Chapter One Hundred Nine – Spain, Here
We Come!
After the twins departed for their
honeymoon, the rest of the family met at the Medieval Times for dinner and a
show. Once we were seated and the food
arrived, the show began. Samantha and
Victoria were thrilled! They both
exclaimed, “See the horses!” The show
was fantastic! The food was okay. After dinner, we returned to the hotel. Tina and Jason took the girls upstairs to
their room. Keith and Kerry did the
same with Egan. The rest of us went into
the hotel lounge to visit. The younger
set congregated around one end of the table while the rest of the family
drifted to the other end.
Greg said, “That show was great!”
Randy said, “I liked it; but knights
knocking each other off their horses just doesn’t really get me excited.”
“We already know who gets you
excited! He’s sitting right next to
you,” I said, grinning at my older brother.
Randy acknowledged that I was
right. “Shawn is my number one
squeeze.” He leaned over and kissed
him.
I glanced over at Mom. An expression of deep sadness was on her
face. I said, “I wish we could make Mom
happy.”
Randy looked over at his mother and said,
“Only Dad can do that. He is so
stubborn. I don’t understand why he
treats her so poorly. He’s been very
clear about how feels about us.”
Cory said, “I’ve heard a lot of negative
things about your Dad since we got here.
Isn’t there anything positive you can say about him? He can’t have been all bad; because you two
are wonderful people, and your mother didn’t raise you guys all by herself.”
I looked across the table at Randy for a
moment and then said, “I do remember that he would chase us around the house
with the garden house.”
Randy grinned and said, “I remember
that. We boys would get the garden
house from the front of the house and Dad would get the one from the back. We would turn on the water and try to squirt
each other. There were two or three
hoses hooked together so they could reach all the way around the house. I remember getting completely soaked.”
“But we sure had fun! Do you remember that time Dad took the hose
in the back door and out the front door to get you and Gary?” I asked.
Randy laughed and said, “I do. Mom was so mad at him for making a big mess
in the house. And there was that time
Gary and I climbed up the ladder and sprayed Dad from the roof!”
“Mom was mad about that, too,” I
said. “Dad is a practical joker. We never knew when he was going to get us.”
Randy nodded his head in agreement. “He’s like a big kid in many ways. We played tag, kick the can, four square and
many other games with him. Dad
especially likes playing card games. He
taught us to play poker, black jack, hearts, spades, pinochle, bridge, and many
others. There were many nights Dad
would allow us to stay up to play card games with him. Mom disapproves of card games and didn’t
play cards with us. It is one of the
things that they never resolved; because Dad loves playing cards so much. While Mom thinks card games are the root of
all evil, Dad’s family plays cards at every family function. It’s one of the things they do together as a
family. Playing soccer and hockey are
the other things they like to do as a family.”
“Mom doesn’t even like chess or
backgammon,” I said. “Dad is an avid
chess player. I don’t think I have ever
beaten him at chess. Have you?”
Randy shook his head. “No, but I have come pretty close. I’ve played him to a draw once or twice.”
“Dad loves the outdoors and taught us
how to survive in the wilderness. We’ve
done a lot of camping, fishing, hiking, canoeing, and hunting,” I said.
“Dad is also big into sports like
hockey, basketball, and soccer,” Randy said.
“It was Mom who pushed us into swimming, tennis and volleyball. She follows baseball, and used to watch the
games on the television.”
Greg asked, “Didn’t your Dad watch
football?”
Randy replied, “Not the kind of football
you play in the United States. Dad
always said that real men play rugby.”
Rick and Greg looked at each other. Rick said, “But football requires a lot of
physical ability and finesse to get the ball down the field.”
Randy said, “You don’t have to defend
football to us. I like to watch it; but
I’ve never played it.”
Rick said, “I know Glenn hasn’t played
football, and refuses to play with me.”
Rick grabbed me in a headlock and rubbed my head. “But one of these days, I’ll get him to at
least throw a football around with me.”
