The Man From Swift Current Chapter One Hundred Twenty Seven - College Graduation

Chapter One Hundred Twenty Seven – College Graduation

Greg rolled over to look into Cory’s eyes.   “Cory, can you believe we’ve made it through our second year of college?”

Cory smiled and raised his hand to Greg’s face.   “Yes, I can.   My classes have been pretty heavy duty this semester.”

“Mine, too.   Are you still okay with our decision to go into law?   I know you weren’t sure about going to law school.”    Greg reached up and took Cory’s hand in his.   He raised it to his lips and kissed it.   “You know Grandpa is in favor of it.”   He looked deeply into his husband’s eyes.

Cory said, “I know he is, Greg.   I’m just not sure I want the pressure of law school.   Have you thought about what we would need to do after we graduate?   I’ve heard most law students spend a few years working as slaves at law firms.   The partners get all the money, and do very little else than press the flesh, while the newbies do all the work.”

“I’ve talked to several law students on campus about their employment prospects.   They all have job offers, but I’m still not sure about where I want to live after we graduate from law school.”

“I thought we’d decided on Boston.”   Cory wrinkled his forehead in thought.   “Have you changed your mind?”

“Yes and no,” Greg said.   “Living in Boston would be a good thing for us, since Massachusetts recognizes our marriage.   However, I like it here in Minneapolis.”

“But we already talked about this, remember?” Cory said, wondering why Greg was having second thoughts.   “Minnesota doesn’t recognize same sex marriages, at least, not yet.   We need to live where our marriage is recognized as valid; and where we can comfortably raise our future family.”   He saw Greg’s jaw tighten, letting him know Greg was going to be stubborn about this.   He quickly added, “We still have some time before we have to make any decisions about where we want to live after college.”

“Fortunately, we do.   Grandpa told me the same thing last night.   He also said he is proud of us for deciding to work toward a law degree.   He has offered to hire us to work for the family corporation, after we graduate.”

“In that case, we don’t need to worry about where we live, because our family owns property in a variety of places.”

“It also means we need to specialize in corporate law.”

“But I want to specialize in family law,” Cory said.

“I know, sweetheart,” Greg said, giving Cory a gentle kiss.   “I’ll specialize in corporate law, and you will specialize in family law.   Grandpa sees the need for both kinds of lawyers in the family.   He thinks we should specialize in more than one area, though.”

Cory thought about this for a moment.   “I think I can see the wisdom of that.   We could combine constitutional law, or criminal law, with the other areas we want to focus on.”

“I want to study criminal law,” Greg said.   “I want to help fight discrimination against gays and other minorities.   However, the key to winning that battle is knowing the laws of our country protecting us from the ill intentions of others.   The criminal side I want to know about, because of what my Dad did to us.   I want to make sure people like him are put behind bars.   The two sides complement each other, because too many religious people are using their religious beliefs as an excuse to discriminate against those who don’t hold the same beliefs they do.”

“That is also the reason I want to go into family law,” Cory said.   “I want to be able to protect gays from discrimination based on their sexual orientation; such as fighting anti-gay adoption laws, and social workers who try to take children away from gay parents.   I want us to be able to have a family; and I don’t want to live in fear of the government and its representatives thinking they can tear our family apart, based on their individual religious beliefs. ”

“You sound like Glenn,” Greg teased his husband. 

Cory smiled and said, “That’s because Glenn is right about the goals and objectives of most religionists.”   His expression turned solemn and his tone of voice changed to one of warning.   “They want to deprive gays of the rights and privileges enjoyed by other citizens of our great country.   They would establish their own version of the Spanish Inquisitions; to hunt us down, and have us incarcerated and castrated for daring to question their moral authority.    Still other Christian preachers have called for us to be put to death.   Many of them have even stated their wish is to establish a theocratic state, based on their brand of Christianity.”  

He paused for breath, trying to calm down.   He felt very strongly about constitutional protections preventing the establishment of a state religion.   He firmly believed the framers of the Constitution of the United States rightly feared the tyranny of a theocratic state.

“There are very valid reasons for maintaining the separation between church and state; and it needs to be a very high wall.   I want to defend our constitution from those kinds of attacks.   Remember the quotes from Jefferson we studied a few weeks ago?”

Greg nodded his head, and replied, “Yes, I remember those.   There are two I really like.”   He quoted them from memory:

“In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot, abetting his abuses in return for protection to his own.”   -Thomas Jefferson, letter to Horatio G. Spafford, March 17, 1814

“History, I believe, furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government. This marks the lowest grade of ignorance of which their civil as well as religious leaders will always avail themselves for their own purposes.”   -Thomas Jefferson to Alexander von Humboldt, Dec. 6, 1813.

 

Greg continued, “I like those quotes; because they’re so true.   We’ve personally witnessed the damage religion does to civil society.   We have been the victims of the hatred preached from the pulpit of my dad’s church, a supposedly Christian one.”

Cory reached up and lifted Greg’s hair covering the scars where the doctors had cut open his skull to relieve the swelling on his brain; after his father beat him with a baseball bat when he found out his son was gay.   Greg’s hair had not grown back, and never would.   Cory had similar scars on his skull.   That was the reason why both Greg and Cory wore their hair long.   Shortly after they had left the hospital, their hair hadn’t grown long enough to hide their scars.   Both of them had endured the many shocked and horrified stares, along with the questions from friends and strangers alike.   They had vowed never to wear their hair short again, rather than be subjected to peoples’ looks of pity, or their questions about how they got those scars.   On more than one occasion, religious bigots had told them they got what they deserved for being an abomination before God.

Cory said, “We bear the evidence of religion-based hatred in our skulls.  We both had our skulls cut open to prevent us from becoming human vegetables.   We were very fortunate your dad didn’t succeed in his objective of ridding the world of two ‘faggots,’ as he called us.   He claimed he had authority from God to destroy us.”

Greg’s eyes filled with unshed tears, as he put his hand to Cory’s head and traced the scars left by the operation where they had drilled a hole in his skull.   “I still blame myself for putting you in danger, Babe.”

“I know,” Cory said, compassionately.   “But, you need to stop blaming yourself for your father’s actions.   You don’t need to punish yourself, anymore.   Your father is paying the price for trying to murder us; so, don’t continue to make things worse for us, by inflicting unnecessary pain on yourself.”

