My Son - 2. TC2 - Chapter 2: Meet the Grandparents

Waking up early on Tuesday, March 6, 2018, Robert looked around the room he had chosen and wondered where he was. It took a couple minutes for his brain to kick in, and he sighed when realization dawned on him that this was his new home. Robert was only in foster care for a little over a month, but in that time he had been in three different houses, including a group home, and was physically assaulted twice by other teens for being gay.

He looked out the window into the backyard and across to the other island. That’s a view to wake up to. I think that’s the Tampa Yacht Club, across from us over on Davis Islands. And that up there is the Hospital. Not a lot of fancy houses on that side of the channel from what I can see, but Dad says it’s one of the wealthiest places in Tampa. I wonder if my grandparents live over there. Are they as rich as Dad? I don’t know if I have any other uncles, cousins, or other family here in the city.

Davis Islands, across the channel, was indeed one of the wealthiest areas of the City of Tampa, filled with old money families, and it held several restaurants down its central strip. It also held Tampa General Hospital at its northern point and a small private plane airport at its southern tip.

Robert realized he had started to feel like he was safe, and home, in what was less than a day. That realization scared him. Shit. Can this all be real? What if DCF here says Adam can’t keep me. What if they send me back to foster care? I don’t think I can handle that, especially if they are like the group home in Boston. He shivered and pulled his blanket tighter around himself. Something smells good. Dad must be cooking, but he said he couldn’t cook.

He rolled out of bed and stretched, letting out a big yawn. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he walked into the bathroom to relieve himself. In short order, he was out of his bedroom suite and walking through the short hallway that opened up into the family room and open kitchen. He was wearing just his loose boxers, which he slept in. His smooth athletic body was on display, which also featured a tribal style phoenix tattoo on his right shoulder and chest. There were also some healing bruises on his torso and biceps.

The right side of the house consisted of an ample open space that made up the gaming room, family room, and a large open kitchen. Two islands dominated the kitchen, one with bar seating, and the other a central island used for prep and storage. A short hallway led off the family room to three bedroom suites, and another hallway off the kitchen led to the last bedroom suite, the wine closet, and wet bar. Further down were the laundry room and garage access.

“Who are you?” Robert asked as he looked at the man who stood in the kitchen. The aroma of pancakes, bacon, and eggs filled the air, and stirred in was the scent of freshly-ground and brewed coffee.

The man was tall and slender with sea-green eyes and a mop of curly black hair, and appeared to be the same age as his father. He too was in his underwear and a plain t-shirt. “I’m Duncan. You must be Robert,” he said with a smile. “I’d shake your hand, but I’m cooking. There’ll be enough for all three of us.” He stepped over to the coffee pot and looked at Robert. “Have a seat. Do you drink coffee? What do you take in it?”

Robert sat at the island and nodded. “Yeah, thanks. Cream and sugar please.”

Duncan poured and passed him his cup of coffee, with cream and sugar as requested, and went back to the stove to finish making the breakfast. “I came in late last night, and you two were already in bed. Your dad gave me the week off, but I was closer to here than to my brother’s place. So, I decided to crash here.”

“I don’t think Dad will mind. He seems like a very caring person.”

“He is. Adam and I go back a long time. We went to high school together, and he offered me the job being his steward after he found out I was getting a divorce.” He continued to fix the food and looked over his shoulder at Robert. “How do you like your eggs?”

“Scrambled, or fried hard. But I’ll take them scrambled today.”

Duncan laughed a bit and fixed up a plate of the hot food for Robert. He sat it on the counter in front of him, and quickly slid silverware, butter, and syrup over to him as well. “Just like your dad.”

“What about me?” Adam asked as he walked into the kitchen. He was wearing track shorts and sat down at the island next to his son. “Good morning, both of you. I wasn’t expecting you back so soon, Duncan.”

“As I said to Robert, I was closer here than to my brother’s place, so I decided to crash in my bed. I didn’t think you would mind.” He slid a plate of food, utensils, and a cup of coffee over to Adam. “The part about you was your son likes his eggs the same way.” He chuckled and grabbed his plate and coffee, and headed for the last bar-stool at the island.

Adam nodded and swallowed his bite of pancake. “This is good. Thanks for cooking.”

“Yeah, thanks, Duncan. It is good.”

“You’re welcome. I woke up hungry and thought I would make some for all of us. I’m assuming you guys have a full day planned, and it’s the least I can do.”

The conversation went silent as the three men ate their food and sipped their coffee. Robert was the first to finish and went to clean up his dishes. He rinsed off the white ceramic plate and silverware before putting them in the dishwasher. He then started cleaning the skillets that Duncan used.

