The Redemption
Book 1

by Joe Writer Man

Chapter 1

"Boy, wake up." Momma's voice came through the otherwise dark clouds of gray fog within the deepest recesses in my head, "Hmph. What?"

"Come on, boy. Get up now. It's Sunday morning; get ready for church Joey."

"Ma. I'll be up in a minute." I muttered sinking my face deeply into my pillow quietly.

Steeling a glance at the Baby Ben clock sitting on my bed next to the pillow I noted it was 6:45am. I'd made it home at a little after 4am, stumbled into my room, stripped and fell into sleep and oblivion…

"Boy, I told you to get up!" Her voice was very loud, and it was right in my ear. The next thing I knew, the next thing I felt through fog drenched sleep was my covers yanking across my body and off the bed, "Boy, you are going to be the death of me yet. I said to get up, and don't you sass me." Ma took a deep breath and wailed, "Ah, son. No please. No. Not again."

Though my eyes were heavy as lead weighted window shades, I jumped out of bed, stumbled around looking for my underwear and then after finding them lying at the foot of the bed I reached down to the dirty floor, retrieved my threadbare Fruit of The Looms, quickly bringing them up and over my legs until my fully deflated manhood was covered. Just as quickly, I reached for my jeans, pulled out a wad of bills, peeled off 7 fifty dollar bills and handed them to Ma, "I'm doing my school work and my room is clean; I made money last night; don't give me a hard time."

"Joey. What? How? Child, don't do whatever it is you are doing. It ain't right, whatever it is. No thirteen year old boy makes this kind of money in one night mowing lawns. What happened to you? Boy, these bruises on you. Oh my, you are so skinny, child." Ma cried.

"Don't ask and I won't have to tell you an untruth, okay, please Ma? Just let it be." I said stronger than I actually mean to say.

"Joey Lee Walker, you are sassing me. You stay up now; go get a shower; we're going to church."

I pulled Ma into a quick side-armed hug, "Sorry Ma. I can't go, I'm sorry but I've got to go."

As Ma looked on with tears in her eyes, I strode by her slowly feeling like I had been hit and ran over by a Mac truck and made my way into the bathroom where I closed the door, stood in front of the stool and let loose with a stream of pent up processed alcohol and other such stuff.

After tossing aside my dirty, filthy, slightly bloody, skid marked and worn out white underwear hanging on my hips by a very tired and thin waistband, I looked into the mirror and saw a very old man looking back at me causing a shudder to travel through the thin body in my view. I reached into the shower, turned on both faucets, knowing all too well only cold water would come from the spigot.

I shivered in anticipation of being shocked beyond belief. I sucked it up, got in standing away from the spray of water, closed the well worn sheet of green slimy plastic providing a modicum of privacy.

Every single bone in my body hurt, every single muscle felt like it had been stretched to its absolute maximum just before being torn off the bones they were attached to.

As cold as the water was, I was not feeling it, instead I felt numb, and was definitely still high.

After wetting myself down and quickly retreating into a section of the shower where the cold water did not splash into, I soaped up with shampoo and then washed the dirt, grime and other sinister dried up fluids off of my body and down into the drain.

The shower curtain then opened up, "Move over asshole" my twelve year old brother Nathan said as he pushed his way in.

"Fuck! You took all the hot water, asshole." He giggled.

He does that. He giggles all the damn time. Nothing bothers him. I'm glad that cold, cruel jungle has not swallowed him up yet. If it is the last thing I do, I will keep him from visiting that sinister place called a world for just as long as I can.

"Yeah, sorry, Nathan. You know how it is." I said sadly.

"Well, it's warmer than it was in January." He giggled.

"You got that right, little man."

"Wash my hair, Joey, like you used to do."

"Shit, Nathan, you are almost grown. Wash your own damned hair."

He giggled wildly.

I poured out a large dollop of pink and cheap shampoo into my hand, worked it through my fingers and then applied it to his long strawberry blond hair, massaging it in just how I know he likes it to be.

