Chapter 4

Margie and I made love whenever we could find a time that was convenient to both of us and sometimes when it was inconvenient. Well, I say we made love but as often as not it was just down and dirty animal-level fucking. I couldn't see any signs that our craving for each other's bodies was losing any steam. Every time felt like the first time except better if that were possible.

One thing that weighed on our minds was how Davey would deal with it if he found out. What we were doing was, after all, incest and highly frowned upon in our society. On the other hand, since Davey was gay and had already suffered some of the standard negative repercussions, he probably already looked askance at societal sexual conventions. Of course, anticipating what might be going on in a teenager's mind is an exercise in futility. At any rate, Margie wasn't ready to probe into that area yet so we took pains to keep it very discreet.

Neither of us deluded ourselves that our relationship was just convenient mutual gratification, either. We were madly, passionately in love with each other and said as much anytime we were together and out of ear-shot of the curious. Margie's marriage started going south soon after her wedding and never got better. My own marriage wasn't nearly as rancorous but within a couple of years, Vickie and I both realized it probably wasn't going to work out, that our lives were moving in totally different directions. What Margie and I had held out the promise of something much better.

Davey and Ramon spent a lot of time at my house, either working out or just hanging. They were considerate enough that, when they were together in my presence, there wasn't a lot of 'huggy-bod' and 'kissy-face' going on but it was very clear that they adored each other. Ramon's family was very close as is the tradition in most Hispanic families. I always wished some of that tradition would rub off on some of their Anglo cousins. Davey, on the other hand, had been flatly rejected by his dad from the moment he admitted he was gay after he was seen holding hands with one of his male friends from school. Margie was so furious at Roger's callous insensitivity that she filed for divorce within the week. It was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back.

By August, Davey and I were spending a lot of time together. If I were able to take a little time off from the office, I'd go over to the high school and watch him at football practice. In spite of his lanky build, he was a talented runner and often left his would-be tacklers looking around and wondering where he'd disappeared to as he sidestepped them and whizzed on down the field. Once he was in the open, there was no catching him. I didn't doubt he'd be a first-stringer, even as a sophomore.

I think one of the greatest compliments I'll ever received in this life was when we were walking across the high school parking lot one day after practice and he said, "I wish you'd been my dad, Tom." I put my arm around his shoulder and hugged him but I had to look away to hide the water that suddenly flooded my eyes.

"And I wish you were my son."

A couple of weeks later, just before school started, I got home on a Friday afternoon and saw that my lawn had been mowed and trimmed. I knew it had to be Davey and/or Ramon, probably as payback for letting them use my exercise equipment. I really appreciated the gesture but I actually looked forward to doing the yard work myself as part of my exercise regimen.

The moment I stepped into my bedroom to shuck my business attire and get into some real clothes, my jaw torqued down about three pounds and I wasn't feeling quite so much gratitude. My bed had obviously been used as evidenced by the rumpled condition of the bed linens. When I looked closer, I saw little patches of white, crusty residue splattered on the black duvet leaving no doubt about their origins. I started to pull it off the bed to toss it into the washer but changed my mind.