Lucky Mr. Peters
Chapter 75
I just kept silent as I awaited the verdict and watched as the woman picked up a phone and began dialing.
“Hi, Julia dear. I’m just calling you to let you know that your protégé, Mr. Peters, has passed the proficiency exam,” I heard her say and I felt like a deer caught in headlights.
“I’ve passed?” I asked, as the woman put the phone back down.
“Yes, you’ve passed, Mr. Peters, and with flying colors I might say.”
“Oh my God, thank you, thank you, thank you,” I stammered.
“Don’t judge a book by its cover, Mr. Peters. I know I look like a sour grape, but Julia has told me everything you’re doing. My only son killed himself when he was just 18 years old because he was gay. I loved him and I think you’re doing a good job of preventing more senseless deaths,” she said and I could see a tear running down one of her cheeks.
“I’m so sorry,” was all I was able to say.
“It’s okay, Mr. Peters. You can pick up your certificate at the secretary’s office,” the woman said.
‘Thanks again,” I felt like I should walk around the desk and hug the woman, but her demeanor stopped me from doing that. Instead I left the small office through the door marked ‘exit’ and found my way, feeling like I was walking on cloud 9, back to the secretary’s office where I was handed my certificate.
“Mrs. Peralez has already received a copy, Mr. Peters,” the secretary said matter-of-factly and I realized I found her more obnoxious than the ‘sour grape’ I’d just left.
On the way to my car, I turned my cell phone back on and immediately got two pings. The first was a text message from Julia congratulating me, and the second one was from Aidan with a similar message. I noted the time and as it was only 11:30, I knew I’d be able to make it home in time for lunch.
When I drove through the car gate, I could already see Pietro and Mauricio waiting for me out the front of the house. Both of them had the decency to let me step out of the car before they hugged and congratulated me.
“Is there anyone who doesn’t know yet?” I asked exasperatedly.
“No, the boys should all know too, right about now,” Mauricio laughed, checking his watch.
I realized that they would be getting out of class at this time and being able to check out their own cell phones. Confirmation came when my own started pinging like it never had before while I was led into the house by Pietro and Mauricio. I was guided into the kitchen where I was given a decent cup of coffee, as the stuff I’d gotten from the machine in the waiting room hardly deserved that name.
I began to check the messages one by one and almost started to cry at the inventiveness of some of them. I was barely half-way through them when I heard voices call out for me and once in the living room I was almost toppled over. The four boys home early congratulated me and had hardly left to change when my cell phone actually started ringing.
“Mr. Peters, you may remember me, I’m the principal at Carlos and Damarion’s school. It seems that both of them are currently on their way home to you. Now, normally I’d have to inform the inspector of the Board of Education about any truancy, but, under the circumstances, if you make sure they’re back here tomorrow morning, I won’t. Oh, and congratulations, Mr. Peters,” I heard and I did recognize the voice from the time I’d picked up Carlos after his mother’s death.
“I’ll make sure they’ll be back first thing tomorrow morning,” I replied, “And thank you.”
I don’t think it was more than a few minutes later that I got assaulted by my two youngest. I tried to admonish them for leaving school without justifiable cause, but somehow it didn’t come out right. It didn’t matter as even if it had, they were in no state to listen to anything I had to say.
When we were finally all ready to have lunch, it was Paolo who didn’t look too happy with Carlos and Damarion’s unexpected presence. Fernando and Rafael seemed to notice as well and I could see them whispering to Paolo. I guess the admonishing by two of his equals was enough to mellow Paolo and he became more relaxed.
When lunch was over, I managed to take Paolo aside for just a moment and promised I’d make it up to him the next week.
Finally sitting down on the couch after all 6 boys had left for the game room, I didn’t feel like picking up my phone when it rang again. I saw it was Aidan, so, against my better judgement, I picked up anyway.
“You’ve got a court date on April 11th at 1 o’clock regarding the adoption of two minors,” Aidan cheerily announced.
