Sunday, March 22^nd, 2009

Colt’s *Day by Day*

Tiger’s spring break and our vacation has come to an end. We returned home on Saturday afternoon and today spent the day at the beach. This was a double benefit for us, Tiger enjoyed the play in the gulf waters while Gunny and I sat and enjoyed the college boys on spring break. The beach trip also included a picnic lunch with grilled items such as hamburgers and hot dogs. As always, we bring extra snacks for the (one day) friends Tiger makes each time we visit the beach. This day was no different, when lunch time came Tiger brought along three other boys from the beach and all the boys were properly fed.

I guess I should highlight a few moments from our past week and to separate out the good moments from one emotional meltdown I suffered during our trip. First the highlights, I guess the best part of the trip was the travel time we spent together in the Ford. I was very surprised to experience just how mentally adjusted Tiger is in spite of his history and his age. He never once complained about the need not to ‘romp’ around the inside of the moving vehicle and he never once whined about the long distances and hours spent inside the Ford. If anyone complained about the many hours of sitting with nothing more to do than to play time passing games, it was me. The second and third best times we had were times spent pool side at the hotels we were staying at. Tiger is an accomplished swimmer now and made lap after lap in the pool then Gunny would have the boy play a game of underwater hunt and seek.

These past few days have been a relaxing and revealing time as well. This trip around the gulf states in the Ford allowed time for me to observe Gunny’s never ending patience. No matter what the situation, whether it was downtown traffic, a grumpy person on the street or my emotional meltdown, Gunny would rise to the occasion and not allow a cross word or misguided action to be heard or seen. I guess he just has a different view on life than the other guys I have had in my life, one of his quips is “I never sweat the small stuff” and I suppose keeping that mantra handy is how he is able to disregard other’s slights and out right stupidity. Plus I was reintroduced to Tiger’s kind and generous personality. The boy’s shear goodwill always comes through some how, he never ceases to amaze me in how he is more of an adult than most of the people I have met in my life. I have asked Gunny several times about why the boy acts the way he does and as time has proceeded even Gunny now admits that this is the way the boy acts and not some emotional front the boy has.

I guess Tiger has a good role model in Gunny to copy from. I wish I had the inner strength my two men have, but alas I do not. I allow other’s comments and perceived actions to affect me more than what they should. Even when I attempt to allow a rude remark to pass, I relive the moment over and over again in my mind till I simply blurt out a negative remark to Gunny. This brings up my failure to control my emotions and allowing words to slip from my mouth I more than regret a moment later.

Monday, March 16^th, 2009

Colt’s *Day by Day*

Our traveling holiday: Post Weekend

The weekend flew by so fast and with so much activity, I must admit I was to tired to write the page for the weekend. But with a pause today in activity while Gunny and Tiger are off on a golf outing together, I finally have the time to sit down, relax, and drink a glass of warmed red wine.

Well, to start the weekend we picked Tiger up from school on Friday afternoon, drove home and while Tiger cleaned up and changed his clothes, Gunny and I finished our light dinner prep. Tiger appears from his bedroom fully dried, clothed and his pants are zipped up! Ok, a little to much drama there, but hey each time he remembers this dressing technique is a small victory for me. We sit at the breakfast table to enjoy the pasta, salad and garlic toast dinner. As Tiger finishes his dinner, he helps clear the plates to the kitchen and waits while I tie up the bag of trash for him to carry to the garage. Of course our housekeeper will be by while we are away, so I am busy cleaning up the kitchen…

Our trip begins with the evening drive up the coast, well actually the road is no where near the coast when leaving South Padre. So for the first part of the trip, I take the wheel till we reach the first pit stop. This is a scheduled stop for the boy’s sake and to allow Gunny a moment to walk and loosen up his leg muscles. As with most places it seems, Gunny is recognized by the guy behind the cash register and they have a conversation while Tiger relieves his bladder and I search the snack aisle.