“I’ll try to stop, Babe.  I know our therapists are trying to get me past the self-loathing I feel about what happened; as well as the self-hatred I learned from attending dad’s church.   In fact, I agree with our therapists’ view that what my parents did by teaching me to hate gays was child abuse; because it taught me to hate myself,” Greg said.   He paused for a moment, then, continued, “I’m glad dad is going to be behind bars for 20 years.   I don’t want to ever see him again.”

“To make sure he doesn’t find us, we’ll have to take certain precautions; like making sure he and your grandparents don’t have our address.   I’m afraid it’s too late to make sure they don’t know our new last name.”

Greg said, ruefully, “I wish we had thought about that before telling my mother.   I know she told my dad’s parents about our wedding.”

“Didn’t she tell her parents about us getting married, as well?” Cory asked.   “Her parents are just as anti-gay as your dad’s.”

“I think she did,” Greg said.   “Both sets of grandparents are very homophobic.  We need to be careful who we talk to, and what information we share.   I think we need to limit how much information we post about ourselves on-line.   Anyone searching for us could check out things on the internet, and find us pretty easily.   If I remember correctly, our name change was posted on-line by the court.”

“But, we shouldn’t go to extremes, either,” Cory said.   “I’m not going to live my life in fear.”

“I don’t expect you to, Cory.   I just do not want my father to ever be able to find us, when he gets out of jail,” Greg said.

“I think we should include both sets of grandparents and your mother in that no contact list; because, if we don’t, your father will be able to get our address from them,” Cory said.   “I trust my parents not to give it to him.   He attacked me, their only son, and that made him public enemy number one.”

“I agree.   I don’t think your mother will ever forgive my father for attacking you that day,” Greg said.

“No, she won’t, and neither will my dad,” Cory said.   “They also blame the reverend at your dad’s church for inciting your dad to commit violence against his own blood.”

Greg said, “I’ve had people ask me why I don’t just move on with my life.   They think I’ve made things much bigger than they really are.   It makes me angry when they make those statements.   They don’t understand how life altering an event it was for me.   I’m still dealing with the trauma of dad’s attack.   I’m constantly looking over my shoulder, wondering which crazy religious zealot is going to try to kill me, next.   The negative comments in the news media and all of the nastiness people say about gay people only make things worse for me.   I live in constant fear, Cory.   You’ve heard the rude comments thrown our way as we walk down the street, or in our classes.   People are very hateful, especially since their religious leaders are spewing so much hatred from their pulpits, hoping to whip up enough fear and anger to force the politicians to pass anti-gay laws.”

Cory said, “I know Greg.   I’m dealing with the same issues.   Tad asked me why I’m still having issues from the attack, since it’s been over two years since it happened.   I showed him my scars, and told him maybe I could forget about the experience when the scars disappear from my skull, and I don’t have the recurring headaches reminding me I’ll never be the same.”  

“I had quite an argument about religion today with a guy in my philosophy class.   He stated gays are a threat to society because we’re pedophiles and will tempt men not to marry, destroying the natural order of things.   In my rebuttal, I stated gays are not a threat to society at all, but religion is.  I made the case for religion as the enemy of every civilized society, especially as interpreted by the zealots who claim to speak for God.   I even used those quotes from Thomas Jefferson.   I loved the look on the guy’s face.   He didn’t have a really good comeback.”

“Was the professor there and what did he say?” Cory asked.

“It was after class, but he actually was pretty cool with the whole debate,” Greg answered.   “Dr. Liechty is a pretty open-minded guy.   He suggested we set up a series of debates on campus about religion, and its role in society.   He volunteered to bring it up to the faculty, to see if any of the other professors would co-sponsor the debates.”

“That’s really cool.   So, who would be invited to these debates?” Cory asked.

“Dr. Liechty suggested we invite several religious leaders from the local area, as well as several other groups, such as agnostics and atheists to participate,” Greg answered.

“Does Dr. Liechty intend to include a discussion about gays?” Cory asked, hoping the religious nature of the debates wouldn’t overshadow the real reason for Greg’s discussion with his classmate.

“I’m not sure,” Greg said.   “I think he was hoping to sidestep the issue.”

“We need to make sure it doesn’t happen,” Cory said.

In an effort to distract his husband, he caressed his husband’s body with his hands.   Earlier in the day, they had helped each other shave off their body hair.   Each of them had run their bare hands over their lover’s newly smooth skin, marveling at how intensely sensual it felt.  The increased sensitivity of their skin got them both extremely aroused.   They made passionate love in the shower, enjoying the touch of each other’s bare skin.   Cory’s gentle caresses caused Greg to moan in pure ecstasy.   His eyes rolled back in his head, and he arched his back, pressing his very erect steel pole against Cory’s hand.   Cory smiled, having succeeded in his goal of diverting Greg’s mind away from his worries.  

He whispered softly into his husband’s ear, “Are you ready, Babe?”

In response, Greg rolled over on top of Cory, and provided a very robust physical answer to his question!   

*** ***

I looked deeply into Rick’s eyes.   I noted the slight tic of the muscle in Rick’s cheek.   I knew I made Rick angry, and I needed to defuse that anger, before we could have any further discussion about our post-graduation plans.

“Rick, please don’t be angry with me.   I’m not trying to attack you.   I’m not your enemy, so stop treating me like you hate me,” I said.  

During our recent conversation, Rick’s tone of voice had become cold and hard, as if he were attacking me.   It made me feel very uncomfortable.   We don’t often quarrel; and, when we do, Rick never uses such a nasty tone of voice with me.  When he tried to look away, I put my hands on either side of his face, and forced him to look at me.  

“Rick, I’m your boyfriend and I love you.   Please don’t treat me this way,” I said, trying to help him refocus on our relationship, and the love we share for each other.   “I want what is best for you.   I know you want to get a job in the automotive industry; but, is it really the best job for you?”

Rick finally relaxed.   He let out a sigh, and said, “I don’t know, Glenn.   I could work for the BMW plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina.”  

I put my arms around his neck and kissed him.  “Yes, you could, but Spartanburg isn’t exactly a gay-friendly city,” I said, repeating an argument I had made earlier.   “If we move there, it will be much, much worse for us, than living here.   Just think about how difficult it will be to hide the fact you’re in love with a guy, if we moved to Spartanburg.   Atlanta is big enough it makes it easier to keep our relationship hidden from your military.  If you really intend to stay in the Marine Corps for two more years, you don’t want to move to Spartanburg.”

Rick pulled away from me, and walked into the family room, taking a seat on the couch.   I joined him, straddling him.   He grinned up at me.   “You’re trying to distract me.”

