An Accidental Parent

I had no issues with having another passenger and I suggested Luke phone Robbie after dinner so I could speak with Robbie's mother Angela. I let her know that Robbie was welcome to come and train with us in Bairnsdale if she approved. Angela had no issues with that so the next evening I collected Luke and Robbie after school and headed to Bairnsdale where Robbie signed up for boxing class. From then on I was taking both boys to training in Bairnsdale every Tuesday and Friday.

Robbie had always played football and hung out with kids who were sports-minded, unlike Luke. Robbie was confident and popular; footballers are automatically on a special sort of pedestal in Australia. And despite not having any prior boxing training, Robbie was a natural. He picked up the basic skill set really quickly and was dead keen to move to sparring as soon as coach would let him. It grated a bit on Luke that he had to work harder than Robbie to get the same results, but the two boys soon became friends.

Making it official.

I thought I'd been doing fine in my role as Luke's carer but I started to feel it wasn't enough to be just his carer. He was still 2 years away from becoming an adult legally and although we had not heard anything from his mother, it worried me that she might one day demand he be returned to her. I started researching the legal stuff on the Internet and soon came to a decision. I would ask Luke if he would agree to me applying to adopt him.

Come October, with the weather warming up, the school was going to have a swimming carnival. Luke told me he wouldn't take part as he didn't know how to swim. I told Luke my swim style was pretty poor and said maybe we could both get some coaching at the pool in Orbost. The coach was really good and Luke soon started to develop confidence in the pool.

Over dinner one November night I told him I would like to adopt him and that I would accept and respect whatever decision he made, and that I wanted him to be here with me whether he chose to be adopted or not. Take time to think about it, I had said, but he told me he didn't need time, he had never had a father and he wanted to have me be his dad. I struggled to contain my emotions, it felt so good to know he wanted that.

There was all manner of paperwork and interviews to be sorted of course, but by Christmas it was looking like it would might be finalised early in the new year - I would be a father at 67 years of age and I was happier than a pig in mud.

I had thought long and hard about what would happen to Luke if I died, so I had already made the necessary arrangements with my solicitor to appoint Luke the sole beneficiary of my will. I had no-one else to leave things to, so it was a no-brainer. I had the house title amended to give him joint tenancy, so if I died the house would automatically be his. It cost a bit in fees and taxes but I needed to be sure he was provided for. I prepared a document listing all the important details about my pensions, finances, etc and had a copy with the solicitor and another copy in my office clearly labelled with Luke's name on it.

For Christmas 2014 I had bought Luke a new phone. His old phone was showing its age and was a bit unreliable, so I got the latest and greatest iphone for him. I had previously told him I didn't need anything, but on Christmas Day he handed me a package. When I unwrapped it, I saw it was a classy picture frame with a photo of the two of us that one of his school friends had taken when we were at a school athletics day a few weeks earlier. I guess he knew that photo of us together would mean a lot to me.

In between driving lessons and boxing training in Bairnsdale, we spent some time in January learning to surf at Cape Conran, just a short drive from home. Neither of us had ever been within 3 meters of a surfboard but one of the boys in Luke's class was a surfer and he had invited Luke to come to the Cape and give it a try.

I proved to be totally hopeless at it; I've never been confident in the ocean anyway. But Luke seemed to pick it up fairly well. Jake, from his college class, was really proficient with a board and Jake made a point of helping to instruct and encourage Luke and me. This went on a few times a week for a fortnight, and Luke was starting to get the hang of it, so to speak, unlike me. Getting thumped in a boxing ring suddenly seemed far preferable to me than managing a surfboard.

One afternoon in late January, as we were getting ready to leave the beach, Luke asked if he could invite Jake to come for dinner and sleep over. It seemed like a nice gesture since Jake had helped Luke with surfing lessons. Jake lived in Orbost so he texted his dad to say he was staying over with a mate, and didn't need to be picked up from the Cape. I had agreed to take Jake home the next day.

Once we got back to Marlo I bought burgers and chips for us all and we headed to our house and watched a sci-fi movie after we'd eaten. Then the boys headed to Luke's room where they were to share the double bed that night. We had a fold-out divan bed in the lounge but Jake had said there was plenty of room for two in Luke's room.

