We arrived
home minus one of our sons, having left David at school in Utah. During our trip home, I kept looking for him,
only to remind myself he was at college.
I missed him so much! Yet, I was
so proud of him. It had been only a few
weeks since he had refused to deliver a plate of cookies to some friends. His fear had paralyzed him. He couldn’t get out of the car and make
himself walk up to the front door to hand the cookies them. I had called them ahead of time, so they knew
we were coming and let David talk them on the phone. The cookie delivery had been David’s
idea. He wanted to do it to work on his
fear of doing things by himself. He had
managed to deliver cookies to two of the five families we were scheduled to
visit that day. Rick and I had done everything
in our power to make it easier for him to be away from home; but, I still
worried we hadn’t done enough.
His
roommates were kids with similar interests and he seemed to be comfortable with
them, especially Joel. Joel shared a
room with David and was gay. David had
bonded with Joel immediately. Last
night, David told me to stop worrying about him. He informed me he and Joel were boyfriends,
now; and we’re sharing a bed. I was
happy for him, but I couldn’t help worrying about him! David had broken up with his longtime
boyfriend, Markley, when he had informed him he was going to West Point. Markley made it clear he didn’t want a long
distance relationship, since Markley would be living in New York and David in
Utah. David had been devastated.
I could
still hear David’s words ringing in my ears, when I mentioned Joel might just
be a rebound guy:
“Daddy, I’m
an adult and can make up my own mind about my relationships with other guys.”
“I’m sorry,
David. I just worry about you,” I said.
He said, “I
know, Daddy; but you need to let me make my own decisions about who I love.”
“Okay. Did you contact the school about your special
needs?” I asked, changing the subject.
David
assured me, “Yes, talked to them about getting help, if I need it. May I remind you that you and Dad got me every
possible device there is to take notes, organize my assignments and just about
everything else. I don’t need more
gadgets, Daddy. If I need help, Joel can
assist me.”
“Okay. We love you,” I said.
“I know and I
love you, too,” he said, and ended the call.
After my conversation with David, I had called
Mark, one of our friends from our time at the University of Minnesota, and he
advised me to relax. Sending me a quote
from Khalil Gibran about children:
“…Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you…”
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you…”
Mark
and I had a long talk, leaving me feeling better about learning to let go. You would think I had already learned that
life lesson, when Kyle left us to study in Brazil. Thankfully, Rick understood my anxiety over
David! I knew Kyle would be fine no
matter where in the world he travelled.
With his confidence and charm, I had no doubt Kyle would be successful
at whatever task he put his hand to do.
With David, I felt a strong protective urge, from the first day we
met. That protective instinct only grew
stronger over the intervening years.
As Rick
pulled into our driveway and turned off the engine, he looked over at me and
said, “Stop worrying about David. We’re
all guilty of being over-protective of him; but now, we need to let him go so
he can grow in his own space. We can’t
protect him from the world forever.”
I met Rick’s
gaze and smiled. “I know you’re right;
but that doesn’t stop me from wishing I could always be there for him. I still remember how he clung to me when Mrs.
Evans from Child Protective Service (CPS) brought him to our home.”
“I remember
Kyle and Ashley climbed on your lap, wrapping their arms around you and David
that day,” Rick said. He leaned over to
kiss me lightly on the lips. “Babe, we’re
still here for him. It’s just now he’s
over 2,000 miles (3200 km.) away,” Rick said.
I nodded my
head. “I know, but I still miss him.”
Ashley said,
“I miss him, too. Now it’s just me and
the twins.”
I looked
over my shoulder at her. “Yes, and that
means we have more time to pay attention to you and the twins.”
Ashley
rolled her eyes. “Just what I need…more
parental attention.”
I laughed
and said, “I know how you feel. I felt
the same way when I was your age.”
Ashley
grinned at me. “Then, you know not to
smother me with fatherly attention.”
I nodded my
head. “I do; but we can still consult
each other on boys and clothes, right?”
She
giggled. “Yes, Daddy, we can still talk
about the good looking boys at school and go shopping for great clothes.” Ashley was our fashionista. She knew how to put clothes together that
looked good on her. She also knew how to
use just the right amount of makeup to highlight her beautiful eyes and high
cheekbones. Ashley had blossomed over
the summer into a drop-dead gorgeous young woman. Everywhere we went, I noticed how the guys
followed her with their eyes. I pointed
it out to Rick, who growled, “They’d better keep their distance from her.”
My mind
returned to the present as Rick opened the door and climbed out of the
mini-van. I joined him and marveled at
how good it felt to finally get out of the car.
Ashley and the twins were just as happy to be home as I was. The twins jumped out the van and rushed to
the door, just as Rick unlocked it. JJ
and Josh pushed past him and ran throughout the house, before returning to me
and Rick. I laughed as my ten-year old
twins hugged us.
Josh said,
“I’m so glad to be home.”
JJ looked up
at us and said, “Everything is still here!”
Rick asked,
“Why wouldn’t it be here?”
JJ
shrugged. “I don’t know, Dad, I’m just
glad everything is where I left it when we left.”
