Published: 17 Jan 2022

It was like a Currier and Ives print. The big white farmhouse on one side of the drive and the huge red barn and it’s outbuildings opposite and down the drive a little way. The drive split and one branch curved around in front of the house and ended in a wide paved pad in front of a rather large 6 car garage attached to the house by an enclosed walkway. The house itself was a huge Colonial with a wraparound porch on the first floor and a roofed balcony on the second, as wide as the front of the house. According to the paperwork the house had just over 6500 square feet. As we parked in the curved drive in front of the porch stairs an older couple came out the front door of the house and stood on the top stair to await our arrival up the stairs to greet them. The Snyder’s were a lovely old couple, about the age of Aunt Sally or a bit older. I introduced Caleb and myself, saying that Harold had sent me to see the property and he had hoped it would be a good investment for me.

Mr. Snyder looked me over good and said surely I was looking for my parents. I gently told him the property would be mine and my parents were no longer in the picture, and that I made a decent living and had saved since I had started working. He stated that he was expecting to get at least a million for the property, and I looked him in the eye and told him to show me why it was worth that amount of money. It appeared to be that and more. The house had 16 rooms and an unfinished basement and attic, seven bedrooms with adjoining baths and a working man’s bath in the hall off the kitchen, and three other full bathrooms and two half baths. The house and outbuildings, including the huge barn, had been built 10 years ago after a fire had demolished the originals. Mr. Snyder pointed out the hand crafted trim and moldings throughout the house and the ten working fireplaces. There wasn’t a squeak from any of the hardwood floors on either floor and the bathrooms appeared modern and stylish. The kitchen/family room took up the whole rear portion of the first floor, with huge french doors along the wide back wall giving access to a very large flagstone patio and a really good sized in ground swimming pool with a retractable cover that looked like a greenhouse when fully expanded. The kitchen area was larger than the kitchen in Sally’s house and was equipped with every modern appliance. Upstairs the master bedroom had a large walk-in closet and a working fireplace in a nice sitting area in the very spacious room. It was the only room on the floor with access to the balcony over the front porch. The remaining six bedrooms were off a central hall and were all roomy and beautifully appointed, as was the rest of the home.

While we were walking through the huge barn Caleb mentioned he had counted ten horse stalls, but didn’t see any horses, or for that matter any livestock. Mr. Snyder then told us he had gotten too old for the horses and cattle, he did keep chickens and did lease out several acres of grazing pastures to a neighboring farmer, but that farmer was ready to retire also, so at the moment there were no livestock on either farm. During our tour Mr. Snyder put us in an ATV and drove to the pond. It was a beautiful spot with views like from the house, looking down the length of the mountain range and mature trees scattered around the perimeter of the pond. While returning to the house Mr. Snyder told us that the neighboring farm was smaller, about 500 acres and had most of it’s fields planted in corn and pumpkins for one of the big supermarkets in the area. He also said they had apple and pear orchards there.

Their asking price was only 500 thousand and the house and barns were much smaller and much older. When we arrived back at the Snyder’s house Mrs. Snyder had coffee and cookies laid out on the kitchen table. They talked to us about the last several years and how they made money by renting out rooms to grad students and that they had never had children of their own. They wanted to retire to Arizona where friends of theirs had moved to. I asked if they were selling the house furnished and if all the equipment and vehicles we had seen were also included and after they conferred they said for the right price everything but their clothing and some pots and pans were included in the selling price. I then made them a conditional offer. I told them that as long as the appraisal and house and outbuildings inspection met my approval I would pay them one million, one hundred thousand for the property and if they would get in touch with their neighbors for me I’d also like to see that property now as I thought I’d like to not have strangers living so close.

The rest of the Snyder’s farm was bordered by state park land and couldn’t be built on. The stunned couple conferred again and Mrs. Snyder smiled and said it was a done deal and handed me their kitchen phone and told me their neighbor was on the line. I spoke briefly and we arranged for Caleb and I to stop there in about a half hour or so. I then took out my cell and talked to Harold, explaining what I needed done and after getting the Snyder’s fax number he had a contract faxed in 15 minutes and I gave the Snyder’s a personal check for a hundred thousand as earnest money to seal the deal. With the contracts signed and a receipt for the earnest money we agreed on a formal closing in two weeks time. Mr. Snyder still looked skeptical, until, with a nod from me, Caleb took him aside and told him who I was. Both Snyder’s gave us thankful handshakes as we left and we told them we’d see them at closing and to be sure to let us know if there were any problems with the inspections Harold was going to schedule, hopefully this week. Caleb looked inquiringly at me as we drove to the next farm. All I said was I knew what I wanted, and he had told me in the barn what a great house the Snyder’s had and that he could just see us in that master bedroom, and now he would, because I had told Harold to put the property in both our names, happy wedding present early stud. He was stunned, and quite happy as we entered the next property.

The next farm was quite a bit smaller but the house was solid and the barn and outbuildings were as well, but several gallons of paint would do the place a world of good. The owner’s wife had passed years ago and the condition of the whole place looked it. The owner wanted to sell out and move to Florida. He said everything was included and he wanted 700 thousand for everything and the 500 acres. After our tour we sat on the front porch of the 8 room house with three bathrooms, not much of it modernized, but I did notice that there was city water and sewer, which would make hooking up the previously seen property much easier and cheaper. I offered 475 thousand and we haggled a bit and we settled on 510 thousand. Harold was called and we went into the owner’s small office and transacted our deal on the contracts faxed over by Harold and then signed and faxed back to him. I gave another earnest money check and we agreed to close on the property at the same time as the closing on the Snyder property. On the way home Caleb just stared at me for a while and then said he’d never seen anything like it, the way I just spent over a million and a half in the course of three hours, I chuckled and told him not to get used to it, it wouldn’t happen again any time soon I should think. I did ask if he was happy, and he told me he couldn’t wait ’til bedtime to show me just how happy he was. I couldn’t wait to show him how happy I was too.

The aunts called on Sunday to let us know how their journey was progressing and I told them my news, that Caleb and I had found each other and that we were waiting for them to come home so we could get married. I also told them about the properties we had purchased and that we would be taking possession very soon, but we were intending to guard their house as well. They told me to ask Harry if he’d like to live there until they returned if Caleb and I wanted to move to the new house and I told them we’d see how things worked out, and we’d keep in touch by e-mail about the situation. We all wished each other well and the call was ended.