"Uhm hmm, that feels good, Joey. Thanks."

"Yeah, well don't get used to it." I groused, not really meaning it. I love my brother with all my heart. He depended on me, and yes I depended on him too, the truth be known. He's a good kid, and I am fiercely protective of him.

When I finished, I then lathered up his back good, stopping at the top of his firm ass cheeks and turned him around to face me. I then took suds from the top of his head and washed the rest of his body stopping only at his very erect penis at which time I handed him the bar of soap, "Wash your own thing."

Seriously looking at me, and desperately looking for my approvals, "Hey Joey, I can jack off, I squirt now, wanna see it?"

"Hey bud, I'm proud of you, but no, I don't need to see you squirt."

"No, wait, watch. I want you to tell me if it is enough, well, you know, I mean…"

"Okay, hurry up. The water is getting cold."

He took the bar of soap, began lathering up his respectably sized 4½ rigid hard cock. He handed the washing piece to me and began vigorously stroking like nobody's business. He reached out with his other hand just as he closed his eyes and took my hand in his to steady himself. Soon, he began shaking as his pleasure moment arrived. Curiously, I looked down and saw his spear of joy expand and jettison a squirt of a thin white fluid from it. He began losing his balance, quickly I grabbed him and held on firmly as his moment of no return ebbed and flowed and then relaxed.

"Did you see it?"

"Yeah, I saw it, little man. That's good. I'm proud of you."

"Aren't you going to do it? You're hard Joey." Nathan giggled but he was also looking at me intently. I figured he might have felt a bit weird in that my dick was rigid hard, needing some relief, obviously.

"Okay, whatever." Nathan smiled then urged my hand with the bar of soap in it toward my 5" hard dick. I quickly, and without reserve, soaped up my rod and began the age old ritual of masturbation. Quickly, I reached the pinnacle of success and shot my load, hitting the shower wall with two or three blasts followed by lesser ones dribbling down my leg and onto my respectably sized walnuts.

When I came to, Nathan had his arms around my waist holding me firmly. He had a smile on his face, "Thanks. I love you, Joey. You're cool."

That said, he washed my back for me. Once he saw it he quickly and quietly gasped with angst in his youthful voice, "Joey, what happened to you?"

"I worked hard last night. Don't ask questions, Nathan."

"I love you, bro. Be careful. I need ya." Nathan said, his sad eyes betraying his normally jovial smile laden face.

I hugged him and shuddered with excruciating pain as he squeezed back against my bruised and very sore ribs with his arms, but I didn't complain, his arms felt so good around me even though it hurt, but it did not hurt enough to break our embrace.

"I love you, Joey. Stay home with us today, please?"

"Maybe, maybe not kid. I've got to meet someone then I'll be home." I continued after a brief pause, "I love you too. Come on, let's get dressed, I'm freezing."

With that, we got out only to literally bump into Ma who was putting her face on in the broken mirror on slanted and well worn out hinges.

I grabbed the towel off the rack and handed Nathan one side of it while I held onto the other side. We had a rhythm developed, since we had taken many showers together, to dry off. Soon, we were dry, and then the little shit grabbed my end and took off for his room leaving me standing there stark naked, and shivering.

"You are growing up, boy. Get ready for church. I've laid out clean clothes for you to put on." Ma said motherly, pulling me into her bosom and putting her arms around my skinny chest.

"Thanks, Ma. Now, let a man get dressed will ya?"

"Boy, it was just yesterday when I changed your diapers, you don't have nothing different than you had then, and well you are maturing."

"Yeah, yeah, Ma, I'm growing up, let me be, please." I said quickly removing myself from her embrace.

Ma just giggled then left the bathroom. By then, I was growing hard again. Naked, I padded into my room, pulled out the clothes she had laid out and put them on. After tucking my shirt into my pants, I went into the bathroom where I combed my hair into a pony tail and tied it back with a rubber band.

