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cuckoo? I m enjoying having two boys. And you ll stop me getting too attached to him. He does have to go home to Peru, you know. Why? He could make enough money here to pay for what his village needs. He could stay yours. It s silly. You two are so in love. Hush, boy. Immigration isn t that easy. His home needs him, not some gringo consultant paid for instead -- they want their own irrigation expert. Rinaldo s water management engineering studies are what they are paying for. You could help him be Dr. Rinnie, oh, and maybe you could start to study the Quechua and do your summer field trips there. Best of both worlds! Stop it, Tommy! Rinaldo takes his obligations seriously. Stop making it harder for us. We do love each other, but it can only be for a few years. Now open your package. A Torquere Press Toy Box - 31 Yes, sir. Thank you, sir. Tommy sat down next to Pol, understanding that he had permission to sit now that breakfast service was over. He read the letter from his mom first, although his little kid side longed to rip open the boxes inside the package. Oh! Sir, it s stuff from Ba! I mean obaachan -- my Japanese grandmother. She died when I was ten, but me and my sister were hooked on Japan when we were teens. We really adored her. Tommy looked at the boxes with welling eyes. Last month would have been my sister s twenty- first birthday. Ba had left her stuff for then, and mom s decided I should have it instead. Boy. You should tell me things like that. I bet I can guess which day was your sister s birthday - - the day you yelled at Rinaldo and cut class, right? Yeah. Sorry. I didn t want pity. Caring isn t pity, Tommy. You got a beating instead of some cosseting. Denying yourself comfort is what led you into trouble before. If you d let your mom grieve with you back then-- That was then. Sorry, sir, but that s the old me, and I don t care to discuss him. If you won t talk about your and Rinnie s future, then my past is off limits. Tommy scowled at Pol defiantly. Open the boxes, boy. We ll deal with your attitude this afternoon. Tommy bit his lip, and used the bread knife to cut the twine on the two packets that had come inside the larger one. He frowned at the bracelet of beads with a tassel hanging from them. O-juzu, said Pol quietly. Your grandma s prayer beads, boy. A rosary? I don t think she was Catholic! Boy, you do need to understand your heritage better than those manga books you cling on to! These are Buddhist beads for meditation. Oh. I didn t even know Ba-Chan was Buddhist. There s all sorts, right? Yes. Boy, you ll audit my non-Western cultures survey class next semester. Yes, sir. I wonder what this one is -- oh! Oh, indeed. Your mother sent those through the mail? She -- uh -- she thinks plain mail is safest. People steal the registered stuff, she says. A Torquere Press Toy Box - 32 Boy, those pearls needed a courier, not any kind of mail. Damn. Your mom is as flaky as you are. They re going in my safe. Tommy stroked the pearl choker for a second. Ba-Chan wore them a lot. They were her wedding present from her parents. She let my sister wear them when we visited -- my favorite picture of Sis is her being a fairy princess in them. But Ba always said they were just cultured ones. Pol gave a short bark of laughter. Cultured doesn t mean fake, boy. The box says these are Mikimoto pearls. They d cost thousands retail these days. I guess your mom feels sure your debt issues are behind you. Even so: they stay in my safe until you leave me. Tommy sighed. Can I wear them sometimes? Ba said pearls needed to be worn to keep them lustrous. No, boy, they re not toys. Besides, you can have a pearl necklace from me anytime. Tommy snorted as Pol leered. Sir! Right, then. You get started on your chores. When you bring me my midmorning coffee, you may take a break and I ll give you the phone to call your mom. Don t forget -- you have Rinaldo s Saturday chores, too. All done by lunchtime. Tommy carefully put the pearls back into the padded Mikimoto box and then, just as reverently, handed the juzu beads to Pol as well. Oh, and, boy, this afternoon -- you will redeem yourself. The boys Saturday chores were not really onerous. Pol had them work on the house steadily through the week and he always wanted Saturday afternoons free to play with some relaxed boys, so Tommy could manage his own and Rinnie s tasks with only a little juggling. The dryer was still running close to lunchtime, but he thought that was excusable. After all, there was only so fast laundry could happen. He was a little downcast that his mom wasn t home when he called, but he d left her a voicemail and Pol said he could try again tomorrow. The sound of the dryer was camouflage enough he decided, so he perked himself up by singing in the laundry room. He wouldn t disturb Pol s grading -- and he didn t have to use his stage voice all the time. Dr. Fell had got that through his head! No one to talk with, all by myself crooned Tommy as he folded some towels. No one to walk with, but I'm happy on the shelf. Ain't misbehavin', I'm savin' my love for you. He sighed. Maybe he didn t have Dr. Rønne or Dr. Fell, but he could do his darnedest to make sure Rinnie and Pol stayed together. He d be moving on once he d finished the costume design certificate, but he d feel better about it if he knew Pol had Rinnie as his boy. A Torquere Press Toy Box - 33 Rinnie was home punctually and eased Pol s old car into the garage. Rather than trade in his last car, Pol had designated it the boy-car and Rinnie and Tommy shared it for errands and for the school days Pol didn t go in. Rinnie was carrying packages and gave Tommy a smirk. Tommy sucked up the jealous feeling, and asked if Rinnie had had a good morning. Yes! I get a mocha latte and a CD with Sir s spending money. For us! We can share -- zumba workout. It ll be fun. Colombian, but that s okay. We can learn something hot for Sir! [ Pobierz caÅ‚ość w formacie PDF ] |