I said, “Uncle
Jeff and Uncle Collin checked on the house while we were gone, sweetheart, so I
don’t know why you were worried.”
JJ shrugged
again. Josh’s excitement was visible on
his face as he said, “Our trains are still in their box. Can we play with them?”
I was
surprised at the request. The twins
hadn’t played with their wooden trains in quite a while. Their current forms of entertainment were all
electronic in nature. All I could figure
out was it had something to do with David moving away from home. David had spent many hours playing with them,
building and designing different configurations with the train tracks.
Rick laughed
and said, “Of course, you can build your trains, but you have to take your
backpacks to your room, first.”
Josh’s face
fell, his disappointment plain to see.
“It won’t take you very long to get your backpacks from the van,” I
said.
JJ took his
twin’s hand and pulled him toward the door.
“Let’s hurry.”
They
disappeared outside as Ashley came inside, hauling her suitcase. “Do you need some help?” Rick asked her.
She shook
her head. “Thanks, Dad, but I got
this.” She passed us and mounted the
stairs to her room. We heard her door
close and lock click into place.
“I guess she
wants some time to herself,” I said, smiling up at my husband.
Rick
agreed. “Yes, and I don’t blame
her. I need some down time, as well.” He leaned forward, giving me a gentle kiss on
the lips. “I’m very glad to be home.”
“I’ll finish
unloading the van. You go upstairs and
get showered. If you want to take a nap,
I’ll wake you in time for dinner,” I said.
Rick smiled at
me, pulling me into his arms. “I have a
better idea. Let’s both unload the car,
then we’ll shower together.”
“Sounds like
a plan,” I responded, kissing him deeply.
He released
me and squeezed my ass as he followed me outside to the mini-van. We made quick work of unloading out
gear. I carried the ice chest to the
kitchen and emptied it, putting away the few perishables we hadn’t eaten during
our 10-hour drive from Nashville, Tennessee.
We covered the 669 miles (1077 km.) to Alexandria, Virginia, with few
stops. It had been a long drive for all
of us.
We stopped
in Knoxville, Tennessee, just long enough to eat lunch and let the twins run
around a bit, before taking them up to the observation deck of the World’s Fair
Sunsphere. I smiled as I remembered
their excitement.
 |
| 1982 World's Fair Sunsphere |
Rick
returned from taking our luggage to our bedroom, coming up behind me and
wrapping his arms around my waist.
Turning my head, I met his lips in a quick kiss. Leaning back into his hard body, I said, “The
ice chest is empty.”
He met my
gaze, giving me a lecherous grin. He
pushed his hardening cock against me, before saying, “I’ll take it out to the
garage, while you get in the shower.
I’ll join you in a few minutes.”
He captured my lips in a passionate kiss, then released me. He grabbed the ice chest, leaving me panting
from his mind-numbing kiss!
I adjusted
myself, before leaving the kitchen. I
climbed the stairs and stopped outside Ashley’s door. I tapped lightly and waited. She opened the door, and I asked, “Will you
keep an eye on the boys for a little while?”
Seeing my
flushed cheeks, she smiled and said, “Of course, Daddy.” She stepped out of her room and headed
downstairs, passing Rick on his way up.
“Thanks for
watching the twins for us, Ashley,” Rick said.
Ashley said,
“No problem, Dad. You know they’re ten, not five. It’s not hard to keep an eye
on them.”
Rick stopped
and turned around to face her. “But who
knows what mischief they’re plotting.”
Ashley
laughed and said, “Yes, they do tend to get into trouble. I feel for whoever will be their teacher this
year.”
“That’s why
we asked the school to split them up this year,” Rick said.
Ashley
laughed. “Mrs. Horner told me she was
sure they would be the death of her.”
“When did
she tell you that?” Rick asked, his eyebrows raised.
“At the 4th
grade graduation party at the pool,” Ashley said, smiling.
“She never
mentioned anything to your Daddy or I,” Rick said, frowning.
“She didn’t
want to upset you, but she said they were little hellions in her class the last
few weeks of the school year,” Ashley said.
She turned and continued down the stairs.
Rick
finished climbing the stairs and met my eyes, and grinned broadly. “You’re not in the shower, Babe.”
“True, but it
won’t take me long to get there,” I said, giving him the same lecherous grin he
had given me earlier.
In no time,
we were both naked and enjoying the cascade of warm water washing over us. Of course, we engaged in our usual shower
activities, leaving us both fully sated and clean.
Rick dried
me off and I returned the favor. Rick
pulled the towel from my hands and lifted me off of my feet, carrying me to our
bed. I barely had time to position
myself, before he drove his long length into me. I gasped with pleasure, as he captured my
lips in a searing kiss, his hands trailing fire everywhere they touched my
skin.
Rick
murmured against my lips, “Are you ready for round two?”
I nodded my
head, then opened my mouth to him as he pushed his tongue past my lips.
Later, we
lay together with our limbs intertwined, enjoying the feel bare skin against
bare skin. “Did you know the twins were
terrorizing Mrs. Horner last year?”
