Wedding Ring - 9. Chapter 9

Jacob never thought he would go back home. He had too many bad memories of the place. Not just because of all the times he got beaten up, but also during the last two years in high school, the family fortunes fell apart with the collapse of the real estate market. The market had rebounded, but Jacob's parents never recovered. It was only due to taking large student loans that he and his sister had been able to stay in school. Jacob's father tried to get a new job, but the depression and stress eventually killed him during Jacob's junior year in college. Jacob's mother became a recluse, never leaving the now run down mansion. The only reason why they still had was due to Florida's homestead laws.

       

The last time either he or Tara had gone back home was three years ago and it was such a disaster neither of the children had the courage to go back. That did not mean they didn't try to take care of their mother. Both of them, each carrying a fortune worth of debt from student loans, managed to send enough money to pay the electric, water, food bills, and property taxes, but were unable to do anything about repairing the house. For several years the land value had been dropping, but doubled last year, causing Tara to choke when she saw the taxes due. Both kids wanted their mother to move into a retirement home, but she was adamant about keeping the property. It would be the final admission of defeat for her give the place up.

 

Going back home, while one of the last places he wanted to be, seemed the only place he could turn to after Darren made his choice. It wasn't that Jacob thought that Darren didn't love him anymore; in fact he was sure

Darren was still crazy about him... why else did Darren let him fuck him?

No, what hurt was the knowledge that he would always be second place... never the husband. Jacob would have taken half the love Darren had given him if he could just be the greatest love in Darren's life, but that was not the type of person Darren was. He loved very easily and gave it in large quantities to everyone. A person could live off that love easily and not know they were not Darren's true love. That is what had happened to him. After all the struggles trying to get over his jealously of Will he found he just could not accept playing second fiddle. If he had told that to Darren, Jacob was sure that he would agree. Jacob need to find a love just for himself, but to do that he needed to get over his old fears... therefore the return home.

 

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Chris Lambert had fought hard for respectability and it had not come easily. First he had come from a poor family. Second the family reputation had been ruined when his older brother Ted had been arrested for beating his girlfriend's brother almost to death. Ted had been the one Chris had looked up to his big brother. He tried to copy everything his brother did, the drinking, the womanizing, and the sports. Things changed after Ted had gotten arrested. His brother’s drinking had gotten worse and he developed an addiction to heroin. Until Chris had established himself as a major real-estate developer, his brother had floated from job to job, each never lasting more than a couple months. After his employees begged Chris to get Ted out of their departments, Chris resorted to giving his brother a job window watching. All Chris required of his brother was to show up at least three times a week to his office and spend a few hours there before going back on another drinking binge. Chris still blamed Tara and Jacob Hiller for ruining their lives and now he was going to get his chance at revenge. If all things went well, the Hiller home would be bulldozed in a matter of weeks.

 

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The house looked decayed; the white pillars were stained with mold, two windows were broken, the yard was filled with weeds and the rusted remains of an '82 Honda Prelude sat in front of the garage. Jacob parked his car and walked up to the door pausing for several minutes trying to figure out how to explain his presence to his mother. In the end he took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

 

"Jake..." His mother's frail voice said as she opened the door only a crack.

 

"Yes mom it's me."

 

"What are you doing here?"

 

"I just felt like I needed to come back home. Glad to see me?"

 

"I'm always happy to see one of my children. Come on in." Jacob's mother said as she stumbled back into the house.

 

Jacob sighed. It was only 2:00 in the afternoon and she was already drunk. That was why he and Tara had avoided the place or three years. It was too heart-wrenching to watch as their mother threatened to drink herself to death.

 

"I'm sorry if the place is a mess. You know that all the servants are gone and I've not had the energy to take care of things myself.

 

"Yes mom, I know." Jacob sighed. The servants had been gone now for over ten years, as had the family fortunes.

 

Besides the smell of alcohol coming from his mother breath, there was the musky smell of rot from the wood floors as he followed his mother to the kitchen. There he found empty bottle after empty bottle of wine and hard liquor. Ms. Hiller went right to the one bottle that seemed to still have something in it and poured another drink into a well-used glass.

