The Locket

Written By: LJ


Dennis was relieved to finally be home. The Saturday morning meeting had lasted longer than anticipated. Entering the house, he found Dusty reading in the living room.

“I’m home, love…..at last.” He stepped out of his wet shoes, hung his slightly damp jacket on the banister, placed his briefcase on the hall table and walked over to the sofa to kiss his partner and ask, “What are you reading?”

“Going over the specs for the new tractors the company is thinking of purchasing.” Dusty closed the book and got up to follow Dennis into the kitchen. “How was the meeting?”

“Unnecessarily long; but we have the summer-class scheduling completed.” Dennis lifted the cover off the pot sitting on the stove to see what was in it and set the burner to low.

“I made sandwiches to go with that. I figured you’d be hungry by the time you got home.”

“I am!” Dennis turned and pulled the younger man into his arms. “Hmm…the table is set and everything’s ready; thank you, baby.” Looking around, he inquired, “Where’s Skyy?”

“Ah…we got all the chores done. House is clean and the laundry is almost done; last load in the dryer. Skyy did a great job cleaning the bathrooms and washing and waxing the kitchen floor,” Dusty answered evasively as he moved out of his lover’s arms.

“I’m very happy to hear that, but you haven’t answered my question, Dusty. Where is Skyy?”

“I don’t know.” Dusty knew Dennis would find out sooner or later, but wished he didn’t have to be the one to tell him. “He pestered all morning to go outside but I told him it wasn’t a very good idea. He left while I was going to the bathroom.”

“He went out in this weather? There is a storm going on out there. Look at the rain pouring down,” Dennis pointed out as he walked over to the window. Looking out at the yard, he saw the gate to the back alley swinging on its’ hinges. He slipped on rubber boots and shouldered into his raincoat. “I know where he is. Please keep an eye on that pot so it doesn’t boil over, sweetheart. I’ll be right back.”

Dennis purposefully made his way down the path and out the back gate. He immediately spotted Skyy rollerblading along the alley without a care in the world. That was about to change! “Skyylar! Get over here right now, young man!” Dennis had to shout to be heard over the storm.

Skyy turned towards home and a very perturbed partner who didn’t fail to notice his Brat happily skating through every puddle in sight.

When Skyy was within arm’s reach, Dennis grabbed the young man and hoisted him over his shoulder, landing a solid swat on a very, wet rear-end.

“Owww!” Skyy wailed, quickly realizing that in this position his backside was as vulnerable as when he was over the big man’s knee.

Dennis carried Skyy back to the house and unceremoniously plunked him down on top of the storage box. Unlacing and removing one of the wet roller-blades while Skyy removed the other, Dennis demanded, “What do you think you were doing?”

“I’m allowed to rollerblade in the back alley,” was Skyy’s response.

“Not in the pouring rain,” Dennis firmly pointed out, setting Skyy on his feet and sending him into the kitchen with another far-from-gentle swat.

“Dusty, would you please set out lunch, while I get Skyy some dry clothes.” Dennis turned to Skyy, “You get yourself stripped, young man.”

Returning with clean shorts and T-shirt, Dennis gathered up the wet clothing to put in the laundry room and ordered Skyy to dry himself off, get dressed and seated at the table.

“This sure hits the spot, Dusty,” Dennis commented, once they were finally able to enjoy their meal together. “So your employers are considering the purchase of new equipment?”

“Yes, and if they do buy two or three new trucks, I may have to go check them over and drive one back. It should be a fun trip.”

Dennis agreed and got to his feet to begin clearing off the table. “Skyy, finished your lunch, please.”

As he was walking to the sink Dennis heard Dusty snickering behind him. Turning around, he saw what was amusing his partner. Skyy was drinking his soup out of the bowl.

“There!” Skyy proclaimed, putting down his bowl. “Now it’s easier to get to the noodles.”

“Man, you may have learned some neat things when you were living on the streets,” Dusty teased. “But etiquette wasn’t one of them.”

Dennis put down the dishes he was carrying and headed back to the table, but didn’t make it in time to prevent a handful of noodles from landing on the front of Dusty’s shirt.

