Lucky Mr. Peters
Chapter 85
“What are you doing up here?” Allejandro asked as I opened my eyes when he interrupted my nap.
“Sorry, I just wanted to smell you,” I said, without giving it a second thought.
I saw the smile appear on Allejandro’s face as he walked over to the bed. As soon as he was close enough, I grabbed his hand and pulled him onto the bed.
“I love you so much, Mr. Lizana,” I whispered.
“Please, can you two quit it. I’m hungry and Mauricio said that lunch is ready,” John intervened rather vehemently.
Allejandro and I started to snicker at John’s interruption before getting up onto our feet and chasing after him. He was fast, though, and made it down to the dining room with the two of us hot on his heels. We were really just having fun and I think it was actually the first time that Allejandro and John were still wearing their school uniforms during lunch. Once we were done, however I sent them upstairs to get changed and settled in the living room with a cup of tea, waiting for Will to arrive.
It was only a little past 1 o’clock when Will did show up and I suggested we go into the study to talk. Of course, both Allejandro and John wanted to join us, so the four of us got comfortable in there.
“Well, first things first, I’ve already made arrangements with the company that provides the marquee and such. They’ll be here on the 26th to set everything up and again on the 28th to get everything back. That way you won’t have any workmen traipsing around on the big day itself,” Will smiled.
“And it’ll all be set up in the back garden, right?” I asked.
“Yes, I’ll be here on the 26th to show them the exact spot that we agreed upon. There’ll be the marquee, the dais with the table, one chair on one side for the civil servant and four chairs on the other for the two of you and your witnesses,” Will explained.
“Oh, no, we’ll need six chairs. Carlos and John will have to be seated at the table, too,” I argued, “They’re the best men after all.”
“Well, I don’t think that’ll be a problem. We can move chairs around,” Will smiled.
“And Damarion has to have a seat in the front row, so he can bring up the rings when it’s time,” Allejandro interjected.
“Ah, well, yes, that brings up the second part,” Will said. “Now this will be a civil wedding, so there won’t be any of the usual religious hooey that you see so often on TV. There’ll be two copies of the marriage license that both you two and the witnesses will have to sign and once the civil servant also signs, you’re basically already married,” he explained.
“So no rings are needed?” John asked.
“No, but I know the guy who will perform the wedding and he’ll allow it. Now, my suggestion would be that you two come up with your own wedding vows. ‘With this ring I thee wed’ isn’t very original, I think it’s best if you say something that is more original and personal to each of you,” Will laughed.
I just looked at Allejandro and said I’d be able to come up with something, causing my husband-to-be to blush.
“I’ll come up with something, too,” Allejandro murmured.
“Great! Now the whole ‘you can kiss the bride’ thing is also out, of course, so you should just do it,” Will grinned.
“Oh, they’ll be doing that, all right,” John laughed.
I couldn’t help but snicker and that got Allejandro started, too. Within no time we were all laughing and it took a few minutes before we were able to continue our talk.
Will resumed. “Next item on the list is catering. Now, I know these guys that I often work with and I think they will do a good job for you.”
“Yes, I’ve talked with Pietro and he’s willing to relinquish his kitchen after we’ve all had breakfast,” I replied.
“That’s not really necessary, but it depends on what meals you want them to serve,” Will said.
“We were thinking about both lunch and dinner,” I clarified.
“Ah, yes, well just give me a second,” Will said as he went through a stack of papers he had with him. “Here it is. You can have a choice of different menus but you’ll have to let me know at least a week in advance,” he smiled as he handed me a few pages.
“So we just have to choose from these?” I asked.
“Yes, and give an estimate of the number of people to feed. There’ll be a few guys to serve drinks and snacks, but they’ll really want to know the number of guests for both lunch and dinner,” Will answered.
“Well, at least about 30 for lunch, maybe a few less for dinner,” I said.
“That’s fine. These guys will only charge you for what’s actually being served, so no worries there,” Will smiled. “Now how about the wedding cake?”
“Oh, don’t even go there. I think Pietro would kill me if I let anyone but him make that cake,” I snickered.
I saw the surprise on Will’s face, but both Allejandro and John started to laugh.
“Yes, you’d be dead for sure,” John mocked.
“Okay, well, I think I’d like to live past that day,” he chuckled, “then there’s just the question of the corsages. Now, I was thinking of red roses for the two of you and white ones for everyone else,” Will suggested.
“Uhm, maybe pink ones for all of us boys,” John interjected with a broad smile on his face.
“Pink ones for the boys it is,” Will smiled as he took notes. “How many of you are there now?”
