The Village

Seth’s Perspective

Monday morning it was back to the office, my moonshine-inflicted headwounds were still slowing me down as I made my way down the walk to the drive and into the GTI. The driveway looked empty without The Green Dragon parked there… hopefully Daddy would fix her up and send her home soon. I got in early, as usual but this time Rodney beat me in. He had already collected all the church pamphlets off the cars and the floor and threw them in the overflowing box by BA’s desk. He even stopped by Marilee’s and got coffee for the two of us. Thank god because my moonshine hangover wasn’t leaving of its own volition. Picklin’ Day was fun, but damn I was paying the price.

“Mornin’ boss!” Rodney chirped as he handed me the cup of black-gold he had scored from Marilee. “You look like hell.”

I shot my cohort a nasty look, “golly thanks” I said snidely knowing he was right but not appreciating being told. “I spent Saturday making pickles with BA, Max, and his sister in-law. BA insisted that we pickle ourselves with moonshine first.” I said making Rodney laugh.

“You are a country boy aren’t you” he replied as he followed me into my office and made himself comfortable. He started talking business before I even sat down at my desk, “I did an intake over the weekend. Terrance called me about an emergency room patient who had nowhere to go when he was released, the guy told him he was afraid of homeless shelters because he was gay. I did a quick background check… everything checked out, so I made a few calls. He’s staying with Darius and Tommy for now. All the 2nd floor spots are spoken for until Mason moves out, he’s still looking for a place. The guy needs a job, I already called Ricky and he needs help at BroMax” he said self-assuredly. “I put his file in the system so you can pull it up, it’s under Maverick D.”

“Wow. You had a busy weekend” I said a little in shock. The guy had only been there a week and had already jumped in headfirst. I was impressed. He got a call over the weekend and just… just… handled it! No calls to me for advice, no hesitation, he just jumped in and did it. This was huge for me; it meant the world was no longer on my shoulders alone. “Maverick?” I asked as I pulled up the file. “What’s his real name?”

“Maverick. Birth given” Rodney replied. “He’s barely 18, he left home at seventeen claiming an abusive stepmother. He roomed with a friend for a while, but they weren’t keeping up with the rent and got evicted so he’s been sleeping wherever he can, mostly on the dunes of private beaches, hiding in the grass.”

“Wow. Why was he in the ER?” I asked as I read through the file.

“Raccoon bite”

“In a sand dune?” I asked.

“Yup, seems he made his bed near some raccoons living under the deck of a shuttered beach house and they didn’t appreciate having a roommate” Rodney answered as a matter of fact. “It was  a pretty bad bite, but he’ll be okay, they treated the wound and administered post-exposure prophylaxis.” I just stared at him like an idiot having no clue what he just said. He smirked and added, “they gave him a vaccine. I only know what it means because Terrance told me” he laughed, “but I sounded smart, right?” He was a funny guy and put a smile on my still-hungover face. Then he went on to tell me that he took Maverick to a drive thru on the way to Tommy and Darius’ place and he wolfed down two Wendy’s triples. “I’m guessing the guy hadn’t eaten in a while.” He gave me all the details and told me that he put him on my schedule for a 9:30AM session. He would pick him up and bring him to my office, then take him out to BroMax for an interview with Ricky. We went through everything else on our lists, I thanked him for jumping in and taking control, then he was off to pick-up Maverick. This guy was the right hire.

I was catching up on emails, etc. while I waited for Maverick when Zach called, “Hey, I gotta head to Raleigh this afternoon to meet with the DA on the discrimination case, so I’m gonna be late tonight” he said. “Don’t hold dinner for me, I’ll grab something on the way home.”

“So, it’ll just be me and Princess Riles for dinner tonight? Maybe I’ll let her cook” I joked.

“No!” Zach yelled, “I’m not ready to be a widower.” We both laughed, talked a bit more, then I went back to work.

Promptly at 9:30AM Rodney walked into my office with a thin, sickly looking young guy holding a grungy backpack. “Hey Seth, this is Maverick” Rodney said, then looked at Maverick and said, “This is Seth. I’ll leave you guys to talk. Maverick, do you want something to drink, water, coffee, soda?” Maverick very meekly and politely asked for coffee. He and I made pleasantries as I guided him to the therapy room where we could get more comfortable. We both sat in the comfortable leather chairs, Rodney dropped off the coffee and then left, shutting the door on his way out.

“I… um… I um… really don’t know what in the hail I’m supposed to say, y’all. And I aint got no idea ‘bout what I’m even doing here. Or um, for that matter where or what the hail here is” Maverick said in a very quiet, befuddled voice with a southern Drawl so deep that it made Brody sound like a proper Englishman. The bewildered introduction happens a lot when we first meet clients. One minute they’re out on the streets, homeless trying to figure out where to sleep or get their next meal, the next they are meeting all these new people asking them a million questions supposedly there to help them.