“You don’t have to do that. I was about to grab it all when I was done.”

“It’s cool man. I’m used to cleaning the kitchen back at home. It was how Mom and I worked things out. She cooked, and I cleaned up.”

Adam watched his son and nodded his approval of his initiative of cleaning up the kitchen. He noted the tattoo, bruises, and a nasty looking scar he had on his left shoulder blade. “I see you got ink! And that is a wicked looking scar on your back, and what’s up with the bruises?”

“Mom paid for the tat when I turned sixteen last November. The scar was from a car accident we were in when I was twelve. A piece of rebar shot through the roof and caught my back. I was pinned to the seat until the fire rescue got me out.” Robert’s tone was subdued, but he worked with diligence. He finished up the dishes and walked over to the island. “So, Duncan said you guys went to school together?”

Adam noted the abrupt subject change and made a mental note to look into the accident, and how he got the bruises. “Yeah, Duncan and I went to Jefferson High School, and we were in the Scouts together.” He looked over at Duncan, and just shook his head.

“Oh, the stories we could tell,” Duncan said, sitting back and sipping his coffee.

“Were you two a couple?”

Duncan shook his head no. “Nah, just good friends. I knew he was gay before he officially came out, and I didn’t care if he was or not. Always thought Adam was a good guy.”

“It wasn’t for lack of trying,” Adam said with a laugh. “I had misread Duncan, and one night on a campout when we were alone, I offered to give him a blowjob. While he turned me down, we spent the night talking about what guys in the troop I liked, and he steered me towards Marvin, who was gay. Still not sure how you knew and I didn’t.”

“Because he made a pass at me,” Duncan laughed heartily. “It seems I give off false positives on the gaydar. I still do, but I’m cool with it. I consider it a compliment.” He smiled and finished off his coffee. He stood up, grabbed his and Adam’s dishes, and put them in the dishwasher.

“So… Dad offered you a job working as a steward for him. Do you like this sort of work?”

Duncan nodded, “I do. It was also the family business. Cleaning that is. My family owns a local cleaning company that does both houses and businesses. Even your dad worked for us, for a couple of summers during high school.”

Robert looked over at his dad and caught Adam smiling and nodding in agreement. “Word of advice son…If the guy you plan on marrying refuses to clean a toilet, then he’s not the one for you.”

“Where did you learn to cook?”

“Partly from my mom, and I took a culinary course for two years at Hillsborough Community College.” Duncan finished up wiping down the counters and started the dishwasher. He topped off all three cups of coffee and sat back down next to Adam at the island. “I found out that while I love to cook, staying in a kitchen all day is not in me. Plus my soon to be ex-wife is a lot better chef than I am. She refused to let me cook.”

Adam shook his head, “Her loss.” He looked over at Robert and smiled. “We’ll head out about 9:30 am, and hit the Verizon store first to get your phone setup, and then we’ll go shopping. We’ll get the electronics I mentioned, and we need to discuss school options later. I don’t want to bombard you all at once with stuff. Also, my mother wants to know when she can meet you. There’s a hockey game tonight, Lightning vs. the Panthers, at Amalie. I figured we’d stay home and watch it unless you want to go to the arena.”

Robert looked a little stunned but nodded. “Sounds…,” he coughed and cleared his throat. “Sounds good, Dad. We can stay in tonight if you want.” He smiled and walked off towards his room.

“He seems like a good kid, but he has some fear in him,” Duncan said when Robert was out of earshot. “If you want some unsolicited advice, I’d suggest counseling. For both of you.”

“I noticed, and Sylvia suggested the same thing. I’m planning on scheduling a family session for next week,” Adam said. His face showed the worry he had been hiding from Robert. “Thanks for cooking breakfast, my friend. You didn’t have too.”

“Least I could do. I think I’ll add it to my workload.”

“Are you sure? You don’t have too.” Adam said while he laid a hand on Duncan’s shoulder giving him a quick squeeze.

“Yeah, I’m sure. You have a lot to worry about with your son now. Not to mention with your new business venture, you won’t have the time.”

Adam sighed some, “I know. Thanks, Duncan. You’re heading out?”

“Leaving with my brother this afternoon, and won’t be back ‘till Saturday. We’re headed down to Key West. Going to do some fishing over in Bahia Honda, and some drinking along Duval St. I wanted to take Jeremy with us, but Debbie said no, he has to stay for school.”

“I hope you and Ian enjoy yourselves, and be careful.” Adam gave him a little grin. “Jeremy is a nice kid. You’ve got a good nephew there.”

They talked a little more before going their separate ways.