Back on the road, we have a round of songs Gunny seems to have ready to entertain Tiger while we drive the mindlessly long and open roads of Texas. The songs are something I would imagine Gunny singing in his youth and I also notice he obviously has cleaned up some of the text. One of the songs is something we heard the other evening on the late night show with Craig Ferguson, something about “the man’s hair being old and gray, and something, something… but he’s ginger down below boy’s… he’s ginger down below”. Tiger gets a real long laugh about this song about how manhood changes a boy’s body and I just sing along a roll my eyes (pretending not to enjoy, of course).

Our first port of call appears on the horizon, The port city of Galveston. This city isn’t exactly on the way to where we are headed off to, but it is a good place to stop to enjoy the night and the morning before we continue on our way. With spring break going on, Gunny didn’t want to pay the higher prices the hotels were charging for a one night stay. So, we make a pass thru one section of the city to get the current rates then find the best deal. It saved us over half the internet pricing we had seen over the last month. Mostly because there are fewer college students going to spring break, at least so far. We find a hotel with a spa and unload our overnight bag from the Ford.

Oh, I have forgotten to mention, we are driving the behemoth on this trip. Tiger is always in a great mood when we bring the oversized SUV onto the highways and I am adjusting to driving this overgrown boy’s toy on wheels. There is something neat about driving it actually, but I would never admit this to anyone. I find being over and above all the other traffic on the roads to be comforting in a superiority sort of way. So, I occasionally whine about driving the Ford and secretly think with an evil laugh “muah, ha, ha; I’ll get you my little pretties and your little Prius too!” and growl the motor of the Ford for good measure.

We order a pizza from the local delivery store, clean up and change into our swim suits to go down to the whirlpool spa. When the pizza arrives, Tiger being helpful, carries the two liter bottle of Coke and the foam cups while Gunny carries the pizza down to the picnic table near the spa. Munch, munch, and a slurp and burp later, the pizza has been devoured by the boy and we head over to the whirlpool. Tiger sits at the edge with his legs dangled into the water and talks about the fun he is having so far on the trip.

The boy adds strength to our Lion and this night is no different. Even as he relaxes into the warm bubbling waters of the spa, our Lion is gaining strength from Tiger’s presence and the boy’s charm fills the night

Not to skip ahead, but it’s Tuesday night now… So a quick review of what we have been up to: 1) Driving the highways and byways in the Ford Behemoth; 2) Driving the roads and interstates in the Ford Behemoth; 3) sleeping; 4) eating; 5) Driving the… ok I think you understand we have found out that Colt is not to fond of traveling by car. Not to say, that Colt isn’t having a good time mind you, it’s just the traveling and riding and traveling and riding in the same space with very little to do. Ho hum.

Tiger on the other hand is having the time of his life. To date, we have count 341 Volkswagen Beetles and Bugs and have heard the air horns of uncounted tractor trailer cab operators. I do wish I had his enthusiasm, the boy is filled with so much joy and unabated happiness. So, having him happy and filled with joy has offset my own feelings about traveling by car. The past few days have been one fun or experienced filled moment after another. Saturday, for instance, brought Tiger’s first encounter with a deceased jellyfish on the beach. Lucky for him, Gunny was within arm’s reach to stop the boy from touching the gelatinous immobile blob and prevented Tiger from a terrible along with painful chemical burn.

Sunday, brought our first taste of French styled cuisine for breakfast. Well, that might be an overstatement because most of western culture’s traditional thinking of breakfast is actually French. From the several ways of frying up an egg, the bacon or sausage gravy, the biscuits to even having orange juice and milk to drink is of this origin. Am I drifting?

With our destination reached on late Sunday afternoon we arrive at the hotel in the Crescent City. I must admit when Gunny had chosen this as our vacation destination I was a little uncomfortable with the idea. We spoke for days about the not being an ideal place to bring Tiger to for his first spring vacation. But, he persuaded me with thoughts of allowing Tiger to see both sides of this historic city.

