The following is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons living or deceased is purely coincidental. This story may depict sexual situations between minor males, and if reading such is illegal where you reside, or you are not at least 18 years of age, please read at your own risk. This work is the property of the author, Rob Warr, and should not be re-posted or reproduced without his permission. Story and some images �2020-2025 Rob Warr.
Address all comments to: robwarr_65@protonmail.com
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Chapter 59
All eyes on him, Mr. Kelly finally began. "Lee, this is going to be especially emotional for you, but it will affect all of us in one way or another..."
"Dear, just tell them," Mrs. Kelly said taking his arm and smiling over at him. Men, she thought, they have to make a big production out of everything.
"What? Oh, yeah," he said, returning her smile and pulling himself together. Then sighing he said, "Lee, your parents are still alive."
The silence that fell over the room was deafening, and for a moment no one spoke, then all at once the boys' voices rang out, shrill and demanding. "What? How? Where are they?"
Mr. Kelly knew this would happen and that was why he'd been holding back. Holding a hand up to silence the boys, he went on, "I don't have all the details, that will have to come from them, but I got a call today from the State Department, and well, Lee, your folks are in D.C. right now and will be coming here in a few days."
"But their bodies were returned for the funeral..." Lee said looking pale and shaky.
Fortunately, his bros had him surrounded, offering physical and emotional support.
"Obviously, those were not your parents," Mr. Kelly said, "there was some sort of mix-up in identification and it's taken this long for the authorities and our government to straighten things out. As I said, I don't have all the details, but...I talked with your folks for a few minutes, Lee, long enough to be satisfied that all this was real. I asked them things only they would know, and..." at this point Mr. Kelly looked ready to burst into tears. A reassuring hand on his shoulder from his wife enabled him to go on, "They're alive and well, and hopefully we'll find out all the details when they arrive."
"Why are they in Washington?" Jordy asked.
Mr. Kelly seemed to pull himself together further, and his voice was stronger as he went on, "Apparently, they have been 'debriefed' by the state department, the FBI, the CIA, whoever. All part of the mystery, but it's my understanding that once they're cleared, the government will provide them transportation here so we can figure out what comes next."
"But what about the adoption, the will...?" Lee said looking stunned.
"Well, obviously the adoption will be nullified, or however those things are handled, and as to the will, we've kept most of the money separate, and it's actually been accruing interest...but of course we will return the portion that was represented in the will."
"But that's not fair." It was Lee who spoke again, frowning at Mr. Kelly, "I don't mean the adoption part, I mean the money. You needed the money to upgrade the camp and build the c-store..."
"And we did, and those improvements have paid off, and the c-store is doing very well. We won't be left in a financial bind if that's what you're afraid of."
"I can't believe it," Lee went on, "all this time they were alive and we went through all that sorrow and grief. Someone owes us a big explanation."
"Maybe they were spies," Jerry said, then blushing as everyone looked his way, he added, "I mean, maybe they were on some top secret mission and they had to go underground."
Everyone sort of chuckled, but it wasn't as if the thought hadn't occurred to most of them.
"Well, whatever it was, we'll just have to wait to find out what really happened," Mrs. Kelly said.
"This is like some made for TV movie," Mack said, speaking up for the first time, "I feel like there's more to the story than we can even imagine. I'm not so sure Jerry is that far off the mark. The U.S. Government is famous for pulling crap like this."
"I agree," Mark said, "and I for one can't wait to hear the whole story."
"We're supposed to be notified when final arrangements are made for their flight, but meanwhile we'll just have to wait and try not to worry too much," Mr. Kelly said. He still looked a bit shaken up, but finally sharing the news had felt like a burden had been lifted off his shoulders.
"May I be excused," Lee said then, looking ashen and a bit shell-shocked.
"Of course, would you like Jordy to go with you?" Mrs. Kelly asked.
"No ma'am. Right now I'd just like to be alone if that's all right."
"Yes, dear," she said walking over to give him a hug, "I'll still be your second mom, honey. Don't worry, okay?" she said kissing the top of his head.
He nodded and headed to his room then, the tears already stinging his eyes.
