‘And neither of you gentlemen need bother coming back. Next time, we will be out of food as well.’ ‘Fuck you, you old asshole,’ Arnie said as ...is friend hustled him out the door. After the men left there were no more customers, so Mr. Dreisbach closed and locked the door and put the ‘Closed’ sign in it. He came into the dining room where Tina and Tommy were setting up the tables for the next day. ‘I saw what happened with those…those pigs,’ he said. ‘Tina, you should have told me what they were. When I got home, apologising to the tearful MrsJohnson that I couldn't help her anymore, I got that pebble and lockedit away in my floor safe. I didn't want to see it again. I didn't wantto use it to change and most of all, I didn't want to risk getting stuckfor a second time.It was over. I told myself that again and again.But deep down I knew I was lying to myself.It was only just beginning.15To my credit, I kept away from the pebble for three whole days.For the first day I broke into a sweat. 314, and my second-half renaissance had given me a very respectable OBP, lots and lots of happy ribbies, and (would you believe?) thirteen homers -- with nine of them having been post-Dempsey (or should I say, post-Emmy?) dingers!In honor of that insane bus ride, the schedule-makers had afforded us a rare day off back in Frederick. Eddie and I slept from 8:30 a.m. (when we got home) until 2:30 p.m., at which point we roused ourselves and drove down to Arlington to see Emily. I had yet to commit. "Wow, what a great idea! Yes, fuck Daddy," Ben moaned, calling me Daddy for the first time since he was seven years old."You want me to fuck your Dad?" Jamal asked, even though Ben had just said he did."Yes, make him a two-hole faggot just like me," Ben said enthusiastically, looking right at me. "You do want to get fucked, don't you, Daddy?"The shame he'd had yesterday was totally gone from my son. He was proud of his status as a cock sucker and faggot. He didn't even mind that his girlfriend.