 

"Mom I think you have had enough," Jacob said as he tried to take the bottle away.

 

"Do you plan on staying the night here?" She asked seemingly ignoring her son's comment.

 

"Yes."

 

"Then you will not tell me what to do."

 

"Yes mom," Jacob said knowing that after his mom passed out he would try to hunt all the bottles down when he tried to bring some order into the kitchen. Seeing that the fridge was nearly empty and the house littered with take-out containers, Jacob excused himself to go shopping. To that, his mom seemed happy and gave him a list of the things she felt she needed. Jacob took one look at the list and knew that the only thing on it he would buy was a bottle of extra strength Tylenol. He might get two actually...the already growing throbbing in his head warned him he would need his own.

 

Wanting to make things special for the first few days, Jacob went to the nearby gourmet grocery store. Jacob had learned a little about how to cook while living on his own, but he wanted the first meal to be special, so he bought prepared food items such as prime rib, asparagus with roasted garlic, risotto, and a cheesecake for dessert. He also bought some cleaning supplies, several 12 packs of soda, two bottles of Tylenol, and a newspaper. He had to start looking for a job after all.

 

When Jacob arrived back home he was surprised to see two other cars parked out front. One was a Mercedes, the other a Toyota Passport. Jacob didn't know his mother had that many guests... he just hoped they were not planning to stay for dinner. When he walked near the front door, he knew they were not staying for dinner because he could hear yelling from behind the door.

 

"You can't take my house!" Jacob heard his mother scream as he opened the front door. Just inside were two men. One was dressed in an expensive suit and looked to be around his age. The other was a balding middle-aged man holding a clipboard in his hand.

 

"Miss Hiller... you don't have to lose the house but the new homeowners’ association inspector found your house doesn’t meet the new building codes. You have one month to fix the things listed on this form or we will have no choice but to knock down the house as a public hazard,” the bald man said. He handed her several sheets of paper that had been clipped to the board he had in his hands before heading back to his car.

 

"My offer also still stands, Ms. Hiller, but if you make me wait till bulldozers arrive I will not be so generous." The younger man said as he too headed for the door only to run into Jacob. "And who are you?"

 

"Jacob Hiller." Jacob replied coldly.

 

"Jacob?" The man said a little taken aback before quickly recovering. "Talk some sense into your mother and get her to sell this dump," He said with a face that showed anger. His eyes however didn’t seem to be looking anywhere near Jacob. He then hurried out and drove off in his Mercedes.

 

"Mom... what's going on?" Jacob asked as he put down his bags.

 

"It's that damned Chris Lambert. He got the city to pass new city regulations. If a house is found to hurt the land values of the surrounding properties, the other landowners can sue to have the house bulldozed. Mr. Lambert now owns the land on both sides of us and has gotten the courts to declare my home a public eye sore. I have to do the things listed or else I’ll lose everything."

 

"Let me see the list," Jacob said as he took it from her. At first it did not look too bad: new landscaping, fresh coat of paint, getting rid of the wrecked car in the driveway, but then Jacob got to the more serious items. The house needed a new roof. The wiring was found to be faulty and needed replacing. The swimming pool, which was now stagnant and green, needed to be filled in or repaired. These sorts of repairs on a house of this size would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Also there was no way he could get things all done in a month's time. Then something hit Jacob, the name his mother had mentioned... Chris Lambert.

 

"Mom... is Chris Lambert the same Lambert whose brother almost killed me?"

 

"Yes... all he wants is revenge... the bastard."

 

"Because Ted beat me?" Jacob said in disbelief.

 

"Because he blames us for his brother."

 

"Why... what happened to him?" The last thing Jacob had known was that Ted was given probation and his parents sent him off to boarding school.

 

"He failed out of boarding school and when they found drugs on him, he spent two years in jail. After that he was getting in and out of trouble until his brother took him in. Chris has never forgiven us so when he saw a chance to take my home away he took it."

 

"That bastard!" Jacob yelled.

 

"What are we going to do?" His mother wailed.

 

"Mom... how long has this been going on?"

 

"Since last year."

 

"And you didn't think to tell us."

 

"I didn't want to worry you and your sister."