I raised my
head from his chest and met his gaze. I
nodded my head and said, “Yes, I did.
Josh’s friend, Gavin, told his mother what was happening at school and
she called me.”
“Why didn’t
you tell me?” Rick asked.
“I’m sorry I
didn’t tell you, Babe,” I said, caressing his chiseled chest. “But I talked to the twins about it and they
wrote her a nice letter apologizing for what they’d done. Mrs. Horner accepted their apology. Rather than get you upset, I decided to let
it go at that.”
Rick
frowned. “I wish you wouldn’t keep
things like that from me.”
I cupped his
cheek and searched his eyes. “Will you
promise me you won’t lose your temper with the boys if I do?”
He growled,
“I don’t lose my temper.”
I looked
deeply into his eyes. “Yes, you do,
Babe. Since Kyle and Purev moved out,
you’ve been a bear to live with. You’ve
been short tempered, especially where the twins are concerned. The boys need your understanding and support
more than they need your anger at their failings. They’re acting out, just like you are, because
of the changes in their lives. Think
about it…Kyle is in another country, attending school; and now David is on the
other side of the country doing the same.
Added to that, Purev is living in his own place and we see him on
weekends for a few hours. They feel
their world isn’t secure, because their siblings are no longer living at
home. Do you see why they’re acting out
of character?”
Rick nodded
his head and said, “Yes, I get that, because I’m feeling out of sorts, as
you’ve already noted. When we sit down
to eat, I’m looking for the three boys and have to remind myself they’re not
here.” Tears blurred his vision, as he
swallowed past the lump in his throat.
“I miss my workout buddies and the sassy attitudes. I didn’t think I would miss my mouthy
teenagers, but I do.”
“Then you
know what the twins are feeling. They
need us to show them we love them, even more than we do, normally. They need to be reassured we won’t leave them
like their siblings have,” I said.
“Then, they’ll stop acting out.”
Rick smiled
and kissed me on the lips. Pulling back,
he said, “You sound like a shrink.”
I
laughed. “I’ve seen enough of them over
the years I should be able to spout their psycho-babble better than they can.”
Rick raised
his hand to run his fingers through my long blond hair, eventually twirling it
between them. “I love your hair.”
“I know,” I
responded, kissing him.
Rick placed
his hands on my back, sliding them down to my buttocks, giving me a hard
squeeze, when we heard a soft tapping on our bedroom door. Rick pulled the duvet over us and shouted,
“Come in!”
The door
opened and JJ and Josh rushed into the room, jumping on the bed. We moved apart as they burrowed between
us. I’m glad some things haven’t
changed! For now, they are still our
little boys. My eyes filled with tears,
knowing they would begin to pull away from us as they moved into their teen
years.
Rick laughed
and asked, “What’s going on, boys?”
JJ put his
arms around his father’s neck and hugged him.
“We miss David.”
“We miss
him, too,” Rick said, giving JJ a hug.
“It’s a
little too quiet with the boys off at school” I said. “Do you remember where your brothers are
going to school?”
Josh spoke
up, before JJ could respond, “Yes, Kyle is in Natal, Brazil, David is in Logan,
Utah, and Purev is in Fairfax, Virginia.”
Josh clearly enunciated each word, putting up one finger for each of his
brothers as he recited from memory the locations where they were going to
school.
JJ said,
excitedly, “Ashley said we’re supposed to tell you Purev will be over for
dinner.”
Purev was
living in the dorms at George Mason University, majoring in music performance
and theater. We tried to convince him to
live at home, to save money; but, he wanted to live on campus. So, we agreed to pay for his room and board,
with the stipulation he would be home for Sunday dinner each week.
Rick looked
over at me and smiled, “I bet he’s bringing his laundry home.”
I nodded my
head in agreement. “Yes, and that’s
okay. He’ll get a home-cooked meal and
we’ll help him do his laundry.”
Josh clapped
his hands. “Yeah! We get to help Purev fold his clothes.” Purev had engaged the twins in his weekly
chore by offering to pay them a dollar each to fold his clothes, an offer the
boys had eagerly accepted! The twins
absolutely adored their older brother and would’ve helped him, even if he
hadn’t offered to pay them!
JJ said, “I’m
hungry! May we have spaghetti and
meatballs for dinner?” He gave me his
best puppy dog look.
There is no
way I could ever say, ‘no,’ to the look in JJ’s chocolate brown eyes, “Yes,
spaghetti and meatballs it is.”
Josh high
fived his twin. “Yeah!”
I hugged the
two of them and said, “If we’re having spaghetti and meatballs, you two need to
let your Dad and I get up.”
The two very
excited boys clamored over us and jumped to the floor. Racing each other to the door, they shouted,
“Ashley, we’re having spaghetti!”
Rick looked
over at me, and said, “You’d think we were having a gourmet meal!”
I grinned at
him. “Of course, we’re having gourmet
spaghetti because I’m the best chef in the world.”
Before we
could get out of bed, Ashley appeared in our doorway. “Purev wants to know if he can bring his new
boyfriend over for dinner.”
