JC: Harry and the Lee Girls
Chapter 5
By
Lazlo Zalezac
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2004

As far as Paul was concerned, life could not get any better than it 
was. Twice a week, he spent the entire night at the home of Janet, 
the widow that lived down the street. Making love to her was 
outstanding, but it paled beside the simple act of holding her in his 
arms in the more intimate activity of sharing their feelings. That 
life was good scared him far more than he would admit. The last 
time life had been this good, he had lost it all to a drunk driver. 

It was summer and school was out. Dolly had graduated high 
school, Lilly was going to be a senior, and Janet's son, Bart, would 
be entering high school the next year. All three were sitting around 
the table, chatting with the kind of energy that young people 
possessed. Janet, spending her day off with Paul, sat back amazed 
at the lunch he had prepared. 

Once everyone had finished eating, Paul cleared the table and put 
the dishes into the dishwasher. While he was busy doing that, Janet 
turned to Dolly and asked, "Would you and Lilly like to go 
shopping with me?"

Lilly, hearing the major word shopping, looked up and exclaimed, 
"Yeah!"

Laughing at her sister, Dolly said, "What she said."

The idea of spending the day shopping with three females was the 
last thing that Bart wanted to do. Frowning, he said, "The opposite 
of what she said."

Janet smiled at Bart and said, "I believe that Paul had some plans 
for the day that included you. I hope that prospect isn't too 
horrible."

She knew better than to believe that he wouldn't have a good time 
and Bart knew it. He enjoyed the times spent with Paul. Paul didn't 
try to replace his father, but dealt with him on his terms. He said, "I 
wonder what he's going to do today."

Dolly said, "It's Tuesday. He always runs some sort of errand on 
Tuesdays, but I don't know what he does."

Paul came out of the kitchen and looked at Bart for a moment. 
Frowning, he said, "I think you should change your clothes."

"What? They aren't nice enough."

"That's not the point. They're too nice. Get into some clothes that 
you don't mind getting dirty," said Paul with a wink knowing that 
the idea they were going to do something in which they might get 
dirty was going to intrigue the teenage boy.

Bart left to change into different clothes. Once he was gone, Paul 
turned to Lilly and Dolly with a strange expression on his face. It 
was concerned, sad, and embarrassed all in one. Licking his lips 
nervously, he said, "Janet is going to drop you off at the house of a 
friend of Jeff's. We feel that you need to stay there for three days. 
When you are done there, she'll take you shopping."

"What?" asked Dolly surprised by the news that they weren't going 
shopping right away. 

"Fred, Jeff, and I talked about this for a long time."

"Where is she taking us?"

"I won't tell you that," said Paul hating that he had to keep it from 
them. Shaking his head, he added, "I'm not allowed to tell you."

"Why?" asked Dolly afraid to learn the answer. The idea that her 
protectors would send the two girls away didn't feel right. She 
knew the three men were now involved in relationships with 
women, but did that mean they want to get rid of the girls? She 
hoped not, she loved them like fathers. Lilly had moved closer to 
her as though seeking protection. Despite their love for the three 
men, a deep-seated fear made them wonder if they were being sent 
back to slavery.

"There is something that you need to learn and we aren't the ones 
that can teach you," answered Paul. He wouldn't look at her in the 
eye. Going over to a table by the door, Paul got a cell phone and 
handed it to her. He said, "If you want to know more, use the speed 
dial for the first stored number."

She watched Paul return to stand by Janet and put an arm around 
his girlfriend. Dolly immediately made the call and waited to hear 
who answered. She jumped when the voice said, "You've reached 
Happy Harry. At the sound of the tone, please state your name. 
Beep."

Confused by the strange beep, she answered, "Dolly."

"Hi Dolly. How are you doing?"

"I though that was a recording," answered the girl realizing that he 
had tricked her. Harry didn't take anything too seriously, but he 
never treated anything more lightly than was necessary. It was a 
tight line that he walked, but he did it with amazing ease.

"Got you!" said Harry with laughter in his voice. "So what's the 
matter? Are you concerned about the three guardian angels sending 
you and Lilly away?"

