on the top of his head and then watched as he and Hugo walked off to one of the attractions. I sat down with Paolo and when asked, he told me that he was indeed feeling a lot better.
“Uhm, do you think it would be OK for me to ride one of those karts with someone? I mean, like you did with whatshisname, that young boy?” he suddenly asked haltingly.
“His name is Damarion” I gently reminded him, “and I don’t know about going for a ride, the doctor said it would be best if you didn’t. It could make your pain worse, so I don’t think it’s a good idea,” I replied.
I thought that would be it, but seeing the sad expression on Paolo’s face, my resolve started to crumble. Maybe it had been a bad idea to bring him with us, but since he was here now, it really wouldn’t be fair to not let him partake in at least some of the fun. I helped him get out of his chair and together, we walked over to the pit lane next to the circuit. Just as we got there, Mauricio drove in on one of the adult karts. He had to have noticed us as he waved us over when he’d come to a stop.
“Do you want to ride too?” Mauricio asked Paolo, his face set in a smile that I suspected wouldn’t come off for some time.
“Yes, but it might hurt if I have to ride on my own,” Paolo replied, smiling weakly.
Mauricio volunteered to drive him around, saying it would be better than being taken around by an old geezer like me. I’m sure Paolo wanted to agree straight away, but he still looked at me for confirmation. I told the two of them to go ahead and have fun, somehow glad that I was off the hook. I looked on as they were getting strapped in and it was a rather strange sight as Paolo barely fit in the safety harness, usually meant for smaller passengers. They managed, though, and then I watched them drive out of the pit lane.
“Are you having fun?” I suddenly heard a familiar voice ask from behind me.
“Yes, I am, but you shouldn’t sneak up on me like that, Allejandro,” I replied dryly.
“Was that Paolo and Mauricio driving off just then?” he then questioned and I could hear a slight worry in his voice.
“Yes. Paolo really wanted to and I’m sure he won’t be able to move around much, strapped in such a tight harness,” I answered.
Allejandro asked if I’d be up to riding a bumper car with him, but I politely passed, reminding him of what had happened the last time we were here. I heard him giggle as he likely remembered how all the other boys had been after us, pounding our car as often and as hard as possible. There had been no escape and we were pretty much hammered for all of the three minutes the ride lasted. The gang had been laughing their asses off afterwards, trying hard to get us to go again.
When asked what I was going to do, I told Allejandro that I was going to wait for Mauricio and Paolo’s ride to finish, take Paolo back poolside and relax. Allejandro agreed that would be a good idea and together we waited in silence until Mauricio and Paolo came riding back into the pit lane.
Seeing Paolo’s face as he walked up to us definitely made the risk we’d taken worthwhile. All through our stroll back to the pool area, he enthused about how he and Mauricio had overtaken several of the other drivers. I sat down with Paolo while Mauricio and Allejandro went to get us some drinks. Checking the time, I noticed it was half past two already. I did some calculations in my head and concluded that it was highly unlikely we’d make it back home in time for dinner. I decided it was time to make the call to Aidan that I’d promised him.
“Rudee, don’t tell me you and the gang are already on your way back,” Aidan greeted me.
“No, the boys are still running around here. I’ll start herding them together in about an hour or so, but that means we’ll not be back in time for Pietro and Mauricio to make dinner. I’m just calling to let you know,” I replied.
“I’d already counted on that and made a reservation at Rococelli’s in Puerto Banús,” Aidan laughed.
“Is that place any good?” I asked.
“One of the best. And if you don’t believe me, just ask Pietro and Mauricio,” Aidan replied.
“If you say so. Would it be too late to add say eighteen to that reservation?” I questioned.
I’d only just asked the question when I heard Aidan starting to laugh rather loudly. “If you’re going to pick up the tab, I’ll be more than happy to make that reservation,” he snickered.
“Make it for 6 o’clock, I’m sure we can be in Puerto Banús by that time,” I said.
“Will do, now I’ve got to hang up as some people do have to work for their money,” Aidan giggled.
We said goodbye and hung up just as Allejandro and Mauricio came back with drinks for all of us. After they had taken their seats, I asked Mauricio about the restaurant that Aidan had mentioned, Rococelli. I have to say that the enthusiasm with which he reacted took me by surprise. He told me that it was actually one of the better Italian places and that their prices were fairly reasonable. He was sure that the boys would like it as the menu was quite varied. Some 5 minutes later, I received a text message from Aidan, confirming that he’d made the reservation for us.
Over the next hour, a number of the boys came over for a talk and I informed them to be back at 4 o’clock. Pietro joined our poolside group a little past three and we just enjoyed chatting and people watching.
