Chapter One
Hundred Twelve – In Between the Tear Drops
Rick sat on
the couch trying to bring his anger under control. It was a good thing that Perry wasn’t
anywhere in the vicinity or there would have been one dead guy laid out on the
floor. He was even angrier with
himself. Glenn was right. He had been chafing at the restrictions he
felt had been placed on him; but it was the military that had placed those
limitations on him, not Glenn or their relationship. The government’s misguided policy on gays serving
in the military was the cause of his angst.
It made it hard to be a normal couple, having to hide their relationship
from public view; always worrying that someone might see them and turn him
in.
He had tried
to explain to Glenn that it wasn’t their relationship that caused him grief;
but Glenn wouldn’t listen to him, or at least it seemed that he had already
made up his mind to walk out of Rick’s life.
When Glenn said he wanted to give Rick his freedom, it had been like
Glenn had landed a sucker punch. Then,
he became angrier. He felt like shaking
some sense into Glenn. Why couldn’t he
see that Rick loved him more than life itself?
In
retrospect, he could kick himself for admitting to Glenn that he sometimes fantasized
about fucking women when they were making love. He had been caught off guard by Glenn’s
question and had decided to be truthful with his lover. Now he knew that he should have kept that
piece of information from Glenn. But
then, Glenn seemed to have already figured out that he was really having a
difficult time not going after some of the cute girls they had seen lately on
campus. It wasn’t that Glenn wasn’t
meeting his needs in the sex department; but he just wanted to fuck a woman. He had fucked many different women before
meeting Glenn, and he had quite enjoyed the variety. Maybe he was growing restless due to being
with the same person for such a long time.
Glenn had suggested that they change things up a bit; but he hadn’t
really been in the mood to try something different.
Rick put his
head in his hands and tried to think of what he should do next. He didn’t want to lose Glenn. Quite frankly, leaving Glenn had never even
crossed his mind, despite the things that irritated him or caused him grief. His thoughts returned to the handsome
interloper who seemed bent on destroying their relationship. How could Glenn let the guy convince him
that Rick didn’t love him? He couldn’t
comprehend how that had happened. The more he thought about it, the anger he
felt earlier started to rise in him again.
He knew he was going to explode if they didn’t work things out soon.
He decided
to push the issue and got to his feet.
He walked toward their spare bedroom.
The door was slightly ajar as he approached it. He put his hand on the doorknob and stopped
to listen. He could hear Glenn sobbing
on the other side of the door. The
anger in his heart was washed away and he felt like a real loser for not seeing
how hurt Glenn was by their conversation.
He had only thought of himself and how offended he felt. He wanted to reach out and comfort his
lover. He hated being the source of so
much sorrow! He hesitated before putting
his hand on the door, unsure of what kind of reception he would get from Glenn. He began pushing it open. He stopped when he realized that Glenn was
talking to his mother. He stood
silently, listening to their conversation.
*** ***
I sat on the
bed in our spare bedroom, trying to decide what to do next. I had just left Rick in the family
room. He was still angry with me for
confronting him about not being gay and lusting after women. I felt so depressed. Perry had been right about Rick after
all. That made me angry at Perry. Until he came along, I had been quite
content with my relationship. Why had I
ever listened to him? I wish Rick had
denied that he was attracted to women.
I would have known he was lying to me; but at least I could pretend that
he was really gay and wanted only me. I
started to cry, letting my grief manifest itself. I hate not being able to keep myself under
control when I feel strong emotions.
After the initial storm had passed, I pulled out my cell phone and
called my mother. I knew she would understand
why I felt I had to give Rick his freedom.
She answered
on the first ring, “Glenn, thank you for calling me. I’ve been so lonely the last few days. Your phone calls have been the highlight of
my day.”
“Mom, Rick
and I split up today,” I said.
“Why? What happened?” she asked. Her voice was full of concern.
I told her
everything. I said, “I don’t know what
to do, Mom. I still love him; but I
have to let him decide who he really is.”
The tears were cascading down my cheeks and I was sobbing again.
Mom said,
“Glenn, you need to listen to your heart.
What does your heart tell you?”
“It tells me
that Rick loves me; despite the attraction he might feel toward women,” I said.
“Then, you
need to talk to Rick and patch things up with him. Think about it, Glenn. What kind of man is this Perry? Do you think he really has your best
interest at heart? It sounds like he
has only one aim in life and that is to take what he wants; no matter the
consequences. Isn’t it true that Rick
has never given you a reason to doubt his love for you?”
I said,
“Yes. Rick has always been there for me
and he has always loved me.”
“Well, I
think you know what you need to do,” Mom said.
“Thanks,
Mom,” I said. “I knew you would have all
the answers.”
Mom laughed,
“If that were true, I wouldn’t be sitting here by myself, wishing that your Dad
was here with me.”
“Maybe you
should do the same thing I’m going to do.
You need to call Dad and patch things up with him. It’s been long enough, now, that he should
have realized that he can’t take you for granted anymore,” I said.
She said, “I
will give it some thought, Glenn. I
will talk to you tomorrow, son. Go talk
to your boyfriend and fix things up between you.”
“I
will. Good night,” I said. I cut the connection. The phone rang as soon as I put it into my
pocket. I retrieved it and answered it.
“What do you
want, Perry?” I asked, my voice as hard as steel. Hearing his voice brought the anger I felt
to the surface.
“Did you
split up with Rick?” he asked.