Skyy found himself with his pants down and bent over Dennis’ slightly raised left leg while the big man’s right hand voiced his displeasure on his Brat’s bare bottom.

“Throwing food is not acceptable behaviour, young man!” Dennis applied over a dozen sound spanks before sitting down to comfort Skyy until the crying had all but stopped. Then he rearranged the young man’s clothing and settled him in the corner. “You can stay here while Dusty and I clean up the kitchen.”

Several minutes later, Dennis noticed Skyy leaning with his head against the wall instead of shuffling from one foot to the other as was the young man’s usual habit when standing in the corner. ‘He’s probably tired,’ he thought to himself before softly saying, “Come here, little one.”

Skyy turned and threw himself into the bigger man’s arms. “I’m sorry; I won’t throw food again.”

“All right, honey,” Dennis hugged his young partner. “I think you owe someone else an apology.”

“I’m sorry, Dusty.” Skyy said sincerely, going over to embrace his fellow-Brat.

“Me too, Buddy. I shouldn’t have teased you. I can’t understand why you’ve been so cranky all morning.”

Quickly adding up all the signs, Dennis suggested, “I think someone needs a nap.”

“Not me!” echoed the twin responses.

“Yes! You do, Skyy,” Dennis smiled as he took his partner’s hand and walked with him into the living room. “Dusty, if you want to, love, you can go back to your reading.”

“Why do I have to go to sleep?” Skyy complained, squirming on the sofa.

“Because you’re over-tired. You were up until after one o’clock this morning watching ‘Lord of the Rings’ movies.”

“But Dusty was up too and you’re not making him take a nap,” Skyy argued.

“Dusty sleeps in later than you do, especially when he’s gone to bed late. You, on the other hand, are up at six o’clock no matter what time you get to bed. You need well over five hours sleep to get you through the day, young man.”

“It’s not fair,” Skyy grumbled as he fell asleep.

Getting up to cover Skyy with a throw, Dennis returned to their large recliner and held out his arms in an invitation for Dusty to spend time with him. It had been a long morning and the storm outside was still raging, but inside the peace and quiet soon had all three family members dozing comfortably.

Skyy woke an hour later and seeing the two older men curled up together, decided to join them. He cuddled on top of his partners and smiled when he heard the soft rumble of laughter from Dennis’ chest as he fell back to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~

“I’m home, Skyy! Where are you?” Dennis called out as he walked down the hall.

“Right here!” Skyy came running from the kitchen and greeted his partner with an enthusiastic hug. “You’re off work early.” Looking over Dennis’ shoulder, his smile was quickly replaced with a look of uncertainty when he realized they had company.

“It’s okay, Sport,” Dennis whispered. Placing an arm around his Brat’s shoulders, he asked, “You remember Mrs. Johnston from Social Services, don’t you?” At Skyy’s nod, he continued. “This is Detective Barkowski. They’d like to talk to you about your parents.”

“No!” Skyy shook his head and tried to pull away.

Tightening his hold on the skittish young man, Dennis suggested, “Mrs. Johnston, Detective, would you please take seats in the living room. I need a couple of minutes alone with Skyy. If you’ll excuse us, we’ll be right back.”

Once in the study, Dennis closed the door and took the young man into his arms. “It’s going to be all right, honey. Just answer the questions as honestly as you can.”

“Am I in trouble? Are they going to take me away from you?” Skyy’s voice shook as he expressed his worse fears.

“No! You have not done anything wrong and no one is ever taking you away from us.” Dennis tightened his arms around his young partner. “We’re a family, remember?”

“Even when I’m causing trouble?”

“You are a mischievous, playful scamp at times, but all in all you do not cause that much trouble.” Dennis was thinking of Skyy’s antics in the rain last Saturday. “You’ll grow out of it someday.” He smiled down at Skyy, hoping the light teasing would ease the situation.

“Okay, I’ll talk, but you won’t leave me alone with them, eh?”

“Not for a minute, Skyy. I’ll stay right beside you,” Dennis promised with another hug before returning to the front room to face their guests together.