 

"Ugh!" Why did his mom have to make things so difficult?

 

"The lawyer I found told me that I had nothing to worry about."

 

"He did?"

 

"Yes, but the judge we were assigned lives in one of Mr. Lambert luxury condos. We didn't stand a chance."

 

"Can't you appeal?"

 

"We tried to but were turned down."

 

"Darn... I need to meet with this lawyer."

 

"He will be coming over tomorrow to discuss our options. He says that as long as it looks like we are trying to do the repairs we can hold Mr. Lambert off."

 

"Yes mom but the list is of some serious repairs costing serious money."

 

"I know... that's why I did not call you about it. My lawyer has found some volunteers to fix the yard and paint the house. I just hope that it will give us a few more months to find the money."

 

Jacob didn't want to get into that argument. Dad's and mom's credit ranking was toxic. There was no way she could take out a loan the size needed and neither he nor his sister could afford to either. He needed to find a job and she was trying to save enough for the baby. After dinner and making sure his mother was asleep he called Tara up on her cell phone "Hey sis," He said nervously knowing his running off would get him yelled at.

 

"Jacob, where are you. I almost filed a missing person's report on you!" Even though he had lowered the volume of the phone she still sounded like she was screaming at him.

 

"I'm with mom... she's in trouble."

 

"Of course she's in trouble, but that is no excuse for you to run off like you did. Darren is heartbroken."

 

"I know sis. Please tell him I'm sorry, but I don't feel ready to talk to him yet, but let him know I still love him."

 

"I already did. I've moved in with him so he's right next to me."

 

"You did?"

 

"Well I needed someone to help me with the baby. I'm sleeping in

Will's room and when Will comes back he will share with Darren."

 

"Where's the baby?"

 

"He's sleeping in a crib in my room."

 

"Ok." Jacob was surprised by the turn of events

 

"Jacob, I know you wanted more from Darren, but do not throw away his friendship. You mean a great deal to him and I know he means a great deal to you."

 

"Sis I know. As his second fiddle he treated me better than anyone who saw me as their number one, but I need to be number one even if I know he loves me. I need to know that I'm the most important thing in his life."

 

"I understand that Jacob. I was mad at Darren when he picked Will over me as well, but he was too good a friend for me to throw away. So remember when you do find the guy who will treat you as the most important thing in his life, that you still have a friend in Darren."

 

"I will try, sis."

 

"Ok... that's all I can ask. Now tell me what the problem with mom this time."

 

Jacob went over all that he had learned today about the upcoming eviction and the needed repairs. Tara was shocked and angry that their mother had let things get this bad without telling them. Money-wise there was little she could do but she thought she could come up with something and send it to him. Giving the money to mom would just be throwing it away.

 

After the call, Jacob went to his old room and set up his laptop and connected it to his cell phone. If he was going to stay here from now on there was no way he was going to remain single. Having enough of the bars, dance clubs, and his sister's blind dates... Jacob decided to turn to the Internet for help. He did a search and looked at the different chat rooms available everything from "anal lovers" to "xenophiles". Jacob looked down the long list of names until he found one that seemed to fit what he was looking for "Florida romance seekers." He pushed to enter the room and was asked to pick a screen name. Jacob went through several names in his mind before finally picking one that seemed to fit his mood "hopeless". As soon as he entered the room he saw a list of 24 names and was suddenly barraged with questions.

 

a/s/l... hopeless

 

Hi hopeless

 

want me to fuck you hopeless

 

stats???? Hopeless

 

how long is your cock hopeless?

 

Jacob was scared by how forward the messages were and quickly closed the screen. He was about to give up and turn off his computer when he noticed he had been sent a private message from . Out of five messages he had been given, that one had been the only one that did not disturb him. Thinking he had nothing to lose he accepted the message it read....

 

Why hopeless... hopeless? Email me at flhotguy1274639403@qtry.com

 

"Hmmmm" Jacob thought. The message showed that the person was curious but was not intrusive... better than most of the pickup lines he had gotten in life. Wondering how Hotguy would respond, Jacob began writing his reply.

 

"I picked Hopeless because I feel hopeless. Things are bad at home.

