Julien Gregg's Hopper

 

 Chapter 3 

The cabin was two stories tall and sat back a ways from the lake. The lake was peaceful, and there were two more cabins on the other side of the lake. I owned all of this side. There was a garage, and a boathouse. I used the key that the old man had given me to open the front door. We stepped inside and were pleasantly surprised. There was furniture in it. It was all very nice but rustic furniture. I loved it. There were beds in every bedroom, with dressers and three bathrooms. He had really put a lot of work into the cabin. I loved the fireplace. The kitchen had a nice range and fridge. We plugged it in and let it cool. We'd head into town and get food for the weekend. Mother made beds for each of us. Then she worked in the kitchen. Before too long she took off down the gravel road to the highway and back to town to buy groceries. Daddy smiled as he looked at everything.

"He obviously took care of it," he said.

"Yeah," I said. "It looks great. The roof doesn't leak, the plumbing is good. I saw the solar panels out back, so we have power. There are batteries in the back in the room off the porch. It would have been a mud room, but it's got a wall of solar batteries."

"Well, you did very good," he said. "This cabin is amazing."

It was hardwood floors, and log cabin walls. The railing for the upstairs was made of strong wood. The stairs were good. The floors were sound. There was even a dog door in the back. I thought about getting a dog. I'd have to have it somewhere that wasn't Patterson Manor, but that would be after college. The cabin was mine, and I'd bring the dog with me every time I came here. I sat on the couch and found that it was comfortable. Daddy just kept smiling.

There wasn't any work to do on the cabin to make it ready for us. We just opened windows to air it out. Then Mother came back with groceries and Brady and I helped her carry them in. She had lots of fresh bread and fruit. She had vegetables and meat. She put it all away and then made lunch. We sat at the kitchen table to eat the pulled pork sandwiches with chips and iced tea that she had made. It was perfect. I could see many lazy nights on the porch with a dog. I was happy.

"This place is really something," she said.

"It is," I said. "I did good."

"You did good," she said, smiling.

"It's going to be a lot of fun to vacation here," I said. "I can see us all here in the summers, taking the boat out on the lake, riding jet skis, and having cook outs. We can have parties here and everything."

"We can," she said. "It will be our go to destination."

"I'll hire a caretaker to take care of it while we're not here," I said. "He sold me the boat with the house. It's brand new. I'll buy some jet skis and have them delivered here. Adam and Chase will like that."

"Yes, this can be a great place for all of that," she said. "I'm looking forward to sitting on that massive front porch and watching the sun go down over the lake."

"That sounds nice, too," I said.

"Hey," said Brady. "Want to go explore the property?"

"Sure," I said, grabbing my keys. I wanted a look inside that garage.

We went down the front steps and into the timber that surrounded the cabin. There were all sorts of things that made me happy. There was a hunter's blind there in the woods. I imagined for deer. I saw a few in the trees as we walked. There was a fence that marked the end of my property but we'd been walking for a while before we found it. We turned and went the other way. We made it almost to the road out of the place before we encountered another fence. It was all just timber. Great for hunting.

In the garage there was a lot of space. There was a work bench, and tools to work with wood. There were fishing poles and tackle boxes against one wall. There were six of them. I smiled at these. We could fish and eat what we caught. Brady smiled at them, too. We went back out of the garage and checked the boat. It was sweet. It was a motor boat with a cabin under the deck. He smiled at this and said that I had done good when I bought the place. I agreed.

We went back into the house and told Mother and Daddy what we'd discovered. The property was vast, but it was mostly timber. Daddy said that they probably hunted on the property. We told him we'd found a deer blind. Or maybe it was a duck blind. There were plenty of ducks around the lake. There were geese and swans, too. It was a peaceful place. I loved it. I could see myself actually living here. It would be peaceful.

We'd been gone so long that Mother was working on supper. We went and washed our faces and hands and came back. She put dinner on the table and we sat and ate it. It was tater tot casserole. Again not the healthiest of meals, but it was good. I had two helpings. So did Brady. Then she was doing the dishes while Daddy lit a fire. There was a stack of firewood on the back porch. Brady and I carried some inside and filled the metal basket with wood. Daddy smiled.

The cabin got warm once the fire was going. Daddy said he only wanted to see if it worked. I went outside and saw the smoke rising from the chimney. It worked all right. I was happy as I could be with the cabin. I went back in, and we got settled around the fire with ice tea. Daddy said that he could see us spending time here every summer. I told them that I could see myself living in the cabin year round. They looked at me when I said that. I just smiled at them.