Caleb and I drove into Springfield on Monday and we each purchased each other bands with a small diamond inset into the gold band. When we got home we “presented” them to each other, each keeping separate the matching wedding band to be exchanged at our ceremony. Since we were going to be now wearing our ”engagement” rings, Caleb thought it might be a good idea to break our news to his father, who by the way, knew Caleb was gay and had known for quite a while, even trying at one point to act as matchmaker for him. I agreed and so on our run that day we ran to the marina and found Frank in his office there. I approached him first, asking Frank for his son’s hand in marriage. Frank, God bless him, looked a little surprised, but Caleb held his left hand up showing his ring and told his father he had better say yes, since he already had!. Poor Frank took a moment before he asked when all this had happened, when were we tying the knot, where, and could he pay for the reception?, he said he couldn’t believe we had finally gotten together, he knew Caleb had loved me since he was a little kid and he couldn’t think of a nicer spouse for his flesh and blood.

We told him the aunts would arrange for the use of the college chapel and the minister and we had wondered if maybe he could put together one of his famous riverboat dinner cruises for our reception, we didn’t expect him to pay for anything. He loved the idea and insisted he pay for the dinner cruise on the riverboat he owned, he just needed a date so he could mark that day off on his booking calendar. We gave him our hoped for date of the third Saturday in August. He then told me that he occasionally ran into my parents and wanted to know if things were still bad with them. I reminded Frank of what had happened while I was in college and that they had never tried to contact me since and never spoke of me, even around my brothers and that as far as I was concerned things could stay that way. We then told Frank we were both moving soon to Amherst, to a property we were hoping to close on by the end of the next week. Caleb told him that he was giving up his apartment at Mrs. Fields and he was going to suggest Harry for his replacement.

He then told his dad he had gotten a big scholarship that would even cover grad school and provided a weekly stipend so he wouldn’t have to work while in school. I have to say that rough and tumble Frank took all our news with graciousness and good humor, and even invited us to have dinner with him in the restaurant if we could hang around for another half hour while he closed down his operation. We thanked him and told him we’d see him in the bar when he was ready. Dinner with Frank was revealing, he had many stories about Cal, as he called Caleb, and I liked it as well. He couldn’t get over the hero worship Cal had for me as a lad had turned to love, for both of us. He did tell me he had photos of Cal and I together as youngsters and he’d try to locate as many as he could before the wedding. We told him about the farm and about it being virtually re-built within the last 10 years, and the pond on the property. We told him as soon as we had possession he’d have to come out to see it. I have to say, it felt so good to be accepted by him, and the aunts and my brothers. Everything felt so right.

That Wednesday we had the boys for dinner and we asked Harry how he felt about moving into Cal’s little apartment when Cal moved out officially. I told him that his trust provided a weekly allowance that would more than cover his expenses and Cal told him that as an incoming Junior he would be able to still live off campus since he was remaining in his hometown. He loved the idea, but took us off to the living room to talk in private, away from his brother’s ears. He told us that he felt he was a stabilizing influence in his parent’s home, that it was he who made sure the others ate and that the house was clean and his brothers did their homework and did well in school. What a burden for him to be carrying at his young age. We then called in the other two and we had a family meeting amongst us. I told the younger two what we had been discussing and we told them that both Cal and I would always be on their side no matter what was decided, but I told them that they had to prepare to be out on their own soon, and that in another year Harry would be finished at school and in another two so would Jim.

Tom only had one more year of high school and then he would be off to college as well. We all discussed it and the younger ones agreed that they had to man up and start being responsible and after all, Harry would only be a mile away, and he could check on them every day and the younger ones could stop by his place if need be, Jim had a small car for commuting to classes and they could visit us or Harry whenever they wanted. Everyone agreed it was a done deal, Harry would move into the small efficiency at Mrs. Field’s after the closing on our property and Jim would be offered the chance to house sit the aunt’s house then too. That would leave Tom home alone for only about a month and a half, maybe a week or two longer. He felt OK with that, as he’d have three lifelines to fall back on it things got rough for him. There was a little concern, you see, because Tom had told us last week that he thought he might be gay and with our parents past in dealing with this issue we wanted to make sure he was safe, and if needed, had an escape.

We ended up eating homemade pizza for dinner. I had remembered it was a favorite when we were kids and Cal and I, with help from my brothers, had the first one in the oven in about a half hour. The second one was ready in 15 minutes and the third went in as I took out the second, and there was a slice left from the third. We all cleaned up the kitchen and then the boys had to return home before our parents did. Cal and I settled in to watch the late news and chose the 10pm news on a local station.

During the first commercial break I got up to use the half bath off the hall to the kitchen and as I was coming out I heard Cal answering the house phone. He waved me over to the phone and told the caller I had just come into the room and he handed me the phone, whispering,”Harold”. Harold told me all the inspections had been done and the closings were scheduled for Thursday morning on both properties. He told me he had contacted a lawyer client of his from this area and she would meet us at her office in Holyoke, along with the sellers, at 10 am Thursday morning, that would give her time to file the deeds at the county offices and at the closing I would receive keys for both properties and the current owners would have vacated the properties by that time and we could take possession.

He then said he had contacted the university and started feeling them out about buying the properties. I told him in no uncertain terms that not only was I buying the properties to live in, but that both deeds should have both my and Cal’s names on them, that we were going to be living together there before and after our wedding in August. He took a moment and then said congratulations, but was I sure I wanted to pass up the opportunity to sell at a substantial profit? I told him that Cal only had one more year of regular classes and if he decided to go to grad school we would still need a place to live, we liked the farm, we wanted the privacy having the second farm would allow, we wanted something that would give us stability, a starting place for our lives together, and maybe even start a family there. At that Cal grabbed me and gave me a big smooch. Harold wanted details and I opened up to him and told him everything. He insisted he be invited to the wedding and I told him that we would have a bedroom for him when he came.