"Jordy, honey, keep an eye on your brother, all right?" Mrs. Kelly said softly as she watched Lee head up the stairs.
"My brother?" Jordy muttered, his voice sounding haunted and frail, "I...guess they'll be moving back to Chicago...so, I won't have a brother anymore."
"Honey, we don't know what their plans are, yet. It could be they just want to rest a while, and they can stay with us, we have plenty of room," Mrs. Kelly reasoned.
"And then what?" Jordy sighed, the reality of the situation hitting him hard. He didn't want to make it sound like it was all about him, but this was going to affect him in so many ways. He'd lose his brother, his best friend, and maybe never see him again if his folks decided to move back to Chicago or some other big city. He was glad they weren't dead, of course, for he'd mourned their deaths almost as much as Lee had. Lee's folks had been like a second set of parents to him, and the loss had hit him hard. But he'd resigned himself to the fact of their death, had mourned, and moved on with Lee as his new brother. Now, they suddenly arise from the dead, and...his thoughts were interrupted by his mom placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Honey, I know it's a shock. It was for us, too, but we're happy too, and you should be as well. Our oldest friends, Lee's parents, your second set of parents, will be arriving in a few days and we should be celebrating."
"Yes, mom," Jordy said, "I'm sorry if I sounded like I wasn't happy, it's just...you know? Lee is part of our family now."
"Think about how he feels, sport," his dad said, "this is harder on him than any of us. He's made his peace with their deaths and moved on, found a new home, a new family, and now suddenly he realizes his life is about to change drastically again. We need to be there for him, supporting him at every step of the way, and showing him the love this family is capable of."
"I know, dad," Jordy said wiping a tear from his eye, "it's just going to take some getting used to, for all of us."
"Amen to that," Mr. Kelly agreed, and everyone nodded.
****
Upstairs in his room, Lee lay on his back staring up at the ceiling. He felt as if he were caught up in some strange dream, one that could end either way, bad or good. Of course he wanted his folks to really be alive. He wanted them back, he wanted to be their son again, but at the same time he didn't want to lose the new life he'd made here with Jordy and his family and friends. Would his folks drag him back to Chicago or some other dirty, crowded city so they could continue their careers? Dare he dream that they could be happy here in this small town, maybe right here in the campground? They didn't have to live that close, however, as long as he still went to the same school and got to see Jordy and the others on a regular basis. And not just Jordy, Seth, Jerry, Carl, and all the rest that had become an important part of his life.
Then suddenly for the first time he thought about how this would affect his new relationship with Cody. Sure, it had just started and the feelings weren't deep yet, but it seemed so unfair to have to end things so soon. One more reason not to want to move, that was all it was. One of a hundred, and he grew more confused and bitter by the minute as he thought about it.
Finally chastising himself, much as Jordy had earlier, he realized he should be happy, not sad. After all, these were the people who gave him life, who nurtured and cared for him for most of his life, and who through no fault of their own had become the victims of...of what? he sighed. No, he couldn't make any judgements till he heard the whole story. Had they kept their existence a secret all this time while he suffered, while they all suffered? No, surely not, no one could be that cruel, least of all his parents, who had always been loving and honest with him.
A soft knock on the door brought him out of his thoughts and he muttered, "Come in, Jordy."
"How'd you know it was me?" Jordy chuckled.
"Who else would come looking to see how his bro was doing?"
"Yeah, well...everyone is worried, but I told em you'd be fine," he said coming over to sit on Lee's bed. Then placing a comforting hand on Lee's flat stomach, he sighed, "It will be fine, you'll see. We'll still be bros in the most important way. Nothing will ever change that."
"I know," Lee said wiping at his eyes, "I just, I have so many questions. And...I know they're my folks and all, but I don't know how I'll react when I see them again."
"I have a feeling I know how you'll react," Jordy chuckled, "Like a little lost boy who finally found his mommy and daddy."
Lee smiled weakly, "Yeah, I hope I don't make a fool of myself."
"You won't, cause we'll all be fools too, but if you want to meet them the first time in private, I bet mom and dad would be all for that."
"Yeah, I wish I knew when they were coming..."