"When you guys leave for college I want to make sure that you can study and not have to work," Daddy said.

"I've got that covered," I said. "Don't worry."

"I'm not worried," he said. "I said what I wanted to say. I don't want either of you working."

"We won't," Brady said.

"Focus on your studies, and get your degrees," he said.

"We will," I said. "Don't worry about us, Daddy. We're going to be fine."

"Oh, I know you'll be fine," he said. "You've got the money to make sure of it."

I didn't like it when he said it that way. The money was mine and I wasn't spending it on everyone all of the time. I'd take care of Brady in college so he didn't have to work. That was what I had already planned to do. He upset me by saying that I had the money to make sure we were all right. I didn't like that. I didn't say anything else while we sat there. When he put the fire out, I went up to the room I had chosen for myself. He came to the door and told me to move to the Master Bedroom. He said it was my cabin.

I moved my stuff to the master bedroom, and he moved himself and Mother into the room I'd vacated. I loved the master. It had its own bathroom and everything. I put my clothes away and got ready for bed. Then I was in bed asleep. I woke up at five in the morning. Everyone was still sleeping. I got a mug of hot tea and went out on the porch to sit in one of the chairs there to watch the sun come up. Brady found me about an hour later. The sun was already up.

"You got upset last night," he said.

"I don't like Daddy telling me that I have the money to make sure everyone is all right," I said. "I will help you in college, and I plan to give you fifty thousand dollars to help you succeed. But Daddy doesn't get to earmark my money for anything."

"I had no idea you were feeling this way," he said.

"It was just what he said last night," I said. "I might move out here permanently or to a house in town. I don't know."

"Well, we're going to be with them for the summer," he said.

"Yes, but I don't plan to spend very much time with them," I said. "I'm going to be gone with my friends and my cousins. You can come with us from time to time if you want to."

"That would be nice," he said. "You're really upset."

"No, I'm determined," I said. "Just because I got this money doesn't mean that I'm going to be the savior of the entire family. I'll help you and Robert, because you're my brothers. That's where I draw the line. If others need help, they can ask me. I'm not going to just offer it blindly."

"Okay," he said. "I won't say anything to Mother and Daddy about this."

"Thank you," I said. "Are they up?"

"They were getting up," he said.

I went inside with him. Mother was in the kitchen making breakfast. Daddy hadn't come down yet. I went to wash my face and hands and then sat at the table. Mother kissed my head as she moved through the kitchen. She made scrambled eggs and sausage with biscuits. We sat and ate once Daddy came down. He smiled at me, and I smiled back, but my heart wasn't in it. Mother put a plate in front of me, and I started to eat. I didn't say anything all through breakfast. When breakfast was eaten I went up and took a shower and got dressed. I told Brady we'd take the boat out. He was excited about that. We went to the boat house and I looked it over. I figured it out and pulled out of the boat house. We went to the center of the lake. Then we swam.

"You didn't say anything at breakfast," he said.

"I didn't have anything to say," I said.

"Well, Daddy kept looking at you," he said.

"I know," I sighed. "I'm going to have to have a talk with him that he isn't going to like."

"Be gentle," he said.

We got back in the boat and headed back to the boathouse. We'd been out there for a while. Then we went in and showered and redressed for the day. Daddy asked me to sit on the porch. I got a glass of iced tea and joined him on the porch. We didn't say anything for a while. Then he just sat his coffee down and looked at me. I waited for him to say what he was going to say. I was ready for it whatever it was. He just had to pick his words carefully or there'd be a problem.

"You were upset by what I said last night," he said. "I'm sorry if I upset you."

"Just don't earmark my money for anything," I said. "I'll help Brady in college. I don't want him working either. I will give him fifty thousand dollars when I give Robert his. What they do with that is completely up to them. I won't keep dishing money out to them just because they spent the fifty thousand."

"All right," he said. "You're really different since the head injury. I can't seem to get on the same page with you anymore."

"Well, you say things that set me off from time to time," I said. "I don't share your political views, and I don't share your idea of what the money is supposed to do. I inherited it. It's mine to do with as I please."

"All right, we won't talk money," he said. "What's bothering you?"

"Nothing is really bothering me at the moment," I said. "You said something about me having the money to make sure everyone was all right. Well, that's not what the money is for. You don't need it. You have plenty of wealth on your own."

