The Village

Seth’s Perspective

The next week at our house was a busy one and it seemed a little empty with my family gone… well everyone except Eli and Riley. My head was still reeling from my father’s big confession, and Zach was up to his ass in tortes, briefs, research, motions, filings, and all the other crap legal as he prepared for his big case. They were going to court in a week and he’d be staying in Raleigh for a few days with the partners from his firm, and David (Benji and Joel’s uncle). On top of all that, we were still in training to be foster parents… so much going on.

The church had stopped leaving pamphlets on the windshields of the cars in our lot, and dumping them in the mail slot, for the most part they were invisible… apparently my dad had gotten their attention. Ella was working had, I saw her every morning when I stopped by Marilee’s for coffee and she was always working her ass off; Marilee LOVED her. She was working there before school, and a couple of afternoons after school, and delivering Pizza on the weekends in Colton’s old Corolla. She was bound and determined to buy her own car; I had decided that Brian was right, she was The Green Dragon’s next mission.

It was midweek, Eli and Riley were out with Denny (the realtor) looking at houses and Zach and I were having a rare quiet dinner at home alone. I decided to bring up the subject, “I think I’m ready to look for a new car” I said as I twirled the spaghetti on my fork.

“Finally!” He said. “You deserve it. What changed your mind, is The Green Dragon acting up?”

“No, she’s running great. The timing just feels right. We’ve made a couple of house payments and student loan payments and we’re not broke every month, so I feel like we can afford it” I said. “and I wanna sell my car to Ella.”

Zach looked at me curiously, “Ella? You don’t want to donate it to The Village”

“Well, none of the villagers need a car at the moment, the guys on the second floor are all using the bug… Maverick would be next in line and he’s saving up, and has Taylor and Daddy looking for an old pick-up truck for him.”

Zach kept eating as we talked, “If you give it to the village, we get a tax write-off.”

“It’s not about the money, Zach. Helping Ella is helping Colton so we’re helping a villager” I answered. “And it’ll take her forever to save enough to buy a car she can trust, I’ll sell it to her for like a hundred bucks or something… that way she can afford it now, we know she has a reliable car, and it’s not a freebie, she’ll buy it and be proud of it and herself… just like I was.”

Zach smiled, “God, you’re too generous. We’ll never get rich” he said with a chortle.

“Excuse me for relating to a kid whose brother took her in to get her away from her father” I said, kinda joking, kinda not, I guess. I really did relate to her; I was about her same age when Brad saved me.

Zach put his hand up, laugh and said, “I’m just busting your balls. I think it’s a great idea, when did you want to do it.”

I had thought a lot about it, “She’s working two jobs and going to school; she needs it now. I can drive the truck until we find something new. I was going to talk to Colton at our session tomorrow to make sure he’s good with it before I made the offer.”

“Sounds like a plan” he said with a smile before adding, “it’s your car, if that’s what you want to do with it, I say go for it. Plus, I should get a decent year-end bonus, even bigger if we win this case so we’ll have a down payment for something nice.”

“I want something newer with low milage and four doors so you can use it if you need to pick up clients or something. I’m good driving the GTI.”

“Maybe we can go see Taylor after I’m done with this case and see what he can find for us. Meanwhile, you can give the car to Ella and drive the truck.” Zach responded. We had a plan.

We were just finishing up our nice quiet dinner when Riley and Eli came bursting through the door yelling our names. They were back from house hunting, Denny was with them and spoke first, “oh my god, you guys. This road looks amazing with the painted ladies and all lit up! AND THIS HOUSE! You guys have done an amazing job! SHOW ME EVERYTHING!” He gushed, and of course I did. I walked him through the entire house. “If you guys want to sell, I could get you double what you paid.” He said as we walked through.

“Oh, fuck no” I blurted out without thought then apologized, “Sorry. But hell no. We love this house!”

Denny just laughed, “Well If you change your mind… you know where to find me.”

“Did you guys find anything?” Zach asked as Denny and I reentered the living room after the tour, changing the subject.