So we spend the evening in the hotel, resting and recharging our bodies with drink, food and after we put Tiger to bed, a long hot shower with my Lion. This is exactly what I needed, I needed to feel him inside me again and to know through this physical expression how much he does love me.

Monday and Tuesday are spent touring the wonderfully recovering and at times quite depressing City of New Orleans. The night life here is still very festive and the people are as always helpful and cheery when encountered. I guess the tour of the rebuilding projects was an enlightening moment for Tiger as well as for me. We rode along listening to the stories recounted by the tour guide of the people’s struggle for survival during the days following Hurricane Katrina. As this day comes to a close, I find myself in a better understanding of the struggle many of us face every day, I am always thankful for Gunny being in our lives. Without him, we would be lost.

Wednesday, March 11^th, 2009

Colt’s Day by Day

Ok, nothing really going on here! Seriously, not a whole lot happening before Tiger’s spring break arrives. The most exciting thing we have done this week happened today. We went shopping for a set of golf clubs for Tiger and we are unsure whether the boy is this interested in the sport or not.

So… I suppose I’m left with a memory to share with you.

This incident comes to mind because of a recent television commercial from Lysol. There is a pre-teen boy featured in the commercial who is in the bath tub playing and splashing the bubbles out of the tub. Ok.

The incident is some time ago, when we still lived in the apartment and Tiger would occasionally spend a day or two with us. Gunny had instructed the boy on how to operate the bathtub controls and left the wash room so the boy could undress and bath. About 15 minutes passes and we hear Tiger call for us to come to the washroom. When we open the door the whole of the small washroom is three feet thick of bubbles. Tiger is standing on the toilet trying desperately to rid the room of so many bubbles but has completely lost the battle.

I wade into the bubbles bringing a bath towel to wrap around the nude boy and carry him out of the room. He was almost in tears when we found him and was really trying to keep the bubbles at bay with a wash cloth. It seems, Gunny failed to mention that using lots of bubble bath and lots of water will produce tons of bubbles. Although there was one upside to the incident, the boy had never been more squeaky clean.

Friday, March 6^th, 2009

Colt’s *Day by Day*

Thursday morning arrives with a slight moan, groan, and growl from my Lion. The alarm has buzzed and I switch it off, while Gunny brings his arms around me to pull me close. He whispers “I love you Colt” into my ear and kisses me on the back of my neck. This begins another work day for me, an outing on the golf links for our Lion and a day at school for the boy.

The breakfast table is filled with the conversation of the upcoming sleepover. Tiger is very excited about having his friend over on Friday night and he is anxious to see that evening to arrive. Gunny has explained the sleepover rules before to Tiger and I listen to the boy recite them back to our Lion. These simple and general outlines of safety are easy to understand and I hope much easier for the two boys to follow.

I drive Tiger to school and return to our home to help Gunny prepare for his day out. The sunscreen liberally applied and some of his body wrapped into Ace bandages to allow him to have more support and control in his activity today. He catches himself in the mirror before he slips on his clothes and remarks “Who is that old man in the window?” then laughs. I smile and remind him, he is not old at all and help him dress.

By the afternoon and the end of my work day, I find our Lion and the boy seated in the lounge chatting with the bartender and watching a sports program. Gunny is enjoying a beer and Tiger mimics his moves while drinking a ginger ale in a pub glass. A quick kiss from both of them and a hello from the bartender whom brings me large sweet iced tea. Tiger tells me about his school day and Gunny is in a good mood about his score on the links. Tiger is eager to return home to work on his ‘ton of homework’ as he described it and if time allows we usually play a board game of Clue or LIFE on this night.

We stop by for a fried chicken meal from a national chain of southern fried chicken restaurants. I keep the dinner warm while Gunny and Tiger work on the boy’s homework and take a long warm shower. Gunny comes to the great room to ask if I am ready for dinner, I seemed to have lost the time of day while listening to the wind chimes. Why is it boys only enjoy the fried chicken legs? Leaving me also to ask why does Gunny only eat thighs? Oh well, I prefer the breast pieces and Tiger nibbles on the battered skins.

