Expanding Horizons

Brad felt like everything was in slow motion as he got home again. The police knocked the door in on the church building. Mrs. Tasick ran outside the parsonage and over to the church, yelling and screaming at the policemen. Braden watched as first Mr. Tasick and then his father were hauled out of the church in handcuffs. A moment later, Mrs. Tasick was taken into custody as well. A large, gruff looking cop headed towards Braden’s mother and the boy panicked.

“NO! You can’t arrest my mom too! She didn’t do anything wrong!” he yelled out running to place himself between the officer and his mom. “She’s the one that sent me to call you guys. You can’t arrest her, you can’t.”

“LOUISE!” Elijah Daniels bellowed. “Is that true? Did you call the police on me for helping these people with their sinful evil child?”

“Yes, Elijah I did send him to call, and I would do it again,” Louise returned as bravely as she could. “You were abusing that boy and I will not have you do the same to our own son anymore. I have stood by and watched as you and your ignorant ranting has driven Brad into a box all sealed off from everyone and everything, until Chris brought back the bright eyed loving boy I gave birth to. I have my son back, and he has me, and neither of us need you anymore.”

“SIN! That spawn of Satan in there has already spread his evil into my own house,” Elijah yelled.

“That’s enough from you,” the cop escorting him announced and shoved the pastor into the back seat of the patrol car.

Brad kept his defensive position in front of his mother as the officer stepped closer.

“Relax, son,” the cop told him, holding his hands up in surrender. “No one is going to arrest you or your mom. I just want to give you both some advice. He won’t be coming home tonight, but if someone pays bail for him tomorrow, he will be out. I suggest that you make other arrangements for where to live as soon as you can. Is this home yours, or property of the church?”

“This belongs to the church,” Louise answered. “I hadn’t planned for this, but I know that we will need to get out as soon as we can.”

“I will stay here and watch out for you while you pack your things quickly,” the policeman told them. “I can also call someone who may be able to help you out with a place to stay for tonight at least.”

At some point, an ambulance had arrived and at that moment, the paramedics brought Ronnie out of the church on a stretcher. Brad ran over to him and was shocked to see how rough the boy looked. His face was covered in blood and the sheet laying over him was fairly well soaked as well. “I’m sorry, Ronnie. I went as fast as I could to get help.”

“You got them here in time, Brad,” Ronnie whispered back. “Thank you for saving my life, especially after I was so mean to you. Chris is really lucky to have you.”

“I’m sorry I took him away from you,” Brad offered.

“No, you aren’t,” Ronnie returned. “But it’s ok, you didn’t take him away. He wasn’t mine the way I wanted him to be, and that was my fault, and my parents’ faults, not yours.” He started coughing then and they loaded him into the van and left for the hospital.

“Let’s get our things together, Brad. We still have to find a place to stay tonight,” his mother called out.

“May I offer assistance?”

Brad whirled around to find his English teacher standing next to his mother. “Ms. Phillips? What are you doing here?”

“I am offering you and your mother a place to stay tonight and help with packing so that you can be out of this house as quickly as possible,” the woman responded. “My partner, Bambi, and I have two rooms in our home that you are welcome to use until you can make more permanent arrangements. That is if your mother does not object to the offer.”

“Elijah never knew this, but two of my closest friends before I married him were lesbians,” Louise said quietly. “I couldn’t have asked for better friends and they never once did anything that made me feel uncomfortable to be around them. Furthermore, perhaps it would do both my son and I some good to have someone that might have some insights into what we are facing to help us along at this point.”

“Ms. Phillips?” Brad asked softly. “Did you say your partner was named Bambi… as in Aunt Bambi?”

“You are correct, Bradley,” Ms. Phillips answered. “And she is anxious to meet you when you have your clothes on,” she whispered to the boy. “I promise neither of us intends you any embarrassment over that, although we may both tease you a bit in private.”

“Ms. Phillips, would it weird you out if I hugged you right now?”

“Not this once, Bradley, but let’s save it until we get you out of here,” she smiled. “Go to your room and pack up quickly. This is a small town and word travels faster than the speed of light.”

“Yes Ms. Phillips,” Brad returned her smile and ran into the house. In the kitchen he grabbed the box of his mother’s memories and handed it to her. “Make sure we take this, Mom. I want this Mom to stick around for a long time.”

“So do I, son,” she replied as she hugged him. “Get going before any of the church folks show up. We don’t want this to get any uglier than it has to be any sooner than it has to be.”

“Yes, Mom,” Brad said and then ran down the hall to his room.

It did indeed get ugly. Rather than fire the pastor for his role in the nearly fatal beating of a child, the church rallied behind him. Well about half of the church did, anyway. The other half suddenly stopped admitting that they were ever members there. Of those, a few contacted Brad’s mom and offered to help if they could. Of course one aspect of the situation was definitely not ugly. The moment Chris had learned about what happened at the church and that Brad and his mother were at his aunt’s home, he had rushed over.

“BRAD!!!” he yelled as he burst into the house without even knocking. He saw Brad sitting beside his mother in the living room and he ran to them throwing his arms around Brad, hugging him tightly. “Are you ok, Brad? Did your dad or the Tasick’s hurt you too?” He suddenly jerked away in horror as he began rambling, “Oh my god I can’t hug you what if you were hurt and I made you worse but I was so scared and worried about you and I had to get over here to see you and I really hope you’re ok I mean I know you’re not totally ok because you had to move out and your dad is in jail and I’m talking too much right?”