~.~

“Where would you like to go shopping for clothes?” Adam asked as he shut the door to his Acura RDX. The SUV was perfect for his needs and stylish enough to fit in his neighborhood. While Adam didn’t care about appearances, there was a certain level he needed to maintain to live on the island.

They had finished up at Verizon Wireless, where they got Robert a new Galaxy S9+ phone, transferred the data from his old phone, and Adam bought him a Galaxy Book as well. The two-in-one tablet/laptop would help in Robert’s schooling, and it was tied to the mobile account.

“Um… Mom bought my stuff from Target or Walmart, so that’s fine with me.”

Adam nodded and pulled out of the parking spot. “If that’s what you want, that’s fine. But, you can go anywhere you want. Is there any place you wanted to go?”

“Seriously, Dad?” Robert looked astonished. “You’ve dropped close to two-thousand dollars on me, just here.”

“Robert. First off, you’re my son and only child. I see myself spending money on you, a lot. Second, you had two small suitcases, and neither was that heavy. So, I’m assuming you didn’t bring much clothing. And what you did might be too warm for Florida. You did come out of a Nor’easter down to what would be summer to you.” He paused as he looked at Robert, and got them on the road.

“I was left some money when my grandfather, your great-grandfather, died. I invested it and used it to go to M.I.T. when I was accepted there. I worked hard after graduation, and sold off the patents I had, and made more than enough to retire at age thirty-seven. I’m not trying to brag about this. Let me spoil you a little before I have to be a stingier father. Okay?”

Robert sat stunned in the passenger seat and looked at his dad, and then back out onto the road. He wasn’t sure when they started, but tears began to flow freely down his cheeks. He was too overcome with emotion to talk and just turned away from Adam to look out the window.

Noticing his son’s change in demeanor, Adam pulled into the parking lot of a small strip mall . He unbuckled his and Robert’s seat belts and held onto his son the best he could in the car. “It’ll be fine son. It will all work out.”

“I… I… don’t know Dad… it feels right, but I feel so bad… I feel like I’m betraying Mom…,” Robert said as he sobbed.

Adam comforted his son and held him for a few minutes. “You’re not betraying your mom. Don’t feel that way. Sylvia suggested that we go to family counseling, and I was going to schedule it for next week. Would you rather we do it sooner if I can get us in?”

“If you can, please.”

“Alright… Now, let’s finish what we need to do today, okay?”

“Okay.”

“So, let’s head to International Plaza, go look at the stores and get lunch, and if you see something you want, we’ll get it there. If not, we can hit a Target or Walmart on the way home. Sound like a plan to you?” Adam smiled at Robert, while he took a spare napkin from the center console and wiped the tears from his son’s face.

“Sounds good, Dad.”

~.~

Shopping at the mall went better than Adam had expected. After Robert got over his inhibitions, they ended up at several stores buying different fashionable clothes suited for life in Florida, and a new desktop PC for Robert’s room from the Microsoft Store. A late lunch at the Cheesecake Factory rounded out the father and son shopping trip, and they were soon home. Adam assisted Robert in putting his clothes away and setting up the desktop, letting Robert lead the way in it all.

It was still early in the afternoon when Adam’s mom called. He excused himself to take the call in his bedroom.

“Heya, Mom. How are you doing?” Adam asked as he walked over to the sitting area he had set up in his master retreat bedroom. The master retreat was large, almost as big as the family room and game room on the other side of the house combined, and he had decorated it as two different zones. The king-sized bed sat on the south wall, near the center of the room. On each side of the bed sat a square bedside table made of yew, with two drawers apiece. They matched the headboard and footboard of the bed. Across from the bed was the fireplace, a forty-inch flat screen 4K Ultra High Def TV was mounted above it.

Two armchairs and a small table made up the sitting area, along with a small computer desk with chair and a desktop PC on the western wall, overlooking Davis Islands. Other furniture dotted the room, along with more artwork on the walls.

The retreat was designed with a ‘safe room,’ located in the massive walk-in closet, but Adam had turned it into a server room, which ran the whole house smart system.

“I’m doing fine. How’s my grandson?” She asked.

“He’s doing fine. We spent the day shopping for clothes and getting him some electronics for school, but I’m wondering what happened to him back in Boston. He said he feels like he’s betraying his mom.” Adam let out a long sigh. “This morning, Duncan fixed breakfast for us, and we were all mostly still in our night clothes. Robert was wearing boxers, and that’s when I saw he has a tattoo on his right shoulder and chest, and a scar on his left shoulder blade. He’s also covered in bruises... deep bruises that are healing on his chest, back, and arms. He refused to talk about any of them.”

