A New Life and a New Home - 1. A New Life

It was Saturday, December 2, 2017, and Chandon Bolton was being ambushed by his mother.

"I have a simple question. Who the hell is asleep in your bed?" Jill Bolton asked as Chandon walked out of the hallway half-bathroom and headed for the kitchen. She looked sternly at him, demanding an answer.

“Mom, that’s my boyfriend Brayon, you’ve met him before… He came out to his parents last night, and they kicked him out. He called me from the IHOP on Dale Mabry needing a place to crash. I tried to call and text, but you didn’t respond. Then I tried the ER nurses’ station asking for you.” Chandon continued to the kitchen. He stepped up to the fridge and grabbed an ice-cold Starbucks cold-brewed coffee double shot.

"Damn. It was storming when I got to work, and my phone got drenched. Hopefully, I can salvage it.” She sighed as she reached over and rubbed her son’s back.

“It was okay that Brayon stayed here. I'm sorry to hear about his parents. When did you call last night? The nurses' station didn't tell me that you had." She started a pot of coffee in the maker. Typically, she would be getting ready for bed after pulling an all-nighter at the ER. However, now she thought she’d need at least a pot to deal with this.

"Around 11:00 pm. We had just gotten back to the house after I picked him up at the IHOP. He was soaked, Mom. They said you were busy doing emergency surgery. Was it the car accident they showed on the news?" Chandon tried to change the subject.

“It was, and it was bad, though I see what you’re doing, ya little shit. Chan, I love you, and I’m happy you took care of your boyfriend last night. I saw the two of you sleeping when I got home but didn’t recognize him. Normally you don’t leave the door open, which made me check. Don’t worry. We’ll discuss this when he wakes up. As far as I’m concerned, Brayon can stay as long as he needs too.” Jill hugged him tightly.

“Thanks, Mom.” Chandon wiped his eyes and smiled at his mom.

Jill kissed his forehead before they stepped apart. She turned to get her cup ready for the sweet nectar of the gods, coffee. "Go wake Brayon so that we can talk. But first, how old is he again?"

“Brayon is 16-years-old, like me.” He chuckled. “We share the same birthday.”

"Interesting and spooky. All right, that tells me what I need to do, and how to handle this. Fetch him and let him know he’s not in trouble. We’ll figure something out.”

~.~

Chandon stepped into his bedroom and gazed at his sleeping boyfriend. Brayon was still fully clothed, in borrowed clothes, and asleep on top of the covers. They both had felt it was the proper thing to do, in addition to leaving the door open, so his mom wouldn’t freak out in the morning. Chandon lay down on the bed and pulled his boyfriend into a spooning embrace, kissing him softly on the neck. “Wake up…”

“I’m awake.” Brayon reached up and took Chandon’s hand into his. “Your mom didn’t go nuclear. That’s good.”

“She saw us and wondered who you were because she didn’t recognize you.” He kissed his boyfriend again. “My mom is fine with you being here last night, and for however long you need to. She wants to talk to us.”

“Okay…” Brayon wiped his eyes.

~.~

The two boys got up and headed towards the living room, with Brayon stopping briefly to relieve himself in the half-bathroom. They sat on the couch opposite Jill.

“Good morning, Doctor Bolton. Thank you for letting me stay last night.” Brayon picked up one of the mugs of the coffee Jill had poured for the boys.

“You’re welcome, Brayon. My darling son has been in love and seeing you for three years now, so I’m glad that you called him last night and Chan brought you home. Please, call me Jill. Doctor Bolton is too formal for a family.” She smiled at him reassuringly.

Brayon nodded.

“Didn’t your parents suspect you two were seeing each other?”

“No.” Brayon shook his head. “They knew we were best friends and hung out a lot, but most of the time they weren’t home, and my older cousin would watch me. He knew but didn’t say anything.”

“Now, we have a lot to discuss, and I know some of this will be hard. What I need to ask you are some basic questions The Department of Children and Families—DCF—is going to ask when they get here. I must call them, or I’ll lose my license. Also, some of my questions are going to be embarrassing for all three of us. So, please be honest, and don’t hold back.” Jill held a notepad and scribbled notes as they talked.

Brayon nodded to her. “I’ll do my best.”

“Good. The first question, and it’s going to hurt. Chan told me your parents kicked you out and disowned you. Do you think they will come to understand and accept you back?”

Brayon sat quietly while he thought about the question. Silent tears descended his cheeks. "I don't think so. They have always been open-minded, and this is the first I've seen of this attitude. Dad is a vice president of a reservation call center for a national travel agency, and Mom owns an art gallery over in Hyde Park. But they were horrified when I came out to them."

Jill nodded. “Have they ever physically or mentally abused you before last night?”

“No, never.” Brayon trembled, and Chandon grabbed his hand and held tight.

“Have they ever threatened you in the past with bodily harm or abandonment?”

“No, they have never done that. It was a total surprise to me, Doctor Bolton, err… Jill.”

She smiled at him and continued. "Are you sexually active?"

Brayon blushed deeply, squeezed Chandon’s hand, and stammered his response. “Yes… only with your… son and we’ve only kissed, and…” He paused to collect himself. “and jacked each other off…”

Both boys glowed brightly.

“And… ahh… I’ve given Chan, head a couple of times.” Not able to look Jill in the eye, Brayon took a swig of the coffee.

“Mom, why do you need to know that?” Chandon asked his mother, blushing as he did.

“Well, two reasons. First, I wanted to know how serious you two are, and secondly for the next question. But first, Chan… Why haven’t you’ve reciprocated oral sex with Brayon?”