As our evening comes to a close, Tiger is snuggling with our Lion on the recliner while we watch a history program on the television. All to soon it is his bedtime, Gunny and I tuck the boy into bed. The boy listens to the story of the young prince being told by our Lion and quickly falls asleep. We sit on the boy’s bed for a few minutes watching him sleep, it’s a wonderful moment to have and to enjoy.

Friday morning arrives and I can hear the excitement of the day ahead from Tiger’s bedroom as Gunny wakes the boy. Tiger is quick to clean up and change his clothes to prepare for school. Gunny is preparing breakfast and I lay out the boy’s school clothes while he is in his washroom. When Tiger joins us at the breakfast table, he continues the conversation he had started with Gunny. They chat about the activities planned for the afternoon, the snacks and grilled foods to be enjoyed. And as an added bonus, he asks “is there anything else I can help with before school?” This just makes me feel warm and amazed how anyone could not love or wish to care for the boy.

Our day continues with Tiger being at school, I am at the restaurant, while Gunny and our outside man “Charles”, are working at our home. When the end of my shift arrives at the restaurant, I find Gunny, Tiger, and his friend in the lounge munching on cheesy fries and enjoying a conversation with the restaurant owner. Tiger and his friend are giggling and laughing at a joke just completed by the owner and all four stand as I approach the pub table. The restaurant owner, whom is also a family friend, hands me an envelope with my payroll inside and wishes us well for the weekend ahead.

As the afternoon and evening progress, Gunny and the two boys are outside playing Frisbee golf and other short field sport games. The overnight weather will not allow the boys to sleep outside, so Gunny and Charles have setup the tent in our garage, along with a faux electric fire. I have prepared the buffet of snack foods for the boys to enjoy at will. As the evening continues and while the boys work together on their homework in the study, Gunny prepares the grilled meats on the stone patio with our gas grill. One would think the boys would be to anxious or excited to be able to concentrate on homework, but these two best friends work diligently on their weekend assignments.

After dinner and the round of boyish belching contests, Gunny sends the boys off to the garage for awhile. They are playing with the indoor toys of cars and trucks along with plastic army men and nerf equipped weapons of war. Occasionally the boys storm through the house, racing each other to devour as much of the buffet snacks as possible. When the evening grows late, Gunny tells the boys to go to the washroom to clean up and trade their clothes for pajamas. The boys comply without a whimper or a whine and spend the next hour in the washroom having a splash fight with the shower and tub water.

After the boys have been put to bed in their sleeping bags inside the tent, Gunny and I listen at the interior garage door to the boys giggle stories to each other about the silly things young boys talk about. The chattering only lasts fifteen or twenty minutes and the boys have fallen asleep. We wait a moment longer then open the door to “snuff out” the fire and check on the boys. The air is ripe with their ‘gas’ contest and I open the window slightly to ventilate the garage. Gunny checks the exterior garage doors’ latches and locks and turns on the night lights.

Once back inside, we retire to the far side of our home to the front room and watch the recorded programs from the evening past. Gunny is quite content tonight with the accomplishments made on Tiger’s behalf. Tiger’s friend seems to have had a wonderful evening in our home and I know this has allowed Gunny to relax tonight. We are on the sofa together, I am writing this page, while he his rubbing my shoulders and attempting to tickle tummy occasionally.

We have explained to Tiger and his friend not to come into our bedroom, but to knock on the door and wait for us to open the door, in the past and reminded them again tonight. Tiger’s friend appears to be of the new generation where Gunny and I can have an open relationship and not worry about Tiger being teased at school about it. Gunny tells me how wonderful it is that my generation and Tiger’s aged kids can accept us as a couple and not be bothered by us.