“YES!” Riley squealed. “We found the cutest little Villa, it’s roomy, perfect and midway between here and my office.”

“It’s nice, and checks all the boxes” Eli added.

“And it’s a short sale, the sellers are desperate. It’s a rare bargain in this market” Denny added. Before asking “Is there a place we can spread out and write the offer up?” Zach cleared the dining room table so they could work while Riley continued to gush about the place. She pulled out her phone and showed us the listing. It was really a cute place and not too far away. it had three bedrooms, two baths, and so much charm. I could picture the two of them living there. After about an hour the offer was written and sent; Denny said good night making a final plea for us to list the old Witch’s house. Zach and I replied with a laugh, proud that he was showing an interest in our old home.

The next morning, Zach and I got up, showered together, then ate breakfast with Riley and Eli. Riley was so excited about the place they had found and couldn’t wait to hear back about the offer. Zach was ready for another day of prep for court and reminded me that he was leaving for Raleigh on Sunday morning and would be there for a few days. I was preparing myself to miss him. We got in our cars and went our separate ways for the day.

It was a typical day and Colton came in at noon for our session. We talked about everything going on with him. He and Ella were happy in their new home and adjusting to life together, He was happy that all the guys in the building were keeping an eye on her too, and he was excited about culinary school starting in a just few more weeks. After our session I asked, “How’s Ella doing with her two jobs and school?”

“Fantastic. It’s only been a couple of weeks, but she’s working her butt off and studying more to prove she can do it all” he answered. That sounded familiar, I did the same thing when I was her age… studied hard and worked hard to prove to myself (and my brother, and Scotty, and anyone else who cared) that I had value… it’s strange how being rejected by a parent can make you feel worthless. In the long run I didn’t need to prove myself because those around me saw the value in me, but at the time I felt the need to prove myself and I assumed Ella was in a similar place.

“Do you think she’d be interested in buying my car?” I asked.

“The Green Dragon? You’re selling her?” Colton said in surprise.

“It’s time, and I thought it might be a good solution for her.”

“She can’t afford anything yet” Colton responded with a laugh. “I think she has like $500 put away in her savings account, plus a couple hundred cash from tips, she hasn’t gotten her first paychecks yet. We agreed that she has to have two months insurance money and registration fees, put away before she buys anything… that will come to about $450, according to Marv.” Marv was the insurance guy down the street who had offered Taylor a job a couple of months back. He handled all our insurance needs, all Brody and Max’s insurance, and had helped a couple of guys at The Village too, I guess he was the unofficial, official insurance guy of the Village. Just like Denny had become the unofficial, official realtor of the Village, and Taylor the unofficial, official car guy of the Village, and Daddy the unofficial, official Mechanic of the Village, and Zach the unofficial, official lawyer of the Village… everyone rallied around these guys, and as they came into their own, they rallied around each other.

“I was gonna sell it to her for a hundred bucks” I said.

Colton eyes grew wide. “Really?! That car is worth way more than that.”

“It’s not about the money. I’ve been holding onto it forever for stupid sentimental reasons, but now someone else needs it… what do you think? Is it okay with you if I offer it to her?”

Colton chuckled a little “You’re asking my permission? God, I feel like such a parent.”

I smiled back at him and responded “You ARE a parent, Colton. And a damn good one.”

He had a proud but shy smile on his face, “It’s a very generous offer and would help us both out a lot, I’m sure she’ll appreciate it. Thank you… as always. Thank you.” With that, we ended our session and Colton went go back to work.

On Friday morning I parked my car behind The Village and walked over to get my coffee. Ella and Marilee were both behind the counter. Ella had been working there less than a week but already knew my order and had it ready by the time I got to the front of the line. “How’s it going?” I asked.

“Good” she said with a bright smile. I looked around and there was a little bit of a lull and Marilee was standing at Ella’s side.

“Hey, Marilee. Can Ella take a quick break?” I asked.

“Absolutely, things are slowing down” then she looked up at the clock on the wall “Ella, you need to get going or you’ll be late for school.”