"Hopefully dad will get the call soon telling him when they'll arrive."
"Meanwhile, no one is gonna get any sleep."
"Ha, after some hot steamy sex we'll sleep just fine, bro," Jordy said wiggling his eyebrows comically.
****
The call came the next day while the Kellys were picking at their brunch. It was nearly 11 o'clock and no one had slept much the night before, including Jordy and Lee, who had settled for snuggling and sleeping in the same bed rather than having sex.
"Hello," Mr. Kelly said jumping up to answer the wall phone in the kitchen.
"Yes, this is he...yes, yes...7:30, he said grabbing the pen which lay atop the pad, kept there for just this purpose. He quickly wrote down the information, flight number, arrival time, and assured whoever was on the other end that they'd be there to pick up the Walkers at Tulsa International Airport.
"Was that about mom and dad?" Lee asked, then slapped his head with the heel of his hand, of course it was.
"Yes, good news, they'll be arriving around 7:30 p.m. tomorrow evening in Tulsa. I don't know why the person who I was talking to thought I needed to know, but apparently they're booked in first class," he added with a chuckle, "real V.I.P. treatment."
"Hmm, sounds fishy," Jordy said making a face, "I bet they are spies," he said looking serious, "to think all these years we thought they were just ordinary folks, and all that time they've been saving the world for us."
Lee actually laughed and it felt good, "You gotta be kidding, my folks? Spies? Ha ha, I'd believe mom and dad Kelly were spies before I'd believe my folks were..." he said, then his smile faded. Would he be losing mom and dad Kelly? No, he couldn't think that way. It was just like Jordy said, they'd always be family.
"Well, I for one feel much more like eating," Mr. Kelly said attacking the food on his plate with gusto now, "Mmmm...these eggs are scrumptious."
It was decided that the boys could miss school that following Monday, mostly because the Kelly's knew neither of them would be able to concentrate on anything but what would take place that night. Jerry and Seth tried to get an exemption as well, but Mack and Mark vetoed that suggestion and that was that.
Jordy and Lee played video games and even read ahead in a couple of the text books they had brought home on Friday. They ate lunch and decided to go four-wheeling, and of course wound up at the overlook.
"I never get tired of this place," Jordy said as a cool April breeze whipped through his hair.
"Yeah, I'll miss it," Lee said softly.
"Shut it, you're not gonna miss anything, cause you'll be able to come here plenty of times. I just know your folks aren't gonna drag you off as soon as they arrive. They will want to rest up and make plans, but no matter what happens, we'll figure something out, okay?"
"Yeah, I guess," Lee said shrugging, "I need to call Cody and tell him something, but I've been avoiding his texts."
"Damn, dude. Text him back and tell him to call you when he gets home. He has a right to know what all the intrigue is about."
"Yeah, I guess I should," Lee said pulling out his phone, then looking at the time he muttered, "he should be between classes about right now..."
The text went through and Cody replied almost immediately. The response was pleasant, and though he was a bit rushed, Cody said he'd call as soon as he got home.
"I can't wait to lay all this on him," Lee said sarcastically.
"Ha, just tell him the truth. And let him know you were thinking of him. Guys eat that shit up," Jordy added with a chuckle.
"Dude, you are so...sweet," Lee said grinning. At first he'd intended to say, 'so full of shit', but at the last minute he just couldn't bring himself to disparage his bro's words.
"I know, wanna taste me?" Jordy teased, but Lee took it another way.
"Over there, by the quad, I'm not risking us both tumbling over the edge as you orgasm," Lee laughed.
"Well, okay...if you're sure..." Jordy stammered.
"Of course I'm sure, but I expect some reciprocation," Lee chuckled.
"Oh, bro, no problem there, in fact, I'll go first if you want."
"Nope, I started it, I'll be the sucker and you be the suckee, then we'll swap."
And they did.
****
Though Seth and Jerry begged to go with the Kellys to pick up Lee's parents, there just wasn't room for them in the SUV and the adults decided taking a second vehicle wasn't practical or necessary. It was only an hour's drive at best and they'd be back by nine or so, assuming the flight was on time.