“Oh, honey. It’s been barely a month since his mother died, so I can see where he feels like that. It sounds to me like he’s scared to talk about what happened in foster care. That’s the only place where the bruises could have come from. If it happened prior, they would have healed by now. How’s he handling the rest?”

“He seems to like it here. We’ve not had any fights at all, and no drama, aside from him tearing up a couple of times. Either he’s hiding it very well, or he’s being completely genuine and has one of the most level heads I’ve ever seen.” Adam exhaled. “Mom, I don’t think I could have gone through what he has in the past two months, and be as composed. I… I’m going to talk to Sylvia to see what happened when he was in Massachusetts DCF’s custody.”

“You’ll need to. If he was assaulted, there could be some issues there. That needs to be addressed pretty damn quickly.”

They spoke a little bit more and hung up after making plans. Adam used the desktop PC to look up his medical plan’s mental health providers. He called a few of them to find one accepting new patients and to schedule an appointment for that week.

Adam left his room to find Robert in the exercise and gaming room. When Adam was decorating the house, he wanted this room to be partly for exercise and partly for gaming. A PS4 and an Xbox One were both connected to another flat screen 4K Ultra High Def TV mounted over the fireplace that both separated and was shared with the family room. A small sitting area, consisting of a couch and coffee table, was right in front of it. Behind the sitting area were a weight machine, an exercise bike, a treadmill, and some free weights.

Robert had stripped down to athletic shorts and was on the treadmill running. He was barely breathing hard as he ran at a leisurely pace. He nodded to his dad and focused back on his form.

“Don’t stop running, but I made some plans for us later. We’ll stay home, eat some pizza, and if you want we can watch the game together. Also, my mom and dad will be coming over for the game. They want to meet you.”

Robert nodded again, “Sounds good. I like everything but anchovies on my pizza.” He kept running and started to show some sweat on his brow.

Adam chuckled. “I don’t think I know anyone who likes anchovies on their pizza.” He paused to watch his son a bit and nodded at the discipline he showed in working on his running form. “Let me know if you use the free weights, and I’ll spot you.”

Robert nodded and kept running.

~.~

“I’m nervous,” Robert said. He sat at the island bar eating pizza while the Lightning Live! Pregame Show played in the background in the family room. He was munching on a Meat Lover’s pizza, and Adam had let him have one of the Bud Lights that he had in the wet bar.

“They’re going to love you. Trust me.”

“Will… will they care if I’m gay?”

“No, they won’t, and they already know,” Adam smiled, and then chuckled shaking his head. “Here’s a funny story for you. I came out to my parents when I was your age, and I was scared to death. Well, that Christmas, Dad bought me my first dildo. Oh, it was more of a gag, it was a Great American Dildo. But Mom… well, she bought me a selection of lubes, some ‘how to’ videos from the gay bookstore Tomes and Treasures, and ordered me a variety pack of a thousand condoms from Adammale.”

Robert couldn’t help but laugh at the story. “They did that? And what’s a Great American?”

“A Great American Dildo is a gag gift, but I’ve heard of people using them. They’re as thick as your calf, and about as long as your arm.” Adam cringed as he thought about it. “No, way. I’m not a size queen.”

“So, are you a top or a bottom, Dad?”

“Versatile, but I prefer to bottom,” Adam said honestly. It wasn’t lost on him he was talking to his teenage son about sex. “What about you? Have you had sex yet?”

Robert nodded. “I have. I’m versatile as well, but I topped mainly with the guys I’ve been with.” He paused a moment and blushed as he realized whom he was talking to. “I'm not used to talking about this with anyone in the family.”

“I’m an open book, Rob. I’m happy to talk about it with you, even buy you stuff if you need it. Just keep it in your bedroom, and I’ll keep my partners and me in mine.”

They ate more of the pizza in silence while watching the pregame show. The doorbell rang. Adam, got up and answered it, and greeted his parents. They walked in and went to the kitchen. Robert stood up when they walked in and hugged his grandmother and grandfather.

“Rob, this is my mom Samantha Smith, and my dad Derrick Smith. Mom, Dad… this is my son, Robert Turner. Don’t call him Bob or Bobby.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Robert,” Samantha said and hugged her grandson.

“Likewise,” Derrick said and shook his hand. He squeezed his shoulder with a smile. “A fine looking young man. Adam, you’re gonna have to knock the boys off with a stick when he starts school.”

That brought a round of laughter from everyone. “Thanks, and it’s nice to meet you both,” Robert managed to get out.

“So, your dad hasn’t told me when your birthday is. When is it? I have a lot of catching up to do!” Samantha said. She went to the family room and sat on a couch dragging Robert with her. Derrick sat on the other side of Robert, sandwiching him in place.