“Oh crud” Ella exclaimed realizing the time.

“Can I give you a ride to school?” I asked deciding it would be a good opportunity to offer her the car.

“That’d be awesome, then Colton can leave and get to work on time for a change.” She said then texted him to let him know. Colton was usually a few minutes late in the mornings because he had to drop her off, but the guys at the docks knew his situation and covered for him. We headed towards the back door.

“I’ll see you at 6 tomorrow morning” Marilee said as we walked out and headed to Harrington House. When we got to the building Ella ran upstairs to get her backpack, I noticed Colton’s car was already gone.

When Ella got back to the parking lot I said, “Hey, do you mind driving? I have to send some emails from my phone.” I thought I was being sly getting her behind the wheel of my old lady. She gave me and odd look as I threw her the keys, but then got in and sat behind the wheel.

As we drove, I asked her how she was settling in. she answered, “Great, except I have too many darn brothers!” and giggled.

“What does that mean?” I asked.

“The guys in the building! They all treat me like I’m their little sister.” She exclaimed. “I had a date with a guy from my class Saturday night and every dang one of those guys came to the apartment to meet him and interrogated him. Poor Jonathan!”

I laughed out loud, “Really?! I think that’s hilarious… poor Ella, everyone loves her” I said mockingly and she laughed. “What did Jonathan do?”

She giggled as she answered, “He was a little freaked out at first, but laughed about it when we got down to his car.” We talked a little more about life among all the boys of Harrington House. Ella and I hadn’t spent much time alone together, so I told her about how my brother took me in when I was her age too. She said that Colton had mentioned that to her but she asked me a lot of questions and we bonded on our shared experience. As the conversation went on, I asked her how the car fund was coming. “I’m just getting started” she said. “I have enough money for two months insurance and registration fees, now I can start saving for the car.”

“So, you don’t have anything at all put away for the car?” I asked.

“Well, a couple hundred in cash from tips.” She answered as she drove.

“You know, this was my first car” I said as I broached the subject. “I needed a car for my internship my Sophomore year, and Brody had just inherited this from his grandmaw and gave me a deal. I bought it myself, paid the insurance, the registration, everything. This car is special to me… it was proof that I could make it on my own.” That was probably a little deep for a casual conversation with a sixteen year old, but it was part of my letting go process and I needed to say it.

Ella nodded as I spoke, then said, “It’s fun to drive. How old is it?”

“About thirty” I said.

She chuckled, “Almost twice as old as me… It’s like brand new” She said.

“I take care of her” I said, then asked, “Do you wanna buy her?”

She had a confused look on her face as I abruptly changed the subject. “Really? I kinda wanted something small and sporty… but Colton said my budget doesn’t match my wants” she giggled. “Are you serious about selling?”

“Yup. I’ll sell her to you for a hundred bucks.” I said.

“A hundred bucks? Are you f… fudging serious?” She asked in disbelief, catching herself before saying ‘fuck.’ Making me laugh.

“Yup. It’s time to get something newer, I got my monies worth. I just want The Green Dragon to go to a good home and I know you'll take good care of her.”

“The Green Dragon?” she asked curiously. I could feel her excitement as the reality of my offer set in, that made me extremely happy. This was the right move.

“Yeah, that’s what all my friends called her when I was in college.”

“Are you serious about selling her to me?” Ella asked with skepticism and excitement in her young voice.

“Yup. I already talked to Colton. If you want her, she’s yours.”

“I’ll call her Falkor!” she said.

“Falkor?” I asked in total confusion.

“The luck dragon from The Never Ending Story!!!” She shouted, “how do you NOT know that?!!” She asked in total disbelief of my ignorance making me laugh. “Are your serious about selling me Falkor? Really?!”

“Yes, of course I’m serious! I wouldn’t tease you like that.” I laughed as she pulled into the school parking lot.

She pulled up to the curb, put the car in park then looked at me and asked, “Are you sure?!” I laughed and nodded. “When can I buy her?”

