Hi again.
This is Chapter 6 of my story about a lonely boy who discovers that family can be where you find it. If you haven't read the previous chapters they are in my story archive here.
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Comments are incredibly welcome, and I intend to answer everyone.
"It's OK, Fin," said the cute naked girl sitting next to me on the bed. "You gotta be what you gotta be, right?"
Ronnie and Hawley had walked into the room just after Veed backed away and let my legs down to the bed. It took the savvy girl only one glance at his shiny dick and the stupefied look on my face to know that her brother had just given me a deep hard fuck.
And that I had loved it.
"Yeah Fin," Hawley added. "We know lots of gay boys who are super cool."
"Except for Erik back in Sweden," Ronnie countered. "He's kind of a dick."
"Erik's not very nice to girls," Veed explained. "Mom says he's really immature for twelve but he'll probably grow out of it."
I got what they were saying. This boy Erik may have been a dick but it wasn't because he was gay. He was just a dick. Like Mrs. A said, being different this way is normal and natural for boys like me and we couldn't change it even if we wanted to, and I knew it didn't automatically make me a bad person, yet I couldn't help feeling embarrassed and somehow — other.
I timidly asked, "Are there more gay boys in Sweden than America?"
"Not really," Ronnie said. "They just don't have to hide it as much over there."
"Some people are mean to them just like here," Veed said, "but most people don't care."
"I don't know why you have to pick just one," Hawley piped in. "Why not have fun with everybody just the same?"
"You can," Ronnie explained in Big Sister mode. "We do, pretty much. I still like messing around with girls but lately I've been liking it more and more with boys. It's really great having a nice hard dick inside."
"We know what you mean," Hawley said with a naughty grin. "Don't we, Fin?"
I felt my heat rise a little just remembering the amazing sensation.
Veed said, "I think it feels nice as long as it's not too big, but I mostly like to be the one putting it in."
I wasn't sure exactly why my next question felt so important but I held my breath when I asked.
"Which do you like putting it into more? Boys or girls?"
"When it's in the butt it feels pretty much the same for both," he said, "but a girl's other hole is way different. I think I like the butt better."
"Well you sure liked Fin's butt!" Ronnie said with a grin. "The look you both had on your faces! It must have been amazing!"
Veed made eye contact with me. "Yeah, he's pretty special."
My heart swelled and I returned his "special" look about a million times over.
"Oh boy!" Hawley exclaimed. "Fin's getting a boner again! Can you put it into me, Fin? Please?"
Ronnie brought him up short. "Are you clean back there?"
Hawley deflated in disappointment. "No," he admitted.
Ronnie took his hand and pulled him off the bed. "Come on, Little Brother," she said. "Let's go take a shower." She pointedly gave me a sexy, expectant smile as they headed out the door.
I was very confused. "She knows I like boys and not girls, right?"
"She's hoping you can have fun with either one," Veed said, then knowingly added, "Ronnie is crushing on you big time and so is Hawley." After a second he fixed me with his lovely blue eyes and said, "I guess we all are."
My head began to spin but in a really good way, like on my favorite carnival ride the Tilt-A-Whirl. Veed's attention was like a ray of summer sunshine, warming me all over. In a second I realized that it wasn't just Veed. He was the most important but it was really everybody. The love I felt in this house — from all three kids and even their parents — lifted me to heights of emotion I never knew existed.
I couldn't hold back and I lunged at Veed, crushing myself to him and kissing his delicious lips with all my passion.
"You wanna suck dicks until they come back?" I breathlessly asked.
Veed macked on me for several seconds before he answered. "You can't suck mine right now." He kissed me again and said, "It was just in your butt and you can't put your mouth on it again until I wash it."
These Swedes and their washing! It could really ruin a moment, although I saw how the butt-to-mouth thing maybe wasn't such a good idea.
"I can suck yours if you want," Veed offered. "I really want to in fact. I'll give you a nice long slow blow job, and then your boner will be super ready for Hawley."
"Cool," I said and let him direct me to a position on my back with my head on the pillow. I opened my legs and with a smile Veed ducked between them and slurped me straight into his mouth.
Instantly there was nothing in my universe except three hot, hard inches of flesh and Veed's warm loving mouth. My hands came to the back of his head as he sucked and pulled with awesome tenderness. My fingers combed through his silky blond hair and we both mewled and cooed in total pleasure.
