The Year of the Rat
by Nico Grey
Chapter 16
For several days, I had been intending to visit Father Maxwell. St. Peter's wasn't too far out of the way but, as Jebby and I marched purposefully down Columbus Drive, it seemed more than a little inappropriate to visit the church before we went to work in the park.
Instead, we hurried to where our work crew was gathered near the Grant Park restrooms. Marco hadn't arrived yet, but he had also been late the previous night.
Men began arriving. There was definitely something about spring being in the air.
It didn't take long before Jebby and I were approached. I was already getting tired of the routine. If I ever saw that cowboy again...
Fortunately, this customer was just an admirer. He only wanted to watch. And he didn't even protest when I told him that butt sex wasn't on the menu any more. Jebby was still a bit freaked out by the realization that video could be seen by anybody.
Knowing the video was out on the internet really bothered Jebby. I was more upset by the way it had happened. That cowboy had taken something from us without permission. But I could see our notoriety turning into a decent source of income for us. And really, as long as the men behaved, I didn't mind doing sex things with Jebby. Not at all. Not even with a small audience.
When Marco finally arrived, we had been there for close to an hour. He wasn't alone. The guy with him looked to be in his mid-twenties. I got a bad feeling from him immediately — maybe because I had never liked guys that struck me as phony.
And this guy definitely looked phony. He was dressed for a part that was something between hip-hop artist and Mafioso. Weird, huh? And he was definitely playing up the tough guy part — but then it isn't that hard for an adult to be tough with a young kid like Marco.
The guy was dragging Marco by the arm. Even from a distance, I could see the tears on Marco's face. The kid was trying to resist, but the guy probably outweighed little Marco by close to a hundred pounds.
When they joined our crew, the guy thrust Marco roughly into line. Jebby and I exchanged looks, then we shuffled around so we were standing on either side of Marco. The guy stayed right there with us. Marco couldn't even bring himself to look at us.
It got worse. We had another customer arrive minutes later. He seemed to like us smaller guys. I gave him my menu. Jebby told him what was on the menu, too. Marco's eyes were still glued to his feet. He looked like he was trying to vanish into thin air.
The guy with Marco gave him a nudge. When Marco didn't respond, he shoved him forward firmly. The tears were really flowing down the little guy's face.
Finally his handler lost patience. He turned Marco around, yanked down his pants, bent him over and announced, "This ass is for sale."
And apparently that appealed more to our customer than what Jebby and I had on the menu that night. He struck a bargain with Marco's handler — pimp, apparently — right there in front of us! The customer handed a hundred to the pimp and led Marco off behind the building.
Marco looked frightened and completely defeated. He hadn't even bothered to pull his pants back up.
I exchanged a glance with Jebby and went off after them. I think Jebby got the message. He started to give that pimp some grief about being such an asshole, taking money from the rest of us like that. It sounded like the entire crew was starting to get worked up over it!
I caught up with Marco and his customer before they disappeared into the bushes. I didn't really have a plan. I was weeks away from needing to hunt. And besides, I didn't think I should do anything that was likely to attract attention with Marco right there.
Without anything else in my mind, I made my two-for-the-price-of-one sale offer. The guy seemed interested enough. I wasn't getting any really bad vibe from him, so I figured it would be a fairly easy situation to handle.
Except for the butt sex part.
That crossed my mind several seconds after the customer agreed to our revised bargain! But Marco was clearly terrified. I couldn't just leave him to go through that alone.
I thought that the copse of arborvitae would probably be the best place for our... performance. Maybe Marco would feel more secure if he and I took this customer to a place that was less open. And if anything did go wrong, I'd have privacy to handle the problem there.
Fortunately, Marco was spared any further trauma. Jebby came padding up the trail behind us before we reached the arborvitae. The customer managed to look both alarmed and very hopeful. He shouldn't have got his hopes up.
I huddled with Jebby for a moment and learned that Marco's pimp was still waiting for him in front of the restrooms. I realized that situation had to end immediately.
That customer probably thought his Christmas had arrived early when I led all of us into the trees and started to strip. When I started to help Marco out of his clothes, the customer turned toward Jebby expectantly. Jebby just gazed back at him stolidly.