As 4 o’clock neared, the boys started to congregate, Fernando and Roque being the last to arrive. I told the boys about our dinner plans and Jordan in particular seemed happy we were going to meet up with Aidan.
After we had all finished our drinks, we made our way to the exit. I told the boys to continue on to the cars as I went into the manager’s office. At a little over € 6,000, the bill wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, considering there’d been 18 of us. The manager provided me a detailed invoice, which I quickly put away in my inside pocket before paying. Of course, he told me that he was looking forward to seeing us again soon as we shook hands and I took my leave. Arriving at where we’d parked the cars, everyone had already gotten into them and was waiting for me. I rapidly got into the driver’s seat of the SUV, started the car and we were off back to the city. We had to take a little detour to get back in the right direction on the A-7 highway, but that only took about 10 extra minutes.
As we got closer to our destination, Mauricio took the lead and I followed him all the way into an underground parking area. Mauricio had already told me that it was the best place to park as it was only a short walk from there to the restaurant. After we had parked, I checked the time and was happy to note that it was only a little past 5:30. Our group did stand out, of course, as we paraded down the street on our way to the restaurant.
As soon as we walked in, I spotted Aidan sitting at the bar and walked over. I greeted him, as did the others that had followed in my wake, before we were quickly led to a corner of the restaurant where a few tables were reserved for us. The boys were still a bit boisterous, but after a stern talking to, they calmed down. We all ordered our drinks and those were served with some baskets of garlic bread as we decided on what we wanted for dinner. Some boys wanted spaghetti, while others preferred pizza, and it took some time for our poor waiter to get all our orders in. I felt sorry for the guy, but he was very patient and kept on smiling.
I’m not quite sure how the kitchen managed, and a few extra waiters were needed, but we got all our dishes at about the same time. The change in behavior at the tables was immediate, as was the sudden silence. The only sounds I heard were from the clicks and clacks of the silverware on dishes, with only the occasional murmur from one or the other. I have to admit that Aidan and Mauricio had been right and the food was excellent. Of course, most of the boys wanted some kind of dessert and, like me, the adults stuck with coffee. After having spent a small fortune at Funny Beach, the bill I ended up with at Rococelli’s wasn’t that bad. After paying and providing our waiter with a generous tip, we got ready to leave. Jordan decided to ride home with Aidan, who’d parked his car on the street close by, while the rest of us headed back to the underground parking. It was already close to 8 o’clock when we all finally arrived back home.
As soon as we’d entered the house, the twins ganged up on me, begging me to call Bernardo’s mother and persuade her to let him stay over an extra night.
“It’s already late and not very safe for him to ride his bike home all by himself,” Juanito argued.
Bernardo himself stood passively at a small distance, but clearly also awaiting my verdict. I waved him over and asked him if he wanted to stay for another night. His answer, in combination with his nodding head, made it clear that he definitely did. I told the boys to wait in the hallway as I walked off into the living room. I took out my cellphone, looked up the number for Bernardo’s mother and started dialing.
“Good evening, Mrs. Cantor, it’s Mr. Peters speaking,” I began.
“Good evening, Mr. Peters, is something wrong with Bernardo?” she immediately asked.
“Oh, no, Bernardo is fine. The reason I’m calling is that we’ve only just got back and I’m not sure that it’s safe to let him ride home at this time. I’d be much more reassured if he spent another night here and goes home tomorrow morning,” I proposed.
“That’s very considerate of you. If you’re sure it’s not a problem, then I think that would be a good idea,” Mrs. Cantor agreed.
“It’s absolutely no problem. He’s very well behaved and gets along great with the other boys. I’ll send him home after breakfast tomorrow morning,” I said.
“Thank you, Mr. Peters. I’m sure I’ll hear all about his time at Funny Beach when he gets home then,” Mrs. Cantor laughed.
We ended the call and I went back into the hallway, seeing more than a few expectant faces. I gave them the liberating news, causing me to be surrounded and hugged by three very happy boys. It didn’t last for too long and then the boys, bouncing with joy, went down the stairs towards the game room.
When I reentered the living room, Aidan and Allejandro were sitting on the couch and there was a glass of wine waiting for me. They laughed when I asked where Jordan was and they told me that he must have slipped by me during my phone call.
As I sat down with them, Aidan said that he and Jordan would be leaving early the next morning so they’d be at the airport in time. They would have breakfast there before their flight to Gran Canaria. He also expected that Jordan and he wouldn’t be back in time for dinner on Sunday, so we shouldn’t count on them. It was clear that he was really looking forward to their extended weekend vacation.
