Protector of Children - 8. Chapter 8: Synergy Part 2

Synergy: Part 2

Gary

Bobby was about to be problematic. That is to say, he was about to be a problem.

It wasn’t Bobby, really. It was what he was becoming. And, it wasn’t his fault.

I knew why Dike had been reluctant to describe what she thought was happening to Bobby, Kevin, and Calvin. I knew that the words of gods and spirits could create reality. That was one of the few things Yahweh had gotten right: the part about in the beginning was the word. Too bad his followers didn’t understand what that really meant. Actually, given the depth of the avarice, lust for power, and insanity of some of his followers, it was probably good that they didn’t know what it meant.

I wasn’t sure how to approach Bobby. It would not be too hard to explain to him that he would develop Authorities and Attributes of his own. He was accustomed to being around gods and spirits. He knew that Chang and Richard began as mortals, but that Richard was the new Asclepius and that Chang not only was his lover, but also was becoming his helper—and something more than mortal. Bobby probably knew at least something about how Nemesis had gotten his powers. He knew that I had received powers, too, and he’d seen Uncle George translocate into the kitchen.

No, I could talk to Bobby about Attributes and Authorities. However, I didn’t know how to talk to him about the bond that was forming among him, Calvin, and Kevin. I wasn’t sure what I should say—what I could say. And, I was worried about how Benji would react. Turns out, Benji’s reaction would be the least of my problems.

“George?” I had managed to get him alone in the kitchen for a few minutes. As usual, he declined coffee this late in the day, and then surprised me by not accepting a beer or my invitation to supper, either.

“We need to get back to the ranch—Calvin and I. Calvin needs to be grounded in something familiar. He needs some time to reflect, and to understand what is happening to him.”

“Kevin needs that, too,” I said. “So does Bobby.

“George? I’m in over my head here,” I confessed.

Death chuckled. He does that a lot more than he used to, for which I am happy.

“Gary, I’m over my head, too. But, you’re right. The boys need time. And, I think, some separation. What if I were to take Kevin with Calvin and me to the ranch, and later we put them and Bobby together?”

It was a better plan than anything I’d come up with, so I agreed.

* * * * *

Uncle George, Calvin, and Kevin had left for the ranch. They were in the Mustang. I suspected that Kevin was going to get a surprise.

Meanwhile, Nemesis went to Erewhon to pick up Bobby and Benji. He left early, to avoid the going-home traffic. Now that he had his full powers, he could have translocated without incurring a significant energy debt, but he got a kick out of driving, and I got a kick out of his pleasure.

I remembered: do two happinesses equal love? Maybe so. In any case, I found that I was just as happy as Nemesis when he was happy.

Nemesis brought the boys back in time for them to change into play clothes and then for us to reach our favorite Dave and Busters.

“Benji’s got a boyfriend!” Bobby announced after we found a table but before a waiter had found us.

Benji blushed, and then grinned. “He’s really nice,” Benji said. “His family came here from India. His parents were working for some computer company before they were killed in a car wreck.”

I remembered him. The boy had been living in a windowless apartment in a middle-class neighborhood, eating whatever he could find in the refrigerator and pantry, and waiting for his parents to come home. His need, his pain, had called me to him long before the government bureaucracy thought about putting facts together: why a child was truant and why that child’s parents were occupying adjoining refrigerator drawers in the city morgue.

I popped from my home to the front door of an apartment and then knocked. There was no answer, although I knew Ahan was inside. Smart kid, I thought. Knows better than to answer the door, even here, even in a secure building.

It was just as easy to open the locked door by turning the knob as it had been to break down the door to Andy’s father’s apartment.

“Ahan?” I called. “Please do not be afraid. I’m a friend.” There was no answer, although I knew he had heard me.

I found the boy in his parents’ bedroom. He was sitting on the bed, holding a framed photograph.

“If you kill me, I will join them,” he said, and turned the photo around so I could see it. A young couple, a background that could have been any large city in the world, a child standing between them holding their hands.

“Ahan,” I said. “I am not here to kill you, but to help you. Your parents are dead. I am sorry, but I must tell you.”

The boy nodded. “I have known this for three days.

“Who are you? Are you the police? To take me away?”

“My name is Gary,” I said. “Will you come with me to a place where you will be welcomed? A place where you don’t have to eat … what have you been eating, anyway?”

It was a rhetorical question; the boy shrugged.

I explained about Erewhon, and asked if he’d like to live there until we could contact family in India.

“But I do not wish to go to India,” he said. “My family there are poor, and could not feed me. My parents came here to escape the poverty of that country.

“Besides, I was born in this country. I know that makes me a citizen. You cannot send me back!”

He had lost control and was crying. I scooped him into my arms and before he could become frightened by my touch, hugged him tightly and projected reassurance. I know the reassurance was overlaid with love, but not lust. I had learned to control that.