Dennis sat in the armchair across from the sofa, while Skyy chose to settle on the floor between his legs and stare suspiciously at their visitors.

At Dennis’ nod, Mrs. Johnston decided to speak first. “Skyy, I’m happy to see you have completely recovered from your recent illness.” She was unsure of how the young man would respond as he had refused to talk to her on previous visits and today’s discussion was going to be very difficult. “I have been able to track down your father’s whereabouts and some of the situation has raised additional concerns.”

Skyy just looked at the two strangers without acknowledging what had been said.

“Skyylar, when was the last time you saw either of your parents or your uncle?” inquired Detective Barkowski. Not receiving a reply, the detective looked to Dennis for assistance.

Leaning forward and putting his head next to Skyy’s, Dennis gently encouraged. “What happened the last time you saw your father, Skyy?”

Looking back over his shoulder and keeping his eyes on Dennis, Skyy responded to the gentle urging. “He kicked me out. He told me I was nothing but trash and he never wanted to see me again.”

“When was that?”

“Over a year ago, just before my seventeenth birthday. I haven’t seen him since.”

“What about your uncle?”

“Uncle Earl lived with us and he was there that night, but I haven’t seen him since then either.”

“Skyylar, do you know what became of your mother?” Detective Barkowski tried once again to question the boy.

Still looking up at Dennis, Skyy shrugged his shoulders and answered in a small voice, “She just left.”

Gently touching the young man’s face, Dennis asked, “Do you remember how old you were or what was happening back then?”

“I had just turned seven. One day she was there and the next day she was gone. It was almost summertime and school was finishing for the year. I got promoted into grade three.”

“Can you think of anything else, Skyy?”

“No!” Skyy sadly shook his head and turned around to stare past the other two people in the room.

“Skyy,” Mrs. Johnston tried once more to get his attention. “We have learned that your father passed away last month. He had been ill for some time. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault so why are you sorry?” Skyy asked and then murmured, “Anyway, he deserved to die.”

Dennis watched as Skyy folded his arms on the coffee table and lowered his head. He had heard the young man’s last remark and the pain behind it. Placing his hands on Skyy’s shoulders, Dennis asked their guests if there were any more questions. Getting a negative response, he offered to see them on their way. He was saying goodbye to the visitors at the front door when Dusty pulled into the driveway, so he waited for his partner to join him on the veranda and after greeting him with a hug, briefly explained all that had just happened.

“Is Skyy okay?”

“He will be. Let’s go see how he’s taking all this. I don’t want to leave him alone too long.”

Skyy was still sitting where Dennis had left him. Looking up and seeing Dusty, Skyy smiled and quickly stood up to greet him. “Did your bosses decide to buy those new trucks yet?” he asked.

“What trucks?” Dusty was thrown by the unexpected question.

“The ones you were reading about all weekend,” Skyy reminded him.

“Oh, hmmm….no, not yet.” Dusty glanced uncertainly at his older partner.

Dennis shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. He recognized Skyy’s way of letting them know he wasn’t ready to talk about this afternoon’s visitors and their brief conversation.

Dennis was working in his study later that evening when he looked up from his computer to see Skyy standing next to the desk. Spinning his chair around, he held out his arms and Skyy immediately crawled on to his lap. They sat together for several minutes, quietly swinging back and forth. Dennis sighed with relief when Skyy finally opened up and began to talk.

“It’s safe for me to go back to the tenement now. He isn’t there any more,” he murmured.

“Do you really want to go back, sweetie?”

“Uh-huh.” Skyy vigorously nodded his head, causing his curls to tickle the big man’s neck.

“Is this a private conversation or can anyone join in?” Dusty joked from where he was standing in the doorway.

“Not just anyone,” Dennis answered, moving Skyy and himself to the couch to make room for Dusty to sit with them. “However, you are more than welcome to join us, love.” Waiting until they were all comfortable, Dennis informed Dusty, “Skyy was saying he’d like to go back and see the people who live in the old apartment block where he grew up.”