He kept me simmering just under a boil for a very long time. I don't know how he did it but somehow Veed made this just as exciting as fucking even without an orgasm looming.
Out of nowhere the bed bounced under the slight weight of a still-damp 8-year-old. Hawley's delightful high-pitched giggle evaporated the delicious intimacy I shared with Veed but it also promised the start of a brand-new adventure.
"Are you ready, Fin?" he asked with a grin of anticipation. "I am! Nice and clean and ready!"
"He sure is ready," Ronnie confirmed. "He took three fingers in the shower."
"Wow," Veed said. "I never got more than two into him before."
"My fingers are thinner than yours."
"Even so," Veed admiringly said.
Hawley pushed at Veed with both little hands. "Make room!" he demanded. "Me and Fin need room!"
Veed climbed off of the bed and I started getting to my knees but Hawley stopped me, pushing me back to the bed.
"Stay like that," he ordered. "I'm gonna be on top!"
I looked a question to Veed but he wasn't surprised. "It's his favorite way," he said. "Hawley can be in charge then and do it just how he likes it."
"I like doggie style," Ronnie piped in, though nobody asked her. "For the butt that is. I like being on my back for pussy sex."
"You just gotta try different ways, Fin," Veed said, "for giving and taking. You'll figure out which ones you like best."
"They're all good," Hawley said. "But now let's do it this way, OK?"
"Yeah, OK," I said, my excitement mounting to match Hawley's. I couldn't even believe that a few hours before no other human had ever touched me sexually and now I'd given and received blow jobs, been fucked for the first time and was about to fuck my first butthole. I hoped I hadn't used up all my good luck in one day!
"Can I put the Astroglide on you, Fin?" Ronnie asked. She looked so hopeful I didn't have the heart to say no. Besides, at her age a girl's hand is just like a boy's hand, and both of her brothers had liked it when she touched them.
"OK," I said and we shared a smile. I felt good about making her happy even while confusion swirled again. Mrs. A said it might be too early to say for certain if I was gay, though it sure seemed like it to me the way I felt about Veed. I wondered if I was maybe one of those bi-sex people, who liked boys and girls? But even if I really was gay gay gay who said I shouldn't like a girl's hand on my dick?
Ronnie popped open the Astroglide and squeezed the bottle over me. She had to squeeze with both hands and it took a second for the blob of goo to come out, making a farting sound.
"We're running out," Ronnie complained. "I'll ask Mom to put it on the shopping list."
My mouth dropped open yet again. "Your Mom buys sex lube for you?" I really shouldn't have been surprised I guess. How else would three little kids get it? And obviously Mr. and Mrs. A were completely cool about kid sex.
Ronnie lovingly spread the cool lube around my hot stiffness. "She'll be at the store anyway. Damn your dick is hard, Fin! I don't think I could bend it with pliers!"
"It feels great, Ronnie!" I gasped. There was no shit about it. The girl was good with her hands.
"Hurry up!" Hawley griped. "It's my turn with Fin!"
Reluctantly she pulled her hand away. "OK," she said, then looked into my eyes and added, "but maybe I can have a turn sometime?"
In that instant it crystallized in my mind how I really truly felt about it. I liked Ronnie and I didn't want to hurt her feelings but it was boys that I wanted. Like Mrs. A said there are no rules about this stuff and kids can just do what they want to do until they figure out what their own personal rules should be. Maybe there were things that would be fun to do with Ronnie but at some point I owed it to her to gently tell her that we were never going to be boyfriend and girlfriend. What I wanted was a boyfriend.
What I wanted was Veed.
"That might be fun," I tactfully said, the moment not being right for that conversation. She giggled and turned to her little brother.
"Show me your butt," she ordered and Hawley eagerly spun around to present his cute round backside to her, reaching back with both hands to spread his cheeks wide. His hole was brownish-pink, relaxed and open. Ronnie farted a smaller dab of lube out of the bottle and quickly painted the little opening.
"Mmmm, feels nice, Ronnie," Hawley purred. "A little more, OK? I want Fin to get right in there."
The bottle farted one more time and Ronnie said with disappointment, "I think that's it until Mom buys more."