Ahan surprised me. “You can’t be Shashthi,” he said. “She is a woman, and she rides on a cat. You are a man! And you have no cat. Who are you?”

I remembered Dike saying that I wasn’t the only “protector of children.” Something clicked in my mind. The Hindu pantheon … as many gods as are in it, there must be at least one protector of children. Ahan’s mind, which had focused on Shasthi, provided the information I needed.

“You are right, I am not Shasthi. She is quite busy in India and elsewhere that Hindus live. However, she cannot by herself do all she needs to do. I, uh, I sort of have that job for a lot of Western civilization.”

However, as I spoke, I wondered. I’ve not been called to South America, or Australia, yet. A couple of times to Europe. Once to Russia. Never to the Middle or Far East. Who is taking care of children, there? I knew I’d not figure it out on my own, and resolved to ask Dike. I probably would have asked sooner if I had known, then, what Ahan’s name meant.

Aiden

I heard enough of what was going on with Ahan to have all the papers ready when Gary and Ahan showed up at Erewhon. Gary gave me plenty of time, because he wasn’t quite ready to let Ahan know that Gary was a god. They had to wait until Nemesis could give them a ride in Gary’s car. I knew that was really unnecessary, but for some reason, I didn’t tell Gary.

On the other hand, since Nemesis was with them when they reached Erewhon, I got a serious hug and kiss from Nemesis. I knew he was tuned to Ahan when we did it. I whispered, “So?”

“He’s surprised, but it’s a happy surprise,” Nemesis whispered back. “I’ll ask Bobby and Benji to keep an eye on him, help him understand. It will be time, soon.

“Watch this.”

Nemesis linked with me so that I could feel what Ahan was feeling, and then pulled me into another kiss. Yeah, Ahan liked it. I could feel his stiffy and at least one shudder. If he were a couple of years older, he’d have had a mess to clean up.

“Nemesis!” Gary’s voice was sharp. “Aiden!

“I don’t know whose idea that was, but stop it and don’t do it again. Do you understand me?”

Oh shit, I thought. I’ve pissed off a god … and he’s Nemesis’ daddy, and he’s pissed off at Nemesis, too. We’re in trouble!

Nemesis rescued us. He turned loose of me, and grabbed Ahan. It was a good hug, and Nemesis projected care, concern, and friendship. No lust.

“Ahan, I’m sorry I didn’t get to say more than hello when you and Gary got in the car. I’m Nemesis; Gary’s my daddy. And this,” he gestured to me, “is Aiden.

“Aiden is my special friend.”

Nemesis

I remembered something Gary had said the first day we met.

“People don’t get to be friends right away,” I told Ahan. “It takes work. It takes more work before they get to be special friends. I think I would like to be your friend, but we’ve got to get to know one another, first.

“We could start with another hug. Would you like that?”

Ahan’s face lit. He nodded and stepped into my outstretched arms. It was a good hug. I risked a kiss on his forehead, and saw a little color rise under his brown cheeks. I also felt Gary’s approval—and heard Aiden’s sigh of relief that Gary was no longer pissed off.

Gary

I sent Nemesis off with Bobby and Benji to get Ahan settled. Aiden and I had completed the paperwork the staff needed. We were now alone in my office. I crossed the floor and sat beside Aiden on the couch.

“Aiden, thank you for your help, today,” I said. “I know that you must move extensively in time to do what you do. I know that we have powers that assist us in our jobs, but I worry about you. Are you over-exerting yourself?”

Aiden pecked a kiss on my cheek. I was startled, but realized I’d invited that intimacy when I had sat beside him.

“No, Gary,” he said. “Thank you for caring and for asking. I actually get a boost of energy when I do something like this for you.”

Was he getting a crush on me? I wondered. He doesn’t have a boyfriend—at least, not one that I know of. Is this going to be a problem?

Dike

Gary left a message asking me to lunch. Why? Undoubtedly because of what was going on among Bobby, Calvin, and Kevin. I anticipated that he’d want all the boys there, and was wondering how I should dress for a Dave and Busters—and how old I should appear. He surprised me, though. It was to be a private lunch. Just the two of us. I couldn’t read him. It was the first time he had blocked me. I was … interested.

The restaurant wasn’t fancy: a family-owned Italian place on the north side of the river, close to downtown. Family, in this case, was the cosa nostra. The waiter put a plate of antipasto between us, poured a dusty red wine into our glasses, and disappeared. Gary got straight to the point.

“We will be safer and more private here than in your chambers. The owner’s son was in my platoon in Afghanistan. The father and son are both convinced that I saved the boy’s life. I know that the money to open this restaurant came from illegal activities, including drugs sold to children. I know that some of the patrons are still engaged in illegal activities. However, I also know that the son—who will inherit this restaurant—is a good person and that he intends to make good the bad things that his father and grandfather and great-grandfather did.