"You know about that?" asked Dolly. 

"Of course, I know about that. I'm Happy Harry."

"Paul won't tell me where we are going and what we are going to 
do there," complained Dolly. 

"Good for them."

"What?" screamed Dolly shocked that Harry would answer that 
way. There was no way that she would believe that Harry would 
have any part in selling them into slavery, but she was beginning to 
have her doubts. Allowing fears that she had long thought buried to 
take control of her, she accused, "You wouldn't be planning 
anything bad, would you?"

Imaginations working over time, the girls approached the door of 
the apartment with trepidation. Lilly turned back and saw Janet 
watching them from a distance. The older woman made a motion 
with her hands indicating that they should continue on to the door. 
Holding her breath, Dolly raised her hand and knocked on the 
door. Without much of a delay, a very attractive woman opened 
the door and smiled at the two young women. She had been told to 
expect that they would be afraid, but hadn't believed the warning. 
In a kindly voice, she said, "You both look so terrified. Please, 
don't be scared. I don't bite."

The woman was not what the two young ladies had expected to 
encounter. For the entire ride in the car to the apartment, they had 
pictured a slaver opening the door to take them away. Lilly asked, 
"Who are you?"

"I'm Cindy," answered the woman as she looked over the two 
young ladies. They were very attractive and could have put her out 
of business in a day. She stepped back from the door and said, 
"Please come in."

Pretending a greater confidence than she felt, Dolly walked in and 
looked around the room for a minute. It was a very nice room, but 
a little masculine for her taste. On the one wall was a very large 
flat screen television that was showing the interior of an apartment. 
The door to the bedroom was open and she could see that there 
was nobody in the bedroom. Convinced that the only other person 
in the room was Cindy, she said, "It looks safe enough, Lilly."

Watching how Dolly was examining the room and how Lilly 
remained ready to flee, Cindy remarked, "My, you sure are 
cautious."

Ignoring the comment, Dolly wandered through the apartment and 
looked in each room. It was a remarkably normal apartment with 
nothing suspicious other than the fact that everything in it was of 
the highest quality. She frowned and looked out the door at her 
sister. Wondering if she was about to repeat the mistake by which 
they had become slaves she said, "Come on in, Lilly."

The younger girl entered the apartment and looked around. Her 
eyes lit upon the large television and she took a moment to watch 
the scene on the screen. A person entered the picture and she 
gasped, "Is that Eric?"

The question brought Dolly rushing back into the living room. She 
froze on seeing Eric sitting in a chair on the television screen 
talking to an extremely attractive woman. Poor Eric was hunched 
over as though he was suffering from a stomachache. Dolly 
charged, "That's Eric. What is going on here? What are you doing 
watching Eric?"

Cindy closed the door and turned to the young women with a smile 
on her face. She said, "Ah, you know the young man. Harry said 
that you might recognize him."

"He looks ill," said Lilly concerned for her next door neighbor. He 
was bent over, holding his hands across his lap. She wondered if 
someone had hurt him.

The sound of the Cindy's laughter filled the room. She looked over 
at Lilly and asked, "Can't you tell that he's hiding an erection?"

The young woman blushed as the comment clarified the unusual 
position in which Eric was seated. His companion in the room was 
amazingly gorgeous and wearing clothes that screamed sex. Dolly 
was concerned about why they were able to see him. She asked, 
"Does he know that you are watching him?"

With a graceful gesture, Cindy pointed to the sofa facing the 
television set as she said, "Please take a seat and I'll explain 
everything."

Lilly and Dolly sat down on the sofa, their eyes flicking between 
the scene on the television and Cindy. Lilly asked, "What is going 
on?"

Cindy seated herself in a chair that allowed her to view the two 
young women and the television. She paused to watch the action 
on the television and then faced them as she said, "The young man 
agreed to allow a select group of women to watch him for the next 
seventy-two hours. He is going to have sex with his companion 
many times while he is there. He knows that no more then three 
women are watching, but he has no idea that two of them are the 
two of you."

