Lucky Mr. Peters
Chapter 86
When I drove into our courtyard some 20 minutes later, I saw the front door opening and a worried looking Allejandro stepping through it. I gave him a quick wave as I continued on into the garage and parked the car.
“What on earth kept you so long? I was worried,” Allejandro asked accusatorily as I stepped out.
“You’d better ask that question of your future sons,” I laughed.
“Papi bought us a trampoline!” Carlos exclaimed joyfully as Allejandro turned to him.
“We’ll get it tomorrow,” Damarion added for good measure.
“Why would you want a trampoline?” Allejandro questioned.
“So we can play outside when you do. The older boys can play tennis and swim, but we can’t do anything but swim. It’ll be something fun for us to do,” Carlos argued.
Allejandro just shook his head as we made our way inside,our sons immediately charged upstairs to change. Sitting down on the couch, I saw my future husband disappear into the kitchen, returning a minute or two later with an open bottle of wine and two glasses. Of course, Allejandro wanted to know what had transpired, so I told him about the phone call from Mrs. Mancillas.
“So, does he really need glasses?” Allejandro asked.
“Yes, but it’s not too bad. They’re making it a rush job, so we should get the glasses between 5 and 6 o’clock today. He’ll only need to wear them in class so he can actually read what’s on the blackboard,” I replied.
“You know they’re gonna make fun of him, right?” Allejandro questioned.
“Well, that’s where Carlos comes in. I’m sure he’ll kick anyone’s ass that makes fun of his brother slash boyfriend,” I smiled.
Allejandro nodded, agreeing I had a point there and our talk changed subject to why I let the boys talk me into buying them a trampoline. When I explained that they needed to be cheered up after our visit to the optometrist, he started to laugh.
“So, if they’d wanted a puppy, you’d have gotten them one?” he asked.
“Of course, they’re our sons and I’ll do anything to keep them happy,” I smiled.
“You know you are crazy, right?” Allejandro commented.
“But isn’t that why you love me?” I questioned, putting my arms around him and pulling him close. I couldn't stop smiling.
We just snuggled for a while and I felt truly blessed until I heard Aidan softly cough, trying to gain our attention.
“What’s going on with you two? Did something happen?” he asked, sounding slightly concerned.
Of course, I had to explain to him what had been going on during the day. Allejandro meanwhile made sure Aidan also had a glass of wine before settling, comfortably, in again next to me. I’d only just finished telling Aidan about the trampoline when the doorbell rang. Allejandro was quick to say he’d get it and was already up and running before I could say anything.
He came back after just a few minutes, carrying a small package that I knew had to have Damarion’s spectacles in it. He handed the parcel to me and then went to the intercom to call up our son from the game room. Of course, what we hadn’t expected was the whole herd coming up to check out Damarion’s new accessory.
My initial worries melted away when the boys began to compliment Damarion on his new look. Words like ‘distinguished’ and ‘smart’ passed back and forth and I could see Damarion’s self-confidence growing by the minute. I have to admit that the spectacles did give him a certain cuteness that I hadn’t really expected. By the time the boys were ready to go back down, Mauricio came out of the kitchen to announce that dinner was ready. Of course, this immediately caused the usual stampede, you just can’t stop a pack of hungry wolves. I think it was the first time ever that Allejandro, Aidan and I walked into the dining room last to take our seats.
As dinner got underway, I noticed that Damarion hadn’t taken off his glasses. Immediately I had to think back to my own experience and how I actually wore my glasses almost all the time, even if I didn’t have to. I thought about having a talk to him about it, but almost immediately dismissed that option. If I did, he might start feeling uncomfortable again and that was the last thing I wanted, it would be best to just leave it up to him, where and when he wanted to wear them.
When dinner was finished, my boys went up to do their homework, Damarion retrieving the case for his glasses from me first, and Aidan and Jordan went back to their place. It gave me some time to reflect on the events of the day and those that I knew were laying ahead. I guess it’s fair to say that it was the first time I truly felt like a ‘dad’ worrying about his boys.
We spent the evening as usual, taking in a movie before the boys went to bed and Allejandro and I had our nightcap. The surprise came when we entered our bedroom and found Carlos and Damarion waiting for us. I don’t know what went through their little heads, but they soon made it very clear they were not going back to their own room. Somehow we managed to keep things quiet, but I was totally exhausted some 45 minutes later and happy to finally fall asleep, holding onto little Carlos.