My eyebrows
shot up in surprise. “I thought Purev
had sworn off getting into another relationship after his experience with that
guy….what’s his name?” I looked at Rick
for help with Purev’s ex-boyfriend’s name.
Rick
supplied the name, “Terry.”
“Yeah,
Terry,” I said, looking back at Ashley.
Ashley
looked at her cell phone, and said, “This guy’s name is Trevor and he’s from
Richmond.”
I said,
“Tell him Trevor is welcome and we’re having spaghetti.”
Ashley
tapped on the screen of her cell and looked up at me. “Done.”
She turned and left us, closing the door behind her.
We got out
of bed and quickly dressed. I went into
the kitchen to cook dinner, while Rick joined the boys in the family room where
they had built a huge train track.
*** ***
Purev
grabbed his laundry bag from his closet and sat it on his bed. He glanced over at his boyfriend, who was
pacing back and forth in front of the window.
“Trevor, stop.”
Trevor met
his gaze and said, “I’m not ready to meet your dads. What if they don’t like me?”
Purev walked
over to him, pulling him into his arms.
He looked up into his eyes, and said, “They will love you, Trev.”
Trevor
frowned and said, “But you said your Dad will interrogate me.”
“Yes, he
will,” Purev said, bringing his hand up to move Trevor’s hair out of his eyes. “He’s very protective of us and he’s also the
enforcer in our family.”
“He sounds pretty
scary to me,” Trevor said, making a face.
“Well, he is
scary to other people,” Purev said. “But
you don’t have to worry, Babe. Just be
honest with him when he asks you about us.”
Trevor
nodded his head. “Okay. I hope your family accepts me.”
Purev smiled
and put his hand to Trevor’s cheek.
“They will love you because they love me.” He kissed him and pulled back to say, “My
family isn’t like your family, Trevor.”
“But your
birth family is just like mine,” Trevor said.
Purev said,
“Yes, they are; but, my dads are nothing like them. They took me in when my birth family rejected
me when I came out to them. They love
me, unconditionally.” He released his
lover and turned to grab his laundry bag, dropping it into his empty laundry basket. He had resisted taking the laundry basket to
his dorm, but his dads had insisted he needed it to carry his clean laundry
home, instead of putting his clean clothes back into the same bag where his
dirty clothes had been. He picked it up
and looked over his shoulder at Trevor.
“Let’s go.”
Trevor
grimaced and said, “Do I have to meet your dads today? Can’t we wait until next month or even
longer?”
Purev
laughed. “No, Trevor. You’re such a drama queen. You can stop acting like you’re being led to
your death. My dads aren’t going hurt
you in any way. I promise.”
Trevor
sighed, resignedly. “Okay, let’s
go.” He followed his boyfriend out of
the room.
*** ***
I was
setting the table, when I heard the front door open and close. I looked up to see Purev enter the kitchen
followed by a handsome young guy. Purev
smiled and said, “Daddy, I want you to meet my boyfriend, Trevor.” He wrapped his arm around Trevor’s waist,
pulling him forward.
Trevor put
out his hand and I took it, as I looked him over. He had blond hair that was short on the sides
and long on top. He had deep blue eyes,
a hawkish nose, a square jaw and a wide grin, showing his perfect white
teeth. He was 6’2 (188 cm.) and well built. It was obvious to me he worked out. His jeans hugged him in all the right places
as did his tight t-shirt. He was
mouth-watering! When I met his steady
gaze, he smiled and asked, “Do I pass inspection?”
Grinning up at
him, I gave his hand a firm squeeze before releasing it. “Yes, you’ll do.”
Purev
laughed and said, “What Daddy means is you’re a walking wet dream.”
I blushed
and said, “Am I that obvious?”
Purev nodded
his head. “Yes, you were practically
undressing him with your eyes.”
I looked
over at Trevor and said, “I hope you’re not offended, but you’re very good
looking.”
Trevor shook
his head. “No, I’m flattered to know you
find me attractive.”
“You’re
definitely Daddy’s type of guy. You’ll
see what I mean when you meet my Dad.”
As he
finished speaking, Rick joined us. “What
type of guy does your Daddy like?”
Purev said,
“Guy’s like you, Dad. This is my
boyfriend, Trevor Bainbridge.”
Rick walked
over and extended his hand to Trevor.
Trevor shook his hand, and said, “Nice to meet you, sir.”
Rick scowled
and said, “Call me Rick or Dad.”
“Yes, sir…I
mean Dad,” Trevor responded. His whole
demeanor had changed when Rick had entered the room. With me, he had been relaxed and at ease,
flirting with me. With Rick, he seemed
nervous and unsure of himself.
Rick put his
arm around my shoulders, then met Purev’s gaze.
“Sorry, son; but I’ve got to ask.”
Purev nodded his head, knowing what was about to happen. Rick turned to Trevor, pinning him with a steely
gaze. “What are your intentions with my
son?”