I slept like a log, worn out from the hard work of trying (and failing) to stand up on a board all afternoon. The next morning I was up early but the boys were obviously having a sleep in so I had my coffee and toast and read for a bit. Eventually I heard the shower running and a bit later two freshly showered youths appeared in the kitchen looking eager to wolf down the scrambled eggs and smoked salmon I was preparing.

We'd had our fill of food and were sitting round the table having a coffee when Luke turned to Jake and kissed him on the lips, and to my further surprise Jake took Luke's chin in his hand and kissed him back. And the penny dropped; they were lovers. They both turned and looked at me as if I should say something - so I muttered "you two can wash up the dishes while I have my shower, ok". And I fled to the bathroom before my eyes went to water.

The next day I went to the pharmacy in Orbost and got a couple of packs of condoms and some lube, and left the package on Luke's bedside table. I had no idea how far they'd gone on their first night together but it seemed prudent to remind him that precautions were important.

Later that week I learned from Luke that Jake's mother had died of cancer some years ago. Jake had recently come out to his father and had been hugely relieved when his dad was fully supportive. So Jake now felt comfortable telling his dad he was seeing Luke.

So the Saturday afternoon of the long weekend, the four of us met up at a local café in Orbost and had a relaxed lunch together. I got a laugh from Jake's dad, Laurie, recounting how Jake's best efforts at coaching had utterly failed to get me upright on a surfboard.

Laurie had married late, and Jake had been their only child. Jake had learned his surfing skill from his dad at an early age, and the man and his son were obviously very close. It turned out that Laurie still surfed quite a bit and I couldn't help but notice that for a man in his fifties he was damn good looking and in great shape.

By the time college resumed in February, and Jake and Luke had started year 11, the two had become inseparable and they had both decided to be "cautiously out" as a couple at school. It was a gamble but it paid off; the little bit of antagonism they initially encountered was blunted by the fact that everyone knew Luke was training as a boxer and could look after himself. Jake's surfing skills were well known and most of the kids thought he was pretty awesome because of that. And the always-popular footy jock Robbie was Luke's friend so that added to his street cred.

Robbie confided in me that a couple of his footy mates had initially questioned why he was "hanging around with that gay guy" and he'd told them that Luke was a mate so they should just get used to it.

A couple of weeks after school term resumed, Luke told me about another incident at school involving Robbie. Luke and Robbie had been walking to the car-park after class when they heard several year-9 boys abusing a slightly-built boy and calling him a faggot. One of the kids had shoved the smaller boy and knocked him over.

Robbie stepped right in and took the boy's hand and helped him back to his feet. Then Robbie turned to the bully and said "You ever touch him again and I'll re-arrange your face, mate". The bully and his mates retreated and Robbie introduced Luke and himself to the shaken youngster who stammered his thanks for helping him, and said his name was Declan.

Robbie had then asked Declan why "those dickheads" were picking on him, and the kid replied that he had just moved from Melbourne to Orbost with his mother and he didn't have any friends here. He wasn't any good at sports, and even one of his previous teachers had called him a sissy. Robbie had got really pissed-off when he heard that.

Declan said the guys who had bullied him that day had been following him the last two days as he walked home, yelling insults all the way. Robbie had asked if Declan had a phone - who doesn't these days - and texted him his number. "You have any more trouble from anyone, Dec, you ring me, ok".

Afterwards Luke had told Robbie he was pretty amazing, and Robbie grinned and said he'd learned a few things since the day Luke had punched him in the face.

Luke's first boxing match.

In my fifties I had discovered boxing training for the first time, and although I had zero talent I found it rewarding, especially when I started to do light sparring. When I moved to Marlo I already knew the nearest boxing club was an hour's drive away in Bairnsdale but heck that's what we have cars for.

I had done plenty of "gentle" sparring with training partners I trusted, all of them way younger than me - I was always the oldest in the class. I had explained to Luke that I wasn't good at boxing but that I enjoyed the workout, and especially the challenge of sparring, and he seemed to get that. Just because you're not talented doesn't mean you can't have a try at it.