He released me and I punched him in the
shoulder. I said, “There’s no chance of
that happening anytime soon. Besides,
Greg played football in high school just like you did. You can get him to go out with you to play
football.”
Greg smiled. “I’ll be glad to throw a ball around with
you, Rick. Cory doesn’t like to play
football; but he likes to watch me play.”
Cory laughed and said, “I like watching
his bubble butt. I could care less
about what’s happening on the football field so long as I get to see my guy in
his uniform.”
Greg grinned. “I knew he was watching me when I played; so
I would make sure I gave him a good view!
Cory sometimes would come into the locker room after the games were
over. He’d wait until all the guys were
gone so we could shower together.”
Cory blushed crimson. “You weren’t supposed to tell them about
that.”
“What’s wrong with telling them about our
little adventures?” Greg said, smiling at his husband.
“It’s just that I really don’t want
everyone to know how horny I was,” Cory said, still blushing.
“You were a normal teenage guy,” Greg
said. “I know most of my teammates were
getting laid at least as often as I was.”
Cory’s eyes widened in surprise, “No
wonder so many of them ended up having to get married.”
Greg laughed. “At least I didn’t have to worry about you
getting pregnant. I think we were
having sex almost every night by that time.
Remember?”
Cory nodded his head. “Yes, I remember. At first, I was pretty sore; because you
didn’t just fuck me once, but two or three times a night.”
Greg smiled. “Yes, but you loved every minute of it.”
Cory said, “I did love it; but it was a
good thing you didn’t do that to me every night!”
“I was trying to get you pregnant! I couldn’t let Chris get the better of
me. As it was, Chris was the first one to
get his girlfriend pregnant,” Greg said, putting his arm around Cory’s
shoulders.
Cory blushed, and this time he didn’t
say anything. I said, “Greg, I think
you’ve managed to embarrass your husband beyond words.”
Greg looked at Cory and immediately gave
him a contrite look. “I’m sorry,
Cory. I didn’t mean to…”
Cory interrupted him, “Greg, you know I
don’t like to talk about our sex lives with other people.”
“It’s okay, Cory,” I said. “I don’t like it either.”
Shawn said, “I don’t like to talk about
our sex life with straight people because they get really weird about it. However, I don’t mind talking with you guys;
because you know exactly what I mean and can relate.”
Randy said, “The bad thing about gay sex
is that nobody will talk about it. It
leaves guys like me in the dark. I had
to experiment with several guys who didn’t know anything about gay sex
either. Nothing is more embarrassing as
to be having sex with someone who hasn’t cleaned themselves out really well.”
Cory nodded his head. “Greg and I had a few embarrassing moments
like that. I think that there should be
a gay sex guidebook that helps young guys know what to do. I did some research online about it. Of course, Greg and I watched some of the
videos you can find out there; but they don’t tell you about the preparations
the actors have to go through before they go in front of the cameras.”
Shawn said, “My motto is that if I
expect to have sex, I make sure I’ve exercised the proper hygiene needed to
prepare myself to enjoy sex with my husband.”
“They teach heterosexual sex in the
schools; but there’s nothing to help gay guys understand the ins and outs of
gay sex. Most schools try to ignore the
fact that there are gays in the schools,” Randy said.
“They are afraid they will create more
gays by talking about gay sex. They
just don’t get it that we’re born gay,” I said. “I can’t stop being gay by turning off a gay
switch somewhere in my head.”
“I’ve heard some of my fellow Marines
tell me that gays are out recruiting people.
It’s as if like they think that just because someone is gay that they
are going to convert everyone else to gay sex.
They equate being gay to being part of a religious cult that is out to
recruit everyone to their beliefs; just like their Christian religion teaches
them to recruit others to their faith,” Rick said. “I think they are out of their minds.”
Randy asked, “Since when does having sex
with another guy mean I belong to a religious movement?”