“But that’s in just two and a half weeks,” I replied, flabbergasted.
“Hey, don’t thank me, that’s all Julia’s doing,” Aidan laughed. “After the other day, I don’t ever want to be on her bad side.”
“Will we be ready by then?” I questioned.
“I haven’t let you down yet, but we’ll need to talk when I get back this afternoon,” Aidan replied, and I didn’t like the sound of that.
We took our leave and I felt like I desperately needed a cup of tea. Once I got into the kitchen, I saw two smiling faces that sat down opposite of me.
“Please,” I sighed, rolling my eyes.
“Hey, you brought it up this morning,” Pietro laughed.
They began to explain to me the mechanism that linen services work with. By the time they were done, my mind was spinning and I think my glassy eyes conveyed that. They then were so kind as to adapt it to our household and things started to make a whole lot more sense. They had already calculated what our washing costs would be compared to someone else taking care of it for us and actually they would be about 40% cheaper.
“If it’s cheaper and makes life easier on you two, then go for it!” I said. “We’d be fools not to.”
“We’d love to, but … if we wait for the apartment complex to be ready, we could probably negotiate an even better price,” Mauricio smiled.
I closed my eyes for a moment and then just said that they should do what they thought best. I got two hugs and was then told to get out of the kitchen as they needed to get busy. I did as I was told and when I settled down on my now trusted couch, I started to feel giddy. I hadn’t just passed the proficiency exam, I’d passed with ‘flying colors’, as the old, sour-faced woman had told me.
I’m not sure why, but right then and there I knew what I’d get Julio for his birthday and went into my study to order the thing. If delivery time was the same as for Carlos’, it’d be here in plenty of time. I just had to make sure he understood it was Paolo’s, too, and that there would be no fighting over it.
I’d submitted the order and settled back down in the living room when the rest of the crew arrived home and began to tumble all over me. They’d just left to get changed when Jordan came in through the backdoor and, in an unexpected show of emotion, hugged and kissed me too. As I watched him making his way to the stairs, I suddenly realized that I would have liked to fuck his little ass and couldn’t keep from laughing.
When Allejandro joined me after changing, I filled him in on the news that I’d gotten from Aidan. He then pointedly reminded me that it would make me a daddy before I’d reached 53. I gave him a weak slap as I knew he meant well, but it still felt weird realizing the truth of it. Trying to get back at him, I pointed out that he’d be a 16-year-old papi once we got married, but he laughed it off after the surprise realization ebbed away.
When he suggested a celebratory drink, I went along and we had a glass of wine after I made sure that’s what it said on the bottle.
It was only a little past 5 that Aidan joined us, a wide grin plastered on his face. I waited until he’d settled down with his own glass of wine before asking what it was we needed to talk about.
“Well, Carlos is a slam dunk as he has no other close relatives, but with Damarion it’s another matter,” Aidan said.
“What do you mean? His and Roque’s dad is in jail for raping them,” I countered.
“I’m sorry, Rudee, but it seems that their father’s parents are still alive and that could complicate things,” Aidan announced.
“I understand, but if they ever played a part in the boys’ lives, Roque must know them,” I commented.
Of course, the only one that could answer those questions was Roque, so we had Allejandro call him up through the intercom. He didn’t look too happy about being singled out to be called up, but once we told him he didn’t do anything wrong, he relaxed.
As I thought it best to have some privacy, we all moved into the study. The very moment that Aidan asked a question about his parental grandparents, I could see Roque’s face growing more pale than I’d ever seen on anyone.
“You can’t give Damarion to them! They’re even worse than our asshole father!” he exclaimed. “They’ll put him back into one of those schools where he gets beaten and shit!”
Roque’s fierce reaction got all of us alarmed and Aidan and I immediately tried to put him at ease again and calm him down.