I just lost someone I thought was my boyfriend, but I was just fooling myself there. He loves me, but not in the way I need him to. So not only my life is hopeless but I'm also a hopeless romantic who just wants to find that one special guy. That's me. Tell me what you think."

 

Jacob had almost sent the email when he saw that the address was his own name JacobHiller@med.com. Not wanting to use his real name Jacob went to gmail and set up a new mailbox under the name "Hopeless1". He then cut and pasted his message and sent it off hoping he was making the right decision.

 

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Chris was at his desk, the hooker his brother had got for him asleep in bed. Sex had been all right... not great but all right. It had taken him over a half an hour to shoot his load, which made him a favorite amongst the women he pleased in bed. But now that he gotten his rocks off he was in no mood to be hanging around anyone… especially his brother. Chris was spending some "me' time on the net. Sex chatting was his greatest pleasure and greatest shame. It was so hard for Chris to be the kind of guy his brother wanted him to be. Getting off when some guy talked dirty to him embarrassed Chris and just reminded him how lonely he was. That was why his eyes went right to "Hopeless" when he entered the room. The name matched his feelings. He had already gotten off with "Randy" but he remained online waiting to see if his message was returned. It only took twenty minutes before his computer beeped, singling the arrival of a message. He opened his mailbox and saw the address...hopeless1. After he read the message Chris thought for a long while. The message did not seem to be from the same sex crazed people he met online. He could actually have a discussion of his feelings with this guy. He wrote his reply as follows:

 

I guess I feel hopeless too. I feel trapped in the role of a closeted man. My brother was my hero and I always wanted to be like him. He just has had bad experience with homosexuals. I believe he knows I'm gay but feels he can change me by throwing women at me. We just don't talk about it. I guess what I'm asking you is: how can a gay man become happy without having to "be gay". Is that even possible? Or Am I just fooling myself?

 

Another hopeless romantic

 

 

Chris took a deep breath before he pushed the send button but when he finally did he felt a weight lift off his shoulders.

 

 

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Will could see the sadness in Darren's eyes when he was picked up at the airport. Darren had told him about Jacob leaving, but until Will saw Darren’s face he didn't know how hard it had been for him. Darren melted into Will's arms as they hugged each other.

 

"Hold me," Darren said in a begging tone.

 

"It's ok, hon," Will said as he rocked him.

 

"I guess I've gotten used to having someone to hold. I could barely handle sleeping alone in my bed."

 

"Well, I'm back now so neither of us will have to be alone. I missed you."

 

"Yes." Darren sighed as he let himself be comforted.

 

Will was the one that drove them home. When he arrived he could smell his favorite dish, lasagna, baking in the oven but that did not distract him from his goal. He took Darren's hand and took him right to the bedroom where he fucked him until he was sure Darren knew he was not alone.

 

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Jacob met with the lawyer, Thomas Garner, several times. He was a young idealist who took the case pro bono. He wanted to get back on

Mr. Lambert for tearing down a few old homes that Thomas had tried to get listed as historic landmarks. Thomas had lost that fight, but he was going to make sure he didn't lose this one. Except of the cost of paint and equipment, Thomas had gathered some of his like-minded friends to try to repair the mansion enough for it to avoid demolition at least for a while. It was a long shot but at least they had a better chance of an appeal if he could show some Progress of the mansion getting up to code. Jacob was for his part of doubtful that a few splashes of paint and a lawnmower could save the house but he saw no better options. Thomas did find Jacob a job though. It was at a public clinic. The pay was real bad but at least the state paid for his liability insurance, which would save him tens of thousands of dollars a month.

 

The only good thing that Jacob looked forward to was his daily email from . His letters were always so emotional that Jacob wished he could run to him and comfort him in his arms. He was like the high school student Jacob had been... hiding deep in the closet. Jacob could tell that was much older than a high school student but was still struggling with the same feelings. talked about how his brother had caught him looking at gay porn when he was a kid... how his brother had beaten him and gotten him to promise never to do that again. Jacob, who had been beaten by Ted Lambert, could relate to it and told of his own experiences in coming out. Jacob could tell by the letters that both of them wanted to meet to see if a relationship could be had but each seemed to be afraid. Jacob was afraid of pushing too much while Jacob was sure that was afraid of what it would mean to fall in love with another guy. So the two circled each other, giving only the smallest hints that they were falling for each other.