“Yes, Christopher, you certainly are,” Ms. Phillips told him. “Given the chance that you weren’t allowing him to respond, and I am sure that Bradley will tell you that he was not physically harmed.”

“Yeah, I’m fine, except I am so so sorry that I didn’t tell you what was going on,” Brad told Chris.

“Forget about that, you were right,” Chris assured him. “You had no reason to think that anyone would believe you over Ronnie. I swear I would have though, so please don’t ever think that you can’t talk to me.”

“I know you would have now, and I should have known it then, but I promise I will never forget it again,” Brad vowed.

“Chris,” Louise Daniels called out. The boy turned to face her nervously. “I believe I once told you that if your relationship with my son caused trouble for me and my family I would make you fairly miserable.”

“Yes ma’am, you told me that you would not rest until I have suffered worse than I ever dreamed possible in my most terrifying nightmares,” Chris reminded her. “You actually reminded me a whole lot of Miss Switch.”

“Miss Switch?” Louise asked him.

“Yes, ma’am, she won’t let me call her Aunt Fawn, even though it is her name, so I have to call her something.” Mrs. Daniels and Brad stared back and forth between the two women who had opened their home to them when they needed it. Brad soon started biting his lips and blinking back tears as he turned red in the face. “Don’t do it, Brad,” Chris warned. “You think she is scary at school, you don’t want to know what she is like if you laugh about this.” The warning worked and Brad got serious quickly.

“Well, ummm…. Be that as it may…” Louise was clearly working hard to not react to the female couple being named Fawn and Bambi. “I don’t think you have to worry about that anymore Chris; unless of course you make up some horrible name for me as well.”

“Well, actually Mrs. Daniels,” Chris started nervously, but was cut off.

“That would be the most horrible name of all,” Louise told him. “Try something else, please.”

“I was going to…. I mean if you didn’t mind maybe… Well, could I call you Mom?”

“Come here, you,” Louise gasped as she grabbed Chris in a hug. “I would be very honored to have you call me that, especially since I have the feeling you will be for a very long time.”

“He will if I have anything to say about it,” Brad announced as he joined their embrace.

“Why don’t you boys go out to the back yard and talk,” Brad’s mom suggested. “I think I will go lie down for a bit.”

“Mom, we are going to get through this, me and you,” Brad told her solemnly. “It’s just like you said earlier. We don’t need him anymore. You are the best mom in the universe, and I promise I will help out any way I can.”

“I know you will, Brad. You’re right, we will get through this somehow,” his mom whispered back to him as she hugged him close. “I’m just glad to have my happy boy back, finally. Now you two go suck face or whatever you call it these days, while I get some rest and think some.”

“MOOOOM!!” Brad exclaimed as both he and Chris blushed all over. He and Chris rushed out the door, but were still in earshot to hear Louise’s next statement.

“Really? Bambi and Fawn…. That has to be real love.”

“Chris, why didn’t you tell me that your aunt and Ms. Phillips were…. Were…ummm… whatever they are?”

“I told you they were in the coven together,” Chris reminded him. “Do you really think I want people in school to know she is part of my family? I have trouble enough making friends now.”

“Ok, point taken, and forgiven,” Brad agreed. “Can you forgive me for not telling you what Ronnie had done, or what I was planning to do to get back at him?”

“I told you, I understand why you did that, and yes I forgive you,” Chris assured him. “But no more secrets between us, ok?”

“Absolutely,” Brad smiled as he grabbed his boyfriend in a tight hug.

A few moments later Brad was still clinging and Chris realized why. Brad was shaking all over and was also crying judging from the wet spot on Chris’ shoulder. “Hey what’s the matter with my Jules? Come on talk to me.”

“I never should have done it,” Brad choked out as he sobbed into his boyfriend’s shoulder. “I’ve messed up everyone’s lives. I’ve started a fight in the church, the whole town is going to know all about all of this now.”

“Bradley, turn around and look at me.” Both boys turned to face Ms. Phillips. “What do you think would have happened if you had done as Ronnie demanded and kissed him in class?”

“I would have thrown up right after,” Brad answered quickly. Chris burst out laughing beside him.

“Yes and what else?” Ms. Phillips prompted.

“Ummm… you would have sent us both to the principal’s office?”

“Undoubtedly,” the woman agreed. “That would have resulted in the same incident at your church and in your home that you have now, but you are still overlooking one other consequence. “How do you think Chris would feel if you had kissed Ronnie in class?”

“I can answer that for you,” Chris responded. “I would have wanted to die right there in that class. I like boys, but I only love you, Brad. If I had seen you kissing Ronnie, I would have felt a whole lot worse than I did thinking that you didn’t trust me to tell me what was going on. We haven’t known each other that long so I eventually figured out that you really didn’t know if you could trust me that much. If you had kissed him though, I would never have been able to trust you though.”

“I do trust you, Chris,” Brad wept and grabbed Chris in another hug.

“My point, Bradley, is that you seem to have made the best decision you could under the circumstances,” Ms. Phillips told him. “Yes there will be consequences and drama throughout town from this, but I honestly believe that good will come from this, Bradley. I am proud of you for the stand you have taken, and I am proud to have you as part of my family.”

“I’m proud to have you as my family, too,” Chris told the woman. “I promise no more Miss Switch comments. I will find something else to call you.”

“To be honest, Christopher, I rather like you calling me that,” Ms. Phillips told him with a slight smile. “Do not let that get out, though. I have a reputation and image to maintain.” She turned to walk back toward the house and then called out, “Don’t stay out too late, boys. You both have a long day ahead of you tomorrow.”