It wasn’t easy to get Roque to open up and at some point I told Allejandro to go out and tell Pietro and Mauricio to postpone dinner for an hour or so.
We learned that Roque, at a very young age, had been starved by his grandparents for almost a month as fasting was a way to find ‘the lord’. He probably would have died if it hadn’t been through the intervention of some attentive neighbors. Some other, rather descriptive encounters with his paternal grandparents were equally gruesome.
“Would you be willing to go to court and testify to all that, so Damarion can become Mr. P’s son?” Aidan asked.
“Hell yes, I don’t want those monsters to get their fuckin’ hands on my little brother! Sorry, papi, but I can’t let that happen!” Roque exclaimed.
Aidan nodded to me, but I wasn’t quite sure about the whole thing. It was definitely time for dinner and I whispered to Aidan that we needed to talk afterwards.
Of course, during dinner, the boys all wanted to know what was going on, but a few stern looks from me and Allejandro helped to settle things down.
I knew that the tale of what was going on would spread like wildfire once the boys, including Roque, were back on their own, but that couldn’t be helped. I needed to talk to Aidan about what testifying in court would mean to Roque.
“Rudee, you’ve watched too many American crime series,” Aidan laughed. “Roque is still considered a minor and will be heard by a judge behind closed doors and without cross examination.”
“So they’re not really going to put him on the stand?” I asked.
“Absolutely not. We’re talking family court here, that’s far more lenient. But, if Roque’s telling the truth, and I think he is, there has to be corroborating evidence. Statements from the neighbors, police and hospital reports. I’ll have my people dive into that first thing tomorrow,” Aidan assured me. “If we can prove previous abuse to Roque, there’s no way they’re getting their hands on Damarion.”
“I just hope you’re right, Aidan. I don’t know what loosing Damarion would do to Carlos,” I uttered.
“Don’t worry, Rudee, Roque has given me a lot of ammunition to work with,” Aidan said confidently.
He then left, going after Jordan who’d already gone home to get his homework done. Not long after, the first of the boys, including Allejandro, came down from having finished their homework. Allejandro joined me and I explained to him what my worries had been and what Aidan had told me.
I had just finished, when Carlos and Damarion came barging into the living room, now obviously aware of what had played out earlier.
“You can’t let Damarion go and live with his grandma and grandpa! Roque says they’re horrible people!” Carlos exclaimed as he stood in front of me.
I grabbed the boy, pulled him onto my lap and waited until Allejandro had done the same with Damarion. I then proceeded to explain what Aidan and I had discussed and that we’d do everything to make sure that Damarion would be staying with us. I took my time to answer the questions that Carlos and Damarion had and rather enjoyed having my boy sit on my lap. When they were satisfied, Carlos asked if we could maybe watch some more episodes of ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ and I went along with that.
The two boys jumped off our laps and Allejandro and I followed them downstairs to the media room. I managed to squeeze in three episodes before it was really time for bed and the boys started to move upstairs. I’d all but forgotten about the new ‘arrangement’ and was a bit surprised when John went upstairs and it was Russel that joined Allejandro and me in the living room.
I don’t think Russel really minded that he didn’t get any wine, the smile on his face unwavering. I assumed that the rest of the boys all knew of the deal that had been struck and there was no more need for secrecy. As Allejandro and I drank our wine, Russel had half a glass of soda and when we were done and had cleaned up, the three of us went up to the bedroom. As soon as Russel was in bed, he was adamant that first Allejandro and then I should fuck him. Neither of us had a problem with that and I was sure that Russel was a happy camper when he finally fell asleep.
After the previous restless night, I actually slept quite well, relieved that the exam nightmare was over. After we all had breakfast, Julio lingered and I knew it meant that he had something on his mind and wanted to talk to me. I told him to go down with the others that started school later and come back up after about 20 minutes after the first bunch had left. That way we could have our talk in peace. He agreed and was about to go down when Jordan came in through the garden doors, already in his school uniform, to join the others downstairs too. I took my leave from the boys that had to be at school early, got my cup of coffee from the kitchen and then waited for Julio.