"I wasn't talking about me," he said. "I was talking about you and your brothers."

"Well, of course I'm going to make sure we're all right," I said. "It was just the way you said it."

"I'll be more mindful of what I say in the future," he said. "I'm sorry that I upset you."

"Thank you for apologizing," I said.

"I have to get used to the new you," he said. "You're very different than you were before the head injury."

"I realize that, but you are my father, and we should be able to still find common ground," I said. "Just don't mention the money again."

"Do you know that I'm happy that you got that money?" he asked.

"You are?" I asked.

"Yes," he said. "I thought you were entitled to it after what happened to you. We all know that the stipulation is a head injury. Now in the past that had come with complete memory loss, but you lucked out in that department. Sure, you can't remember further back than four years, but you could have lost it all. That money is awarded the way it is to make the lives of those who suffer a head injury easier. That's why they put that stipulation in there."

"Really?" I asked. He was partially right, but I wasn't going to correct him. I'd put the stipulation in there so that I would always have my money when I took a body.

"That's what was told to me," he said. "I checked on it when you kids were little. I just wanted to know what the criteria was for inheriting it. When you were in the hospital, I thought well, he's going to inherit all of it. I was happy about that."

"Well, thank you," I said. "But we had no way of knowing that I'd have a head injury."

"To think, we have that awful boy to thank for tripping you," he said. "He used to spend nights in our home, and he nearly killed you."

"Well, he's dead," I said. "We don't have to think about him anymore."

"No, we don't," he agreed. "Just please know that I would never try to tell you how to spend your money. I just don't want you to go hog wild with it."

I decided to throw him an olive branch and tell him what I planned for a lot of the money. "I want to open a company that makes medical equipment," I said. "While I was in the hospital I was surrounded by very expensive machines. If I have a company that manufactures them, then it could pay back into the inheritance for the next poor soul who has a head injury."

"That's a great idea," he said. "That I wouldn't mind you spending your money on. But there has to be a Patterson man at the head of the company that we already own or the board will have a fit."

"Brady can head that company," I said. "I want Adam or Chase to head this one. I'm not in it to make more money for me. I have money. I want to make sure that Adam and Chase are well taken care of, too. I don't want to throw money at them. That sets the wrong example. They need to earn their money. This company could help them earn quite a bit of money."

"That's a great idea," he said. "You are thinking all of this through. I was worried about you for a while. But I'm not now."

We went back inside to have lunch. We'd been out there for a long time. Mother asked if we had settled our differences, and I told her that he explained himself. I told her that I had shared with him my vision for a new company that would make medical equipment. She thought that was a great idea. I sat down to lunch and Brady smiled at me. I smiled back. All was right in the world at the moment. I'd wait for the next big explosion to happen.

That weekend was nice, but it ended. Daddy and Brady had to go back to work, and I missed my cousins and friends. We went back to Harris and back to the house. I had Adam and Chase over to talk about the company. They were both really excited about the opportunities it would create for them. I told them that I wanted one of them at the head of the company. The other could be the CFO or the COO. They thought that was great. They thanked me for the confidence. I told them to major in business. They said they were already planning to. This was right up their ally. I was so happy. I told Tommy and DJ that they'd have places at the company, too. I wouldn't forget who had been my very best friends in the world.

The summer went on. We had barbecue after barbecue. I went to another party in another house on the block. This time no one tripped me and I had a great time. Girls continued to throw themselves at me, and I rebuffed them. I didn't have a boy in mind, but I knew that in this life it would be a boy. I had burgers and drank punch. I got a little tipsy, and I liked it. Of course I had to spend the night with DJ so my parents didn't know I was drinking. He had an apartment in the garage. His parents never knew what he was up to. I slept on the sofa. The next morning he asked how I was feeling. I told him I felt fine. He thought that was amazing. He took two headache pills and brewed a pot of coffee. I had juice.

I drove home later that day and spent some time in my room, going through files on my computer. I had found out who Justin was. He was a boy that had been a year ahead of us in school. He was already at Saguaro and a Alpha Beta Omega brother. I chatted with him. He asked if I had told my family that I was gay. I told him I had. It seemed that Breck was at least bisexual leaning toward homosexual. I was a full blown homosexual now though. He said he'd see me in the fall.