Trevor
looked at Purev, before answering, “Purev warned me you would ask me that
question.” He turned back to Rick, and
continued, “I like Purev a lot, but I’m not ready to settle down. I’ve been honest with him about wanting to
date him, but neither of us is looking to get married right now.”
Purev added,
“We’ve decided to be exclusive, for now.
I’m not into sleeping around with every guy I meet.”
“And neither
am I,” Trevor said. “We both want a
steady boyfriend.”
Rick nodded
his head. “Okay, I just wanted to make
sure you aren’t going to break my son’s heart.”
Trevor
leaned over to kiss Purev on the lips.
“I won’t do that, I promise.”
Purev smiled
and said, “Dad, we’ve talked things out and know where we stand with each
other.”
“Good. Just make sure you continue to keep those
lines of communication open,” Rick said.
“I don’t want to see either of you get hurt.” The surprised look on Trevor’s face was
priceless. Seeing it, Rick continued,
“Trevor, you shouldn’t be surprised we care about your well-being, too. If Purev thinks you’re worth bringing home to
meet us, you’re already part of our family because he cares about you.”
Trevor
nodded his head. “Purev told me what to
expect when I met you, but I didn’t expect you to treat me like family since
we’ve just met.”
Rick looked
over at Purev and said, “Purev is a good judge of character, so I trust him to
only bring home guys who meet our standards.
He already knows not to bring home anyone who doesn’t.”
Purev smiled
and said, “That means you’re good to go, Trev.
I said, “Dinner is ready. Rick, will you call the children to the
table?”
Rick said,
“Sure, Babe.”
He gave me a
quick kiss and left the kitchen. I heard
him talking to the twins, followed by their mad dash down the hallway to the
bathroom to wash up for dinner.
Rick and
Ashley joined us. Purev opened his arms
and his sister flew into his arms. Ashley
said, “I’ve missed you, Purev.”
Purev
released her and turned to his boyfriend, and said, “Ashley, I want you to meet
my boyfriend, Trevor.”
Ashley
smiled and put out her hand, which Trevor took and pulled her into his
arms. “It’s nice to meet you, Ashley. Purev loves you very much. He’s told me so much about you.”
He released
her and she looked up into his eyes, and said, “You know I’ll kick your butt if
you hurt my brother.”
He grinned,
and responded, “So I’ve been told.”
She turned
her attention to Purev, giving him a huge smile. She turned back to Trevor and said, “Good,
I’m glad we understand each other.”
She stepped
away from the boys and walked over to the sink, turning on the water. She squirted some liquid soap onto her hands
and scrubbed them under the warm water.
Drying her hands on a dish towel, she turned to me and asked, “What do
you need me to do?”
“Here, you
can finish setting the table,” I said, handing her a stack of napkins. She folded them and placed them next to the
plates I had already laid out. She
turned and grabbed the silverware from the drawer next to the sink. Rick returned and pulled down the glasses and
placed them on the table.
As Rick and
Ashley set the table, the twins entered the kitchen and ran to their
brother. He enveloped them both in his
warm embrace. Letting them go, he
introduced them to his boyfriend, “Trevor, this is JJ and Josh.”
He said,
“Hey, guys!”
The twins
chorused, “Hello,” looking up at him.
“Please take
a seat at the table. Let’s eat,” I said,
as I sat down next to Rick. The twins
scrambled around the table to their customary seats on Rick’s left. Ashley sat next to me, while Purev and Trevor
sat between Ashley and the twins. I
reached out to take Ashley’s hand and Rick’s.
Rick looked
across the table at Purev. “Will you say
grace?”
Purev nodded
his head, taking Ashley’s hand and Trevor’s.
We bowed our heads, and listened to Purev give thanks for our family and
friends and asking a blessing on the food.
We chorused,
“Amen,” when he finished. We quickly
filled our plates with spaghetti and meatballs with a side salad and bread
sticks. It wasn’t long before the food
disappeared.
JJ asked,
“Did you bring your laundry home?”
Purev said,
“Yes, I did. It’s out in the car. After you clear your plates, you and Josh can
help me bring it in.”
The twins
hopped up from their seats and quickly cleared their dishes, rinsing them and
placing them in the dishwasher. Purev
disappeared with them to retrieve his laundry.
Rick looked
at Trevor and asked, “So, Trevor, tells us about yourself.”
Trevor said,
“I’m from Richmond.”
“So how did
you meet Purev?” I asked.
“Mutual
friends introduced us,” he responded.
“I’m a public relations major and I’ve been working with a couple of
consulting companies in the area.”
Purev and
the boys passed the kitchen doorway, carrying his laundry. He poked his head into the kitchen and said,
“I’ll be right back, Trev. I’ve got to
get this laundry going.”
Trevor
laughed and said, “I know. You haven’t
done laundry for nearly three weeks.”
Surprised, I
said, “So, basically, Purev didn’t do laundry the entire time we were gone.”
Trevor
nodded his head. “Yes, he told me you
were taking his brother, David, out to Utah for school and he planned to wait
until you got back to do his laundry.”
“How did he
manage without clean clothes?” Rick asked, incredulously.
