Appearances 56

If the idea of two men loving each other and expressing that love in a sexual manner offends you, then you have clearly come to the wrong place. Feel free to leave.

-56-

After my call to Philip, I hurried home in record time. As soon as I walked in the door, I located both Steve and Grace, and asked them to join Philip and me in the sun room with Gran. When everyone was present, I said, “I got a call from the Clinic in Boston just before lunch.”

“And?” Philip said.

“Twin boys were delivered prematurely around midmorning. One of them is underweight, but otherwise okay, but the other one was stillborn.”

“Oh, Charles,” Gran said. “How sad. I’m so sorry.”

“I know,” I said, “but we have to go to Boston, and deal with it. The question is, will you and Steve be okay while we are gone?”

“You know we will,” Gran said. “Grace has the babies in hand, and Steve and I will look out for each other.”

“Good,” I said, looking at my watch. “I have just enough time for a quick shower and a change of clothes.”

“Do I need to call a hotel?” Philip said.

“Rosemary took care of that when she booked our flight. I thought about staying with William and Henry, but decided that we might prefer to be alone until we assess the situation, and decide how long we need to stay in Boston.”

“Grace,” I said, “we need to start thinking about rearranging things upstairs.”

“Mark and Steven are sleeping though the night, now,” she said. “Maybe we should move them to another room, so the new baby won’t disturb them.”

“Good idea,” I said. “When we get back, we’ll move the two of them into the bedroom next to yours.”

“We will also need to talk about your salary, and/or some more help for you,” Philip said.

Philip followed me upstairs, and double checked our overnight bags, as well as the contents of the travel cases for our laptops, while I showered and changed. Steve was waiting for us in the foyer when we came downstairs, bags in hand, and Gran was seated in a chair nearby.

We each gave Gran a hug, and I said, “We’ll be at the Ritz-Carlton. If you can’t reach us there, or by cell phone, call Rosemary. She and I will be in more or less constant contact.”

Philip and I got into the back seat of the Jag. As we headed for the Airport with Steve at the wheel, I said, “It’s kind of nice to have our own chauffeur, isn’t it?”

“True,” Philip said. “Maybe we should get him a uniform.”

I was sitting behind the driver, and noted the grin on Steve’s face, reflected in the rear-view mirror.

“Steve,” I said, “Would you like me to call Mason and ask if Roger can keep you company while we’re gone?”

“Sure,” Steve said, “That would be cool.”

“I don’t know for sure if we’ll be back in time to fill our slots at the Car Wash, this weekend, so you might want to have substitutes standing by,” I said.

“I’ll handle it,” Steve said.

“I’m sure you will,” I said.

By this time, we both had Mason’s private number in our cell phone directories, so I made the call, and spoke to Mason. When I had ended the call, I said, “Okay, kiddo, you’ve got a roommate for the next few nights. You can use the car to drive the two of you to school while we are gone.”

“Thanks,” Steve said

“Do you have enough cash for the rest of the week,” Philip asked.

“I’m okay,” Steve said. “Roger and I usually get paid on the spot for the yard work, and we did two large jobs yesterday, and three more today.”

Steve dropped us off at the Airport, and promised to call as soon as he got home safely.

We checked our bags at the curb, and began the tedious process of going through security. For once, the lines were moving rapidly, and we wound up in the Delta Crown Room with nearly an hour in which to relax.

When we were settled in a corner sofa, glasses of wine in hand, Philip said, “How are you holding up?”

“I’m okay. It’s a very sad situation, of course, but I’m not going to get all angst ridden.”

“You’ll have to make some arrangements,” he said. “Have you thought about that?”

“Been there, done that. I called the Funeral Director who handled Robert’s funeral, and left it to Rosemary to handle the details. I’m going to have the baby buried next to Robert, and name him after Robert.”

“That’s sweet.”

“I haven’t thought about the rest of it. It seems a bit much to have a funeral mass for a baby that never lived, and I honestly don’t know what is customary.”

“Perhaps just a simple grave side ceremony would be adequate.”

“That sounds good.”

“Anything else happening, that I ought to know about?” Philip asked.

“Not really,” I said. “I did get a call from the Headmaster of Exeter today.”

“Indeed?”

“Yes, it seems that all the publicity over the weekend has resulted in a much larger than usual volume of inquiries about the school.”

“I take it he was pleased?”

“Ecstatic would be a more apt description.”

I leaned back in the sofa, and closed my eyes. “This is the longest I have sat quietly in one place, all day.”.

“Rough day?”

“Hectic.”

“Are we expected at the Clinic tonight?”

