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“Wait. Y’all can plant thoughts in our heads?” asked Tailor. Grip smiled at the big man that he always loved like a son. “Grip. Grip, you tell me right now. Have you been plantin’ the thought in my head that I should eat more salad? I’ve been havin’ awful cravins’ for lettuce and spinach salads with no dressing. Did you do that?”
“It does seem like a good thought to have,” smiled Yori.
“Grip! Tell me right now!” yelled Tailor. Grip just smiled, waving as he disappeared into thin air. “I seriously want to kill that ghost.”
“You can’t kill a ghost, idiot!” frowned Alec.
“Children, can we focus?” smirked Nine. “The boys will be easier for all of us. How are we going to learn about the girls? What are we going to do about learning what they want?”
“You might try asking questions,” said Miller. “Just a thought. Y’all must be forgetting what it’s like when our wives, sisters, daughters start having aches and pains when they’ve asked for a surprise or something special. You be gentle, you ask the right questions, and you’ll get the answers you want.”
“We might get answers we don’t want,” said Trak. They all looked his way. “Many of these children, especially those in our school, came from abusive situations. We may hear things we didn’t know. I think we should get Doc, Cruz, and Wilson to help.”
“When did you get so fucking insightful?” smirked Nine.
“I’ve always been this way. I just didn’t want to waste it on all of you before now.” He stood and winked at the group. “Time for dinner. We don’t want to be late.”
Trak turned and started walking down the path toward the docks. The women were already at Belle Fleur, discussing plans for Thanksgiving. Nine looked at Gaspar, Ian, and Ghost as the others followed Trak.
“Do you think your mama is making us more thoughtful?” asked Ghost.
“Fuck if I know,” said Gaspar. “If anyone could do it, it would be her.”
CHAPTER TWO
“Hi, Ted,” smiled Miller, walking toward the director of the boys’ home. He’d been with them the last ten years, taking over for his father after he passed. With a PhD in child psychology and child welfare, he was a God-send.
“Miller, it’s wonderful to see you. Hello,” he said, waving at the rest of the men. He’d brought along with him Bull, Code, Max, Sven, Otto, Teddy, and Hannu. “Are we in trouble?”
“No, no,” laughed Max. “We’re planning something for the holidays, but we need to get some ideas for the boys. So, we thought we’d come directly to the source.”
“Oh,” laughed Ted. “Seeing all of you usually makes me think there’s something else going on. I know the boys will be open and honest with you. I can tell you that a common ask is for the rooms to be updated. Luke, Cam, Eric, and Hex did it a few years ago, but, well, boys are rough on furniture and walls.”
“Man,” laughed Miller. “Mama would agree with you on that. Poor Pops patched more walls than anyone I know. We’ll take a look at that while we’re here as well.”
“Now is a perfect time,” said Ted. “There’s no school this week since it’s Thanksgiving, so the boys have been having a lot of playtime combined with doing their chores.”
“Any problems we need to be aware of?” asked Max.
“None,” smiled Ted. “They’re really wonderful boys. All of them.”
“I think you’d say that even if they were all hellions from the devil himself, Ted. But that’s why we love you,” smirked Hannu.
Ted led them through the house as Hannu, Otto, Sven, and Teddy stayed back, examining each of the rooms. They took photos, made some drawings, took some measurements, and began discussing options.
One of the many issues was that they didn’t turn boys away. It was only set for thirty-two boys, but right now they had thirty-seven. The girls’ home wasn’t much better. Equipped to hold thirty, it now had thirty-three.
“Damn, this place reminds me of my time in the Army barracks,” frowned Teddy.
“Yea, not exactly warm and cozy. I mean, it’s safe, dry, and clean, but no room for a young boy to have his own thoughts,” said Hannu.
“There’s nowhere to go,” Otto said, shaking his head as he turned in the small space. “Maybe we need to think about building an addition. A second, maybe even third floor?”
“You know, that’s not a bad idea,” said Hannu. “If we did that, Ted could split the floors by age groups. It might help the teachers and case workers as well. Let me call Grant and see if he can run over here for a minute.”
Hannu stepped away as the others continued looking around. The living spaces needed to be expanded as well. The kitchen was too small for a group this large. They would need two industrial-sized refrigerators and two industrial ovens. The table’s not big enough for all of them to sit and have a meal together, forcing them to eat in shifts. This just wouldn’t do.
Miller, Bull, Code, and Max sat with some of the boys as they often did. With retirement came a lot of time on their hands. Sitting with these young men was one of the only things that made them feel useful. They talked about sports, the news, the military, and often, girls. But it was helping them to understand that their futures were not based on their past. That was the most valuable thing they did.