“Maybe your friends believe that
heterosexual sex is tied to their religion; so that means gay sex must be tied
to some religious tenant that they have imagined we are following,” I
said. “Does that mean Christians think
the human race will become extinct if their religion ceases to exist? Like sex is totally dependent on religion?”
“That’s totally absurd,” Randy said, in
disgust. “I don’t think they believe
that at all. I mean, Christianity is
only one of the world’s religions, and there seems to be plenty of people
having sex who aren’t Christians.”
“Just like there are plenty of gays who
aren’t Christians,” I said.
Rick said, “I think we should change the
topic, before Glenn starts on one of his anti-religion rants.”
Randy laughed. “Okay, Rick. Let’s talk about what our plans are for the
next couple of days. When do you guys
fly back to Atlanta?”
“The day after tomorrow,” I said. “We told Mom we would go with her to visit
Aunt Hannah and Uncle Carl in St. Catharines tomorrow.”
Randy looked at his husband. “Do you want to go with them tomorrow?”
“Only if we make it a sightseeing trip,”
Shawn responded. “I want to go to Niagara
Falls. I love seeing all of that water
going over the edge.”
Greg asked, “Cory, do you want to go to
the falls?”
Cory said, “Sure. However, we need to be planning our trip
back to Minneapolis.”
Greg nodded his head, “I think we should
drive back to Minneapolis from here instead of driving back to Georgia.”
Cory said, “I think we can convince
Grandpa and Grandma to send our stuff out if we need it.”
“We left some clothes there; but if we
need something, we can pick it up in Minneapolis,” Greg said. “My classes don’t start until the middle of
the week, so we have a couple of more days before we have to get there.”
Cory said, “I don’t remember my
schedule. I’ll have to check it on-line
when we go back to our room.”
“Let’s plan on leaving tomorrow. We can drive to the falls with the guys, and
continue on from there. We can make
Chicago by tomorrow night, and then on to Minneapolis the next morning,” Greg
said. Greg got up and walked around the
table to where Grandpa and Grandma were sitting.
Grandpa looked up and smiled. “Have you decided when you are leaving for
school, son?”
Hearing Grandpa call him his son, warmed
Greg’s heart. “Yes, Grandpa, we
have. We are planning to drive from
here to Minneapolis. We will leave
first thing in the morning.”
Grandma smiled and squeezed her
husband’s hand. “I was right, dear. I knew Greg would want to keep his new car
with him at school.”
Grandpa patted her hand and said, “Yes,
you were right, sweetheart.” He looked
Greg in the eyes and said, “You must promise me you will drive safely, and when
you arrive in Minneapolis, you must find a place to store the Ferrari where it
is out of the weather. You don’t want
to ruin the paint job by letting it sit outside. Also, you need to get the salt washed off of
it.”
Greg smiled at Grandpa. “I’ve already thought about where we can
store the car. Ben and Janice have a
garage at their new place. I was
thinking of asking them if I cou0ld store the Ferrari there. I haven’t forgotten about the salt. We will wash the car down as soon as we get
to Minneapolis. I’d do it now, but we
are going to be running into some snow on the way to Chicago.”
Grandpa said, “It sounds like you’ve got
things pretty well thought out. I want
you to check in with us every few hours until you’re out of the snowstorm. Of course, call us when you arrive at
school. What time are you leaving in
the morning?”
“We plan to drive down to the falls with
the guys and then we’ll cross the border into the United States and drive
Interstate 90 over to Chicago,” Greg said.
“Then we’ll see you in the morning for
breakfast,” Grandpa said.
“Yes, we’ll be there,” Greg said.
Eva said, “I’m glad you are driving down
to the falls with the guys. I know the
boys wanted to do some sightseeing while I visit with my sister-in-law.”
Greg smiled and said, “The guys were
just discussing their plans and invited us to go along with them.”
Eva smiled and said, “Thank you for
going with them. It’s been a very
difficult time for them the last few days.
I feel badly that things haven’t been as pleasant for them this
time. We don’t see each other very
often and I would rather we had created fond memories over the New Year instead
of how things turned out.”