“That is
none of your business, Perry. I think
it would be best if we stopped studying together. I don’t need the constant barrage of
negativity coming from you. You’ve
tried to poison my relationship with Rick and take his place in my life. Yes, you’ve been upfront about your goal of
winning over my heart; however, it’s come to an end. Please don’t call me anymore or expect me to
help you study. Goodbye, Perry,” I
said. I hung up and threw the cell
phone on the bed.
As Rick
listened to Glenn tell his mother what had happened, his anger rekindled
against Perry. The guy was lower than
dirt! When he overheard Glenn telling
Perry to stay out of his personal life and to get lost, Rick’s heart nearly
burst with remorse for being angry with Glenn.
He was glad he hadn’t interrupted Glenn’s conversation.
He saw Glenn
throw his phone on the bed. Rick tapped
on the door and asked, “May I come in?”
I looked up at him and nodded my head.
He stood in front of me and shifted from one foot to the other before he
said, “I want to apologize for getting angry at you. I shouldn’t have lost my temper with
you. I’m sorry. Can you forgive me?”
I looked up
into his eyes and saw the sincerity in them.
I nodded my head and patted the bed bedside me. “Yes, but I need a hug.”
He sat down
next to me and pulled me into his arms.
I clung to him and said, “I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t have pushed your buttons and
made you mad.”
Rick said,
“It’s okay. At least we’re talking
now. I want to make sure you know that
I love you and only you. I might
fantasize about women from time to time; but it’s you that I love.”
“But Perry
said you aren’t really gay,” I said, uncertainly.
“Do you
believe everything Perry tells you?
Think about it, Glenn. I’ve had
ample opportunity to leave you for someone else over the last two years; but
I’ve stayed by your side. While I was
on active duty, I could have had any girl I wanted; yet I remained faithful to
you. I never stepped out on you and I
still won’t. I may not be a
stereotypical gay guy who is hot to fuck every guy I see; but I’m very much
attracted to you and intend to spend the rest of my life with you. Does that make sense to you?” Rick asked.
I pulled
back from his embrace and looked deeply into his eyes. “Yes, it does. It’s kind of like you’re straight, except
for when you’re with me.”
Rick laughed
and said, “That pretty much describes how I feel. I’m not really attracted to other guys. Maybe that’s why no one suspects that I’m
gay. As for why I’m attracted to you, I
haven’t been able figure out why. I
just am. I think we were meant to be
together; otherwise, I would be in a relationship with a woman.”
“Maybe it’s
because I’m so sexy,” I said, grinning.
“Maybe so,”
Rick answered, rubbing his hands up and down my back. “I think it’s the whole package. I love your eyes, your hair, and your
fantastic body. I love your quirky
smile, your twisted sense of humor and I even love how emotional you get
sometimes. I’m addicted to you, Mr.
Nielsen.”
“And I’m
addicted to you,” I said, rubbing noses with him.
Rick said, “I
overheard you telling Perry to get lost.”
I nodded my
head. “Yes, Mom told me I needed to fix
things with you and part of that was getting rid of Perry.”
Rick grinned
and said, “I love your Mom. She is a
wonderful lady.”
I smiled and
said, “Yes, she is.”
“Are we
okay? I mean can you live with the fact
that I sometimes fantasize about being with a woman?” Rick asked.
I hesitated
before answering, “I won’t pretend that it doesn’t bother me; but it seems to
have worked for us so far. What will
you do if you can’t get it up because you’re not really into fucking a guy?”
Rick put his
hand under my chin and raised it until he could look into my eyes. “If that ever happens, I will bottom for you
and you’ll fuck me until I get horny again.
You have to admit that I’ve never had a problem fucking you and I don’t
anticipate having a problem in the future.”
I smiled and
said, “I have to give you credit for keeping me pretty happy in the sex
department.”
“I intend to
keep it that way. Remember, we are
equal partners in that area. I only
wish you would top for me more often,” Rick said.
I ducked my
head and wouldn’t meet his eyes. “You
know why I don’t like to top.”
“Yes, I do
and you’re still going to therapy to work through what happened to you,” Rick
said.
I looked up
and met Rick’s eyes. “I hate going to
therapy, Rick. The guy gives me the
creeps. He seems to take some secret
pleasure in the pain I feel when I relive the horror of being raped by my
cousin and his friends. After each
therapy session, I come home so exhausted and physically sick. I think we need to find a new therapist.”
“I thought
you were making good progress,” Rick said, with raised eyebrows. “What happened?”
“I was in
Minneapolis; but since we returned to Atlanta, I feel like things are way
worse,” I said. “I don’t know the
reason why things aren’t getting better.”
“I’ll help
you do some research to find someone who can help you,” Rick said.
I nodded my
head and said, “Thank you for being so understanding.”
Rick said,
“I love you, Glenn.”
“I know,” I
said. I stood up and pulled Rick to his
feet next to me. “Let’s go to bed. I’m still an emotional wreck. I want you to take me to bed and just hold
me.”
Rick led me
to our bedroom and gently undressed me.
He held me tight and kissed me before he put me into bed; then disrobed
and joined me. I snuggled against him
as he took me into his arms. I listened
to his heartbeat and soon drifted off.
*** ***
The next
morning, Rick awoke to find himself alone in their bed. He panicked at first, thinking that Glenn
had left him. Then he heard the toilet
flush in their en suite and he relaxed.
He put his hands behind his head and kicked the comforter off the
bed. His morning wood was on prominent
display as he stretched his legs and feet, flexing his toes.