I knew she was thinking about her turn being delayed for lack of lube and I had to admit I was relieved, but then she added, "Oh well. I guess we'll have to use Vaseline until Mom goes shopping."
Mrs. A was right again. Nothing was going to stop these kids from fooling around. I realized that I might have no choice but to level with Ronnie sooner rather than later.
"OK, Little Brother," Ronnie said, snapping the bottle closed and moving out of the way. "Time for your horsey ride."
"Oh boy!" Hawley said and clambered astride my belly, facing me.
He bent down and brought his sweet young lips to mine. Just as before they were soft and tender and his kiss was eager.
"Now I'll be the first boy you ever blew and the first boy you ever fucked!" he crowed. "You'll remember me forever!"
That was pretty profound for a horny eight-year-old. I was impressed, though it stood to reason. These kids inherited Mr. and Mrs. A's brains as well as their beautiful athletic bodies. I wondered if extreme horniness also came from their parents?
With a naughty gleam in his bright blue eyes Hawley raised himself up off of my belly and reached under to grab my boner. He aimed it nearly vertical, lowering himself and searching for the perfect angle. I steadied him with my two hands at his sides but let him do all the positioning. In just a few seconds I felt his tight, hot ring open and accept my impassioned dick tip.
"Ahhhhh," he breathed as he sank onto me. He was tight but his solid, muscular body was utterly welcoming and steadily swallowed my rigid pole until he settled lightly onto my hips.
"Oh my God," I gasped as the sensations swept over me. Hawley's insides were steaming hot and gripped my cock from all sides. His eyes were softly closed as he deeply breathed and reveled in his own feelings. Veed had made me feel precisely the same way and I was overjoyed that I could bring such pleasure to a boy I liked as much as I liked Hawley.
His eyes opened and he beamed me a beautiful smile. "You feel so good inside me, Fin. You're super hard and you fit me just perfect!"
"It feels great for me too," I said with even greater affection for the sweet little boy. "But what do we do now?"
"I do this!" he said and began to grind his hips back and forth. With every forward motion he squeezed my dick with his butt muscles and relaxed it on the backwards movements. It was sort of like jerking me off with his ass and it felt amazing! Veed and Ronnie looked on with huge grins on their faces.
"He's the best at that," Veed said with real admiration as Hawley ground on me faster and harder.
"Yeah," Ronnie added. "He's teaching me but I keep messing up the rhythm. That's crazy because I'm a dancer! I've got way more rhythm than him!"
"Be quiet you guys," Hawley begged. "I really want to get there, OK?"
"Sorry, Little Brother," Veed said and the siblings fell silent, watching with big smiles.
"Oh God," I softly moaned as a strong wave of pleasure washed through me. I closed my eyes to concentrate on it but after a minute I missed Hawley's pretty face with its rapturous expression and I opened them again, surprised to find Veed and Ronnie kissing. It was no brother and sister kiss, either! It was passionate and horny and in another second Ronnie proved it by grabbing Veed's boner, still shining with Astroglide and my ass juices.
They gasped and moaned into each other's mouths as their excitement rose and I noticed that Veed had reached between Ronnie's legs to gently circle his middle finger at the very top of her slit. Ronnie's eyes opened and she locked them with Veed, moaning even louder.
Hawley supported his weight with his little hands on my chest and even that was exciting. He ground and thrust and gasped out his pleasure as I began to build toward my own climax.
"Move with me Fin!" Hawley cried. "Push up when I push down!
It was exactly what my body naturally wanted to do and so I started to undulate my hips, quickly finding the rhythm and in only a few seconds we meshed together like gears in some crazy sex machine. Our thrusts were deeper than ever and we both moaned all the louder.
"Oh Fin!" Hawley groaned. "Oh fuck me!"
I gripped his sides and intensified my grinding. I didn't even have to think about what I was doing. It came so naturally that I just let my muscles do what they wanted to do. My feeling built deliciously slowly and I was grateful because it was an experience that I didn't want to end too quickly.
Veed broke his kiss with Ronnie and whispered something into her ear, which must have been pretty good because it made her grin. Suddenly Veed grabbed her by the shoulders and jerked her around to face the bed. With far more force than I could ever have expected he shoved her so that she bent at the waist and caught herself with her forearms on the mattress and her rear end high in the air.