He came back up almost exactly 20 minutes after he’d left and asked if we could talk in the study. Of course I agreed and after closing the door behind us, sat down with him on the small couch.
“Would it be possible for me to have my birthday party on Friday the 4th, it’ll be Good Friday, so we won’t have school,” Julio asked softly.
“Sure you can, if that’s what you want,” I replied, smiling.
“I don’t want to invite anyone, though. I never had any real friends at my old school and I don’t know that many yet from the new one. Felipe and Juanito want me to invite Bernardo and Abelardo, but I think that’s weird because I don’t really know them. I do like Mrs. Julia because without her I wouldn’t be here now,” the boy murmured.
I told Julio that it was his party and he could do whatever he chose to do. If he didn’t want to invite anyone, then that was his choice and he shouldn’t let himself get pressured into doing something he didn’t want to. I’m not sure why, but I also confided in him that I’d already ordered the birthday present for both him and Paolo. I don’t think I’d ever seen a face light up as much as Julio’s did at that moment.
“Is it the same as Carlos’?” he asked enthusiastically.
“Yes, it’s exactly the same,” I assured Julio and within seconds I had my lap full of boy and his scrawny arms around my neck.
I simply held him for a little while before suggesting he rejoin the others and have some more fun before school. I followed a happy Julio out of the study and made a mental note to talk to the twins about not pressuring the boy into inviting their boyfriends.
With my coffee actually having gone cold, I got myself a new one and settled down on my trusted couch with a nice book. Jordan joined me for a few minutes after my boys went up to their rooms to change into their school uniforms.
“Is Julio really getting one of those machines too?” he asked with a wide grin.
“Yes, but it’s for both his and Paolo’s birthday,” I answered, making sure he understood it was for both boys.
“You know, I wouldn’t mind fucking Paolo, but I don’t think Aidan would be too happy about that,” Jordan laughed.
“No, so I’d better not tell him you said that,” I snickered.
“Thanks, I appreciate that,” Jordan commented only moments before the other boys came down in their uniforms, ready to go to school.
They all said their goodbyes and I knew I’d have a little over 2 hours of peace and quiet before Allejandro and John would get back home. There was no doubt in my mind that John would be expecting compensation for letting Russel sleep with me and Allejandro again last night. I took the opportunity to tell Pietro about the new ‘order’ that I expected in a few days time and he couldn’t help starting to snicker.
“You do know you’re spoiling those boys, don’t you, Rudee?” he asked with a broad smile.
“Yes, but I’d rather spend my money on them than giving it to the government,” I laughed.
Pietro wholeheartedly agreed and then I told him about Julio’s request to have his birthday party on Friday the 4th. He then suggested that Julio could have two birthday cakes too, one on the afternoon of his actual birthday as all boys would be home by 3 o’clock and the other one on the Friday.
“You really love making birthday cakes, don’t you?” I asked him.
“I do! And you can be rest assured that we’ll have a surprise in store for you too,” he laughed.
“I don’t know if I like surprises,” I commented.
“Sorry, but we’ve had our orders, Rudee,” Pietro grinned.
I knew better than to ask, as Pietro wouldn’t betray anyone’s trust and it wouldn’t be fair to try and pressure him. I got myself another cup of coffee and went back to actually enjoying some reading, just for the heck of it.
As expected, Allejandro and John got home at about 12:15 and John had a definite look of anticipation written all over his face. All during lunch he kept staring and smiling at us, leaving no doubt as to what he expected. We’d each given our own promises the week before, so there was no escape. Ultimately, the three of us spent about an hour up in our bedroom before making it back down again. With the weather being quite nice, we got ourselves our cups of tea and lounged out on the patio until the final lot got home.