“There’s been some new additions, but if we include Aidan, Jordan, Pietro, Mauricio, Johan and Karim, you should count on about 20,” I said.
Will began to smile again as he penned down some numbers on his notepad. We then continued on, talking about flower arrangements and some other details that needed taking care of. I was a bit surprised when, after we were all done, Will asked me for a personal favor. I’m not sure why, but he wanted permission to attend the wedding with his boyfriend. Of course, I told him it would be fine as one more guest wouldn’t make much difference.
When we finally left the study, it was already getting close to 3 o’clock and I asked Will to join us in a glass of wine. I was glad he accepted and the four of us ended up sitting on the couch in the living room, enjoying our drinks. A short time after, Damarion and Carlos arrived home and I introduced my sons to Will. Of course he’d met them before, but they were now my sons for real. I don’t think Will even batted an eye as he saw us hug and kiss like we usually do and the two of them went upstairs to get changed.
As soon as Will had finished his drink, he announced that he really had to go. I let him out and just as he was driving off the rest of my herd arrived. I waved and went back inside the house as they were parking up their modes of transport. I wasn’t surprised to find that John had meanwhile left the living room and just Allejandro was left. As usual, the boys trooped in and I got my hugs and kisses before they went upstairs to change. Allejandro had just refilled our glasses when Jordan walked in and after a quick ‘hello’ made for the stairs leading down to the game room.
Allejandro and I talked about some of the things that Will had said and we agreed that it had mostly made sense. We also went over the papers with the menus on them, discussing pros and cons of the different options. Not quite knowing what to choose, we decided to talk it over with the professionals and went into the kitchen. We found both Pietro and Mauricio already preparing things for dinner, but they could spare some time for us. With their input, a choice was rapidly made that, not surprisingly, was perfectly logical.
Of course, when Aidan got home from work, he wanted to know everything. By the time his curiosity was completely sated, Mauricio appeared from the kitchen and announced that dinner was ready. During the meal, I heard some of the boys talking about the wedding plans and I knew that John had to have told them all about it. Obviously, down in the game room the rumor mill just never stopped.
After dinner, the boys all went up to their rooms to do their homework and Aidan and Jordan left for their home. I watched some TV until the boys had all come back down and it was movie time. As usual, the boys went to bed after the movie was over and I saw even John going upstairs. I guessed that Allejandro and I were back on our own, which I didn’t think was a bad thing, actually. We had our nightcap before also retiring.
Allejandro was in bed first and when I came close enough, he grabbed my hand and pulled me to him.
“Uhm, Mr. Peters, why don’t we continue where you and I left off, this afternoon,” Allejandro laughed.
I couldn’t fault his idea and after a rather intense tumble, we fell asleep in each others’ arms.
When the last of the boys had left for school at 9 o’clock on Wednesday morning, I was looking forward to some peace and quiet. I did, for about 2 hours, during which time I got some reading done, then my phone rang.
“Hello, Mr. Peters, it’s Mrs. Mancillas, from Carlos and Damarion’s school,” I heard as I picked up.
“Good morning, Mrs. Mancillas, is there something wrong with my boys?” I quickly asked.
“Oh, no, they’re not in any trouble, but I did want to let you know something that Damarion’s teacher has noticed. It looks like Damarion can’t always read what’s on the blackboard very well,” the head mistress replied.
“What do you mean he can’t read it very well?” I questioned.
“Well, we actually see it quite regularly. My advice would be for you to take him to an optometrist and have his eyes checked out. I’m fairly sure you’ll find that he needs glasses for class,” Mrs. Mancillas explained.
“Oh, that’s not too bad. I had to have glasses at school, too,” I said.
“Indeed, Mr. Peters. And I really think it would be best for Damarion if you had him examined as soon as possible,” Mrs. Mancillas suggested.
“Of course, Mrs. Mancillas. As soon as we end this conversation, I’ll start making some calls,” I replied.
“In that case, I’ll not hold you up, Mr. Peters. I also wanted to congratulate you on adopting those two wonderful boys and I hope you have a nice day,” Mrs. Mancillas finished.
“Thank you and you have a good day, too,” I said, wrapping up the call.
As soon as it ended, I got up and went into the study to start up the computer. I was happy to find that there were actually two optometrists within driving distance that specialized in children. Of course, I picked up my phone and made a call to the one that was closest to where we lived. I explained the situation to the lady that answered the phone and was quite surprised when she told me I could bring Damarion in at 2 o’clock. I hadn’t expected to be able to make an appointment that fast, but I jumped on it. I knew it meant I’d miss the other boys coming home but I also realized how important it would be for Damarion.
