“Yeah, tell me about it and these ones are no better,” I gestured to the stack of twenty or so that Taylor had given me.
“What are we going to do Walker?” she asked me showing the fear that I wasn’t.
I thought about her question for a moment. What were we going to do? “I don’t know Di. These may be just someone playing a joke,” I told her not believing that myself, but praying that it was the truth.
“Well, if it’s a joke then whoever thinks it’s funny needs help and I’ll be happy to take them there.”
“You and me both,” I whispered.
If this wasn’t a joke then I want to find the sick bastard and rip him to shreds. “What if it’s not a joke?” she asked me almost as if she had read my mind.
“I will not let anything happen to him or any of my sons for that matter,” I assured my wife.
I would give my life before I could allow anyone to hurt any of my children. “Walker, we can’t be there every second of every day. What if this man is really serious about these things and he gets Taylor and....” she was about to cry.
“Diana, I will not let that happen. If I have to increase security and have extra guards then that’s something I will do. But I will not let him hurt Taylor!” I slammed my fist down in emphasis.
“My poor baby,” she wiped away the few tears that had sneaked out, “he must be petrified.”
“He was scared Diana, but we know now so there isn’t any reason for him to be scared. This is our problem now not his,” my head was starting to pound.
“Our problem Walker? Our problem. This is all our problems. Mine, yours, Taylor’s every single one of us has to be more alert to our surroundings. We have to pay attention and filter who we let them talk to. For all I know he could be standing online at the next meet n greet just waiting for the right moment to grab him and do those horrendous, monstrous things to my little boy. I’m gonna be sick!” she yelled jumping up and running to the sink.
I followed her quickly grabbing her long blond hair and holding it as she heaved into the sink. Nothing came up but her body was acting as if something was and when she finally stopped I would have sworn she did. She looked up from the sink and had a hand over her mouth gazing into me. The tears were at the brims of her eyes, “I want to protect him...” she choked out as she started to cry.
“And we will, I will do everything in my power to make sure this is as far as it goes,” I pulled her to me and she clung to me for dear life.
“Maybe this would be a good time for the boys to take a break,” she choked out.
I pulled away to look down at her, “Take a break? Diana you know how far they have come to achieve what they have achieved. It would kill Taylor to give up his dream because of one perverts fantasies,” the truth was it scared me to death them being so young and this famous.
There were enough sick people in this world that find just regular kids and now my sons were out there in the public eye for every sicko to obsess about. “It’s not a joke, ok. These are gross, accounts of a grown man’s fantasies with a fourteen year old boy and I do not want to take any chance with his well being!” she was getting aggravated.
“How do we know this has to do with them being in the public eye now anyway. For all we know it could be some psycho that we know,” I explained.
“Oh and that makes it better if they leave near us. That makes the idea of a man your age raping out son ok!?” she was screaming.
“It’s not ok!” I yelled back.
“Then stop siding with him. Think about Taylor.”
“Siding with him? You think I’m siding with this man? I’ll tell you something Diana. If I got my hands on him I would rip his heart out and shove it down his throat before he even felt his chest being ripped open just for thinking these things about my child. I would slice his neck from ear to ear if I could, the filthy bastard for writing these horrific things down on paper and if he ever tried to touch Taylor I would rip the fuckers balls off with my bare hands and make him eat them!” I had lost control and for the first time since I look at these disgusting words I let it out.
She stared at me with an expression I couldn’t read, “I’m sorry,” she finally said.
“So am I. I’m sorry that Taylor didn’t tell us when he got the first letter.”
“I just... the thought of my child being subjected to even hearing about someone doing those.. things to him... I thought we always protected our children?”
“We have Diana, always. But there is only so many ways parents can protect their children and sometimes these things happen no matter how protective they are.”
She sat back down on the chair for a while and was in thought. After a few minutes she placed her hand on top of mine and squeezed it tightly, “Do you really think we should be this worried? And please, don’t amuse me. I want you to be completely honest with me.”
“I honestly don’t know honey, Taylor swore to me that it’s only been letters nothing else, but well it scares me that this person has our home address. I don’t know what to think, I just know that from now on I’m gonna take the necessary precautions.” I made a silent promise to myself and everyone else.
“I hope your right,” she said laying her head down on the kitchen table.
I got up and went behind her and started massaging her shoulders. I leaned in and kissed her on the cheek lovingly, “So do I, sweetheart. So do I,” I whispered in return.
“Hi, Isaac,” I responded.
I felt so horrible about what happened this afternoon with Dad and Taylor. I mean I get so carried away sometimes and I just wanted him to talk to me like a normal kid not his little brother. “Hey, Tay, can we talk?” Isaac asked him as he pulled his pajamas out of his draw.
Taylor was lying on his bed facing the wall. He really hadn’t said anything since this afternoon. “Yeah,” he said so low that I almost didn’t hear him.
“I heard Mom and Dad talking when I came in. They were talking about some serious things Taylor and I just wanted to find out what’s going on,” he said sitting down on Taylor’s bed.