I was happy that both Thursday and Friday were more relaxed, both days seeing the new trampoline getting extensive use by all the boys. Underneath it all, though, I could discern a slight tension growing. John was definitely getting excited about seeing ‘his waiter’ again on Saturday, but that somehow didn’t sit well with Allejandro. I could read my husband-to-be like an open book and there could be no doubt that he wasn’t happy with the situation. On Friday evening, after the boys had gone up to their rooms, I approached Allejandro with concern about his behavior.
Almost immediately I felt sorry for him as he gave me his droopy-eyed look.
“He’s my best friend and I’m afraid that he might get his feelings hurt,” Allejandro whispered.
“I know, but we all take chances, don’t we?” I asked. “We wouldn’t be together if you hadn’t come up to my room that day.”
“Sure, but I just knew you were the one,” Allejandro objected.
“So? What if this waiter guy is the one for John? I mean, they did click pretty much immediately,” I countered.
I could tell Allejandro wasn’t convinced as he shrugged his shoulders and kept silent.
“I know that John means a lot to you, you’re the one that saved him after all. But you need to let him find his own way in life,” I suggested.
Allejandro shrugged again and then, in a surprise move, hopped onto my lap and put his arms around my neck. I’m not sure why, but I just grabbed him and pulled him just that little bit closer. Realization hit me that, even if only for a little over a month, he was merely 16, with all the insecurities that come with that age.
I couldn’t do much more than hold him and enjoy the pheromones that were definitely there. He grinned when I suggested we should finish our drinks and make our way up to our bedroom.
Saturday morning was a bit weird as after breakfast, John stayed up with us instead of going down to the game room. Not much was said, but I could tell that John was nervous as he kept getting up off the couch and pacing around. It was still almost half an hour before Joaquin was supposed to arrive when John just couldn’t contain himself anymore and went outside to wait for him.
Of course, I knew they'd texted each other during the week, and I thought it quite likely they had shared some pictures also. It reminded me a bit of when I texted back and forth with Allejandro during the time I was in Amsterdam settling my affairs. It felt like a lifetime ago even though it was only a year.
John had just gone outside, when Allejandro and I were joined by Aidan, Jordan making his way straight down to the game room. As Allejandro was getting us some fresh coffee, Aidan got curious about where John was.
“He’s outside waiting for Joaquin to arrive. He’s been pacing up and down the room here ever since we’ve had breakfast,” I laughed.
“Ah, to be young again and in love! Do you remember your first love?” Aidan asked.
“As a matter of fact, I do,” I replied.
“Really?” Aidan questioned.
“Oh, yes. I was 18 at the time and Simon was about a year older and a barkeep at the gay bar I frequented back then. I was head over heels and at one point even started writing poetry for him, leaving the poems in his mailbox as I knew where he lived,” I smiled.
“Dang, I didn’t expect that from you,” Aidan laughed.
“I think it lasted for some five years, so it was definitely serious. We did become friends, but that was about it, unfortunately,” I commented.
“So, you never had sex with him?” Aidan queried.
“Nope, but by god, I wanted to! Of course, I did have sex with plenty of other guys, but Simon was the one I really wanted and never got,” I stated.
I think Allejandro only caught the last part of what I’d said as he walked back in and I could see the questioning look on his face. I quickly explained what Aidan and I had been talking about, setting his mind at ease and putting a smile on his face.
“I’m happy that I did get the first one I really wanted,” Allejandro grinned as he sat down and put an arm around me.
I was momentarily stunned, but Aidan began to laugh uncontrollably, as did Allejandro. Their loud roaring even caused Pietro and Mauricio to come out of their kitchen to see what was going on. I guess it’s true that laughter is infectious as it wasn’t too long before we were all getting cramped bellies.
It took a couple of minutes before we were all calmed down enough and Allejandro was able to rapidly explain to Pietro and Mauricio what had caused the hilarity. The two of them snickered as they disappeared back into the kitchen.
We’d only had enough time to take a single sip of our coffee when John walked in with Joaquin in his wake and I couldn’t help but smile. The two of them could hardly have looked more dissimilar. John, with his pale skin, blond hair and still boyish looks, and Joaquin, bronzed, jet black hair and already quite the young man. What they shared was their nervousness as John rather formally made introductions. Of course, we all shook hands with Joaquin and I told him he was welcome in our house.
“Uhm, papi, would it be okay for me and Joaquin to go upstairs?” John then asked. “Just to talk,” he quickly added, after getting a dark look from Allejandro.
I’m fairly sure that my husband-to-be wasn’t particularly happy with it, but I conceded to the two of them having some privacy.
“You know they’re not going to just talk, don’t you?” Allejandro commented after John and Joaquin had disappeared up the stairs.
“I don’t see how that’s any of our business,” I stated, causing Aidan to let out a little giggle.