“We’ll work out details this weekend. Call Marv to set up insurance, and figure out what you need to do to register her. Okay?” I said. She nodded in excitement, smiled a brilliant smile, then threw her arms around me and whispered a thank you in my ear before jumping out of the car. I scooted across the big, split-bench seat (still perfect underneath from being covered for thirty years, and) and got behind the wheel. I was about to pull out of the parking lot when The Green Dragon was suddenly surrounded by teenage girls giggling and chattering.

“Oh my god, Ella it’s so cute!” one girl exclaimed.

“I’m naming her Falkor” Ella said excitedly.

“Oh my god, the luck dragon! I love it” another replied.

“Who is the guy driving, he’s cute” giggled another.

“Probably one of her brother’s friends, they’re all hot but gay” one of them giggled back in response. Ella’s friends were laughing, giggling, and checking out the car like I wasn’t even there.

I tooted the horn and they all jumped, then Ella yelled “Sorry Seth! Thank you! I’ll talk to you later” and they cleared a path for me to drive away in Falkor, the car formerly known as The Green Dragon leaving behind a group of excited, giggling teenage girls.

The rest of my Friday at work was uneventful, and that night we went to dinner with Brody and Max. Both Zach and Brody were leaving Sunday to travel for work, so we decided to get together and just hang out. We hadn’t seen them since the big Christmas light reveal on Thanksgiving night, like I said, it had been a busy week. It was nice to just sit down and relax with friends, have a few drinks, and talk about life. The big topic of the evening of course was my dad coming out to me and Brad.

“Gotdamn, I always kinda wondered” Brody said. “I mean, I think most of these religious guys are just hidin’ behind god cuz’ they aint got the guts to just be themselves. It’s a sad existence” He wasn’t wrong. My father had lived a miserable existence, now that he had come out, I hoped he could become a happier man. “How are all y’all doin’ with the news?” He asked.

“Honestly, it explained a lot for me… as for the rest of the family, I don’t even know who knows. He came out to me and Brad, right before everyone started heading to the airport. I told Eli, I’m sure he told Brian, but I don’t think my sisters know… unless Brad told them” I answered. “I’ve talked to my dad a couple of times since, he seems to be doing great, he told me it was like a giant weight lifted off his shoulders.” I could relate to that; I felt the same way when I first came out to my brothers.

For the next hour we just ate, talked, and laughed. “So, yer finally givin’ up The Green Dragon, I hear” Brody said.

I sighed, “Yup. It’s time. Ella needs her like I did six years ago, she already renamed her Falkor” I said. The other three guys laughed out loud and instantly got the reference that had gone over my head earlier.

Brody smiled, “Shit, Grammaw would’ve loved all this. Y’all movin’ out to the country with us, ever-buddy, helpin’ each other, the road all lit up for Christmas, the old farmhouses all rehabbed, painted up and full of new life, her old farm givin’ people jobs to make their lives better, and that old car of hers still runnin’ and ready to help somebody else… she’d be all over that.” For Brody, that car was symbolic of something so much bigger… just like it was for me… and now Ella.

After dinner, Zach and I went home, Eli and Riley were out celebrating the fact that after several days of back and forth, they finally had an accepted offer on the town house. Our old house was quiet again. We were tired and headed upstairs with Petunia following behind. We both stripped; Zach slipped under the covers naked, and I went into the bathroom and jumped into the shower. I left the lights low (Eli had installed a dimmer switch during the rehab), played some quiet music on the little speaker, and dropped a eucalyptus/mint shower bomb onto the shower floor. I found the shower bomb at this little shop downtown; the aromatherapy helped me relax. I let the steam build up, and the bomb do its thing before I stepped in. Oh. My. God! Life had been nonstop since before Thanksgiving; the hot water and steamy atmosphere took over my body and soul while all thoughts and stress turned into steam and evaporated away. My hair and face were lathered up as I lost myself in the luxury of a private moment. I was zoned out singing to some India Arie song and basking in it all. I didn’t even here the shower door, and almost jumped out of my skin when Zach’s hot, warm mouth enveloped my soapy, flaccid manhood as it lounged between my dripping legs in total comfort.