But Luke did have some talent. He had fast reactions, and could move in for the attack and back out to safety lightning fast; a skill that I totally lacked. His sparring sessions were a delight to watch, and he wanted to go the next step. So when coach got him matched for his first amateur fight in Bairnsdale on a Saturday night in March I figured he'd do ok.

Robbie had come with us that morning so he could see what the weigh-in procedure was like, as he hoped to have his first fight soon. After the weigh-in and medicals were done, we headed back to Orbost and dropped Robbie off then went home to take it easy for a few hours.

We were to pick up Robbie again at 4pm to head back into Bairnsdale. He had previously asked me if we could bring a mate of his along with us. Luke had assumed it would be one of Robbie's footy mates, so after we picked Robbie up he gave us directions to his mate's house a few blocks away.

Robbie asked me to come inside and met his mate's mother so she knew who her son was travelling with. That went fine, then when we came back outside Luke was stunned to see Declan with us. Robbie had invited Dec to come to the boxing night with him and had convinced Declan's mother that he would look after him. Robbie was a damn decent guy looking after this shy kid.

We got our seats at the venue just before six o'clock and watched three bouts with young kids who got plenty of applause for being game enough to go the distance. Then another bout with a couple of 14-year olds who clearly had experience and were really impressive. I had been an amateur boxing referee for a few years so fight nights weren't new to me, but when Luke's bout came up around 7pm I had to sit on my hands to stop from biting my nails. This was personal - that was my boy in there.

There were quite a few other Orbost College students at the show - word had got round that Luke was on the program. He had joked to me that some people would come to see him win and some would come hoping to see him get a belting.

Luke didn't disappoint. The decision went to the other boy, but it was a split decision, a close call, and Luke had acquitted himself well. He got a silver medallion and the winner of course got a gold one. When he emerged from the change-rooms a short while later, most of the Orbost College kids came up and congratulated him. One of the girls insisted he pose for a photo holding his medallion with Jake beside him, and she sent it to Luke's phone as a memento.

Then Robbie took a picture of Luke holding his silver medallion standing with his arm around young Declan, and texted it to Declan's phone.

After the show we headed homewards, dropped Declan and Robbie at their homes in Orbost then soon afterwards we were back at our house in Marlo. Despite the hour's drive, Luke was still buzzing a bit so we sat and talked for a while. I was wondering how Luke felt after this first experience, but he settled that quickly by telling me he wanted to fight again as soon as possible. Getting a win under his belt was a priority. And even though he hadn't won his first fight, Luke was apparently a bit of a celebrity at school the next Monday.

Robbie and his father.

I had wondered about the whereabouts of Robbie's father and Luke had confided in me that Robbie's dad had left a couple of years ago, and was living with a guy in Melbourne. Apparently the father sent the family money each month, but the loss of a parent still must have been a pretty tough blow for a teenager.

Robbie had told Luke that the main reason he used to mouth off about gays was because his father had abandoned him, for a man, and Robbie had refused to speak to his father on the phone ever since. Luke had then said "At least you had a father when you were a kid, I never had one at all". Luke had then told Robbie he had been raised by his mother and that the string of boy-friends she had were mostly uninterested in Luke. He had always felt unwanted.

On hearing this, Robbie had said he felt like a jerk complaining about his problems when Luke had had a much shittier time of it.

A few days later, on the way to training in Bairnsdale, Robbie followed up on his previous conversation with Luke, and told us that he had phoned his father last night, and spoken to him for the first time in two years. His father knew Robbie was training as a boxer because Robbie's mother had mentioned it recently; she kept in phone contact despite their separation.

Robbie had told his father he was sorry he had refused to speak to him for so long, but that he now understood things a bit better. His father had said he was really happy Robbie had called him, and asked Robbie what had got him into boxing. Robbie responded that he got thumped by a gay guy at school for calling him a poof, and they were now mates and were training together at Luke's boxing club in Bairnsdale.