It was too late to start a movie, so we just kept chatting and Aidan was curious about how things had gone with Paolo. He was surprised that I had succumbed to Paolo’s pleas to let him ride on a kart with Mauricio, but was happy that it had all worked out fine. It was nearing 10 o’clock when Jordan came up from the game room, obviously having made that arrangement with Aidan. They both said their goodbyes and in turn, we wished them well on their mini-vacation.
About half an hour later, the rest of the boys began making their way up the stairs, Bernardo in between the twins and Paolo flanked by Rafael and Hugo. John, as always, joined me and Allejandro in the living room, making use of Aidan’s empty glass instead of getting a clean one from the kitchen. We called it a day about half an hour later, Allejandro and John cleaning up before we went up to our bedroom.
During breakfast, on Thursday morning, I noticed that Paolo seemed to be doing a lot better. He was chatting with all the boys and not just focusing on Rafael and Julio like he had the previous two days. I also noted that he wasn’t using the elevator anymore, so I assumed that walking the stairs was no longer a problem. It was truly quite amazing, the speed at which young boys bounce back from injuries, whether they were physical or psychological.
As soon as breakfast was over, the boys all said goodbye to Bernardo, who had to go back home. The twins were seeing him out and I knew that would keep them busy for some time. The other boys were going down to the game room, but Carlos stayed behind, together with Allejandro, and I could tell he had something on his mind. That became even more evident when he came to sit on my lap after we had gone into the living room. I smiled and told him he’d better tell me what bugged him.
“My birthday is in three weeks,” he whispered.
“Well, plenty of time to plan ahead then,” I laughed.
“But, it’s on a Friday and I’ll be in school all day. I won’t have a cake like the other boys had,” Carlos softly complained.
“Well, since your birthday is on a Friday, we could always have your cake on Saturday,” I suggested.
“Really?” Carlos asked and I could hear the sprinkle of hope in that single question.
“Absolutely. I’m sure the other boys won’t mind waiting a day extra for cake,” I smiled. “Any other issues that you’re worried about? Would you maybe like to invite Pedro over?” I questioned.
“No!” Carlos rather vehemently replied, “He and I are no longer friends. He’s gotten really mean and I don’t like that.”
I asked if he maybe wanted to invite some other boys, but he insisted that he didn’t. It was a little strange, but I could accept that he didn’t want anyone from school to see him in his home attire. It was hard enough for the older boys at home to understand, let alone for boys his own age. After telling him it would all be OK, I got a hug and a kiss from the half-naked boy. I couldn’t contain myself and after he’d hopped off my lap, I gave him a pat on his bum. Allejandro and I couldn’t help but laugh as we heard him giggle all the way to the stairs down to the game room.
Me and Allejandro chatted and watched TV until around 10:30, when I got a call from Julia. She told me she had all of Paolo’s papers, but wasn’t sure how I wanted to proceed. It didn’t take long for me to explain that her little brother had given me little choice in the matter without suffering some type of bodily harm. I could hear her chuckle as I related some of the conversations I’d had with both Rafael and Paolo. She then suggested to come by after lunch that afternoon to hand me Paolo’s papers and possibly have a talk with Paolo and Julio. I agreed and as we ended our call, I could see Allejandro shaking his head and laughing.
When I asked him why he was laughing, he told me that, come Monday, I would probably be buying a new bicycle and scooter. I knew he was more than likely correct in his assumption, as I did want Julio and Paolo to go to school as soon as possible. It would be a good thing for them to get some structure back into their disrupted lives. We then both went into the kitchen to get ourselves another cup of coffee, before continuing our former pursuits.
It was just a little past twelve, when Pietro announced to us that lunch was ready. As usual, I went into the dining room, while Allejandro took care of informing the boys in the game room that it was feeding time. I can’t say I was surprised that Allejandro only just managed to get into his seat, before the others came running in like a pack of hungry wolves. It kept amazing me how much food they could pack away in a relatively short amount of time and I wondered if they even chewed. When the chow down was coming to an end, about half an hour after it started, I asked Paolo and Julio to come and join me in the study. I had to assure Rafael that everything was fine, before he relinquished his demand to join us also.
After entering the study, I asked the boys to take a seat on the couch while I took the office chair.
“I had a phone call from Julia this morning, and she’s going to bring over your papers, Paulo, in a little while. I have yours already, Julio, and with those papers we can enroll both of you into school,” I began my little talk.
“Will we be going to the same school as the others?” Julio then intervened.