As a matter of fact, I wasn’t quite sure what would be going on, but I felt that I had to give John the benefit of the doubt. Besides, if he and Joaquin wanted to have sex, I was sure they’d find a way, no matter what.
It was only about 45 minutes later that the two boys came back down again and John made a beeline to me.
“We want to have a talk with you, papi, in private,” he said, as he glanced at Allejandro.
There was really nothing else for me to do than to take a deep breath and make my way to the ‘office’ with John and Joaquin in my wake. Once inside, I closed the door behind us and sat down in my usual chair, waiting for John to make whatever statement he had in mind.
‘The talk’ lasted for close to an hour as I convinced the two boys that shacking up together at this time in their lives was not a good idea. I think that with me asking them who was going to do the cooking, the dishes and the laundry made some impression. Like all boys, they hadn’t really thought things through and were just acting on the spur of the moment. What impacted the conversation the most, though, was the simple fact that Joaquin was a working guy, while John was still attending school.
With Joaquin’s waiting job, there wouldn’t be a lot of money to go around and I was fairly sure he’d have to work on weekends, and some times late, too. Of course, I offered to chip in with the money, but that somehow didn’t sit well with Joaquin. As the effect of living together began to sink in, the chat took another direction. The question of whether or not I would let John sleep over at Joaquin’s sometimes suddenly became the main focus.
Of course, I ultimately relented, but with the stipulation that it couldn’t happen on a school night. Both boys agreed with my provision and John was quick to remind me that the school would be closed on both Thursday and Friday the upcoming week.
“We’re always free on ‘El Día Internacional de los Trabajadores’ and the school decided to give us the Friday off, too,” he explained.
It was a strange concept for me, but I knew that in many other countries the 1st of May was a day of celebration. I just didn’t expect it to be so in Spain as it had been a ‘fascist’ country for so long, until Franco actually died. But stranger things do happen and back in Holland we had our own share of quite particular celebratory days that exist nowhere else.
“Well, since it’s a holiday, Joaquin might have to work,” I tempered John’s enthusiasm, giving Joaquin an inquisitive look.
He shrugged his shoulders and said he might have an option to be off for a day or two, returning a smile on John’s face.
“I’m sure you boys can come up with some solution and let me know in time,” I concluded, ending the conversation.
The three of us returned to the living room and questioning looks from both Allejandro and Aidan. As Joaquin and John said they were going out, it was my job to fill in the two nosy nellies that demanded to be brought up to speed. I don’t think it really satisfied Allejandro, but Aidan was laughing his ass off and kept reminding us about the peculiarities of youth. I had no real idea of where the two youngsters in question were planning on going, but I was almost sure they’d be ending up at Joaquin’s place, just so John could later find it on his own. At least, John had promised he would be back in time for dinner, but there had been no such commitment from Joaquin.
Of course, more explanation was needed over lunch when my band of boys noted his absence. Of course, I told them he’d be back by dinner time and made sure they knew not to pester him about his whereabouts. Obviously, I was fully aware that I had little to no control about what went on down in the game room, but at least they’d been warned. Their line of questioning also offered me the opportunity to get some answers as to why none of them had told me about their two vacation days that were coming up.
“We thought you knew all about that,” was the defense they came up with and I realized they were probably right.
After all, I was their papi and I should have paid more attention to their regular class schedules and vacations. Of course, at the same time it hit me that my marriage to Allejandro was now also getting very close. I made a mental note to get in contact with Will Johnson on Monday to make sure that everything was still on schedule for the big day.
It was a little past 5 o’clock when John walked back into the house, softly humming to himself. Aidan and Jordan had left a little earlier as they had decided to go out to dinner and catch a movie afterwards. Unlike me, Allejandro had no qualm about asking John where he’d been and what he’d done while being with Joaquin all afternoon. To my surprise, John was quick to respond, telling Allejandro rather gruffly that it wasn’t any of his damn business. I could tell that it wasn’t the answer he’d expected from his classmate and friend, but was happy that he didn’t push the issue. Then again, even if he had, he wouldn’t have had the chance as John turned on his heels and made straight for the stairs down to the game room.
Dinner and the rest of the evening were a bit tense compared to usual, but without any major incidents. It wasn’t until Allejandro and I were taking our nightcap that his mood brightened slightly.
“Rudi, I was wondering when we were going to get our wedding rings?” Allejandro asked out of the blue.
“Oh my god, I almost forgot all about those,” I replied, as I felt my face starting to flush. “Tomorrow, I’ll ask Mauricio to give his jeweler friend a call and find out if we could come and see him on Tuesday afternoon since you’ll be off school early,” I added.