That guy began to protest when Marco started to put my clothes on. I shut him up by pointing out that my bare butt was still there.
"Yeah, well I was promised two fucks," he insisted.
"You can have five, if you're up to it." Why did I say that? "But he's really not in any shape for this."
That did appear to brighten our customer's spirits.
I shooed Jebby and Marco out of the arborvitae with instructions to head back to our place and to avoid being noticed as much as possible. Jebby gave me a quick kiss — and an adoring look — before he took Marco by the hand. I turned around to face my fate.
And that's how I lost my virginity... or maybe it was my professional virginity. Or with a grown man, at least. Yeah. I had pretty much hit rock bottom.
Once the guy was reassured that he wasn't being scammed, he was actually half decent, for a child molester.
He did declare that he was disappointed we all couldn't share the experience together. I don't know why I went to the trouble, but I explained that most boys don't enjoy having butt sex with grown men. I alluded to a bad experience in Marco's past. I think he got the hint about the guy that had sold Marco's butt.
Before he started, he had even learned that this time was a first for me. He appreciated that. He was really nice about it. But he had spent a hundred dollars. It was the principle of the thing.
He had a modest-sized penis. He had lube. It could have been worse.
It might be overly dramatic to describe my pain. It was certainly uncomfortable, even though the guy did take it easy on me. By the time he was done, I wasn't in love with the idea of having butt sex with another guy. But there were a few moments that felt interesting. He just didn't make me squeal. So far, only Jebby had done that.
To the guy's credit, he did realize that he had only purchased one butt. He decided that we could forget about my spring sale. And he forgave my intemperate offer for up to five times. One was enough for him. Especially since he was my first time.
I guess there's still some decency left in the world. Even among child molesters.
After that experience, I didn't feel much like working that night. We had come to solve a problem. That problem was now half solved, although I was still trying to figure out what we would do with Marco. And I really wasn't very interested in returning to the office and encountering our hip-hop-mafia pimp again.
Especially since I was now wearing Marco's clothes. That might clue the guy in that a switcheroo of another variety had been played on him. There was no reason to poke that bear. He looked like he might be sensitive.
So I headed home. I was careful to stay out of sight as much as possible. That pimp marching Marco in to work had seemed determined. And definitely not friendly.
When I got back to the church, I decided to visit the chancel before returning to our lair. I was surprised to find that the place was already occupied.
Jebby was prostrated on the floor in the chancel, before the outline of the great crucifix. Marco was kneeling next to him and gazing up at the wall with rapt attention.
Marco. I guess it might have occurred to me that he was Catholic.
I didn't want to disturb the two. Especially with Jebby so obviously in deep devotion. But I had my own needs with the god.
I crept up the nave cautiously. The remains of the carpet muffled the sound of my passage. In the chancel, I knelt very quietly next to Jebby. I could just make out the rise and fall of his back as he breathed. He didn't respond at all to my presence.
After a brief communion with the god there, I gently laid myself in the dust next to Jebby and spread my arms out. It startled me when he extended his hand and grasped mine.
There was no other reaction. He continued his silent abasement before the god. I released my thoughts and opened myself to the god and the universe.
When I had found my peace, I prayed. I prayed for Mike. I prayed for Taryn and Dylan. I prayed for Father Maxwell. I prayed for Jebby. I prayed for Marco.
I apologized to Jebby for interrupting his prayers. He didn't see the need for apology.
I was worried that interrupting him suddenly while he was so deep in prayer might have frightened him. That confused him a bit.
"I knew you were there as soon as you entered the church. I could feel you coming."
That... That didn't seem normal.
It wasn't even midnight, but it had already been a long night. Marco was exhausted. Jebby and I escorted him to our lair. We fed him.
We didn't want to tax him any further. He just needed to feel safe. Questions and discussions about what to do next could wait a day.
We did have some blankets in the spare room. I had originally thought that might be Jebby's lair.
Jebby brought those blankets into our lair and laid them out next to our nest. I didn't protest. One night wouldn't cause any harm.
Then Jebby asked if I would mind if he shared Marco's nest, just for the night. He thought that it might help Marco feel safer. I thought that was very considerate of him.