We ended the call and then Cal and I snuggled up again to watch the 11pm news. Our love making that night was, to say the least, glorious. I had lost a lot of my inhibitions and Cal was a willing partner in our explorations. We slept like logs. Two or three times that night. The next two days we spent lining up painters for the second property, booking them to start on Monday and we interviewed three contractors to finish off the attic into a home office for me and a study for Cal. We’d both need our own space, he for studying and me for writing. I suppose with all the rooms we each could have used one of the spares, but we thought this was one way of putting our own stamp on the house and we’d discussed this and decided together on this. The second contractor had been recommended by Frank and his initial assessment, without actually seeing the space yet, proved more to our liking, so we made an appointment with him for the following Monday also.

We browsed a few shops both at home and in Amherst and we actually picked out a few pieces for our new rooms, placed a deposit on them, and arranged for delivery on the following week. We figured we had plenty of rooms to store them in until the new rooms were completed. The one big purchase for the house was a new mattress for the master bedroom bed. We just didn’t like the idea of a used mattress for our wedding bed. We also stopped in at a company that provided home security. I wanted a newer home alarm system, and a driveway alarm that would let us know when a vehicle was approaching the property. We decided to have it installed two car lengths into the drive from the road so that someone just using the drive from the road to turn around wouldn’t set it off, but anyone advancing any further up the drive would. We arranged for the installations the following week as well. The Snyder’s had cable and wifi at the house now and so we arranged for Mrs. Snyder to cancel all the utilities in their name for Thursday and we signed up for them in our names for Thursday to ensure continuation of the services.

We also spoke with a plumbing contractor and an electrician and asked for quotes for hooking up to the town sewer and water and for solar panels to be placed on the property to provide our own power in case of an outage in bad weather and to provide our own power for the pool and a few of the out buildings that didn’t have power now. Everything went well at the closing Friday morning and the sellers were amazed when our lawyer presented them each with the balance due in the form of cashiers checks, drawn from my personal account. Cal and I had signed all the papers and the lawyer was very knowledgeable and efficient, in fact both of us liked her and we went and had lunch with her after. We all got along really well and we invited her out for dinner at the house after we had gotten settled in. Cal had insisted we wait for the new mattress to be delivered before we spent the night, but when we went to walk through the house after the closing he dragged me into the master bedroom and we ravaged each other on the old mattress anyway. Cal said he reasoned that it was no different than staying in a hotel, but that when it sunk in that this was OUR house, he felt the urge to christen at least one room today.

After we had straightened ourselves up a bit we continued our tour and found that Mrs. Snyder had left the fridge stocked and many packages in the freezer for us and a lovely note, telling us she hoped we had a lovely life in the house and wishing us much happiness in our upcoming marriage. Mr. Snyder had left several labeled keys for us for the various buildings and copious notes on how to care for the chickens. It suddenly dawned on me that we now had a whole flock to take care of and both of us quickly scanned the notes, making sure we hadn’t missed a feeding or something. We saw that a feeding was coming up, so following the instructions in the notes we grabbed the keys and went to feed the chickens. It was fun and we also gathered about a dozen and a half eggs. On the way back we stopped and looked in the caretaker’s cottage and saw that it was as clean as the rest of the place. Cal suggested we might want to hire someone to do the chores, especially during the school year when he had class schedules to keep. I thought about it and it made a lot of sense. If I was engrossed in writing I might well forget to do a feeding or an egg gathering and the coop also had to be cleaned regularly and if we got some horses, which we both wanted to do, how would we be able to care for everything, plus the mowing, the snow removal, the supplies for the pool and the feed… Cal had a very good idea.

We talked it over as we walked up the drive to the house and we decided to advertise for a couple, one to take care of the property and another to take care of the house and to prepare meals occasionally. They could live in the caretaker cottage, totally private from the house. We had a few busy days coming up next week so we went back to the aunt’s house to prepare dinner and have a bit of a private celebration. In the morning Cal asked what I thought about offering the jobs and the cottage to a grad school couple that would have to qualify for the positions, and trade the cottage for the work. I told him it was a great idea, and I also wondered about having a couple or two on the other property, taking care of the day to day upkeep, and being a presence there to discourage any vandalism over there.

Cal suggested we go to the college housing placement office and post a notice there, asking interested parties to call for interviews. So that’s what we did, after the new mattress was delivered, just as promised, shortly after noon. We found the correct building and the right office and located the bulletin board and started to post our two ads. As we finished a young woman came up to us and asked if we had student accommodations available and we answered we did and she asked if she could make copies for her office since she worked in the student housing office. We agreed and she took our postings and went to make copies. When she returned she asked if we were open to the idea of same sex couples, and we both laughed and said since we were a couple it would be pretty hypocritical of us to refuse same sex couples.

She blushed prettily, and told us that she and her wife, who worked in the bursar’s office, were looking for housing in the area as they had to commute from Springfield, an almost 40 mile trip each way. She said they both had been raised on a farm and they had a budget that would allow them to afford half the required rent on the other property. She also stated that their best friends were in the same boat. They both worked in offices on campus and had to commute from Springfield also. She said they all four could meet us on Saturday if that would be alright. Cal was nodding when I turned my head to look at him so I said we’d like to interview them and to show them the property, could we meet at 1:00pm? Stella replied that she thought the four of them could make it at that time and we gave her our cell numbers just in case anything came up. We took down the second flier after she had left us, I just had a good feeling about this. Cal told me the same thing as we went back to our new house.

We each explored the house, poking in cupboards, snooping in closets, browsing the books in the library. Just before locking up and going back to the aunts, Cal’s cell rang and it was obvious the call was about the positions here at our new house. Cal asked if they could meet us about 2:30pm tomorrow. He must have gotten a positive reply since he told the caller we’d see them then. On the drive home Cal told me that the caller wasn’t exactly what he had expected, but he was pleased about it. He told me it was a grad student in the equine studies department, and his husband was a grad student in the agricultural studies unit of the university. I laughed, we couldn’t have planned it better if we had tried, not only did we find potential employees and tenants in the same day, but they were all GAY! All connected to the university also, it really came down to If we could all get along, especially the young male couple, they would be living in the cottage down the drive and if one was at work in the house the other would occasionally be in the house at times as well.