Lilly looked over at Dolly in confusion. "Why would he agree to 
that?"

"Why? Harry promised him something that is priceless, but I don't 
believe that is the reason he is here," answered Cindy. 

The two sisters looked at each other wondering what Harry could 
have promised him that was worth the degradation Eric must be 
experiencing. Cindy answered their unasked question, "I think he 
is a remarkably lucky young man. Loraine is one of the most 
sought after women in the country. Over the next few days she is 
going to teach him the art of loving. He will learn how to pleasure 
a woman like few men ever learn. The women in his life are going 
to be truly blessed."

"Do you mean to tell us that she's a prostitute?" asked Dolly in 
shock. 

"She is a courtesan and one of the very best. She knows six 
languages, has a photographic memory, and can discuss anything 
from art to science. The most important thing is that she absolutely 
loves her work. The young man is very lucky indeed," answered 
Cindy.

"I don't understand. Are you suggesting that she likes having sex 
with men for money?"

"Of course." Cindy watched the action on the television. Eric was 
relaxing as he talked with Loraine. She turned up the volume on 
the set as she added, "You might want to listen to what they are 
discussing."

Eric couldn't believe that he was actually alone with this gorgeous 
woman. Her dress was slit up the side showing off her long legs. 
The deep v-cut promised glimpses of her bra-encased breasts, 
promises that were kept when she would lean forward to take her 
coffee. His excited state was making his erection hurt and he 
wondered if he should go into the bathroom to relieve some of the 
pressure before he started acting like a total jerk. 

His thoughts were interrupted when Loraine asked, "So why did 
you really agree to this?"

"Three reasons, I guess. I'm eighteen years old and I've never even 
kissed a girl. I was getting tired of being a virgin," answered Eric. 
He looked down at the table, embarrassed at having admitted that 
he was a virgin. He was having second doubts about this entire 
thing. Some strange women were watching him announce that he 
was a virgin. They must think that he was a jerk.

"A handsome young man like yourself must have had plenty of 
opportunities with the girls," commented Loraine.

"That's my second reason. I've been in love with a girl for three 
years and she doesn't even notice me. Harry promised that I would 
be much more confident after coming here, confident enough that I 
would be able to tell her how I felt," said Eric. 

"Tell me about this girl," requested the woman sitting back on the 
couch, tucking a leg underneath her. 

"She lives next door to me."

Loraine smiled and said, "Ah, the girl next door. Let me guess, a 
brunette with a nice figure and wide-eyed innocence."

"Actually, she's oriental. She's small with long dark hair and a very 
compact tight body. There's always a twinkle in her eyes. When 
she smiles, it is enough to light up the room. She has the cutest 
nose I've ever seen on a woman. I even like her name, Lilly."

Lilly gasped when she heard what he said and covered her mouth 
with both hands. It was difficult to believe that he was talking 
about her. Eric was in love with her? He wasn't gay, he was in love 
with her. That explained why he never dated any of the girls in 
school. She asked, "How can that be?"

Dolly said, "Wow. I had no idea that he felt that way about you, 
Lilly."

Lilly stared at the television, seeing Eric with fresh eyes. How had 
she missed the way he looked at her? If she had known, what 
would she have done? No nice guy deserved a woman with her 
past. She wanted to flee, but Cindy said, "Stay and listen."

Loraine asked, "So what was the third reason?"

"The man that arranged this told me that two women and a 
therapist would be watching. That convinced me to do this."

"You have an exhibitionist streak?" asked Loraine with a smile.

"Ah, I'm not sure that I understand what that means."

"It means that you like to be watched," said Loraine.

"Oh, no. I don't. I'm rather shy, I guess."

"So why?"

Eric fidgeted for a second and then answered, "He told me that the 
two women had been raped, tortured, and nearly killed. As a result 
of their abuse, they had lost knowledge about how to love, but he 
felt that I could help them learn how. The story really broke my 
heart. If being watched while learning about making love would 
help them resume a normal life, then how could I say no?"