“First thing in the morning.”

“Good, then you can get a good night’s sleep.”

“You know what would be even better?”

“What?”

“A full body massage, followed by sex, followed by a good night’s sleep.”

Philip booted up his laptop, and found several massage listings for Boston. The second therapist he telephoned was available, and agreed to be at the Ritz-Carlton later that evening.

“I’m glad we did that,” I said. “We sort of got out of the habit after my convalescence, and I’ve missed the regular massages.”

“You know, babe,” I said, “there’s something else we need to talk about.”

“What?”

“Mark and Steven are walking, now, and we can’t keep them confined to the nursery all the time. Sooner or later, they’ll figure out how to climb out of their cribs, and from there, it won’t be too long before they figure out how to circumvent those child-proof doorknobs.”

“I know that. What are you driving at?”

“We need to figure out some way to child-proof the upstairs. That is, some way to keep toddlers from falling down the stairs.”

“Well,” Philip said, “they make all kinds of barriers and gates.”

“True, but if we put a gate across the head of the stairs, how will Lancelot get outside?”

“Oh. I hadn’t thought about that.”

“We could designate one or two of the bedrooms in Gran’s wing as guest rooms. Then we could knock out a wall between two rooms in the other wing and make a large playroom out of them.”

“I like it,” Philip said.

“I just thought of something else,” I said.

“What?”

“I don’t know if you have been up there, but there is a huge unfinished attic running the length of the house. It would make one heck of a play area for little boys.”

“I like that even better,” Philip said. “It sounds like there would be room for a train table, and all kinds of things.”

“That’s what we’ll do, then. Of course, we will have to widen the stairs to the attic, as they are kind of narrow.”

“Why?”

“So we can install one of those chair lifts for Gran. You know how much she enjoys the kids, and it wouldn’t be right to effectively deny her access to them.”

“Works for me,” Philip said.

Steve called to say that he had gotten home safely, and a few minutes later, the Crown Room attendant told us it was time to go to the gate for boarding. We arrived in Boston without delay, and were settled in our hotel room with just enough time to grab a light snack before our massage appointment.

Marco, the therapist, was both good-looking, and well built. I undressed and climbed on the table, while Philip retired to the living room of our suite, to read the local papers. An hour later, he looked into the bedroom, just as I was heading to the shower.

Marco motioned Philip to the table. “Next,” he said.

Later, we were both totally relaxed, and in a slight state of euphoria. Marco had amazing hands. After we had consumed our room service dinner, and the better part of a bottle of Bordeaux, we were naked in the middle of the huge bed. We were so comfortable and relaxed we skipped the sex, said ‘I love you’ to each other, and drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, we were at the Clinic just before nine, waiting to see Dr. Stephens. We were ushered into his office promptly at nine.

He greeted us, and launched into a lengthy explanation of what he felt had gone wrong with the pregnancy, but the bottom line was that I had a healthy, but underweight, son, and a stillborn one.

“How long will he have to stay in the incubator?” I asked.

“A a week or ten days, I should think,” Dr. Stephens said. “He can be released as soon as he gains some weight.”

“May we see him?”

“Of course,” Dr. Stephens said, “Follow me.”

“He led us down the hallway to a room which held a variety of medical equipment, including, two incubators.”

We stood in front of the machine, looking at the incredibly tiny body inside of it.

“My God,” I said, “He is so tiny.”

“A little over half the weight of a full-term baby,” the Dr. said.

“And everything else is okay?”

“Yes, it’s just the weight that is a problem. We have thoroughly tested him over the last twenty-four hours, and there are no other identifiable problems.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes, I am. Premature twins are regularly born in this weight range, with no problems. Once they attain normal birth weight, they progress like any other infant, and catch up very quickly.”

“There is no possibility of holding and/or interacting with this baby, as we did the other two, is there?” I said.

“Not until he is out of the incubator, and by then, he will be ready to go home.”

“Would there be any possibility of transferring him to Atlanta by air, so that we can be close by?” I said.

“It’s unusual,” the Doctor said, “but neither impossible nor, for that matter, contraindicated. As long as he stays in an incubator, even on the plane, I don’t see a problem.”

“We will have a plane, complete with the necessary equipment and a qualified Pediatric Nurse, here in Boston by tomorrow morning,” I said.

We went back to the office, completed the paperwork, and I wrote a check. When we were back in the Hotel, I opened my cell phone, and began to make calls.

When I had completed my calls to Atlanta, I called Dr. Stephens, and told him that a private jet, complete with portable Incubator, and qualified medical personnel would be arriving in the morning. Thank God, I thought, for extremely grateful clients.

