Those Bloody Tears

Epilogue

Epilogue

 After we left the cemetery I decided to do something out of the ordinary and took Andy out for ice cream. I didn’t particularly like ice cream, but I felt like it was the least I could do for Andy after putting him through so much today.

“Thanks, Maxxie,” Andy said licking his sugar cone. Cost me five bucks, he better eat it.

I titled my head up; I had been looking down at my arms, and replied. “You already said thank you for the ice cream.”

I waited for Andy’s reply, but all he did was get up from his seat and make his way onto my lap. He took a couple more licks from his ice cream before answering. “I wasn’t talking about the ice cream. Thank you for being so concerned about my feelings, when you should be worried about your own.”

The kid knew just what to say to make me want to get all choked up. Lucky for me I was pretty eloquent as well. “No, thank you, for making me conscious of other people’s feelings again. I didn’t care for a long time, I guess the fame got to my head, but you made me care again.”

He hid his head in my chest, minding his ice cream, and mumbled something. I couldn’t quite make it out, despite my unusual talent at deciphering the unintelligible. I waited for him to repeat himself a little more clearly and when he did not I finally spoke. “You what? I can’t understand you.”

He opened his mouth to speak when my phone rang. I held up a finger and answered the phone. “Hallo,” I said to the unknown number.

“Maxxie?” Ron Vega’s voice asked warily. He sounded tanked and had only spoken one word.

“Yeah, Mr. V?” I asked with a sense of dread. I almost never talk to Ron anymore, after he lost the boys, so I knew it must be important.

“I-I’m not allowed to keep the boys and they don’t have anywhere to stay tonight. Mom and Dad are going away on some religious retreat and can’t take the boys.”

I swallowed. He sounded so pathetic. I couldn’t imagine not being able to take care of my own kids and having to depend on an ex-drug addict. I shuddered at the irony and then moved on from pity to rage. Those stupid 1 beschneiden Taschen. Religious retreat? Really? After what just happened? They made me sick. They were the type of people that made other people hate Christians.

“Ron, you know that Jesse and Justin are always welcome. 2 Mein Haus gehört ihnen.”

“Thanks, I’m so glad you turned yourself around, Maxxie. You’ve always been so good to all of my boys,” he slurred pitifully.

“Someone has to be. Do I need to pick them up?” I asked my patience with the pathetic excuse for a father was wearing thin.

“Do you still remember where I live?”

“Yeah, I’m leaving now,” I said and ended the call.

I looked at Andy, still on my lap, and asked, “Sorry about that. What were you about to say?”

Andy’s expression contorted and he shook his head. “It’s not important right now. We’ve got to pick up Jesse and Justin?”

His expression told me not to press any further. “Yeah, their stupid grandparents are going on a religious retreat. Can you believe that?”

He shook his head. “I can’t believe those two are as normal as they are with all of the junk they’ve been through.”

“Normal?” I shook my head. I reminded myself there was a lot he didn’t know. But for the most part, I guess they were ‘normal’. “Come on we’ve got to go. You can take your ice cream in the car.”

I flipped on the radio to my favorite station. One of our songs came on and it made Andy giggle. I rested my hand on his knee. He relaxed from the tense posture he had adopted since we left the ice cream shop. “Andykins, what’s wrong? Are you jealous of the twins?”

I spared a brief glance at him. He bit at his lip in the sexiest way. “No, I’m not jealous of them. I was just going to tell you something important, but it’s stupid. It was the wrong time.”

I pulled into the driveway and parked before answering. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it was important,” I moved my hand up on his leg, “You can tell me now.”

He took in a deep breath and exhaled. “Well, Maxxie, I-“

He was cut off by the back door opening. Or more accurately by Jesse almost ripping the car door off of its hinges. “I can’t take this anymore! I don’t know what the eff we ever did to deserve such a screwed up life!” Jesse screamed throwing himself into the car.

Justin followed suit, “They are all horrible! I can’t stand it anymore!”

My mouth fell open. I was shocked by Jesse’s outburst. He was the ‘good twin’ always keeping Justin in check. He never even almost swore like that. Something serious must have gone down. “Calm down and tell me what’s going on.”

“Those horrible people we call our grandparents,” Jesse started. “Are going away on a ‘religious retreat’ after what happened with Axel. They said that even though something tragic happened they couldn’t forget their duty to God. And that they will be praying that our souls won’t be lost like his,” Justin finished.

“Can you believe that?” Jesse demanded.

“Gott, I’m sorry they said that to you.”

“And that man who donated sperm to our creation is so wasted he kept going on and on about how he was such a horrible father,” Jesse started. “He said that we were going to end up like Axel because of him. He brought up she who should not be named too,” Justin said in a small voice.

Their mother was a horrible woman, who did horrible things, and Jesse and Justin always referred to her as ‘she who should not be named.’ Obviously everything that had happened today had shaken them up. So I made a snap decision. “How about you two move in with me? It’s not like I haven’t taken care of you before. I wouldn’t mind.”

“Really?” Jesse asked his jaw dropping.

“Oh my.. are you serious?” Justin asked his expression similar to his twins.

“Yeah. You are like the little twerps I never had. I know I’ve made a lot of stupid decisions, but I think I could manage to take care of the two of you way better than your sorry family.”

“Really?” They both asked at the same time.

“Yes! Now agree before I change my mind,” I barked, annoyed with their twinness.

“We’d love too!” They exclaimed in unison again.

Then I wondered to myself, Oh, Gott. What had I gotten myself into now?

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1. Prune bags

2. My house is theirs.

*hides behind a baracade* Okay don't shoot me for wrapping up the story. Just chapter 25 had such an air of finality and I felt it was a good place to end this one. But there is going to be a sequel! (possibly a series of one shots) I am just too attached to these boys to not continue writing about them! So drop some comments and tell me what would be a good name for the sequel!