"I guess," replied Loraine as she took his hand. She kissed his 
fingers and received his total attention. She asked, "Doesn't it 
sound kind of weird to you?"

"The man who arranged this is a Druid. The Druids are strange, but 
I know of no case where they have hurt a good person. I know of a 
bunch of people that this particular Druid helped. If he said it 
would help, then I know it will help," answered Eric. He knew 
about the three men who lived next door. They had been homeless 
and now they were not. He had watched as Paul stopped twitching 
and pulling his hair out. Jeff had gone from not being able to look 
at anyone to being very out going.  Even Fred had become a more 
open person.

"So you are doing this for them?"

"I guess."

"You seem very uncomfortable," said Loraine.

"I would never take advantage of a woman. My parents raised me 
to respect women. I feel guilty that you have to do this," answered 
Eric honestly. 

Loraine had cradled his hand in one of her hands and was tracing 
the lines in his palm with the index finger of her other hand. For 
Eric, this was an amazingly erotic sensation and one that he would 
never have guessed would sexually excite him. She paused tracing 
his hand to look at him in the eye before she asked, "You feel that 
you are taking advantage of me?"

Eric didn't know how to answer the question without being 
insulting. She hadn't sounded upset when she asked the question, 
but how do you say that being a prostitute wasn't exactly an 
honorable profession? Hesitantly, he answered, "I feel like I am 
using you. I believe I understand what you do for a living and that 
I'm contributing to keeping you in that business by being here. 
That makes me a little uncomfortable."

"Isn't that sweet? You don't want to take advantage of a fallen 
woman," teased Loraine surprised at his answer. Some lady was 
going to get very lucky when he fell in love with her. Seeing from 
the hurt expression on his face that he had taken her humor as 
sarcasm, she explained, "I am not a fallen woman. I do this 
because I love it. I make an obscene amount of money and give 
half of it to Harry's fallen angels."

Dolly, in disbelief, turned to Cindy. The features on her face were 
distorted by the confusion she felt. Uncertain that she really 
wanted to know the answer, she asked, "She loves getting paid to 
sleep with men?"

For the next ten minutes, Cindy explained that many women really 
enjoyed sleeping with men. Cindy and she loved it so much that 
making a living from it was like getting paid for a hobby that they 
would have pursued anyway. Each man was a source of wonder to 
them. The strength men exhibited on one hand and the 
vulnerability men felt on the other was a fascinating contrast that 
provided hours of material for contemplation. 

Dolly was fascinated by how the woman talked about men. It was 
clear that Cindy loved men and everything about men. She enjoyed 
their bodies regardless of whether they were short and fat or tall 
and thin. The variability of cocks and balls was fascinating to her. 
She liked the way men thought. They had senses of honor, 
obligation, and morals that were so different from women. 

Lilly listened to the discussion between Dolly and Cindy distracted 
by the activities on the screen. A strange sense of jealously came 
over her when she watched the woman on the screen lead Eric 
from the living room. Her movements and manner conveyed 
exactly what was expected of him. He was to enjoy what she was 
going to do to him and she was going to do very enjoyable things 
to him. Her attention returned to the discussion when Dolly asked, 
"Are you trying to convince us to do this for a living?"

The question re-awoke all of the fears that had haunted her during 
the entire trip here. Holding her breath, she listened with all of her 
attention while Cindy answered, "Good gracious no. You would be 
horrible at this. You fear men and every minute you spent in bed 
with them would make you miserable. No, you are here so that you 
can get over your fears enough to enjoy going to bed with a man 
that you care for."

She reached over to the coffee table and picked up a remote 
control. Changing channels allowed them to watch what was going 
on in the bedroom. Loraine had striped and was undressing Eric 
with slow deliberate movements. The young man looked as if he 
were frozen in fear by what she would discover once he was 
naked. Once the final piece of clothing was removed, Cindy leaned 
forward to look at the screen and, in a voice that conveyed real 
envy, said, "Oh my. He is magnificent. I wish I could zoom in on 
that cock, it looks perfect. Loraine is so lucky that he choose her."