Sunday, March 1^st, 2009

Colt’s *Day by Day*

Well, nothing much happening this weekend other than cleaning up the yard and the house in preparation of Tiger hosting a sleep over with his friend next weekend. So, Tiger and Gunny spend most of the morning mowing the lawn and such. Of course, our outside man will ensure the house is quite presentable when he returns on Friday to work with Gunny. But, Gunny feels (and I agree) the boy needs to take some responsibility in ensuring our home is presentable for his friend’s arrival.

When lunch time arrives I stroll out into the yard and ask if they are ready to come inside to clean up and dress for the afternoon out. Tiger is raking the grass clippings and Gunny is adjusting the timers on the water sprinklers again. With the wind being so high during the day, we have had to move all the watering times to the night and the grass appears not to agree with the new watering cycles. Tiger’s tan is beginning to take shape for the spring and summer ahead. I have placed a generous amount of sun screen on the boy’s body today because he wished to be outside shirtless today. I was at first against the idea, but Gunny assured me it would be fine. So a compromise was made and Tiger wore a blue coloring sunscreen on nearly the whole of his body today. The only drawback to this amount of sun screen is how the grass clippings are clinging to the boy’s body. He appears to be growing grass in very odd places…

When we have showered and dressed for a day out at the galleria, Tiger asks for a few dollars to spend in the arcade. Gunny agrees, I hand the boy some money from my clutch and Tiger disappears into the noise filled arcade. Gunny snorts slightly covering a laugh then remarks about how Tiger seems to be adjusting very well to his new environment. I smile, take our Lion’s paw and lead him away from the arcade. His eyes never actually leave the entrance and one would think he could actually see into the darkened area watching Tiger carefully and making sure he was safe.

When dinner time arrives we travel across town to meet our card playing friends for a dinner date at their favorite restaurant. It is a Chinese buffet and is quite busy when we arrive. Our friends are waiting for us at the entrance as one would expect people of their age always arriving much earlier than the agreed time. The men shake hands, Tiger receives and toss in the air followed by a hug from his stand-in grandfather then receives a smudging kiss on the cheek from his acting grandmother.

Of all our friends, I believe Tiger enjoys this couple the most. They give him all the attention, fussing over and warm embraces the boy would ever need. Tiger returns the affection with giggles, hugs, kisses and stories about his adventures during the week. And as I write about this part of our lives, I am always forced to remember Tiger’s biological family. My mind always throws images of the heart-broken boy being told to his face by his biological mother’s mother-in-law that the boy is not her family, not once mind you but several times last summer.

Of course, now that I have allowed my mind to take this drama queen moment, my eyes are full of tears and my hands tremble with anger. Being angry with myself and Tiger’s biological family is something I need to stop allowing to happen. It is just a fact of life and as every one of my readers know, “people are who they are, live your life accordingly”. I sigh and I move on.

The dinner at the buffet goes really well, Gunny is once again mewing occasionally while I dine on my beef and rice dish. His counterpart at our table gives a gentle laugh, my counterpart and I just roll our eyes and the moment is completely lost on Tiger. Tiger enjoys the pizza, mac and cheese and chicken nuggets at the ‘kid’s bar’ and when the other two men give low burping noises, he joins in with his own rendition of the alphabet recitation while belching. I stop him after the letter ‘h’ and the men say “aww, and he was doing so well”, then laugh.

As our Saturday evening comes to a close. Tiger goes to bed early for a weekend night, he is exhausted by the day’s work, play and time spent with our friends. He is barely awake as he prepares for bed while in the wash room and even falls asleep before Gunny can begin the story of the young prince. Again, I sigh and we watch the boy sleep for a short while before returning to the front room. We watch a few recorded political news programs from Friday evenings PBS programs and I hop online to answer email and chat with my friends.

Sunday arrives and we decide to sleep in for most of the morning. Tiger is asleep as well and we decide not to wake him till brunch is nearly ready. Because of the religious season we are in now, brunch consists of lochs, cream cheese and bagels. Tiger enjoys this change in the menu and devours four of the sliced and prepared sandwiches.

