Ian's Heart - 1. Chapter 1 - Patrick

Hey! The names Patrick, I’m gonna give you a little background, then hand you over to Dad – Ian – to tell his story.

Okay so my Dad has been my father for less than a year, before that I was a foster kid bounced around from home-to-home until this school year. I was rescued by a family of people. I don’t mean 2 parents, 2 kids, a dog and a picket fence family. I mean an extended family of individuals, kind of.

I was just a scrawny little freshman, hiding from the world so they couldn’t see the bruises and my unhappiness, loneliness, you get the picture. I was invisible, and I liked it that way. High school scared the shit out of me. I would sit at lunch and draw in my sketch pad. Sometimes I had food to eat if I got up early enough to sneak some into my bag. I was all skin and bones, you could see my ribs poking through my skin. On the day I met Liam and Will I hadn’t eaten in two days. My foster mother had better things to spend money on rather than feed the four kids living in her house.

The first person of the family to speak to me was Sasha, she’s now my girlfriend, but that’s a different story. This day I was doing a good job of being invisible… she plopped her sassy ass down next to me one day at lunch, leaned over to see what I was doing and burst into a conversation about my drawings like we’d known each other our entire life. Then she brought in the big guns. Two guys, Liam and Will, two seventeen-year-old high school juniors. The first thing they did after meeting me is buy me lunch. I didn’t want charity, and I refused. So Will bargained with me, I draw him a picture in exchange for a sandwich. What was I going to do? I was hungry, it seemed like a good deal to me.

The extended family is built around these two, they are the heart. I want to be just like them. They don’t tend to judge people, always ready to help regardless of how they feel about the person. Their kindness has no bounds, they are freakin’ amazing. Today they are like my big brothers, that’s how I see ‘em. The rest of the world sees them as two gay teenagers, wet behind the ear, high school kids from Kentucky. That couldn’t be further from the truth, well it’s mostly true. But not the wet behind the ears part. They’re old souls, wise past their young years and they are the most loving couple I’ve ever seen in real life, television or movies.

While I was eating my paid for by artwork, sandwich. Will was telling me how he had been recently bullied and asked if it had ever happened to me. I embarrassingly confirmed that it did. Instead of making promises to save my ass and watch my back from the ass-hats who think it's fun to beat up on the weak. He did something I never expected. This is what he said, “On Friday I want you to bring some extra work out clothes with you. Tell your folks you won’t be home until just after eight, can you do that?” Will was a big guy back then, I don’t mean fat I mean muscle, not bulky but you could see his definition. Regardless, he was big, I was scared and just agreed.

Friday came, he took me to the boxing gym. He introduced me to the Owner/Manager guy and his trainer. He made me work out with him and his coach, it was hard and tiresome, but I liked it. We’ve been going twice a week ever since. Even now months later if Will can’t make it, Dad takes me and reads until I’m finished. I’ll always be grateful, he taught me that I have to stand up for myself and change what I don’t like. They don’t pick on me anymore. I’ve gained 8 inches and 30 pounds of bulk and muscle since then. Will is definitely vigilant about his diet and now so am I.

Okay, so on Saturday night of the same weekend Liam and Will had organized all of their friends to go out and do something together, they included me as their friend. I’m not really clear on why, but it had something to do with Will having to see his homophobic Grandparents for dinner, and he didn’t like them. Seems he didn’t want to waste an entire night out. So after dinner, we were all going out together. Anyway, when they came to pick me up, my foster mother was in her usual weekend mood, and they witnessed her hit me across the face and knock me off of the porch. Well, color me fucking humiliated.

Will jumped from the car, yelled at Liam to get me in the SUV and went postal on her ass, and it got me kicked out of the house. That bitch also gave away that it was my birthday. Will felt terrible and was on the phone right away, making phone calls to get my situation sorted. He said I could stay with them until everything could be fixed, and also assured me I’d never be setting foot back in that house. Easy for them to say, where was I going to go, but I’d worry about that later. They gave me a choice of going back to their place or still going out to have fun, Will “didn’t see the point in ruining my birthday any further so we might as well have a good time,” was his advice. Liam then drove to an outlet shop place and brought me a whole new outfit and told me it was my birthday present. I’m talking, jeans, boots, collared shirt and a warm jacket. All brand spankin’ new, first I’d ever remembered having.

Their Dad’s and my biology teacher – weird – met us at the club we were going to, it was having an Under 21’s dance night. They reassured me I had a place to stay for as long as it took to find me a safe home. I was hopeful they were telling the truth. Never once since that day has any of them ever lied to me or not kept a promise. I’d been in the foster system since I was a baby, so this was a foreign concept to me. People who tell the truth and keep promises. After meeting with them, they let us have the night for fun, and worry about tomorrow, tomorrow.