At the door to the SUV, Seth said his last goodbyes to the boys, hugging both Lee and Jordy and assuring Lee once more that everything would be all right. Jerry kissed both boys on the cheek and hugged them as if he feared he'd never see them again, then stepped back and allowed Mack and Mark to say their goodbyes and give their blessings.
Finally, the doors were closed and Mr. Kelly drove away as the others waved goodbye, then went off to find a way to occupy their time while they waited anxiously for their return.
Lee was quiet most of the way, gazing out the window and holding hands with Jordy the whole time. Mrs. Kelly noticed the hand holding and it touched her deeply. They were closer than most blood brothers and she felt their pain and uncertainty, for it affected her as well. She'd come to love Lee as her own son and didn't want to think about what it would feel like if she lost him. But she tried to remain positive, telling herself that somehow, no matter where the Walkers settled they'd find a way to stay in touch and visit as often as possible.
From Pryor to Claremore, to Catoosa, where the Big Blue Whale never ceased to cause them to stare in wonder, and finally Tulsa. Up I-240 they drove till they got to the Memorial exit, the airport only minutes away now.
The sun had set and it was dark now, even though they were a good thirty minutes ahead of the scheduled arrival time. By habit Mr. Kelly always preferred to be early rather than late, and this time even the boys were behind him.
They found a parking place in the short-term parking lot and walked the short distance to the terminal, finding a place in the waiting area as they studied the flight arrivals on a huge TV screen. They were in luck, the Walker's flight was right on time according to the screen, and they now had less than fifteen minutes to wait.
The boys wandered over to the huge plate glass window so they could watch the planes depart and land, and eventually the time passed, and as an American Airlines jet came in for a landing, both boys were certain it was the right plane.
The board confirmed their assumption and the excitement was palpable as they eagerly watched it land, then taxi toward the main building. The Kellys had joined them at the window by now, and all hearts were pumping at maximum speed as they anticipated the arrival of the Walkers.
When the plane was finally docked with the unloading ramp, the door was opened and the passengers began to file out, some rushing ahead, others lagging behind, seemingly in no hurry to depart.
Lee wasn't sure at first that he'd even recognize his folks after all this time, but when his mother's face appeared minutes later, followed by his fathers, he broke into tears and rushed their way. Dodging around other passengers, some of whom then stopped to watch the reunion, Lee finally reached the pair, but he seemed to lose momentum then. Instead of throwing himself into their arms he just took his mother's hand and held it.
"Hi," he said, suddenly a little kid again, just as Jordy had predicted.
"Lee," his dad said, wasting no time hugging his only son, "my, you've grown," he added through tears.
"Do you have a hug for me?" his mom pouted as she held out her arms, and of course Lee did.
He swarmed into his mother's arms then, his fears and worries forgotten as he breathed in the scent that was still familiar and comforting to him, even after all this time.
"We need to get out of the way, son," Mr. Walker said placing an arm around his son's shoulders, "my, you've developed some muscle. I guess country life is agreeing with you," he chuckled.
"We get lots of exercise at the campground, and I play baseball," Lee said, eager to please his parents and perhaps to convince them that staying at the campground was in everyone's best interest.
They finally reached the spot where the Kellys stood waiting, tears in their eyes, but huge smiles on their faces, and it was time for the adult reunion. Hugs were exchanged, and the ladies even kissed the men on the cheek. Then the Walkers turned their attention to Jordy, and Mrs. Walker grabbed him in a ferocious hug.
"Oh, Jordy, you are even more handsome than you were before. Evidently puberty agrees with you," she laughed, "Thank you for being such a good friend to Lee and helping him get through all this."
"It's cool, it's what bros do," Jordy said as a way of reminding her that Lee was at the moment officially his brother, even if things changed later.
"And a better brother he could never have found," Mr. Walker said giving Jordy a brief hug as well, then releasing him, he said in a tired voice, "I know you all have a million questions, but let's get out of here, it was a long tiring flight and I'm ready for some down time."
"Sure, let's grab your luggage and we'll be on our way," Mr. Kelly agreed.
"There isn't much, one suitcase. We lost all our luggage back there in...well, you know? but we managed to buy a few things once we made it back to U.S. soil."
