A Child's Haven - 21. Chapter 21

We ended up at a steak house that was tucked away behind some warehouses. Unless you have been there, you would have never known it was there, and you couldn’t find it unless someone else took you the first time. I was surprised to find it very busy. A waiter came over as we walked in, “Hi Tony, I haven’t seen you for a long time. Where have you been hiding?”

“Hey, Slim, I’ve been very busy. This is a friend of mine, Brad Williams, Brad - Slim.”

We were shown to a table. As I looked around the place, I noticed all of the patrons were men, well-dressed men but never the less, men. Now I may look naïve, but naïve I’m not. Could Tony be gay? That thought continued to run through my mind as I looked at Tony.

“What’ll you gentlemen like to drink?”

Tony ordered a beer, “I’ll have black coffee.”

“What’s good here?”

“Try the T-bone steak. It’s a little spicy but very good.”

When Slim came back with our drinks, Tony ordered our dinner by saying two. Not two steaks, just two. This was going to be an interesting dinner. I looked at Tony, and he was becoming a little uncomfortable.

“Tony, it’s ok. Just relax, enjoy your beer. I’ll drink my coffee and check out the place.”

I thought Tony would have a heart attack. He realized that I knew that this was a gay club, and he was known here. The fact that Tony was gay didn’t bother me. He was my friend, which was important to me, not his sexual preferences.

As I watched him, he became more nervous. “Tony, your one of my best friends. That’s the most important thing to me. You’re my friend; I care less about your sexual preferences. You should know that from Sanctuary. Please don’t let this night ruin our friendships. I need your friendship. I need your input to make Sanctuary even more successful. Be my friend; this other doesn’t bother me.”

I watched Tony as his eyes misted up. I reached across the table and held his hands, “I was afraid, I wanted to tell you, but I was afraid. I thought you’d put me into the same category as those men who raped those boys. I’m not like that; I could never touch a child. I can’t even touch someone who is under the age of 21, let alone a child. Being with you at Sanctuary has been an eye-opener for me. I admire what you do, and I see how those boys affect you, your caring, and you love every one of those boys. I truly think when a boy hurts, you do also. I can’t work for you full time because I’ve fallen in love with you, and I know your heart is full of the love you have for the boys. There’s no room for adult love in your heart, at least no room for you to love me.”

“Tony, you’re wrong. Yes, I carry my love for those boys in my heart, as I’d carry the love of my own child in my heart. But the heart has two chambers. One is full with the love of the boys. The other is not full. It holds the love I have for my parents and the love I have for my friends. There is love in that area for you as well as Abe and other friends. You have been very open to me tonight, I appreciate it, but I still want you to work for me.”

“You never give up, do you?”

“No, when I see someone who can help me with the boys and at the same time help me, then I want that person to be with me, to be a part of Sanctuary. I can wait for your answer. All I ask is for you to give it some thought and eat your steak. Here it comes.”

“Enjoy, gentlemen.”

Tony was right; the steak was very tender, cooked to perfection, and spicy. I think I drank two glasses of water. When we were done eating, I paid the check, as we were leaving, “Good night Tony, Brad.”

Tony looked at me, “I didn’t know I was that famous.

Chuckling, Tony drove us back to Sanctuary. When I got out of the car, I noticed the lights were on in the cook shack. I opened the door, and Mario was stirring a pot. “Mario, are you ok?”

“Dad was taken to the hospital tonight with a heart attack.”

“Oh Mario, I’m so sorry to hear that. Why aren’t you at the hospital?”

“I’m preparing breakfast for tomorrow.”

“No, don’t worry about breakfast tomorrow. Tony, drive him to the hospital, please.”

Tony took Mario by the arm and led him to his car; I took the pot off the stove, turned off the stove and lights, locked up the cook shack, and headed to the dining room. When I entered, Jeff was there with a few of the older boys, “Mario’s father had a heart attack.”

“Yes, I saw him in the cook shack working on tomorrow’s breakfast. Tony is taking him to the hospital. I’m afraid breakfast tomorrow will be cereal unless Mrs. Jenkins whips up something different. Where is everyone? It’s only eight, and usually, this room is full.”

“I think some of them have gone to bed, some are in the game room, and some are watching TV.”

“And what are my seniors doing?

“We were waiting for you.”

“Why?”

“Some of us were wondering when we were going to see Lion King.”

“Tony has been having a hard time getting tickets. What started at 90 is now 136. But I asked my dad to see what he can do. If we get tickets, we’re going, and I think we’ll get tickets. My dad is pretty pushy when it comes to you kids.”

“Well, we’ll tell the others if they ask.”

“Good. How about I appoint you all as the party planning group? Your job is to plan an activity for each month. Now we have two planned, Lion King and the zoo. There is one rule: you cannot repeat an activity within six months.”

“What if we decided something and it’s a no?”

“Simple, check with me before making any announcements. If I say no, I’ll give you my reason. But my word will be final, ok?”

“What would be an activity you would say no?”

“Skydiving”

“So fishing is ok,” I nodded my head yes.

With that, they headed to the second floor. I waited in the dining hall for Tony to return. I thought about what he said tonight. I like Tony very much, I may even be attracted to him, but I have no room in my life right now until everything I have planned for Sanctuary is completed.

I got a bottle of water, retrieved the boys’ and girls’ list by age, and started to calculate each person’s allowance. I didn’t realize it, but we had several boys who would be 16 this fall. There were quite a few at 10, the youngest being 8, and that was only 3, and they would be turning nine soon. While I was putting numbers beside each name, Tony returned.

“How’s Aldo?”

“The doctor isn’t sure if it was a heart attack. They’re still doing some tests and should know in a few days.”

“How’s Mario?”

“He’s ok. I think not seeing his family shook him more than his father being in the hospital. I brought him back, and he’s in the cook shack.”

“In the morning, I’ll take him to the hospital to see his family. Mrs. Jenkins, with Adams’ help, can handle breakfast.”

“What are you doing?”

“Marking up the roster to determine who gets what as far as allowances go.”

“What does it look like?”

“Well, we have quite a few boys in the middle, almost like a bell shape curve. I have three, who will be 16 this fall, and of course, Jeff is 16 and will be turning 17 in a few months, Andy is 19, and I need to check when he will turn 20.”

“I think making the allowances based on age is a good idea.”

“Thanks. Do you know what a good idea is?”

“What?”

“Going to bed, I have an appointment at the University tomorrow or should I say we have an appointment.”

Laughing, we walked to our cocoon, and I conked out as soon as my head hit the pillow.