“You can be such a scatterbrain at times,” Allejandro snickered, noticing my embarrassment.
“I’m sorry, but you could have asked me about it earlier,” I commented, trying to exonerate myself.
“But they’ll be ready on time, won’t they?” Allejandro questioned.
“I’m sure they will be. Mauricio told me that the guy is just starting out and could use all the work he can get,” I assured him.
“It would really look stupid if we forgot about the rings,” my fiancé laughed.
I could hardly believe that after all the planning we’d done, we got close to missing out on one of the most importing things. I was fairly sure that Will, at some point, would have asked about it, but we should have gotten it out of the way earlier. Luckily, we were both giggling about our oversight by the time we went up to our bedroom to get some much needed fun and sleep.
First thing on Sunday morning, I went out and looked for Mauricio, who burst out laughing at my request.
“It’s only a month away and now the two of you remember?” he finally chuckled.
I just shrugged my shoulders, unable to come up with a satisfactory reply. But Mauricio assured me that he’d make the call and didn’t expect any problems with making an appointment on our behalf.
Of course, by the time we got seated for our breakfast, everybody had somehow gotten wind of our predicament. There were smiles and giggles all around the table with both Allejandro and I getting quite red in the face. Aidan, of course, loudly exclaimed that it would be the first thing he’d go after when it would be his time, causing Jordan to blush. I was quite happy about the ensuing merriment as it definitely took the edge off the previous day’s little issues.
It wasn’t until close to lunch time that Mauricio came and informed us that we were expected between 1 o’clock and 1:30 on Tuesday afternoon. Not wanting to aggravate the situation, I made sure I got the guy’s name and address and penned it down.
Of course, there were still little jabs being made by the boys during lunch, but those soon ebbed away. Slowly life returned to a semblance of normal and after dinner, the ratpack got going with their homework.
With the gang off to school on Monday morning, I waited until a little past 9 to make my planned call to Will. He merrily reminded me that getting the rings was our own responsibility as had been the case with the clothes. He did want to come over later in the week to go over some final details, including the wedding invitations. I reminded him that no invitations were really needed and some would even be unwanted. We couldn’t run the risk of Allejandro or Bernardo’s fathers finding out about things. All the other guests had already been informed, so invites wouldn’t add anything. We did end up making an appointment for Friday afternoon, just to dot all the i’s and cross all the t’s.
I took things easy the rest of the morning and afternoon, getting some administration out of the way, reading my e-mails and a book. Of course, once Allejandro returned home we had to tell each other about our day and my peace and quiet was done with. Before long, Aidan had joined us, adding his own stories to the conversation as we waited for dinner to be served.
It was close to 7 o’clock when John suddenly came down from doing his homework with a huge smile on his face.
“I just got a call from Joaquin and he’s got Thursday and Friday off work!” he exclaimed enthusiastically.
“And what’s the importance of that?” I asked, unable to refrain from taking a little jab at the boy.
The look of exasperation on his face made it abundantly clear that I should see the ‘importance’ of the stated fact.
“Please, you said it would be ok for me to sleep over at his place if it wasn’t a school night,” John sighed.
“So what would be the plan?” I questioned, knowing full well that the two of them had already come to some possible arrangement.
“It’ll be ok for me to go over to his place on Thursday, after breakfast, right? And I promise I’ll be back on Friday evening,” came his immediate reply.
“You know my take on promises. So, if Joaquin is fine with it, I’ll have no objection,” I answered.
Next thing I knew, I got the biggest hug from John to date, accompanied by a sloppy kiss on my cheek. Even as he walked off towards the stairs to go back up he was taking out his phone and started dialing. I couldn’t quite follow what he was saying, but he definitely sounded happy and excited.
“What was that all about?” Allejandro asked accusatorily as he walked into the living room some five minutes later.
“What do you mean?” I returned his question.
“I could hear John blabbing on about going to Joaquins' as he passed our door upstairs,” Allejandro replied.
The familiar frown appeared as I explained what John had asked me and I had given my blessing to. It was clear that Allejandro didn’t agree with it, but I justified myself by pointing out that I simply couldn’t back out of the promise I’d made.
“How would you have felt if I hadn’t kept my promise to come back after we first met?” I questioned.
I don’t think my argument fully convinced him, but it did seem to make an impression.
“You wouldn’t have, would you?”
“Of course not. But imagine what it would have been like,” I answered.
I was happy that he left the argument at that as the other boys began to trickle down towards the game room. When finally Rafael and Hugo had put in an appearance, it was definitely time for me and Allejandro to go down, also. We had a little discussion about what movies to watch and then settled in for an evening of cinematic fun and relaxation.
TBC