Then I made a call to the local mortuary people, to arrange for the body of the other twin to be transported to the airport as well.

After all of the necessary arrangements had been made, I called Gran, and brought her up to date. Then we took a nap, followed by an intense session of lovemaking. Earlier, we had called William and Henry, and arranged to go to dinner with them that evening.

The cousins were slightly miffed that we had not opted to stay with them. I told them that had our stay extended beyond two nights, we would have called them, and they accepted my apology.

We went to Mama Leone’s, of course, and had the usual wonderful meal. Mama Leone was ecstatic in her praise of the pictures I showed her of the two boys.

While we consumed several courses of wonderful Italian cuisine, William and Henry brought us up to date on themselves, and we reciprocated. On the way back to the Hotel, we promised faithfully, to stay with the cousins on our next visit to Boston.

The next morning, we were waiting at the airport, when the plane arrived. Dr. Frank Edwards, one of Bill Butcher’s young associates exited the plane, followed by both John and Joe, who were in uniform, and were carrying a portable incubator between them.

We had arranged for an Ambulance to transport us to the Clinic. Frank examined the medical records, and then the baby, and pronounced him fit to travel. John and Joe transferred him to the portable incubator, and the Ambulance took us back to the airport.

While we had been at the Clinic, the local Funeral Home had delivered a tiny box containing the other twin, and it had been carefully stowed away in the cargo hold of the plane. The Funeral Home in Atlanta was to take delivery of the body after we had deplaned.

All of the necessary arrangements had been made, and when we landed in Marietta, an Ambulance was waiting to take the patient to a Pediatric Hospital. The medical team followed the ambulance. A car from the Funeral Home was also waiting to take charge of the tiny body in the cargo area.

Steve pulled up, just as we were stepping out of the plane. Roger had come along, and on the trip to the house, the boys brought us up to date on events in Atlanta.

The boys reported that the entire team was still excited about the Car Wash project. Several of their teammates had brothers who felt they were missing all the fun, and wanted to participate. The Committee had agreed, but had limited the extended participation to boys aged fourteen and older. They had set a goal of six hundred cars for the coming weekend, and were adding a wax and polish service to the menu.

The boys were also excited about their business. They were working from dawn to dusk every day, and earning very good money for their effort. They were also becoming deeply tanned in the process.

We had a quick lunch at the house, and I headed downtown to the office.

That evening, we had the gang over to dinner so that we could bring everyone up to date. Before we had finished dinner, Richard asked the question that we had been waiting for someone to ask.

“What are you going to name this one?” he said.

“This one will be christened Richard Bruce,” I said, “and Philip’s new heir, when he arrives, will be John Joseph. To avoid confusion, we’ll probably call them R. B. and J. J.”

The guys were all genuinely touched, and said so.

“What’s the latest word from the Hospital?” Bruce said.

“Everything is fine,” I said. “Your namesake can come home just as soon as he gains a little weight. I stopped by the Hospital on the way home from work, and things are well in hand.”

“I just remembered something,” Philip said.

“What?”

“We need to buy new furniture for Mark and Steven, so their furniture can stay in the nursery. We also need to set up monitors in their new bedroom.”

“Handle it, babe,” I said.

Thursday evening, Roger and his dad came over, because the boys had requested a meeting with us. We went upstairs to the study, and settled down.

“Okay, guys,” I said, “what’s on your mind.”

“As you know,” Roger said, “business is going great. We have so many referrals from satisfied customers that we’re going to have to hire some help.”

“But?” Mason said.

“We need to buy some equipment,” Steve said. “We have the riding mowers that you and Uncle Philip let us have, but it’s just not enough, and it takes a long time to get them from one customer to the next. A lot of our customers don’t have any equipment of their own, so we have to provide everything.”

“Actually,” Roger said, “we want to purchase a used pickup truck, a trailer, a couple of used mowers that have a wider cutting diameter, along with edgers, hedge trimmers, and leaf blowers.”

“We have a list of what we need, and what it will cost, and we were hoping you guys might consider lending us the money,” Steve said.

“You know we’ll pay it back as quickly as possible, out of our earnings,” Roger said.

We studied the paperwork the boys had given us.

“You’ve certainly been thorough,” Mason said. “You’ve even figured in the cost of insurance for the truck, along with everything else.”

“Yes sir,” Steve said. “We tried to think of everything.”

“Also,” Roger said, “we’re thinking about offering actual landscaping services to plant flowers and shrubs for our customers as needed.”

“Right,” Steve said. “We’ve located a small mom and pop nursery out in the country that will sell plants to us wholesale.”