Lilly and Dolly turned a bright red color, blushing as they watched 
Eric. They felt like the voyeurs they were. Embarrassed was hardly 
the word to explain how they felt, but it was not tinged with sexual 
excitement. Eric was their neighbor and they had known him for 
years without ever thinking of him in a sexual fashion. Now they 
were watching him as he stood on the verge of losing his virginity 
to a woman that could easily have earned a fortune as a fashion 
model. Lilly turned to Cindy and said, "I don't think we should be 
watching this. It is a private moment."

Raising an eyebrow, Cindy said, "Don't denigrate the magnificent 
gift that he is bestowing on you. He knows that two women with 
horrible pasts are watching. Although he doesn't know that you 
two are the specific women who are watching him, he is doing this 
for you as well as for himself."

Taken aback by the rebuke, the two young women turned to watch 
as Loraine gave a very quick handjob to Eric explaining that it 
would take the edge off so that he could enjoy what followed. The 
twisted expression on his face as he came looked as though he 
were in pain, but that was countered by the groans of pleasure he 
was emitting. Lilly asked, "Is he in pain?"

"No. He is feeling a pleasure so great that his face has never 
learned how to express it."

After cleaning up his spilled seed, Loraine proceeded to make love 
to him. His youth allowed him to recover his erection almost 
immediately. Mouth open in amazement, Lilly watched as Loraine 
kissed him while her hands explored his body. Eric's hands 
clutched the bed sheets as his body writhed on the bed. Surprised 
by his passive submission, Lilly remarked, "He's not throwing her 
around or jamming his thing into her."

Dolly, watching the woman licking Eric's nipples, said, "She 
actually looks like she is enjoying this. She keeps smiling when he 
reacts to what she's doing."

'These poor girls,' thought Cindy watching them rather than the 
action on the screen. It was hard for her to imagine that they 
believed making love was an onerous task for a woman and a 
means for men to dominate women. She didn't respond to their 
comments, hoping that the sisters would learn the truth from what 
they saw.

The sisters paled when Loraine knelt between Eric's legs and 
started kissing his cock. Memories of taking Wong's cock into their 
mouths threatened to make them ill. Lilly started trembling as she 
relived cleaning her shit and blood off his cock after he had 
finished raping her that last time. Dolly had the same experiences 
and in reliving them clutched her stomach in pain. Loraine looked 
up and smiled at the look on Eric's face even as her hand gently 
fondled his balls. In Chinese, Dolly exclaimed, "She's enjoying it!"

Responding in Chinese, Lilly asked, "How? How can she enjoy 
it?"

"I don't know," answered Dolly in dismay. Neither one of them 
realized they had slipped into Chinese. Dolly stared at the screen. 
That Loraine was enjoying herself was clear when she finally 
lowered herself on the young cock. The look of delight and 
satisfaction as her womanly tunnel was filled could not be 
mistaken. Eric started exploring her body with his hands, enjoying 
the feel of her flesh and the sight of her mounting him. 

In a reaction that was far angrier than anyone expected, Lilly 
jumped up and shouted, "Stop them. Stop them now! He's going to 
hurt her when he starts ramming into her."

Not understanding Chinese, Cindy had no idea what Lilly said. She 
could see that the other sister was just as upset. Again, she fought 
back the urge to respond to their reactions. On the television 
screen, Eric lifted his hips as he came while Loraine leaned her 
head back and shouted out her pleasure as her orgasm washed over 
her. Still speaking Chinese, Lilly turned to Cindy and shouted, 
"Stop him before the hurting begins."

Lilly turned back in time to see Loraine climb off Eric's cock and 
lie beside him. His arm reached around her and held her body close 
to his. She placed a hand on his chest with her head resting on his 
shoulder. Both sisters were poised to as if to respond to violence, 
but nothing happened. Eric was enjoying his post-orgasmic bliss 
while Loraine smiled to herself at the pleasure she had given him. 