My eyes widened in astonishment to see her manhandled that way but the smile on Ronnie's face told me that it was all in hot, sexy fun. It was thrilling to watch Veed be such a ten-year-old he-man even if he was only play-acting. Then my eyes widened again as Veed positioned his slippery hard cock behind Ronnie and stabbed it into her.
"Ohhhh!" Ronnie cried in surprise and pleasure. I guess her butt was so experienced that it needed no lube or fingering as long as Veed was already greasy. "Fuck my ass, Brother!" she grunted. "Oh yeah!"
Veed pumped her hard, his thighs slapping against the backs of her legs. My own excitement rose even higher as I watched the beautiful kids fucking and the eager younger boy slamming himself on my dick. It was almost more than I could take.
"Oh shit, Fin!" Hawley cried. "I'm... almost... there!"
I slammed upward to meet his backward grinds and we nearly matched Veed's rapid pace. Just then I was astonished when Ronnie leaned her face to mine and pressed a huge kiss on my lips!
I didn't have time to react because that was the exact moment my cum overtook me. I went with all the overwhelming sensations including Ronnie's passionate kiss. My heaving guts propelled the heavenly feeling out of me in one enormous gush, Hawley right there with me crying out nonsense syllables as he bucked and shuddered to his own release.
Veed and Ronnie were not there yet and the boy slammed into his sister even harder and faster. Even as Hawley and I strained to the end of our cums Veed thrust his hardest while Ronnie moaned her passion into my mouth. I was not really kissing her back because I was too caught up in my own climax but the moment was still sexy as hell.
In ten more strokes Veed let out a sharp cry and came. Ronnie gasped around my lips and moaned as Veed buried himself and held it there, moaning, gasping and trembling.
It seemed to take minutes but finally we carefully disengaged and collapsed to the bed in a four-way jumble.
"That was beautiful, children," a smiling Mrs. A said from the doorway. "Such love you show one another! It's 3:30 though, Fin Honey. You might want to take another shower before you go home so your mother doesn't smell anything."
It felt weird sitting around the Arvidsson's dining table with clothes on. I was sure my folks hadn't noticed but Hawley squirmed and tugged at his collar as his body rebelled against the constraining clothing. He gamely kept quiet, which for him must not have been easy.
My Dad hadn't said much but my Mom made a pretty good show of friendliness.
"This is amazing, Brigitta," she said. "I've never seen children enjoy a fish entrée this way, and chilled as well! What is it called again?"
Mrs. A beamed. "Inkokt Lax, which simply means cold poached salmon. It's very refreshing in the summer," she said, "especially with the dill sauce."
"Hmpff," my Dad snorted. "Cold fish for dinner. I think a man deserves a hot meal at the end of the day, don't you, Olaf?"
Both women looked shocked and embarrassed while Mr. A's expression remained neutral. Finally he smiled.
"There is room in the world for many pleasures, Brian. Some are hot and some are not. I very much enjoy the many delights of my wife's kitchen."
"Would you like me to find you something else, Brian?" Mrs. A asked, regaining her composure. "I must have some Swedish meatballs from Ikea that I can microwave."
I don't know if Dad caught the sarcasm or not.
Mom had a laser-based death ray focused squarely on Dad's forehead. "He'll be fine, Brigitta," she said icily. "The fish is delicious to anyone but a Philistine."
"Can I have some more, Mom?" Veed asked, giving my Dad the side-eye. "I think it's great."
"Me too, Mom," Ronnie piped in, holding out her plate.
Hawley didn't say anything but stood and held out his plate as well. Mrs. A proudly smiled and dished another helping for each of her loyal, protective children. I could only sit and cower, glancing at my Dad and trying to guess if he would blow up right here in front of everybody or save it for home where he could direct it all at me. He saw me looking at him and fixed me with stony eyes.
"Well go ahead, Fin," he said. "Get some more. You seem to prefer taking your meals over here these days anyway."
I had in fact eaten lunch with the Arvidssons four times that week, all but the day Mom wouldn't let me come over. I didn't know why that put my Dad's nose out of joint though. He wasn't even home so why did he care? I understood why Mom might be upset, taking it to mean I didn't like her food or appreciate that she made it for me. That honestly wasn't why though. I just didn't want to leave Veed and the kids, not even long enough to have lunch. It was bad enough I had to go home to sleep!
