Kurt’s dad had a brother who left a farm in Burt’s hands when he passed.

“He hasn’t been up there in 12 months,” Burt grunted “What does he expect me to do with a place like that?” Kurt could just imagine what would happen to a place in 12 months unattended, particularly one in the country. Kurt couldn’t help but agree with his dad “Maybe we could check it out and see what it’s like? It might be good for a family vacation house, or…maybe you could sell it and extend your business,” Kurt suggested and Burt smiled and ruffled his hair.

“I’m glad I have you kid,”

Kurt smiled at that. Truth be honest, Kurt wasn’t fond of outdoors, and if Burt wasn’t so caught up in the whole funeral arrangements and now will arrangements, he probably would have noticed that too but Kurt didn’t blame Burt for having his dad’s mind occupied by too much else that was happening.

Kurt’s own mind was occupied with all that was happening at school. It was hell.

He even considered suicide when Karofsky and his mates had kept him locked in a closet for 6 hours straight. If that hadn’t been bad enough, that same morning they had thrown him in the dumpster.

Of course, Kurt didn’t tell Burt any of this. Burt had enough of his own problems.

“Dad?” Kurt asked then a week later after coming home exhausted from school.

“Yeah kiddo?” Burt had come home from work an hour ago, and was buggered himself. Kurt normally got dinner ready then but he noticed Kurt bought take away.

Kurt rarely bought take away unless something was really bothering him and he didn’t want to even bake.

Kurt wasn’t looking at him properly either, his posture also showed that he wasn’t as strong as he once was. Burt frowned. How long had the kid been like this?

He tried to think if Kurt was down about anything last week….all he remembered him mentioning was that the glee club teacher got fired or something.

“Do you think we can maybe take a few days off to go to that farm and see what It’s all about? Maybe it’ll help take your mind of all the stress here and Anthony can take care of the garage right?”

Anthony was the second in charge when Burt wasn’t around. Burt trusted the man when he didn’t have Kurt to take over because Anthony worked hard and was a single father himself.

“Yeah kiddo, I think that’s an idea worth considering, but is this for me or you?”

Kurt looked at him finally and looked defeated. Burt sighed. He got up and put an arm on his shoulder “I think we need a break from Ohio, and I couldn’t agree with you more kid, I don’t know what’s going on in that head of yours, but so long as you keep up with your work while were away, I don’t spose I can’t see why we shouldn’t go,”

“They have a shopping mall the size of Texas” Kurt added and Burt laughed rolling his eyes. Kurt smiled then.

“I said we’ll go, but don’t think were spending all our time shopping,”

“Of course dad,”

Kurt packed his stuff the next day while his dad rang the school and told them about the family situation being tough on Kurt, and how they were going to spend a little family time together to get back on track and that if his teachers sent Kurt his homework via emails, he would keep on top of his work at home. He packed his moisturising creams, several pair of pants for different occasions. 6 tshirts, and 6 different scarves and brooches. They were going for 6 nights and 1 day after today.

“Alright, I’m going to check that everything is all good with the shop first and then we’ll just get dinner ready okay?”

“Sure dad,”

“You okay Kurt?” Burt finally asked. Kurt still didn’t talk much and he seemed to be forcing a smile whenever Burt made conversation with him.

“I’m fine dad,” Kurt was still organising his suitcase. Burt walked over and closed it for a minute. “What’s wrong Kurt?”

Kurt sighed and looked up at his father “I don’t really have friends at school dad, some people pick on me because…”

Burt waited patiently. He had a feeling Kurt was about to come out, but didn’t want to make him uncomfortable by pressuring him.

“I’m different to them,” Kurt finished eyeing his dad carefully who wasn’t blinking or looking disappointed but instead annoyed.

“Whose picking on you?” He demanded and Kurt threw up his hands “Don’t dad…it’s fine,”

“It is not fine, if it makes you this upset,”

“I said I’m fine dad! Just drop it!” Kurt shouted and Burt took a step forward and opened his arms.

Kurt’s anger immediately went away as he allowed Burt to embrace him. “I love you Kurt, nobody pushes the Hummels around you hear? I love you, and nothing is going to change that,”

Kurt put his head into Burt’s neck and nodded.

“I love you too dad. More than anything,”

Burt tightened his grip then, he felt himself tear up. “Now, let’s have dinner. We have a long road trip tomorrow, we gotta go bed early tonight,”

“I still don’t know why you insist we get up at 4:30,” Kurt muttered and Burt laughed. “We need to beat the traffic kiddo or we’ll be forever stuck in Ohio and that’s the last thing we want.

The road trip was interesting. Kurt listened to his music for a while his dad listened to the football talks but then an hour into the trip, the connection was lost and Kurt felt he should attempt conversation with his dad since he was the one that was driving him so he did a game of 20 Questions. It was a good chance to find out what else was new with each other.

“Alright, have you ever kissed someone?” Burt pried as he took a glance at his son who turned scarlet at the lights. It was starting to get light now but there was still hardly any traffic. Traffic usually began about 8 or 9 before school or work hours.

“Dad!”

“It’s all part of the game! You can’t not answer, sorry kiddo.”

“No I have not,”

“Do you ever think about other woman?” Kurt then asked as Burt went silent.

“I…” Burt seemed to hesitate and sighed.

“Dad. It’s okay if you do,” Kurt felt the need to assure him as his dad smiled.

“I…like that woman who goes to your school’s parent nights. The one with the brown hair?”

“Finn’s mum?” Kurt asked. He had noticed Burt glancing at her a few times and trying to make small talk.

“Truth be honest Kurt, I don’t really think about woman ya know. I loved your mother more than life itself and I couldn’t imagine being with someone else really, but I don’t know. Carole…she’s a single mum too, so I guess she sort of understands what it’s like to go through that, and I sometimes wonder that’s all,”

“Maybe you should talk to her a bit more,” Kurt offered.

“I’ll consider that,” Burt concluded and then spotted a starbucks nearby. “Hey Kurt?”

“Yeah?”

“What do you think about having a coffee?”

“Can we get it to go so where still there on time?”

“Sounds good to me, but I’m getting a grilled cheese too to take away, you want one?” Kurt shook his head but then as Burt sighed, parked the car and got out to walk towards the shop he shouted “Dad!” Burt looked over at his son with curiosity. Kurt smiled “If you see cheesecake, can you get me one of those?”

“Sure, alright you wait here. I won’t be long,”

“Thanks dad,”

15 minutes later. Kurt sat in the car with his cheesecake and non-fat mocha and Burt ate his cheese and tomato toastie. They put their cups in the cup holder that was between them and hit the road again.

“If you could go anywhere, where would you go?” Burt asked as his next question and Kurt didn’t need to think about this one as he answered “New York,”

“Oh really? Why’s that?”

Because they accept the gay community, the underdogs are actually considered cool there.

“Because they have museums, Broadway shows, the people are great…and it’s really pretty and they have the statue of liberty…oh and they have Breakfast at Tiffany’s!”

“Okay Okay…I see the list continues,” Burt laughed.

“If you could do something again what would you do?” Kurt asked Burt who drove taking a bite of his grilled cheese in the process and frowned.

“I’d go to the store to get the milk instead of your mother,”

There was silence then as Burt focused on the road.

A tear escaped out of his eyes and Kurt froze. He never saw his dad cry. Ever. It broke his heart.

“Dad…”

Kurt’s hand went on his fathers then and squeezed it. “It wasn’t your fault dad…”

“I know Kurt but god I still wish I…I don’t know Kurt, sometimes I can’t help but think things like that. No, there’s not anything I would really change. I am glad to be here for you. You are my world now, and I’m proud of you for going through what you have and becoming the man you are becoming and for just being you, and I’m proud of our little shop too,”

Would you be proud of me if you found out the truth about me? Kurt thought and nodded quietly.

“Thanks dad, I’m proud to be your son too you know? You’re the best dad anyone could ask for, especially for buying this cheesecake”

Burt laughed then and the topic was over as they discussed lighter issues.

3 hours later they arrived at the country house. There were trees everywhere. The front yard was massive and the sky was picture perfect.

Burt was carrying the suitcases into the house. Kurt helped him with his own things and food supplies they had taken for the first couple of days. They figured they could shop for food later.

The place was huge. It had a light beige colour on the inside. A bluish floor which made Kurt cringe. A fireplace. A kitchen that connected to the lounge room which had a fireplace and a large mat, and lounge. There were 2 rooms, which was convenient for Burt and Kurt, each with a small digital tv and Kurt’s new room had a window with lace curtains.

“This is actually bigger than our place,” Burt said and Kurt nodded in agreement. “It’s really well put together, except for that floor colour, that was a disaster,”

They checked out the kitchen then and opened the fridge. It was filled with a foul smell. There were flies in it and dirt. Clearly, the power must have gone off at some point and his dad’s brother had left a rotten cheese that created the smell.

“Oh bugger,” Burt swore as Kurt held his breath.

The two looked at each other.

“I think we better get this cleaned if we want to be able to stand living here for 6 days,”

Kurt nodded in agreement. They found some gloves, scrapers. Kurt changed his clothes immediately and put a peg on his nose. Burt wore a cloth to cover his face like a mask and they scrubbed the fridge for 2 hours. Kurt used soap, bicarbonate soda, vinegar and lemon to get rid of the smell. Rubbing and scrubbing and getting nails dirty was not his idea of fun, but it was necessary if they wanted to even be able to eat. The flies were gone now that the food and dirt was out of there. It was just getting rid of that foul smell. The vinegar did wonders though and the detergent did good too.

By the time the fridge was able to be used. Burt called a guy in to help fix the power and the place was up and running within an hour.

They had lunch in a local café within a 30 minute drive and then decided to play scrabble when they got back.

After Kurt won at Scrabble. Burt turned on the football and Kurt decided it was time to sort out his clothes and school work. When that was done he got his Ipod out. “Dad, is it okay If I go for a walk, do you need me for anything?”

“Nah, just don’t get lost. You don’t know the area yet, so take your mobile incase okay?”

“Sure dad,”

“Alright, and becareful of strangers,”

“Dad I’m not 6!”

“I know I know! Alright,  be back by dinnertime,”

Kurt laughed then rolling his eyes he gave his dad a hug “I’ll be back soon, enjoy the game,”

“Yeah yeah…”

Kurt got outside and took a deep breathe of air. He could hear the birds singing. It was nice.  He didn’t even care that his legs was aching from sitting in the car for 4 hours.

After walking for 10 minutes he heard something and thought it was just his imagination. He took his earpiece out to listen closely, but for sure it was the strumming of a guitar and he frowned. They didn’t have neighbours here. Who could be strumming?

The strumming stopped after he got closer though. Deciding that was creepy, Kurt figured it was time for him to get back.

He didn’t want to be confronted by ghost.

He told Burt what happened who just laughed “I think you watch too many horror movies or you have one heck of an imagination,”

“It just creeped me out,” Kurt added.

“It’d creep me out too I guess, anything else happened?” Burt asked as Kurt shook his head.

They decided to eat toast for dinner, being full from lunch and too tired to cook and they both went to bed early that night. “Don’t forget you got your schoolwork to do tomorrow, and then I’ll let you have a break at lunchtime okay?”

“Okay,” Kurt agreed.

The next day Burt was working around the house. The fence needed fixing so while he was doing that, Kurt was doing his homework. At 11am he heard the strumming of a guitar again and stopped.

It was definitely the sound of a guitar. He looked outside his window heart pounding from being frightened by the sudden music when he knew they shouldn’t have anyone on their property.

There was no one out there.

Kurt continued working but then there was singing.

“I feel like a loser…”

Kurt froze as he listened.

“I feel like I’m lost…”

Kurt was sure he hadn’t heard this song before.

“I feel like I’m not sure if I feel anything at all…”

The strumming stopped for a while, there was a heavy sigh from the voice that had been singing like an angel and then there was no more.

Kurt put his pen down and went out the front to see who it had been.

All he could see was trees. It sort of freaked him out, knowing there was someone out there. The singing was very close, it had to be right outside, or even inside which creeped him out even more.

He glanced at his father who was still mending the fence but had earmuffs on so obviously wouldn’t have heard the singing.

Kurt thought about it for a moment and then realised what he could do.

He thought of what had been sung and tried to remember the lyrics.

He began singing “I feel like a loser….I feel like I’m loss, I feel like I’m not sure I feel anything at all,”

There was silence for 5 minutes.

Kurt at first thought he had imagined it again but then the voice was back, again he glanced outside his window and no one was there.

“But believe me…” the voice was back and Kurt stopped his pen holding his breathe. “I’m not helpless…I just need someone to love…so my situation’s rough…”

Kurt decided to finish it for the strange voice from nowhere. “But that just makes me a dumb human…”

Ever so slightly the voice continued “Like you…”

“You have a nice voice,” Kurt decided to say. “My name’s Kurt,”

Ever so quietly he heard a voice behind him making him jump. “I’m Blaine…”

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