I came into
our room and spied Rick’s gorgeous body stretched out on the bed. My eyes lit up with anticipation and I
licked my lips. I met Rick’s eyes and
he grinned at me. “May I be of service
to you this morning, Mr. Lernier?”
Rick
replied, “I think you might be able to assist me.” He began stroking himself and then gestured
for me to take over. Soon, I had Rick
moaning with pleasure. I was determined
to give my guy the best blowjob ever!
Later, Rick
held me close and said, “I love you.”
We kissed and he said, “I hope I’ve managed to dispel any doubts you had
about whether I could get it up.”
I laughed
and said, “You’ve never had that problem.
I was just worried that you would grow bored with me.”
Rick looked
into my eyes and held my gaze. “Glenn,
I promise you that I will work with you to make sure our relationship doesn’t
grow stale. It will take both of us to
keep things fresh and interesting. I
know that I am guilty of not doing my part in that regard over that last few
weeks. I was more concerned with
getting my homework completed and studying than I was in maintaining our
relationship. I’m sorry I neglected
you.”
Hearing
Rick’s confession brought tears to my eyes.
I said, “I’m just as guilty of that as you are. I let myself be swayed by Perry’s words
instead of working things out with you.
I feel so ashamed, Rick. I
nearly threw away the most precious thing in my life.”
Rick put his
hand to my face and wiped away the tears.
“What’s important is the fact that we have recognized that things need
to change. The past is past and we need
to move forward from here to strengthen our relationship.”
I took his
hand in mine and said, “I love you.”
Rick gave me
a tender kiss, “Let there be no doubts in your mind that I love you.”
*** ***
A few hours
later, I entered my economics class.
Instead of taking my usual seat at the back of the room, I went to the
front row and found a seat next to a really cute blond girl. She looked at me and said, “Hi! My name is Annjanette. What’s your name?”
“I’m Glenn,”
I replied. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Don’t you usually
sit in the back next to that really gorgeous guy? He’s a real hunk,” she gushed.
“Yes, but I
decided to sit up front today. His name
is Perry,” I said.
She beamed
at me as if I had just given her a piece of candy! I nearly rolled my eyes in disgust. “Thank you so much for telling me his
name. I think I’ll go back and
introduce myself.”
She got up
from her seat and flounced to the back of the classroom. I turned to see what Perry would do. She bent over his desk, giving him a clear
view of her cleavage. I could hear her
bubbly little laugh as she flirted with Perry.
She sat down next to him and placed her hand on his leg. I nearly laughed out loud at the expression
on his face as she continued to rub his inner thigh. I turned around so I wouldn’t have to hide
my expression from him. I think Perry
had just met his match! I didn’t have
to worry about talking to Perry that day or any of the following ones, since
Annjanette monopolized Perry’s time. It
was nearly two weeks later when I crossed his path without his new found friend
hanging on his arm. I was on my way out
of our statistics class when he managed to escape from her and he caught up to
me in the hallway.
He caught me
by the arm and said in a low voice, “It’s all your fault.”
I looked at
him, wide-eyed and innocent. “What’s my
fault? I haven’t done anything to you.”
His eyes
narrowed and he hissed at me. “You told
Annjanette to harass me.”
I tried not
to laugh; but I couldn’t stop myself.
Perry’s face darkened with anger.
“I only told her your name. She
did all the rest of her own volition. I
swear I didn’t tell her to harass you.
She asked if I knew that gorgeous guy at the back of the room and I said
I did and that your name was Perry. She
immediately got up and made a beeline straight to you. You can ask her yourself since she’s
standing right there.” I nodded toward
her as she came out of the classroom. I
pulled my arm free of Perry’s grasp.
“It’s nice to see you again, Annjanette.” I smiled at her and walked past Perry toward
the exit. Her high pitched, bubbly
voice followed me down the hallway. I
started laughing and couldn’t stop until I was nearly to our meeting place.
Rick looked
at my red face with concern. “Are you
okay?”
I said, “I’m
fine. Wait until I tell you what
happened today!” I related the incident
with Perry.
Rick’s
hearty laugh rang out over campus, causing a couple of students to look our
way. “It serves him right!”
“I
agree. Let’s go eat. I’m hungry,” I said.
Rick nodded
his head in agreement. “Are you up for
pizza?”
“Yes. Let’s head over to the Mellow Mushroom. I’ll call the guys and tell them to meet us
there in about 30 minutes,” I said.
While we walked to our car, I called Duane and Cordell. Both of them agreed to meet us at the
restaurant with their partners.
I looked
over at Rick and said, “The guys will meet us there.”
“Good. It will be nice to catch up with them,” Rick
said. We found our car and climbed
in. Rick leaned over and kissed
me. “I love you.”
“I love you,
too,” I responded.
Rick drove
us to the Mellow Mushroom and parked.
As I got out of the car, I noticed that he had parked in the exact same
spot as that fateful night last summer.
The memory of what had happened here made me shudder. Rick saw my expression and asked, “Are you
okay, Babe?”
“Yes, I’m
fine,” I said. I glanced around to make
sure no one looked like they were waiting to jump me. “Whenever we come here, I get a little
nervous after those two guys assaulted me.
I like coming here, so I won’t let a bad memory stop me from enjoying
some good pizza.”
The rest of
the guys pulled into the parking lot as we made our way inside. We got our usual table by the window and
waited for them to join us.
Duane
grinned at us and said, “Are you ready to play some trivia games?”
“Sure,” I
replied. “I think I can beat you this
time.”
Mason
laughed and said, “You two are just crazy.”