Adam fetched drinks from the wet bar for his parents and handed the two beers to them before sitting on the other couch. He gave Robert a small apologetic smile and nodded to the seat next to him, for Robert to move to when he got a chance.

“I was born on November 25th.”

“A Christmas season baby,” Samantha pondered. “Well, don’t worry. We’re not the type to buy one present and say it’s both Christmas and your birthday.”

“Thanks…” Robert said in a puzzled voice. He started to get a 'deer in the headlights' look.

“Rob, come on over and sit here. And give them some room. The game is about to start.” Adam interjected. While Robert was changing seats, Adam stood up and grabbed their drinks from earlier. “Mom, Dad, there’s pizza on the counter if you want some.” He handed Robert his Bud Light and sat back down.

Robert sat stunned waiting for one of his grandparents to say something about the beer, but when they didn’t, he took a drink of it.

“Have you decided on a school yet?” Derrick asked.

“Not yet, Dad. I was going to talk about it in the morning with Rob, and give him the options.” Adam smiled at his son. “Though we already have supplies depending on where he wants to go. His caseworker Sylvia said to wait a week so that she could get the records from Boston for us.”

Talk turned towards hockey, as the game started with the Lightning vs. the Panthers. Robert was amazed that for two people who never left Florida, his paternal grandparents sure knew a lot about the game. He was surprised to learn that his dad made the team for M.I.T. when he was there, as a fourth-line right-winger for one season.

As the game wound down, Robert found himself tired from the day’s events. “Good night, Grandma and Granddad. I’ll see you all around.”

“Come over here and give me a hug,” Samantha said and stood up. Robert walked over to her, and they hugged quickly.

“Good night, Rob. Sleep well, and welcome to the family,” Derrick said. He quickly hugged his grandson.

Adam smiled at his son and hugged Robert as well. It lingered a bit longer than with the grandparents, and Adam placed a kiss on the top of his head. “Good night. I love you, Robert.”

“I love you, too,” Robert said and quickly went to his room. He didn’t want anyone to see the fresh batch of tears that were threatening to flow.

Adam put the empty bottles and boxes into the trash and recycling, as the three adults talked about family issues in the kitchen.

“That was nice. Robert seems like a good boy. You said you are going to counseling?” Samantha said as she leaned on the central island.

“Yes, I called today, after our talk. They are supposed to call back tomorrow. It’s going to be tough, but they may have time on Friday.”

Derrick listened to the two for a bit and nodded along. “You’ll do well son. I’ve got faith the two of you will pull through this.”

“Thanks. I’ll be honest… I’m scared shitless over this. I go from single gay man, looking for a new boyfriend, and getting a start-up going, to instant father of a sixteen-year-old son I didn’t know I had. Hell, today he questioned the amount I was spending on him, and the only thing I could think of was I was trying to spoil him some.”

“Did you mean what you said to him? That you love him?” Samantha said, in a neutral tone.

“Of course,” Adam said. He exhaled a long breath. “When Sylvia told me about him, I felt a little weird and worried if I could love him. Especially seeing what Michelle did to me. However, once I saw him yesterday,” he paused and shook his head. “There is no doubt I love him, and I would die for him.” He laughed a little. “I know that sounds cheesy.”

“Nonsense... It’s what every true parent would do for their child.”

After talk had wound down, Adam escorted his parents out and went back into the house. After making his way to the library, he sat at the desk with his laptop open.

Adam looked over at the family picture sitting in the corner of the desk. It was an older photo, taken at the photo studio on a trip to Walt Disney World. Adam was 14 at the time and hadn’t come out of the closet yet. His parents were in the background, with a fake park scene on the screen behind them. Adam stood in front of his mom, while another person, a couple of years younger than him, stood in front of his dad. The person was Tibot, Adam’s estranged brother. For the last fifteen years, they had been in contact only via email.

Adam opened the bottom drawer of his desk and took out the bottle of whiskey he kept there. Opening his laptop and letting it boot up, he thought about what he was going to tell his brother. Adam took a swig from the bottle as the email program fired up, and with liquor-fueled courage, he typed up and sent the email. He didn’t expect a response - he rarely got a reply back. He went to work looking at real estate properties his business partner had sent him.

Twenty minutes into looking at Google Street View, Google Earth, and the properties his partner wanted him to see, Adam was engrossed in his work. The return notification surprised him, and he sent the remaining mouthful of whiskey sloshing up the sides of the glass bottle.

Adam stopped and watched the liquor run down the sides. Then after a deep breath, he picked up the container, swallowed the contents, and clicked open the reply. His eyes widened as he read, "Call me."