Greg said, “They are handling it okay.”
Eva said, “I know they’re handling it;
but I am still sad that things haven’t been what we would have liked them to
be.”
Greg returned to his seat next to Cory,
and we continued to talk about our plans for school. Randy and Shawn shared their latest projects
with us. It was pretty late when we
decided to retire for the night.
As we entered our suite, Randy said,
“Please keep it down in there tonight.
We’d like to get some sleep!”
I laughed and said, “We weren’t any noisier
than you two were last night.”
Shawn grinned and said, “Yes, Randy does
get pretty loud when he gets fucked.”
Randy’s face grew red; but he laughed
and said, “And so do you, sweetheart.”
Shawn replied, “That’s true. Tell the boys good night, Randy.”
“Good night, boys,” Randy said, as his
husband led him into their bedroom and closed the door.
We went into our room and Rick quickly
stripped out of his clothes and turned to help me out of mine. He led me into the en suite and turned on
the shower. He pulled me in with
him. We stood under the warm cascade of water as we
kissed, and our hands roamed each other’s bodies. When we came up for air, Rick said, “I love
you.”
I could feel his hardness against me and
reached down to caress it. “I love you,
too.”
*** ***
Joey snuggled closer to Tyler. They were sitting on the couch in the
basement of Tyler’s parents’ home.
Tyler had turned on the gas fireplace and they were enjoying some time
alone. His parents had retired to their
bedroom long ago. The girls were fast asleep
as well. Joey had turned on the baby
monitor so they could hear the girls if they woke up in the night.
Joey pulled up Tyler’s t-shirt and ran
his hands over Tyler’s bare skin. He
pulled the t-shirt up over Tyler’s head and threw it on the floor. He stared into his lover’s eyes as he
unzipped his jeans and pulled them off.
Tyler had gone commando today; so his steel pole was directly in front
of Joey’s face. Joey started servicing
his lover. Joey enjoyed this part of their
foreplay. He felt Tyler begin to go
over the edge; so he pulled off of him and moved up to kiss him. Tyler hungrily returned his kiss.
He helped Joey out of his clothes and then
pushed him down on the couch; leaving Joey with no doubt as to what were his
intentions! A while later they switched
roles. Joey made love to Tyler in a way
that stoked the fire of their passion to new levels of intensity. If Tyler ever had any questions about
whether Joey loved him, they evaporated in the heat of their desires for each
other.
Sated, Joey lay on top of Tyler,
enjoying the feel of his skin next to his.
He molded his body to Tyler’s to maximize the intimate contact he so
loved. He rested his head on Tyler’s
shoulder and gently nibbled on his earlobe.
Then, he ran the tip of his tongue along Tyler’s jawline down to his
chin. Joey gently kissed him, pushing
his tongue against his lips. Tyler
parted his lips, allowing Joey’s tongue access to his mouth. The gentle kiss deepened, leaving them both
breathless.
Joey raised himself up on his elbows and
looked deeply into Tyler’s eyes.
“Tyler, I want you to marry me as soon as we can get to somewhere where
it’s legal.”
Tyler smiled and said, “I think that can
be arranged.” He wrapped his arms
around Joey, pulling him back down for another passionate kiss.
*** ***
Joey stirred in Tyler’s arms and opened
his eyes. They lay with their limbs
intertwined on the couch where they had fallen asleep. He shivered, as a cold draft of air swept
across his bare back. Tyler murmured in
his sleep. Joey carefully disentangled
himself and padded across the carpet to the bathroom to relieve himself. He returned and grabbed his underwear. He slipped them on before turning to wake
his lover.
Tyler opened his eyes and asked,
groggily, “What?”
“We need to go up to bed. We don’t want your parents to find us
sleeping naked on their couch,” Joey said.
“It’s a good thing we put down a blanket on the couch. Otherwise, we would need to clean the
upholstery.” Joey crouched down beside
the couch and rubbed his hands over Tyler’s chest and stomach.