I saw some uncertainty in Jebby's eyes as I prepared to leave. I tried to make sure he knew that everything was fine; that everything would be fine.
I reminded him about my problem with light. I didn't think that Marco would want to spend the whole day trapped in a dimly lit room, so I suggested that Jebby try to get to sleep early. Then he would be able to wake when Marco did and lead him out through the passage to our spare room.
I think Jebby had a few second thoughts about his decision as I prepared to leave. Marco was settling into his nest. Jebby started to peel off his clothes, then remembered where he would be sleeping. He seemed almost regretful when he stopped at his briefs. But he gave me plenty to appreciate anyway.
I thought about going out into the night. Mike wouldn't be up and waiting for me for hours.
Instead, I slipped cautiously into his lair. I watched him sleep. And I thought.
I was almost embarrassed when I saw Taryn in Gateway Park the following night. After I had finished leaning into him, opening my mind, and sharing everything, he just shook his head. But he had a fond smile on his face.
"What are you going to do?" he wondered.
I shrugged. He knew the thoughts in my mind. I was still unsure of the best course of action.
"Well," it was becoming a mantra, "you have a good heart."
I responded with a wry grin. I couldn't help it. Maybe I did have a good heart. But that heart seemed to create a lot of complications in my life.
We didn't really spend any time discussing my extra. Taryn just pointed out that he thought it was interesting that Jebby had been aware of me before I was close enough to be seen or heard.
"Dylan will come looking for you in a few days," Taryn reminded me before I left. "With more people in your lair, it would be better if he found you here."
That made sense. I hoped that Jebby wouldn't want to accompany me to the park for that mission. If Marco was still around, maybe they would keep each other occupied.
I hadn't been able to answer Taryn's question, but I was starting to suspect that Marco would be sticking around. Jebby liked him. More important, he gave Jebby someone to care for. And I didn't think that Marco really had anywhere else to go. He certainly didn't have anywhere safe.
He had shared his story with me after I woke for the night.
I had found him and Jebby in the spare room, just bouncing a tennis ball back-and-forth while they got to know each other better. I'm not quite sure how Jebby explained my unusual schedule. Perhaps with the same story I had told him, although Marco didn't remark on it.
Marco's story could have been mine, or Jebby's, or Mike's.
He had grown up in northern Texas. His family had been there for generations. He said that he thought they were there before Texas fought to take its independence from Mexico. He didn't appear to hold any grudges over that.
Marco wasn't too old when his father started to suspect that he was different.
Theirs was a devout Catholic family. By the time Marco turned nine years old, he was an altar boy. That's when their parish priest also began to suspect that Marco was different.
When Marco's father found out what the priest had been doing with his son, he was furious. But he blamed Marco. After all, he had suspected that Marco was different long before he had corrupted the good padre.
Marco's father couldn't live with the shame. So he sent the shame north to live with some distant relatives in Chicago. He figured that at least Marco, whether he remained different or grew out of it, would not be his problem anymore.
In Chicago, Marco hadn't been closely supervised. He had been running the streets. When he found out that some boys earned money doing what he had enjoyed doing with the padre, he was interested. He began to find work.
When his guardians figured out what Marco was doing for income, they were distraught. His father wasn't interested in having him back in Texas. They didn't want him in their home. So they compromised. Marco could live on the streets.
He had continued to make a decent living for himself for a while. He bounced from one spot to the next, always having enough money to make it worth his roommates' while.
Then he learned about the risks of sex with the wrong pervert. That changed his entire outlook on life. He was too frightened to return to work.
He still had money. But eventually that money ran out. His roommates' lost patience. He moved to a few more temporary spots, but no one wanted him around if he wasn't able to pay his own way.
Fortunately, his last roommates discovered someone who would take him in. Marco only found out after the fact that money had changed hands. His benefactor, it turned out, had purchased Marco.
Iggy, the hip-hop-mafia pimp, knew how Marco used to earn a living. A good living. He thought that Marco was a pretty sound investment. He saw Marco as his ticket to years of free rent and meals. Marco just needed a little motivation to return to work. Iggy intended to provide that encouragement.
And that's where Jebby and I had interfered with his plans. Iggy was out a meal ticket. Iggy was probably looking to recover his investment. It just wouldn't be safe for Marco to return to any of his old haunts. He needed a new place to live.