Cordell and
Michael came in next, followed by Jeb and a big fellow I didn’t recognize. Cordell said, “Hey guys!”
Rick gave
him a high five and they sat down with us.
Jeb walked over and asked, “Do you mind if we join you guys?”
Cordell
said, “We invited them to join us. I
hope that’s okay?”
Rick smiled
and said, “The more, the merrier.
Please have a seat. But who is
your friend?” He nodded toward the big
guy standing next to Jeb.
Jeb turned
and said, “This is Larry Coburn. He’s
on our football squad. Larry, this is
Rick, Glenn, Duane and Mason.”
Larry stood
at least 6’4” (188 cm.) and weighed about 250 lbs. (113 kg.). I could see he had plenty of muscle on his
solid frame. His white muscle shirt and
skin tight jeans left little to the imagination. My eyes about popped out of my head as I
realized he was running commando, with his package clearly visible through the
fabric of his jeans. I raised my eyes
to his and he reached down and adjusted himself.
That’s when
I noticed he had a wide grin with slightly crooked teeth. His bright blue eyes were deep set under bushy
blond eyebrows. He had a huge bulbous
nose, a ruddy complexion and square chin.
His long blond hair hung down his back in a ponytail. He reached out his meaty hand to shake
mine. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Same here,”
I responded, as he continued to shake everyone’s hand around the table.
He and Jeb
sat down to our right. The waitress
took our order and left to bring us our beverages. I looked at Jeb in surprise when I saw Larry
slip his hand down Jeb’s leg. I caught
Jeb’s gaze and he blushed. He said,
“Yes, Larry and I are a couple.”
Rick did a
double take. “Did you just say you and
Larry are together?”
Larry
grinned and said, “Yes, he did. We’ve
been together about a month now.”
“Okay, spill
it! How did you guys get together?” I asked.
Jeb said,
“After I broke up with Jill, I was pretty down in the dumps.”
“That’s when
we started hanging out,” Larry said.
“At first, we did all of the usual guy things: playing video games, going to the movies,
driving go-karts, or just chilling in the dorms.”
“I didn’t
know Larry was gay until six weeks ago.
I was fooling around on his computer when one of his gay friends IM’d
him. I answered it and I started
chatting with the guy. I was shocked
when the guy asked if I was Larry’s new bitch.”
“I saw Jeb’s
expression change, so I asked what was going on. Jeb explained that Mark had asked if I was
fucking him. That is when I asked Jeb to
be my boyfriend,” Larry said.
“But I
thought you were straight,” I said.
“I was until
that night. Larry can be very
persuasive when he wants to be,” Jeb said.
Cordell
said, “You should have seen Jeb the next day.
He came to me and asked what he should do about Larry.”
Jeb looked
around nervously at our little group and said, “I was worried that you would
judge me for being a hypocrite for being so anti-gay before; and now I am in a
relationship with a guy.”
Duane said,
“Don’t sweat it, Jeb. Most straight
guys are really gay, deep down. I’ve
found that the most virulently anti-gay men are usually severely repressed
closet cases. Men who are truly
straight don’t have to worry about gay men and don’t have an issue with a guy
having sex with another guy.”
Larry smiled
and said, “See, Jeb, I was right about your friends.”
Jeb nodded
his head. “I’m glad you were
right.” He looked around the table and
said, “The turning point for me was the fact that you let me hold Bible study
sessions in your home with your gay friends.
I could see that being gay is really who you are; that you were being
true to yourselves, instead of living a lie.
Then, I went to church with you guys and I talked with the pastor about
being gay. Reverend Goebel was very
helpful and helped me see how the Bible has been twisted to suit the views of
those who quote it.”
“We’ve kept
our relationship secret until now; because Jeb was afraid of what our teammates
would do when they found out,” Larry said.
Cordell
said, “I told Jeb not to worry. Our
teammates know I’m gay and that I have a boyfriend. I haven’t had any trouble with any of them,
unless you count the ribbing they give me about getting laid every night. In fact, Jeff was asking me how he could
meet some good looking guys like Michael.”
Michael blushed; but didn’t say anything as Cordell put his arm around
his shoulders.
Jeb said,
“But you hadn’t been preaching against gays and making quite a show of being
super religious. I was afraid they
wouldn’t accept me as being gay because of everything I’ve said in the
past. I’ve tried to get them to come to
church with me in the past.”
“Being gay
doesn’t mean you can’t be religious.
There are a lot of gays who attend church services and lead lives of
devoted service to their church,” Mason said.
“It’s those who hate us that spread false rumors that all gays are
ungodly or at a minimum, unchurched.”
Jeb nodded
his head in agreement. “I know I was
blinded by the hate propaganda that’s preached from the pulpits of most “Christian”
churches. They have missed the point of
the gospel.”
Larry said,
“When Jeb agreed to be my boyfriend, I wasn’t sure what to think.”
Jeb laughed,
“He was so stunned that I said “yes” he couldn’t speak for nearly ten minutes.”
Larry
punched Jeb in the shoulder. “It wasn’t
ten minutes.”
“Maybe not;
but it sure seemed like a long time,” Jeb said, grinning.
The waitress
returned with our beverages and asked, “Okay, guys. Will it be your usual?”
Rick looked
around the table and the guys nodded their heads. “Yes.”
“Alright,
I’ll put in your order,” she said.
Larry said,
“You guys must come here often.”
“You could
say that,” Rick said, with a smile.