It had the desired effect on Tyler. His steel pole responded immediately, rising
to full mast. Tyler grinned and said,
“I’ll follow you anywhere, as long as I get to fuck you before we go to sleep.”
Joey grinned and said, “Okay, let’s take
this to our bedroom.” He reached over
and grabbed Tyler’s clothes, as well as his own. He stood up and walked over to switch off
the fireplace. Without the firelight,
the room was thrown into pitch blackness.
Luckily, he knew where Tyler was.
He turned and walked back across the room. He reached out and said, “Give me your
hand.” He felt Tyler’s hand touch his
and he grasped it firmly. He pulled
Tyler to his feet and led him up the stairs to their bedroom.
As soon as their door was closed, Joey
dropped their clothes into the clothes hamper.
He stripped off his boxer shorts and joined Tyler in bed. Tyler pulled him close and began a full
scale assault on his senses!
*** ***
The next morning, they were awakened by
a wee voice, “Daddy.” Next, Joey felt
his little girl pull on his arm. He
opened his eyes and looked into Rachel’s hazel eyes.
“Good morning, Rachel,” Joey said. Tyler was spooned up against him with his arm
holding him close.
Rachel said, “Good morning, Daddy. I’m hungry.”
“Okay, we’ll get breakfast as soon as
Dad is awake,” Joey responded.
She pointed to Tyler and said, “Dad is
awake now.”
Tyler nibbled Joey’s ear and said, “Yes,
I’m awake, Rachel.”
Joey caressed Tyler’s arm and snuggled
against Tyler’s chest. He smiled at
Rachel and asked, “Is Sarah awake?”
Rachel nodded her head. “Yes, she is.”
“Will you go talk to her while Dad and
Daddy get dressed?” Joey asked.
“Okay,” Rachel replied. She turned and walked across the room and
out the door. They could hear her voice
as she started talking to her sister.
“Daddy said to talk to you while he gets dressed.”
Joey rolled out of bed and grabbed his
boxer shorts. He pulled them on and
shrugged himself into his bathrobe. He
turned around and walked over to their bed.
Tyler grinned up at him and asked, “Can Daddy please take care of me?”
Joey laughed and said,
“Absolutely!” He leaned down and kissed
Tyler on the lips. Tyler grabbed Joey’s
arms and pulled him down on top of him.
He wrapped his arms around Joey and held him close as they kissed. Tyler released him and Joey squeezed his
lover’s package and said, “Hold that thought!
I’ll be right back.” Joey got up
and walked across the landing to the girls’ room. “Who wants some breakfast?”
Rachel exclaimed, excitedly, “I do.”
Joey leaned over and retrieved Sarah
from her crib. Seeing her sister in her
Daddy’s arms, Rachel raised her arms and said, “Me, too, Daddy, me, too!”
He said, “Hang on Sarah. We’re going to pick up Rachel, too.” He reached down and picked up Rachel. He carried the two girls down the stairs to
the kitchen.
Entering the kitchen, he found Louise
was already there. She smiled at him
and said, “Good morning. If the girls
are ready to eat, I have a good breakfast for them.” He put Rachel down first and she climbed onto
her booster seat and helped Louise buckle her in. Next, he put Sarah in her high chair and
buckled her in. Louise placed a plate
with apple slices in front of the two girls.
Rachel said, “We have to say grace,
Nana.”
Louise said, “You’re right, Rachel. Will you say grace for us?”
Rachel beamed and nodded her head. She held out her hands to Joey and
Louise. They took her hands in theirs,
and then, they took Sarah’s hand.
Rachel said grace and they all said, “Amen.”
The girls finished their apples while
Louise served them pancakes. She had
poured syrup over them and placed the plates next to their apples. Louise began cutting up Sarah’s pancake for
her. She nodded at Joey and said, “You
get to help Rachel with her pancake.”
Joey asked, “May I help you with your
pancake?”
Rachel said, “Yes, Daddy. I want it cut into triangles, please.”