After breakfast Tiger and Gunny work on the boy’s weekend homework and assignments. This takes the rest of the morning and I take this time to sit in the quiet and cool morning air on the stone patio. I listen to the birds announcing the coming of spring and a few pairs of them are building nests in our rose thorns and bushes. This causes me to give a small laugh to myself because I remember the word that Gunny uses in reference to our shrubs.

Thickets is the term he refers to our non flowering shrubbery and the way he pronounces the word reminds me of how he must of spoke in his youth. The accent of the word and the word itself basically places my mind somewhere in the past and in Gunny’s youth. While he was in school, he played all the sports the schools offered and also managed average grades as well. He wasn’t the big sports hero or academic genius. He was just a boy of middle class white history. I enjoy the stories of his youth, how he basically lived in what my friends refer to as ‘lily white america’. Gunny told me about not even having an actual casual conversation with a minority till he was seventeen and in the Marine Corps. I think to myself about just how far our society has come in just the past thirty years or so and think about how much change Gunny has seen.

As the afternoon arrives, Gunny and Tiger have completed the boy’s homework and are anxious to get out for the day. So we dress for an afternoon at the mall and have lunch at one of the mall’s bistros. Gunny and I have soup & salad, while Tiger enjoys a cod fillet with rice and broccoli. We spend the rest of the afternoon walking and window shopping at the mall. Gunny mentions how most of the people are also just window shopping and notes the lack of merchandise bags being carried.

Friday, February 27^th, 2009

Colt’s *Day by Day*

-Our Two Days Apart-

The end of the week is also the two days in which Gunny and I go our separate ways for the afternoons of Thursday and Friday. Tiger has school, Gunny spends the late morning and afternoon of Thursday with his golf partners and Friday he works in our yard and gardens with our outside man, Charles. These two days are also my work days at the restaurant. The restaurant is owned by a long time friend of mine and managed by another friend. Over the past year our families have grown fond of each other and we share as much time in the restaurant as we do in each other’s company outside of work. This has lead to the owner as well as the general manager thinking of me as one of their family while Gunny and I have been thankful for all of their good will towards us and Tiger.

Thursday and Friday afternoons are nearly identical for me in the restaurant. The only separation of notice between them is the weather outside and how the afternoon ends on Friday with the exuberant arrival of Tiger into the lounge. His excitement about an event which occurred during his school day fills the restaurant with praise from our family friends as well as my fellow coworkers.

Tiger has been selected by his class mates to be their representative in his schools student council meetings and social events happening. Although the junior high school/middle school student council only meets twice during the year, the other events to follow after spring break will position Tiger nicely in the social functions of his peers.

This selection by his school mates has elated the boy to no end this afternoon. Tiger has also brought with him a folder containing the events in which he (with his parents guidance) can select to host or co-host. It seems the school is also aware of the financial situation of most of the students families and encourages the student to seek the advice of the adults around him for permission and guidance.

Wednesday, February 25^th, 2009

Colt’s *Day by Day*

Only a few more weeks till Tiger’s spring break vacation and we can disappear for a week on a trip. But that will be then and today is the start of another school week for Tiger. I give a heavy sigh when I approach the boy’s bedroom door to wake him for school. I wish we could just keep the boy home with us, have him ‘home schooled’ and we could travel as often as we desire. Again, I sigh…

Our Monday proceeds as most Mondays do, with the general excitement of Tiger being ready to return to school to see his friends. Gunny and I spend the day together in our home enjoying the late morning and early afternoon on the stone patio. Gunny is reading the newspaper and listening to the radio while I sunbath. We have soup for lunch, just something Gunny stewed up in the crock pot today. We would have had grilled cheese sandwiches as well if Tiger had been home for lunch.

As the afternoon moves along, we anxiously await the pickup time for Tiger from school to arrive. I guess when I say “we anxiously await”, I suppose it would be more accurate to say, “I am anxious”. But the time does eventually come and I am always happy to see Tiger standing outside his school laughing, chatting and playing with his friends. Tiger sees us approach, chest bumps and fist pumps his friends in a farewell and walks to our car with his close friend.