Fall came faster than I expected. My acceptance letter had already come. I went to orientation and picked my classes. I told the advisor that I wanted to major in business. He told me that everyone with my last name was majoring in business. I laughed at that. Tommy and DJ were majoring in business as well. We were assigned dorm rooms. We had one with three bedrooms and a living room kitchen combination. We wouldn't be in it long.

Classes began, and I wrote my essay for Alpha Beta Omega. I turned it in after the first party. They were thrilled to have four legacies in the house that night. We were told that our names were already among the ten that would be in the trials. I told them we'd still fill out questionnaires and do everything the other pledges were doing. They liked that. After the party, I was only slightly tipsy. They'd planned it that way. We went back to the dorm and hung out until we went to sleep. I was in the dorm unit with Tommy and DJ.

The next party was when they gave us the questionnaires. We met with more brothers, and I got to reconnect with Justin. He smiled when he saw me and talked to me quite a while that night. At the end of the party they told us that we would have to be invited to the next party. I told them I'd look for the invitation. I got smiles from that. We went back to the dorm unit. Tommy was going on and on about wanting to get in. I told him that they'd pick ten to go through the trials. Five would make it. He said that he hoped he was one of the five. I told him that if he wasn't he'd be given another shot in January. He thought that was cool, but he wanted to be among the five that joined the frat in the fall.

We got our invitations, and I put on a suit and tie to go the party. We were meeting with alumni and I was excited about that. I met congressmen and two senators. My father was there and he stayed away from all of us. I talked to two business owners, and one from "Forbes" Magazine. We had a great night. We ate sliders and drank punch that wasn't spiked. We talked to all of the alumni that night. I even had a private chat with my father. Then we were ushered out and told that the list of ten would be on the community board in the morning.

I went back to the dorm and took off the suit. I hung it back in the garment bag and put it in my closet. Then I went to bed. The next morning we went to the community board and found all of our names on it. Brady, Adam, Chase, Tommy, DJ, and I were all on it. Of course, Brady, Adam, Chase, and I were legacies. They might just induct us. I didn't know what was going to happen. There were so many who didn't make the cut. They had ten names, and ours was in the ten so it seemed we would go through the trials.

We were told to come to the party tonight and clothing would be provided. We were servers at the party. Omega Beta Zeta, the sister sorority of the fraternity had their pledges being cocktail waitresses. It worked. By the end of the night, my feet hurt. We were told to go down to the pledge room in the basement. We were told to strip naked and fold our clothes and place them on the floor by our feet. We did that. Then we were twined. I got a boy named Larry Donaldson. He came to stand beside me. It was explained that we would do everything this week with our twin. If we had classes that pulled us apart we were to tell the pledge master and he would assign a brother to be a proxi for the twins.

Larry and I had completely different classes all week long, and most were at the same time. We told the pledge master. He said to check with him in the morning and brothers would stand in. Then he told us to get to know each other. We'd be giving an oral report on our twin the following evening. He didn't want to know our field of study or what was in the essay. He knew all of that already. We were assigned beds. They were just a bit bigger than twin beds, so we'd both fit on it if we held on to each other. There were five showerheads and five toilets and sinks across the room from the beds. We had to shower together, shit together, and clean together.

Larry and I sat on the bed and talked to each other about each other. I told him that I had a brother who was also a pledge, my two cousins were pledges too. We were all legacies. I told him that we came from a town called Harris, and my father was the head of Metrics, a company that made refrigerators and freezers. I told him that I owned a cabin in California on a lake, and we went there during the summer to vacation. I told him I loved dogs but didn't have one, though I planned to buy one when I graduated and moved into the cabin full time. I told him that my brother was a female impersonator in Sedona, Arizona. I told him a lot.

He told me that he was one of four brothers, the youngest of four. He was not a legacy. His oldest brother was the first in his family to go to college. He had not pledged Alpha Beta Omega. He had lived in the dorms. He told me that he liked dogs and had three at home. He was planning to be a traveling vet to get to the dogs of the elderly who couldn't get out to take them to the vet. He said he had like fifteen cousins, and most of them were girls. The boys that were cousins were all younger than him. He had a lot of friends and played football through most of high school. He was on a football scholarship here at Saguaro.

We went to bed after using the toilet and washing our hands. We held on to each other and stayed in the bed all night long. The next morning we checked with the pledge master and he assigned me to Justin for the day. Justin's classes would be fine without him, he told me. So I took off with Justin. He talked about how great it was that I was in the trials. He told me that unless I seriously screwed them up I'd be a brother. He was trying to get me for a room mate. I liked that idea. He was a very good looking guy, and I'd seen all of him.

