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- 02/16/2022
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Timothy - 103. Chapter 103
That evening in bed, laying in Stephen’s arms, Donnie came and smiled. I knew that smile. When he would look at me and smile like that, I knew I was in trouble. Waking, I wonder what trouble he would get me into now.
Tom arrived on schedule. He had changed, he was smiling, and there was something that I couldn’t identify.
“Tom, it’s nice to see you. What happened? You have changed.”
“I don’t know, but with Bruce’s death, it seemed as if a weight had been lifted. As long as he was alive, I have been worried that he would come after me again. But now that he is dead, I know that isn’t true anymore. I feel like a new man.”
Stephen and I smiled. I thought it was ironic. Bruce’s death seemed to release a lot of old pent-up emotions and freed him from Bruce in Tom’s case. It’s like a sexual chain that Bruce controlled has been broken.
“So Tom, what’s next? I assume you will continue teaching at the girl’s school.”
“Yes, for now, but I’m thinking of going back to college and getting my doctor’s degree. Then I could teach anywhere, even at the college level. I don’t have to run anymore, and maybe I can find a partner and settle down like you and Stephen.”
I wanted nothing more than for Tom to have a partner who would respect him and provide a relationship that Tom deserves.
Tom stayed with us for a week. I had Alex stop over a few nights with Ann Marie. He remembered Ann Marie and her rape. Alex talked to him about Ann Marie’s rape and that he couldn’t participate as Bruce wanted
Tom told Alex the price he paid for not participating. Ann Marie hugged him and kissed his cheek. I laughed as Tom’s face turned red. By the end of the week, with Alex’s comments and Ann Marie’s forgiveness, Tom was ready to forget Bruce and move on with his life.
Tom stayed an extra week with us. During that time, I helped him fill out applications to several colleges. I told him to list Stephen and me for references, and I even recommended he apply to Stephen's and my university. Stephen looked at me when I said that. He mouthed, Mrs. Kenner; I smiled.
Tom did apply at Stephen's and my university. He was accepted, and Mrs. Kenner had another boarder. I told him about helping Mrs. Kenner with the yard work.
Tom was the last piece. With him settled, Stephen and I could close the book on Bruce.
Our life assumed a routine. With Bruce, Tom, and Ann Marie’s issues solved, we began to enjoy our life. Stephen and I took Alex and Ann Marie apartment hunting. Stephen guided us through available apartments, ending at his dad’s apartment. I told Alex and Ann Marie that this apartment did not have a long-term lease which would allow them to move out without any penalties.
Alex thought that was a good idea. With the apartment agreed upon, over dinner, I approached the subject of the lodge. “Ann Marie, you still have the lodge. Would you like to live there?”
“Tim, it is too far from Alex’s work. Maybe the Struthers would like to have it.”
“It was part of your estate. I had a few hotel chains asking about it, and I can pursue those offers.”
“Offer it to the Struthers, and if they don’t want it, then you can sell it to a hotel chain.”
“Do you have any idea what you would ask for it if you sold it to a hotel chain?”
“I believe it would be several million dollars, and the acreage alone is worth a lot of money.”
“Offer it to the Struthers.”
I was okay with that, but they would pay the appraised price. They had money as they got the lion’s share of Mr. Struthers’s estate.
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Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
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