“He bought
new clothes instead of washing his old ones,” Trevor said, grinning at us.
I shook my
head in disbelief. “Sometimes…”
Rick laughed
and took my hand. “He’s a typical young
man, Babe.”
“But…” I
started to protest, when Rick cut me off.
“No buts,
he’s typical for a college student who lives close to home,” Rick said. “Isn’t that so, Trevor?”
Trevor
shrugged. “I wouldn’t know, since I
don’t take my laundry home. I hate the
commute to Richmond. The traffic is so
bad.” A look of deep sadness crossed his
face.
Seeing it, I
said, “The commute isn’t the reason you don’t go home, Trevor.”
Trevor met
my gaze with eyes bright with unshed tears.
I saw his lip tremble and I opened my arms to him. “Come here, Trevor.”
He flew into
my embrace, clinging to me, his body shaking with the force of his
emotions. He buried his face in my
shoulder. I rubbed his back and smoothed
his hair, murmuring, “It’s okay, son.
Everything will work out for the best.”
After the
storm passed, he pulled back and met my gaze.
“I knew I was gay when I was about 12 years old, but I was afraid to
come out to my family. My parents are
religious fanatics and raised us to be like them. So, when I came out to them as a sophomore in
college, they disowned me. They told me
I was dead to them and they never wanted to see me again. They threw me out with only the clothes on my
back and cut off all financial support.
Fortunately, I’ve got a full-ride scholarship that includes room and
board or I would’ve been forced to drop out of school. I work part time at the school library to
have a little pocket money for incidentals.
I only go to Richmond to visit my sister, Lucy. We meet on the campus at VCU (Virginia
Commonwealth University) where she’s going to school.”
I rubbed his
back and said, “I’m sorry to hear about your parents. I want you to know you’re always welcome
here.” I gave him another hug and a kiss
on the cheek, then released him.
“Thank you,”
he said, smiling weakly. “I’m sorry I
got your shirt all wet. I didn’t mean to
get so emotional.”
“Not a
problem,” I said, smiling at him. “It’s
okay to grieve for what you’ve lost.”
Purev
returned to the kitchen with the twins trailing behind him. Seeing Trevor’s tear-streaked face, he asked,
“What’s wrong?”
Trevor
smiled and said, “Nothing’s wrong. I was
telling your dads about my family.” He
took Purev’s hand in his. “You’re so
lucky to have such a great family.”
Purev smiled
and said, “I know. I told you my dads
were awesome. They took me in when my
dad kicked me out, remember.”
Trevor
nodded his head. “I remember.” He shifted his gaze to us and continued, “You
are very blessed, Purev. I only wish I
had been as fortunate as you’ve been.”
Purev put
his arm around Trevor’s shoulders, leaning over to kiss him on the lips. “Well, Trevor, you are just as blessed
because you’ve got me and my fantastic family.”
Trevor
nodded his head. “Daddy just told me I’m
always welcome here.”
Purev
grinned, “I guess this means you owe me a milk shake.”
Trevor
blushed and looked over at us. “I told
Purev he was crazy when he told me you would tell me I would always be welcome
and I’d end up being part of your family.
He bet me a milk shake and I’m very happy I lost the bet.”
I asked,
“Are you boys interested in playing some board games? Ashley doesn’t like them and neither do the
twins.”
Trevor said,
“Sure, do you have Ticket to Ride?”
Rick said,
“Yes, we do. I love playing that
game. I’ll go get it.”
Rick walked
down the hallway to the family room to retrieve the game. “Boys, we’re playing Ticket to Ride, if you
want to play.”
JJ looked up
from where he was playing with his wooden train. “I want to play with Thomas right now.”
Josh said,
“That game is boring.”
Rick smiled
at his two sons. “I understand. It’s much more fun to construct train tracks
and play with your wooden trains.”
JJ and Josh
chorused, “We love trains.”
Rick left
the boys to their adventures in train building and returned to the kitchen with
the board game.
After we
finished the game, Purev stood up and said, “I’d better check on my
laundry.” He left the kitchen, returning
a few minutes later with his laundry basket.
He sat the basket on the floor at his feet. “It’s all done.” He smiled and looked over at me. “I paid the twins extra for doing my
laundry. They did a great job of loading
the washer and switching the clothes to the dryer, plus folding them all and
putting them in my basket.”
I smiled and
said, “I think you’re getting extra special treatment because they missed you
while we were on vacation.”
Purev
laughed and said, “If that’s the case, you can go on vacation any time!” He turned to Trevor. “We need to be going, Babe.” Hearing the endearment, Trevor blushed. Purev grinned broadly. “It’s okay.
My dads call each other, ‘Babe,’ or ‘sweetheart,’ all the time.”
“It’s
just….”
“It’s okay,
Trevor,” Rick said. “We assumed you and
Purev we’re more than friends when he asked to bring you over to meet us.” I almost felt sorry for Trevor as his blush
deepened.
I stood up
and walked over to him, pulling him to his feet. I hugged him, before leaning back to look up
into his face. “You’re really cute when
you blush.”