Mom rather defiantly said, "It's alright, Fin. Have some more if you want it. Mrs. Arvidsson went to a lot of trouble for us and it's only polite to show our appreciation."
That was really a barb aimed at Dad but I was the one in danger. My parents were in direct conflict and whatever I did next was going to piss one of them off. Five seconds passed.
"Have some more fish, Fin!" my Mom said too forcefully. No longer having a choice I jumped up and held my plate out to Mrs. A, who made sympathetic eye contact as she dished up some more salmon. I sat and warily watched my Dad.
To my surprise he visibly relaxed and gave a wry smile.
"Better him than me," he said to Mrs. A. "I came mainly for the dessert anyway, and if it's one-tenth as good as those muffins you made I'll be a happy man."
Mrs. A could have taken that either way, as an insult to her dinner or a compliment to her muffins. It didn't surprise me that she chose to take the compliment. Everyone received tremendous kindness from her, even those like my Dad who didn't deserve it. That was just Mrs. A.
"I'm glad you enjoyed the muffins, Brian," she said. "I think you'll be a happy man tonight too. We're serving traditional Swedish cheesecake!"
My Dad smiled. "I do love cheesecake," he said, but I guess he couldn't resist adding, "unless the Swedish kind has cold fish in it."
Mrs. A laughed out loud, which gave the rest of us permission to laugh too. Mom had a smile on her lips but the stare she focused on Dad looked like she was measuring him for a coffin.
Better him than me, I thought.
I had been tiptoeing around Mom for two days ever since she neglected to make a lunch for me on Wednesday. It had been nerve-wracking waiting for the passive-aggressive smackdown she was famous for but she had never brought up the subject. She had even made my lunch Thursday and Friday, though she hadn't put her usual effort into it: a baloney sandwich one day and PB&J the other. I took it as a win that Mom let me go next door and stay for lunch every day but I couldn't help worrying about the volcanic eruption that surely must have been building.
When the main course was finished we kids more or less automatically cleared the dishes. I never even considered what my parents would think of me pitching in at somebody else's house, and while both Mom and Dad clearly noticed neither said anything. I always cleared at home so maybe they thought it was force of habit.
"Who'll have coffee with their Ostkaka?" Mrs. A asked.
"With what now?" Dad asked, almost laughing. "I thought we were having cheesecake."
"Ost means cheese," bold Ronnie offered, "and kaka means cake."
Dad smiled like a naughty little boy, and it was damn near endearing.
"My Mommy used to call it kaka when I filled up my diaper," he said. "I sure hope we're not eating that!"
"Eww!" Ronnie exclaimed and everybody laughed. It seemed like the tension had broken for good.
"So four coffees and four glasses of milk?" Mrs. A asked with a smile and everyone nodded agreement. "Children, please help bring in the dessert."
My Mom rose from her chair along with us kids. "Let me help with the coffee," she said, and Mrs. A smiled her thanks.
A minute later we kids came out of the kitchen in a line, quite coincidentally arranged by height: Ronnie, Veed, me and Hawley. I imagined we looked like a line of ducklings. We each carried a dessert bowl, one for each adult, containing something that looked more like pudding than cheesecake, topped with sliced strawberries. I happened to deliver my Dad's and he looked at me in surprise and no small amount of annoyance. I only shrugged, having no idea about the dessert.
"I think you'll like the coffee," Mrs. A said, emerging from the kitchen carrying the full pot. "It's Gevalia, from Sweden."
"Oh, it comes from Sweden?" my Dad asked with fake innocence. "Who could have expected you to serve something from Sweden?"
Mom followed behind with a tray of cups, saucers, cream and sweetener. "We love Gevalia," she said, shooting daggers at Dad. "Don't we, Brian?"
"Except for the second mortgage it takes to afford it," Dad said, his frown betraying that he wasn't joking. "And what exactly is this stuff? It doesn't look like cheese cake."
"It's Swedish cheesecake," Mrs. A said with an indulgent smile. "It's a bit different than you're used to, no graham cracker crust and a little less sweet, but it's a favorite of ours."
"Yeah, Mr. Cooper," Veed piped in. "It's super good and the strawberries on top sweeten it up."
