Lucky Mr. Peters
Chapter 84
I gave Allejandro a questioning look, but he just shrugged his shoulders, so just the two of us went to bed.
Of course, Allejandro groaned the following morning when the alarm went off. Having had a full week of vacation, it wasn’t easy to get moving again early in the morning. We managed, though, and were soon down in the dining room with the others when the birthday boy appeared.
As has become customary, we all sang ‘Happy Birthday’ and then got started on our breakfast. It wasn’t long after that all were properly attired and ready for another day at school. I took the opportunity to see them off before going back inside for another, much needed, cup of coffee. I found Pietro mulling around in the kitchen and he gave me a big smile when I asked him about Fernando’s presents.
“They’re in the only place the boys wouldn’t dare to look, our bedroom,” he giggled.
He was right as not even I had ever set foot in there after they had moved in. We then discussed the timing of the afternoon. The last of the boys wouldn’t get home until about a quarter to four, so I thought that four o’clock would be a good time for the birthday cake and handing out of the presents. It meant Fernando would have to wait, but I was fairly sure he’d already counted on that.
I got my cup of coffee and went back into the living room to just relax for a while. I knew it was going to be a busy afternoon and then there’d be the guests in the evening. I’d just finished my coffee, when I saw Mauricio going up the stairs, carrying a basket with clean laundry. I remembered I needed to talk to him, so I got up and followed him upstairs.
I found him in Rafael and Hugo’s room taking some clean clothes from the hamper and putting it on their bed. I could tell he was surprised to see me walk in, and I quickly told him I just needed to talk to him in private. He nodded and simply sat down on the bed.
I explained to him that Allejandro, Aidan and I had discussed the upcoming wedding and had come up with some ideas. I then brought up the subject of him and Pietro having most of the day off, their job taken over by caterers.
“You know I won’t really mind Rudee, but I guess you’re telling me so I’ll convince Pietro, right?” Mauricio giggled.
“Well, yes, I thought that would be the best approach,” I laughed. “If any one can talk Pietro into leaving his kitchen, it’s you. Besides, the two of you are basically family, so you should be celebrating with us instead of working.”
“Ok, talking about family, my birthday is on the 9th and I was thinking about inviting some people over. My parents and sister, Pietro’s parents and his uncle and family,” Mauricio said.
“If that includes Emilio, you’ll be making one boy here very happy,” I snickered.
“Of course, you’re all invited, too,” Mauricio quickly added.
“You do know that we’ll never fit into that small house of yours,” I said.
“Yes, but we thought we could all sit outside. With a bunch of the lawn chairs, we could all sit together and it’ll be just for the evening,” Mauricio explained. I couldn’t fault his idea and, “if it did rain we could just move to the covered area of the patio.”
He then mentioned having to get back to work, so I let him be and went downstairs for another cup of coffee. From the smell in the kitchen, I could tell that Pietro was busy baking the cake and I couldn’t keep myself from drooling. I had to console myself with a cup of black liquid that I took with me into my office to check my email and finances.
By the time I was done, I was surprised to see that it was already getting close to 12 o’clock. I decided to just get my butt on the couch in the living room and wait for the first 5 boys to get home.
The small group was a bit boisterous as they walked in, obviously excited about the rest of the day. I got my usual hugs and kisses from them before they retreated upstairs to change out of their school uniforms. I got up and made my way into the dining room as I knew that lunch would be ready at any moment.
As we were eating, I told the boys about the plans for the afternoon and they didn’t seem to mind too much. I also suggested they’d do their homework right after lunch, just to have it out of the way. I could tell that wasn’t exactly what they’d had in mind, but they relented anyway. Once they were upstairs doing their schoolwork, I found Mauricio in the kitchen and asked if he could get Fernando’s presents and put them in my office. As always, he was happy to oblige and immediately went out to get the job done.
I made myself a cup of tea and got settled in the living room, reading a Spanish book. I had noticed that the meaning of a good number of words were still eluding me and reading would be a good way to extend my vocabulary. Of course, I realized it would still be quite a while before I would become fully proficient, but I wanted to keep working at it.
It took well over half an hour before the boys started to come down and make their way to the game room. I never quite understood the fascination boys have for video games but, of course, I’m from a completely different generation. My idea of fun was playing hide and seek out on the street with friends from the neighborhood, or cops and robbers or just playing soccer.
As I was musing about old times, Russel arrived home and after I got my hug and kiss, I couldn’t contain myself. I told him about the possibility of Emilio coming over for Mauricio’s birthday on the 9th. I had expected him to be happy about it, but instead, I could see him collecting his thoughts.