Joey obediently complied with his
daughter’s request. When he was done,
he said, “There you go.”
Rachel said, “Thank you, Daddy.”
Louise looked over at Joey and said, “I
think you need to take care of your fiancé, Joey.”
Joey smiled. “I know I do, but I needed to make sure the
girls were taken care of first.”
Louise said, “You are a good father to
the girls, Joey. I will watch them for
you. Now, go back upstairs and see to
Tyler’s needs.”
Joey didn’t need any further
encouragement. He took the stairs two
at a time and entered their bedroom to find Tyler stretched out on top of the
blankets with his hands behind his head.
He was completely naked and obviously very horny. He grinned at Joey and said, “I need your
loving care this morning.”
Joey laughed and said, “I can see
that.” He quickly stripped off his
clothes and joined Tyler.
*** ***
Later, they heard a gentle knock on
their door. Joey said, “I think it’s
time for us to get up, Babe.” He heard
Rachel’s voice through the door.
Tyler smiled and said, “Yes, I think
we’re being paged.”
Joey got up and pulled Tyler to his
feet. They embraced and shared a kiss
before they both pulled on their shorts.
Joey walked over and opened the door.
Rachel grabbed him around the legs. She looked up at him and said, “Daddy,
Grandma says it’s time to get up.”
Joey laughed. “She does, does she? What do you think Rachel? Is it time for us to get up?”
Rachel released his legs and nodded her head. Her expression was very serious. She repeated her message, “Grandma says it’s
time to get up.”
Tyler knelt down and took Rachel in his
arms. He kissed her on the cheek and
said, “Please tell Grandma that we are getting in the shower and we’ll be down
in a little bit.”
Rachel put her arms around his neck and
said, “Yes, I’ll tell Grandma.”
He put her down. She scampered out of the room and started
down the stairs, shouting, “Grandma!”
Joey took Tyler by the hand and said, “I
think we’d better get moving.”
They quickly showered and helped each
other dress for the day. They had
purchased matching outfits for themselves and for the girls the day
before. Louise had dressed the girls in
their new outfits and was waiting with them in the front room, when the guys
entered the room.
Louise smiled, appreciatively, at her
sons. “That’s much better. I’ve never seen such handsome men!” Louise had noticed that they were holding
hands, and had a certain glow about them.
She had seen that look before and knew they were deeply in love with
each other. She approved of Joey and
witnessed how much stronger their relationship had become over the last couple
of days. She said, “You two are
positively radiating happiness this morning!”
They looked at each other and then back
to Louise. “It’s because we’re happy,”
Tyler responded. “Thank you for
dressing the girls for us. I think we
are ready to drive over to the post office to get our photos taken for our
passports.”
Louise said, “I want you to stop at the
portrait studio and get a family photo taken as soon as you’re done at the post
office.” She handed Tyler a coupon for
a free sitting fee.
Tyler smiled at his mother. “You just want to make sure you get your
family photos before I change my mind.”
He laughed at her expression.
“It’s okay, Mom.”
Louise smiled and said, “Do you blame
me?”
“No, I don’t. I want photos for us as well,” Tyler
said. “Let’s go girls.”
Each of them scooped up one of the girls
and they helped them get their coats on.
Sarah was safely strapped into her car seat. They left the house and loaded the girls
into the car. They stopped by a Mail Boxes,
Etc., store to get the girls’ passport photos taken. Then they dropped by the post office to
submit their documents and photos to get the girls’ passports. They were informed it would take four to six
weeks for the passports to arrive.
They then drove over to the department
store and entered the portrait studio.
The girls were very cooperative and their family portraits turned out
perfect. In fact, they had a hard time
deciding which poses to choose. In the end, they bought all of them!
They arrived home just in time for
lunch. Louise welcomed them home with
warm soup, sandwiches and cookies. The
girls were happy because Louise made them grilled cheese sandwiches and, of
course, the cookies were a big hit with them!