Looking around the bigger man to see his younger partner, Dusty blurted out, “Why would you want to go there?”

“Because I’d like to see my friends again, now that it’s safe. He’s gone! He can’t hurt me anymore.”

“What do you think of the idea of us all going to see your friends this Saturday afternoon?” Dennis asked, watching closely to read the young man’s body language.

“Yeah, I’d like that. Wait ‘til you meet all of them, Den. I think they must be the best friends anyone could ever have.”

“Okay, Saturday it is! None of us have other plans, right?”

“That’s right!” Both young men answered in unison.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Come on, Dusty. It’s time to get up. We’ve got lots to do today.” Skyy was having a hard time getting his fellow-Brat out of bed. “It’s almost eight o’clock and Dennis has breakfast ready.”

“Bug off, kid. It’s practically the middle of the night.” Dusty pulled the blankets over his head, hoping to go back to sleep. Unfortunately, Skyy wasn’t giving him that option.

Dennis entered the master bedroom five minutes later to find both Brats in the middle of a pillow fight. “All right, boys. Enough is enough. Dusty, make up the bed and get dressed.” Although, Dennis spoke sternly, he wasn’t angry…..much to the relief of the two young men.

“I’ll make the bed for you, Dusty, while you get ready. It’ll save time.” Skyy was anxious to get their day started.

“Have you got everything, Skyy, Dusty?” Dennis asked before locking the front door a few hours later.

“Yep, and I’ve got something for everyone.” The young man was struggling with a large carton. “This is the first time I’ve ever been able to buy gifts and I got good deals where I work.”

“You sure like working at the Farmer’s Market, don’t you? Of course, you’ve only been there a month, so I guess the novelty hasn’t worn off yet,” Dusty tormented as he helped Skyy get his boxes into the back of Dennis’ Mustang. “Owww. What did you do that for?” he questioned his older lover as he rubbed at his backside.

“Don’t start teasing or looking for trouble, young man,” Dennis instructed.

The closer they got to the other side of town, the quieter Skyy became. Dennis hoped they weren’t making a mistake by coming here. Arriving at the tenement, Dennis parked the car, turned to his youngest Brat and asked, “Are you sure you want to do this, Skyy? It’s not too late to change your mind.”

“I really need to see some of the folks here, Dennis. I just hope they’re all doing good and haven’t forgotten me. I’d like to visit Nonna first. Her name is Rosalia DiBeneditto and she lives on the first floor in apartment number three. She used to bake cookies for me and she taught me Italian. Next, I want to see Kenji Yamamoto who lives next door to Rosa. He taught me gardening and how to speak Japanese. Max Baumann lives upstairs in number six. He taught me German and fencing. Gaston and Adele Lafontaine live next door to him in apartment five. Pepe Gaston taught me French and about the arts. Meme Adele used to knit mittens for me. The last one will be Niko Delmagori, who lives in the basement next to where I used to live. He taught me Greek, leather carving and how to dance.”

That afternoon, Dennis and Dusty discovered the wonderful people who had played such an important role in Skyy’s life. These were the people who had given care and loving support to a badly frightened, abused and neglected child. These same people fully accepted them as Skyy’s new family and pointedly informed both Dennis and Dusty they would be held accountable for Skyy’s future happiness.

Dennis left Skyy and Dusty outside in a small, enclosed garden belonging to Kenji while he went downstairs to pay a visit to Skyy’s uncle.

“Hello, my name is Dennis Taylor and I’m a member of Skyy’s new family….actually, I’m one of his partners. I wonder if I could have some of your time, please. I’d like to find out more about Skyy’s background.”

“Please come in. I’m Earl Malone.”

“I thought you were Skyy’s uncle…..his father’s brother. Shouldn’t your surname be MacKay?”

“I am not really Skyy’s uncle. I was his father’s partner.”

Dennis stared at the man. “Are you telling me that Skyy’s father was gay? And, if so, why did he kick his son out on the streets to fend for himself?” Dennis was confused. ‘What the hell was going on here?’ he thought.

