Hadrian's Lover by Patricia-Marie Budd Read Free Book Online Page A

him, Frank nods in agreement, corresponding with Todd’s reply of, “Yes, sir.”
    “Now, Todd,” says Dean, quickly changing the subject, “I have a bone to pick with you.”
    “Sir?” Todd feigns confusion, but he knows exactly why Dean is upset.
    “You promised me Sunday dinner—and,” he adds swiftly, “don’t pretend you’re sick!”
    “I’m sorry, Papa Dean, but Frank—”
    Dean cuts Todd off instantly with a curt remark directed at his son. “I know—Frank!” Dean is staring so intently at him that Frank begins to sweat. “I understand, but that doesn’t mean I am letting you off the hook. You promised me Sunday dinners, and if need be, I will pick you up and take you out to eat. That is until Frank gets his ‘love life’ settled.” Frank responds by staring at his feet. “So,” Dean states crisply, “I will be around to pick you up next Sunday; let’s say 6 p. m.”
    “But Papa Mike, he’s so proud—he’ll say no.”
    “You let me deal with Papa Mike. Does he know about this phone?”
    “Yeah.” Then adding in his Papa Mike’s defense, Todd adds, “He doesn’t like it, but he understands.”
    “Okay, put him on the phone, then. I’ll talk to him now.”
    “He, uh…” There is an awkward silence.
    “He’s not home, right?”
    “No, sir.”
    “On a date?” Dean is bitter at this news. It is not that he holds anything against Mike for forming a new relationship; it’s just he has been forming new relationships since, well, within weeks after Will died. It seems Mike turns to the arms of strange men to help him forget, and Dean suspects he also turns to whiskey. Sighing at circumstances beyond his control, Dean adds with determination, “I’ll get a hold of him at work this week. Papa Mike will agree.”
    “Thanks, Papa Dean.” Todd is relieved. He is lonely right now. When he’s not at school or in b-ball, he’s stuck at home alone, with nothing but studying or the odd text with Crystal to keep him from dying of boredom.
    “Now,” Dean is quite stern, “before I give this phone back to Frank, I want both of you boys to promise me to be more careful! No one—and I mean NO ONE, is ever to know the two of you are using these things. Is that understood?”
    Although in separate rooms in different ends of the city, both boys answer in unison, “Yes, sir!”
    * * * * *

Salve!
    Masturbation Rules
HNN—Melissa Eagleton Reporting
    Earlier this week, we had quite the heated debate over the topic for tonight’s Salve! In all honesty, I was at first uncomfortable about discussing such an issue so openly on air. I suggested this topic be best left to the education system to deal with. Hadrian’s Sex Education Curriculum is one of the finest worldwide. However, my producer pointed out, quite correctly, that this topic is not something meant only for our children. Parents, too, need some coaching—not in terms of “how to”; most of us can figure that out quite nicely on our own—but rather in terms of how to talk to our children about this issue. So today’s topic is masturbation and what to do if you accidentally walk in on your child—doing—ahem—pleasuring him—or herself privately.
    Often when a parent accidently walks in on his or her child masturbating, the moment becomes one filled with consternation and embarrassment for both parties. What is really important in this situation is not to allow our initial emotional reaction to take precedence. Allowing discomfiture and disquiet to dictate the now critical discussion, or worse yet, to allow these emotions to avoid the issue all together, is not instrumental in helping your child develop a healthy attitude toward his or her body and the act of masturbation. Clearly this is an act everyone has committed once or twice, perhaps many times over. The old religious myth fanatics used to scare their sons’ hands away from their penises. “You’ll go blind” is, as my producer succinctly put it, “hooey.”