“If that is possible, yes,” I replied. “But, like all the other boys, you will have to get tested to determine if you can and in what class you’ll end up. I would suggest that you both talk to the others about how they experienced their tests, so you won’t be too nervous. I’m sure that some of them will even be willing to help you prepare for the test,” I said.
“But the others all go to school on bicycles or scooters and we don’t have those,” Paolo remarked.
“Yes, that’s true, but I’ll make sure that you can join them when the time comes. I’ll call the school on Monday morning to set up an appointment for the both of you to get you tested and we’ll take things from there. Now, if either of you want to go to a different school, I want you to tell me, because that’s fine too,” I explained.
As I’d already expected, both boys were adamant about going to the International School, like the others. I then told the boys that they could rejoin the others, but that I would get Allejandro to call them up after Julia arrived, so she could talk to them also. Both boys seemed relieved that school was the only topic that I’d raised and they could go back to playing games with the others.
It was only minutes after the boys had gone down that Julia called me to say that she was on her way over. It was my cue to go out and open the car gate, so she could park her car in the courtyard. She did drive in, shortly after I’d opened the gate and I got my usual hug and kisses before we entered the house. When asked, she confirmed that she was, officially, off work, but that she wanted me to have everything I needed on Paolo. She would have come the previous day, but knowing that we were at Funny Beach, she had opted for the next best thing.
Once inside the study, I told her about my talk with Julio and Paolo about school and the choice they’d made. I asked if she wanted anything to drink before talking to the boys and whether she wanted both of them at once or one at a time. She opted for a cup of tea and seeing the boys one at a time, insisting that I not be present. I didn’t take her demand personally as I knew she was simply doing her job. Wanting to talk to Julio first, I went out and asked Allejandro to call him up while I got Julia her cup of tea. I got out of the kitchen at the same time that Julio walked into the living room. We both went into the study together and after handing Julia her tea, I left again, closing the door behind me.
“Aren’t you curious about what Julia is talking to them about?” Allejandro asked after I sat down on the couch with him.
“Not really, I’m sure it’s just regarding how they feel about living here and such. It’s her job after all to make certain that they’re safe and happy,” I replied.
“But she should already know they’re safe here,” Allejandro remarked, slightly piqued.
“Of course, but she would be remiss if she didn’t ask and made sure. I’m really happy that she takes her work so seriously as it only serves to prevent future problems,” I commented.
I don’t think I really convinced Allejandro, but he didn’t push the issue any further. Instead, he suggested we’d have some tea too and even volunteered to get it for both of us from the kitchen. I let him, as I definitely didn’t want to antagonize him any further than need be. He’d only just set our cups down, when Julio exited the study with a huge smile on his face. The boy said he was going to send Paolo up next before he continued on to the game room. Turning my attention to the still open door of the study, I saw Julia smiling and giving me a reassuring wink.
Julia’s talk with Paolo only took a few minutes before both of them came out of the study. They were grinning and Julia sat down with me and Allejandro as Paolo walked on to the stairs leading down.
“I don’t know how you do it, Rudee, but those two boys aren’t going anywhere,” Julia laughed.
“I’m sure it’s got nothing to do with me, but everything with all those other boys that are down in that game room,” I suggested.
“Whatever you say. I do know that the chances you’re offering these boys are well beyond what they could expect anywhere else. Ronaldo and I could have never provided Rafael with an education as good as you’re doing,” Julia said, getting slightly emotional.
“You little brother is a bright boy and he’s got a pretty good taste in boyfriends too,” I laughed.
“He takes after his sister then. Ronaldo is painting the baby’s room and mowing the grass is next on his to-do list,” Julia commented, her emotions immediately back under control.
Both Allejandro and I burst out in laughter at that, and I have to admit I could picture Julia wearing a black leather suit and holding a whip. I was wise enough, though, to not disclose that tidbit of information to her.
A ruckus coming from the stairs alerted us that at least some of the boys were on their way up to see Julia. I was fairly certain that their limitless fascination with her being pregnant was by far their primary motivation. I was also immensely grateful that Julia wasn’t cantankerous in her pregnancy and patiently underwent the prodding the boys subjected her to. Of course, her tolerance wasn’t limitless, so after all the boys had had their feel, she announced her departure. I saw her out, as usual, and after coming back into the living room, found most of the boys still milling around.
The very moment that Carlos was being pushed forward to act as spokesperson, I pretty much knew what was coming next.
“Uhm, would it be OK for us to go swimming, papi?” it was exactly the question I’d expected.
I was almost certain that the request was mainly a trick for the majority of them to have a better ‘look’ at the two new boys. What I hadn’t anticipated was the enthusiasm of those same two new boys when the undressing started.
TBC