“Maybe you better sit down, Mr. Taylor. This will take a few minutes to explain.” Once his unexpected guest was seated, Earl began talking about past events in Skyy’s life. “Harold, Skyy’s father, was never able to accept who he was. He married Crystal, hoping to maintain the appearance of being straight. He hated being married, hated having a wife and child. I move in with him after Crystal’s disappearance. We told Skyy I was his uncle and I went under the name of MacKay so that Harold would be more comfortable with our living arrangement. Harold worked hard putting the kid down, but he could never break the little guy’s spirit. The kid took after his mother is every way but one. When Skyy admitted to his old man that he was gay, Harold went crazy. I thought he was going to kill the kid. I was my idea to kick him out and it probably saved the kid’s life.”

Dennis continued to stare at the man in front of him. “What kind of a hell-hole did the boy grow up in?”

“It’s unlikely that you’ll ever really know.” Earl thought Dennis might have ideas about avenging the treatment of his young partner. “Look, Harold is dead now and I’m HIV positive. Besides, there is nothing you can do to change the past.”

Earl got up to answer a knock on the door. He glanced back over his shoulder at Dennis before opening the door wide enough to admit his second unexpected visitor of the day. “Well, kid. What are you doing here?” he demanded in a surprisingly friendly tone.

“I-I don’t know. I guess I just wanted to see you again and ask you to tell me how he died,” Skyy stammered while moving closer to Dennis, looking for support.

“What can I say, kid. Your old man drank too much. His liver was rotten.”

Dennis allowed the conversation to go on for another fifteen minutes before telling Skyy it was time to leave.

On the drive home, Skyy was once again very quiet. After returning to the security of their home, Skyy sat down on the living room floor, with his arms around a wooden box. “Thank you for taking me to see everyone, Dennis. I had a great time and they said I could go back anytime I wanted to.”

“You have some wonderful friends, Sport. They’re just like a big family, aren’t they!”

“They are really nice people, Skyy, and I’m glad we got to meet them.” Dusty looked down at him and inquired, “Where did that box come from?”

“Niko gave it to me. He had been storing some of my stuff for me until I could go get it. Want to see what’s in here?”

Dennis and Dusty sat down on the sofa to watch Skyy unpack his treasures.

“On top here is my Bonsai tree that Kenji helped me make. He’s been taking care of it for me by keeping it trimmed and all. These are some books my mother used to read to me. After she left, I kept them hidden so he wouldn’t find them. These are mittens Meme made. She gave me the first pair at Christmas one year, but he threw them out. He said I didn’t deserve gifts because I was too bad. Meme made me a new pair every year after that, but we didn’t tell him about them. See this leather carving? Niko and I did it just before I had to leave. Max gave me this facemask so I would be safe when we’re fencing and here are some recipes from Nonna and a couple of old books that Pepe Gaston said I could have.”

Dennis was aware of Skyy’s constant referral of his father as ‘he’ and understood it was due to them never having a proper father-son relationship. ‘Hell,’ he thought, ‘they didn’t have any relationship at all.’

Skyy removed the last article and held it up. “This was my mother’s locket. He didn’t know I had it. Even though he didn’t want it, he wouldn’t have let me keep it. Her picture is inside and mine is there, too. You can open it if you want.”

After examining the pictures, Dennis sat back watching the younger men sort through the contents of the box a second time. “Your mother was very beautiful, Skyy. I know now where you got those violet-blue eyes and your curly, blond hair.” Dennis had also noticed that Crystal had been a very small woman. He marveled at the way his youngest partner had grown into the gentle, kind, free-spirited, mischievous young man he and Dusty had fallen in love with. Dennis smiled when he saw Skyy slipping the gold chain of the locket over his head.

“Do you remember anything at all about your life with your mother, Skyy?” Dennis still felt there was a major piece of information missing about Skyy’s childhood.

“Uh-huh. We would sometimes have picnics in the park and go to the mall together. She used to walk me to school everyday and pick me up afterwards. Even on the days when she didn’t look very good, she still walked with me. Sometimes the other kids asked stupid questions like ‘What happened to your mother’s face?’ or ‘What’s the matter with your mother’s arm?’ It wasn’t any of their business.” Skyy finished in such a low voice, the older men almost missed what was said.