Classes that day were fine. I had Rhetoric and Composition 101 at ten, and I had Psychology 101 at one. Then we were back at the frat house where we were given a tooth brush and told to clean the shower, the toilets and the sinks. I got on it. First I got naked and folded my clothes. I put them on the end of the bed. Then I put on rubber gloves and started to clean my shower, toilet, and sink. Larry was with me a few minutes later. He tackled the sink while I got the toilet. When we were done we just washed our hands and sat on the bed.

The pledge master came and asked us about each other. When he got to me and Larry, I gave him a detailed report on Larry. But Larry gave him the bare bones of what I'd said and lost a point. We had ten points and when you were out of points you were out of the trials. Adam, Chase, Brady, Tommy, and DJ didn't lose any points. We went back to our beds. We were given the history of that particular house to study. There would be a test when he decided to give it. I studied the booklet from front to back and again. Then I did my class work. Larry just did his class work. He believed that because he was a football player it was a sinch to get into the frat. I wasn't so sure, but I didn't say anything to him about it.

We were told to dress and come upstairs for dinner. We ate in the kitchen, and we had hotdogs and potato chips with cool aid. Then we were back downstairs. Today they gave us shopping lists and told us to stay dressed and go and get the items on the list. Each brother had put money in the envelop to pay for his things. We had to go together, so Larry and I headed to my Mustang. He liked the car and asked me how I got it. I told him I bought it. We went to the five and dime store. The other pledges were there, too. I got everything on my list. I had to put money with the money from the brother to get it. Larry just left things off the list because there wasn't enough money to pay for the items. I gave money to Brady and Adam to put with theirs, too. We went back to the frat house. I handed my bag and envelope to John Reamon. He asked for change and I told him I had put my own money in to pay for what he had listed to buy. He smiled and said I didn't lose a point. Larry lost a point and was told that next time he was to put his own money in to pay for things.

We were back in the basement. Larry had bought food at the five and dime store and had it in the pledge room. The Pledge master came in and caught him. He lost another point and had to vacuum the floor to get all of the crumbs up off of it. The rest of us sat on our beds to watch him do it. Then the Pledge Master told us to dress and come upstairs for snacks. He told Larry to stay naked and stay down here. He'd already had his snack.

We went upstairs to eat cooked apples and whipped cream. We had a small cup of iced tea with it. Then we were back in the basement. By the end of the week, Larry was gone. He'd lost all ten points. Now we were handed look books with brothers' faces on each page with their name under it. We were to study it. I studied it diligently. Suddenly the brothers were wearing shirts with "Who Am I?" printed on them. They would stop us and point to the shirt. I named Donny Braxton, Charles Portman, and of course Justin Tanzy. We took the test on the history of the frat house on Tuesday and I did very well. I'd continued to study the booklet until the test. Then we were handed a book on the national fraternity. We were told that the test would be when he decided to give it.

This week we were trios. We had to have proxies for classes, for some of us. I didn't need proxies. My trio was me, Tommy, and DJ. We had all of the same classes at the same times. We went on three more shopping trips. This time there was far too much money for all of the things that were listed. I took the bag and envelope back to Charles Portman and handed them over. He counted his change in front of me and smiled. I didn't lose a point. Neither did Tommy or DJ. I learned that Tommy had lost five points already. I was stunned.

We got trapped by three brothers. They tapped one of us and pointed to their shirts. I told mine that he was Andy Moorehouser. He smiled. DJ named his, but Tommy didn't know his. He lost another point. That was six. I told Tommy to study the look book. He told me he'd left his twin to check in at the dorm to get something for class. He'd been trapped by four brothers and could name only one. He'd lost points on the test for the history of the fraternity house, and for shopping twice. I just shook my head.

By the end of that week we lost four more. Tommy was among them. The Pledge master told them to pledge again in January, and they'd be given special attention. Tommy agreed. The others just left. Now there were five of us. This week we were paired with our Big Brothers in the fraternity. I got Justin, which I was happy for. He had me stay in his room. His roommate didn't come back to school so the bed was empty. That week he told me so much about the frat and let me study a lot. He said there'd be no more losing of points. I'd only lost one because I couldn't name a brother who trapped me. Brady had lost one because of that, too. Adam and Chase hadn't lost any. DJ hadn't either.