"Kay. I'm outta here. Gonna meet some friends to shoot some hoops at the park. Be back later." I said sneaking past her towards the front door.

"I'm gonna make you and your brother a fine dinner tonight. Be home by 6."

I quickly squeezed her in a hug and sprinted to the door for freedom before she saw the tear in my eye threatening to make its way down my cheek. Quickly hitting the pavement, I smeared my eyes with my shirt sleeve as nobody, none of my friends, could see me wearing them.

My friends were there for me when dad and Jerrod were offed during a drug deal gone bad a little over two years ago. They were both killed dead. Ma was caught up her own grief to pay any mind to me, though she tried. She really tried hard.

My friends taught me how to toughen up and to become what I am by sharing their own stories as to the deaths of their parents, siblings and people they had become close to. One guy, Buzz is his name, told me about the experience of avenging his little brother's killer by exacting extreme pain, and ultimately bringing a slow and painful death to those responsible.

Just as I opened the door leading out of our brownstone apartment building, I was startled out of my thoughts by a booming voice coming from behind me, "Hey kid, where the fuck ya going? We ain't fuckin settled yet. Where's my fuckin money? Ya know, we had an agreement and it's time to pay up, hotshot."

Before I could answer, the body behind that voice slammed my head down onto the fender of his car, knocking me senseless.

When my thoughts came back a few seconds later, I said the first words that came to me "I will pay you tomorrow, but here is some money to tie you over until then."

Quickly, I reached into my left front pants pocket and pulled out a wad of cash from next to my Protector knowing the money left was a hundred dollars, but three hundred fifty shy of what I had made the previous night."

"You little shit head. Where the fuck is the rest of it?" He screamed at me.

"I gave it to my momma. She needed it to feed us, and our rent is behind. We were ready to get evicted." I said with sincerity.

"You don't make the rules, I do you fuckwit." He said, his voice still lowering into a deep growl.

Passerby were looking at us and then would quickly look away so as to not get involved.

"Fuckin people anyway!" I thought.

"Come on you little shitfuckinhead. We'll fix it so you remember the rules and obey them. Fuckin kids these days. Time for you to learn some respect. Behave and don't bring attention to us." He said calmly, assuredly.

He draped his arm over my shoulders, took hold of that muscle running between the neck and the shoulder and squeezed firmly enough to get my attention. Squeezing once, twice and harder the third time, he said "I make the fuckin rules around here. Soon you will know them well."

As we walked by the entrance to the park, I looked over, saw Buzz and another guy I did not know sitting on a park bench facing me. They looked up and their gaze was averted by a group of people walking by on the opposite side of the street. Quickly, I turned away after receiving an especially painful twist on that muscle by the asshole to turn me onto the steps of an old brownstone type building much like ours.

Asshole opened the doors into a lobby type of entrance and pushed me through so hard I tripped over the threshold and landed in a heap across the floor. Many people were present and nobody even looked up to see what the commotion was all about.

"Come on you little shit." He said while, at the same time, forcefully lifting my entire body back to my feet by the hair. Once I was up, he literally had me on the tips of my toes with his big and strong arm around my neck in a choke hold.

He hit the button on the elevator. I could not see which floor he had selected as my head and face were completely imbedded into his side with my arms grotesquely held over my head, and I could not reach into my pocket as hard as I tried.

The elevator did not go up too far, maybe a story or two from what I could tell. Soon enough, too quickly for comfort actually, the doors opened and he half-carried, half dragged me into the hallway. With his other hand, he reached into his pants and retrieved a set of keys. Fumbling with them, he selected the correct one and unlocked and then opened the door.

I was scared shitless but would never admit it, not even to myself. Avenge and revenge, strength and courage are the words that came to mind, but I did not know from where they came, but then the thought, a comforting thought was that I realized those words came from my friends.