I nodded my head.   “I admit I’m trying to do just that; however, if you still want to discuss where you want to work, I can hold off for a while.”

Rick said, “Let’s talk for a bit more, then, I’ll gladly give you what you want.”  I moved off of his lap and sat facing him, with my legs folded under me.   He put his legs around me and took my hands in his.   “Honestly, Glenn, I don’t know what I want to do.  I’ve worked for the City of Atlanta, and gained some good experience in city planning, etc.; but I don’t want to be stuck in an office, pushing paper.   I want to have a job where I feel like I can make a difference.   Working for the city, I feel stifled.”

“Have you thought about working in the aerospace industry?   Keith mentioned he had some interviews with a couple of the firms here in town,” I asked.

“I’ve thought about them.   Keith seems to think we should work for one of them.   He convinced me to send them my application, but I haven’t heard from them,” Rick said.

“I think it would be very cool to work on developing a new spaceship, or something super high tech like that.   I can see your name in lights, now; ‘Rick Lernier, Inventor of WARP Drive.’”

Rick laughed.   “You’ve watched too many Star Trek movies.”

“Maybe, but it’s not as farfetched as you think, Babe.   You could be the guy who designs the next generation of rockets that will propel us outside our solar system.   How’s that for inspiring?”   I grinned, and squeezed his hands.

Rick gave me a goofy grin.   “Everyone needs their own personal cheerleader.   I’m glad I have mine right here.”   He leaned forward to kiss me briefly on the lips.

“Do I need to get out the pompoms and dress in a mini-skirt?” I asked, batting my eyelashes and pretending to primp.

Rick gave a belly laugh.   “I’d like to see that!”

“I bet you would,” I replied.   “I think I’d rather be a belly dancer.   I can swivel my hips better than most girls can.”

Rick pulled up my t-shirt and caressed my flat stomach.   “Yes, I think you’d make a good belly dancer.”

His touch on my bare skin had a very decided effect on me down below.   I put my hands over his.   “If you keep that up, I won’t be responsible for what happens.”

He gave me a lecherous grin.   “I thought you wanted me to make love to you.”

“I do, but you’re the one who wanted to talk about your career plans,” I responded, bringing his hands to my lips.   I kissed the back of each, before looking up to meet Rick’s gaze.

“You’re such a tease,” Rick complained. 

“I’m nothing of the sort,” I protested.   “I’m totally ready to take this to the next level.”   I licked my lips and said, in a husky voice, “I want to arouse your deepest passions, and cause them to burn so hot they’ll scorch both of us.”   I could see my words, as well as my touch, were having the desired effect on him.  

“Before you get me so amped up I can’t think of anything else but fucking your brains out, I want to float an idea.   Would you be okay with me working for BMW for a few months, just to try it out?”

“What do you mean by try it out?”

“They have an internship program that lasts for three months.   I could work for them during the summer, then, decide if it’s a good fit,” Rick said.

I was a little confused by his desire to work for BMW.   “So, what would I do during that time?   I already have a job here.   Do you want me to quit and move with you to Spartanburg?”

Rick replied, “No, I thought I could work there during the week, and come home on weekends.   It would mean I’d have to find a studio apartment in Spartanburg.”  I didn’t like his proposal, and he knew it.   Before I could say anything, he added, “I know you don’t like it, but promise me you’ll think about it.”

I gave him that ‘look’ that meant he’d really messed up.   “I’ll think about it for about two seconds.   You know how I feel about moving to Spartanburg; so, why would you even consider it?”

 He held up his hands, as if to block an attack.   “Okay, I knew it was stupid of me to even suggest it, but I had to make sure.   But, would you object to moving to Detroit or to some other city where there is an automotive plant?”

I replied, “That would depend on the plants location.   Detroit is directly across the border from Windsor, Ontario.   I would be fine with moving there.   Windsor is a nice town.   My Dad took us there a couple of times.   Dad liked touring the General Motors and Ford assembly plants.   Of course, the real reason we stayed in Windsor was to go fishing and boating.   You know how much Dad loves the outdoors.”

“Yes, I do know that.   I still can’t believe the bombshell your Mom laid on us last night,” Rick said.

“Me neither,” I replied.   My mind went back to the conversation we had with her.

*** ***

“Hey, Mom, what’s up?” I asked, answering my cell phone.

“Is Rick there with you?” she asked.

“Yes, he is.  Why?” I asked, in surprise.

“Please put the phone on speaker, so I can talk to both of you at the same time,” she said, not answering my question.

I looked over at Rick, and said, “Mom wants to speak to both of us.”

Rick’s expression changed to one of concern.   “What’s up?”

“I don’t know,” I answered, placing the phone on the table between us.   “Go ahead, Mom.   We’re both here.”

“Good.   I’m calling all our children to let you know you have a baby brother,” she said.

I looked across the table at Rick.   I wasn’t sure I heard her right.   “Did you say I have a baby brother?   How is that possible?”

“Renata had your Dad’s son a couple of months ago,” she said.

“How do you know it’s his kid?” Rick asked.

“They have done a paternity test, and it’s your Dad’s child.   Renata sent a photo of the baby, and is asking for child support.   Her soon to be ex-husband has refused to support a child that isn’t his.   He is the one who insisted a paternity test be done.   Renata and her children are living with her parents in Montreal.”   

“What did she name the baby?” I asked, still in shock at the news.   I couldn’t believe my father had gotten Renata pregnant.

She answered, “His name is Donald John-Michael, but she calls him Johnny.   Your father has accepted responsibility for the child, and we’ll be paying child support until he turns 18.”

“What are her other children’s names and ages?” I asked, wanting to know more about my new little brother’s family.

“The older children, Pierre, Denise, and Jenny, will be staying with their father for the summer.   They’ll return to Montreal for school in the fall.   When Johnny is old enough, he will also spend his summers with his father,” she answered, sounding very weary.

“Are you alright, Mom?” I asked.

“Yes, I’m okay.   Just a little tired.   It seems every time things start to look up, something new pops up to knock us back to the ground.   I knew your father had an affair with Renata, but I never expected there to be a child involved,” she replied.

“Is there something we can do to help?” Rick asked.

“Yes, there is.   Please pray for us, Rick.   I think we could use some extra blessings right about now,” she said.

“We’ll do that,” Rick said.   I looked at him in shock.   Rick’s attitude toward religion certainly didn’t include prayer as an option.   Seeing my expression, he said, “Glenn will help me with the prayer part.”