It was all Jordy could do to keep his mouth shut, but he knew this wasn't the time or the place to hear the whole story. Later, back at home the Walkers could tell the story, with everyone there so they would only have to do it one time.
Their luggage consisted of one large roll-around and Mr. Walker retrieved it and they were on their way. In the parking garage, they loaded the suitcase in the back and the boys climbed into the third row seat, leaving the second row captain's chairs for the Walkers.
"Nice truck," Mr. Walker said, "just one of the many things we will need to buy, eventually, "are their any local dealers or did you buy this here in Tulsa?"
"Tulsa," Mr. Kelly said, "got a good deal on it, too. It was a left over model, but still brand new. Only 6 miles on it, but that saved me around 5 grand."
The Walkers were remarkably talkative during the ride, wanting to know all about the area, the campground, what the schools were like, etc, and no one would have suspected from just listening to them that they'd practically been resurrected from the dead.
Lee soon got over his initial shock at seeing his parents alive again, and was soon as comfortable with them as he had been before all this had happened. Jordy was a bit more reserved, but he answered any questions directed his way as he tried to wrap his head around the whole affair and deal with this new situation.
Mr. Kelly outlined the changes they'd made at the camp and briefly touched on the c-store, but decided specifics could wait till later when they discussed the financial matters. All in all it was a comfortable trip, and when they finally crossed the bridge over the lake, the Walkers seemed enthralled by the sights.
Mr. Walker even commented that the small town on the other side of the bridge, looked peaceful and serene, and he could well understand why they liked living there. The Kellys, and Lee especially, hoped that meant that his parents were considering putting down roots here and not dragging him back to Chicago.
The last lap of the journey produced more oohs and ahs from the Walkers, and when they at last reached the turn off, the Kwik-Stop on the right, Mr. Walker commented on how busy the c-store was at the moment.
"Is it always that busy?"
"Weekends are crazy sometimes, especially in season, but a few folks that live out this way prefer to pay a bit more here than to drive all the way into town. And...we keep our gas competitive as well. We have a good working relationship with the other gas dealers in town and we are usually all around the same price. The last thing we want is a gas war," Mr. Kelly chuckled.
"Oh, what's that?" Mrs. Walker said noting the bate shop sign, "Live bate," she chuckled, "is that a lucrative business around here?"
"We just lease out that space, the bait business is owned by the same man who built the marina. He rents boats and has storage for boats and such. He makes a good living off of it, and we benefit from the customers he draws here, plus we get a share of the bottom line. Rather than charge him rent, we worked out a deal where we get a percentage of the profits, and so far it's paid off nicely."
"Sounds like you're doing a great job running things. I have some ideas about how we might make things even better, but we'll discuss those later, after we've rested a bit, and of course after we explain how it is that we're here."
"Are you guys hungry?" Mrs. Kelly asked as they pulled into the driveway of the Kellys' lake front home at last.
"More tired than hungry," Mrs. Walker said, "A shower would be nice, and eight hours sleep. Would it be all right if we waited till tomorrow to explain things?"
Though disappointed the adults understood and the boys didn't feel obliged to protest.
"I'm kidding," Mrs. Walker chuckled, "I know you all want to hear this, and the sooner the better, then we can all get some rest."
"Is it all right if Mack and Mark and their boys hear this too?" Mr. Kelly asked.
"Of course, that way we won't have to tell it twice," Mr. Walker agreed.
Mack, Mark, and the two boys were there in a flash, almost as if they'd been waiting outside, which was close, for they'd been sitting in Mark's pickup waiting for the call.
After introductions were made for the benefit of the newcomers, Mrs. Kelly suggested drinks for everyone and Mrs. Walker helped her take orders and distribute them.
At last they sat, the adults occupying the sofa and love seat, Mr. Walker in his recliner, and the boys piled down in the floor, all eyes turned to Mr. Walker.
"This is going to sound strange, no doubt, and I'll need my wife to fill in some gaps, but first of all let me say, we never intended for any of you to suffer thinking we were dead. The truth is, we had no control over that. We weren't allowed any contact with anyone, until later when the American Embassy got involved, but I'll explain that later.