 

The day had been going well... Jacob had woken to another email and this time had told him he really LIKED him. These baby steps felt like a slow seduction and it tickled Jacob endlessly. Unfortunately his day was ruined when one of the painters came to tell him that Chris Lambert was here to talk to him. Jacob sighed... looked at his paint-covered hands and face and told the volunteer he would be out as soon as he cleaned himself up.

 

Jacob took his time. Chris had not called in advance and while he had not been the one to beat him, Jacob still had a grudge against the whole family. After his shower, he put on a suit, as he wanted there to be no mistake that he meant business. When he arrived in the main hall though he was taken aback on how dressed down Chris was. He was dressed in a pair of red running shorts and a white tank top that showed off his tanned, broad, and hairy chest. Chris gave Jacob a smirk in seeing him in a suit and tie.

 

"Been painting in those cloths or are you trying to dye your hair white?" Chris laughed as he pulled at a few strands of his hair.

 

Jacob reached for the same spot and felt a clump of hair stuck together. "Darn it." Jacob sighed. "Why are you here?"

 

"Oh I was running through the neighborhood. You DO know that my family lives here now... no longer in that white trash neighborhood you and your sister looked down on."

 

"Hey I never looked down on you. Most of my friends came from your old neighborhood."

 

"Yeah... you were the one rich friend all us slum kids looked up to or should I say you looked down on. It was easy to be nice to us poor kids when you lived in your castle."

 

'I don't have a clue what you are talking about. I hung around my friends because that was what they were...my friends."

 

"Whatever..." Chris said dismissively.

 

"Yes, that all in the past now. You are the rich kid now and we are the poor ones, but unlike then, you are not my friend.

 

"Yes, but I can help you with your mother's situation."

 

"From how my mom reacted I don't think she liked what you had to offer."

 

"Yes, but I hope to find you a more reasonable person to work with."

 

"Alright," Jacob agreed. He knew if he asked his mother what Chris had offered her he would only get half truths. Better to hear it from the horse's mouth himself or in this case the jackass's. "Would you like to sit will we discuss what you have to say?"

 

"Sure...lead the way." Chris said as he followed Jacob to the dining room, fighting his urge to stare at Jacobs round ass.

 

Jacob could feel Chris eyes on him but he took them to be the eyes of hatred. "Would you like anything to drink?" He offered, hoping Chris would say yes so he could escape what he sure had to be an angry glare.

 

"Sure... a glass of water would be nice." Chris said in his hope to see more of Jacob's rear. He knew it was his duty to hate Jacob for what happened to his brother but the blond slim man was just too cute. He found the nervous manner by which Jacob carried himself to be endearing. Chris found himself wanting to hug the man to make both their worries go away. But then Chris remembered the last time he had let himself show attraction to another guy... an attraction that had led him deeper into the closet and his brother down his self-destructive path.

 

Chris was in the middle of mentally berating himself when Jacob returned with his water. Chris took a sip from it immediately to help get rid of the lump building in his throat. As soon as the lukewarm water touch his lips he was pulled out of his feeling of attraction and guilt and became instantly annoyed. Here was another snub... giving him the same warm water he had when his family was too poor to repair the fridge. "No ice?" Chris smirked.

 

"No thank you?" Jacob returned. He was sure that Chris had to know

that the ice machine had been broken for years.

 

"Not for warm water." Chris said in disgust but continued to drink as his run had made him thirsty. By the time he had drained the glass, Jacob was on the opposite end of the long dining room table staring at him.

 

"Well?" Jacob finally asked.

 

"Well what?" Chris wanted to play hardball.

 

"What are you offering?"

 

"Oh... it’s very simple really. You get your mom to sell me the house and I will set up a trust to pay for her nursing home care."

 

"Oh really. I guess you and my mom already talked about this," Jacob said in disbelief. Sending his mom to a nursing home had been on both his and Tara's mind but each time they had brought it up their mother had gone on a rampage. Jacob doubted that Chris got much better of a response.