Over lunch, Tyler and Joey decided that
since they already had their passports, they would travel to Washington, DC, to
the Spanish Consulate; to fill out the paperwork for Joey’s visa. They had extra copies of the girl’s birth
certificates, so they could get the visa process started for them, as well.
When they finished eating, they drove
into Washington and managed to find their way to the Spanish Embassy. They entered the building and were greeted
by a petite woman who looked to be in her late thirties. She had blond hair and bright blue
eyes. She smiled at the two men and
their little girls. “Buenos Dias,
Señores. How are you doing today?”
“We are here to apply for a visa to visit
Spain. I’m a student there at the
Universidad Complutense de Madrid,” Tyler said. “I want to bring my family over to stay with
me while I finish school.”
She said, “Have you brought your
passports with you?”
“Yes, I have mine; but we don’t have
them for the girls, yet. They will
arrive in four to six weeks. Do we have
to wait for them or can we start the visa application now?” Joey asked.
She said, “I think we can work with
you. Here are the papers you need to
complete.” She handed them a clipboard
with several sheets of paper. She
pointed at an alcove. “You can sit over
there while you complete the paperwork.”
They walked over and sat down. Joey and Tyler started filling in the
answers to the questions on the visa application. They soon returned to the receptionist and
turned over their clipboard. She looked
over their paperwork and then handed it back to them. “Please take your visa applications to this
office.” She handed them a map of the
embassy and circled the office where they were to go. She pointed them down the hallway.
They found the appropriate office and
entered. They found a tall, gaunt man
behind a desk. He had dark hair, dark
eyes and a heavy dark unibrow. His
hawk-like nose protruded over his upper lip.
He had a pencil thin black mustache.
He smiled at them and stood up to shake their hands. He spoke in perfect English, “How do you
do? I’m Mr. Zaragoza.” Joey and Tyler introduced themselves and the
girls. He smiled at the girls and said,
“I’m very glad to meet you. Please come
in and sit down.
They handed him their visa
applications. He looked them over and
then said, “Mr. Damasiewicz, you already have a student visa.”
“Yes, I do,” Tyler said.
“Mr. Malone, you are Mr. Damasiewicz’
partner?” he asked.
“Yes, we are engaged to be married,”
Joey said.
Mr. Zaragoza smiled. “Congratulations! I’m happy to say that you can be married in
Spain; but one of you must become a legal resident.”
Tyler asked, “How can I do that?”
He pulled out some papers and handed
them to Tyler. “You will need to apply
for residency.”
Tyler read over the paperwork and asked,
“How long does it take?”
“It depends,” Mr. Zaragoza said. “In your case, it shouldn’t take more than a
few weeks since you are already living in Spain.”
Tyler filled out the paperwork and
handed it back to Mr. Zaragoza. He
looked over the forms and asked, “Are you sure this is what you want to do?”
Tyler nodded his head. “We want to be married as soon as possible.”
He nodded his head. “I have to make sure. I need to inform you of some of the issues
that may arise with the United States, before I submit these forms.”
He enumerated several legal issues, then,
said, “I would advise you to contact a lawyer before I submit these forms. I will hold them here until you call me and
authorize me to send them forward. I
will process the visa applications now.
I’m pretty certain we will get them back to you very soon.”
They stood, and Mr. Zaragoza said,
“Thank you for coming to see us. We are
always happy to welcome new families to our great country.”
They left the embassy and returned to
their car. Tyler asked, “Joey, are you
sure you want to become a Spanish citizen?”
Joey thought for a moment and said,
“Yes, I want to live in a country where my marriage is recognized as being
legal; where my children don’t have to worry about being harassed for having
gay parents.”
“We could be married in Canada and you
wouldn’t have to become a legal resident of Spain,” Tyler said.
“I know we could do that,” Joey
said. “But I’m thinking we need to live
where we have all the rights and privileges that every married couple has. I don’t want to live as a second class
citizen just because I married a man. I
want my girls to grow up in a society that treats all of its citizens equally.”