You're probably wondering, 'if that wasn't us who died in the car crash, who was it?' Well, the answer is: the two were jewel thieves. Here's where the story gets really weird and complicated and exasperating. Dear, care to step in here?"
"Yes," Mrs. Walker said, "it all began when Thomas and I went shopping at one of the biggest malls in Italy..."
The Walkers went on for almost an hour explaining how they'd met Randy and Nash Carlson, who from all appearances were a nice couple also enjoying their vacation. The couple was sitting in the food court when they'd first noticed them and after getting a pastry and an espresso, the Walkers took the only empty table, right next to the Carlsons.
One thing led to another and eventually the two couples were sharing a table and getting to know one another better. The Walkers were amazed at how similar the couple was in looks to themselves, and though they said they now resided in NYC, they said they had once lived in Chicago. Apparently they had, or at least were familiar with the city, and the Walkers were happy to compare notes about their old hometown.
That afternoon was only the beginning, however. They made plans to meet for dinner that night and to go sight seeing together the next day, the day everything went wrong. They'd rented a car and Mr. Carlson had offered to drive since he said he knew the area well from previous visits.
They were all seated in the car when suddenly Mr. Walker got a call from the hotel concierge saying he and Mrs. Walker needed to see him immediately. Thinking that something must be wrong back home with Lee, the Walkers quickly climbed out, and in her haste, Mrs. Walker forgot her purse with all her credit cards and ID's in it.
At the hotel desk the Walkers were confused and annoyed to find that the man at the desk had no idea what he was talking about and assured him that neither he nor any member of the staff had contacted him. It was only then that Mr. Walker began to think something was very wrong. Feeling for his wallet, he was not surprised to find it was missing, and he had a good idea where it had gone.
Mrs. Walker then realized her purse was still in the car and the looks they gave each other said it all, they'd been duped. Needless to say the car was gone along with their two new 'friends' and the Walkers, ID's, credit cards and what little cash they had.
This was where things really got crazy, Mr. Walker said.
"You've heard of identity theft, I'm sure," Mr. Walker said, "well, these people had it down to a fine art. Not only were we stranded with no money, no credit cards, no ID's, we were suddenly arrested for suspicion of murder and grand theft."
"But didn't the hotel people know who you were?" Lee asked, sounding confused.
"Well, that's another story, for when the police searched our hotel room, guess who's ID's they found, and...they'd been altered to include our pictures and stats. The photos of your father and I were taken while we were on an outing with the couple a few days before. Apparently they'd been planning this all along and we were clueless that anything was happening until it all went down."
"But couldn't you have called us or something?" Lee whined.
"Son, things are much different in foreign countries than in the U.S. We couldn't even call the U.S. Embassy, and only after going through three different lawyers, all court appointed, did we finally convince one of them to make the call for us.
At first the wheels moved slowly, then eventually someone from the Embassy came to talk to us. When we explained what had happened to us, the man looked dubious, but promised to do some checking.
I guess at this point he found out that we'd been killed in a car crash. Of course it was the Carlsons who'd died, and rather than do DNA testing to determine their true identities, as would have been done here, the local authorities found our ID's and decided we were dead.
The wheels still continued to move slowly, but eventually we were moved to the U.S. Embassy while they decided what to do about the case. Unknown to all of you, I'm sure, the Carlson's bodies were finally exhumed and DNA testing was done. The couple's real names were Mark Hagger and Juanita Brewer and they were from Dallas, Texas. They had a long list of aliases and further investigation proved this was not the first time they'd done an identity swap.
They might have gotten away with it, too, if not for that one phone call to the U.S. Embassy. We owe Senior Gregor, the attorney, a world of thanks. He had always believed us and was almost as happy as we were when our story finally panned out.
"But why did it take so long?" Jordy said looking confused, the question definitely on everyone's mind as well.
"Most of the time we were at the Embassy. We were treated well, and had a certain amount of freedom, but unfortunately we were bogged down in red tape and had to wait for the powers to be to do their investigations and sort out the truth," Mr. Walker explained.