“Tammy knows what we like and usually just places our order. I think she waited this time because you’re
with us.”
“Besides,
Tammy has a crush on Rick,” Duane said, grinning.
Rick blushed
and said, “She’s been pretty obvious about it.”
I said, “You
could say that again!
Michael
said, “Glenn has been very good about the whole thing. She practically sat on Rick’s lap the last
time we were here.”
I nodded my
head. “She was pretty bold last time. I thought she was going to fall out of her
clothes because she had so much cleavage showing.”
“I don’t
think she has figured out that Rick and Glenn are a couple,” Mason said. “I thought she would’ve figured it out when
Rick gave Glenn a passionate kiss; but she seemed to ignore that.”
“It’s more
like she’s trying to prove she can get Rick’s attention and take him from me,”
I said.
Rick nodded
his head. “It’s also why you got so upset with me.”
The guys
looked at me with added interest. “If
you must know, Rick and I had a little bit of discussion about that, and a few
other things.”
Mason said,
“I bet that discussion included Perry.”
“Unfortunately,
it did,” Rick said. “But, we’ve worked
things out.”
“Who is
Perry?” Jeb asked, with interest.
Rick said,
“He’s a guy in Glenn’s classes who has made it his goal in life to get Glenn
into his bed.”
Duane said,
“We’ve met the guy. He’s one of the
best looking guys I’ve ever met. I mean
he could be a model.”
“We’re
talking jaw-dropping gorgeous,” Mason said.
“When Glenn introduced us to him, I had to pick myself up off of the
ground when he smiled at me.”
Rick
agreed. “Yes, he is good looking; but he’s
also extremely arrogant.”
I said,
“He’s history as far as I’m concerned.”
Rick laughed
and said, “Glenn sure fixed his wagon.”
Duane asked,
“What do you mean?”
I explained
how Perry had been pushing me to leave Rick and what his tactics had been. Then, I told them about dumping Perry, and
how I accidentally sent Annjanette his way.
Everyone had
a good laugh and we moved on to other topics.
Our pizza arrived and we dug in.
The three football players among us demolished one entire pizza on their
own. It was a good thing we had ordered
three pizzas!
*** ***
Louise and
Harry were at the airport in Toronto, waiting for Tyler’s arrival. They had strategically chosen a place where
they would see him when he showed up to claim his luggage. Sarah was sleeping in Louise’s arms, while
Rachel raced from Joey to Harry and back.
Rachel laughed as she ran. Glancing
at Joey’s face, Harry had to smile. Joey’s
excitement was very evident in every line of his body. Louise and Harry laughed when they saw their
future son-in-law jump up from his seat and wave his arms over his head to draw
Tyler’s attention.
Louise
looked over at Harry and asked, “Do you think he’s excited or what?”
Harry
laughed and said, “Yes, I think he’s a little excited to see his fiancé!”
Tyler
grinned when he spotted Joey. He made
his way through the crowd and threw his arms around him, lifting him off of his
feet. Joey’s joyous laughter rang out
as Tyler whirled him around and set him down.
They kissed and Joey said, “I love you.”
The smile on
Tyler’s face grew even wider. “I can
see that. I don’t think anyone else’s
arrival was greeted with as much excitement as mine!”
Rachel
pulled on his pant leg and said, “Dad!”
She lifted up her arms to him.
Tyler released Joey and picked up Rachel.
She smiled
and put her arms around his neck. She
kissed his cheek and said, “I missed you and so did Daddy.”
“I missed
you, too,” Tyler said. “Where’s Sarah?”
Rachel
pointed to Louise and said, “She’s with Nana.”
He set Rachel on her feet and she took his hand to lead him over to
Louise and Harry. “Nana, Dad is
here. May we go now?”
Louise
smiled at Rachel and said, “Yes, we can leave as soon as we retrieve Dad’s
luggage.”
Tyler leaned
over and kissed his mother on the cheek.
“Thank you for helping with the girls.”
She smiled
up at him. “I wouldn’t have it any
other way, son. I’ve looked forward to
watching my grandchildren for a long time.”
Joey came up
beside his fiancé and looped his arm around his waist. “Is this the only suitcase you brought with
you?”
Tyler
glanced down at the suitcase in Joey’s hand and answered, “Yes, that’s it.”
Harry asked,
“Are we ready to go?”
“Yes, we’re
ready. Thank you for picking me up,
Dad,” Tyler said.
Harry smiled
and said, “Not a problem, son. I hope
you brought your documents with you. We
have just enough time to get to the York Civic Centre and get your marriage
license.”
“I have
everything with me,” Tyler said.
“And I have
my documents as well, including Kathy’s death certificate to prove that I’m a
widower,” Joey said.
“It sounds
like we’re ready,” Harry said.
Harry stood
up and Tyler gave him a hug. “Thank you
for everything you’ve done for us.”
Harry patted
his back and said, “It’s the least we can do to help you two get started out in
life.”
They made
their way out to the parking garage.
They climbed into their rented mini-van and Harry drove the 15 km. (9
miles) to the civic centre. Harry said,
“We’ll wait here while you two go inside.”
Joey looked
over at Tyler and asked, “Are you ready?”
Tyler
grinned and said, “Yes, I’m ready.” He
leaned over and kissed Joey. “Let’s
go.”
They got out
of the van and disappeared inside. A
short while later, they returned, walking hand in hand with huge smiles on their
faces. When they opened the van door,
Harry said, “I take it that you got your marriage license.
Tyler
replied, “We got it.”