We moved inside as the boys went upstairs to change out of their school uniforms. I’d expected Carlos and Damarion to be already down in the game room, so I was a bit surprised to see them coming down amidst the other boys. Noticing the look of bliss on the two boys, Allejandro gave me a soft nudge and said that they’d likely been ‘hooked to a machine’, before he started snickering. I quickly realized that he was probably right and couldn’t help but shake my head.
I waited until after dinner to get Felipe and Juanito alone and reminded them about not pressuring anyone. They solemnly promised to not bug Julio anymore about inviting their boyfriends and I left it at that. I was happy that the evening went quite smoothly and it felt like things were getting back to normal.
When he got home on Thursday, Aidan informed me that his people had actually discovered the records on the ‘starvation’ incident that Roque had mentioned. They’d found both extensive hospital records as well as police records with testimonies of the neighbors involved. He’d already sent copies to the court and social services, just in case Damarion’s grandparents contested the adoption. He also had already talked things through with Julia, if only to keep her in the loop. I have to say that it felt good to know that two very dedicated people had my back in all of this.
First thing on Friday morning, I contacted the headmistress of Carlos and Damarion’s school to let her know about the court date and would therefore be keeping both boys home from school. I then also called the principal of the International School as I wanted Roque to be there also, just in case. As I’d expected, Mr. Gutiérrez was very compassionate and even wanted to know whether or not to excuse any of the other boys. I wasn’t sure if that would be the right thing to do, but then he assured me that it wouldn’t be a problem since it would be the last school day before Easter break and not much would get done anyway.
“Mr. Peters, if there are any homework assignments, which I doubt, I’ll make sure the teachers send them to your e-mail address, so you can tell the boys about them. I fully understand that it’ll be an important day for you and that you’d want the whole family to be there with you. Of course, giving me two weeks notice also shows extreme thoughtfulness from your side,” Mr. Gutiérrez stated.
“Thank you, you have no idea how much this means to me,” I muttered, feeling slightly overwhelmed.
We ended the call and after getting my cup of caffeine filled brew, I settled on the living room couch.
It was a little past 9 o’clock when I heard the bell to the outer door ring. I assumed it was some kind of delivery and Pietro or Mauricio would take care of it. When Mauricio announced that there was a Mrs. Cantor to see me, I was quite surprised. Of all the people coming over, she was the one I least expected, but I told Mauricio to show her in. I put down my book and got up to greet my guest.
“Mrs. Cantor, this is unexpected. Aren’t you supposed to be at work?” I greeted the woman.
“Well, I actually called in sick this morning because I really need to talk to you, Mr. Peters,” Mrs. Cantor said, and I immediately became alarmed.
Knowing that it had to be serious, I asked her to follow me into the study and Mauricio offered to bring us coffee. I simply nodded and led Mrs. Cantor into the study where I had her sit down on the small couch. She told me she was sorry for calling on me unannounced but that she was desperate and didn’t know who else to turn to. I assured her it was fine and that we could talk as soon as Mauricio had brought in the coffee.
I could tell she was in a panic and waited until Mauricio had delivered our drinks before sitting down next to her.
“It’s my husband, Mr. Peters. He somehow found out that Bernardo is gay and when he comes home from work this evening, Javier intends to confront my boy. Bernardo won’t lie to his father anymore and it’s inevitable that my husband will throw him out of the house. I truly love Bernardo, but I have to think of my other children also. You’re keeping so many boys safe, would you be able to do the same for my Bernardo?” Mrs. Cantor pleaded.
“You know that I’d love to, Mrs. Cantor, but there’s only one bedroom free and that’s in Pietro and Mauricio’s guesthouse,” I replied.
“He won’t mind sharing a room, Mr. Peters. He shares one now with his little brother, which is the main reason why my husband wants him out of the house,” Mrs. Cantor suggested. “I know that you’ll take good care of my Bernardo and if you send him to the International School like the others, I’ll still get to see him.”
TBC