Purev
complained, “Daddy, you’re so not helping.”
I looked
over at him and said, “I’m glad your boyfriend is a little shy about things. It shows he cares about you.” Turning back to Trevor, I continued,
“However, I’m sure it won’t take you long to lose any sense of embarrassment
you have about being in a relationship with our son. Rick and I aren’t in the least embarrassed to
talk about anything, so you shouldn’t be either. And just for the record, we enjoy each other
immensely and aren’t shy about saying so.”
Trevor
relaxed and his color returned to normal.
“Thanks for being patient with me.”
I nodded my
head, and released him. I walked over to
Purev and pulled him into my arms. “I
love you.”
“I love you
back, Daddy,” he responded, giving me a quick kiss on the cheek.
I released
him and said, “It’s getting late and I suppose you should collect your
boyfriend and head back to campus.”
Purev nodded
and walked over to give Rick a kiss and hug.
“Bye, Dad.”
“Love you,
Purev,” Rick said.
Purev
replied, “Love you, too.” He turned
around and picked up his laundry basket and said, “Let’s go, Babe.” This time, Trevor didn’t blush.
They left us
in the kitchen. After I heard the front
door close, I turned to Rick. “I like
him.”
Rick agreed,
“Yes, I do, too.”
“Let’s get
the twins to bed, then I want you to make love to me all night long,” I said,
giving my husband my most lecherous grin!
*** ***
The next
day, I was sitting in the family room, watching the twins play video games,
when the phone rang. I saw it was my
brother, Gary. I answered, “Hello.”
Gary said,
“Mom wants to talk to you.”
I was
surprised, but happy she was aware enough to want to speak to me. Next, I heard her say, “Hello, Glenn. How are you and the children?”
“Kyle is
doing well in his studies at the Federal University of Paraiba, in Brazil,” I
said.
“When did he
go there?” she asked.
“He decided
to study overseas during his freshman year at the University of Minnesota-Twin
Cities, Mom. He likes the university
where he’s studying now, but thinks he’ll transfer to Natal to the Federal
University of Rio Grande do Norte, because it has better programs, plus his new
girlfriend is transferring there. I
think that’s the real reason behind his desire to move to Natal.”
“What’s her
name?”
“Lucena Afonso. We’ve seen photos of her and she’s very
beautiful. We’ve talked to her on the
phone as well. Her English is very
good. He plans to bring her home at
Christmas to visit with us,” I said. “We
dropped David off at school after we visited with you, Mom.”
“You were
here? I don’t remember that,” Mom said.
“Yes, Mom we
were there two weeks ago. We had a big
family party at Gary’s house and sang your favorite songs,” I said. “You sang along with us.”
“I did?”
“Yes, you
did. David played his violin for you,” I
added. “He’s joined the local community
orchestra and loves his roommate, Joel.
Joel is gay and the two seemed to hit it off.”
“Good. I worry about David,” she said. “He has such a tender heart.”
“That he
does,” I agreed. “But I think he’ll be
okay. I’m trying really hard not to be a
helicopter parent, Mom. I don’t know how
you did it with us.”
“Well,
living on the farm didn’t leave me much time to worry about you or the others,
when you left for college,” she said.
“Not to say I didn’t miss you, because I did.”
“I look
around the table at mealtimes and find myself thinking I’m missing someone and
I am,” I said.
“Just enjoy
the time you have with your children, Glenn,” she said. “They’ll be grown and gone before you know
it.”
“Ashley is
very excited to start her senior year,” I said.
“She and Michaela are already trying to decide who they want to date
this year.”
“She is a
very beautiful young lady, Glenn,” she said.
“You’re going to have to keep a close eye on that one.”
I said,
“Yes, I agree; however, she has a good head on her shoulders and I trust her to
choose her friends wisely. She
intimidates the guys because she is so well put together and knows what she
wants. She’s a straight A student and is
taking as many AP (advanced placement) courses as she can fit into her schedule
this year.”
“Is she
still playing the violin?”
“Yes, Mom,
she is still taking orchestra. She’s not
really into learning to play the instrument as she is in being with her
friends, who just happen to be in orchestra,” I said.
“She plays
well,” Mom said.
“Yes, but
she’s very shy about playing for anyone and barely makes herself perform in the
orchestra concerts,” I said. “She won’t
even play for me most of the time. She
practices in her room with the door locked.”
“Well, son,
let her be. When she’s good and ready,
she’ll show off her talent for you,” she counseled. “I understand her stage fright, because I was
like that when I was teenager.”
“Really?” I
asked in surprise. “You always seem so
confident.”
She said, “I
was painfully shy, Glenn. I was a junior
in high school when your Grandpa insisted I play for him every night and
wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”
“The twins
will be in 5th grade this year,” I said. “I’ve met their teachers and I think they’ll
have a great year.”
We talked
for nearly 30 minutes about many things.
I was telling her about Rick’s work, when she interrupted me mid-sentence,
“Glenn, why don’t you talk about yourself?