At the end of the week there was a party to celebrate that we had made it into the frat. We were asked if we were moving in, and we all said we were. They told me that I would be living in the room I'd spent the last week in. I went and got all of my stuff and took it to the frat house and moved in with Justin. Adam and Chase were roommates. Brady and DJ were roommates. We'd all moved into the frat. I paid my dues and fees and Brady's along with mine. He thanked me. I told him that this was me helping him so he didn't have to work. He nodded at this.

We had a good time in the frat house. I got to know a lot of brothers, and they were all amazed that all of the Patterson boys had made it in. They found us together studying in the dining room a lot. Then we were outside throwing a ball back and forth between the four of us. DJ joined us a lot, too. Justin asked me if I still wanted to have sex with him. I told him I did. We went to bed together and I figured out that he loved to have his ass eaten. I ate it for a long time that night. Then I fucked him. He loved it. He told me that I could have him any time I wanted. I asked if he was boyfriend material. He said he might be. I liked that.

We had a halloween party and there was a costume contest. I didn't get involved in that. Brady won for being a clown. He got five hundred dollars. The others got three hundred and two hundred respectfully. None of them were in my group, so I didn't pay attention to who won. Brady was happy, so I was happy. Midterms happened, and we all did very well on them. We didn't go home for Thanksgiving, we had dinner in the frat house. They had it catered and it was a feast. We did go home for winter break. We stayed in the house with Mother and Daddy. DJ went to his apartment, and Tommy went home. Adam and Chase went to their houses, too.

Daddy was thrilled that we'd all made it into Aboo, as he called it. I'd heard several brothers calling it that, too. He said that we were doing well in school. He got progress reports on me and Brady. I wasn't sure I liked that but I didn't say anything. We had a good time at home. Christmas was great. We got clothes mostly. I got Brady a palm pilot electronic organizer, and a bunch of stuff for school. We had chocolate and cookies in our stockings. We had a ham for Christmas dinner with all of the fixings. Mother had even made homemade noodles with chicken and broth. I loved those. Then we had pies and cookies with hot chocolate as we sat in front of the tree. Robert was there, too.

For New Year's we were at the cabin. The whole family was there. They had to double up, but no one breached the master bedroom with me. I said Brady could sleep in there with me, but he declined. Instead I invited Justin and he slept in there with me. We had a good time at the cabin, but we went back to Harris right after New Year's Day. It was back to the house for us for a few days. When it was time to leave, Justin rode back to school with me. We had stuff in the back seat and trunk that we were taking back to school with us. I had a microwave and a mini fridge. I also had a hamper, two baskets full of freshly laundered clothes, and a bunch of chocolate and cookies.

We got back to the frat house and they were gearing up for the second round of Trials. Of course Tommy was among the hopefuls. This time he made it. He got to room with his big brother in the frat. He was happy, and we were all happy. Classes started and I did very well in my second semester classes. I had Rhetoric and Composition 102 and a Psychology class. I had one business class and that was it. Of course the first two years were for the associates degree. The second two years would be major heavy. I was looking forward to those. I had electives on Tuesday and Thursday. Music Appreciation and Art Appreciation. I had to have electives.

Justin and I were getting along pretty good. He'd stopped seeing other people and was just with me, so I was happy about that. I hadn't said anything to him about it, but he'd made the decision on his own. He told me that the sex was much better with me anyway. I told him that I would love him for the rest of my life. He liked that. It was common knowledge around the fraternity that Justin and I were a couple. They started to refer to us as you guys a lot. I liked it. I asked Justin what he thought of the cabin, and he said it was beautiful. I told him we might live in it after college. I wanted a dog. He said he wanted one, too. That was perfect.

We had a great time that semester, but it went very fast. I was headed for final exams, and then it was over for the year. I took my finals and waited while Brady took his. We left the frat on the same day. Justin was with me. We went back to Harris and Justin stayed with us for the summer. Mother and Daddy welcomed him to the family. They asked about his mother, and he said his parents had moved to Florida to be with his sister. They said they understood.