My mother laughed.   “You two are something else!   Just make sure it’s a sincere prayer.   I don’t want either of you to be struck by lightning for being sacrilegious.”

I grinned at Rick.   “We’ll be respectful of the deity.   You know we believe there is a God; we just don’t believe in the religious leaders of the churches today.”

“Okay, I need to make one more call to let Randy know what’s happened,” she said.   “I love you.”

“We love you, too, Mom,” Rick said, and we ended the call.

*** ***

 Rick touched my arm.   “Earth to Glenn!   Hello!”

“I’m sorry.   I was thinking of the call last night,” I said.

“Okay.   You zoned out on me, and I wasn’t sure what was going on,” Rick said.   “What will we say to your Dad when he gets here?  

“I don’t know,” I said, shrugging my shoulders.   “What can we say?”

Rick sighed.   “I guess you’re right.   He was being pretty stupid, in the first place; when he decided to go off and have an affair with Renata.”

I unfolded my legs and stretched them out on either side of Rick.   Rick leaned forward and pulled me onto his lap.   He rubbed noses with me, and said, “I think I’d like you to give me that lap dance you started earlier.”

It wasn’t long before Rick led me to our bedroom, where he showed me how much he loved me!

*** ***

Rick and I drove to the Atlanta airport to pick up Greg and Cory.   They were standing in the baggage area, waiting for us to show up.   The arrival monitors showed their flight had arrived nearly 20 minutes earlier.

I looked over at Rick and said, “I’m glad Greg and Cory are here to see us graduate.”

“So am I,” Rick said.   “Fortunately, there are ten days between our graduation ceremonies at Georgia Tech and the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.   It gives us time to fly to Minneapolis to see our friends graduate.”

“Zach, Todd, Brandon, Mark, Ben, Jimmy, Donica, Patty, Irene and Janice all graduate this year.   Devon has one more year, and Greg and Cory have two more,” I said.

“And don’t forget Adam and Robbie,” Rick said.

“They have three more years,” I said.   “Zach has accepted a contract to play with the Toronto Marlies, and he and Todd will be moving to Toronto.”

“Isn’t Todd planning on going to graduate school?” Rick asked.

“I think so,” I said.   “The University of Toronto has some excellent doctoral programs, and their computer science department is very well respected.   There they are.”   I waved them over to where we were standing.  

We exchanged manly hugs.  “It’s good to see you two,” Rick said.

“We’re glad we could come.   Grandpa wanted us to be here to witness this grand event,” Greg said, laughing.

“It is a miracle that I’m graduating,” I said, only half joking.   My grades had taken a serious nosedive this last semester.   I hadn’t failed any of my courses, but the grades weren’t pretty.

Rick said, “But the important thing is we made it.”

Cory said, “What are your plans, now you’ve graduated?”

“Everyone has been asking us that question,” I groaned.  

Cory grinned, “That’s because it’s a relevant conversation to have with two soon to be graduates.”

Rick said, “Glenn already has a full time job, and I’m still looking.”

“Maybe you should do what Todd is going to do, and go on to graduate school,” Greg suggested.

I interrupted their conversation, “Is that your luggage?”

“It sure is,” answered Greg.   He grabbed his bag off of the baggage carousel, while Cory got his.

“We’re ready to go when you are,” Greg said.

We led them out to the parking terrace and piled into our Land Rover.   “I’m glad to off of that plane,” Cory said.

“Why?  Was the flight a bad one?” I asked.

“Yes and no,” Cory responded.   “The flight itself was fine, but we had some obnoxious passengers behind us.”

“They kept saying derogatory things about gays,” Greg said.   “I finally complained to the stewardess, who asked them to refrain from their hate speech.”

“They kept at it, even after that, until Greg confronted them.   He asked them if they were Christians.   They claimed they were.” Cory said, naming their denomination.

“Then I asked them if they were true believers, or just Christians in name only,” Greg said.   “They both claimed to be good, devout Christians.  Then, I asked them to refrain from speaking ill of others.”

“Did they stop?” I asked.

“Yes they did.   They stopped spouting foul language and kept quiet for the rest of the flight,” Cory said.

“One of them even apologized to me as we deplaned,” Greg said.

We arrived at our condo.   As soon as we were inside our place, Greg asked, “Do we still get our usual room.”

I laughed, and pointed down the hallway.   “You know where it is.   Since you’re here often, you should leave some of your things here.   That way, you won’t have to haul so much baggage.”

Greg grinned and said, “We’ll give it some thought.”   They disappeared into their room.   It was a while before they returned, looking very happy and refreshed.   I noticed there was a certain glow about them, one I recognized!

They sat down at the kitchen table with us.   I grinned at them, and said, “I’m glad to see you two still love each other.”

Cory blushed.   “Is it that obvious?”

Rick laughed.   “Yes, it is.   You have to remember we’re just as horny as you guys, and we love to have sex.   So, we’re pretty good at recognizing it in others.”

Greg smiled.   “Yes, it is easy to spot.   We’ve seen it in the other couples at our place.”

“I miss living with them.   I wish we could move back in with them,” I said, wistfully.

“Well, you’ll get to see them soon, since we’re all flying back to Minneapolis together,” Cory said.

Greg’s expression became serious.  “We want to talk to you about something.”

“Okay, this sounds serious,” Rick said.

“It is.   We’ve decided to go into law,” Greg said.

“That’s great guys!” I exclaimed.   “When did you decide to become lawyers?”

“Last week,” Cory said.   “We’ve talked to Grandpa, and he’s in favor of us going to law school.”

“That’s really awesome,” Rick said.   “We’ll have two lawyers in the family.   I’m sure Grandpa was pretty excited about that.”

“He was, actually,” Greg said.

“Have you decided which law school you want to attend?” I asked.

“No, we haven’t,” Cory said.

“But we’ve narrowed it down to Harvard or Yale,” Greg said.

“You’ll need some very good grades to get into those schools,” I said.

“I know,” Cory said.   “I’m doing okay, and so is Greg.”

We spent the rest of the afternoon catching up on each other’s lives.   Later, we went out to the Mellow Mushroom to eat pizza and have a couple of beers.   Our friends, Duane, Mason, Jeb, Larry, Michael and Cordell, joined us.

When we returned home, Greg asked, “May we sleep with you guys tonight?”

Rick grinned broadly.   “Of course, we were going to ask you guys, if you hadn’t asked us, first.”

Cory said, “We’ve talked about playing with you guys since we decided to come to Atlanta.”