My eyes popped open wide and I looked down to see Zach’s eyes sparkling through the steam, his lips curved in a mischievous smile as the warm water rained down on his beautiful blond locks and his hands grasped my wet buttocks pulling me in deeper. I threw my head back and just enjoyed the unexpected gift that my husband had bestowed on me. Eventually my hands rested on his head and teased his wet hair, following the outline of his head. DAMN! Even the shape of his head was perfect, I couldn’t help but giggle to myself at that thought. How the fuck could there be any two people so perfect for each other. I came out of my thoughts and back to reality as my engorged cockhead hit the back of his throat and he swallowed, contracting his throat muscles around me. It was so hot, so tight, and his tongue was swirling around my rigid shaft sending seismic waves through by entire body. I was standing on my tiptoes as I pushed in and out of his hot orifice, the warm water cascading over me, the scent of Eucalyptus and mint filling my nostrils. There was a tug of war between relaxation and tense sexual pursuit going on inside me. Both sides were winning as the world around me ceased to exist and my orgasm was percolating within my scrotum. I could’ve cum right then and there, but Zach had other plans.

He stood up, looked me in the eyes with that grin on his face and said, “surprise” before he kissed me. Those were the only words that were exchanged between us as he pushed his manhood against mine, grasped our soapy hard-ons and stroked them together. The heat of his meat against mine and the slickness of the soap were enough to send me over the edge. My breaths were short and fast as Zach stroked our cocks faster and pushed his perfect, full lips against mine. We full on made out as Zach wordlessly shot his load out of his throbbing member and up between our wet, writhing bodies. The sensation of him pulsating and throbbing against me was more than I could handle. The texture of his veins against my hardness drove me insane, and with one mighty grunt I shot wad after wad of my white, creamy essence between us. We kissed hard and embraced under the cascading water enjoying our simultaneous climax.

We caught our breath, cleaned ourselves up under the now cooling water, and then dried each other off and went to bed. I held Zach and he fell asleep in my arms.

The next morning, Zach was up early preparing for his case again. When I got up, I brought him coffee and a bagel so he could keep working. Then I took Petunia outside then came back in and cleaned the house. When I was done with that, I cleaned my stuff out of The Green Dragon to get it ready for Ella (‘Falkor’ I thought to myself with a smile and an eyeroll). It was a little bit past noon when Zach came out of the den and said, “I need a break. Why don’t we go see Taylor and start looking for a new car?”

“I thought we were going to wait until after your court case” I said, surprised by his suggestion.

“I don’t plan on buying anything today, but we can get the ball rolling… tell him what we want and he can start looking for us. Plus, I just need to walk away from the case for a bit… I’m over-preparing and driving myself crazy.” Zach responded.

The two of us went into the house and got ready. Zach had gotten up early and went right to work so he was still in his boxers, and I was grimy from cleaning out the old car. We got in OUR truck (which Zach had registered in our name earlier that week) and headed to Taylor’s dealership. When we got there, he was busy with another customer, so we watched him work as we waited. He looked so damn handsome in a perfectly tailored suit and his hair in a tasteful manbun (not my style, but he wore it well). He went back and forth between the customer, management, and financing pulling the deal together. He exuded confidence and commanded respect. When it was our turn, Taylor welcomed us with a smile and a firm handshake. He asked all the right questions and took copious notes.

“I got a couple things on the lot for you to look at, but since you’re not in a hurry, I can probably find you something better.” He said before standing to show us what he had. He showed us three or four cars, all of them nice, none of them spoke to me, but it was clear he knew what we were looking for. He asked us to give him some time and promised to call when he found the right one. I had confidence he’d come through.

When Zach and I got in the truck I couldn’t help but gush about how impressed I was with Taylor.

Then Zach said, “Less than six months ago that guy had nothing. Now he has a pretty good life.  You did that!” Well, I couldn’t take full credit, it was mostly him, but yeah… I helped. And I was damn proud of him.

 

To be continued…