Saturday found us back at the new house in time to prepare a large thermos of coffee and arrange the danish pastries we bought on the way on a platter we had found in the pantry. We arrived next door just before an SUV which the women had all arrived in. Stella from the housing office made the introductions and we met her partner Pam and their friends Lynn and Sue. We let them explore after showing them around the first floor and Lynn came up to us at one point and asked if there was any livestock on the property and we told her there wasn’t, but there were plenty of chickens next door and they could have free eggs or a couple of layers and a rooster here if they wanted. We explained the house and the out buildings were to be painted next week and that the utilities would have to be paid by them. They said they had expected that and then they went out and looked over the barn, chicken coop, storage shed and garage. Cal and I discussed meeting the women and our initial impressions as we followed behind them.

They were quite pleased with everything they saw and I surprised them after they said they would like to be considered as caretakers/tenants that Cal and I would like them to be our first tenants. They told us they were on month to month leases and could move in in just under two weeks, the first of July. We told them that would be perfect, as the painters should be finished by then.

Stella and Lynn each gave us the first months checks after we had the two couples sign separate lease agreements. We told them that if they had to they could start moving stuff in after the painters were finished, if that would help, but anytime they wanted to move in after the painters left would be alright with us, just let us know and we’d meet them with the keys. We left them looking around the outside and we went back to our new house to meet our next appointment.

Ray and Joe were right on time for their interview. Cal saw them arrive from the living room window and said he thought these guys would fit right in. I asked from across the room what he was talking about and he told me to hold on a second and I’d see for myself. The doorbell rang and we walked to the front door to answer it. There stood two nice looking muscle jocks in their jogging warm up suits. One looked a bit older than the other, and they were holding hands as we greeted them. We made our introductions and shook hands and we walked them down to the cottage. Ray had been in the military and had returned to the university to pursue an agricultural degree, where he had met Joe, a student in the equine department. They had met 3 years ago and now both were starting grad school next semester and had been married just over a year.

Joe’s hobby was cooking and they felt that with what they already knew, and the resources available to them at the university, they’d be able to handle our property well. We showed them the cottage, and then took them on the big tour of the other buildings, including our house. After browsing some shelves in our new library Ray said, offhandedly, that two of my books were missing from the shelves. I looked and didn’t see any open spots on the shelf he was indicating, and then he chuckled and said he had seen me at a library talk two years ago in Ames, Iowa, near his hometown when he was visiting his parents. I chuckled and told him about my pseudonym and how I never used it in my home state and here only gave beginning writers seminars in local libraries in my capacity as a former librarian with the Boston Public Library.

He and Joe both assured me that they wouldn’t divulge my secret and Cal told them it would be appreciated, at least until we were married and then everyone would know because our new security system would be in place and we’d feel safer then. Ray asked if the previous owner had kept a farm journal and calendar, and I showed him Mr. Snyder’s notes and then we went to the farm office in the barn where Ray found what he was looking for. Joe had been looking at the stalls and asked when they were built. I told him about the fire and how all the buildings had been replaced 10 years ago. I told him that both Cal and I had a desire to have horses to ride and that my three brothers had expressed a desire to learn also. Cal thought we should have at least ten, maybe for guests, or Ray and Joe or the new tenants to use. Joe said there was space for a few more stalls in the smaller barn if we should ever need them, and plenty of paddock areas already fenced.

Ray said he could plant enough grains to feed whatever we ended up with, and that both he and Joe each owned a horse and would love to move them here with them if we gave them the jobs. We walked as two couples up to the main house and Cal retrieved the contract we had prepared when we did the leases for the women tenants. Cal held them up and I nodded and we gave each one a pen to use to sign with. Ray noticed the added salary to his as Joe found a similar generous one on his. We explained that we felt they had a full time job with classes and all and wanted them to realize just how valuable they were going to be to us if they even just did the basics around here so Cal could study and I could write. They sincerely thanked us and asked when they could move in. I handed the two spare cottage keys to them and told them anytime they wanted, just to let us know what day they decided.

The next day we took my brothers to meet Mrs. Fields and to offer Harry as Cal’s replacement tenant. She was thrilled to have all us younger men visit and she and Harry got along great. She even told him he could have an overnight visitor, but to remember there wasn’t a revolving door on his unit. We then took the guys for a tour of the new property. Cal and I took a lot of ribbing about how large the place was and just how large a family did we plan on anyway? During our tour of the big barn Tom clutched my arm and asked if we could talk away from the others, I told him to hang on a sec and we dawdled long enough that Cal had the other two off to the chicken coop and Tom and I were alone in the barn. We sat on some upturned buckets and Tom told me he had found a boyfriend. His name was Bill and Tom had met him at a friend’s house when he was over for a pool party the other day. They had liked each other a lot right away and had been e-mailing each other a couple of times a day, even talking to each other before bed time on their cells.

I could tell Tom was certainly smitten with Bill and I warned him about being careful around our parents and that after we had moved in he could invite Bill for dinner sometime and they could spend the day swimming together, and getting to know each other better. Tom gave me a big hug and told me that would be great. We joined the rest of the group and had a great time visiting. Everything went as planned, Monday we arrived at the new house early and set about brewing a big pot of coffee and right on time the contractor, the plumber, the deliveries, the alarm company arrived, and staggered enough that no-one was left waiting for us long. The contractor thought he could start the next day since there was already heat and electricity up in the attic and he went about measuring and said he could be done by the weekend if he brought the right crew with him. Everything went just as smooth with everyone else.

The new alarm and the drive sensors were installed and the new/old furniture for our study and office rooms was delivered and placed in a bedroom on the second floor for now, ready for the new rooms at the end of the week. Tuesday morning we received calls from Ray and Joe and from Stella, representing the women, and all said they’d like to start moving in this weekend and hopefully be done by Sunday night, if that was agreeable with us. We told them it was. The other property was undergoing the painting, and they should be done by Thursday, so all looked good for this coming weekend when we also would be moving in officially. All the projects went according to plan and were finished by Friday morning. The carpenters even moved the furnishings for the new rooms on the third floor up there for us.

Late Friday morning Joe called and asked if we wanted to purchase some horses, as the equine studies section at the university were offering excess horses at a really good price and although we wouldn’t necessarily get a huge discount, we would get close to first pick of the fifteen to twenty horses being sold to make room for horses to be boarded by students and for the expected new crop they had each year. Cal thought it was a great opportunity so we told Joe to book us an appointment and we’d meet him there. He did and we did and we were amazed at just how large an operation they had. We picked out 8 riding stock and were able to get all the necessary tack and saddles for each and we also purchased feed for them that would last long enough to last until Ray had reaped feed from our fields to feed them.