Greg laughed, and said, “Cory gets so horny even talking about it.”   He rubbed Cory’s crotch.   “See, he’s so hard now, he’ll shoot off at any moment.”  Cory moaned with pleasure, as his husband continued to massage him.

“I think we need to move this show into our bedroom,” I said, taking Rick’s hand, and leading him down the hallway.   Greg and Cory followed us.   As I stripped off my clothes, I moved toward the shower.   “Shower first.”

I turned on the various shower heads and adjusted the temperature.   The guys joined me.   I was in heaven!   I had Rick taking care of me, while I enjoyed watching Greg and Cory making out under the shower next to us.

Greg, seeing me watching them, grinned at me, and said, “This is why I like staying with you guys.”  

He leaned over and kissed me deeply, while Rick kissed Cory.   We played in the shower until the water turned cold.   After drying each other off, we made it to our bed.   Cory and I lay flat on our backs, looking up at our respective lovers.

Greg looked over at Rick, and said, “Are you ready to show our men how much we love them?”

Rick nodded his head.   “Let’s give them the ride of their lives.”   They high-fived each other, and turned back to us.   Both men had a look of animalistic passion that sent shivers of anticipation down our spines.  

Cory and I gave each other a knowing look.   This was going to be a night we wouldn’t ever forget.  We looked back at our lovers, and, in unison, we reached up to pull them closer to us, and kissed them deeply.

*** ***

Rick spooned close against me.   He put his arm around my waist, pulling me closer, until I could feel his cock pressing against me.   He gently bit my neck and whispered, “I love you, Babe.”

I rested my head on his other arm, and replied, “I love you, too.”

Cory lay on his side facing me; with Greg spooned up against him, Greg’s arm around his waist.   Cory met my gaze, and said, “Thank you for letting us share your bed, tonight.”

“You’re welcome,” I said.   I leaned over and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips.

It was wonderful to have Greg and Cory stay with us.   No one could ever ask for better friends!

*** ***

Eva sat on the plane next to Don.   She had weathered the many storms that had come her way, but this last one had nearly done her in.   She remembered Don opening the letter from Renata Fredericksen, and the look of shock that crossed his face.  

She had asked him what was wrong, and was just as stunned as he was upon reading Renata’s letter.   In her letter, Renata informed Don he had a son named Donald John-Michael she called Johnny.   She included photographs of little Johnny.   She apologized profusely for not letting Don know earlier she was pregnant, but she had hoped her ex-husband wouldn’t figure out the child wasn’t his.   However, he had insisted on a paternity test, which had shown he wasn’t the father of the child.   She had been asked to provide the name of the father to the family court so the child’s father could be held responsible for the child’s support.

Never, in a thousand years, had she imagined Don had gotten Renata pregnant.   Once she gave it some thought, she should have expected it, knowing how impetuous Don could be.   He wouldn’t have thought to use protection when he had sex with Renata.

The next day, they had received a letter from the Quebec Provincial Government, stating that Don would be required to pay child support for his infant son.   Her mind took her back to that moment in time.

*** ***

After reading the letter informing him he was required to pay child support, Don had sat down at the kitchen table and put his head in his hands.   He had finally looked up at her and asked, “When will it ever end?   I’ve tried to put my life back together, and, now, this.”

Eva read over the letter, before sitting down across from him.   “Don, you know you don’t have a choice in this matter.   You fathered a child, and you have the responsibility to provide for him.”

“You’re not angry?” he asked, looking up at her in surprise.

“I didn’t say that.   I’m just stating facts.   You’re an adult, and you made an adult choice to father a child.   Now, you must continue to make adult decisions by providing for the support of your child.   I can’t argue with the facts,” Eva said.

“You aren’t going to berate me for my stupidity and recklessness?” he asked, hesitantly.

She pursed her lips, for a moment, pondering how to respond.   “I don’t think I need to say anything.   I believe your own conscious will torment you enough so I won’t need to add anything more to make you regret the choices you made.”

She stood up from the table, and left the room, leaving him to contemplate how he was going to make the child support payments.

*** ***

She reached over to take Don’s hand in hers.   He looked over at her.   “What?”

“I wanted to tell you how proud I am of you for stepping up to your responsibility as a new father,”

Don held her gaze and replied, “I had no choice, Eva.   I made a mistake, and I’m paying the price for that mistake.   I’m grateful you have stayed with me, Eva.  I know this hasn’t been easy, and you could have just as easily walked away.”

“Yes, I could have; and, for that matter, still can.   However, I’m not ready to throw in the towel just yet,” she said, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

Don hoped his adult children would be as understanding as Eva had been.   Somehow, he doubted they would be; especially after all of the heartache he had caused them over the last few years.   Thankfully, Eva had volunteered to call each of the children, to let them know they had a half-brother.

“Thank you for calling the children for me,” Don said.

“You’re welcome.   They took it much better from me than they would have if you had been the one who called them.   I want them to know their half-brother is still part of our family.   Admittedly, I’m not sure how I’m going to handle having a little one around the house again; but we’ll deal with it when the time comes,” Eva said.

“It will only be for the summer months,” Don said.

“Yes, but, it’s the busiest time on the farm, and you won’t be around much to help care for the little child,” Eva said.

“Maybe I should push to have visitation rights begin when the child begins school.   That way, Johnny will be old enough to help me on the farm,” Don said.

Eva patted his arm.   “Don, a five-year old little boy isn’t going to be big enough to help you on the farm.   Have you forgotten how little they are at that age?”

“I guess you’re right,” Don responded.

“We’ll figure out what to do when Renata sends him to us,” Eva said.   “Meanwhile, we are going to help Glenn celebrate his graduation from college.   Are you ready to be on your best behavior?”

Don grimaced.   “Yes, I am.   I know most of Glenn’s friends are gay as well.   I’ve promised I won’t say anything derogatory, or rude to any of them.”

“Good,” Eva said, leaning back in her seat.   She closed her eyes and relaxed.   She was excited to be going home.

*** ***

Finally, graduation day arrived.   Keith and Kerry were busy getting ready for a very busy day.   Kerry had graduated last year, but Keith had taken some time off from school to work.   He had enjoyed the time at his job, but discovered it wasn’t what he wanted in a career.   That was the reason he had applied for a job in the aerospace industry.   He thought it would be much more interesting than his previous job.

Keith had encouraged Rick to work an internship with BMW; but Rick had decided not to do it, because of the anti-gay statements made by some of the town’s leaders.