I jotted down the exact address on a piece of paper, so I’d be able to enter it into my navigational computer when it was time. I also recognized that there was probably no way that Carlos would not be going, too. He might not need an optometrist, but I was sure he wouldn’t let Damarion out of his sight.
I went into the kitchen to get another cup of coffee and to apprise Pietro of what I’d learned. I could tell he felt a bit sorry for Damarion and I sympathized, too, having been called four-eyes during my years at school, also. However, I was hoping he’d be as lucky as me and at some point in time wouldn’t need them anymore. I went back into the living room and continued reading my book until my sons got home.
I had to stop them from running upstairs to change after I got my hugs and kisses and ask them to sit down with me. I took my time explaining the talk I’d had with Mrs. Mancillas that morning and the implications. Neither of them looked too happy when I told them about the 2 o’clock appointment I’d made with the optometrist.
“But I can see the blackboard fine,” Damarion complained.
“I’m sure you can, but if you can’t read what’s on it, you still have a problem,” I softly admonished him.
“The other kids will make fun of him,” Carlos objected.
“And I’m sure you’ll stand up for him if that happens. I know what it’s like as I had to wear glasses at school, too. After a while the other kids get used to it and they’ll find it strange if you don’t wear them,” I smiled.
“So it’s just for school?” Damarion asked.
“I think so. But we’ll have to wait and see what the optometrist says,” I replied.
“We have to keep these clothes on, don’t we?” Carlos protested.
“You don’t. You can change and stay here,” I said and as I’d expected, Carlos immediately gave me the ‘evil eye’. “But if you want to come along, then yes, you’ll have to keep these clothes on,” I laughed.
Carlos’ surly attitude told me enough as he didn’t get up off the couch.
To break the tension, I suggested we’d go see if lunch was ready and the two boys followed me into the dining room. I saw the smile on Pietro’s face as he finished putting everything together and we took our seats at the table. I estimated the drive to the optometrist would take me about 20 to 25 minutes, so I told my sons that we would need to leave at 1:30.
As soon as lunch was over, Carlos and Damarion went down to the game room, to make the most of the 45 minutes they still had. I asked Pietro to tell the other boys what was going on when they got home as I was sure they’d be wondering. I went out and put the address I’d penned down into my navigational computer to get an exact estimate. I wasn’t far off and went back inside the house to finish my tea.
The boys were back in the living room on time and we got ourselves ready. I informed Pietro that we were leaving before we went out to the car and I got us on our way.
We arrived at what looked like a regular optician store 10 minutes ahead of schedule and went in. It turned out that the optometrist had his own practice at the back of the store and I announced our arrival to the receptionist there. We were asked to take a seat on the five chairs that were there and kindly wait. We only occupied two chairs, Damarion, being quite nervous, opting to sit on my lap.
The man that appeared in the white lab-coat a few minutes later was quite young looking and I estimated him to be in his late 20’s. He introduced himself as Doctor Bianco and the three of us got up and shook hands.
“So nice to see that you boys brought your grandfather with you,” he said, which immediately caused some consternation.
Especially Carlos’ reaction left the doctor with no doubt about the error he’d made. I couldn’t help but smile at the tongue-lashing the poor guy had to endure from my oldest son. Of course, at some point, I had to intervene and get us back to the reason we were actually there. I saw the relief on Doctor Bianco’s face when I managed to calm Carlos down a bit. I explained to him the reason for our visit and he seemed happy he had to deal with Damarion and not the fiery Carlos.
Doctor Bianco invited us to follow him and we soon found ourselves in a room with a myriad of optic instruments. Carlos and I were asked to take a seat on a bench while Damarion was requested to sit in one of the chairs. The doctor explained that he was going to look into Damarion’s eyes with a special instrument and that it wouldn’t hurt a bit.
“I’m just checking to see if there’s any damage to your eyes that can’t be seen normally,” he smiled, putting Damarion at ease.
The actual examination lasted only a minute, with the doctor concluding that there was no damage to Damarion’s eyes at all. He then had Damarion move to another chair with a different instrument. This was the part that actually looked familiar to me as Damarion had to look through the apparatus to the projection of a plate with 5 lines of letters on it.
“Now, I’m first going to check your left eye only,” Doctor Bianco clarified, “So you won’t be able to see anything with your right eye.”
He asked Damarion to start reading the letters at the top line and work down as each line had ever smaller letters on it. On the fourth line, Damarion started to make mistakes and the doctor stopped him. He made some adjustments on the instrument and asked Damarion to try the fourth line again. It took a couple of tries and adjustments before my young son was able to read all five lines on the plate correctly. A different plate was projected and the same process was repeated for Damarion’s right eye, followed by another one for both eyes.