“Uhm, well, papi, as you know, we don’t have school on May 1st and May 2nd. I thought that, maybe, we could invite him to come over on one of those two days. He’ll be off school, too, so perhaps he could spend a day here,” Russel mumbled.
I suddenly realized that poor Russel really had it bad. Of course, he was the only one of the boys that was still alone, if you could call it that. Julio and Paolo might not be a couple, but they had somehow come to an understanding. Bernardo and the twins made for a weird, but for all intents and purposes, happy threesome.
I knew that Russel would be too shy to actually make the first move, so I got an idea. I suggested he go upstairs to change out of his uniform and get his homework done before joining the other boys in the game room. As soon as he was gone, I made for the kitchen where I found Pietro putting the finishing touches on Fernando’s birthday cake.
“Pietro, some of the boys thought it might be a nice idea if we invited Emilio over on one of the next days they’re all off school,” I advocated.
“I bet you mean that Russel thought it would be a good idea,” Pietro snickered.
“You know it is, but I don’t want to embarrass him. So maybe we could pretend it’s your idea by you calling your Uncle Diego and suggesting it. Either for May 1st or May 2nd,” I laughed.
“Consider it done, Rudee. Emilio is a good boy and I think my aunt and uncle would love to have some alone time,” Pietro said.
“Oh, one more thing, before I forget. You should count on one more person for lunch and possibly dinner on Saturday,” I mentioned.
“And who might that be?” Pietro asked.
“There was this waiter at the bodega yesterday that John has the hots for. They texted last night and John invited him to come over,” I replied.
“But if he works in a bodega, he must be at least a couple of years older than John. Are you sure you’re ok with that?” Pietro questioned.
“Dear Pietro, I’m 52 and, in a few weeks time, I’m going to marry a boy who’s 17. Do you really think I’m in a position to object?” I countered.
“No, I’m sorry, I guess you’re right,” Pietro giggled.
With the matter closed, I made myself another cup of tea and returned to the living room to do some more reading.
As expected, it was close to a quarter past three when my sons got home from school. After the usual hugs and kisses, I reminded them that we’d have guests that evening and that I expected them to be decent. My two tykes promised that they’d change right after dinner before they turned and went up to their room. I spied them coming down shortly after, wearing as few clothes as they could get away with.
The remaining boys must have broken a few speed limits as they were home just 25 minutes later at twenty to four. We hugged and kissed, then I had them hurry up and get changed. When Allejandro got back down, I had him call the other boys up from the game room, except for Fernando, and had them follow me into the office.
As I’d asked, Pietro and Mauricio had marked all the presents, so I made sure each one or pair had the correct one, before we went back downstairs. Pietro and Mauricio had meanwhile brought down the cake, plates and forks and we could get on with things.
On behalf of myself and Allejandro, I handed Fernando his first present and he unwrapped it with lightning speed. His eyes almost popped out of his sockets and just moments later he had his arms around my neck, hugging me tighter than ever.
“Hey, it’s from both me and Allejandro,” I managed to mutter.
The hug Allejandro got was definitely less intense, but I was sure it was equally heartfelt. Then, one by one, the other presents were given and opened and I could see Fernando getting ever more emotional. The other boys were all smiles and I knew the mission to surprise the lot of them had been a success. Jordan, though, was suspiciously absent and I could only assume that it was because Aidan wanted to be present when Fernando got the tripod.
By the time we were all done, however, Pietro had divided the birthday cake, making sure there was enough left for the later guests. He quickly whisked the remaining part away, before one or more of the boys decided to go for seconds. Mauricio cleared plates and forks as most of the boys began to play their usual video games. Notable exceptions, obviously, were Fernando and Roque, who sat apart from the others, as Fernando assembled his brand-new camera using the manual.
It was time to let them be, so Allejandro and I calmly went back upstairs. By then it was getting close to 5 o’clock, so Allejandro took it upon himself to make sure we both had a glass of wine before sitting down with me.
“You’ve really outdone yourself on this one,” my soon-to-be husband whispered.
“Well, it’s what he really wanted, and I guess that’s what counts,” I replied.
“You do realize that all those boys down there are now thinking about what they’re going to be asking for,” Allejandro snickered.
“After Mauricio, you’re the next birthday boy and I assume you’re getting what you want,” I laughed.
“Yes, but it won’t be real until I feel you put that wedding ring on my finger,” Allejandro murmured.