“Well, the here is The Village” I said and briefly explained what we do. “The ‘what you’re doing here’ answer is that Terrance, your ER Dr. thought you could some help, and we can offer that” then I explained my role. I noticed his rigid posture start to loosen up as he seemed to better grasp what was happening and trust that he was safe with us. “So, what about you?” I asked. “Your accent is even Southern for this place” I said with a smile.

For the first time the pale little waif smiled back, “I’m from Kentucky” he said, then after a long pause he told me some more. “I left home about a year ago, they don’t much take to homos back where I’m from… especially my step momma, she didn’t want me around her kids, so I just got on a bus and left” he said before letting out a huge exhale. “I got to Raleigh, met some guy and the next thing I knew we were movin’ to Wilmington. We got an apartment, but couldn’t find jobs and didn’t pay the rent, so a coupla’ months later we were homeless and the guy took off… I didn’t really care, I weren’t inta’ him, he was just a way out. So now I just sleep where I can, I been tryin’ to find a job but aint had no luck. I aint got much schoolin’.”

“So that’s how you met the raccoon?” I asked.

He chuckled a little “yep. He didn’t much take to havin’ a bunkmate I guess.” Then we talked about what he needed, the basics… a roof, food, an income to sustain it. Then we talked about what he wanted, he literally he no clue. He had no real goals, no real desire to do or be anything specific… survival was all his mind could process at that moment. Everything else was kind of make-believe to him, a dream completely out of his reach.

We finished up our session and I said, “Rodney will take you to BroMax Farm to interview for a job in the candle barn.” Rodney had given him an overview of the place and I filled in the blanks and told him how I’d help him set savings goals, find a place to live etc. He was still a bit confused. “You, know. This is all voluntary, right?” I said seeing the skepticism in his eyes. “We have a crapload of resources to help you if you want to tap into them, We can help you get on your feet.”

“Listen, I appreciate all this, but I can’t go to an interview lookin’ like this” he said. I took him into the basement to go through the donation closet. He was tiny, but we found some stuff that could pass for fitting.

When we got back upstairs to the office Colton was in the lobby talking with Rodney, waiting for our session to start, he was all smiles. “Hey Seth!” He greeted me with exuberance, he couldn’t contain his excitement. “The people on the fourth floor bought a house! Brody says I can move up there in a few weeks, and Zach says he may be able to get me guardianship of Ella before thanksgiving!” He was freaking bursting! Then he saw Maverick. “Oh, sorry. Hi, I’m Colton” he said reaching out to shake the timid young man’s hand.

“Maverick” the young man replied. I chuckled to myself, Maverick, and Colton, it was like a spaghetti Western.

“Colton’s been with us Several months” I offered.

“These guys are fire AF!” gushed Colton making me laugh. Then he looked at me and said, “Mason’s going to move into my one-bedroom when I move to the fourth floor.” PERFECT! I thought, that frees up a place on the second floor for Maverick if he wanted it, I filed that info away in my head until we had him settled. Colton looked at Maverick and could tell he was uneasy about all this. He understood that feeling, he had gone through the same thing a few months back. “Are you guys in a hurry?” He asked looking at me and Rodney. I knew what he was thinking.

“No, Ricky’s expecting him sometime before lunch, there’s no specific time” Rodney said.

“I’m working the 5PM to 1AM shift tonight to pick up some extra cash, and I already slept, so I have some time. If it’s cool with you guys, I’d like to take Maverick for coffee, we’ll be back in like a half hour” Colton said. We all agreed and Maverick hesitantly accepted the invite. The guys went to Marilee’s for coffee and came back about a half hour later as promised. When they returned, they were joking and laughing. Maverick was a different guy, smiling, more confident. He said goodbye to Colton, thanked him for his help. Colton invited him to Ricky’s for their Friday night movie night and Maverick accepted. Rodney and Maverick headed to BroMax Farm, and Colton and I went to the therapy room for our session.

“Can I ask what you said to him?” I asked Colton.

He just smiled, “Seth, you guys are awesome, but the first couple of days with you are scary as shit” Colton said honestly. “I was living in my car fending for myself, no one gave a shit whether I lived or died, then suddenly all these hot guys appear out of nowhere to help me fix my life, it was like being on Queer Eye For The Homeless Guy” he laughed. “You guys all had your shit together, and jumped in to… well.. save me, and wanted nothing in return? Yeah, right!” He scoffed, “Seth, I didn’t trust Max and Brody at all because it all seemed too good to be true, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. But after a few days it was clear that you all were legit.”  He took a pause to take a sip from his water bottle. “I just told Maverick my story and told him to trust you. I also told him to talk to Mason and the other guys at the barn, they all have stories too.” Colton was paying it forward.