A minute passed, then two, and finally five as both sisters stood 
watching the scene on the television waiting it to turn violent. Even 
though nothing happened, the tension continued to build in the two 
sisters. Cindy watched the drama in fascination, wondering how 
long they would remain in that state of increasing tension. 
Suddenly, Lilly collapsed back onto the couch. It was as though 
the rubber band that held her feelings had snapped. Her entire body 
shook as tears streamed from her eyes and little animal whimpers 
emerged from deep within her throat.  It was only seconds after 
that when Dolly joined her sister on the couch in much the same 
state. 

Relieved to see the emotional dam burst, Cindy set a box of 
Kleenex in front of the two young women. When they finished 
crying they would need to use them. She went to the kitchen to fix 
something for them to drink after they recovered. She wanted to 
have a long talk with them about what they had watched take place 
on the television. It was important for her to understand why they 
had reacted in the manner they had.

Bart sat in the passenger seat as Paul drove into the worst part of 
town. Concerned, he asked, "Do you know where you are going?"

"Yes, I know exactly where I'm going," answered the man with a 
smile knowing that Bart was scared by the rundown surroundings 
of the inner city. 

Bart had been surprised when Paul had taken him to the Fusion 
Foundation, particularly since they were both dressed in old jeans 
and shirts. While there, Paul had picked up an envelope containing 
money donated by other people whom Harry had helped in the 
past. This was his Tuesday errand and one that he performed 
regardless of how he felt. 

"It looks kind of dangerous around here," remarked Bart. The 
buildings had bars on the windows and it seemed as if every other 
business was a bar or liquor store. As they passed an alley, he 
caught sight of a bum urinating against the side of a building. He 
groaned as he said, "There's a guy taking a piss back there."

Grinning at the young man seated beside him, Paul said, "At least 
he wasn't taking a dump."

"Oh, gross."

The hotel was just ahead and he switched lanes so that he could 
pull into the parking lot. Bart looked puzzled as he saw how Paul 
was pointing at the seedy hotel and said, "That's our next stop."

"There?" 

"Yep, here," answered Paul as he pulled into the parking lot. After 
a minute of navigating through the parking lot, he parked in a 
space near the end of the building. Turning off the motor, he said, 
"We're going in there."

The room he had pointed at had a small sign on the door. Bart read 
it aloud, "Fallen Angels?"

"Yes. This is an organization that a couple of former prostitutes 
started to help other girls get off the streets," answered Paul with a 
smile. Without knocking, he opened the door and gestured for Bart 
to enter.

The young man licked his lips nervously wondering what he would 
find inside. None of his friends had ever met a prostitute and the 
guys would never believe that he had met a bunch of prostitutes. 
Entering, he found a plain looking woman dressed in a T-shirt and 
blue jeans sitting behind an old beat-up desk. She looked up at him 
and asked, "Could I help you?"

Paul entered the room and looked over at Bart. The young man 
was stuttering as he tried to figure out how to answer the question. 
Giving the boy a break, he said, "How are you doing, Candy?"

The woman looked over at Paul with a smile and said, "I'm fine, 
Twitch."

"I have something here for you," remarked Paul as he looked 
around the office. He noticed a new angel on the shelf and 
remarked, "I see you've helped another one."

"Yeah. We finally broke into the boy trade," replied the woman 
with a grin. 

Bart understood that she was talking about male prostitutes. 
Visions of women lining up with cash wanting to pay him for sex 
flashed through his teenage mind. He said, "Wow. Do you mean 
there are guys that get paid to sleep with women? I'd like to do 
that."

Smiling and shaking her head, Candy understood the teenage male 
libido much better than most women did. She countered, "Ah, I'm 
afraid that it is teenager boys getting paid to get used by men."

"Gross," answered Bart shocked at the idea. 

Smiling over at Paul, Candy said, "He's cute, can I keep him?"

"I'd let you have him, but I think his mother would object," 
answered Paul with a laugh. Bart blushed at the comment. Paul 
opened the envelope he had received from the Fusion Foundation 
and pulled out another envelope that had Fallen Angels printed on 
the face. He handed it over to Candy and said, "Here's a little 
support for the fine work your organization performs."