Keith finished getting Egan dressed, after his bath.   Egan was nearly two years old, and very much starting the terrible 2’s early.   Egan had changed, almost overnight, from a darling little cherub into a little monster, complete with temper tantrums and a very wide stubborn streak.  

Keith brushed Egan’s hair and said, “There you go, little buddy.   You’re all set to go.”

Kerry picked him up and said, “You’re so handsome, Egan.   You look just like your Daddy.”

This morning, Egan was in a good mood.   He smiled and pointed at his Dad, “Daddy is handsome, too.”

Keith grinned.   “We’re both handsome.”

Kerry was dressed in a tight-fitting white dress that showed her slender figure off very well.  She had brushed her waist-length blond hair until it shone like burnished gold.   She wore minimal make-up, having naturally blemish-free skin.   She wore the diamond earrings Keith had given her for their 1^st wedding anniversary, along with a simple diamond studded heart-shaped pendant on a gold chain.   Keith admired his beautiful wife, and gave a wolf whistle.   “You look gorgeous.”

Kerry blushed and smiled at her husband.   “Stop that.   You’re teaching our son bad habits.”

Keith laughed.   “They may be bad habits, but I know a beautiful woman when I see one.”   He kissed her lightly on the lips.

Egan watched his parents carefully.   “Daddy loves Mommy.”

Keith pulled back from kissing Kerry, turning to his son.   “That’s right, little buddy.”

Kerry said, “You should go upstairs to make sure Rick and Glenn are ready.”

Keith nodded his head.   “I’ll go, but you know how Glenn is about getting things just right.”

Kerry sighed.   “Yes, I know.   He’s worse than any girl, when it comes to getting ready to go out.   Maybe I should go up, instead of you.”

Keith laughed.   “I don’t think so.   They may still be running around their condo without any clothes on.”

She gave him a meaningful look.   “It’s not like I haven’t seen a naked man before.”

Keith grinned.   “That’s true enough, and Glenn looks enough like me we could pass for twins.”

“Except Glenn’s got rock solid abs, and you don’t,” Kerry said, poking her husband in the ribs.

Keith put on his most injured expression and said, “But I’m still pretty solid.”   He took her hand and placed it on his stomach, tightening up his muscles.

She leaned forward and kissed him.   “Yes, your still in great shape, but you have to admit your cousin has what you guys call a chiseled look.”

“You mean he’s cut, and it’s because Rick keeps him working out all of the time.   He’s like a slave driver when it comes to exercise,” Keith said.

“Yes, he is; but you have to admit it’s working.   You should go work out with them more often,” Kerry said.   She kissed him, again to take the sting out of her words.

“Okay, I get the point,” Keith said.   “I don’t want to end up with a roll of fat around the middle.   I’ll be back soon.”   He left their condo, and bounded up the stairs, two at a time.   He knocked on Rick and Glenn’s door.  

He heard Rick call out, “I’ll get it!”   The door opened and Rick said, “Come in, Keith.”

Keith said, “Are you guys ready?”

“I’m ready, but Glenn’s not,” Rick replied.   Rick wore a dark blue, double-breasted suit, with a white shirt, a burgundy tie and cordovan penny loafers.  

Keith looked him over and gave him a nod of approval.   “You look great!”

“Thank you.   You look pretty good, yourself,” Rick said.

Greg and Cory joined Rick and Keith in the foyer.   “We’re ready to go,” Greg said.

I came out of our bedroom and joined the guys in the foyer.   “I’m ready.”

“It’s about time,” Rick said.

“How do I look?” I asked, ignoring his comment.

Rick put his arm around my waist and pulled me close.   “You look good enough to eat.”   He proceeded to kiss me deeply.  When we came up for air, Rick grabbed his camera and handed it to Keith.   “Here, take a picture of us.”

We posed for him, and he snapped a couple of photos.   I said, “Greg and Cory, get in the photo, as well.”

Greg stood next to Rick, putting his arm around his shoulder, while Cory stood next to me.   Rick and I had our arms around each other’s waist.   Keith snapped a couple more photographs. 

“Let me see how they turned out.”   Keith handed me the camera.   I looked at the photos and said, “We look pretty good.”

Rick smiled and said, “Yes, we do.”

I wore the same outfit as Rick.   We had gone shopping a couple of weeks ago to get a new suit for graduation.   The tailors had done an excellent job of altering the expensive suits to fit us perfectly, and it showed.

Greg gave us the thumbs up sign.   “You guys are real studs.”  

“Let’s go,” Rick said.   “We don’t want to be late.”

We left our condo and walked downstairs with Keith to get Kerry and Egan.   Keith opened the door and Egan came running out into the hallway.   I knelt down and captured the little runaway.   “I got you, now,” I said, giving Egan a kiss on the cheek.

Egan giggled and said, “I was running.”

“That you were,” I agreed.  

He put his little arms around my neck and hugged me.   “I love you, Uncle Glenn.”   He words were a little garbled, but still intelligible.   Rick and I had come to love this little boy very much.   He spent almost as much time at our place as he did in his own home.   Egan stretched his arms out to Rick, who took him from my arms.

“Hello, Egan.   Are you ready to go with us to our graduation?” Rick asked.

“Yes,” Egan said, simply.   He hugged Rick, then leaned back to look him in the eyes.   He said, very seriously, “Mommy said I look handsome.”

“You are very handsome, just like me and Uncle Glenn,” Rick said, smiling.

“And Daddy, too,” Egan added.

“And your Daddy, as well,” Rick agreed.

Keith and Kerry joined us in the hallway, with Keith turning to pull the door closed.   He had a diaper bag over his shoulder, and a baby blanket and a teddy bear in his hand.   Egan saw his favorite things and struggled to get down.

Rick placed him on his feet.   He immediately made a beeline for his blanket and teddy bear, snatching them from his Dad’s hand.   Keith scooped Egan up into his arms, and we made our way out to our vehicles.  The commencement ceremony was being held on the Tech Green.   We parked a few blocks away and walked to the Tech Green.  

Keith’s phone rang and he pulled it out of his pocket.   “Hello,” he said.

“We’re here on the green, near the Clough building,” Grandpa said.

“Okay, we’ll see you there in a few minutes,” Keith said.

“We’ll be on the lookout for you.”

Keith ended the call and said, “Grandpa says they’re by the Clough building.”

A few minutes later, we found them.   It was quite a crowd.   Mom and Dad were there, as well as Uncle Stan, Aunt Sharon, Kerry’s parents, and Ruth Ann.

