Toby's Journal

I pretty much avoided Ted for the rest of the day in that I went to my bedroom and took a nap.

A few hours I took a shower in order to sober up some from the bourbon I drank earlier and felt that my throat was sore from the cigarettes I smoked; I'm never fucking having another one in my life.

Once I showered and dried off I went into the kitchen and saw Ted was in there heating up some leftovers.  He said, “hey" to me and I said “hey" back to him as I dug through the fridge to grab one of Ted's beers and cold cuts and condiments to make a sandwich.  As I cracked open the beer and took a sip of it Ted said to me “are you sure you should be drinking Toby?  You are under legal drinking age.”

I just replied back “I think you are a few years late on being a father figure to me Ted, especially since you knew that my test results were negative but went along with Kathleen's scheme anyways.  You know what Ted save your money on the docs.  When I'm eighteen I can make my own medical decisions” and I made a quick soft laugh and said “ohh the fucking irony.”

Ted asked me what I thought was so funny.  I told him that it was easier for me to have my dick cut off, have boob implants, and take hormones to become a “female" without parental consent rather get an MRI and a sonogram of my heart as a minor.

Ted said back to me, ”yes it is.  Look Toby, I'm sorry that I wasn’t exactly the best father figure to you for which I am sorry for and if I could change the past I could, I would.”

I just replied back, “a growing boy needs two parents to trust Ted, and I am sure that you meant well but at the moment I trust neither of you.  The only one I trusted was Patrick.  Yeah he was always busy but he always found a few minutes to make time for me.  I know he wasn't perfect but . . .”

Ted interjected to say, “I miss him too Toby, trust me when I say that.  Patrick was not only my business partner but a good friend.

Ted and I were silent as I made the sandwich.  When I was done with my beer, I was about to get one but just said “allow me, and I’ll join you.”

I just said, “sure Ted, thanks.”

As I ate my sandwich in silence, Ted was just looking at me, sipping his beer until he asked me if him being queer bothered me.  I had to think about how to answer him in that I would be hypocrite to say that it did considering my own repressed homosexual urges and feelings, especially towards Jake so I just answered him in a very vague way by saying, “I know what the Church’s teachings say about homosexuality and adultery Ted but as I said earlier, who you choose to have a relationship with is your own business so don’t worry Ted your secret is safe with me.  I am well aware of the ramifications if the word got out about you being queer, it could ruin you and the business.”

Ted took a sip of his beer and asked me “so were you going to send the photos and audio to Kathleen or not?”

I just took a sip of my beer, stared Ted in the eye and said, “yes.”  I saw the look on his face, and he got a bit nervous until I added “her home phone number.”

Ted laughs out louds and said to me “you have some big balls, Toby.  You had me fucking going there for a second there.”

I replied back, “that wasn’t my intention Ted but at the point where I’ll do about anything to get back to playing the game, so if it means sextorting my stepfather to do so, then I’ll do it because I have no guarantee that Kathleen would keep her word, nor you for that matter.”

Ted just sat there, sipped his beer and said, “I see.  You can be a tough son of a bitch when you have to be Toby.  I admire that about you.  You are your mother’s son.  Finish up eating and let’s not wait until your eighteenth birthday to get you a car, let’s but one now and pick it up tomorrow.”

I was shocked what Ted just told me and said, “no shit Ted” for which he replied “no shit Toby.  A man’s word is his bond, and I gave my word and since your mother is still out of town until Monday we might as well get it done before she returns.  Yeah, she’ll have a connipshit when she returns but she’ll get over it.

“It’s time I start being a parent to my stepson, and had the situation been reversed, Patrick would be the one I would trust to look after my offspring.”

When Ted said that to me I stood and teared up a bit and said “thanks Ted” and gave him a man hug and added “means a lot to me. I’ll finish up soon.”

I scarfed down my sandwich and joined Ted in his/dad’s office.  He poured a bourbon and poured me one as well and said, “now promise me Toby, you won’t text or drink and drive if we do this or your mother will never forgive either of us.”  I told him I swear in that I had lost a few classmates in the past from them doing either or both.”

Ted then sat down at his computer, powered it on and when the sign in screen came to life he said “Hello Mother” as he typed in his six-digit PIN code.  I tried to make a note of his PIN number but only caught the first half of it as the PC came to life.  Ted then went to the internet browser, typed in web address of a local car dealership and said to me, “now pick out a car Toby, but keep it reasonable.

I browsed the new SUV style cars on the lot and after an hour or so of looking them over and getting Ted’s either approval or disapproval, we found one; one had a trunk big enough to accommodate my lacrosse gear bag and have enough room to comfortably fit five adults.

Ted and I make note of its VIN number, Make, Model and Year so that Ted could add it to his car insurance policy.  Once that was all said and done Ted takes a sip of his drink and says, “goddamn Toby, I fucking hope that buying you a tux is easier than fucking that.”  I just laughed with him.

The next morning, I slept in, so I had to forgo my usual run and workout in that I had had a mild hangover.  Instead of tea I drank black coffee downed with an Advil along with a bagel with cream cheese, prosciutto, and cantaloupe.  