Joey said,
“They were very efficient. We could
have gotten married here as soon as we were issued the marriage license. It feels so good to be treated like anyone
else who wants to get married. I’m glad
we’re moving to a country that treats all of their citizens equally.”
Tyler said,
“Spain is a wonderful country and most people are very open and friendly to
gays. However, just like every other
country in the world, there are those who don’t agree with us and treat us
poorly.”
“But what’s
important to me right now is the fact that Spain will recognize our marriage as
legal and that we can adopt children. I
want us to have more children,” Joey said.
Louise
asked, “How many more children do you want, Joey?”
“At least
two more,” Joey replied. “I think twin
boys would be wonderful!”
“We’ll name
them Joey and Tyler,” Tyler said.
Joey said,
“Yes, we’ll give them Joey and Tyler for their middle names.”
Tyler
smiled, “We have plenty of time to think of what their names will be. We have to get married first!”
“Tomorrow is
the big day,” Louise said.
Harry
started the van and drove them to their hotel.
They entered the hotel lobby and found Greg and Cory there, checking
into their room. Greg hugged Joey and
said, “I’m so happy for you and Tyler.”
Joey said,
“Thank you for standing up with me.”
“I’m honored
to be your best man,” Greg said.
Cory hugged
them both and said, “I’m so excited for you.”
Tyler
smiled, “We’re just as excited.”
Harry
confirmed the truth of Tyler’s statement, “Yes, I can say that Joey was
practically bouncing off the walls with excitement while we were waiting for
Tyler’s plane to arrive.”
Rachel
pulled on Greg’s hand. “Uncle Greg, I
want up.”
Greg knelt
down and took his niece in his arms.
“How are you, Rachel?”
“I’m happy,”
she replied. She wrapped her arms
around his neck and gave him a hug. “I
miss Mommy.”
The child’s
statement reminded Greg of his sister’s death a few months earlier. “I miss her, too, sweetheart. But you have a new Dad to help Daddy take
care of you.”
Rachel
pointed at Tyler. “He’s right over
there.”
Greg nodded
his head. “Yes, he’s right there. Your Dad and Daddy are going to be married
tomorrow.”
Rachel said,
“I get to be the flower girl. Daddy
said I will have a basket of pretty flowers.”
Greg smiled
and said, “I’m sure you’ll be the best flower girl ever.”
Cory
finished checking them into their room.
He put his arm around Greg’s waist.
“We’re all checked in. What are
our plans for the evening?”
Tyler said,
“Mom and Dad are taking us out to dinner.
We’ll meet here at 6 PM.”
Joey asked,
“Has anyone heard from Rick and Glenn?”
Greg
answered, “Yes, Rick sent me a text message.
They are on the ground at the airport and should be here within the
hour.”
Cory said,
“I’m glad you asked Rick to stand up with you, Tyler.”
“It was a
hard call for us,” Joey said. “We
wanted to include the four of you.”
“You still
can. All four of us can stand up with
you,” Cory said.
Tyler looked
at Joey and shrugged. “I don’t see why
not.”
Joey smiled
and said, “Okay, we’ll have each couple stand up with us; Greg and Cory with me
and Rick and Glenn with you.”
“Sounds like
a plan,” Tyler said.
The group
had started toward the elevator bank when Cory said, “There’s Rick and Glenn.”
Greg turned
to look. “The guys are here. Let’s wait and we’ll go up together.”
Rick spotted
them and waved. “Hey guys!”
Greg looked
closely at Glenn and noticed how flushed he looked. Then, he noticed that both of them were very
much aroused. He started to laugh as it
dawned on him what had been going on in the back of the taxi! “Rick, did you give the taxi driver an
education in gay sex?”
Rick’s laugh
filled the lobby. “You could say
that. He was being such a prick that we
decided to give him a ringside seat to what gay sex is all about!”
I nodded my
head and said, “We did everything except have intercourse and if we’d been in
the taxi cab a little longer; we might have done that, too.”
Cory said,
“What happened when he dropped you off?”
“Nothing, we
paid him and he drove off,” Rick answered.
Joey and
Tyler hugged them both. Joey said,
“Thanks for coming, guys. I know that
this isn’t what you had in mind to do for spring break.”
Rick said,
“We wouldn’t have missed your wedding for anything.”
“I’m glad
you included us in your wedding plans,” I said.
“Mom and Dad
are taking us out to dinner tonight. We
will meet down here at 6 PM,” Tyler said.
“Cool
beans! We’ll get checked in and take
some time to freshen up,” I said.
“Should we be dressed up or is casual okay?”
Harry said,
“I think casual is good. We’ll have the
two girls with us and we chose a family friendly restaurant.”
“Good,” I
said. “I’m starving! All they gave us were a few snacks on the
plane.”
“We’ll let
you get checked in, then,” Greg said.
They left us
and we completed the check in process.
Rick had booked us a room with a Jacuzzi tub. “I think we need to make use of the
Jacuzzi,” I said, as Rick hung up his clothes.
Rick grinned
at me and said, “I think someone’s still horny.”
“Guilty as
charged,” I said, rubbing my crotch. I
walked into the en suite and started the water running into the tub. I adjusted the temperature and then stripped
out of my clothes. The flight had been
uneventful; but I was still tired. I
climbed in and let out a sigh of contentment as the hot water climbed up the
sides of the tub, covering my legs. I
closed my eyes and relaxed. I opened my
eyes when Rick turned on some music. I
looked up to see him totally naked and very aroused. He grinned as he put his cell phone down
next to the sink and walked over to join me in tub. I scooted forward and he wrapped his legs
around me. I leaned back against his
chest as he nibbled my earlobe. Whoever
invented Jacuzzi tubs must have had making out in mind!