The next thing I knew was that I found myself being bodily picked up and was then thrown onto an unmade, cluttered and horrible smelling bed. Landing face down, I felt a pair of heavy hands holding my face into the stinking, rot smelling pillow. "Don't move a muscle. Don't sneeze. Don't cough. Don't fart. Stay still and I will release my hand from your neck." He said breathily.

I stayed still, not muttering a word, which is unlike me. When I have something to say, I say it. The degree of respect I provide depends on the company I am with.

That was not the time to get mouthy.

"Good boy. Now turn over slowly, say nothing." He said quietly, deliberately.

Slowly and carefully I turned over since his hands were still on my head still feeling like it was in the grips of a vice grip.

When I was fully on my back, his hands started to release my head but not off of it, instead they started traveling down and soon, too soon, they were passing slowly over my eyes. I don't know about you, but I have this reflex when my eyes are touched, so instinctively, my arms started to reach up to my eyes because it tickled.

Wrong move, instinctual or not.

When he got finished teaching me a 'lesson', I tasted blood. I also felt the sting of tears in my eyes. I would later learn that those tears were not tears of the usual kind, rather they were tears of blood.

"Fuckin cry baby."

Removing his hands from my head and face, I opened my eyes, and quickly reached down for my pocket but I was not fast enough. All thoughts of neutralizing the motherfucker were shattered by his gorilla sized fist connecting with the side of my face, effectively knocking my head back into the bed, hitting the headboard.

By time I regained any sense of being, what I saw next terrified me, and disgusted me, all at the same time. But I did notice that my hands were free. Quickly, I reached into my pocket only to find the rest of my money, and my reinforcements – gone.

After laughing and spraying spittle all over my face, "Don't fuckin move."

I didn't move. He had my piece looking me dead center right down the end of my nose. I would have nightmares for a very long time after seeing, not my weapon, but the look of conquest on his gnarly, swarthy pockmarked face.

I nodded.

The cool and damp air, a breeze blowing across my chest caused me to shudder violently. I shivered when the last remaining remnant of protection against the outside world were taken away from my body and landed on top of the heap of my other clothing.

After once again slamming my head against the headboard, dazing me like crazy, so crazy that I lost my bearings. The only thing I knew was that my legs were slammed into my ears. The harder I fought, the stronger he got. I found myself in a stranglehold, and then I felt a hardness against my butthole, and it was pushing, pushing, pushing. Valiantly, I struggled … and finally, valiantly I failed.

"Oh, but for the love of the God Almighty Himself. Oh my God, you are beautiful, you little fuckwit." I heard him say as he struggled himself to get into position. I knew what was about to happen. It had happened before.

I had no choice at that point in time so I relaxed and then pushed down as hard as I could hoping against hope that a load of shit would stop 'that' from happening … the very second his stinking snake began to enter my rebelling receptacle, the door to his apartment exploded with an ear shattering, blood curdling noise, a noise I quickly recognized as a shotgun blast.

I was still powerless, even though I struggled mightily he had the best of me, and I knew it.

"FUCK ME DEEP, YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE. GIVE IT TO ME! FUCK ME!!!!" I screamed, and at the same time bit into his swarthy, sweaty arm causing him to buck wildly and scream out in pain.

The next sound split the air like a fuckin cannon going off. I knew well enough to slink down into the bed as deeply as I could. I caught the sides of his belly as he collapsed, and was able to, with some help from a helping hand knock his fucking ass off to the side of me.

Quickly, I jumped up and off the bed, and didn't look back as another blast from the shotgun tore through his flesh and bones.

Then another, and then another, until there were no others.

"Don't look, Joey. Get in the shower. The cops will be on their fuckin way, even as dumb as those cock suckers are there is no way for them to miss the little bit of noise coming from this room."

Another guy, my bestest friend in life, Buzz, quickly led me into the bathroom, leaned me over the sink and separated my cheeks with his warm, strong but gentle hands and fingers, "You okay, Joey. I don't see no damage to you. Get in the shower now, hurry. Don't look back, hurry."