Just as I was about to respond, Aidan and Jordan came in together. I quickly told them that Fernando was down in the game room, trying to piece together his new camera, and to just go ahead. Both of them hurried past, allowing me to simply put my arms around the boy I was going to marry. We were done snuggling by the time Aidan came back up by himself and went into the kitchen to get his own glass of wine.
“Man, that’s one happy camper down there,” Aidan grinned as he sat down with us.
“Yes, I just hope that the next boy won’t squeeze me that tight. Oh, wait, I do,” I laughed, getting a questioning look from Aidan.
“I’m next,” Allejandro clarified, causing Aidan to almost spill his drink.
Since it was just the three of us, I quickly apprised them of the day’s events, from my talk with Mauricio to Russel’s suggestion about Emilio visiting and my subsequent conversation with Pietro. They both agreed that Russel and Emilio would make a cute couple and that it would be good for Russel. Of course, Emilio being gay was still a far from a sure thing and we well remembered Luis and Mario. We really would have to wait and see what happened if he was here on his own instead of with his parents.
We were in agreement that Mauricio would be able to talk to Pietro and get him to relinquish his kitchen during the wedding. As to Mauricio’s birthday, it would be interesting to meet the parents of both him and Pietro.
We continued talking until close to six when, unexpectedly, Fernando and Roque came up from the game room. The smile on Fernando’s face was priceless as he began snapping pictures of us with his, now, fully working new camera. When Mauricio came out of the kitchen moments later to announce that dinner was ready, he also got snapped. We all took it with good grace as it was fun to see Fernando play with his new toy.
We didn’t want our dinner to get cold, though, so Aidan and I quickly moved into the dining room while Allejandro, as usual, called up the remaining boys from the game room. Meanwhile, Fernando kept taking pictures, somehow determined to fill up the SD-card that was currently in his camera. He only stopped when hunger hit him, seeing the rest of us eat.
During dinner I reminded my sons they needed to change as soon as it was over. The six boys that had come home late would still need to do their homework. It was only then that the others saw my wisdom in having their schoolwork already done earlier. Once dinner was over, the boys, including Fernando, disappeared, either to their rooms or down to the game room. It left just Aidan and me in the living room, enjoying our wine.
Allejandro returned fairly swiftly, with only half a day of school tomorrow, he didn’t have that much to do. John was hot on his heels, but continued on going down. The other boys followed not long after and I was happy to see that Carlos and Damarion were once again properly dressed.
It was around a quarter past seven that I got a call from Julia, telling me that she and Ronaldo were on their way. I had Allejandro call up Fernando to do the honors of welcoming them as they were his guests after all. I should have known that the other boys would be coming up from the game room also. They’d been fascinated by Julia’s belly ever since the pregnancy had started showing.
Fernando and Roque went outside to open the car gate, while the rest of the boys waited in the entrance hall. It wasn’t long until Julia and Ronaldo came in, followed by Karim and Johan, who’d obviously arrived simultaneously. The boys greeted them enthusiastically, though Julia could always count on some extra attention from most of them.
After hugs, kisses and handshakes, we settled down and, of course, Fernando had to show off his present. When Julia said she was sorry for not bringing any present, Fernando would have none of that and sat down next to her.
“You’ve already given me the best present I could ever get. Without you, I wouldn’t be living here with our papi and I would never have met Roque,” he said as he carefully hugged her.
The boy definitely had a way with words and I could see Julia getting rather emotional. Obviously the scene was quite touching and I admit that I got a bit of a lump in my throat, too. It was a good thing Ronaldo was there who immediately accused Fernando of hitting on his wife. It had the desired effect as Fernando got a bright red and quickly let go of Julia, but only after she’d given him a kiss on the cheek.
“You know you shouldn’t be spoiling them like that,” Julia admonished me after Fernando had fled the room.
“Sorry, but it’s something that he really wanted. Did you see how happy he was?” I countered.
“Sure, but that camera was bloody expensive,” Julia responded.
“You know I don’t care about money. After everything most of those boys have been through, the only thing that counts is their happiness, nothing more, nothing less,” I said.
“Amen to that,” Aidan concurred.
Julia just shook her head and kept silent as Pietro came in with cake for Aidan, Jordan and the other guests. When asked, I told them that Allejandro and I already had cake earlier with the boys. We changed subject and every now and then one or more of the boys came up for a while. Hugo stayed a little longer than most, talking primarily with Johan and Karim in German. I could hear it was just about everyday stuff but it seemed to make him happy, being able to talk in his mother’s tongue.