*** ***
We basked in
the afterglow of our lovemaking. I
rubbed noses with Rick and said, “I’m glad we came. We’ve needed some time alone without the
pressure of school.”
Rick said,
“I think we’ve come a long way since our little argument a few weeks ago.”
“You know
that wasn’t little,” I said.
“No, it
wasn’t; but it was the best thing to happen to us. I needed to be reminded to pay attention to
your needs instead of being so centered on my own,” Rick said.
“And I
needed to be brought back to reality.
Perry had me so turned around in my head,” I said.
“I know,”
Rick said. “I wasn’t paying enough
attention to you and Perry was there to take advantage of that fact. It was as much my fault as it was yours that
Perry managed to sabotage our relationship.
I’m sorry I wasn’t there to support you.”
“But you’re
here now and so am I,” I said. “I think
we’ve both learned a lesson about what it takes to keep our relationship
going.”
Rick smiled
and kissed me. “Yes, we have. I won’t let myself get so distracted that I
forget to pay attention to you.”
“I’ve
learned not to listen to handsome gay guys who want to fuck me in the worst
way. Perry isn’t the first guy who has
tried to seduce me,” I said.
“I’m well
aware of that,” Rick said, with feeling.
“But he was the most persistent and the one who nearly succeeded.” He paused and gazed into my eyes. “Sometimes, I wish you weren’t so damn
cute. Guys are attracted to you like
moths to a candle flame.”
“You make me
sound like one of those sirens in Greek mythology that led men to their death,”
I said, grinning.
Rick laughed
and said, “That thought did cross my mind.
You captured me long ago and I know the strong attraction I feel for you. I can only imagine what kind of power you
have over truly gay guys.”
I laughed
and said, “None, because I already have the guy I want.” I put my hand on his chest. “He’s right here.” I kissed him as I gently caressed his bare
chest.
My cell
phone rang and I broke off our kiss to answer it. “Hey, are you guys going with us?” Greg
said.
“Yes, we’ll
be right down,” I said.
“Okay, we’ll
wait for you,” Greg said and cut the connection.
Rick said,
“I guess we have to get dressed then.”
“Yes, we
need to get dressed,” I said, smiling.
We got up
and ran through the shower before getting dressed. We joined Greg and Cory in the lobby. “We waited for you; but we sent the rest of
the group ahead,” Greg said.
“Thanks for
waiting for us,” I said.
“The hotel
has a shuttle that will take us to the restaurant,” Cory said. He walked over to the concierge and said,
“We are ready to go now.”
The bell hop
went outside and signaled to the shuttle driver that we were ready. He pulled the shuttle up to the door and we
climbed in. He dropped us off and we
joined our party. It was a nice evening
for all of us.
*** ***
The next
morning we joined Harry and Louise for breakfast. The others soon joined us as well. Harry asked, “When are you two going to get
married?”
Rick
answered, “We have to wait until I’m out of the military.”
Harry nodded
his head and said, “I had forgotten that Tyler said you were in the military.”
“Most of our
gay friends are married or are engaged to be married,” I said. “I’ve been a little impatient about Rick’s
desire to finish his commitment to the Marine Corps.”
Rick glanced
at me and said, “That’s an understatement.”
Louise said,
“I can understand Glenn’s impatience. I
felt that way about waiting for Harry.
He insisted that I had to be out of college before we could get married. I didn’t see the sense in that; since we
were already living together.”
“I wanted us
to be out of school when we married; so we could concentrate on our
relationship, and not on trying to keep our grades up,” Harry said.
I looked at
Rick, who said, “We found that out the hard way a few weeks ago. Both of us had been too busy to see to the
needs of the other and we ended up getting into an argument that could have
ended our relationship.”
Louise said,
“I know that things can get out of hand sometimes. Harry and I have had our ups and downs over
the years; but we come out stronger every time.”
Tyler said,
“Joey and I already had our first argument.”
“Yes, I
remember,” Louise said.
“I don’t
want a repeat of that one,” Joey said.
“I promise you I’ll do my best to make sure it never happens again.”
We finished
breakfast and returned to our rooms to get ready for the wedding. I helped Rick get into his tuxedo and he
helped me with mine. We rejoined Harry
and Louise in the lobby. Harry said,
“I’ll make two trips so we can get everybody to the wedding centre.”
We followed
Harry out to his rental. Greg and Cory
came with us. He dropped us off and
returned for Joey and Tyler, as well as the girls and Louise. We were met by Mark Gillen who showed us
into the chapel.
“It’s good
to see you again, Mr. Scarborough,” he said as he shook Greg’s hand.
“Thanks
Mark. We’re back for another happy
occasion,” Greg said.
“Is Tony
here?” Cory asked.
“Yes, Tony
will be taking photographs of the wedding,” Mark said.
A few
moments later, Tony entered the wedding chapel. “Hello,” he said. “Fancy meeting you guys here again!”
“We’re here
for another wedding,” Cory said, as if it wasn’t already obvious.
Tony laughed
and said, “I would expect that to be the reason for your return visit. I have all of my equipment right here.” He patted his camera bag. We heard the rest of our party arrive. They soon joined us in the chapel. Tony walked over to Tyler and Joey and
introduced himself. “I’m Tony Degarlais
. I’m your photographer. Let’s step outside and take a few shots
before we return inside for photographs of the rest of the wedding party.”