I couldn’t help but smile with pride. All the guys of The Village were so grateful and genuinely good people. Taylor had given us some grief, but he appreciated what we had done for him, he was just going with what he knew, hopefully we were teaching him a better way… time would tell. “You’re a good man Colton” seemed like the right thing to say.

He smiled and blushed, “You guys won’t let me be anything else.” The rest of our session was spent talking about how he and Ella were dealing with the changes and what his plan was moving forward. He updated me on how the scholarship and grant applications were going, etc. His biggest concern was the court ordered visits between Ella and his mother.

“Ella has her first visit with mom tomorrow” Colton said. “She doesn’t want to do it, but the judge mandated it at mom’s lawyers request so she has to go.”

“So, where are the visits?” I asked.

“Some facility downtown. I asked Mrs. J if I could picker her up from school and take her, the Social Worker said it was okay.” Colton said. “I’m just going to wait outside while they meet, the Social Worker will be in the room with them so she’ll be safe.” He paused and took a deep breath, “I want my mom to see me so she knows I’m paying attention.” He said it as if it were a declaration, like he was putting a line in the sand and daring his parents to cross it. He was determined to get Ella, and we were determined to help him. We had a good session. Colton left to take a nap before his later shift, and I went about my usual day of paperwork, calls, and sessions. I got home about the same time as Riley and we ended up cooking dinner together. Knowing her limited talent in the kitchen, I decided to subtly teach her how to cook. We made a simple stir fry, she actually paid attention as I showed her what to do… she basically made it on her own with me guiding her, and it was pretty damn good. We talked over dinner and she told me that Eli was pissed at her because he just got the credit card bill. I listened to her side of the story and all I said in response was, “in the long run what will have a bigger impact on your life, designer shoes or a home you and Eli can call your own?”

She looked at me in silence and continued to eat, a few minutes later she said, “This tastes pretty damn good, and what you said makes sense.” That was all that was said on the subject. We hung out for the rest of the night and watched TV, talking and laughing. I loved hanging with Riley, she really was a lot of fun she just had some growing up to do. Zach texted that he was going to be late, I was tired and went to bed without him, Petunia was more than happy to take Zach’s half of the bed and I fell asleep with my back against hers. I don’t know how long I had been passed out when I felt Petunias tail smack my ass as she wagged her greeting to her other daddy.

Then I felt Zach get into the bed. “Hey, your finally home” I said sleepily as I felt his lips on my neck. “How was your day?” He asked as Petunia jumped off the bed.

“Long” he whispered into my neck. “The state wants to settle with our client, but David wants stipulations that enforce their EEO practices and they’re not willing to change anything yet.” Then he sighed and said, “damn we’re talking a lot of money, but David’s convinced that they know they fucked up and is confident he can get them to agree to the other demands, so he turned it down.” We talked a little more before Zach stripped and slipped his naked body under the covers and wrapped me in his strong arms. Petunia had already moved to her bed int the corner with a heavy sigh, she knew Zach was the leader of the pack and she had lost her place on the mattress for the night.

Zach’s body was cold at first but warmed up as we cuddled. His manhood was limp, but hefty against my butt crack as the warm blood started to circulate through the magnificent cylinder. I could feel it cultivate against me and couldn’t resist the urge to reach back and take it in my warm hand. I could feel Zach’s breath on my neck as I massage and stroked the delicate member to full hardness. Damn, I loved the feel of him in my hand! The veins, the ridges, the softness of his skin, and contrasting firmness of the shaft it was wrapped around. It emanated heat as I slowly moved my hand up and down while little moans of appreciation escaped Zach’s lips and landed on my neck in the form of heated exhales, oh my god it felt amazing. The hairs on my neck stood at attention and my rump instinctively pushed back against Zach’s hungry serpent. He slithered up and down my trench, taunting my chasm with every gentle touch. Each time he grazed my hole it would twitch and contract thirsting for more. Zach knew me, he felt my desire and he reached into the drawer of the nightstand and pulled out the lube. I heard the *pop* of the bottle’s top and felt the brisk aqueous gel dribble into my furrow. Zach’s spread the gel up and down my crack with his fleshy apparatus while his fingers made their way to my hole. He pushed one finger in and moved it around finding the perfect spot and sending thrills through my being. I gasped and bit my lip as the pleasure blasted through me like a shooting star through the dark night sky. He inserted a second finger, opening me up wider as he continued his exploration. I wanted to scream out ‘FUCK ME, FUCK ME NOW, ZACH’ but there was no need, he knew what I wanted. The wide head of his perfect beast begged for admission to my portal, I gladly opened and obliged. Each perfect centimeter of him rambled its way further and further into my depths. His soft, warm scrotum lightly tapped against my ass and Zach just rested there for a moment. “I love you so much, Seth” he whispered in my ear reminding me that this act was so much more than carnal. It was an expression of our love and commitment to each other… after all our years together, I still wondered why he chose me. I know I’ve said it before, but Zach was the hottest, most amazing person in the world. I used to think that I just saw him that way because I loved him, but the longer we were together the more I was convinced that he was just THAT incredibly perfect.