“I see that you have income projections, based upon your current contracts,” Philip said.

“Steve, why don’t you take Roger downstairs and check out the supply of ice cream in the freezer, while we talk about this,” I said.

When the boys had gone downstairs, I said, “what do you guys think about this?”

“I think the two of them are very serious,” Mason said. “Serious enough to put together a thorough presentation.”

“They are both hard workers,” Philip said. “However, I have one thought about their list.”

“What?” I said.

“I think it would be better if they were to buy new equipment, rather than used,” he said. “New equipment will last longer, and require less maintenance than used.”

“Even the truck?” I said.

“Not new, but perhaps a year-old model with low mileage - one that would still be under warranty,” he said.

“I like it,” Mason said, “and that won’t increase the capital outlay by too much.”

“We need to make it clear that the truck might have to replace their urge to purchase used cars,” I said. “At least this year.”

“Why do they need two vehicles anyway?” Philip said. “They are virtually inseparable. As far as I know, it has been weeks since either of them went anywhere without the other.”

“Not to mention they don’t have much free time anyhow,” Mason said.

“If they hire help, we need to help them get some kind of workman’s compensation insurance,” I said.

“Just for doing lawns?” Philip said.

“This is your attorney talking,” I said. “Think about it - two boys, hiring other boys to operate equipment that can, if carelessly used, cause injury. Even if they are careful, accidents happen. As their guardian and parent, respectively, you and Mason would be held liable for any accident that happened.”

“Since you put it that way,” Mason said, “I concur.”

Philip and Mason agreed to split the investment, each providing half, and we outlined an interest free repayment schedule that was well within the boys’ budget.

I went to the intercom, and called the kitchen. When Steve answered, I told him that we were ready to talk about the proposal. “Bring three dishes of ice cream with you,” I said.

“What flavor?”

“One each of three different flavors,” I said, “We’ll figure out who gets what when you get here.”

The boys came back upstairs, carrying a tray with three dishes of ice cream for us. When they were settled on a sofa, we laid it out for them. They were a little overwhelmed at what we proposed, and didn’t understand the need for insurance at all.

“Guys,” I said, “you’re under eighteen. That makes your parents or guardians responsible for anything you do. If you hire someone to work for you, and he gets hurt, Mason and Philip will be held responsible. Trust me on this, I sue and defend people every day. The fact that both families are well-to-do makes them that much more vulnerable.”

“As for buying new instead of used equipment,” Mason said, “you won’t have so much down time with repairs. You’ll still have everything but the truck paid for by the end of summer.”

The boys agreed to our terms, and I went to the computer and quickly drafted a contract, which eveyone signed. R and S Landscaping and Lawn Maintenance became a reality, at least on paper.

We returned to our normal schedule. I stopped by the Hospital on the way to and from work every day, and Philip handled the task of getting the nursery and new bedroom ready.

He also took the boys shopping, and helped them locate a low mileage Ranger pickup that was a little more than a year old. It came with an extended cab, and an extended warranty. I had insisted that they fulfill the legal requirements to obtain a fictitious name, and Philip helped them open a checking account in the name of the business. He also saw to it that they obtained the necessary City and County Occupational Licenses.

Philip also purchased another copy of the accounting software that he used to track his projects, and installed it on Steve’s computer. He then set up a set of books for the boys’ business, and showed them how to record their income and expenses.

Once they had a small trailer with a ramp at the rear, they were able to quickly haul their gear anywhere, as needed. The two of them began working like Trojans, and they acquired four helpers, so that they could accommodate all of their customers. The little truck was washed, waxed, and maintained rigorously.

Steve and Roger allowed their helpers to do the lawn maintenance on the weekends, so that they could continue to participate in the Car Wash project. As good managers, they always checked behind their helpers, to ensure that all jobs were up to their standards.

The Car Wash resumed Friday morning, with the twelve team members and eight of their siblings hard at work, washing cars. By the time the Mall closed Sunday evening, they had surpassed their goal of washing six hundred cars. In addition, they had polished over fifty vehicles.

There had also been incidents, when one woman, and two men, had wanted to tuck tips inside one of the boys’ Speedos. The boys handled themselves well in each instance, and the parents on duty stepped in and quietly steered the customers away, to defuse the situation. The Committee decided that, in the future, the actual washing and waxing of the cars would take place in a roped off area, to minimize unnecessary contact.

That Sunday afternoon we had a very private grave side service, and little Robert was interred next to big Robert.

On Tuesday, we learned that a High School swim team in one of the outlying Counties had run its own Speedos Car Wash over the weekend, and the Committee held an emergency meeting to discuss their options.