We were about to leave the barn when I noticed one of the student workers playing with a litter of puppies that appeared to be about a couple of months old. We got to chatting with her and she told us that they sold the barn dogs when they were old enough and we asked if this batch was ready and she said no, but she did have about 10 dogs that were and they had been around the grown horses longer and were better trained. She took us to the kennels and right away two males came right up to Cal and I. They seemed very loving and we looked at each other and nodded. In 20 minutes they were ours, along with bags of dog food and stainless bowls for food and water for each. Joe got along with them as well and he warned us not to treat them as pets, they were working dogs after all, trained to guard and herd horses, not as house pets.

We took the dogs and their belongings home with us and got them settled in the barn, with their accessories and some old blankets we had around from the delivery of our furniture for the study and the office. They seemed quite content after we filled their bowls for them and we showed them the doggy door to the back of the barn that opened to a fenced in yard that must have been the Snyder’s dog’s kennel. The dogs wouldn’t be lonely long, the horses and their feed and tack were to be delivered the next day.

Ray and Joe were going to be bringing some things by tonight for their cottage and were going to make sure everything was ready for that at the same time. Joe wanted to be here when the delivery happened and we told him we would help where we could and he had told us that he thought Ray might be able to be here at the same time as he only had a morning class, like he did, in the morning and the delivery wouldn’t be before 1 pm. Friday we went over and checked that the painting had been finished as we had been told and it was. The property the women were moving into looked fantastic. The farmhouse had a new coat of paint inside and out and all the out buildings there were all spiffed up. We felt the ladies would be well pleased. The work on our study and office on our third floor was excellent, you couldn’t tell it was a new job, it all blended so well with the rest of the house you couldn’t tell it was all newly done.

Shortly after our lunch Ray and Joe arrived and we all went out to feed and water the dogs. All was in readiness in the barn and Joe had noticed in the small room in the corner there were wall pegs and storage bins under them. He explained to Cal and I that these were used to store the tack after each use and each bin and peg should be labeled for each horse. He was very organized and had the labels ready for the unloading and storage of the tack and saddles. We discussed our running routines and where we might set up some workout equipment. Cal suggested the pool house and we all strolled up to it to explore the possibility. It really was a nice set up. There was a shower bath, two changing rooms, a bar with a microwave and a large fridge. There was an area furnished as a sitting area with summer type furniture in it. We decided that we could use all the furniture here on the patio on the back of the house and set up some equipment here in the “Living room “area. There was both heat and air conditioning out here so we’d be comfortable out here year long. We decided on what machines we all wanted and what weights we were all used to. I made a list in my notebook so I could go on-line later and order it all since the drive sensor had sounded and we had to go and meet the big horse vans delivering our horses and their feed and tack.

Joe and Ray directed the vans to the barn and paddock and Cal and I went to the barn and opened the connecting doors to the paddock. Joe went to the second van and started to remove some bales and bags of feed and was lugging it over to the feed trough in the paddock. We hurried to help and when there was sufficient feed in it Joe told us the rest would be stored in the barn. He explained that he and Ray had filled the water trough already and we were now ready to greet the new arrivals. The unloading went well and we toted the tack into the tack room while the horses settled in. During all this the two dogs had settled in the paddock and actually greeted each horse as it was unloaded and walked into the paddock. The delivery men from the university were great and even helped get all the hay and feed into the barn, working with Joe and Ray the whole time. Ray said that now feed was being stored in the barn again we might consider getting a few cats to take care of mice and rats that had escaped the dogs. I put that on our list of things to get also. Ray and Joe offered to stay in their cottage for the night so that someone would be on the property, but they would be leaving about 8 am to begin the moving of their furniture and other belongings. We offered them a bedroom at the house which had a real bed and was already made up with linens, so they used one of the spare bedrooms and we had live security for the night.

When we arrived in the morning with our belongings packed into Sally’s big SUV the chickens were already fed and the eggs gathered. The dogs had been fed and the horses were out in the paddock, fed and happy. We spent a few hours moving in and placing what we needed in our own spaces on the third floor and the remainder of our clothing in our bedroom. Near noon we went down to the kitchen and gathered the hamburger patties we had bought and all the fixings and went out back to start lunch. Cal called Ray and Joe to find out how far they were from arriving and when they said they were about to pull in and they had a crew of five to help them move in I started the grill up and we prepared to have lunch ready in about an hour, when the moving crew would be ready for a break.

While we all ate lunch Ray and Joe introduced their friends and we had a lot of fun helping them move the remainder of Ray and Joe’s belongings into the cottage after. There wasn’t a dog in the bunch, they were a great group of guys and after all the moving had been done we invited them to use the pool before they left. Cal and I heard the splashing and hooting a while later and we went to our bedroom and put on bathing suits to join them. When we got to the French doors to the patio we could see all seven of them were as naked as the day they were born. I turned to Cal and asked if he was ready for this, he nodded to me and we both dropped our swimsuits to the floor and, holding hands, we joined the guys in our pool. I was afraid I’d pop a boner out there with these college aged hunks, but their conversation kept my mind away from their attributes and more focused on what was being said. One of the guys, I think his name was Ron asked how a young gay couple like us could afford a neat place like this, after all wasn’t Cal still in classes at the university?

Ray, who knew who I really was, looked at me and I told him it was alright with me, So Ray then re-introduced us saying he’d like them to meet Cal and his fiancee Robert Scott. The pool was really quiet for a few moments and then came the questions. It turned into a lively conversation and we implored them to kind of keep things quiet, as we were just looking for a quiet life here and we didn’t want our place being a tourist stop. Cal asked if we had enough hamburger left for a repeat of lunch and I told him we did, so we got out of the pool and started to prepare a burger dinner for the guys. Cal went in and grabbed a bunch of towels and brought me a chef’s apron he had found in the linen closet. As he tied it around me he said he didn’t want anything cooked that should be eaten raw.