“What if gay marriage becomes legal in
the United States?” Tyler asked. “Would
you want to return home?”
“Only if we had equal rights with all
other married couples,” Joey said.
“I’ve seen the ugly side of the Christian movement with what happened to
Greg and Cory. I don’t want to live
where the government participates in religious bigotry against gays.”
Joey drove them home. They entered the house to find that Louise
was baking pies in the kitchen. She
smiled as the four of them filed into the kitchen. “Does anyone want chocolate chip cookies?”
They chorused, “We do!”
Rachel looked in surprise at her
Dads. She shook her head and said, “You
don’t like cookies, Daddy. Cookies are
for kids!”
“And for Daddies, too,” Joey said. “Your Dad and I love cookies just as much as
you and Sarah.”
Tyler lifted Sarah into her high chair
and buckled the seat belt; while Joey did the same for Rachel. They sat down next to each other and
waited. Louise placed a plate of
freshly baked chocolate chip cookies on the table, and then poured each of them
a glass of milk. She put Sarah’s milk
in a Sippy cup and handed it to her with a cookie.
Joey bit into the soft, warm
cookie. The chocolate chips were still
gooey and melted in his mouth. He took
a drink of milk and said, “The cookies are wonderful, Mom.”
Louise smiled. “I’ve always been able to turn out some
pretty good cookies. I’m baking pies –
two pumpkin, an apple and a cherry.”
Tyler said, “Thank you, Mom, for the
cookies. I can’t wait to taste the pies!”
She looked at Tyler. “I’m making the pies for you; since you are
leaving for Spain in the morning.”
At the mention of his imminent
departure, Tyler said, “We took care of the visa applications today. I also applied for permanent residency.”
Louise looked at her son in
surprise. “Why did you do that? I thought you were returning home after you
graduate.”
Tyler looked over at Joey before he
answered her. “We’ve decided we want to
live in Spain after we are married. We
want to live where our marriage is legally recognized and we have the same
rights and privileges under that law as all other married couples.”
Louise nodded her head in
understanding. “I just wish that we
would get our act together here in the United States with regards to gay marriage. Maybe someday things will change.”
“In the meantime, we will raise our family
in Spain,” Tyler said. There were tears
in her eyes at the thought of her son moving so far away. Tyler got up and walked around the table to
hug his mother. “I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
She wiped her eyes with the back of her
hand. “It’s okay, Tyler. It just means that your Dad and I need to
move to Spain to be near our grandchildren.”
Tyler smiled, “We would love to have you
live near us.”
Joey said, “It would be even better if
you bought a place near the ocean. That
way, you could stay with us in the city and we could stay with you at the
beach.”
Tyler laughed. “Joey wants to see me in my bikini
swimsuit!”
Joey grinned. “Yes, I do!
And I’ll wear mine as well.”
Louise laughed at the two boys. “You two are incorrigible. I will have to talk to your Dad about it;
but I think we’ll make the move pretty soon.
The housing market here is pretty good right now; so we could get a
decent price for our townhome.”
Tyler said, “I’ll send you all the
information I can find on homes in Madrid and on the coast. There are several really nice coastal towns
in southern Spain I think we should check out.”
Harry walked into the kitchen at that
moment and asked, “What’s this about homes in Madrid or on the coast of
Spain?” They explained to him their
plans and their desire to have them live nearby. Harry smiled. “I think that’s a wonderful idea. Your Mom and I will look into it. When we come for your wedding, we can do
some house hunting.”
Tyler asked, “What about learning to
speak Spanish?”
“We’ll figure it out,” Harry
responded. “We both took Spanish in
high school; but we don’t remember any of it.
I’m up for the challenge. We
need something to keep us young and engaged with life.”
Tyler was grinning from ear to ear. He couldn’t think of a better gift than to
have his parents living near him in Spain.
Everything seemed to be working out for him. First, he got his guy and the girls. Now, he had his parents who had just agreed
to move to be near him and his family.
Life couldn’t be better!
*** ***
Author’s Note:
