A Few Days in the Life of Jeremy Isen - 1. TC3 - Chapter 1: Meet Jeremy

“Hey Jeremy, toss the ball over here!” Edwin waved his hands and then held his mitt up. The baseball sailed perfectly in an arc to him. “Thanks!”

“Anytime Edwin!” Jeremy smiled and walked on.

It was Wednesday, April 24, 2018, and school had let out about two hours ago. Jeremy Isen was out at the baseball diamond with his Nikon D5 camera, taking pictures for the school’s yearbook. The camera was overkill for what he used it for, but his Uncle Duncan spoiled him with a camera that was as expensive as a small car. He stopped to take pictures of the Boys Baseball team for H.B. Plant High School and moved to the bleachers to get better shots. He waited for the players to get back on task so he could get candid shots of them playing.

He wasn’t one of the popular kids, but he was well known for a freshman for two reasons. First, being on the school’s Yearbook Staff, he was given a free pass to get out of class when he wanted. With his time out of class, he would roam the school, taking candid shots of the many activities that happened during the school day. Second, he put Donald Driggs on his ass the third day of school.

Driggs was one of the biggest bullies on campus. Even in the age of tolerance bullying still happened, and being a freshman, he was seen as fresh meat for the junior year JV Quarterback, who targeted him for wearing a gay pride shirt. Driggs had started the fight, but Jeremy finished it. It had cost him a week suspension and a lawsuit. He had been defending himself but had hurt the kid in the process. The suit had been dismissed when the security tapes clearly showed it was Driggs that started it and Jeremy had merely stood his ground. It seems, however, that Driggs would never walk straight again, much less play football.

Jeremy was still sorting out his sexuality at the beginning of the school year. He was torn, not knowing if he was gay or straight. Then his uncle Duncan Isen came out of the closet as bisexual when he divorced his wife and started a relationship with his boss Adam Smith. That made Jeremy re-examine his life.

“You got a good arm. Have you thought about playing?” Jeremy recognized the sophomore boy standing next to him.

“Nah… I rather watch. My participation is capturing the moment.” Jeremy held up the camera for him.

“Not bad. Nikon is a good brand.” The sophomore sat down on the bleacher next to Jeremy. “We all got our roles here.”

“Yeah, what’s yours?”

“Waiting for my boyfriend, and cheering him on. The one day I don’t have anything planned, and he’s at baseball practice. At least I get to stare at his ass in those tight pants.”

Jeremy laughed. “Which one is he?”

“The Pitcher… number ten, Brayon Hopper.” Chandon smiled looking at his beloved.

Ok, Jeremy… don’t ask him if that means he’s the catcher. “Ah. He is good looking.” Jeremy tilted his head. “You’re the Gay, Straight, Alliance-GSA-club president. Chandon Bolton?”

“That’s me… and you’re Jeremy Isen. The guy that took out Donald Driggs for gay bashing.” Chandon smiled. “Don’t get upset. There were several of us looking to knock the son of a bitch down.”

“Oh. I didn’t know he had a target on him.” Jeremy snapped a few more pictures of the players. He took one of Hopper’s backside in the tight baseball pants. There was a clay dirt streak down his left butt cheek. “Does your phone have Bluetooth?”

“Yes, it does.”

Jeremy linked up his camera to Chandon’s phone. He quickly selected the photos of Brayon and swished them over to the phone. “There you go. Now you have some good shots.”

“Thanks.” Chandon laughed. “He’ll think I’m jacking off to them.” Chandon let out a long breath. “Hey. Tomorrow’s the last club day for the year. You should come to the GSA and meet us. You don’t have to join, but I’ve seen you around school all the time wearing gay pride stuff.”

“I’ll be there, but it will be on business. I need to get some candid shots of your club for the Yearbook. For some damn reason, your advisor wouldn’t allow it until Ms. Richmond complained to the Principal.”

“I wondered about that… why there weren’t any club pictures done of us.” Chandon stood up. “Looks like they are breaking early. Nice talking to you.”

“You as well.” Jeremy kept clicking off shots as the baseball team broke up. He followed Chandon with his camera, as he met Brayon and the two boys hugged and kissed openly on the field. The couple was starkly different in looks. Chandon was medium height and build, with olive skin coloring, hazel eyes, and tight curly black hair that showed his Grecian roots. Brayon was taller with an athletic build, pale skin, green eyes, and red hair. Very much an Irish descendant. He promised himself to give the shots to Chandon tomorrow.

Jeremy packed up his camera and headed for the parking lot.

~.~

“How was school today?” Duncan sat on the driver’s side of the Nissan Rogue and made no move to leave.

Jeremy shut the door for the front passenger. “It went well. Got some great shots of the baseball team, and passed my AP Calculus test.” He tilted his head at his uncle. “Um… are we waiting for someone?”

“Yeah, I’m picking up Rob too. He had a make-up test after school today.”

“Who’s Rob, Uncle Duncan?”

“He is Adam’s Son and your future Cousin. I know I’ve mentioned him before.”

“Not that I can remember. He goes to school here?”

“Yes. Robert Turner transferred in back in March and plays Hockey.”

“Sounds familiar, but I can’t place him.” His face was scrunched. “So, Adam had a wife before he dated you? And… He asked you to marry him?”

Duncan chuckled and shook his head no. “Nah. When Adam was twenty-one, he drunkenly slept with Robert’s mother, and she became pregnant. There’s more to it than that, and it’s not my place to gossip about it. However, when Rob’s mom died a few months back, he came down to live with Adam permanently. He’s a good kid, and I think you will like him. Also, to answer your other question... No, Adam hasn’t asked me yet, nor have I asked him. We’re talking about it, but it will happen.”

“I’m happy for you, Uncle.” Jeremy nodded and turned towards the window. “Is that him? Never mind, that’s him. I recognize him now from the photos I took of the Lacrosse team last week.”

Three boys had walked out of the main-building, Brayon, Chandon, and Robert talked as they made their way to the parking lot. A few steps from Duncan’s car, they broke apart with Robert coming to the car, and the others walked to a different one while they held hands and stole kisses.

“Thanks, Duncan. Sorry, it took so long.” He shut the back passenger door and buckled the seat belt. “I ran into Bray and Chan on the way out, and we were talking about tomorrow’s club meeting.”

“That’s fine. We didn’t wait long.” He motioned to Jeremy in the front seat. “Rob this is my nephew, Jeremy Isen. Jeremy, this is my soon to be stepson Robert Turner.”

“Nice to meet you, Robert.” Jeremy turned in his seat and shook Robert’s hand while giving him a broad smile. He turned back around and buckled his seatbelt.

“You too, man. You’re the photographer on the Yearbook staff, right?”

“Yuppers. That’s me.”

“Cool. Chan told me you'd be at the club tomorrow taking pictures. We’re also doing pizza, and you’re welcome to join in.”

“That would be awesome. Thanks!”

Duncan smiled listening to the two teens. “No Giles today?”

“Nope, he left earlier with his mom. Has a doctor’s appointment.”

Silence fell in the car, and Duncan turned the radio up a bit more. They had just turned onto Dale Mabry Highway headed north to Kennedy Blvd. when Duncan’s phone rang. “Go for Duncan…” The Bluetooth device was in his ear and kept the conversation private. “That’s doable. I’ll have to run it by Adam… I don’t mind at all… Taking Jeremy and Rob home right now, unless one of them needs to stop between here and there… Alright, catch you later.” He hit the button to shut off the device. “Do either of you need to go anywhere?”

“I don’t need to, Uncle Duncan.” Jeremy was messing with his camera as the car moved.

“Neither do I. Where’s dad? The text I got was kind of cryptic.”

“Adam is talking with Carol. Finalizing some of the details for the summer trip, and the lawsuit against Massachusetts.”

“Oh.”

The rest of the trip to Jeremy’s house, located on Davis Islands, to drop off Jeremy was uneventful. Jeremy and Robert chatted some about school.

“See you tomorrow at school.” Jeremy opened the car door and stepped out. He waved to his Uncle and Cousin as they pulled away.

He turned, and went into the house, excited to meet his cousin for the first time. Tomorrow is going to be interesting. I get to hang out with my cousin and his friends.

~.~

Throughout the day on Thursday, April 25, 2018, Jeremy would go to his classes, get his assignments, and then left to take pictures for the Yearbook staff of the different clubs being featured. He wasn’t the only photographer in the Journalism – Yearbook class, but he was the one that was the most professional of the bunch, turning in his work on time, being prolific in getting candid shots of the school for his and other people’s articles. In addition to club pictures, Jeremy stopped by the Art Department to snap a few shots of the students working. He took one candid shot of a student, wearing an old ratty concert shirt, and faded blue jeans, who sketched out a realistic picture in his sketchbook.

Jeremy walked into the classroom serving as the location for the GSA meeting about ten minutes after it started. About thirty students were milling about, some eating pizza, but most were talking and socializing. They all wore their GSA shirts.

“Hey, Jeremy!” Robert approached him and gave him a quick hug. “Nice to see you cuz.” Being a year younger than Robert, it showed. Jeremy stood 5’2”, he hadn’t hit his final growth spurt. He wasn’t fat but had some muscle mass to him from his Jeet Kune Do training. He kept his brown hair cut short, and his brown eyes were always taking in his surroundings.

“Thanks, Rob.” Jeremy hugged him back. “I didn’t realize your club had so many people in it.”

“Yeah, this is everyone. We called and made sure they would be here for pictures. Come on in, and have some pizza. I’ll introduce you as well.”

They walked into the classroom, as Jeremy started snapping shots of the various students while they were not paying attention; getting the candid shots was always a priority. Robert introduced him to several of the students before ending the round trip in front of Brayon, Chandon, and Giles.

“Hey, guys… this is my soon-to-be cousin, Jeremy Isen. These are my friends Brayon Hopper, Chandon Bolton, and my boyfriend, Giles O’Sullivan.”

“We met yesterday, while I was waiting for Bray to finish with practice.” Chandon shook Jeremy’s hand.

“Ah, so you’re the one that took those pictures of me for him. They’re excellent shots, man.” Brayon smiled and wrapped his arm around Chandon after he shook Jeremy’s hand.

“Thanks. I like photography. Capturing history and beauty as it happens and occurs.” Jeremy’s smile was bright. He shook Giles’ hand, and then snapped a few pictures of a group of students across the way.

“It is nice to meet you. I guess I’ll be seeing you around Rob’s place?” Giles moved to Robert’s side and slipped an arm around his shoulder.

“Possible. I’ve not been there yet, but Uncle Duncan does a lot for me. So, maybe?”

“I don’t think he knows yet.” Robert blushed, and Giles facepalmed.

“Know what?”

“Well… last night, Duncan and Dad talked about you spending the summer with us. Dad was cool with it, and Duncan was happy. They asked me if I had an issue with it, and I said no. Frankly, I’ve wanted to meet some more family down here.” Robert smiled and ran a hand through his hair. “Sorry if we spoiled it for you.”

“No, you didn’t spoil it. I didn’t know, but I’ll pretend not to know when they say something. Uncle Duncan is picking me up again today, so I guess that’s when they’ll tell me.” Jeremy smiled at them all. “Excuse me a moment. I want to grab some more shots, and then we can set up for a group photo.”

“Alright, cuz. Grab some pizza too.” He turned to Giles. “I guess Duncan is taking us home tonight.”

The rest of the club time went by with more candid shots, the group photo, and socializing. Giles, Chandon, Brayon, and Robert worked on Jeremy trying to get him to join the GSA. Jeremy politely declined, not because he didn’t want too, but because he needed to be free to roam to take pictures for the Yearbook.

~.~

School ended on Friday, May 25, 2018, and summer started for Hillsborough County Schools. Ian Isen, Duncan’s older brother, and Jeremy’s father drove his car up the road to the Tuscan style house Adam built.

“I hope you have fun this summer. Adam said he loves the idea of you staying over until school starts. Both he and Rob want to get to know you better.” He pulled into the drive and parked the car.

“I know Dad, I’m looking forward to learning more about them too.” They got out of the Honda Civic and went to the back. They were removing the bags from the trunk when the front door open, and Adam, Duncan, and Robert walked out. “I hope you and Mom have fun on your trip to the UK.”

“Same here, Son.” He turned and greeted the three men.

They all shook hands, with Duncan hugging both his brother and nephew, and Robert hugged his cousin. Everyone grabbed a bag or box and took it inside. Jeremy brought up the rear, and shut the door behind them, and then followed the train of people through the kitchen, family room, and into the hallway to the three bedrooms there. They put the bags in the middle room.

“Here you go, Jeremy. You have your own bathroom, and the linen closet in the hall has some fresh towels. We changed the sheets and freshened the blankets. Make yourself at home.” Adam clasped him on the shoulder and moved out of the room.

“I’ll help you unpack when you’re ready to. I’ll let your dad, and uncle, talk to you.” Robert smiled and let the room as well.

“Well, this is a nice house Little Bro.” Ian hugged his brother, and then his son. “I’m leaving you in good loving hands, Jeremy.” He turned towards to Duncan and handed him a file folder. “Ok. Here is the medical power of attorney, his insurance information, medical cards, etc. you’ll need, Duncan. I listed you and Adam both as his temporary guardians, so either of you can take him to doctors or any other appointments he needs. You’ve always been his Godfather, and well, we’re thinking about adding Adam as well, if he accepts it.”

“I don’t see a reason why he wouldn’t. Especially after our wedding.”

“He proposed?” Ian got a huge smile, and Jeremy looked up at his Uncle.

“That he did. Last night. We’re going to get it done at the courthouse next week, but then have a ceremony after you get back. We’re thinking October or November.”

“Congrats, Uncle Duncan!” Jeremy embraced his Uncle in a massive hug. As he pulled back, Ian went in and hugged him as well.

“I’m so happy for you, Little Bro.” With a few backslaps, Ian stepped back.

“Thanks, guys. I’m so happy, I can’t tell you how much I’m kicking myself in the ass for not coming out of the closet sooner. All these years, of not being myself.”

“Well, you’re out now. Jeremy, hug me goodbye.” Jeremy and Ian hugged. They released the embrace, and the three walked into the family room. Duncan and Jeremy walked him out to the car, before heading back in.

The four men met in the kitchen. Robert and Jeremy sat at the island bar, while Duncan and Adam got soft drinks for them all. Adam sat down at the bar, while Duncan leaned on the middle island facing them.

“Ok… time for the rules, Jeremy. Adam and I discussed this and ran them by your parents. These are the same rules that Rob goes by.” Duncan sipped his ice tea. “Rule number one. No raiding the liquor cabinet. We allow Rob to have the occasional beer, or a glass of wine, but absolutely no hard liquor. If you’re out with friends and need a ride home because you’re drunk or your ride is, call us, and we will come to get you. No questions asked, but we will discuss it later. Abuse this, and you lose it for yourself.”

“I don’t drink. It’s been offered to me before, but no, I choose not to.”

“Ok. The second rule is no drugs. There is a zero-tolerance policy in this house, and you’ll lose a lot of privileges if we find you’re doing drugs.” Duncan paused to take a drink.

“Not to mention, a trip to a rehab center, and therapy.” Adam’s voice was stern, but a soft loving look was on his face.

“Again Uncle Duncan, and Uncle Adam, I don’t do any illegal drugs.” He smiled looking at all three of them. “As Uncle Duncan knows, I’ve been into martial arts, Jeet Kune Do specifically, and I don’t do anything that will ruin my body. Drinking, drugs, smoking… none of that.”

“Well, that makes this easier.” Duncan laughed and looked at Adam. “Alright, third rule. As long as you’re in the common areas, or Rob’s room, we expect for you to have at least underwear on, and when people come over, like Adam’s family, put more clothes on. Rob will need to be in at least underwear in your room as well. If you want to be nude in your room, that’s fine. You know I’m bisexual, and Adam and Rob are both gay. Frankly, Adam and I have talked about this. While we don’t care if people run around naked all over the house, there are assholes out there that will use us being gay against us. It happened once, during the custody case, and it majorly sucks. We don’t want a repeat.”

Jeremy nodded and took a drink of his ice tea. “I understand. Rob told me about what happened. No offense Rob, but I’m glad those assholes got what is coming to them.”

“One hasn’t yet. My bitch of an Aunt, who said I should be sterilized so I couldn’t have kids and spread my perversion.” Robert’s voice was harsh. “I’m not offended by you, cuz. But it still pisses me the fuck off.”

Adam reached over and squeezed his shoulder. “She’ll get hers one day.”

Duncan smiled reassuringly to Robert, and then looked back to his nephew. “Other than those rules… dinner is at 7:00 pm every night, if it’s in the fridge longer than twenty-four hours, then it is free game. If you buy or get something special, let us know, and we’ll respect that. You’re responsible for cleaning your own room, and bathroom. I do most of the cleaning, and cooking still because I’m the stay at home dad.” He paused to laugh some. “So, have mercy on me, and don’t make my life hell.” Duncan turned to face Adam. “Did I miss anything, beloved?”

“Nope… well, the whole house is wired as a smart home. There’s an app I’ll give you access to, that will allow you access to most of the features like I have set up with Rob. We keep an electronic inventory system, so if you want something like a specific brand of body wash or toothpaste, add it to the inventory so we can get it for you.” He smiled and squeezed Jeremy. “My parenting style is treating you like an equal, and young adult. While you live here, I’ll treat you as such. You can ask Rob, it took us a little while for us to both get used to it.” He paused a moment. “Oh… last thing. No sex in the common area. Keep it to your room. I don’t want to clean up after you.”

Jeremy turned a deep shade of scarlet. “You don’t have to worry about that. I’m not seeing anyone… and I’m a virgin.”

“I know you wear a lot of gay pride stuff, but my brother never told me if you were bisexual, gay, straight, or something else. I don’t even know if you’re dating anyone.” Duncan grinned at Jeremy’s discomfort.

“Um… I’m not sure, myself.” Jeremy took a long calming breath.

“What do you mean, cuz?” Robert tilted his head and looked over at him. “Is it something you would like to talk about?”

“Yeah, I do.” He took a long drink of his tea.

Adam motioned for all of them to move to the family room, Robert and Jeremy sat on one couch, while the adults sat on the other. Robert slid closer to his cousin, and pulled the nervous teen into a one arm hug, as they cuddled on the couch.

“Relax cuz, and say what you’re thinking. All three of us, have had to come to terms with our own sexuality.”

Adam smiled at his son. “Did you learn this in your GSA club?”

“Yeah, Dad. We get a lot of students asking questions, and most of the time, it’s just that… questions about sexuality, and being gay in general. Sometimes, we’ll get someone that has more questions about themselves.” He tilted his head towards his cousin. “Go ahead, when you’re ready.”

Both Duncan and Adam smiled encouragingly at Jeremy. “Well… I wear the shirts because I had a friend I use to go to school with who came out as a lesbian, but she moved away. I supported her a lot. This was last year.”

Jeremy let out a long breath and leaned into his cousin taking his strength. “Then last summer, before I turned 15-years old, I started feeling things… but I was never attracted to anyone. Guys, girls, gay, straight, it didn’t matter. This was right before school started this past year.” He paused to take a drink of his iced tea. The ice rattled as his hand shook. “Dad took me to the doctor at the start of the school year, because I thought there was a problem. I… I was told… I was late coming into puberty. That’s the reason why I’m still short, skinny, and just toned a little.” His voice shook as he talked. “When I jacked off, I never used porn. Just thinking about someone made me not want to finish. When I did look at different porn stuff… manga, anime, gay, straight, bi, or read stories on websites, nothing turned me on. When school started, I didn’t know what I am… I still don’t. I’ve been asked out, by girls and one guy, but I turned them down. All I wanted was to be friends.”

The four sat in silence, as they digested Jeremy’s words. “Sounds to me cuz, like you might be asexual. We learned a little about this in the GSA. Some researchers feel it’s a sexual orientation, others do not. Mainly, it’s what you described. You like the stimulation, but you lack sexual attraction in others.” Robert squeezed his cousin reassuringly. “They’ll develop romantic relationships, but still not be sexually attracted to their partners.”

“Now, the larger asexual community would say the following is wrong, but it could also be just where your body’s development is at currently. There is a gene that affects sexuality, and right now you’re still developing. Give it time. Having no sexual attraction towards others is very common for men right before, and during, puberty. That is where your body is at.” Adam smiled at Jeremy and Robert. “I’ve read the same research as Rob. One of the medical devices, which I designed and patented, was part of an initiative to help isolate the gay gene for advanced testing.”

“Have you felt any attraction to someone?” Duncan glanced at the others. “I’m out of my field here. I can cook and clean.”

“It’s odd, but in a way, yeah. There have been a few stories where the characters are not described.” He paused a moment. “Those are normally two dudes going at it. Though, one had a guy and a girl. As long as I don’t picture what they look like, I’m fine.” Jeremy sighed longingly. “It’s so damn frustrating.”

Duncan got up and went over to his nephew. He pulled him up into a hug and sat down to hold him. “Jeremy… You’re fifteen-years-old. You have a mega dose of hormones going through you. Give it time. If you want, we can schedule a visit with a therapist, if it will help you to talk to someone.”

“Not yet, Uncle Duncan, but thank you for offering.”

Jeremy sat hugging his Uncle. I’m fortunate to have this family.

Duncan cleared his throat and smiled to everyone. “Well, I think we covered all the rules, and then some. How about pizza tonight? Have you had Sally O’Neals before, Jeremy?”

They all agreed to pizza and went their separate ways. Robert and Jeremy went to unpack Jeremy’s belongings.

~.~

It was a warm Friday, June 1, 2018 night, a week later. Adam and Duncan panted after they finished making love in the Master Retreat. Coming off of his orgasm high, Duncan rolled onto his back off of Adam, and out from between his legs. “That was amazing, babe.”

“No, you’re amazing.” Adam pulled Duncan onto his chest and held his soon to be husband. He kissed Duncan’s forehead.

“I can’t think of any place I would rather be right now.” He let out a long breath.

They fell into silence and held each other. “What are you thinking about?”

Duncan sighed. “Us.” He smiled and kissed Adam’s chest. “Also, about having two kids.”

“Two?” Adam couldn’t help the puzzled look.

“Yeah… If you would let me, I’d like to adopt Rob, when we get married. I want to be his full dad, not just his stepdad.” He traced his finger across Adam’s chest, playing with the hair while following the outlines of the muscles. “And then there’s Jeremy.”

“What about him?”

“Ian and Debbie are planning a divorce. They didn’t want anyone in the family to know and took the trip as a final attempt to work things out. I don’t know why Ian didn’t tell me. I think it’s because he cheated on her.”

“Oh, man.” Adam let out a breath. “Jeremy is welcome to stay here for however long he needs too.”

“I figured you would say that, and I told them both we would keep him as long as needed. I’m his Godfather, and I want him to have a stable home.” He turned his head towards Adam’s face. “You didn’t mind?”

“Of course not… this is just as much your house, as it is mine and Rob’s.” They shared a kiss. “What are we suppose to tell him?”

“Nothing… they are flying back to Tampa tomorrow, which was their plan. From what they said earlier, they have appointments with divorce lawyers later this week.”

They held each other in silence. After a while they both got up, and showered together, cleaning themselves of the reminders of their lovemaking.

~.~

The news came in while the four were at the Busch Gardens, Tampa, on Saturday, June 2, 2018. The flight from the United Kingdom inbound to Tampa International Airport had gone down over the Atlantic Ocean. There were no survivors. ISIS claimed responsibility for the crash. Jeremy was devastated learning of the demise of his parents.

A memorial service was held for Ian and Debbie Isen a few days after the news came out. The Last Will for the couple was read a few days later, with everything going to Jeremy, and the family cleaning business going to Duncan. Duncan, as a blood relative as well as Godfather, automatically became the permanent guardian of his nephew.