“I love you too” I whispered back into the darkness. With Zach still deep inside me, we maneuvered and wriggled until I was on my back, my knees were to my chest, and Zach was on top and in control. He pulled out of me all the way, his cockhead exiting with a *pop*. Before I could bitch or complain about the empty feeling inside me, he was back and pushing his perfection all the way in. Again, he pulled out slowly, then he was back. Over and over, each time slightly different from the last as he titillated me to my very core. My hand reached up and my short nails dug into his unyielding ass. He leaned down and kissed me, he was going for a tender peck but I counter attacked and my mouth devoured his. Passion took control as my hands released his ass and moved to the back of his head, pulling his lips tight against mine and holding them captive. We were sending our moans into each other’s mouths as his weighty seed-sac slapped against my warm, firm, posterior again and again. I was so lost in my lust that I can’t remember if Zach gave me a warning or not before he unloaded his soldiers into my cavern. I felt his warmth inside of me, it was so damn satisfying as Zach pounded out everr last drop giving me his all until he started to soften.

He pulled out of me then reached around to stroke me to completion. I grabbed his wrist and stopped his hand. “I just want to enjoy this” I said basking in the euphoria. With that, he spooned me and we fell asleep. The next morning Zach woke me up with a “thank you” BJ… it was totally unnecessary, having him cum inside me was more than enough to satiate me, but hey, who’s gonna turn down a blowjob from Zach Hall…. sure as frig not me!

 

We got up and showered together. When we rehabbed the old house, we took a couple of feet from the guest room closet to make the shower bigger… it was a smart call! We stood under the cascading water and soaped each other up and down getting ready for another day. After our shower, Zach donned his ‘lawyerin’ uniform’ as Brody deemed it, and I put on a nice pair of khakis and a polo then we headed down to the kitchen for breakfast. To my utter shock, the coffee was ready, and Riley had made a nice fruit salad, put toast in the toaster, and was mixing up yogurt and granola in a bowl. It was lighter than our usual breakfast, but the effort was more than appreciated.

“I made breakfast” Riley said. “It’s not your usual bacon, eggs, and stuff, but this is about the extent of my culinary talents.”

“It looks good” I said as I put some fruit on my plate. Even Zach praised his little sister for her initiative.  I saw a bunch of bags piled in the corner of the kitchen. “What’s all that?” I asked my sister in-law.

She sighed and said, “a bunch of shit I don’t need that I’m going to return after work.” I know Zach wanted to make a couple of wise-ass comments, but kept his mouth shut. “You’re right, Seth. I don’t need this crap; I’d rather save the money.” Zach and I exchanged glances and grins. Maybe his baby sister was growing up after all.  After breakfast she loaded all the bags into her Mercedes to return them to the overpriced store they came from, and sped off to work.

Once he was out of the house and down the drive Zach looked at me and asked, “What the hell did you say to her?”

“She was pouting because Eli got pissed when he saw the credit card bill, so I just asked her what would have a bigger impact on her life In the long run, designer shoes or a place her and Eli can call their own?” I answered as I packed my bag for work.

“And that did it?”” Zach asked with a satisfied look on his face. “Good for you.” He said then gave me a peck on the cheek.

“Oh, and I’m stealthily teaching her how to cook” I said with a smirk of satisfaction making my husband laugh.

“More power to ya’” he said as we both walked out of the house and towards our vehicles. Zach got in the truck, and I got in the GTI. I hadn’t heard back from daddy on my car yet, I was hoping to have it back already but no such luck.

BA was volunteering that morning and we pulled into the parking lot at the same time, “Hey Darlin’ y’all look a helluva a lot better than ya’ did when I last saw ya” she said as she lugged herself out of the silver Chrysler.

I laughed and said, “Yeah thanks for the two-day hangover, BA.”

“Yer welcome darlin’” she said as we picked the pamphlets off the cars, then walked into the office. Rodney got there shortly after us. We were still getting settle in when Colton came down the steps and knocked on the front door, BA unlocked it and let him in. He was dressed in a suit with his hair perfectly quaffed. “Well, don’t you look cute as a button?” She said while she fixed his tie.

Colton let out a sigh, “I’m off to pick up Ella and take her to her first visitation with my mother” he said, “I’m not looking forward to this but I’m not letting her go alone.”

“It’ll be fine” Rodney said. “The social worker will take care of Ella.”

“And if you need to talk afterwards, we’re here.” I chimed in. Colton nodded then went on his way.  He was a stand-up guy and taking charge of his own life, and Ella’s. I couldn’t help but be proud.

 

To be continued…