“It’s my investment in the future; it’s my morality; it’s my understanding that sometimes, bad things have to happen so that good things can happen.”

He picked up a piece of capicollo, wrapped it around a bit of smoky provolone, and held it in front of his mouth. I sensed defiance, and a little fear, but also—something I’d always seen in Gary—a healthy dose of respect.

I laughed. I laughed harder than I’d laughed in a long time. When I could control myself, I patted Gary’s hand.

“Thank you, Gary. Thank you for reminding me that hubris is the fatal flaw of mortals and gods, alike.

“Thank you for pulling my feet back to the ground.

“Thank you for your respect, but more, for your courage.”

Now, it was my turn to select from the plate. I used a cocktail fork, speared an olive stuffed with feta cheese, and popped it into my mouth.

Gary remained silent. I think he was still surprised by my laughter. By this time, the waiter returned. We both ordered lasagna.

Gary’s questions were not about the boys. He explained that he’d want them to hear those answers first-hand, after Calvin and Kevin returned to Chicago. I didn’t disabuse him of that thought, but knew that we’d be in Texas when it happened.

No, his questions were about his role, his responsibilities.

“You are right,” I said, “about Shasthi. She is the Hindu protector of children—although she began her life as a killer and eater of infants. I suspect she was originally an ogre-figure used to frighten those who misbehaved.

“Just as did Nemesis, she’s shaken that image both from her public image and from her mind. She’s actually quite a nice person.”

I withheld from Gary my relationship with her. She and I played mahjong with a couple of others about once a month. Shasthi had a beautiful home in the mountains of northern India. The view from her veranda was much nicer than the Chicago skyline, so she was usually our hostess.

“As far as the Middle East? That became a black hole some time ago. They’ve created their own … their own thing. With the power of millions of fundamentalists behind it, there’s nothing we can do. They have no protector of children.

“It will likely take the collapse of civilization to eliminate them.

“Russia? The Russian Orthodox Church split from the Catholic Church over more than ritual; the split was over the nature of God. They have a rather militant group of protectors who are being kept busy by the Russian mafia’s involvement in the child sex trade.

“That’s all I can tell you. Experience is the best teacher. You’ll probably meet some of the others.”

Gary

If Ahan were going to be Benji’s boyfriend—even though they were still too young for much more than cuddles and tummy rubs—I felt it important to let Ahan know what he was getting into. The boy had been born in the USA, but his mother was reared in India, and cooked that way. I didn’t need to scan the cupboard to know that: the residual odors when I walked into the apartment were enough. So, I took the boys—Ahan and Benji, Bobby and Nemesis—to an Indian restaurant.

Ahan’s eyes lit up, and then flooded with tears. I probed, and realized that his parents had taken him to this place. Kicking myself for thoughtlessness, I took the boy’s hand and squeezed.

“I’m sorry, Ahan, I didn’t know … would you like to go somewhere else?”

“Thank you, Mr. Gary,” the boy said. “But no. This was their favorite restaurant. This will be a time to remember them.”

His eyes twinkled—a clue to me that he would be developing his own Authorities and Attributes—and he added, “I will order for you my father’s favorite dish.”

Ahan ordered in Hindi, so I didn’t know what my supper would be until it was delivered. It was in a porcelain bowl, larger and flatter than a soup bowl but shallower than a pasta bowl. Large pieces of chicken made islands in a reddish-brown sauce. The islands were guarded by whole, narrow, red peppers. The peppers looked innocuous, but weren’t. After the first bite, I broke one of my self-imposed rules, and signaled the waiter for a beer. It was imported. From India. And probably three times the alcohol content of the American beer I was accustomed to drinking.

Glad Nemesis is the designated driver, I thought.

Later that night, when we got ready for bed, I found myself paired with Ahan. I don’t know what arrangement Nemesis, Bobby, and Benji had made, but I suspected that I’d find the three of them together in Nemesis’s bed the next morning.

“Ahan, are you reluctant to sleep with me?” I asked. “Although I sleep without clothes, and although I will hold you—what we call cuddling—I will not do sex things with you.”

I had read the boy correctly. He was mature enough to know what I meant, yet innocent enough to have a sense of wonder—and curiosity.

“Mr. Gary, I know that when you arrived, the door to my parents’ home was locked; yet you entered. I know that when you brought me to Erewhon we were met by Aiden with papers already containing my name.

“I know that you and Shasthi are gods.”

He paused, but I knew he had more to say. “I think that Nemesis is also a god.

“What I do not know is why you found me, why Benji is my friend, and why you want to sleep with me.” He stood beside the bed, naked. He wasn’t aroused, but he was curious.

“Ahan, I want to sleep with you—and Nemesis helped to arrange that—only so that I could talk to you privately and so that—if what I said became hurtful or frightening—I could cuddle you and comfort you.