“How about Dusty and I getting supper ready while you put your things away,” Dennis suggested, hoping to dispel the unhappy thoughts the three of them were having.

Just after midnight, Dennis and Dusty were awakened by Skyy thrashing around and crying in his sleep.

“Skyy, wake up, little one.” Dennis gently shook the younger man while Dusty reached over to turn on the bedside lamp. Violet-blue eyes opened to reveal the terror brought on by a nightmare. “Shh, shh, it’s all right, baby.”

“He hurt her! He was beating her and he wouldn’t stop. She wasn’t even crying anymore. She just lay still and there was blood all over the place.”

“What else can you recall, sweetie?” Dennis asked as he sat up and pulled the young man into his arms.

“I was sleeping and a noise woke me up. I only opened the door a little bit. I was scared.” Skyy seemed to be reverting into the past. “My mother made me promise never to come out of my room when they were fighting. She wasn’t moving. I shut the door and got back in my bed.”

“It’s not your fault, little one. Your mother wanted you safe. You did the right thing.” Dennis offered reassurance to the distraught young man as he fought down the nausea brought on by the realization that Skyy, at the age of seven, had witnessed his mother’s murder.

Looking into wide eyes overflowing with tears, Dennis barely heard the whispered words. “I shouldn’t have kept my promise.”

A couple of minutes later, Skyy murmured. “He really suffered before he died in the hospital. Earl told me it was several weeks until the end came.” He was quiet for several long moments before softly adding, “I’m glad.” He started to sob, cuddling as close to Dennis as he could without getting inside the big man’s skin.

‘Poetic justice?’ Dennis thought to himself before gently saying, “It’s going to be all right, little one. Dusty and I will always be here for you. We’ll work things out. You’ll never be harmed like that again.”

Dusty began crying as Skyy’s pain and anguish filled the room. It took Dennis over an hour to settle his partners. In the end, it was Dusty’s idea that accomplished the peace needed to get them back to sleep. Getting one of Skyy’s books from the bookcase in the den and handing it to Dennis, Dusty crawled back in bed beside the bigger man and asked him to read to them.

‘Hmm….maybe this will work,’ Dennis thought before settling down to read out loud.