I called Stella’s cell and found out the women were all moved in, furniture and all and were just trying to decide on who was going to cook. I told her that if they didn’t mind 9 towel wrapped gay and straight men to eat with they were more than welcome to come up to our house for burgers. There was a brief discussion on the other end, but Stella came back on and said they’d love to, they just had to undress first. I thought that was hilarious and told the other guys what I had done and they all grabbed a towel and wrapped up. I told them that two lesbian couples had moved into our house next door and they were coming for burgers. I told them they were not up for grabs, but they might help some of them find dates. It ended up being a great time. The ladies all wore swimsuits under their towels and everyone got a chuckle out of that. And everyone had a great time.

Sunday was a quiet day and we had a chance to ride some of the horses to get a feel for them, and for them to get to know us. We also heard from Harry and from Jim that they were ensconced in their respective abodes and all was going well with both of them. About 3:00 am the drive alarm bonged in the house and I grabbed a light robe from our closet and scurried downstairs to see who or what had tripped the alarm. Motion sensor flood lights had been tripped and in the bright lights near the parking pad by the drive I saw the driver’s side door of Tom’s car open and a body fall out onto the drive in front of the house. With fear and anguish I rushed out to the crumpled form and realized it indeed was Tom and he had been beaten badly. Cal was right behind me, his cell in hand ready to call the police if needed and instead he had also spotted Tom and he called for an ambulance and EMT s. The professionals arrived pretty quickly and in no time informed me that Tom had a dislocated left shoulder, a broken nose, several bad bruises on his chest, stomach, and back and possibly bruising of the kidneys and or liver, they were going to transport him to the medical center at the university and we could go there as soon as we had dressed. I kissed Tom on the forehead and told him we would be there shortly, to hang on. We dressed in record time and we could see the ambulance pulling away as we parked and rushed inside.

At reception I informed the attendant my brother had just been brought in and she handed me a clipboard with a bunch of forms to fill out. I pulled out the form that asked for the billing information, and the top form asking the patient’s name, age, school, etc. and handed them back, saying we had been separated for the last 7 or 8 years and we’d have to get his medical history from him. She didn’t seem to like this information, until she looked at the black credit card I was holding out so she could make an impression on the billing form. After that it was yes sir, whatever you want sir, I’ll get right on that sir. She did check back there on Tom and kept us informed on what was going on and after about an hour a police officer arrived and sat with us. He introduced himself and when I told him what I knew he thought it likely that Tom was beaten in So. Hadley, not Amherst, and Tom came to us for help. It certainly made sense and he waited with us until the nurse came to us again and said the doctors had done their tests and were waiting to set Tom’s nose until we could talk to him.

We took the Amherst officer with us and went into the cubicle to see Tom. Poor Tom looked like the loser of a prize fight with a gorilla. We talked briefly, he told us all that when he came back from having lunch with his friend Bill our father started in on him big time. He had snooped on Tom’s computer and had found the e-mails Tom and Bill had exchanged and had found a few gay porn sites Tom had visited. He and his wife (our mother) had called him every name in the book and both had beaten him when he refused to deny he was gay, like that other rotten bastard they had already kicked out. The beatings kept on and even when he was on the floor they both had kicked him all over. He finally crawled outside when they had drunk themselves into a stupor and he drove real slow to Amherst, to Cal and my house. The officer had been recording and writing as much as he could.

He took several pictures and then the doctor returned and said we’d have to leave so he could set Tom’s nose and we could see him in the morning, as he would be out of it for about 8 hours after the procedure and after checking thoroughly for internal bruising and bleeding.

Cal and I kissed Tom on the forehead and told him not to worry, we would take good care of him and we’d see him first thing in the morning. We returned to the waiting room and the officer asked a few more questions and then said he was turning his reports and photos and the interview with Tom and us over to the South Hadley police, since the attack happened there. We told him to do what he needed and to please let us know as soon as possible what happened. On the way home I asked Cal if he minded If Tom came to live with us and he said Tom would make the perfect first addition to our family, God I love that man. When we arrived home it was already 7:30 am and I called both Harry and Jim to let them know and Jim said from out back he could see police lights at our parent’s home. I next called the young lawyer who had helped us close on the properties. She had just arrived at her practice and when asked she said she did practice family law also and she really woke up when I told her I wanted to sue my parents for custody of my youngest brother and I filled her in on the last several hours and what had happened to me years ago.

She suggested that she contact the proper state department and inform them that because of his age Tom would be filing for not only damages against his parents, he would also be filing for emancipation from them as well. I told her that Cal and I wanted him to move in with us and that we understood the town police were at their house now and we wanted access to remove Tom’s possessions. She told us to get some sleep, we needed to be rested for Tom later, and she would get the ball rolling on her end. I thanked her and she said she’d call us in about 6 hours. I thanked her again and then Cal and I went to bed again, setting the alarm for noon. When we talked to Tricia (lawyer) later we were already on our way to the hospital.

She informed us the parents had been arrested and were trying to get out on bail, but a local judge had stalled that because he wanted to give us time to remove Tom’s things from the house, he didn’t care for adults who beat their children. We agreed to meet her at the parents house at 3 pm with a town police officer. We visited with Tom for about an hour and a half and filled him in on what we had started. We asked where the items he most wanted were and we asked Harry and Jim if they wanted to go with us. They had arrived just before us and had gotten first hand from Tom the events of yesterday and this morning. We didn’t stay much longer, Tom was exhausted and we had a mission in our hometown to accomplish.

Tricia was waiting for us when we drove up to the house and a town policeman was just pulling up as we all exited our cars. Cal and I made introductions all around and it turns out the officer and Cal knew each other and they spent some time getting reacquainted while Jim let us into the house. The officer photographed the blood smears on the kitchen counters and floor as the rest of us went to the room Tom shared with Jim. Suitcases were found and we packed up Tom’s possessions and Jim also packed more of his belongings as well. Cal muscled Tom’s computer and I grabbed the boxes of books. Jim and Harry took the boxes and suitcases and we all trooped out to the cars with Tom’s belongings going into my car and Jim’s into his own. We thanked the officer and he departed and we all talked to Tricia for a while.

She told us bail had been set for $100,000 each for our parents and they were trying to raise that on the value of their house. We were told that they had retained their own lawyer and if found guilty could receive sentences of up to 20 years each. She thought she should try to get Tom emancipated before that, because when they were found guilty Tom would become a ward of the state and that could drag things out much longer and Tom would be placed in a state facility until everything would be worked out. We all agreed and she suggested that we make sure Tom would be able to support himself if emancipation was granted. I reached into the car and removed the copies of the boys trust documents we’d received just that morning from Harold and I showed them to her, pointing out that each was started with 500 thousand and was available for each now, but they were primarily set up as education funds, but with the executor’s permission could also be used for living expenses. The executor in these cases were, Aunt Sally and Cal, Cal having been added in case Sally and Gladys were off traveling or something and a disbursement had to be made.