I did a double take when I saw her.   She looked great!   Rick saw her at the same time.   He placed his arm, possessively, around my shoulders.   I turned my head and looked him in the eyes.   “It’s okay, Rick.   You don’t have to worry.”

Rick blushed and removed his arm from my shoulders.   “I’m sorry, it’s just a natural reaction.”

“I know,” I said, taking his hand in mine for a brief moment.   I released him as we approached our family.   I went over to Ruth Ann and gave her a hug.   “It’s good to see you.”

Rick said, “Congratulations!”

“How was graduation?” I asked.

“It was great,” Ruth Ann said.   “Mom and Dad flew out last week to help me pack my stuff.   We shipped everything to their home.   Graduation was yesterday, so we took a red-eye flight out of Salt Lake City, last night.”

“You must be tired,” I said.

Ruth Ann grimaced and said, “I managed to get some sleep on the plane, but I’m still tired.”

Keith came up behind her.   “We’re glad you made it for our graduation.”   He gave her a hug and kissed her cheek.

Ruth Ann said, “I wouldn’t have missed it, especially since you’re my favorite brother-in-law.”

Keith laughed, putting his arm around her waist.   “I’m your only brother-in-law.”

“Exactly,” she said, joining in his laughter.   Seeing her sister, Ruth Ann asked, “Where is the baby?”

Kerry pointed to their mother.   “Mom has Egan.”

Ruth Ann turned to Keith, smiling.   “The real reason I’m here is to see my little man.”

Keith released her and said, “I won’t detain you, then.”

She walked over to her parents and held out her arms.   Egan clapped his hands and cried, “Aunt Ruthie.”   He stretched out his arms to her.

The transfer complete, Egan put his arms around her neck.   He kissed her cheek, and said, “I missed you, Aunt Ruthie.   Will you take me home to play games?”

Ruth Ann’s eyes glistened with unshed tears.   It touched her deeply that her nephew remembered the time she had spent playing with him during her spring break.   “We can go home after your Uncle Glenn graduates.   I promise I’ll play with you, then.   Is that okay?”

Egan thought for a moment, before answering her.   “Okay,” he said.

It was time for us to find our places, so Rick and Keith left us to find their seats.   Georgia Tech has two graduation ceremonies, and mine wasn’t until 3 PM in the afternoon.   I went with the rest of the family to find our seats.   I sat fidgeting, impatiently.   The ceremony finally began.   I barely listened to the commencement speaker, wishing he would sit down and shut up.   I didn’t come to hear someone pontificate from the pulpit, but to see my guy walk across the stage to receive his diploma!

The moment finally arrived!   As Rick walked across the stage, we all stood up and cheered.   We did the same when it was Keith’s turn.   They joined us after the ceremony.  

I ran up to Rick and gave him a big hug.   “Congratulations!”   I refrained from kissing him, just in case someone from the military was somewhere in the vicinity.   “Let me see the diploma.”  Rick passed it to me.   I opened the folder, and was surprised to find it empty.   “Where is it?”

“Read the note,” he responded.

I looked inside the folder again, and found the note.   “Your diploma will be mailed to you after we have had sufficient time to verify that all of your credits are valid, and you’ve met all of the requirements to graduate.”

I looked up at Rick, with a look of confusion on my face.   “Didn’t they already check their records?”

“Maybe, but it doesn’t matter.   The diploma will arrive in the mail,” Rick said.   He put his arm around my shoulders.   “It’s okay, Glenn.”

Ruth Ann joined us.   “They did the same thing at the University of Utah.   I have the folder, but the diploma will be sent to me later.”

“I didn’t know they were going to do that.   I thought they were going to hand us our diplomas, as we crossed the stage,” I said, disappointed.

Rick ruffled my hair, and said, “It’s alright, Babe.”

We walked over to congratulate Keith.   “Congratulations, cousin!”

“Thanks,” Keith said, grinning from ear to ear.   “I finally made it.”

Kerry’s parents, Joe and Katie, gave Keith a congratulatory hug.   Joe said, “It’s great you’ve made it through.”

Katie turned to Rick, and said, “Congratulations, Rick.   We’re just as happy you’ve made it through college.”

Rick said, “Thank you.   I’m glad to be done.”

Katie turned to me.   “You’re walking across the stage this afternoon, correct?

“Yes, Ma’am,” I said, smiling.

“Congratulations to you, as well,” she said, giving both of us a hug.

Grandpa came up behind us and put his arms around our shoulders.   “Congratulations to all of you.”

Rick said, “Thanks, Grandpa.”

Grandma gave the three of us hugs.   “I’m very proud of you.   It’s not every day I have three grandson’s graduating from college.”

Her statement made us all happy, not least of all Rick.   It reinforced the fact he is part of our family.   Last night, I had reassured him he was part of a huge family who loved him.   We had spoken of his family and how we both wished things were different.  If only they hadn’t rejected us, and tried to murder us due to their religious beliefs.   I saw the brief expression of sadness cross his face, before he managed to replace it with a big smile; and knew he wished his own family could have been there to see him graduate.

Grandpa said, “I’ve made reservations at Empire State South for lunch.   Here are the driving directions for everyone.”   He passed out a small map and driving instructions.   “I’ve also made reservations at Pitty Pat’s Porch for this evening, after Glenn’s graduation ceremony, for all of us.   Directions to Pitty Pat’s Porch are on the back of the paper I just gave you, so don’t lose it.”

We gathered everyone together and made our way to our cars.   Lunch was a success, and even Egan loved what he had to eat!  After lunch, we made our way back to Georgia Tech for the afternoon commencement ceremony.

Kerry was holding Egan as we walked to the Tech Green.   He reached out his arms toward Rick.   “Uncle Rick,” he said.

Rick smiled and took the little guy into his arms.   “Are you tired?”

Egan nodded his head, and put his head on Rick’s shoulder.   Rick rubbed his back, as we walked.   I looked at Egan, and said, “He’s out.”

Kerry smiled, “I knew he would go to sleep when he said he wanted Uncle Rick.”

I agreed, “He likes Uncle Rick to rock him to sleep when he stays with us.”

Rick grinned, and said, “I’m just practicing for when it’s our baby who needs to go to sleep.”