“When you succeed at something,” I said, “you’ve got to expect to be copied.”

The boys decided to make a new banner, which proclaimed that they were the Original Speedos Car Wash.

Wednesday afternoon, Philip and I went to the Pediatric Hospital, and brought Richard Bruce Barnett home. We had increased Grace’s salary, to compensate for her additional duties and responsibilities. In addition, we had engaged a young woman to help her on a part time basis.

R. B., as we were calling him, was still a couple of pounds shy of what would be considered normal birth weight, but he was otherwise healthy and normal in every respect.

Philip and I had yet to visit either the beach house or the keep this summer, and with all that was going on in our lives, we decided to postpone both, and take a week or ten days off in early September, after school was back in session. We had, however, arranged for the gang to use the beach house a couple of times.

The team had extended the Car Wash to a four-day event, for the Fourth of July weekend. As that weekend concluded with the Peachtree Road Race, which began at Lenox Square, there were thousands of people on hand, and business was better than ever.

The four day weekend was so successful that the Committee decided to extend the Car Wash hours for the rest of the summer to Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Two or three of the team members’ families had planned to take their sons on vacation over the summer, so the committee worked out a schedule that would permit two boys to take off each weekend. A few of the boys took advantage of that, but most of them were having so much fun with the Car Wash that they persuaded their parents to leave them behind with friends, while the rest of the family was away.

On the Tuesday after the Fourth of July weekend, Philip and I were in the study, catching up on our respective days.

“Guess who I got a call from today,” he said.

“I give up.”

“My brother Jack called to tell me that he will be in Atlanta on business tomorrow and Thursday, and would like to come see us.”

“He is your oldest sibling, isn’t he?”

“Yes he is. Jack is fifteen years older than me.”

“Has he visited you before?” I said.

“This is a first,” he said. “I suspect he is checking up on the situation with Steve.”

“So,” I said, “what did you do?”

“I invited him to spend the weekend, of course.”

“Good for you,” I said.

Jack d’Autremont arrived at the house about two minutes after I got home on Wednesday. In fact, I had just gotten out of my car, when I saw a strange car coming up the driveway. It pulled up beside mine, and the driver got out. I saw the family resemblance immediately. Jack was an older, slightly heavier, version of Philip. I introduced myself, and he followed me into the house, and upstairs to the study.

Philip got up from his chair, when he saw us.

“Guess who I found loitering around the driveway,” I said.

“He’s certainly more welcome that our last loiterer,” Philip said.

“As you may have heard, our security people caught Steve’s father prowling around the fence some time back,” I explained to Jack.

“Marie told me about that,” Jack said.

Philip and Jack greeted each other warmly enough, but I sensed that there was a bit of distance between them.

“If you guys will excuse me,” I said, “I need to go shower and change.”

I took a long and refreshing shower. When I emerged from the bedroom, Philip was back in the study.

“Where’s Jack?” I said.

“Showering and changing,” he said.

Jack was walking back down the hallway, just as Steve bounded up the stairs. “Do we have company?” Steve said. “There’s a strange car in the driveway.”

Philip pointed, and Steve looked to his right and saw our visitor.

“Uncle Jack,” he said, and he gave his Uncle a big hug.

Steve was dirty and sweaty, and said, “Excuse me, but Roger and I have been doing lawns all day, and I need a shower.”

He scooted down the hall to his room without waiting for permission.

I laughed, “He’s been working hard all day, and still has energy,” I said.

“He and his friend Roger have just about cornered the market on lawn and grounds maintenance in the area,” Philip said.

“The two of them are turning into little businessmen,” I said, “They’ve already had to hire employees to help them.”

“Good for them,” Jack said.

We gave Jack the fifty-cent tour of the house, winding up at the pool. Steve caught up with us as we were leaving the pool house. Lance, as usual, was following Steve.

“Do I have time to use the pool a while before dinner?” he said. “The shower wasn’t cold enough.”

“Knock yourself out,” Philip said. “If Lancelot jumps in the pool with you, you know the drill.”

“Lots of soap and water to get the chlorine out of his fur, followed by a rubdown with plenty of towels,” he said.

“That’s the one,” I said.

Because we had company, we dinner was served in the dining room. Earlier small talk had revealed that Jack was fond of good wine, so I had selected something special to serve with dinner.

We had a very pleasant evening. Jack had told us that he would be finished with his appointments by mid-afternoon on Thursday, so I came home from the office a few hours early, myself.