It was actually quite tiring to hear Doctor Bianco say ‘try again’ over and over again. It was boring for Carlos, too, as he slowly but surely began to become rather fidgety. I was quite happy when the doctor finally announced that he was done and we should talk.
“Well, young man, your eyesight isn’t too bad, but I’m afraid that I do recommend you wear glasses in class. It should make it much easier for you to read what’s on the blackboard,” he addressed Damarion, who didn’t look particularly happy. “And Mr. Peters, I would advise you to have your son’s eyes checked once a year as it could either worsen or improve. Now, here’s the prescription for the glasses and I think it’s best if you talked to the optician up front to find a nice frame.”
I thanked the doctor and we left his area, only to be greeted by the optician at the front of the store. Once he learned that Damarion needed a frame, he became incredibly helpful and led us to an area where appropriate frames were on display. I think it took about 10 minutes before we found one that both Damarion and Carlos were relatively happy with. I wasn’t surprised when the optician congratulated them on their choice and then turned to me, asking for the prescription I’d been given.
“Oh, I see these are quite simple glasses and that makes things a lot easier. It’ll be €250 for the frame and €150 for the lenses and you can come and pick them up here on Friday. But, for €100 extra, I can make it a rush job and the spectacles can be delivered at your home between 5 and 6 today,” the man smiled.
It really was a no-brainer as I remembered how much easier my life became once I had my own glasses. I’m not sure if Damarion was happy about it, but I told the guy to make it a rush job. Of course, on his advice, I also got a sturdy case that Damarion could keep his glasses in while not wearing them and paid for everything at the cash register.
I could tell my boys were both moping as we left the store and walked back to my car. I tried to think of something that would possibly lift their spirits, but my mind drew a blank. Buying them ice cream, like my mom had done for me, just wouldn’t cut it in this day and age. I guess it was out of pure desperation that I asked them if they wanted to do something or go somewhere before we made for home.
I knew it was a bad idea when the two of them started to whisper amongst themselves and began to smile. As of yet, I had no idea what those two little devils had come up with, but their smiling faces told me enough. One way or the other, I was going to pay for making Damarion wear glasses in class, that much was evident.
“Papi, we like playing games and swimming, but we don’t really have anything to play on outside,” Carlos stated.
“So, what did you boys have in mind?” I questioned, not sure where this was going to.
“We’d actually like one of those bouncy things that you can jump up and down on,” Damarion smiled.
“You mean a bouncy castle?” I asked, “or a trampline?”
“Yes, papi, a trampoline, but a really big one,” Carlos laughed, spreading his arms wide.
“Well, I guess we’d better go to the mall then,” I said, checking my watch.
It was around a quarter to three and getting us to El Corte Inglés would take me about 15 minutes. There’d be both toy stores and sporting goods stores there and I was fairly sure I could get a trampoline at one of them. As a result, I had two cheering boys in the back of my car when I told them where we’d be going. As I’d expected, I found a nice parking spot in the underground garage and my sons and I made our way up to the mall.
I thought the toy store would be the best place to start, but the store clerk I spoke to quickly told me that trampolines weren’t considered toys. My only hope left was the sporting goods store, so the three of us went there next.
“Oh, yes, Sir, we do sell trampolines, but we don’t have them on display, they are quite large and take up so much space, but,” the salesperson that I talked to replied to my inquiry, “I can show you the different models we have on offer on the computer.”
We followed the young man to a computer station and within no time a trampoline appeared on the screen. Carlos and Damarion seemed enthusiastic as the guy began his sales pitch, but I wasn’t entirely convinced. After some prodding from me, it did turn out that it was a cheap, but popular model that he was showing us.
“Now, please, show us the best and safest model that you have available,” I asked the sales rep.
“Well, Sir, our top model is really only bought by professionals and it’s quite expensive for a ‘toy’,” he stammered.
I have to admit that I was quite impressed by the knowledge the young man demonstrated as he talked us through some of the pros and cons of different, more expensive models. He was definitely able to alleviate some of the concerns I had and it wasn’t long before we were down to two options. The only real difference was the diameter and both my sons agreed we should have the bigger one. At a little over €500 it wasn’t cheap, but a small price to pay for the happiness and safety of my boys. Even as we closed the deal, I knew that Carlos and Damarion wouldn’t be the only ones to make use of this new toy.
We were assured that the apparatus would be delivered the next day, so I paid for our purchase. Going down to the garage, I had two very happy boys holding hands with me. By the time we got back into the car it was getting close to 4 o’clock and we really needed to get home.
TBC