"I like you, Twitch. You come here and give us money without 
asking for anything in return," she said with a smile. Looking over 
at Bart, she asked, "So can I interest you in a blowjob? How about 
I turn the boy into a man?"

Paul laughed at the embarrassed reaction of the young man 
standing beside him. Putting a hand on his shoulder, he said, "Not 
today, Candy. We've got more places to visit."

"Aw, you're always saying that," remarked Candy with a smile. 
She laughed as looked at Bart who was trying to adjust himself 
without looking too obvious about it. The idea that she could still 
turn on a young man made her feel good. "I hope I'll be seeing you 
in the future."

As Paul drove away from the hotel, Bart asked, "You see her every 
week?"

"Yeah, she's a nice lady. She had a rough past starting with an 
abusive stepfather, an alcoholic mother, and a brother than ended 
up on death row. She fought her way out from under a particularly 
nasty pimp and founded Fallen Angels to help others in her 
position. She's also very brave. I've seen her stare down an armed 
pimp, knowing that she could die any minute."

"Does my mother know that you visit prostitutes?"

Paul laughed at the way the boy had worded his question. He 
answered, "I don't visit prostitutes in the manner that most people 
would interpret that statement. I have a lot of friends that are 
former prostitutes and individuals who are struggling to get out of 
the business."

"She offered sex to you," countered Bart not quite sure if Candy 
had been joking about giving Paul a blowjob. He wasn't sure how 
his mother would feel about it.

"I imagine that if I ever said yes, she'd actually give me one. Of 
course, I think she'd lose all respect for me if I ever did it. 
However, to answer your earlier question, your mother knows that 
I do this every Tuesday. She's come with me in the past and met all 
the same people you're going to meet to day." 

"Why did you decided to bring me?" asked Bart. This was not 
exactly the outing that he had been expecting.

"I'm planning on asking your mother to marry me," answered Paul 
with a sidelong glance at Bart. Seeing the startled expression flash 
across the boy's face, he added, "I thought I would introduce you to 
some of my friends. I think that meeting the friends a man keeps is 
the best way to judge his character. Just wanted you to know me a 
little better. That way, when I ask you for permission to ask your 
mother to marry me, you can give me an honest answer."

"Oh," replied Bart. He wasn't sure if he was ready for a new father. 
He missed his father tremendously. Paul wasn't at all like his father 
had been. His father had been a hard worker, dedicated family 
man, and community leader. 

"I'm not asking to become your father. Those are shoes that I 
couldn't ever hope to fill and, to tell the truth, I'm not really all that 
interested in being like your father. I'm Paul, a man that is known 
by a lot of people as Twitch. My friends include prostitutes, 
homeless folks, cripples, and Druids. I do what I can to help them 
get by." Paul stopped talking as he pulled into the homeless hotel 
and parked his car. With a grin at the expression of fear on Bart's 
face, he said, "We're here."

For the rest of the day, Paul took Bart from one place to another 
introducing the boy to his homeless friends, prostitutes, and others. 
Although the people they met looked hard and angry, quite a few 
of them had good hearts. Every person they met respected Paul. 
They greeted the man by name, shook hands, and offered to share 
what little they had. When they visited a halfway house for people 
trying to kick drug and alcohol problems, Bart had watched Paul 
help a person that was about to fall off the wagon. 

They had visited a home for unmarried mothers. From the name, 
Bart had expected to see a lot of pregnant women. Instead, he had 
found an apartment complex full of women with children. What 
had once been an activity center had been turned into a huge 
daycare center. The women living there ran it. Those who didn't 
work or had late shifts watched over the children during the day. 
Those that did work covered other shifts. It allowed them to work 
and have people watch their children without the cost of baby-
sitters. 

As they drove back to the house, their clothes were much dirtier 
than when they had left home. Bart had seen a whole side of life 
that he had never experienced. His respect for the man sitting 
beside him had gone up tremendously. As they pulled into the 
driveway of Paul's house, Bart said, "Ask my mother. I'm pretty 
sure she'll say yes."