When Jack returned from downtown, Philip and I took him over to Lenox to see the Car Wash in progress. Steve spotted us as we drove up, and ran over to the car.

“Are you guys here for a wash?” he said.

“Why should we pay you to do it here, when you do it for free at home?” Philip said.

“Go ahead, Steve,” I said, handing him the keys, “run it through the process. It’s for a good cause.”

Steve retrieved a sheet of clear plastic, and placed it carefully on the driver’s seat. The boys had learned, on the first weekend, that they got a bit too wet to safely move the cars about without protecting the seats. The usual practice was to let the customer pull the car into position, and drive it away, but those customers who merely dropped cars off while shopping, required a different procedure. He drove the car over to the tent, and it was quickly covered in soap.

“They are really having fun with this, aren’t they?” Jack said.

“True,” Philip said, “and you wouldn’t believe how much money they have already raised.”

“It’s refreshing to see kids working for something worthwhile,” Jack said.

Philip introduced Jack to the parents who were on duty, and we stood, watching the activity for a while. Finally, Steve announced that the car was ready.

As I paid the fee, I said, “The gang is coming over tonight with pizza, so get home as early as you can.”

“I will,” he said.

“Is Roger coming?” Philip said.

“No, his paternal grandparents are in town, and he has to go out to dinner with his family.”

When we were back in the car and on our way, Jack said, “the gang?”

“Four friends of ours,” Philip said. “Actually two couples. Richard, who has been Charles’ best friend since Junior High School, owns and runs one of the largest Detective Agencies in the area. His partner, Bruce, is in charge of the computer networks for the local District Attorney’s office, and John and Joe are both Registered nurses.”

“They come over almost every Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, depending on their schedules. They usually bring Pizza, and we all use the pool and Jacuzzi,” I said.

“I don’t have a suit,” Jack said.

“No problem,” I said. “We don’t use them.”

“So, brother,” Philip said, “are you man enough to get naked with six gay men and a gay teenager?”

“How could I resist a challenge like that?” Jack said.

We went to the pool house just before seven, and encountered the gang, as they were arriving. Introductions were made, and we were all in the pool in short order. Steve showed up a few minutes later, and did a running cannonball into the water.

Instead of their usual free-form water sports, the guys actually swam laps this time. When we were all in the Jacuzzi, with pizza and cold drinks, I commented on this.

“You guys set a good example,” Bruce said. “Besides, our medical team (he indicated John and Joe) has assured us that swimming is the best aerobic exercise, second only to rowing.”

I sensed that Jack was dying to ask the usual question, so I told him about the ‘pubic hair’ defense and all that followed.

“I took care of Charles in the hospital, while his leg was in a cast. I was just an orderly then, and had to give him a sponge bath.” John said.

“John came home and told me about the shaving thing, and we tried it,” Joe said.

“You have no idea how good it was,” John said.

“Sex is intimate,” Joe said, “but shaving someone’s balls is really intimate.”

“Not to mention the fact that you have to really trust someone to let them close to the family jewels with a razor,” John said.

The gang left after the pizza was exhausted, and we went up to the study. I poured a glass of wine for Philip, Jack, and myself, and handed Steve a coke. We sat for a while, talking about nothing in particular. Then Philip spoke up.

“Okay, Jack,” he said, “have you seen what you came to see.”

“What do you mean?”

“How many times a year does your legal practice bring you to Atlanta?” Philip said.

“Two, sometimes three.”

“I’ve lived in Atlanta for a dozen years. That means that you’ve missed somewhere between twenty and thirty opportunities to drop by,” Philip said. “So, I asked myself, why now?”

“Okay,” Jack said. “You’re right. I wanted to assess the situation with Steve for myself.”

“Did you think that Charles and I had turned Steve into some sort of sex slave?” Philip said.

“That sounds like fun,” Steve said, with a grin.

“Steven Randall Cox,” the words spat out of Philip’s mouth. “That isn’t even remotely amusing.”

“What did I say?” Steve said.

“Just sit there quietly, and think about it while the adults talk,” Philip said.

“So, Jack,” Philip said, “am I on target.”

“I’ll have to admit,” Jack said, “that I have always had a lot of preconceived notions about Gay men, and I wanted to see for myself how things were.”

“And how were they?” Philip said.

“Exactly as Marie described them to me,” Jack said.

“And how was that?” Philip said.

“I see a teenager who is happier, and more at ease than I have ever known him to be,” Jack said, “and two men who look at each other in a way that would put most married couples to shame. I saw the same thing in your friends, earlier this evening.”

Philip turned to his nephew, and said, “Steve, do you have any idea how serious what you said could have been, if you said it in front of the wrong people?”