Tricia looked the form over, smiling as she did so, and then asked me to fax her a copy she could include in her request to the court. She indicated she would be filing Tom’s request for emancipation with the court later that day and she would request an expedited hearing, because of the parents current circumstances. She would expect all the brothers to be prepared to give statements to the court. She was correct, we were notified that a hearing was scheduled in Hampden county court in Northampton for Tuesday morning and all the siblings were requested to be there. In the meantime we had to get Tom settled into his new home. We all went to Harry’s apartment to unload his car and then we all went to Cal and my home to settle in Tom. We made it clear to Jim that when the aunts returned he was more than welcome to move in with us as well.

He liked the idea so we called Tricia and asked her if she thought it would be acceptable for Jim to remove his belongings as well, as he would be moving out in about a month and a half anyway. She said she had to make a call, but since Jim was just shy of 19 he was considered “of age“ and he had his own set of keys for the house. She checked with the police and was told there wouldn’t be a problem with Jim removing his possessions, but if he was uncertain about his safety he was to call them immediately, as his parents were expected to be released on bail that afternoon. We borrowed Ray’s truck and we quickly returned to the parents house and removed Jim’s belongings as well, and not too soon. As we left the street Jim noticed our parents being dropped off by someone at their house. We returned to unpack Jim’s belongings into one of the rooms next to the one Tom had selected, we returned Ray’s pick up and then proceeded to unload Tom’s belongings into his room. It turned out to be pizza for dinner that night and after eating Jim drove back to the Aunts and Harry left for his apartment.

Although we didn’t receive any calls that night both Jim and Harry had. Our parents and their lawyer tried to get them to return to their home, but both young men adamantly refused, as was their right, and no amount of threats could sway them. They both told us that the parents demanded to know where Tom was and insisted that any injuries Tom had were self-inflicted to get back at his parents for disciplining him for being out late. Without disclosing anything each had hung up on their caller and blocked any further calls from their phones to the young men’s cells.

The next few days flew by. Tom joined us on our morning runs and when the new exercise equipment arrived he joined in the use of those machines as did Ray and Joe. Ray had hooked a grader to one of the tractors and regraded the paths into the fields which gave us easier access to the back acreage, and it helped define each pasture or field. He also used it to create wide paths to the other property for easier access to the house there and to the fields. I phoned Stella at work and explained these new access paths and asked her to pass this info to her roommates. They no longer would have to drive down the street to stop in, and when Ray leased out any unused fields the farmer would have access through the main property. We had a great weekend with Ray and Joe joining my brothers and me and Cal’s dad Frank came out Sunday afternoon to spend time with us all at the pool and stayed for dinner with us all too.

We spent some time on the computer in Cal’s study room with Tom, looking up info on emancipation so he would be prepared for Tuesday. There were guidelines he would have to comply with and judging by what we saw he was certainly qualified. Tuesday morning we met Tricia at the courthouse about an hour early so she could also prep Tom, but she found out he had really done his homework and there really was not much for her to add. When we heard our hearing announced we went into the hearing room and saw our brothers there on one side and our parents and their lawyer on the other. Our parents looked shocked as they saw me hugging my brothers before the room was called to order, and I saw them whispering to their lawyer. The judge presiding over the hearing opened the proceedings by calling on Tom to please stand so she could ascertain if he was well enough to take part in the hearing.

Tom was very adult and polite in answering the judge’s questions as she compared his face to pictures from a file, I figured the photos from the police and hospital. Tom then produced a note from his doctor stating he was physically well enough to attend and take part in the hearing. Tricia was right in asking his doctor for that. The hearing proceeded from there. Tricia produced notarized statements from Tom’s teachers and the school principal and his baseball coach, all lauding his status as an honor roll student, his maturity, and his status as student council president for the upcoming school year, his senior high school year. They lauded his maturity and sense of fairness in all his dealings with both the staff and the students. Tom was blushing at all this praise and I was so proud of him, as I’m sure Cal and my brothers were as well. During questioning by our parent’s lawyer Tom was asked how he intended to support himself, as to his parents knowledge he had no money and no job.

Tricia objected and asked the judge to please see in the court’s case file she had submitted Tom’s trust fund documents which showed Tom’s financial statements. The parent’s lawyer frantically looked through his copy of the court’s file and then showed the document to our parents. Our father yelled, ”Where the hell did that come from?” and the judge banged her gavel and asked the lawyer if he had any more questions. We all could hear our parents grumbling at each other about where all that money had come from and why didn’t he (Tom) just give it to them. Did he make that money sucking dick? We all thought it was pretty funny, but we kept our composure and just slightly elbowed each other to acknowledge we could hear them. Their lawyer said he had one more question for Tom and when the judge nodded he asked Tom where the funds for the trust came from. Tom answered that his brother had set it up for him.

The lawyer looked confused and said that as far as his parents knew Harrison (Harry) and James (Jim) were students and held no jobs, certainly none that could have funded a 500 thousand dollar trust fund, and Tom just sat and smiled at him saying he meant to say his oldest brother, Scott had provided the trust to him and he had done the same for his other brothers as well. The lawyer then stood staring at his clients as they bickered back and forth and the judge banged her gavel and asked what all the noise was about and our father stood and said the documents must be faked because they had thrown out their oldest when they found out he was a queer and queers don’t make or give away a million and a half dollars.

Tricia stood then to get the judge’s attention and quietly said that as I was also a client of hers she could attest that I was worth in excess of 17 million and that amount grew each hour of the day and she had financial documents that had nothing to do with the matter in front of the judge today, but if she could approach the bench she could show these to the judge in private so the judge could see for herself the funds came from my accounts and that in the time since the funds had been set aside more than half that amount had already been re-earned by the investments in the original account. The judge waved Tricia up to the bench and they moved to one side of it and Tricia showed the relevant documents to the judge. Tricia then resumed her seat with us and the judge sat in her seat behind the bench and stated for the record that she was convinced the funds were legally earned and distributed into the trusts mentioned and that indeed Mr. Scott Roberts was worth in excess of 17 million. She stated that she could see no reason not to grant Tom’s request for emancipation and it was so granted.