I caught his arm in mine and then looked him deeply into his eyes. Very quietly, very deliberately and very calmly, "I gotta take a shit first."

I then grinned and walked back into the bedroom where the asshole lie there deader than dead. His head was cleanly blown off, bits and pieces of what used to be a human body were scattered about the room. There was nothing left of it but a stump here and there, and then the blood and guts of what remained on the bed, save for a small area about the size of what my body was. The most memorable sight that I remember to this day was what I saw on the white, or what I thought had been white, curtains.

I gingerly stepped up on the bed, aimed my orifice directly over his open neck and grunted hard and deliberately… and effectively providing me with great relief…

After laughing our asses off, mine literally, I exuded two additional soft and squishy and stinky turds onto the remaining bits of corpse below my ass and then jumped off and got into the shower where I soaped up good in hot water and sudsy water.

"Razzle dazzle kid, get your fuckin ass dressed! We gotta get the fuck out of here." Emanual said.

Emanual is my other best bud in the whole world. He showed up at about the same time as did Buzz, back right after my dad and brother were taken away from this planet, and from my family's life.

Quietly and quickly, I dressed. My clothes were okay as they had been tossed away from the carnage lying in front of us. Just as we were getting ready to walk out the door, I unzipped my pants, pulled my underwear down, flipped my dick out, and then let loose with a torrent of boy piss, right in the mess I had previously endowed deep inside of his neck.

"You're a fuckin pervert, did you know that?" Buzz chuckled loudly and then he grabbed my arm hard and led us down the hall and onto the landing. Stealthily we made our way out of the building and down the back stairs and then out and into the crowd of people where we just blended in.

When we reached the bottom, David, another good brother, older than I but younger than Buzz, and older than Emanual, called our other friends and arranged for a new meet-up place a few blocks away.

Before leaving the neighborhood entirely, I looked back and saw cops all over the place as well as swat team setting up positions in and around the buildings. We left, just in the nick of time.

When we got to our new meeting place, I suddenly felt sick.

"You aren't looking so good there, Joey." Buzz said.

"Nuh eh, Buzz."

I felt better after doing the deed. While I was washing my mouth out and my face off, David patted me on the back reassuringly. It felt good but I walked over to where another friend and Buzz were talking together quietly.

When I arrived, Buzz, with concern etched on his tired face, Quiet Jim spoke up saying thoughtfully while handing my piece back to me, which I quickly put into the waistband of my underwear, "Joey, not that it is any of our business, but what did that fucker have on you anyway? Not that any of it was your fault, you did not want to be there, obviously … we eliminated the threat, but what did he have on you?"

"Uhm, I worked for him last night but gave most of the money to my mom. I gave him what was left, but it wasn't enough, obviously." I answered truthfully.

"Were you doing drugs or 'working' for his clients?" Quiet Jim asked quietly. He never speaks over a loud whisper even when he is excited. I've always wondered if he had no vocal cords to speak with. Buzz had told me once what was the matter, but I had forgotten, and then was no time to ask such a question.

"We've all been there, Joey, don't worry bout it none." Emanuel said carefully.

"Hey, you guys are okay; thank you; you saved my life; I owe you." I said with absolute conviction.

"Yeah. No problem, Joey. No problem at all." Emanuel said thoughtfully.

Skeeter, a boy of 11 years old came up to me, reaching into his pocket he carefully pulled out a bag of something. I realized what it was. Cocaine. His shit was always good.

"Joey, you need some of this. It will help you feel better. I promise." Skeeter said emphatically handing it to me.

"Put that shit away, Skeeter, not here, not now!" David commanded.

"Thanks anyway, Skeeter, later, okay? It just isn't safe here. Besides, I am trying to quit!" I said truthfully, and then snickered at the absurdity of it all.