Ted was already awake and said to me that we’ll get my car later in the day in that he has to talk to Mac in order to get a better deal in it and for me to test drive it to make sure it’s the right fit.  I said “ok and thanks Ted. I do appreciate it.”  He just says “I know Toby.  Nothing like a father or in my case a stepfather helping his son go pick up his first car.”

Ted and I rode to a tailor that he knows, and got me fitted for a tux, one that needed a few extra days for proper pant alterations, I wanted the one that was the deepest dark blue but Ted said to me “calm down 007, go with the classic black, it never runs out of style and for this one you better learn how to tie a bow tie yourself because the babes can spot a clip on a mile away.”

I just told him that I’ll YouTube on how to tie one Q.

Once I had the traditional tux picked out, Ted then kind of took charge of it and picked out two shirts, the studs, cufflinks, cummerbund, and shoes to go with it.  I would be at a loss for such a thing in that I had no idea how much went into picking one out was, but I just stood back and smiled in that Ted knew his stuff when it comes to these sorts of things.

Once I was dressed in it with the tailor pinned my pants to where they needed to be and then asked me, “excuse me sir, but which way do you ‘dress’?”  I looked at Ted who was with me in the fitting area and asked him, “what does he mean?”  Ted just replied back, it’s a polite tailor’s term for asking where your man parts ‘rest’ in your underwear Toby, to the right or the left.”

I blushed and said, “isn’t that a bit of a personal question.”  Ted laughed a bit and said to me “yeah but it also means if you want to show off a bit of it to the ladies, it’s the male version of the push up bra.  I just replied to the tailor “to the left, I think.  It points up when I’m wearing a jock.”

Now the tailor blushed and said, “the tuxedo will be ready on Monday.”

I dressed back into my regular clothes as paid the bill for the tux and everything that comes with it.  He said to me as we left “you have very suddenly become very expensive to me Toby but it’s money well spent.  Patrick would want it this way.”

I just said “thanks Ted.  I really do appreciate it.”

Ted then said to me “the car won’t be ready for a couple of hours, you ready for lunch?”  I told him I was.

Ted drove me to his country club where we had lunch.  I was about to order a beer but Ted said, “an iced tea instead Toby, Remember what I said no drinking and driving and no texting in the car, at any time.”  I ordered a Coke and a burger.  Ted had a steak.

As we waited for our food and drink, Ted’s cell phone rang.  It was mom, she came back early from Asheville due to the bad pollen.

Ted then places the call on speaker and tells mom that he is at the club with me, and we are having lunch before we go to pick up my car.  At that moment the phone went silent until Kathleen responded “he can’t be he is on his lacrosse away road trip.  Ted just replied back to her “well he couldn’t go because he is on IR remember, something he shouldn’t be on.”  Mom just replied, “what do you mean by that Ted?”

Ted just casually says “he knows Kathleen because I told him the truth on how you paid Doctor Rosenberg five grand to swap the photos of his MRI.  Toby has a good case against Doctor Rosenberg because written check signed by you and all….  Hello?”

From what I could tell mom hung up on Ted.

I just said after hearing all of that “she is gonna be really pissed at you and both of us right now and you know that.”

Ted just casually said to me as he sipped on his bourbon, “good.  She is so used to having her own way the spoiled cunt, but now things are different.  You were right Toby what you said the other day about her mentally abusing you and the more I thought about it I could either step in and make her stop or let it continue and it would be totally irresponsible of me to let it continue, plus I put a stop payment on that check.”

I asked Ted, “why Ted. Why now? You’re a bit fucking late.”

Ted just said to me “I know Toby and I am sure you have some resentment towards me for letting it go on for so long but now I am trying to make amends.”

As I sat there eating the great fucking thirty dollar hamburger that his country club charges for it and hearing Ted apologize for not being the father figure in my life I am wondering if he really cares about me or my twenty percent shares being held in escrow so he wants me on his side just incase he wants to sell the company.

Ted cell phone then pinged from an incoming text message. He read it and said to me, “finish up Toby, your car is ready so let’s go pick it up.

I finished up eating and once paid the bill we drove to the car dealership.  The car was already for us to take, Ted just had to write the check, sign the paperwork, and show proof of insurance on the car and he did.

Once I took delivery of the car, Ted said to me, “drive us Toby home.  I’ll get someone to drive my car back to the house.”

I drove my new SUV back to the house and had tears of joy from driving it.  Ted was getting a bit nervous at first but relaxed some once I had the hang of it all.  Once we approached the subdivision that we lived on Ted said to me “I have the perfect song to play loudly as we approach the house.”

I asked him “what is it dad?” and yes this was probably the first time I called Ted “dad”.  Ted smiled at me and said “this son” as he hit a few buttons on the council and heard “Born to Be Wild” by Steppenwolf blaring from the car’s speakers.

As the song played loudly, we got closer to the house and we both saw mom on the porch with a vodka tonic and a cigarette in her hand.   Ted said to me to roll down the windows, which I did.  I parked the car in the driveway, and we got out of it.  As we went from the driveway and into the house, Ted casually asked mom how Asheville was.  All she said to Ted, “I should have been consulted Ted.”

Ted then coldly replied back to mom “yeah that’s your problem Kathleen, now put out that fucking cigarette, get in the house, refill your drink and meet me in my office.  Toby comes as well.  It’s fucking time we all settle this shit once and for all.” . .