After dinner at sports bar where Gunny and Tiger can watch a replay of a baseball ballgame, we return to our home. Of course, Tiger has at least an hour of homework to do and Gunny sits with him in the study. I bring a drink for them and Tiger shows me his mathematics homework and my eyes glaze over as he explains the worksheet. And this is just a precursor to what will happen later on…

As the evening grows late, Tiger is playing with his toys near Gunny’s side of the sofa. I am leaning against our lion as we watch a few shows on CBS, they are repeats tonight. I notice the boy’s hair needs to be trimmed and I point this out to Gunny as well. Tiger speaks up and says “I want my hair cut like Gunny’s”. Our Lion quickly responds “I rather like the idea of you having your hair long enough to fluff around a bit”, and plays with the boy’s hair. Tiger says “Yeah, I like it like this too!”, laughs and returns to playing with his cars and trucks.

Bedtime for Tiger is always a treat for me, I guess. I get to watch the boy prepare for bed, listen to the story told by our Lion and watch Tiger’s eyes flicker then close as he falls asleep. I know, it’s nearly the same routine every night. I wouldn’t have anything change even if I could.

Tuesday and Wednesday are spent looking for new golf shoes for Gunny. His current ones are beginning to show wear and are causing his feet to hurt during a match. So, we travel around sports stores shopping for the right pair. This search finally pays off at a “going out of business” department store and we find a pair similar to the shoes he wore a few years ago.

When we return home after picking Tiger up from school on Tuesday, the boy appears to be coming down with a cold. So, we give him a hot soak in the spa, give him a cold pack for his head and I rub the medicine onto his chest as we put him to an early bedtime. I check on him several times during the night, waking him gently, taking him to the restroom then giving him more water to drink along with his vitamins and salt. Gunny is awake all Tuesday night, holding a vigil of sort while we tend to the boy’s needs. Our Lion is feeling slightly down trodden because he knows he cannot be around the boy right now. If Gunny were to catch the cold it could be a very bad time for our Lion.

When Wednesday morning arrives, Tiger is feeling much better. Although still carrying the cold virus with him, the boy has fought off the worst of the symptoms. Tiger is also not the normal cheerful boy when he wakes because he so wishes to give Gunny a big hug and a kiss, but knows he cannot till the cold has left him. So, the morning is a slightly somber event and I drive Tiger to school. When I return Gunny has our home smelling of Clorox and Tide as he has cleaned nearly every surface the boy or I may have touched in the past day.

We have also drained the spa after giving it a “shock” treatment of chlorine. Gunny spends the morning disassembling the filtering system of the spa and placing most of the components in the dishwasher to be sanitized. I watch him, massaging his shoulders and back as he works. The night had been very difficult on him and it is showing today. When the spa begins to fill with fresh water, I start the steam shower for Gunny and I to relax for awhile.

He is very tired at the end of the shower and I help him into our bed where he can relax for awhile. I let him rest till the middle of the afternoon when it is time to pick up Tiger from school. He is looking much better now and has a moderate amount of energy after sleeping. We dress causally and drive to Tiger’s school. The boy is looking good, but still has a congested chest and head. I remind myself to ‘clean’ the back of my car later on, when Tiger and Gunny are working on the boy’s homework.

Sunday, February 22^nd, 2009

Colt’s *Day by Day*

Saturday morning arrives and the weather is not going to cooperate. We wanted to go to the beach or the park today, but rain has interrupted our plans. Tiger is somewhat disappointed because he had plans to ride his bicycle at the park or on the pavement at the beach. When we awake and hear the rain pouring down outside, we wait a little while before waking Tiger. Hoping that the weather will change we wait for nearly an hour before finally going to the boy’s bedroom to wake him.

Tiger wakes as always in a good mood and gives me a hug. He hears the rain and says “I guess it’s the mall today?” I smile and cant help but laugh a little when the boy’s face has a sly look emerge. He scoots out of bed and hops to the washroom. I pull fresh play clothes from his chest-of-drawers along with his new under clothes that look like smaller versions of Gunny’s. I fluff the boy’s pillows, pet the stuffed animals and remind the boy to change all of his clothes before he comes to breakfast.

Saturday mornings’ breakfast are usually pancakes or waffles with bacon or sausage and scrambled eggs. A full breakfast as Gunny refers to it. We have waffles, bacon, scrambled eggs and Tiger ‘wolfs’ the food away as quickly as it is placed in front of him. The boy eats two servings of each item and drinks three glasses of milk. I watch with amazement as the food disappears into the boy and enjoy myself to see him being happy.

So… after breakfast, after Tiger spends an hour working on his weekend homework, I have my two men change their clothes and we dress for a day out at the mall. I help Tiger choose his clothes then join Gunny in our bedroom to help him dress as well. Tiger asks if we can take the Ford to the mall today and Gunny agrees “it does need to stretch it’s legs doesn’t it”. The boy nods rapidly and I move our car from the driveway while Gunny pulls the Ford from the garage.

The day at the mall begins with allowing Tiger to spend sometime in the arcade. Gunny gives the boy a few dollars to spend and we pretend to walk off from the arcade. I watch Gunny’s eyes watch the boy as he disappears into the arcade. I take his arm and say “you know it’s only going to be 29 more minutes”. He squeezes my hand saying, “that long huh?”

When the half hour has passed we return to arcade and Tiger joins us as we approach. He has a small stuffed animal sticking out of his shirt collar and proudly announces his quarters lasted longer this time. We walk around the mall, I’m looking at the sale items again and Tiger is mentioning that lunch time is quickly approaching.

As our day comes to a close, Tiger is again snuggling with Gunny in the recliner in our front room. The boy still needs the comfort from our Lion, and I completely understand. I know Tiger doesn’t understand that Gunny needs the boy’s snuggle just as much if not more than Tiger needs to be held. But this is the way of things, I suppose. When bedtime comes for Tiger, the boy takes our hands as we walk with him to his bedroom. We wait sitting on his bed while he uses the washroom, he brushes his teeth and tends to the needs of his bladder. Gunny and I tuck him into his bed and our Lion continues the bedtime story of the young Prince.

Sunday morning arrives and Gunny is in a passionate mood, he wakes me with a gentle massage and when he sees my eyes open, he reminds me of his love for me and fills me with his passion.

Tiger’s morning begins a little later than ours and he is in an excellent mood when we wake him. The weather is cooperating and we make plans to go to the park. Tiger is excited and finishes his homework before we drive over to the park. There are several other kids his age playing, riding bicycles and skateboards. Tiger makes a few ‘day friends’ and enjoys his day. Gunny slips away for a little while to the find our lunch. When he returns, Tiger has brought a few of his day friends along for lunch and our Lion anticipated this. Hot dogs, chips and sodas for the boys, a salad for me and Gunny is enjoying a bacon cheeseburger.

The day goes quite well overall, Tiger tires as the afternoon begins to slip towards evening and Gunny tells him to say goodbye to his friends. We drive home to clean up and change our clothes. We decide to pay a visit to my restaurant for our Sunday family dinner and are welcomed by the new assistant manager. Tiger remarks the shirt he is wearing is itchy and pulls at his collar and neck tie. Gunny clears his throat concealing a small laugh and I straighten the boy’s neck tie. The dinner is quite good, Tiger and Gunny have the prime rib and I enjoy a grilled shrimp salad.

As our evening comes to a close, Tiger is playing with his cars within reach of Gunny’s gentle occasional head rubbing and I am relaxing with Gunny on the sofa. We watch an animated film then take Tiger to bed. The boy quickly drifts off to sleep and has a light smile on his face. Gunny and I return to the front room and watch a few of his Sunday morning political news shows, the watch a replay of one of his favorite shows “the West Wing”.