The father had asked if Robbie was going to get into competition boxing and Robbie confirmed he was definitely going to fight, hopefully in April at a show in Traralgon. His dad had then said he would love to come see Robbie's first fight, and they had agreed to keep in touch to organise a meeting.

Without meaning to, it seemed that Luke had precipitated a reconciliation between Robbie and his dad.

The overnight trip to Traralgon.

A few weeks later Luke was on the program of his second fight night, in Traralgon on a Saturday night in mid April. It was the last weekend of the school term holiday, and Robbie had been matched for his first-ever bout on the same program; he had excelled in his sparring sessions and was absolutely itching to fight.

Robbie was one of those people with a natural competitive streak and always wanted to win at whatever he did. Luke and Robbie had spent most of the term break training hard and doing some solid competition sparring, to be ready for their fights.

It was nearly a three hour drive to Traralgon from Marlo, and the weigh-in was at 11am. Jake had stayed with us the night before and we left at 8am to pick up Robbie and Declan from Orbost on the way.

Robbie's mother worked Saturdays so couldn't get away to take Robbie, and anyway it would have been crazy to take two cars when one would suffice. Jake's dad Laurie also had to work, and Declan's mother didn't drive. So my Ford ute was packed with four teenagers, two gym bags and overnight bags for us all.

Robbie said he'd sit up-front with me "so the love-birds can be together" to which Jake replied "you are just jealous, mate" and we all laughed. I could see that Declan had blushed bright red though.

Robbie's father was driving up from Melbourne with his partner. Robbie had agreed to meet his dad and his partner, and was a bit nervous about it. The couple would meet up with us for lunch and had booked a room at the same motel where we were staying.

Weigh-in was the usual tedious business, a heap of young guys and several young women all queuing up to get their book checked, get weighed, and be medically examined - most of them with empty bellies to make sure they made weight, and busting to eat afterwards.

After weigh-in we headed out to the club foyer where Robbie's father and his partner were waiting to meet us. Robbie gave his father a long hug and the two of them got pretty teary. Then Robbie met his dad's partner and shook hands, after which we all introduced each other. Robbie introduced Luke by saying "and this is the gay guy who punched me in the face at school last year".

We got a big table at a local café and ordered lunch, and had a pleasant conversation as we ate. I quietly told Neil and Jeff that I was gay too, and that becoming Luke's foster father was the happiest moment of my life.

We checked into the motel a bit after 2pm, I'd booked two rooms, a queen bed in my room, and a double and two single beds in the room where the boys would sleep. I knew Luke and Jake would want to share the double bed, but had cautioned them that there could be no sexual activity. "Really dad", Luke had growled, "I'm not a bloody exhibitionist you know".

By about five-thirty we were back in the club where the boxing was being held. I had paid for Jake, Declan and me to enter, the boxers didn't have to pay, and we got seats as close to the ring as we could, with Robbie's dad Neil and his partner Jeff alongside us.

The first few bouts were young kids, then a bout with two young women who were really well matched and showed a heap of talent. I have heard people say women can't box, well they should have been there to see these girls go.

Then Robbie had to get warmed up and I was pleased that Neil gave his boy a big hug then Luke and Jake both gave Robbie a hug as he headed to the change-rooms. Declan was more restrained and just wished Robbie good luck.

Soon we were all cheering Robbie who was up against a local boy with plenty of locals yelling encouragement. It was a gutsy fight and they were both pretty classy for beginners; the result went Robbie's way though. When Robbie got back to us from the change-room his father held him in a bear-hug and told him he was so proud of him and had missed him like crazy.

After the interval, it was Luke's turn to face a local. His opponent was a southpaw and Luke struggled with it in the first round - he hadn't had much sparring experience with non-orthodox boxers. He obviously listened to his coach during the minute's break because he coped better in round two. By the third round I reckoned he was doing well, but of course the overall result had to go to the other boy.

Robbie and Jake each gave Luke a massive hug when he rejoined us. Luke seemed perfectly sanguine about his performance, he knew that he needed to get more sparring practice with southpaws and he was already looking forward to another bout. We stayed till the last fight was over then headed back to the motel.