You’ve talked about the children and Rick, but you haven’t said a word
about yourself.”
I was
surprised by her comment. I hadn’t
realized she was listening so closely to me.
I wasn’t sure how to respond. As
I tried to formulate a response, she said, “I want to know how you’re doing.”
“I’m trying
to keep myself busy, Mom. I miss the
boys so much, it hurts. Rick says it
will get better, but I’m not so sure,” I said.
I went on to describe my daily activities at work and at home. When I finished, I asked, “Mom, are you still
there?”
There was no
sound on the other end. After a few
minutes more of silence, Gary came on the line.
“I’m sorry, Glenn. Mom’s slipped
back into her catatonic state. I’ll call
you again, when she’s lucid.”
The tears
started rolling down my face as I said, “Thanks for calling me. I’m glad I got to have a normal conversation
with her. It felt like she understood me
and knew who I was.”
Gary
reassured me, “She did know who you were.
She won’t remember she talked to you, but, at least for a little while,
she’s the mother we’ve always known. I
know it’s harder on you, because you’re not close enough to see her every day,
so you aren’t able to see her when she’s all there and knows who we are. I’ll try to make sure I call you when she’s
having one of her good days.”
“Thanks
again, Gary. I love you,” I said.
“I love you,
too, little brother,” he responded, before breaking the connection.
I was glad I
had the opportunity to talk to her, but, at the same time, I was grieving for
the mother I had lost to dementia and Parkinson’s disease.
*** ***
A few days
later, I was surfing the internet when I decided to check my Facebook
account. I logged in and I saw Kyle’s
post from earlier in the day. My vision
blurred with tears as I read it, “I
love my family; and more importantly I love my siblings. I cannot imagine what
my life would be like without the blessing that each of them brings to my life.
They are my best friends, my role models, the people who bring happiness and
joy to my everyday routine. Here's to a great 21 years, and many, many decades
to come!”
I called out
to Rick, who was upstairs, “Rick!”
He shouted
back, “I’ll be right there.” I soon
heard his footsteps on the stairs. He
appeared in the family room and joined me on the loveseat. He looked at my computer screen and asked,
“What’s up?”
I passed the
laptop to him and pointed to Kyle’s post, “Read that.”
He read
Kyle’s words and handed the laptop back to me, his eyes bright with tears. “I’m very proud of him,” he said. “He’s a good son and a great brother.”
I reached up
and brushed a tear from his cheek. Our
son had managed to make his father cry, something that rarely happened to my
tough guy ex-marine. Not that Rick
doesn’t show his emotions, because he does; just not in this way. I leaned in to kiss him gently on the
lips. “You’ve done a wonderful job
raising our son, Rick.”
He smiled at
me. “No, WE’VE done a great job raising
an exceptional young man. Kyle came to
us with so much potential and all we’ve had to do is love and nurture him,
which we’ve done.”
I nodded my
head. “I thank God every day for our
children, Rick. They’ve brought so much
joy and happiness into our lives.”
He put his
arm around my shoulders. “Yes, they
have.”
Ashley
appeared in the doorway to the family room.
She smiled at us and said, “I just read Kyle’s post.”
I returned
her smile. “We just read it ourselves.”
“I sent
David and Purev a text message to let them know it’s there,” she said.
“Thanks for
thinking of them, Ashley,” Rick said.
“I shared it
on my timeline,” she said. “I want all
of my friends to know I have the best brother ever!”
“That’s a
good idea,” I said, and did the same.
Later, I
shared Kyle’s note with the twins. JJ
said, “I miss Kyle. I wish he would come
home.”
I hugged my
little guy and said, “I wish he would, too; but he wants to go to school in
Brazil and he’s got a girlfriend there now.”
JJ wrinkled
his nose. “Yuck! Girls!”
I
laughed. “You’ll soon change your mind
about girls.”
Josh chimed
in, “No, we won’t.”
I reached
over and pulled him into a hug. “Yes,
you will.”
He shook his
head, and said, “No, we won’t.”
I ruffled
his hair and said, “Let’s wait and see.
Is that okay?”
He nodded
his head and climbed onto his bed. I
tucked him in and turned to do the same for JJ.
I kissed each of them on the forehead and stood to leave the room. Before turning out the light, I said, “Good
night, boys. I love you.”
They
chorused back, “I love you, too.”
As I closed
the door to their room, I felt Rick’s arms slip around my waist pulling me back
against his hard body. He bit my
earlobe, and whispered in my ear, “Take me to bed, Babe.”
I turned in
his arms and kissed him passionately, as he maneuvered us across the hall to
our room. Opening the door, he pulled me
into our room. He closed and locked the
door and turned to strip me out of my clothes.
He pushed me down on our bed, then did a slow striptease that had me
panting with anticipation. It wasn’t
long before he showed me, in no uncertain terms, just how much he loved me!
*** ***
Author’s
Note:
World’s Fair
Sunsphere - http://worldsfairpark.org/worlds-fair-sunsphere.html
Can LGBTQ
People Ever Forgive Christian Evangelicals for their Sins? -