Falling asleep first, Dusty rolled away from Dennis’ side to stretch out next to the big man. Skyy also fell asleep not long after but maintained his place on the bigger man’s chest. Only when the younger men were sleeping soundly did Dennis allow his own tears to fall. He wept for a small boy, for a lost childhood, and for the beautiful young man he held in his arms.

~~~~~~~~~~

Monday morning Dennis sent Dusty and Skyy to work. He had kept them close all day Sunday and didn’t want either of them to be home alone while he was at the university.

Arriving at his office, Dennis tossed his briefcase on his desk and called the police. “Hello, Detective Barkowski? It’s Dennis Taylor here. I know what happened to Skyy’s mother.”

Later that afternoon Detective Barkowski met with Dennis to report on the investigation. “We found Mrs. MacKay’s remains in a locked freezer under the stairway. Mr. Delmagori identified the body. According to Earl Malone, he moved in shortly after Crystal MacKay’s disappearance. Malone admitted that several years ago he had begun to suspect a crime had been committed but failed to report his suspicions. Apparently, MacKay had told the kid his mother had left him because she didn’t want him anymore. Skyy’s father drummed it into his head that he was worthless and repeatedly threatened to call the Social Service or the police to take him away and lock him up. Little wonder the kid didn’t want to talk to us.”

“He really was a first class bastard!” was Dennis’ muttered comment.

“I don’t know if you’re aware of this, Mr. Taylor, but Social Services will provide funeral services for Mrs. MacKay. Of course, costs must be kept to a minimum,” the detective informed Dennis.

“That’s not going to happen. Crystal deserves better. Skyy certainly deserves better. I’ll take care of everything and have the funeral parlour contact the Coroner’s office with the particulars. Thank you for all your help with this matter, Detective.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“It’s a beautiful day and this was my mom’s favourite time of the year.” Skyy was bouncing on the balls of his feet, making it very difficult for Dennis to do up the young man’s tie. “My suit look good, Den. I’ve never had one before,” he commented, slipping the locket over his head.

“You dress up real nice, kid. Here, see if you can do anything with those curls,” Dusty teased, picking up a comb and handing it to Skyy. “Den, I need help with this too. Man, I hate wearing a tie.”

“Den said everyone is going to be there. He’s made transportation arrangements for all my friends from the tenement,” Skyy enlightened Dusty as if the other man wasn’t already aware of the plans.

“Yeah, I know. Dominic and his partners are going to be there as well as Mrs. Johnston and Detective Barkowski. Everyone is invited to come back here after the service. Den has enough food and drink ordered to feed a small army.”

The afternoon went off without a hitch. The service was serene and Crystal’s final resting-place was a peaceful spot under a tree in a cemetery not far from their home. Skyy would be able to visit as often as he wanted.

Holding tightly on to Dennis with one hand and his mother’s locket with the other, Skyy made it through the service without making a sound.

Dennis looked down at Skyy to see large tears silently rolling down the young man’s face and falling on the front of his new suit. It was almost his undoing as his heart tightened painfully in reaction to his partner’s suffering.

“I think everything work out beautifully, Dennis,” Dominic commented much later that afternoon when the two men finally took a few minutes to unwind. “It was kind of so many people to show up. The gathering made me feel like I was attending a small United Nations meeting. And they brought so much food!”

“I was happy to see my parents there even if they didn’t come back to the house. They’ve only met Skyy once before at my birthday in April.” Dennis was staring into his glass and appeared to be deep in thought.

“Is something still bothering you, Dennis?”

“I’m wondering if Skyy is going to need counseling. Mrs. Johnston suggested it.”

“I don’t think so. Between you, Dusty, and his old friends, he has a great support group behind him. He undoubtedly has some rough days ahead of him but in the end he’ll be fine. He is nothing if not resilient.”

“Malone mentioned that the old man tried to break the kid but never succeeded. The little guy is a lot stronger than we probably give him credit for. I just want him to be happy again and move forward.” Dennis smiled as he heard the laughter coming from the kitchen.

“I wonder what those guys are up to. It may have been a mistake to leave our four Brats alone.” Dominic laughed at his friend’s exasperated grimace as a loud crash was heard. “That’s probably Slade. He’s the one that usually falls off his chair when he laughing too hard.”

“I guess we better go see what’s so funny,” Dennis suggested, rolling his eyes.

Dennis and Dominic entered the kitchen in time to hear Skyy saying, “It’s my turn. You be the target, Dusty.”

“What’s going on in here?” Dennis demanded.

Caught off guard, Skyy spun around on his chair and squeezed the doughnut in his hand. The cream filling squirted onto Dennis’ chest. Skyy’s mouth formed an ‘oh’ and his eyes almost popped out of his head. Recovering quickly, he reached out for Dennis and licked the cream off the front of the big man’s shirt. Holding up the squashed doughnut, he grinned and asked innocently, “Wanna bite?”

“Just what do you two think you’re doing?” Dominic stood with his hands on his hips and glared at his Brats.

“It’s just a game of target practice, Dom. You place the doughnut on the table with the hole where the filling goes in facing the target. Then you smash your fist down on it to try and get the filling in the other guy’s mouth.”

“Seeing the condition of the bunch of you, I’d say your misses outnumbered your hits. You’ve got jelly and cream over everything, including each other. Whose idea was this?” Dominic demanded.

“Mine!” Skyy piped-up, appearing rather pleased with himself.

Dennis wrapped his arms around his youngest Brat and winked across the table at his oldest. Dusty’s questioning look was quickly replaced with a relieved smile. Bending slightly to put his forehead against Skyy’s, Dennis instructed, “Next time, go outside for your ‘target practice’.” He smiled down at his mischievous partner with the beautiful sparkling eyes. “Love you, Sport.”

“Love you, too, Den.”

The End