His statement warmed my heart, because I’ve always wanted to have a family.   Rick knows how strongly I feel about it, and I’m glad he wants to have a family, too.   I left them to find my place for the ceremony.   Again, I listened, impatiently, to the speaker, wanting her to hurry up and finish with her speech.   I was so excited to be graduating, I couldn’t sit still.   I felt like a kid at Christmas.  

The guy next to me looked over at me and smiled.   “It’s almost over,” he said.

I nodded my head, but didn’t respond to him.   It was our turn to stand up, and make our way forward.   As they called out the names of my fellow classmates, I looked over the audience to find my family.   I spotted them and waved.   My turn came, and they read out my name.   I strode confidently across the stage, to shake the hands of the administrators and receive my empty folder.   It still bothered me they didn’t have the diploma ready for the ceremony.

Afterward, my family and friends gathered around me.   Rick put his arm around my shoulder, while Keith took photographs of us.   Rick leaned over and gave me a quick kiss.   I looked up at him in surprise.   He had specifically asked me not to be publicly demonstrative of my affection for him today; and here he was, kissing me, in full view of everyone!

He put his finger to my lips, and said, “I love you.”

Grandma laughed, and patted Rick’s arm.   “You may be Glenn’s boyfriend, but it’s my turn to hug my grandson.”

Rick smiled and moved aside.   “Yes, Grandma.”

She looked up at him and said, “I’m glad you know how to respect your elders.”   She gave me a hug and a kiss.  “Congratulations, Glenn.   I’m very happy you’ve made it through college.   You’ve come a long way since you first came to see us after you graduated from high school.   You’ve finished your degree and managed to land a good-paying job.   I even approve of your choice of boyfriend.”

I said, “Thank you, Grandma.   I have you and Grandpa to thank for making it all possible.”

Grandpa said, “You’re most welcome, Glenn.   It makes us happy to see our children and grandchildren succeed in life.”

Mom and Dad came over to congratulate me.   Mom said, “Congratulations, son.”   She hugged me, and turned to Rick.   She hugged him, and kissed him on the cheek.  She held him at arm’s length, meeting his gaze.  “Congratulations, son.   You’ve done double duty, and I thank you for loving Glenn.   I know he wouldn’t have made it through without you.”

Rick blushed, and said, “Actually, Glenn helped me make it through.”

Mom smiled and said, “You helped each other, and that is the way it is supposed to be.”

Dad shook my hand and said, “Congratulations, Glenn.”   He didn’t attempt to hug me, and I wasn’t about to initiate any closer contact with him than a simple handshake.   I still hadn’t come to terms with the fact my father had a child by a woman who wasn’t my mother.

“Thanks, Dad,” I replied.

He turned from me and shook Rick’s hand.   “Congratulations to you, as well, Rick.”   His tone was formal.

Rick answered, in an equally formal tone of voice, “Thank you, sir.”

We hadn’t talked much to my parents, since we met up with them for the earlier graduation ceremony.   Mom took Dad’s hand and looked at us.   “Boys, I have come to terms with your father’s indiscretion.   You should, as well.   Being angry about it will not help any of us.”

Dad said, “Please don’t be angry with me.   I’m already paying the price for my weakness.   I wasn’t thinking straight when I started my affair with Renata.   Your mother has encouraged me to do the responsible thing by Johnny.   I’ll be paying child support, and he will come to visit us during the summer.   It’s the least I can do for the child, since I’m the one who didn’t insist on using condoms to make sure Renata didn’t get pregnant.”

I said, “I’m okay with the actions you’re taking to meet your legal obligations to Johnny.   I thought I had finally come to terms with the fact you’d had an affair with another woman; however, everything has come back with the news there was a child from that relationship.”

Dad said, “You’re not the only one having difficulty with that.   I’m still a little in shock to know I have an infant son.   At my age, I’ll be lucky to see him graduate from high school.”

I hadn’t thought of it that way, but he was right.   He wasn’t a young man, anymore.

Grandpa interrupted us, “It’s time for us to go.”

Dad nodded his head.   “We’ll talk more, later.”

We left Georgia Tech and made our way over to Pitty Pat’s Porch.   The food was excellent, as always.   Everyone had a great time.   By the time we finished, Egan was more than ready to go home.   He was grumpy and making quite the scene.

Keith said, “We’re taking Egan home.   He’s tired and needs to be put to bed.”

“We’re right behind you,” Rick said.   He looked over at Greg, and asked, “Are you guys ready to go?”

Greg said, “Yes, we’re ready.”

We stood up from our table and walked over to Grandpa’s table.   I said, “Grandpa, we’re heading out, but we’ll see you at your house tomorrow afternoon.”

Grandpa said, “Okay, drive carefully.   We’ll be staying in town tonight, with your parents.   We’ll leave for the farm around 12 noon.”

“We’ll leave about the same time,” Keith said.

We left the restaurant and made our way home.   We left Keith and Kerry on their floor and continued upstairs to our condo.   Rick opened the door to let us inside.   “I’m glad that is over!”

“So am I!” I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him deeply.   “I love you, babe.”

Rick looked at Greg and Cory.   “I think we’ll see you guys in the morning.   I believe Glenn and I have some unfinished business.”

Greg laughed and put his arm around Cory’s shoulders.   “Go ahead.   We’ll see you guys in the morning.”

Rick picked me up and carried me into our bedroom.   He put me down on my feet and proceeded to undress me.   He pushed me down on the bed, but didn’t join me right away.   He turned on some music, and began a strip tease.   By the time he joined me in bed, I was so horny it hurt.   The passion in his eyes made my heart skip a beat.  

In a husky voice, Rick said, “I love you, Babe.”   Before I could respond, he captured my lips, and began to show me how much he loved me!

Later, we looked into each other’s eyes.   I asked, “How does it feel to make love to a college graduate?”

“The same as it did before you graduated; but, now, we don’t need to worry about going to class, or keeping up with our studies,” he replied.

“I’m glad we’re out of school, but, most of all, I’m glad you’re by my side.”   I rubbed noses with him, and kissed him tenderly.   “You’re my everything.”

“And you’re mine,” he replied.

*** ***

Author’s Note:

More of Jefferson’s quotes are found here:   http://www.nobeliefs.com/jefferson.htm

Things to do in Windsor, Ontario - http://www.visitwindsoressex.com/

Quebec Fight Against Homophobia http://www.justice.gouv.qc.ca/english/ministere/dossiers/homophobie/homophobie-a.htm

Pitty Pat’s Porch Restaurant - http://www.pittypatsrestaurant.com/index.html

Empire State South Restaurant - http://www.empirestatesouth.com/