Now we’re getting to the good stuff, sorry if your snoring but you need to know how my new family is in comparison to what I’m used to. Oh, one thing I learned early was these guys are the pranksters from hell, this includes their parents. I’ve never thrown my hat in the ring, and I don’t plan to. The first time I went to their house, their dad’s had lined the boy's bed with eggs in trays from the farm you know the open, laid cartons with 36 eggs in them. We had no idea, and Will sat on the bed – crunch. We watched through the window, as the adults in the house snuck into the car out front while laughing their ass off and speed away. Will was maa aaa aad!!!!!! So no, I’ll never get involved in that.

Okey doke, so the morning after the club we all had breakfast together. By eleven am there were a lot of people in the house. Kat, Ollie, and Sasha all came as well to give moral support. Sasha held my hand the entire time, from that moment on, I was smitten, and we’ve been together ever since. Everything happened so fast, Theo, who’s a Senior Case Worker and a friend of the family came. He used Will’s Dad’s – Uncle John’s – office and pulled me in there so we could talk. Since I didn’t really know any of these people, Uncle John made sure I could have an adult with me. Well, the only adult I really knew was my biology teacher, Mr. Wright, so I asked him to come with me. He didn’t even hesitate, he seemed happy that I’d asked him. Theo filled out reports and statements, asked me a lot of questions. He also replaced my current case worker, Edward Shit, I mean Schmidt with himself.

“Okay Patrick, you can stay here for the weekend we’ll pretend it’s a sleepover. Monday, I’ll find the perfect foster home for you,” Theo tried to reassure me.

“I’m a registered foster carer, he can come live with me,” Mr. Wright told Theo.

“Patrick?” Theo looked at me.

I said a very wary and hushed, “Okay,”

Wallah, I had a new foster Dad. The transition was anything but smooth. I went through my standard new home stages. Sleeping in my clothes and shoes. Bag always packed with clothes, hoarded food, and only spoke when spoken to. For the first month, I made sure I was always on my best behavior, I only did that if it was a good home. You never want to risk being kicked out of one of those.

Then one afternoon, my new Foster Dad sat me down and complained, “You need to be comfortable here. This is your home now. I want you here, it’s not temporary. I’ll always have your back, I’ll never lay a hand on you in anger, I’ll never hurt you emotionally, I’ll never use you as my slave, and I will never kick you out or ask you to leave, no matter what you say or do. However, you do have chores to do, and there are rules, as you know. The government gives me money to have you here, part of that is your allowance the rest goes into a college fund. You have pajama’s use them, you’ll ruin your clothes by sleeping in them, and it can’t be good for your feet to always have shoes on. And if you’re gonna hoard food, please use containers so I can’t smell it rotting when I walk past your room. One more thing, stop behaving all the damn time, you’re a teenager, act like one. Roll your eyes at me occasionally or something you’re freaking me out.” He then hugged me so tightly.

That is the day, my Foster Dad became my Dad. Three months later, he adopted me and now he really is my Dad, Father, Friend, Confidante. I am now Patrick Wright.

<>-<>-<>

Ian Wright, 34 years old, high school biology teacher, kind, loving, generous, patient, good person, fun, great smile, contagious laugh, totally smokin’ hot – I maybe straight but I’m not blind, soft spoken, single, gay, big hearted, a fantastic cook, Father, Mother, chauffeur, cleaner, nurse.

These are my Dad’s best qualities and how I would write his personal ad on a dating site if he’d let me. But he won’t, says his heart belongs to another. The person holding on to his heart passed away ten years ago, the love of his life and soul mate. That’s how long it is since my Dad has even had a date. He says one day, his James will send someone to him, that man will already be holding his heart, that’s how he’ll know he was sent by James. I don’t really get it, but he seems to think it makes sense. I just wish my Dad had someone to make him smile for no particular reason. Someone to love him for him, surely he deserves that. I just don’t want him to be alone anymore.

Okay before I stop boring you to tears I’ll go over the extended family, so you know who they are.

Will: Seventeen, High school junior, Liam’s boyfriend

Liam: Seventeen, High school junior, Will’s boyfriend

John: Accountant, Will’s Father, Bill’s Partner

Bill: Business analyst works freelance – I think, Will’s Father, John’s Partner

Kit: Office work of some sort – apparently I don’t pay attention, Liam’s Mom

Ian: Teacher, My Dad

Patrick: Fifteen, High school freshman, That’s me, Sasha’s boyfriend

Sasha: Fifteen, High school freshman, Patrick’s – me again – girlfriend, Oliver’s sister, sassy, gorgeous, lacks patience, speaks her mind, hates idiots. I could go on and on but I won’t.

Oliver: Seventeen, High school junior, Sasha’s brother, Kat’s boyfriend

Katherine: Seventeen, High school junior, Oliver’s girlfriend

Coach Tony Campbell: Baseball and gym teacher, Coach Ferrige’s husband

Coach Cass Ferrige: Football and gym teacher, Coach Campbell’s husband

Theo: Senior Case Worker – Child Services, Derek’s husband

Derek: LGBT Shelter and Youth Center, Theo’s husband

There are a few more we gather along the way, including furbabies, you have to love, the furbabies. But you’ll see as my Dad continues his story. Thanks for listening to me ramble.