 

"Yes." Chris snickered. "Your mother's response was, shall we say, colorful."

 

"I bet. May I ask why you want this land so much?"

 

"Of course. I will tell you the logical reasons as well as the personal so you will know where we stand."

 

"Alright."

 

"The houses on this street are grand but very old. Most of them were built in the 1920's. Some of them have gone under renovation but the results have been houses that look like patchwork quilts. I have bought nearly all the houses here on the belief I can build new homes that I can sell for more than triple price I would have selling the old ones and that includes the cost of construction combined. I did something similar when I torn down servant-ville."

 

"Servant-ville... was that not where you grew up." Jacob recognized the derogatory term from his childhood but hadn’t heard it in years.

 

"Yes... it was the cheap housing you developers built for the maids, gardeners, and divers to live so they could be within walking distance of their jobs. You rich folk made it a slum. I bought the land and its now a mix of houses and luxury apartments."

 

"But what happened to the people who lived there." Jacob said concerned about his old friends.

 

"They moved out of course. When I made an offer to you snobs to sell the homes their household staff have lived their whole lives in they jumped at the chance. You rich folk have no sense of loyalty."

 

"Neither do you. You are also to blame or did you never care about your old friends?"

 

"I did them a favor. They now live with their own kind. Do you know how it is to be poor going to a rich kid's school? Everyone treating you like dirt or less."

 

"You and your brother were pretty popular." Jacob said.

 

“Yeah... you rich kids liked us but only because we were good at sports. They never really accepted us."

 

"I'm sorry you felt that way."

 

"So am I, but now I have a chance to change things. I'm no longer the poor kid and tearing down y’all home is my way of proving it."

 

"Is that why you also tore down servant-ville? You wanted to erase your past."

 

"Yes... I guess I did.” Chis whispered with a hint of shame. His pained expression only lasted a brief moment before the angry bitterness returned. But my past will not be fully gone unless I tear down this community and especially your house."

 

"Why our house."

 

"Don't you know? It was your great grandfather who built this community. Tearing it down therefore will be especially enjoyable as it has been your family that has caused mine the greatest pain."

 

"Is this about your brother?"

 

"Yes of course it is. When my brother was arrested your family friends fired my mother and father both from their jobs. We had to move out of servant-ville. My brother was sent away and I became a nobody at my new school. All because you couldn't keep your dick in your pants."

 

"Me... I did nothing of the sort."

 

"That's not what Ted told me. He said you made a pass at him."

 

"That is a lie."

 

"Well you may say so, but whom do you think I'm going to believe; you or my brother."

 

Jacob bit his lip on that.

 

"Regardless... if my brother had not gotten into that fight with you.

I would not have had to move and lose all my friends."

 

"I didn't know you lost your friends."

 

"I did. You rich kids shunned me after my brother was arrested and all my poor friends gave me the same treatment. One of them told me that it was their parents who, afraid of being fired, told them to avoid me. I lost everything and it was all your fault."

 

For the first time Jacob felt guilt over what had happened with Ted.

He never knew that the entire community took its revenge on Chris as much as they had Ted. That feeling of guilt remained until he noticed he was picking his scar again.

 

"Do you see this?" Jacob said, pointing to his lip. "Your brother gave me this scar. You feel that what happened hurt you... well it hurt me too. It made me afraid that no one would love me so when love did find me,

I didn't know how to handle it. I had a wonderful friendship with a wonderful guy, but I've thrown it away because I'm a hopeless romantic. If

I could not have all of him I was foolish in believing I had none of him."

 

On hearing the word...hopeless, Chris began to put the pieces together... the lost boyfriend... the beating from Ted... the troubles with his mother, it all fit what Chris had read in his emails. He didn't know if he wanted to accuse Jacob of tricking him or kissing him. What he did know was that he had to get out of there. He could not think with Jacob standing right in front of him. "I'm leaving," Chris quickly declared as he jumped up from his seat. "If you give a damn about your mother you will get her to sign over the deed." He called back to Jacob who remained stunned by the sudden departure.