Marco's situation was just a new complication in my life. I really couldn't think of a safe place for him to live.
I considered asking Mike if Marco could share his lair. That solved one problem and created others.
Mike would take good care of Marco. And they knew each other. Sometimes they had worked Grant Park together.
But Marco would still wonder about Jebby and me living at the other end of the church basement. He would talk to Mike. He would want to spend time with Jebby.
Then it would only be a matter of time before two very complicated worlds came crashing together, probably with rather difficult consequences for me. Besides, I was pretty sure that Jebby already had his heart set on taking care of Marco — at least for a while.
I reconsidered my first plan for Jebby, giving him the spare room for his own lair, and arranging for him to share it with Marco. That just seemed like another way to arrive at the same complicated outcome as that first option. Two active young guys would eventually bump into Mike. Questions would be asked. I really couldn't continue to sleep right there in the church during the day.
I also thought again about the idea of finding a new lair for myself. Mike, Jebby and Marco could take care of each other, living together in that church.
The problem with that plan was me. I would miss regular visits to the church chancel. I would miss my regular nighttime visits with Mike. I would miss living with Jebby.
If I left the church, I would probably make new friends. Undead friends. But I would find it very hard to live without Mike and Jebby as a regular part of my life. I loved them.
I wasn't ready to make such an important decision. Maybe I was hoping to let it decide itself.
I wasn't sure that it would be a good idea to take Marco out that night. Chicago was a large city, but Iggy, the hip-hop-mafia pimp, might just stumble into us if we were wandering around in the open. It felt like I might be due for that sort of unlucky break.
On the other hand, I hadn't seen Father Maxwell for a while. There was always that chance that he and his church might provide some options that could help Marco. And it was Sunday night, so the church would be open until midnight. I really didn't want to wait another week.
I decided to take a risk. We did our best to disguise Marco and Jebby. The hip-hop-mafia pimp probably hadn't seen me for more than a brief glance or two when he accompanied Marco to work. Then the three of us set out into the night.
Father Maxwell found three grubby little street kids praying in his church about an hour later. He couldn't have been more welcoming.
He introduced Jebby to the concept of confession. I think Jebby was a bit worried about it at first. He probably had some idea that it would end in the woodshed. That's where he was used to exposure of his wrongdoing ending up.
Marco was an old hand at Confession. He had a lot to confess, so I let him go ahead of me. When he was done, and had started his penance, I think it had eased his soul.
I confessed my sins to Father Maxwell. It probably seems odd that I would. I had a lot of dark secrets to share. And for a non-Catholic, penance from a priest had no Church sanction. But I always felt better at the end of my penance.
Father Maxwell was able to share good news about his efforts to raise funds for street kids. Apparently parishioners had been generous. A few local businesses had shared the burden. St. Peter's hoped that money might help attract more money, possibly even some grants. The only questions now were how soon programs could be started and where they might be housed.
I briefly considered mention of an old church property down by the lake, but thought better of it. It might be a good place for a program. But there would be others. And we needed a home.
Before we left, I slipped more money into Father Maxwell's hand. I asked him to please add Jebby and Marco's names to those he was praying for.
As always, he was reluctant to take my money. But I insisted. We had all the money we needed to sustain our bodies. This money would be used for our souls and for god's protection.
We said our good-byes and had started for the door. Father Maxwell almost gave me whiplash.
"You have a good heart, Rad."
I had become accustomed to hearing that from Taryn. It shocked me to hear it from god's priest. But it also warmed my heart. Perhaps I was starting to believe it.
I paused as usual on the sidewalk outside the church. Jebby and Marco were surprised, but they turned back to face the church, too.
Father Maxwell had his hand raised in blessing. We all felt a warm glow as we headed home.
Marco was almost bubbly. He hadn't been inside a church for a while. His confession must have really unburdened him.
"Hey, why did he call you Rad?" Marco was addressing me. "I thought your name was Rat."
Jebby corrected him forcefully. "You must have heard it wrong. His name is Rad. He's always been Rad."
It was just impossible that I could ever walk away and leave Mike and Jebby behind me.
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