As usual, Aidan talked about some of his cases with a real passion, the guy truly loved his job. Of course, Julia’s pregnancy was also a primary topic and I was a bit surprised to learn that her doctor had advised an early hospitalization.
“But they weren’t due until June?” I asked.
“Yes, if it had been a single one. Twins have a tendency to want to come out a lot sooner,” Julia snickered.
“So when?” I questioned.
“She’d already be in hospital right now if it had been up to me, but you know how my wife can be,” Ronaldo snorted.
“I can still take care of myself,” Julia scoffed.
“Jeez, I hope we don’t end up bickering like that,” Allejandro commented, breaking the rising tension.
“Get used to it,” Karim remarked, “Johan complains when I don’t shave every day.”
“Allejandro doesn’t shave, yet. At least not his face,” I snickered, causing my husband-to-be to turn beet red.
“Too much information, guys,” Julia exclaimed, eliciting a round of laughs from all of us.
After the merriment died down, Julia revealed that she’d let herself be admitted to hospital in two weeks time.
“But that means you could still be in hospital when Allejandro and I get married,” I said.
“That will all depend on these two,” Julia smiled, patting her big belly.
“Have you thought of names for them, yet?” Johan queried.
“Yes, but we’re going to keep that a secret for now,” Ronaldo replied and I could see him winking at Julia, who smiled back at him.
Changing the subject, I asked Karim and Johan how things were going with the resort and they were eager to give their account. Things got less personal from then on and we all were able to relax. It was around a quarter past ten when my sons came up from the game room and Carlos immediately claimed his spot on my lap. Damarion, not wanting to be left out, wormed his way into a position between me and Allejandro. I admit that I didn’t even notice Fernando being there, snapping pictures left and right with his new camera.
The boys started going to bed at their usual time and soon after, Julia, Ronaldo, Karim and Johan also called it a night. Allejandro and I saw them off and found Russel waiting for us in the living room when we returned. It was still a Monday, and Russel hadn’t forgotten it was his turn.
On Tuesday morning there was a marked difference between the boys that had to go to school early and those whose classes wouldn’t start until 3rd period, the latter being more upbeat. After the usual ceremony, I got my cup of coffee and sat down on the couch in the living room. Will would be coming over in a couple of hours and I felt slightly nervous. Finally, I started to understand what my brother and sister had gone through, preparing for their respective weddings. Not that I cared, I’d never been close to my siblings and didn’t even feel the need to let them know I was getting married. Family had been more of a burden to me than anything else. Of course, they'd never understand a man my age marrying a 17-year-old boy, either, so why have them around and try to explain what a soulmate is?
When the last of the boys had finally left for school, Pietro came walking into the living room with a broad smile on his face.
“My Aunt Carla has convinced my uncle that it’ll be good for Emilio to spend some time with boys his own age,” he laughed.
“So, he’ll be coming over?” I asked.
“Yes, Uncle Diego will drop him off at around 9 o’clock on the first. I think Aunt Carla has some plans for the rest of the day,” Pietro grinned. “Now about this other thing, I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t go behind my back!”
“Oh, yeah, I’m sorry about that,” I mumbled.
“But it’s fine. We’ll take care of breakfast, of course, and when the caterers come in, I’ll show them around. I still owe you one for that first time I came over to your house,” Pietro smiled.
I don’t think we’d ever talked about it again and I found it a bit strange that he was bringing it up at this time. I definitely did remember, though, but, of course, that was before he met up with Mauricio again. I guess it was ‘our little secret’ and he just wanted to let me know he wouldn’t tell. He sat down next to me and out of the blue gave me a hug.
“You’re the best boss I ever had and don’t you forget it,” he whispered.
“I never knew you’d be so good at cooking and baking cakes,” I snickered.
“If it hadn’t been for Mauricio, Allejandro would have had some stiff competition,” Pietro smiled and I couldn’t help but laugh at the pun he made.
“Stiff competition? Really?” I asked, almost doubling over.
“You’ll have to ask Mauricio about that,” Pietro commented as he got back up onto his feet and made for the kitchen door.
I suddenly realized that I probably loved him, too. Not the way I loved Allejandro, but more like a son, and I just sat back and felt truly blessed. I had found my one true love and against all odds I now had two sons that were all mine. I was a father, a lover, a boss, a protector all rolled up in one and it felt good. I went up to the bedroom and just lay down on the bed. I closed my eyes and could actually smell Allejandro being there as I started to slumber.
TBC