We swam in the pool and went out to eat. We went to movies, and we hung out around the house. Mother and Daddy asked what my plans were for the week. I told them that Justin and I were going to the cabin for a week. They said that was a good idea and told us to have fun. Jet Skis had been delivered and were now in the boat house. We took those out when we got there and had a good time. Then we just sat in the living room and talked. He wanted to know what I was going to do with all of my money. I told him I was going to open a company that made medical equipment. He said that was a good idea. He asked if he was going to have to work there. I told him he could do whatever he wanted.

"I don't know what I want to do," he said. "I think I might want to teach math."

"Then teach math," I said. "You can do whatever you want."

"Well then, I'll keep my major the same and do some student teaching there in Osage for my degree," he said. "I'll try to get hired at Harris High School when I'm done."

"I'll help you with that if you want," I said.

"I want," he said. "Thank you."

We made love there in the living room. He had a body shaking three orgasm. First from me eating his ass, then from me sucking his dick, and then from me fucking him. He told me that he loved sex with me. It was always so much better than it had been with others. I told him that was because we loved each other. He hugged me. We went and took showers and went to bed. The next day we ate breakfast naked and then dressed and went out on the jet skis again. Then we sat on the porch and watched the sun go down. I grilled some steaks and we had baked potatoes and green beans. We ate on the porch and had a great time. Then the bugs began to bite so we went inside. We sat in the living room and just talked. 

"What about children?" Justin asked on our last day at the cabin.

"I want children," I said. "We'll have to find an egg donor and a surrogate, but I have the money to pay for that."

"Good," he said. "Because I want at least two children."

"So do I," I said. "We're kind of perfect for each other. Don't you think?"

"I do think," he said. "My mom is thrilled that I'm with you."

"You told her about us?" I asked.

"She's planning to visit next summer," he said. "She'll stay at a hotel."

"If that's what she wants to do," I said. "We could just stay here and she could stay with us."

"That's an idea," he said with a smile. "I'll run it by her."

"What about your father?" I asked.

"She left him when they got there," he said. "Apparently my father was unfaithful a lot."

"I'm sorry to hear that," I said. "I don't understand unfaithful people. You find that someone that completes you and you stay with them. It's simple."

"Well, it is for us," he said. "For others it isn't that simple. I'm not excusing what he did, but he's still my father. He'll visit when Mother isn't here."

"Okay," I said. "Is he married again?"

"No, but he has a girlfriend," he said. "He'll likely bring her. It'll make me uncomfortable."

"I'm sorry," I said.

We packed up and left the cabin. I had hired a caretaker. He lived in town. I alerted him that we were leaving. He said he'd check on the place every other day or so. He liked that I allowed him to fish and hunt there. We drove back to Harris. Mother told me that Robert wanted to talk to me about something. I called him and he invited me to a show. I told him that Justin and I would come with Brady. He said that was perfect.

I talked to Brady about it. He said that Robert performed every Friday and Saturday night at The Blind Parrot. We'd got to one of the Friday night shows. I said that was perfect. Justin couldn't wait. In truth, I couldn't either. Daddy asked us if we were ready to see him dressed as a woman. I told him it was art. He just shook his head. This was something we were never going to agree on. We went out with Tommy and DJ that evening and watched a movie in the movie theater. It was a good movie and we had a good time. When we got back to the house, Brady asked how the movie was. I told him it was a good movie. He said he wanted to see it. So we took him the following night.

We had lunch with Adam and Chase the next day. They talked about what was going on in their branches of the family. Their fathers were thrilled that I was wanting to open a company and make them a part of it. They'd both told their respective sons to always remember my generosity. I liked that. They hadn't told them to wait for more. They hadn't told them to ask for anything. They'd just told them to remember my generosity. That made me feel good. The company wasn't even a reality yet. I wouldn't even attempted to start it until graduation.

Daddy asked me more about my vision. I admitted that I'd tracked down facts and figures all the time I was at school. I had a good idea what I wanted to do and where I wanted to do it. I told him the company would be founded in California. I was planning to move there after graduation. He said he'd miss me. I told him that he could visit any time he wanted. I was going to live in my cabin. He thought that was a good idea. He asked if Justin would be with me. I said he would, but he wanted to work at Harris High School. I told Daddy that I was going to ask him to go to work for Brighton Academy in Pleasantville, California. It as twenty miles away from the cabin. Daddy said that was a good idea. I told him I planned to give money to Brighton Academy so they'd hire Justin to teach Math. He said that was a good investment, but warned that Justin might not like that I was buying him a job. I told him that Justin was willing to let me help him get the job at Harris High School. Why not at Brighton Academy?