“No sir,” Steve said.

“Let me do this,” Jack said.

“Steve, right here in Atlanta there are thousands of people, who, if they had heard you say that, would not have taken it as a joke,” Jack said. “Most likely, the authorities would have been called, and you would have been removed from this house by force within a day or so, and turned over to the juvenile authorities.”

“You’re kidding,” Steve said.

“No, I’m not,” Jack said. “And it wouldn’t stop with you. The three babies in this house would very likely have been taken away as well. Charles and Philip would surely have gotten them, and you, back, but it would have been one hell of a mess.”

“I’m sorry,” Steve said.

“Learn from it,” Philip said. “There are some things that you simply cannot joke about, at least when you don’t know who might be listening.”

“Steve,” I said, “All the Fundamentalist preachers in town believe gay men are sexual predators, as do most of their congregations. They would automatically assume that what you joked about was actually happening. You have no idea how deeply the hatred runs.”

The point having been made, I decided to change the subject.

“Jack, can you bring us up to date on your brother-in-law’s trial?” I said.

“There’s not a lot to tell, at this point,” Jack said. “The trial is set for early October.”

“The local Assistant Prosecutor told me that the Judge is strictly no-nonsense,” I said.

“We know all about ‘hanging’ Hannah, even down in Alexandria,” Jack said. “There is no way that Frank will get out of this, especially if Steve is able to testify.”

“Are you ready for that, Steve?” I said.

“Yes I am,” he said. “Anything to keep the bastard behind bars.”

“Good for you,” Philip said.

Roger spent Friday and Saturday nights with us, and after dinner on Friday, the two boys drove Jack out to see the school campus. Before he left for the airport Sunday morning, Jack told Philip and me privately that after having observed the two boys together, he thought they were good for each other.

In mid-July, we got another call from Boston, and Philip and I flew up the next day. We stayed with William and Henry, and carried John Joseph home with us two days later.

A week or so after that, we were sitting in the upstairs study, listening to music, and generally relaxing, when Steve and Roger came into the room.

Steve said, “I’ve never heard you guys listening to modern music before.”

“It’s not modern, kiddo,” I said. “Not even close.”

“It sure sounds modern, almost like Jazz, Roger said.”

“Want to bet?” I said.

“Oh no,” Steve said, “We know better than to bet with you guys.”

“Go over to the sound system controls,” I said. “The current album is on top of the CD Changer.”

Steve did as instructed, and inspected the label on the Album.

“Glenn Gould, playing Bach Partitas,” he read out loud.

“Right you are,” I said, “that music was written over three hundred years ago.”

“But it’s so modern sounding,” Roger said.

“The man was a genius, and way ahead of his time. What can I say?” I said.

The boys sat down on a sofa next to us, and I used the remote to turn the volume down a bit.

“Guys,” Philip said, “there is a whole world out there of really satisfying and exciting music. Music to which you haven’t even begun to be exposed.”

“True,” I added, “I guess we need to expand your horizons a bit.”

“We’ll have to take them to the Symphony with us a few times this season,” Philip said.

I decided that the time was ripe for a serious discussion of another matter.

“Steve,” I said, “I need to ask you and Roger something.”

“What?”

“Are the two of you actually ‘boyfriends,’ or just fooling around?”

There was a long moment or three of silence.

Finally, Roger said, “Yes to the last thing, and we’re not sure about the first part.” Steve nodded in agreement.

“Why do you ask?” Steve said.

“We have been wondering, and for that matter, so has Mason,” I said.

“My Dad has been wondering about Steve and me?” Roger said.

“He asked us some time back, if we thought that the two of you were fooling around,” I said.

“We told him we didn’t know, but wouldn’t be surprised,” Philip said.

“Roger,” I said, “your folks have already pretty much figured you out, and while they don’t think it is the most wonderful thing in the world, they are dealing with it, and they aren’t going to give you any grief.”

“Wow,” Roger said, “this is too much. I had been worried sick that they would find out, and you’re telling me that they know.”

“That’s about the size of it,” I said. “All they lack is confirmation.”

“The bottom line here,” Philip said, “is that you can talk to them, when and if you want to.”

“You do realize,” I said, “that at least half of your teammates are gay.”

“We suspected that,” Steve said, “but nobody talks about it.”

“There is no need to go around blabbing about private things,” Philip said. “The point of it is, that the two of you are not alone, and there are people to whom you can turn, should the need arise.”

“The two of us, for example,” I said, “and Roger’s parents, as well.”