"Yeah, right." He said, pushing the stuff back into the front right pocket of his threadbare and tattered jeans.

Together, we all took off to a hole-in-a-wall place well known for its authentic Spanish ethnic food where we chowed down heartily and agreed to meet up at the new place at midnight that night.

"Come on Skeeter. You don't need to be out on the streets all by yourself right now. There is a lot of heat that you don't need to be around." I said.

Skeeter lives four doors down from our place and well, we spend as much time at one another's house as we do our own.

"Hey Skeeter, stay here tonight, Ma is making up something real good to eat for dinner; she promised when I left this morning." I said to him though not really asking.

"You sure, Joey?" I don't want to be no pain in the ass you know."

"It's okay to be a pain in the ass with me, Skeeter. Any time, dude."

"S'ok. Just this one time."

Arriving home just a little bit before 6pm, Ma greeted me at the door and then brightened up like a sunup. Skeeter came around in front of me where Ma grabbed him into her bosom, holding him tightly in a hug that only Ma can give properly.

I kissed Ma on her cheek then stepped aside so that she and Skeeter could continue to hug. I walked into the kitchen, opened a well worn pan on the stove, got a spoon from the drawer and then scooped out a spoonful of well seasoned hamburger meat. After blowing it off amply, I chowed it down. At about the same time, Ma came round the corner, saw what I was doing, admonished me 'severely' with a smile overriding a frown. Busted.

Skeeter walked over to me and intently looked into my eyes. I reached in and scooped another spoonful of the delicious delicacy, allowed him to blow it cooler and then fed it into his mouth. He smiled warmly his approvals.

"You boys get out of there." Ma said with irritation in her voice, but with a smile on her face.

"Busted." Skeeter said seriously but then Ma allayed his fears, "You are staying for supper, right Skeeter?"

"Oh, yes ma'am, Joey already said I was staying. Can I stay overnight too? I kinda need to get cleaned up and stuff. You always make me feel at home. If it is alright, that is?"

"Oh honey, you can stay here anytime. You are like my fourth son. You are really a good kid and I love you so much."

"Thank you ma'am. May I go take a shower before dinner?"

"Honey, come here."

"Yes ma'am?" Almost cowering as he walked over to her.

"Honey, my name is Momma Clare. Please call me Momma Clare instead of all the ma'am stuff, okay?"

"OK, ma'am, I mean Momma Clare."

"That's better. Go take your shower kiddo. Nathan has some clean clothes up in his room that should fit you just fine. Joey, go up and help him to find them."

"No prob, Ma."

As I started to walk away with Skeeter, Ma said "What about me, boy? Do I get a hug from you, or are you too old to give your old mother a hug every now and again?"

"No Ma, you aren't too old to get a hug from me."

When I reached out for Ma, she gripped me in her strong arms, brought my face into her bosom and whispered "I love you so much son. Please do not do what you've been doing. Child I cannot have you doing that no matter how much we need the money. Money from the State is coming baby, just you wait and see. Please stop."

"When Ma? When is that money coming? It has been 'coming' for over 6 months now. I won't have us living on the streets, you won't survive, and I won't have Nathan out there, Ma. I won't."

That said, I broke loose, looked Ma in her eyes, and on into her soul. She had tears in them, "Boy, please…"

"Ma, I promised Dad I'd take care of you and Nathan..."

I turned away before Ma could see a tear threatening to fall from my eye. Skeeter was standing at the landing on the stairway waiting for me. He had this perplexed look written all over his young face but smiled when I turned toward him, walked over where he took hold of my arm and pulled on it gently but firmly and led me up the stairs. When we were about halfway up, he pulled my head down to his mouth where he whispered in my ear, "Joey, will you take a shower with me, please?"

"I've already taken two showers today, short-stuff."

"David's brother told me what happened to you today, Joey, I'm sad. It fucking pissed me off. Uhm, sorry."

"Sorry my ass, Skeeter. You ain't sorry and you know it!" I said with a big grin on my face.