"Once our true identities were confirmed, things moved along rather quickly. We were issued new passports, and ID's, and soon we were on our way to Washington. We tried to convince those in charge to let us contact you, but they refused, saying we needed to be debriefed at the Pentagon before we could do so," Mrs. Walker sighed, "at that point we'd have agreed to anything to get this whole affair settled and behind us."
"Wow, they were almost like spies," Jerry said, and the other boys chuckled.
"What?" Mr. Walker laughed, "No, not spies, more like flies caught in a spider's web."
"But I still don't understand how they didn't figure things out before all that," Lee said frowning, " The hotel knew who you were..."
"I know, it's mind boggling," Mrs. Walker said, "there were so many opportunities for the authorities to find out the truth, but it was as if they wanted us to be the bad guys so they could finally say they'd ended our crime spree. The language barrier didn't help either, and their justice system is nothing like ours. You don't have the opportunities to prove your innocence that we have here. As I said, if not for Senior Gregor, we might very well be serving very lengthy prison sentences right now," she added looking pale.
"Wow, this is the kind of story that you might see on TV," Mack said, "I don't think I'll be wanting to travel to Europe anytime soon after hearing it."
"It was bizarre, and the chances of something like that happening are one in a million, but it happened to us and we're thankful it came out as well as it did. Our biggest regret is that you all had to go through all the pain of thinking we were dead. I worried everyday what was happening to Lee, but I was able to take solace in the knowledge that we'd provided for his care in case something did happen to us. We knew he'd be safe and loved here, and for that we thank you," Mrs. Walker said wiping a tear from her eye.
"Lee was always part of our family," Mr. Kelly said sincerely, "and we've come to think of him as our son, and though we'll miss that closeness, we're thrilled to for him to have his real parents back. I just hope you'll stay in touch, wherever you wind up, and allow us to visit or to visit us."
"Whoa, who says we're going anywhere?" Mr. Walker said grinning, "I have a vested interest in this little campground and I have some great ideas about how to make it even better. As I said earlier, we'll sit down and talk about that later, but right now, I am beat, and I know my wife is as well."
"So...we're not moving?" Lee said jumping up to hug his parents, "Can we build a house here, next to Jordy's?" he added excitedly.
"If not here, close by," Mr. Walker said smiling, "If there is one thing good that came out of all this, it's that we now understand how important friends and family are and we want to keep both as close to us as possible. Besides, not only was the Italian government apologetic about their screw up, they were also very generous. We'll never need to work again, well...unless we want to and I think working around here would be fun."
The other boys rallied around Lee, as excited as he was, and everyone hugged and celebrated the moment.
Mrs. Kelly showed the Walkers to their bedroom, which featured it's own en suite bath and hugged both before wishing them a goodnight.
"We've missed you so much," she said wiping a tear from her eye, "your return is the best gift anyone could ever receive."
"We feel the same, having our friends and family back has opened our eyes to what's important in life, and from this day forward we are going to enjoy every moment and take nothing for granted."
"Amen," Mr. Walker said hugging both women.
"Amen," Mrs. Kelly said, then she left the two to get ready for bed.
In the living room, Mark and the boys were about to leave and she thanked them for coming and wished them a good night. When they were gone, Lee and Jordy hugged their mom and dad one last time and headed off to their rooms.
"I wonder how many kids are lucky enough to have two moms and dads?" Lee said beaming as they stood outside Lee's bedroom door.
"Not many, but it's way cool. Hey, want me to sleep with ya tonight?"
"I'd love it," Lee said slipping an arm around Jordy's waist, "but we gotta keep it down," he giggled, "Mom and dad are right next door."
"Yeah," Jordy giggled, "I think we can do that." And somehow they managed to do just that.
End Chapter 59
Betcha didn't see that one coming...he he.
One more chapter to go...
Thanks guys for hanging in there to the end.
'What
a long strange ride it's been' (Grateful Dead)
Rob Warr
3-25-2025
💗Many thanks to my buddy Michael in NY for his invaluable help with editing, story ideas, and pics. But most of all: for his friendship and support. LOVE YA Mikey. 💗
Other stories at Nifty by Rob Warr