“On the other hand,” Philip said, “I wouldn’t exactly recommend going to any of your friends and making any announcements, unless you are very sure how that announcement will be received. What you do behind closed doors is nobody’s business.”

“Anyhow,” Philip said, “Charles and I will tell both of you the same thing we told Steve, early on. Don’t ever let anyone talk you into doing anything that makes you uncomfortable, and don’t ever practice ‘unsafe’ sex.”

“Do you guys practice ‘unsafe’ sex?” Roger asked. “I can’t believe I said that,” he quickly added.

“Yes we do,” I said, “but we did not do so until we knew for certain that we were in a committed, monogamous, and long-term relationship, and even then not until we had been tested for HIV a couple of times.”

“In point of fact,” Philip said, “there’s really no such thing as ‘safe’ sex. Some activity, however, is significantly safer than others. Oral sex, for example, is generally believed to be fairly, but not one hundred percent ‘safe.’ Anal sex, on the other hand, is definitely not ‘safe.’”

“The awful reality today is, that when you have sex with someone, you are not only having sex with them, but with everyone with whom they might have had sex for the past ten years,” I said. “That’s how long the HIV virus can lurk in the human body without manifesting itself.”

“That’s scary,” Steve said.

“Indeed it is,” I said, “You won’t believe how many fools there are, straight and gay, who truly believe that it can’t happen to them, or that doing it once won’t matter.”

“I can’t believe we’re having this conversation,” Roger said.

“I told you we could talk to them about anything,” Steve said.

“I know, but I guess I didn’t really believe it.”

“Believe it,” Philip said.

Somehow, the subject got changed, and the boys said goodnight, and retired to Steve’s room.

We turned off the music, and went first to Steven and Mark’s room, and then to the nursery. “It’s hard to believe,” Philip said, looking at the two newest arrivals, “that we have four children.”

“That was the plan.”

“I know,” he said, “but the reality is so much more ‘real’ than the plan.”

We went to our bedroom, and after we were in bed, I said, “you know, babe, the Clinic has enough semen left from each of us to produce at least one more baby.”

“I think we have to give that some thought,” he said, “but not right now.”

“Works for me,” I said, and I snuggled up against him.

We had a Christening Ceremony for the two new arrivals in late July, followed by a gathering at the house for family and friends. The gang had, of course, once again been named as Godparents.

Andrew and Emily were in town on this occasion, and we spent some time catching up. Although he and I had managed to have an occasional telephone conversation, they had been few and far between, such was their travel schedule. Emily was still somewhat wound up over the traveling she still wanted to do, but I got the impression that Andrew was ready to stay home for a while.

July and August passed, and the team had their final car wash over the Labor Day weekend. They shut things down around six o’clock Monday, and we hosted a final party for the project the following Saturday afternoon.

The group’s treasurer read the final report. The team had averaged almost a thousand cars each weekend for thirteen weeks. Along with the wax and polish services, they had raised well over $100,000.

The weather had played a large part in their success, as it had only rained on two or three of their car wash days. Each time, the rainfall was brief enough that it did not force them to shut down.

The group voted to donate $50,000 to the children’s cancer center, and after the new steam room was completed, any remaining funds were to be used to fund as many scholarships for promising swimmers as possible.

We held a highly public ceremony at the school, where the entire swim team, and their siblings, all proudly wearing their Speedos, complete with caps and goggles, presented a huge (it was one of those blown up checks, large enough for the cameras to record), check to the Chairman of the Hospital Board.

The media loved, and ran with it. Fortunately, there were no national or international incidents that weekend, and the team, and for that matter, the school, were all over the news.

Mason reported that the Mall officials had been doing some random surveying of people visiting the Mall during the weekends of the Car Wash, and had noted a significant number of shoppers who made it clear that they were only there because of the Car Wash. Participation by the Mall next summer was thus assured.

Steve and Roger began their Junior year at Exeter, and I attended my first Board meeting, just before Philip and I went on vacation. Enrollment was up by ten percent, and the Headmaster was effusive in his appreciation of the team’s efforts.

Philip and I spent a few days at the beach house, followed by a few more days at the keep, and we returned to Atlanta well rested, and up to any challenge.

The next big challenge, of course, was to be Steve’s testimony at his father’s trial. It was set for the first Monday in October, and both Philip and I were planning to be at Steve’s side, to lend him support.

-To be continued-

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Your feedback, as always, is appreciated, be it good, bad, or indifferent.

Etienne.Reynard@Comcast.net

My stories may be found on the following site:

http://tickiestories.us/Etienne_m.htm

My thanks as always to the tireless Rockhunter for editing the last few chapters.

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