"Well..." Dad said, "I'll give it the benefit of the doubt, based on your Mom's baking skills."
Everybody tucked into a spoonful and watched for Dad's reaction. He tentatively tasted a little bit from the very tip of the spoon but then took the rest with a smile.
"I like the muffins better," he said with his mouth full, "but this is pretty OK."
The rest of us let out a collective sigh of relief and smiled all around. Everyone complimented Mrs. A and the mood was truly jovial for the first time all evening. I found myself daring to hope that my folks were warming up to the Arvidssons.
"We'll take care of the dishes, Mom," Ronnie offered, "so you grownups can drink your coffee and talk."
Mrs. A beamed. "Thank you, Ronnie. That's very kind of you."
Hawley jumped up and began clearing. "That's OK," he said. "We don't want to listen to the boring old-people talk anyway."
I shot a fearful look to my Dad but he laughed out loud and everything was all right.
"Boy that was a great dinner!" Ronnie said as we cleaned up in the kitchen.
"Yeah," Veed said with a weird smile, "but I think I'm still hungry for a second dessert."
I turned an incredulous look to him. "Really? Aren't you full?"
He stepped closer and quietly said, "I was thinking about this sweet treat," and reached down to cup my crotch.
"Are you crazy?" I hissed, quickly backing away. "My parents are right out there!"
"We can go upstairs," Veed pressed, dripping with suggestion. "We just have to be quiet."
"Fin's not very quiet when he gets goin'," Ronnie put in. "This isn't the right time, Brother."
"But I haven't had it all day!" Veed complained. My Mom had taken me to the mall for new shoes so I hadn't visited that day.
"Since when do you have to have it every single day?" Ronnie challanged.
Veed gave me a longing look. "Since I met Fin," he said.
My heart swelled like it would burst.
"Maybe Fin can sleep over," Hawley suggested and my heart swelled even more.
"You could ask," Veed said, his voice full of hope.
"I don't know," I demurred. The fact was I was scared to ask, although I wasn't likely to ever find Dad in a better mood. My dick had pumped up fully hard by then, which was quite a persuasive argument. "OK," I said. "I can ask."
All three Arvidsson kids broke into grins and we hurried through the cleanup. When we came back into the Great Room the four adults were laughing about something, which was a good sign. Enthusiasm overcoming my good sense, I took the leap.
"Mom, Dad? Can I sleep over with Veed tonight?"
My Dad's jaw set in the old familiar way and I knew I had somehow pissed him off. I couldn't imagine why, especially after I heard him that night in his den when he suggested — how did he put it? — that they unload me for whole nights for sleepovers and such. This is exactly what he wanted, so why in God's name did it make him mad?
"Now Fin," my Mom jumped in before Dad could say anything, "we don't invite ourselves to stay at people's houses."
"He didn't invite himself, Mrs. Cooper," Veed sprang to my defense. "I invited him, although I didn't ask my parents first so it actually was kind of bad I guess."
"Yes, Veed, you should have asked first," Mrs. A said, "but it's perfectly all right with me." Directly to me she said, "Fin, would you like to spend the night? We would be happy to have you."
I looked to my Mom, my only hope as far as I could see. "Can I, Mom?"
My Dad's eyes narrowed into slits and this time I knew why. I had cut him out of the decision by going straight to my Mom and deprived him of his chance to fuck with me for no earthly reason. Again my Mom spoke before he could.
"It's perfectly all right with me," she said with that pretend smile on her lips but murder in her eyes aimed directly at Dad. I knew she was only doing it to knock him down a peg but I took the win.
"What do you say to Mrs. Arvidsson?" she oh-so-sweetly went on.
"Thank you, Mrs. A," I said. "It's very kind of you."
Mom had drilled that one into me when I was little, back when I was invited to birthday parties and such with all the other kids in our neighborhood. That was before we moved to the Solitary Confinement Cul-de-sac From Hell and she decided it was too much trouble to schlep me around.
Mom smiled at Dad with all the defiant self-satisfaction in the world.
"Well," he said, folding his napkin and placing it on the table with just enough extra force to make his point. "Obviously my opinion is superfluous, so I'll say my goodbyes." He stood to go and Mr. And Mrs. A hurried to walk him out.
I had no idea what "superfluous" meant but I sure knew what storming out looked like.