“Do you believe that?”

“Mr. Gary, I believe you … and I believe that Durga, whom you call Nemesis, has the powers of the god of retribution.

“What I do not know is why I am here among you.

“And you have answered only the easiest of my questions.”

Ahan and I talked.

Why did I find him? There were two levels to that answer. First, because he was a child in pain, and rescuing him was my job. On a deeper level, however, because he had a part to play in some grand plan that involved not just him and me, but also Nemesis, the “three musketeers,” Dike, and others. That part I did not understand, and cautioned him that I could not talk much about it without perhaps altering reality.

“And I’m not experienced or smart enough to know how best to alter reality.”

Why is Benji Ahan’s friend? That probably had more than one answer, too. On the surface, it was because they both were cute, healthy, and probably gay boys. On another level, it was perhaps so that Bobby would be free to make a connection other than Benji without harming Benji.

“But, there’s got to be more to it than that. I don’t know if you and Benji are going to create something; I don’t know if you two will both have powers; and, I’m afraid to talk about that, too much.”

Ahan nodded … and nodded … and fell asleep in my arms.

Ahan and I were awake most of the night, yet neither of us felt exhausted the next morning when the others came in and pounced on the bed to awaken us.

Nemesis

Gary had told me that Bobby and Calvin and Kevin were going to be like the Three Musketeers, and would be a team. And then warned me not to say anything about that. He explained what Dike had said, and about words creating reality. I was a little scared, and told him so.

“You’ve had your full powers ever since …” Gary paused. “Since Apollo gave his powers to Caden—”

“You mean, ever since the fire,” I said. “You don’t have to tiptoe around it, you know.”

Gary nodded, and hugged me.

“I know,” he said. “I don’t do it just for you, you know. I was never so afraid—not in Afghanistan, not ever—when I saw you unconscious on the floor beside me.”

He smiled, and gave me a kiss. “I don’t think day-to-day conversations about routine things do anything. It’s only when we talk about important things? when we focus? That’s what we need to understand.”

Kevin (Texas)

I’d figured out that Uncle George wasn’t a pimp, and that Calvin wasn’t bait. I should have figured it out a long time ago, but I was so wrapped up in me I couldn’t see past that.

While we were at Gary’s, Nemesis had pushed me into a tickling contest on the floor of his bedroom. When it was over, I was out of breath, and cuddled with Calvin. I knew that Bobby was in Calvin’s other arm. That didn’t bother me as much as trying to figure out how I could tell both Bobby and Calvin that I … well, I couldn’t tell them I loved them, ’cause I didn’t know them that well. But I was pretty sure I did.

* * * * *

I must have fallen asleep in the back seat of Uncle George’s car, because I woke up when he shut off the engine and Calvin opened the front door.

“Kevin?” Calvin said. “We’re here. This is where I live.”

Uncle George grabbed the duffle bags that Uncle Gary had helped me pack at my father’s house, and walked toward the house. Calvin sort of herded me along.

“Kevin? Would you sleep with me, tonight? I’ve got a big bed…” Calvin’s voice softened. He looked into my eyes. I was no longer sleepy. “Is that okay?”

I couldn’t believe that Calvin was asking to sleep with him, and I was glad I was wearing fairly tight pants so that my stiffie didn’t poke out. Much. I was able to think at least a little bit.

“Calvin? You know that I like you. You know that I get a major stiffie thinking about you. But, you’re older than me …” I wasn’t sure that made any difference, except that it’s what I’d been told for years.

“Kevin? I’m only a couple of years older than you are. But, I don’t want you to think I’m taking advantage of you because I’m older, or because I can see in your mind that you want to have sex with me so bad that you’re afraid your dick is going to break if you can’t loosen those pants.”

I couldn’t believe he said that!

“You told me … you told me you could see what I was thinking. That is so not fair!” I said. “How can …”

Calvin shushed me … with a kiss. At first, I tried to turn my head away, but he was so … so soft, so gentle, I couldn’t refuse him.

“It’s fair only because I promise never, never to look behind your surface thoughts and because soon you will be able easily to see my thoughts, as well.”

“Huh?” It wasn’t my most brilliant moment.

“Kevin? You know that Uncle George and I aren’t regular people. I mean, we popped you from a bridge to a café and from the café to Gary’s apartment. In Chicago.

“Do you know where we are now? We’re in Texas, on the ranch where I live. You’ll see, tomorrow.

“Uncle George and I, Nemesis and Gary, we’re something different. We have powers: Attributes and Authorities. They let us do things that mortals think of as magic.

“Kevin? You’re one of us. You just haven’t found your powers, yet. And besides, you and I and Bobby are on the road to becoming a team … a team that will be important, and good.

I was overwhelmed. All I could do was nod.