Taylor laid still and didn’t make any kind of response and I just wanted to crawl in a hole and die. This was all my fault. “Taylor, Mom mentioned to Dad that she wanted you to quit the band,” Isaac said.
I was completely shocked and I sat up straight in my bed. Taylor turned over quickly and I thought his eyes were gonna fall out of his head, “What!?” he said shocked.
“That’s what I heard her say and Dad talked her out of it, but I mean, we worked so hard for all of this and I just.... what could make her suggest that?” Taylor closed his eyes and he looked like he might just puke everywhere.
“It’s my fault!” I yelled and I couldn’t keep myself from crying.
They both looked over at me a little stunned, “Your fault? How is any of this your fault?” Isaac asked me.
“Because Taylor wrote a dirty letter to someone and I took it from him and Dad got it from me and read it and Taylor got in trouble!” I said really fast trying to get all my guilty feelings out.
“I didn’t write that letter, Zac!” Taylor said to me loudly, “And I didn’t get in trouble.”
“Well, you had to write it because it talked about a weiner and someone doing things to it!” he told him back as he continued to cry.
I wasn’t stupid. I had heard Isaac and Taylor talk about sex things at night. I wasn’t really sure what they meant but I knew that in order to do those sex things I knew that a girl would touch you. “I didn’t write it!” he yelled and I cried harder cause I knew just how mad he must have been.
“Wait, wait, wait...” Isaac said stopping both of us, “I have a lot of questions about this. First of all, Zac why are you crying?”
I sobbed slightly and wiped my eyes, “Cause Taylor hates me!” I told him and began to cry again.
“I do not hate you! This has absolutely nothing to do with you!” Taylor yelled again.
“Taylor, let Zac talk and then you can tell your side,” Isaac explained, “Go ahead Zac.”
“Well, I came into here earlier and Taylor was writing that letter. I wanted him to tell me what it said and he wouldn’t so I grabbed it and Dad got it and I got Taylor in trouble. He’s mad that I took his stuff and that Dad was so mad. And now if he had to quit the band it will be all my fault!” he told Isaac starting to cry a little harder.
“Zac, you know you shouldn’t be taking people’s things, but Taylor would never hate you for that. And don’t worry Mom and Dad wouldn’t have Taylor quit the band just because of a letter he wrote. That can’t be the reason they were talking about Taylor quitting.” he explained to me, but I still had a hard time believing him.
“It’s not your fault Zac and I’m not mad,” Taylor said quietly.
“See Zac,” Isaac said smiling at me guessing that I felt better, “So Taylor, who did you write that letter too?” he said in the way Isaac always talks when he thinks about girls.
Taylor covered his mouth again and shook his head, “I didn’t write that letter. Someone sent that to me,” he told us quietly.
I looked at him strange. “How could someone write you that letter? There was really dirty things in there. They were talking about things that I didn’t even know what that stuff was. They were talking about wieners, Taylor,” I said shocked.
“What?!” Isaac asked loudly, “Taylor what the hell is going on?”
Taylor looked at Isaac and then at me. He was about to cry and I was scared about what he was gonna tell us. I always knew when Taylor had that face that he had a crazy secret to tells, “I have been getting letters. Dirty dirty letters from this man. They come like everyday and each one is worse then the next.” I had no idea what he was talking about.
“Wait a second are you telling me that there is some guy sending you dirty letters?” Isaac asked Taylor so concerned.
Taylor nodded and I was more confused then ever. “Wait, you’re a boy. Why would another guy send you letters that were that disgusting?” I asked. I really had no idea what was going on.
Taylor just looked at me and then turned to Isaac, “He’s a grown man, Isaac. And the things that he writes in those letters are so horrible and he described how he wanted to make me do these... nasty things with him! That’s why Dad talked to me and that’s why Mom and Dad were talking about that. They think that guy might actually.... try those things with me...” I stopped.
“Are you kidding me?!” Isaac asked sounding angry.
All Taylor did was nod. “I don’t understand,” I whispered.
I was so confused, “That is so sick! I can’t believe that.. that there is someone out there who is.... he is a grown man! OH MY GOD!” he yelled.
“Wait!” I yelled loudly standing up, “How can... why would a man want to do those things to you you’re a boy?”
Isaac sighed and gestured for me to come over and sit on the bed with him and Taylor. I walked over slowly and sat down timidly. “Zac,” Isaac said softly and then looked at Taylor, “Taylor, there are sick people out there, men out there that have sick thoughts about boys Taylor’s, boys your age Zac. Even little boys. They are sick sick men and it’s a very serious thing,” he explained to us.
“I don’t want to do those things with anyone. I don’t want Taylor to be hurt like that either.” I told them scared.
“Hey guys, this is a message for both of you. I am your big bro and I will never ever let anyone hurt you. I will always be around to protect you guys.” he promised us and I knew Isaac would keep his word. I only hoped Taylor believed him too.