"I have Mom…" Chandon said with a tiny voice. "But neither of us has done anal, yet."

“Good, consider this a life lesson for you Chan. Never be a stingy partner. Now, Brayon, this is going to be a tricky question. Have you ever been sexually assaulted, or abused?”

Brayon thought on this for a moment, getting a concerned look from both Jill and Chandon; the latter squeezed his hand reassuringly. “I have to answer, ‘not that I’m aware of.’” He paused long enough to calm himself.

“When I was younger, around six- or seven-years-old, I was a very deep sleeper. I still am, as your son knows, but I can remember going to bed with just my underwear on, and then waking up in the middle of the night with them pulled down to my knees. I would also be bent over the edge of my bed. I told Mom, and she took me to the doctor about that and some sleepwalking she caught me doing. I was told by the Doctor not to worry about it as it might be the same issue, and I should grow out of the sleepwalking. Now, you’re making me wonder.”

Jill made a note to obtain Brayon’s pediatric file. “I have to ask this Brayon. Did you ever notice anything wet around your anus when it happened? Like semen, or blood, or anything else?”

“Not that I can think of.”

“Alright boys, now that bit of unpleasantness is over, and we’ve got to decide on a few things. Under normal circumstances, because of your age, DCF would place you in transitional housing instead of foster care. But this is not normal. I have a friend in DCF who I work with on abuse cases. I called Simon and told him briefly what was going on, and that I wanted guardianship of you, Brayon. Simon said he would call his supervisor about taking the case and for approval of you living here. He didn’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be approved, as I’ve already been vetted, and I work with them at the hospital.”

Jill smiled. “I want to keep you safe Brayon. I see the bond you have with my son, and I’m incredibly happy to see you both feel that way. Though I wish this were under different circumstances. So, if the two of you can follow some rules, you can stay with us, Brayon, for however long you want.”

“Thank you, Jill. I’ll follow whatever rules you want me too” Brayon wiped his eyes on the back of his hand.

Chandon slipped his arm around him and pulled him in for a comforting hug. “I’ll follow the rules too, Mom.”

“Great, so Rule 1, no sex in the communal area. Keep it in your rooms, or the shared bathroom between them. I'm not going to pretend you two will become Puritans, but there are some things I, as a mom, do not want to see.” She sipped her coffee.

“Rule 2, Brayon is to use the guest room as his bedroom. Keep your space neat and clean. I don’t mind clutter, and Chandon’s room is a level of messiness I’m fine with. Remember, DCF will do a home inspection at random, and I can’t have you two sharing the same room. So, please sleep in your room at least four nights a week.”

Both boys nodded along in agreement.

“Rule 3, no raiding the liquor cabinet and no drugs. I neither condone nor encourage underage drinking, but I’m not stupid either. I might, and I stress might allow an occasional glass of wine with dinner. If you abuse that, I’ll completely cut it off. If you go out and become too drunk to drive home, or with someone who has been drinking, call me. I’ll pick you up no questions asked, but we’ll talk about it afterward. Last rule, if you have any issues whatsoever, come to me. Chan can attest to this, if I know about it, I can help. If you keep it to yourself, it’ll just make it worse. So, do we have a deal?”

“We do,” both boys said in unison.

Jill nodded and picked up her phone. “Alright, I’m going to call DCF and get that part of it done. Then we’ll make a trip to Brayon’s parents to get his stuff. Do you have clean clothes here?”

“No, I don’t ma’am. They barely gave me time to put my shoes on and get my wallet. I’m wearing your son’s clothes now, as mine are drying in the bathroom.” Brayon felt a lot better, but a hint of sadness still crept over him.

“Chan, fetch your boyfriend some more clothes and then change the sheets and pillowcases in his room. I'm not sure when the last time they were freshened."

~.~

As the boys ran off to shower, change, and make up the guest room, Jill sat at the kitchen counter and called her friend Simon. “Simon, it's Jill... I did the preliminary questionnaire, and I’ll give it to you when you get here.” She went over the notes she took from the interview she gave Brayon. “No, a physical has not been done, we’re at the house. After we get the sheriff to help us collect his belongings, we’ll run by the ER and get someone on duty to do an abuse check on him. I would, but I’m too involved in this.”

She continued the call with Simon making the necessary arrangements to keep Brayon there. Meanwhile, the boys were in Chandon’s bedroom getting clothes, and one at a time they got ready for the day.

~.~

A whirlwind of a day started, which turned into a whirlwind of a week. First, Simon from DCF arrived and interviewed Brayon in private. He quickly approved Doctor Bolton's request for emergency guardianship, pending the abuse physical and an interview with the parents.

The trip to Brayon's old house was a tense affair. The Sheriff met Simon, Jill, and Brayon at the Hoppers’ house and escorted the three in so Brayon could get his items and clothes. Brayon, who’d been working for over a year, had bought several things with his own money, and that was all his parents would allow him to take. An equally tense goodbye, devoid of love, followed the extraction of his belongings.

The trip to the hospital for the abuse check and physical went more quickly and was more productive. Once it was completed, Doctor Bolton took her new ward home.

~.~

Starting Monday, December 4, 2017, Brayon and Chandon went to school as usual, with Jill going in Monday morning to inform them of the guardianship. They spent the next few days changing over his addresses and doing other essential items that needed to be taken care of. Chandon drove his boyfriend to where he needed to go over the weeks that followed, including Brayon’s hockey practice and games, school and different school functions, and his job at Westshore Mall. Brayon would pay for the gas to get them around town.

It took a few weeks, but Jill and the boys finally settled into a quieter life.