As we all left the hearing room we could hear our parents calling out to me, but we all left the room without acknowledging them at all as their lawyer and the bailiff held them back from us. We asked Tricia to meet us back at our house for lunch and she agreed so we all drove back over the river through Hadley to Amherst and then home. Cal had phoned Joe, who was doing kitchen duty and cleaning today, and warned him there would be six for a celebratory lunch in about an hour and a half. Joe said no problem, he had counted on it already and we could eat anytime after we got there.

We all arrived within a few minutes of each other and there were hugs all around before we entered the house and Tricia got the big tours from Cal and Tom and Harry, Jim and I went to help Joe with lunch. All that was left was to set the table in the dining room so we did that and then Joe showed us what he had prepared for lunch. There were foot long lobster rolls, three kinds of chips, potato salad and coleslaw. There were several different drink choices, but most opted for ginger ale. Joe had baked a cake for dessert and on it he had written “Happy Freedom Day Tom”. Lunch was great and we visited as we showed Tricia the property she had helped us purchase. We all thanked her as she left and then Tom asked if he could invite Bill to come over and stay for dinner.

We told him it was OK with us so he ran off to do that. We hadn’t run that morning, but we weren’t going to after that rich lunch so we asked Harry and Jim if they’d like to ride with us. We each picked out a horse and Ray came to the barn to make sure we had saddled them properly. He said he’d keep a lookout for Tom and Bill and help them if they decided they wanted to join us. We thanked him and went off to explore. About a half hour later Tom called and asked where we were and I told him to head for the pond, as we were just about there. At the pond we tethered the horses and we stripped off and went for a swim. By the time we had a good water fight going Tom and his friend Bill rode up.

Tom had the family muscles and in contrast Bill was quite slim, more of a swimmers build, but when he dropped his shorts there was complete silence for the kid was hung like the horse he had ridden up on. The 16 year old had about 8 inches soft, The darned thing slapped his thighs as he ran to dive into the pond and Tom had the biggest smile on his face as he followed more sedately, watching Bill’s glutes move as he ran to the water. When Bill surfaced and swam back to the group of us Tom made the introductions. Bill seemed like a quiet unassuming sort of guy and we all liked him right away. He glanced at me several times during the next several minutes and Cal and I thought he was just sizing up his boyfriend’s oldest brother, but just before we left the pond, after drying off and redressing, he came up to me at Tom’s prodding and shyly asked if I was Robert Scott, the author.

I asked him why he thought that and he told me he used to live in Key West Florida and he had attended an author’s night at the library and he had seen me there, as Robert Scott. I reassured him that I was, and now that he was practically one of the family he was allowed to know my secret, but I would prefer he didn’t spread the word as Cal and I wouldn’t have any privacy at all if word got out. He agreed and then told me he had read all my books and had learned so much about life from them, He said he had also seen the movies, but he learned so much more from the books, especially how to live a noble life as a young gay man and what to look for in a mate. At that he looked at Tom so warmly that I could actually feel the emotion he felt toward Tom and I was very gratified to see it. Bill was definitely infatuated with Tom and I was pleased to see Tom looking at Bill the same way. For two 16 year olds they had been fortunate to find someone who loved them as that person loved him back.

We had a great time at dinner. Joe had put in a roast with all the trimmings and by the time we had all showered and redressed Joe and Ray had rejoined us for a big family dinner. I had emailed the aunts about the problem with Tom, so I took a few minutes before we sat to eat and I called them and filled them in on all the goings on and the good results from today’s hearing. Aunt Sally told me to tell Jim to be wary, as our parents knew where he was staying until the aunts returned and that Harry should also be leery of them for the same reason. During dinner I mentioned to the two young men what Aunt Sally had said, and that if anything occurred that made them uncomfortable at all I wanted them to call the town police first and me second. About an hour after Harry and Jim left I received a call from Jim. He told me Harry was driving and as they turned to go to the aunt’s house they saw flashes of lights in two different parts of the house. Jim had called the police and they had arrived silently and were entering the house as we spoke. He kept me on the phone as we waited for the police to re-appear. They did shortly, waiving the young men over. Jim told me he’d have to call me back.

The police had our parents handcuffed and were placing them in the back of the cruiser as one of the policemen asked Jim and Harry what they saw. The two gave their statements and then told the officer about the hearing earlier in the day and that their parents were out on bail on another charge. The officer thanked them and asked if they could stop at the station the next day to sign their statements after they had been typed up. The guys agreed and the policeman then told them that nothing but an address book had been found on their persons. Jim spoke up and said that if the address book had a listing for Scott Roberts, then the book was stolen as he thought the parents were looking to track their oldest son to find out where their youngest one was, the one who had just been emancipated by the court. The officer checked and sure enough it was Aunt Sally’s address book. He thanked them again and told them he’d see them the next day. Jim called me back and filled me in on what had gone down. I would have to check with Tricia in the morning, but I thought a stay-away order had been placed on both parents and applied to all their sons. I also thought that if someone on bail gets arrested while on bail their bail is forfeited and they remain in jail until their original court case is resolved. If that was the case and their bail was forfeited then they had just lost their house, as I had those many years ago.

But the more I thought about it, that house was a legacy to my younger brothers. They were the ones to have to endure life in it with my parents after I was thrown out. In the morning I called Tricia, and she confirmed my suspicions. I told her of my worries concerning the house, it being the only thing of value for them to leave their sons. She told me to hang in there, she had a plan. After about an hour she returned my call and told me she had contacted the bail bondsman who had provided bail and she bought the bail from him, it would cost me close to 200 thousand ,but it would be worth it if one, or all of them wanted to eventually live there, or in time they could sell it and maybe make some money on it. It remains to be seen if there was even an emotional attachment to the house by any of the boys, but it would be there for them if there was a need for it, in the meantime we could fix it up and rent it out, whatever the case I had asked Tricia I wanted the house awarded to the boys as compensation for the abuse and miserable life our parents had inflicted on them. She said she knew we could most likely get that once they were found guilty of the abuse and other charges against them for what they did to Tom.

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