Stammering, "Did he hurt you? You know, uhm, did he, uhm, ehm…"

"No Skeeter, if you mean did he fuck me then no he didn't." I answered with a quick breath of air and a shudder, knowing that I was, at least partially, lying to him.

With tears freely flowing down his young face, "I'm glad, Joey. I don't want you to get hurt."

"Hey, little friend, little brother, don't you worry none. I was not about to let him hurt me, I guarantee you."

"Joey?"

"What?"

I looked down into Skeeter's eyes. They were full of distrust, and they even had a trace of anger behind them, "Joey, don't ever lie to me, okay, please?"

I have never before seen him angry before, never. He saw right through me.

"Come on, I'll tell you about it. And yes, I'll take a shower with you."

"Yeah?"

"Come on."

We took off for Nathan's bedroom. He was playing with some cards I had bought him recently. He liked them because they had naked girls with their exaggerated tits, and well, Nathan is growing up, becoming ever more cognizant of the opposite sex.

He looked up as we entered his room, smiled broadly, gathered up his cards, "Hey, you guys play with me, okay?"

"Yeah, sure, after a while, okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, promise, Nathan." Skeeter said as he gave Nathan a smacking high-five.

"Nathan, would you get some clothes for Skeeter to wear? He needs to take a shower. I'm going to join him. Just bring them into the bathroom."

"Okay, I'll be right there. Hey Skeeter, I can shoot now." Nathan said proudly.

"Kewl. Show me sometime, okay?"

"No problem. Joey saw me, didn't you Joey?"

Caught off guard, I stumbled and then giggled, "Yeah, sure. He makes a lot for a squirt."

Nathan thought that was the funniest thing he had ever heard in his life. He gave me an impish smile, got up from the floor, came to me and pulled me into a deep hug. Whispering and giggling in my ear, "You're hard again."

"Yeah, it happens all the time. You'll find out soon. It'll be something you think about often."

That said, Skeeter and I went into the bathroom, closed the door. Skeeter stripped his clothes off completely, sat down on the stool, did his thing, wiped up and joined me in the shower.

His gaze met mine, he was looking into my soul, I felt it completely and utterly entrance me. Knowing that he knew I had lied to him, I pulled him into a body hug, "I couldn't stop him. He went into me, but, David, Emanual and Buzz arrived just in right the split second, so 'it' did not 'really' happen, Okay, little buddy?"

"My dad did that to me you know. Nobody stopped him…"

"No Skeeter. I didn't know, I'm sorry I wasn't there." And I pulled the boy in tighter to me, almost crushing him in the process even though I would never hurt him in any way, ever.

When we pulled away, just a short distance from our embrace, we both had tears freely streaming down our faces. He reached up and began furiously and angrily wiping his tears away. I quickly took his hand in mine, "Sometimes, Skeeter, the tears just have to come out because there is nowhere else for them to go to. I hate it when they come. I try to keep them away, but sometimes they just come out and I can't stop them."

"Joey, we are pussies you know, for getting all emotional and everything."

"Not this time, Skeeter. It is just us here, now, okay?"

That said, I pulled him back into our embrace where we, together released many pent up and unshed emotions, just the two of us, alone, unencumbered.

After stealing a few moments, he stepped back half a step and then his face brightened up considerably. He reached around, grabbed the bottle of shampoo and handed it to me, "Wash my hair for me, please?"

When I had his silky brown hair thoroughly soaped up, he gently guided my hands over and across neck, shoulders, chest, and on down his belly. I stopped when he began urging my hands down further, "Wash your own dick, little man. That is your property, not mine."

"Well, at least wash my butt, I can't see anything with this soap on my face."

"I don't have a washcloth, you wash it yourself." I said firmly, decisively.

I handed him the bar of soap and watched him wash his private areas. We rinsed off thoroughly, got out, dried each other and then got dressed. Nathan was waiting on us.