"Oh, Brian, please don't go so soon," Mrs. A entreated. "Why don't you have another cup of coffee?"
Dad turned back and actually smiled. I think deep down he knew she was trying to be kind.
"No, I don't think so Brigitta," he said. "But thank you for dinner. The cheesecake was excellent."
At least he didn't make another crack about the fish.
Mr. A stopped Dad at the door and shook his hand. "Please say you will come back another time, Brian," he gently urged. "There is no reason our families should not get along."
"Well, Olaf," my Dad said, "some things don't need a reason. See you in the funny papers." With that he stalked out the door.
"I'm so sorry," Mrs. A said to my Mom. "I wish I had served a hot entrée."
"It's not about the salmon, Brigitta!" my Mom exclaimed, then burst into tears.
Mrs. A put her arm around my Mom and helped her out of her chair. "I know it isn't, Honey," she said. "Just trying to lighten it up a little. Let's go to my office and have a talk, shall we?"
As the women slowly moved down the hall, my mother's sobs echoing softly, the three siblings crowded around me offering hugs and condolences.
"Is your Mom OK, Fin?" Veed asked.
I stared blankly for a moment, not knowing exactly what to say. "I don't know. I've never seen her cry before."
Mr. A put a big hand on my shoulder. "Do not worry, Finley Cooper. My wife will help her if anyone can."
I smiled weakly into the big man's handsome face. Somehow his mere presence felt reassuring.
"At least you get to sleep over," Hawley said. "That's a good thing, right?"
"Yeah," I said, "but it feels a little weird now."
"Hey Fin," Ronnie asked, "does your Dad write a comic strip or something?"
"What?" I replied in surprise. "No. He's the boss in an office downtown."
"He said, 'See you in the funny papers.'"
Mr. A explained, "When I first came to America I watched many old movies to learn English. This is an expression people said before World War II to mean 'See you later' but in this case I believe Brian means quite the opposite, that he does not intend to see us again. It is a shame but perhaps we may still work things out."
After twenty minutes Mom and Mrs. A had still not emerged from the office. Veed suggested we go upstairs to play a game. I gave him a reproachful look and he said he meant a card game or something. I followed behind him up the stairs but I was too preoccupied to even ogle his beautiful ass.
The four of us played Kings in the Corner for more than an hour when we finally heard some bustle downstairs and my Mom called up, "Fin! Come down and say goodnight please."
I ran down the stairs with Veed and the kids close behind. Mom's red eyes told me she had been crying quite a lot. I don't know what overtook me but I flew into her arms and she wrapped me tightly.
"Oh Fin," she murmured into my ear. "You don't deserve any of this. I'm so sorry."
"I'm sorry too, Mom," I said, my own tears beginning to come. "I'll be good, I promise. Dad won't have to be mad."
"No, it's not your fault," she said. "You're a good boy, Fin. You try so hard and you shouldn't have to worry about what crazy things your parents are going to do or say."
She held me tightly for several more seconds and then pushed me back by the shoulders to arm's length and looked deeply into my eyes.
"I love you, Fin," she said. "You know that, right?"
"Of course I do," I said, though I wouldn't have bet my life on it an hour ago. "I love you too."
She hugged me close again and whispered, "I know you do, Honey. You've got a good loving heart."
We hugged some more until the moment was over.
"Oh!" I exclaimed. "I don't have any pajamas or anything. I'd better go get them."
"I don't think it's a good idea to go home right now," Mom cautioned. "Certainly not until I've had a talk with your father. I'm sure that Veed has something for you to sleep in."
Yeah, I thought. His arms.
"You be good and mind Mrs. Arvidsson, OK? I'm going to go home and try to have that conversation with your Dad. Don't come straight home in the morning though. Call me after breakfast and we'll talk about what happens next."
"Something's going to happen?" I asked with a lump in my throat.
"Nothing bad," she said. "I hope we'll be done with the bad stuff by then. Now have fun with your friends and I'll see you tomorrow, OK?"
"OK, Mom," I said and watched as she picked up her purse, gave a grim parting smile to Mrs. A, and left.
Thanks for reading Chapter 6 of Seeing More of the Neighbors. Chapter 7 is coming soon.
If you like my stuff have a look at my story archive here on my Prolific Authors page.
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