He led them
outside while Louise settled Rachel on a chair. They soon returned and Tony began
photographing us in different groups and arrangements. When he had finished, he gave Mark a nod,
indicating he was done.
Mark asked,
“Are we ready to have the wedding ceremony?”
Tyler smiled
and nodded his head. “We’re ready.”
Mark led us
out of the chapel. He returned and
said, “Would every one please stand.”
The wedding
music began to play. Rachel went in
first and scattered red rose petals along the aisle and then went to stand by
Louise. She looked so cute in her lacy
white dress with white bows in her hair.
Greg and
Cory went in first and stood to Mark’s right.
We followed them and stood to the left.
Tyler and Joey came in next and stood directly in front of Mark.
The music
stopped and Mark said, “You may be seated.”
He waited for Harry and Louise to be seated and then continued, “We are
gathered together this morning to join together this happy couple. Tyler you may make your vow, followed by
Joey.”
Tyler said, “I, Tyler Rian
Damasiewicz, take you, Jospeh Michael Malone, to be my wedded husband. I
promise to strive always to consider your needs in addition to my own; to be a
source of strength for you; to accept your strength for myself; to share freely
my thoughts and feelings; to listen when you share yours with me. I make these
solemn promises, to keep in times of plenty and in want; in joy and in sorrow;
in sickness and in health; from this day forward.”
Joey said, “I, Joseph
Michael Malone, take you, Tyler Rian Damasiewicz, to be my wedded husband. I
promise to strive always to consider your needs in addition to my own; to be a
source of strength for you; to accept your strength for myself; to share freely
my thoughts and feelings; to listen when you share yours with me. I make these
solemn promises, to keep in times of plenty and in want; in joy and in sorrow; in
sickness and in health; from this day forward.”
Mark said, “By the authority
vested in me, I declare you, Tyler Rian Damasiewicz and Joseph Michael Malone,
to be legally and lawfully wed. You may
exchange rings and kiss each other.”
Rick handed Tyler his ring
and Greg gave Joey his. They exchanged
rings and then kissed each other. We
applauded, and the newlyweds continued kissing.
When they parted, Mark said,
“You may congratulate the newlyweds.”
Rick hugged Tyler and kissed
him on the cheek. “Congratulations,
Tyler. You’ve married a great man. I’ve known Joey since high school, and I can
vouch for him.”
Tyler’s eyes sparkled with
happiness. “Thanks, Rick. I’m glad we have finally tied the knot.”
I hugged him next and said,
“I wish you both all the happiness in the world.”
Tyler held my hands in
his. “Glenn, thank you so much for
being our friend. I want you to come
visit us in Spain this next summer.
Please say you’ll come.”
I said, “I think we can
manage to spend a few weeks with you.”
Tyler said, “Why don’t you
plan to stay with us all summer. You
can make our place your center of operations while you tour the continent.”
Rick said, “I like that
idea. We will let you know what our
plans are.”
We moved to Joey. Rick took him into his arms and held him
tight. “Joey, I’m so happy for
you. You’ve found the perfect guy for
you and I want you to have all the best.”
Joey’s eyes were full of
tears as he said, “Thank you Rick. You
don’t know how much it means to me that you were able to be here to celebrate
my marriage to Tyler.”
Rick pounded his back and
said, “I wouldn’t have missed it; just like when we were playing together on
the football field.”
Joey nodded his head. “Yes, I knew I could count on you back
then. It’s nice to know I can still
count on you now.”
I hugged Joey and said,
“Congratulations, Joey. I wish you the
best. I know that you will take good
care of Tyler, and he will do the same for you.”
Joey nodded his head in
agreement. “Tyler has already done a
lot for me.”
Rachel pulled on Joey’s
hand. “Daddy, I want to hug you, too.”
He bent down and lifted her
into his arms. She hugged him and
kissed his cheek. “May I hug Dad, too?”
“You certainly may,” Joey
smiled, as he answered his daughter. He
passed her to Tyler.
She hugged and kissed Tyler
and said, “Now Daddy can be happy.”
Tyler laughed and said, “I
hope so, Rachel. I certainly hope so.”
Joey embraced them both and
said, “I know I will be happy now, sweetheart.”
Harry and Louise came
forward to congratulate the happy couple.
Louise handed Sarah to her father.
“Congratulations, Joey, and welcome to the family.”
Joey said, “Thank you, Mom.”
Harry said, “Well, I guess
it’s official now. Welcome to our
family Joey. We are very happy you decided
to marry our son. We are especially
happy to welcome your daughters into our family. You have given us grandchildren; and, for
that, we are extremely grateful.”
Harry turned to his son and
said, “Congratulations, son.” He hugged
Tyler and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
“I’m very proud of you for finding such an outstanding young man to be
your husband.”
Tyler blushed at his dad’s
praise. “Actually, he found me.”
Harry smiled and said, “It
often happens that way; just like your mother found me.”
Louise hugged Tyler and
said, “I am so happy for you and Joey.
I know you will always love and cherish each other.”
We posed for more
photographs and Mark delivered the completed marriage certificate to Tyler and
Joey. “Congratulations and best wishes,”
he said.
Tyler and Joey held hands as
they posed for more photos. There was a
beautiful, happy glow about them. “That
will be us someday,” Rick said.
“I hope so,” I said.
“You can count on it, Babe,”
he replied.
*** ***
Author’s
Note:
Music I
listened to while writing this chapter:
