Date: Fri, 04 May 2001 17:51:14
From: Ganymede
Subject: Pandora's Box XX

Pandora's Box XX, by Ganymede and Christopher.


WARNING:

This story contains a graphic description of sexual acts
between a man and a MINOR boy. We do not condone child abuse,
however boy-love as described in this story is an entirely
different matter. If the subject of man/boy sex offends you, if
this material is illegal in your place of residence, or if you
are under the legal age for such material, do not read further!
You have been warned! Read at your own risk!

The story is copyrighted under the pseudonym, Ganymede. A copy
has been placed in the Nifty archives for your enjoyment. Feel
free to post it to appropriate newsgroups or send it to your
friends. The story cannot be used to derive monetary gain. It
cannot be placed in archives that require payment for access, or
printed and distributed in any form that requires payment.

THE NIFTY ARCHIVE:

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FINAL WARNING:

If you are under the age of 18, if this material is illegal in
your place of residence, or if man-boy relationships aren't your
thing, then exit now and save yourself from a life of sin!

PLEASE NOTE:

This chapter deals with the subject of circumcision. Readers
who are upset at the thought of Chrissie losing his foreskin are
advised not to read. Just remember, Hollywood has its tricks.


Pandora's Box XX: Tuesday Afternoon



"For heaven's sake, Chrissie, hurry up. They're waiting for
us, Sweetie. You don't want to be late for the most important day
your life."

My hands were shaking so much that I could not fasten the tiny
mother-of-pearl shell buttons on the knee-length gown I was
required to wear. I had to stop and take a deep breath, yet even
as I did so, my eyes strayed to the clock. It was only a few
minutes before one p.m. Again, I tried to fasten the little
pearly buttons, this time getting them out of order so that the
front of the gown ended up lop-sided. Why did there have to be so
many buttons? It felt too much like I was wearing a dress.

"Damn!" I shouted.

"Chrissie, please hurry up! We really shouldn't be late.
People are waiting for you, you know."

"I'm hurrying!"

"Don't shout, Sweetie! I'm right outside the door."

"I'm not shouting, Mom!" I shouted. "Damn!"

"What's wrong, Sweetie? Can I help?" my mother asked in her
'I'm-trying-my-best-to-stay-calm', but what was still a very
stressed voice.

"Nothing's wrong!" I yelled back from the bathroom. "I can't
do the buttons. That's all."

"Well, come out here and I'll do them for you, Honey. They're
waiting for us, you know."

"Yeah, I know," I answered. "You told me a dozen times
already."

I ran back into the bedroom. I was wearing nothing but the
white gown that Steven had given to my mother. It came down to
just past my knees. The hem was finished with a band of
embroidery, a repetitive pattern of interlaced circles and arrows
that pointed to the side. It was open at the front where I had
hastily unfastened the mismatched buttons to start over again. I
clasped the sides together, covering the one part of my body that
I no longer felt comfortable with her seeing. My mother had moved
from the door and was sitting on the side of my bed. She looked
unhappy. She dabbed a handkerchief at her eyes.

"What's wrong, Mom?" I blurted out.

She looked up quickly, still wiping her eyes. "Wrong?
Nothing's wrong, Sweetie. Oh my, look at you. You are so
beautiful. It's just like a wedding,...."

She stopped herself from saying 'dress' just in time. She held
out her arms in a welcoming embrace. I stepped in front of her,
keeping my distance. She gazed at me, her eyes full of love.

"Oh Chrissie," was all she could say for a long while.

Then, realizing that my gown had opened sufficiently at the
front that she could see a swathe of brown skin, that included my
still-puffy reddened nipples from where I had been kissed and
sucked the night before. She also had a fleeting glimpse of the
gold and diamond ring that encircled my genitals, I hurriedly
pulled the sides together. I tried to fasten the cord around my
waist.

"You are so beautiful, Chrissie," she said softly, shaking her
head as if disbelieving her own eyes and accepting that her words
of admiration had no meaning in them or that they barely came
close to what she was trying to express.

"We're going to be late, Mom," I said anxiously.

Her hands lifted up and her fingers began to do what my
nervous fingers had been unable to do.

"I'm sure a few minutes late will be okay," she said with a
deep breath. "Chrissie?"

"Yes, Mom?"

"I have to know something.... Are you sure about this,
Sweetie?"

I regarded her, watching her eyes just as she watched mine.
There was a lot one could discover by watching someone else's
eyes. I had looked into Bryce's eyes and seen myself. In a way,
it was looking at a person's soul, at the real person within. My
decision was made. There was no turning back, not now, not ever.
I nodded slightly.

"Oh Chrissie!" She took another deep breath. "I know we're,...
you're doing the right thing. This is right for you. It is, isn't
it? It's the right thing for you?" She nodded hopefully.

I wasn't sure what to say. I wanted to say 'yes', that it was
what I wanted. I wanted to be with Steven more than anything
else. I was overjoyed that he wanted me with him from now on. I
would have been perfectly happy just being close to him. That he
wanted me to be his son was completely overwhelming. I still
could not think about being adopted by him without feeling a
deep-down thrill. I was quickly learning how important having sex
was, but it paled in comparison to being in love with someone.

"There, Honey," she said as she fastened the last button. "You
are beautiful, you know Chrissie. And not just on the outside.
You're beautiful on the inside too, where it really counts. I
know I told you a lot of things last night, and this morning when
you talked with Bryce,..."

"Thanks for letting me talk to him, Mom," I said awkwardly.

It was still difficult to accept that he was my real father,
even though I had always suspected it. Now, there was no
question. It was like finding out that you weren't who you
thought you were, or rather admitting something that you knew all
along but were afraid to acknowledge. I felt as if I had spent my
entire life being someone else. It was confusing, but in a way,
there was also relief. At least now I knew who my real father
was. As Steven said, it explained a lot.

"Oh Chrissie. You know now that I always wanted a daughter,
and that's why I did what I did. I used to think that with you I
got the next best thing, but that isn't true any longer. You're
better than any daughter could ever be. I'm so proud of you."

"At least I won't have to have a sex change operation now," I
said sarcastically.

I held out my wrists so that she could do those hard-to- reach
buttons as well. Against the white cotton sleeves, my hands were
small. They looked delicate despite my suntan.

She laughed nervously. "I hope Steven knows how very lucky he
is to have you, Chrissie."

"Mom?" I asked awkwardly. "Do you think I'm like doing the
right thing?"

She thought for a few moments. "Only you can answer that,
Sweetie. Do you think you're making a mistake? We can always get
a flight back to Boston?" she suggested cautiously.

"No!" I replied. I did not have to think about it. My response
came instantly. "I want to stay with him. It's just, well,... you
know,... about what it means and everything,..."

"If you are trying to say that it means you're gay, then yes,
of course it means that, Chrissie. I don' think it's a bad thing.
We've already talked about that. It doesn't change how I feel
about you. It's who you are. I'm your mother and I always love
you, Sweetie. I'm not sure what else you're worried about
though."

I did not know what to say. I was not certain of anything any
longer, except that I wanted to be with Steven. Living with him,
I would not have to deal with any of the torment that gay boys
suffered from at school, not until I was much older. For me,
being gay wasn't going to be nearly as difficult as it was for a
lot of boys. In fact, I was beginning to understand that with
Steven by my side, growing up gay was going to be a lot of fun.

I stepped back from her, putting the finishing touches on my
gown by tightening the golden cord again and making certain that
the line of buttons on the top half were directly above the
buttons on the bottom half.

"Chrissie?"

"Yes Mom?"

"Are you scared, Sweetie?"

I tried to smile, but I couldn't it. I was scared. This was
the biggest decision of my life. I had worried about it all night
and all through the morning it seemed. I blinked, realizing that
I was going to cry any second. I swallowed, blinked again, felt
the tears building like a bad allergy day and the pollen count
was through the roof.

"Mom,.... Us, against the world, remember?" I snivelled.

She nodded. "Yes, and now Steven will be with you as well,
Chrissie. He'll be good for you, Sweetie. I'm not just talking
about what you do with him in bed,... Of course that's an
important part, what you do with him when you're in his room,...
but you need him in other ways too."

I nodded. I depended on Steven. He was my other half, the half
that I had never known, but always needed. I stood still while my
mother ran a brush through my hair for the final pass. Lightly,
she kissed my forehead. I could not remember a time that she had
ever kissed me on the lips. I took one last look in the mirror. I
could barely see the bruise that David had given me under my eye.
My mother could work miracles with make-up. I followed her to the
door. Then, she stopped and turned around. Her arms lifted up and
I came forward and we hugged. I pressed my face into her breasts.
Suddenly, I wanted her to say something, anything that would make
it easier for me. I had to know my decision was the right
decision.

"I love you, Mom," I said softly.

"Steven loves you, Chrissie."

They were not the words that I expected to hear, yet they were
the only words I needed to hear. I gazed up and into her eyes.

"I know, Mom. I love him too," I answered.

"Where are your shoes, Sweetie?"

"Uh, I don't think I'm supposed to wear anything except these
sandals. It's like part of the tradition or something."

We started walking, hand in hand, through the pattern of sun
and shadows along the loggia, past the earth-toned pots of
orchids, past the flowering lotuses, watching the orange flash of
the carp swimming in the pond. People were waiting for us in the
foyer. There were a lot of people. I saw Steven's head above the
rest, his reassuring smile, his eyes meeting with mine. There was
Joel. His right eye was nearly a black circle. His mother was
next to him. Beside her was Steven's mother, her wrinkled face
alive with interest. Then, my Aunt Sue with Cynthia and David, at
first glance looking none the worse for our fight. He grinned at
me cheerfully and I smiled back at him. It felt much better to be
friends rather enemies. There was 'Ganymede', standing next to a
small boy with nearly black hair and a tan to die for. Peter
smiled and nodded approvingly.

I saw Richard Kaufman, standing apart from the others. He had
a perpetually stern expression. I was glad that he wasn't my
father. Just the thought of what he had done to Steven when he
was a boy was enough to turn my stomach. And now it was very
likely that he was doing the same things to David. I knew that
Steven would do something about that when the time was right.

There was another man standing next to my uncle, a man who I
did not recognize. And there was Bryce, standing to the side,
close to a dark mahogany table, waiting for my mother to join
him. He was not part of this family, yet with me present it was
as if he was accepted, at least for his part in the occasion.

Steven came forward to greet me, his hands extended, reaching
for mine. We touched fingers. I had a momentary image of the
Sistine Chapel, of the union of Man and God. Energy passed
between us. I knew I was loved as much as any boy who has been
loved by any man.

Steven's head came close to mine. "You look totally awesome,
Dude," he whispered.

I grinned at him, appreciating that he was trying to relate to
an eleven-year-old boy and getting it completely wrong. Only
dweebs and dings, which was short for dinguses, called each other
'dude', and 'totally awesome'. Steven was five years too late.

"It kind of feels like we're getting married," I whispered
back. I giggled. "This gown even looks like a wedding dress."

"We are, in a way."

Steven winked, taking my left hand in his right hand,
escorting me towards the table. There were two sheets of paper
there, and a gold pen. He stopped in front of it, silently
surveyed the people gathered there. He smiled, glanced down,
nodded at me.

"Christopher Bryce Faran?"

Steven said my name clearly, loudly. Intuitively, I realized
that it would the last time I would hear it, all of it at least.
It sounded strange, like it was someone else's name, although I
had used it for eleven years.

"Yes, Steven." I gazed at him. Unblinking. Taking in his
handsome face. I was his boy.

"This is a special day, both for you and for me. I've always
wanted a son and now I'm about to get one."

I smiled shyly. I glanced to the side, looking for my mother.
She was only a few feet away. Her hands were clasped. She was
even more nervous than I was.

"My decision to adopt you, to become your father and legal
guardian is without a doubt the most important decision of my
life. It would be nice to say it was an easy decision, because
you are a wonderful person and a father could not ask for more in
his son, but it wasn't easy. It was a very hard decision. It
wasn't that I was worried that you were not the right person or
that I didn't love you. I had to be certain that you loved me
back, and that you wanted me to be your father. However, looking
back now, it seems as if we were always destined to be together,
perhaps even before I actually met you."

Steven glanced at my Aunt Sue. She gave him a 'well-if-it-
wasn't-for-me' look that mothers must practice on a daily basis
because they are so good at it.

"Today, in just a few moments, we're going to sign some papers
that formalize the adoption. Once the papers are witnessed and
Judge Harley fixes his seal to them, you'll be my son. Is that
what you want, Christopher?" he asked seriously.

I nodded. "Yes, Steven," I said simply.

It wasn't very much given the importance of the situation, but
what else could I say. It was the truth.

"Then, I'm very, very happy. I know we are both doing the
right thing," Steven finished.

He picked up the pen and signed his name with a flourish. It
was done in seconds. Then my mother came forward, with Bryce
beside her. They both signed, my mother first, then Bryce. He
smiled at me when he leaned over the table and picked up the pen.
It was still difficult to think of Bryce as being my father. He
had writing a lot like mine, small, delicate writing. When my
mother and Bryce stepped back, Richard Kaufman and Judge Harley
came to the table. Another signature, then the imprint of a stamp
pressed into the parchment. I grinned up at Steven, my new father
and legal guardian.

"Whew!" I breathed out.

"Whew indeed!" Steven answered.

Everyone laughed. It had taken less than a minute. Less than a
minute to make me officially, legally, Steven's son. I sought out
Bryce and wondered what was going through his head. He looked
straight back at me and he smiled and nodded. He appeared to be
happy, but he had to be feeling something seeing me adopted by
another man. At the very least, I wanted him to feel something.
It wasn't right otherwise. I was his son despite how I had been
conceived. Yet, when I thought about it, there was no reason why
he should feel anything. According to my Health teacher, I was
the result of one sperm among four hundred million that a man
produced in a single ejaculation. Why should he feel anything? I
was nothing more than a favor he had done for my mother. There
was nothing special about me. However, while I gazed at him, I
began to understand. His nod had been a nod of approval that what
I had done, what I was doing right now, what was right for me.
And then it stuck me. I was so very much like him that there was
an undeniable inevitability to it. This was my destiny and I
could not change it. I was really the boy in my own story.



All too soon, Doctor Lehr stepped forward. The legal part of
the adoption had been completed. He smiled at me reassuringly. I
was nervous. I knew what happened next. I took a deep breath.
This was the part that scared me. He approached me, smiling,
doing his best to reassure me.

"Don't be scared, Chrissie," Steven said softly. "Remember I
promised I'd never hurt you. I meant that."

"But,..." I began fearfully.

However, it was too late. Already, Doctor Lehr had commenced
the ceremony that had as its ultimate and unavoidable conclusion,
my circumcision.

"...And they shall make for me a sanctuary and I will dwell in
their midst. Let us begin this most sacred rite. Where is the
mother who brings this boy to me for his brit mila?" he said
loudly.

No one answered until Aunt Sue nudged my mother into action.

"Uh, um, I guess that's me," she muttered selfconsciously.

"You will call the Kvatterin?" Doctor Lehr asked.

"Um, ah, yes, I want Mrs. Meier, to er, help?"

Someone stifled a laugh. So far, so good even if my mother had
not followed the script. Old Mrs. Meier slowly approached, her
right hand gripping her walking stick so hard that her knuckles
were white. Her aide stayed well behind her, but close enough
that if she started to lose her balance, she could stop her from
falling down. Mrs. Meier studied me, moved her head from side to
side, adjusting her glasses so that she could focus on the
diamond studs in my ears.

"They look very nice on you, Christopher," she said quietly.
"You're a very beautiful boy. I expect you've heard that before,
and not just from Steven."

Her gnarled left hand, reached out for my right hand, both of
us trembling nervously. My mother took my other hand. Her hand
was sweaty. The three of us began to walk solemnly towards the
two ornate, strange-looking seats that had been placed at the far
end of the living room. Steven and Bryce were already there,
waiting.

Behind us, the others began to move forward as well. As one
voice, they called out, "Baruch HaBa." (May he who cometh be
blessed)

Mrs. Meier's hand was cold and bony, enough to make me think
that my hand was held in a claw. She pulled me towards Steven,
bending down slightly to whisper in my ear.

"There is nothing to be afraid of, Christopher. It will over
before you know. I'm sure it won't hurt very much."

I nodded slightly. That was easy for her to say. It was the
end of my penis that was going to be cut off. Not hers. I stood
still, as nervous as I had ever been, waiting and worrying about
what would happen next. The silence dragged on for what seemed to
me to be a very long time but could be measured in seconds.

"Kvatter! Who is the kvatter?" Doctor Lehr intoned.

"Oops. Sorry. That's me, isn't it?" Bryce giggled. "Okay, here
we go. I've finally got an audience, Christopher. I hope I
remember what to do. There was such a lot that Ted told me
earlier."

Bryce took my hand and began to lead me to the chair on my
right. I turned around. Everyone's eyes were on me. Someone
pointed to the other chair. Bryce had forgotten. I had to sit in
the Throne of Elijah first, although exactly why I had to do so,
I had no idea at all. All I knew was that it was not a last
minute change in plans. I shifted quickly to the chair on the
left and sat down awkwardly.

"This chair is devoted to Elijah the prophet, may his
remembrance be for the good," Doctor Lehr said majestically.
"Today, Christopher Bryce Kaufman sits upon the Throne of Elijah
to celebrate his covenant with God and to honor his new father.
Just as Isaac was circumcised by Abraham, so too will Christopher
be circumcised."

I swallowed nervously. I could feel my legs trembling. I
wanted to get up and run. Any second now Doctor Lehr was going to
pick up a knife and use it to cut the end off my penis in front
of all these people. And I was going to scream my head off. I
trembled, feeling my scrotum pull up tightly, protectively
bringing my testicles close to my body the same way it did when
it was cold. However, any reservations that I had were not
apparent to Doctor Lehr. He continued as if I was not shaking
like a leaf.

"It is written in Genesis: "This shall be the covenant that
you shall keep between Me and you and your children after you:
you shall circumcise all males. And you shall circumcise the
flesh of your foreskin, and this shall be the sign of the
covenant between Me and you."

Then Bryce took my hand again, drawing me up from the Chair of
Elijah. Steven had taken the seat adjacent, the Sandak's chair.
He nodded reassuringly, his feet planted firmly on the floor.
Gently rubbing my fingers, Bryce guided me over to him.

"You're doing great, Babe," Bryce whispered as he placed my
hand in Steven's hand.

"It is the tradition that a baby is placed in the lap of the
Sandak," Doctor Lehr continued. "Your father has requested that
tradition be followed with you, Christopher."

I sat down on Steven's lap and immediately his arm came behind
my shoulders in a firm familiar hug. He could sense how worried I
was. My entire body was one tensed up mess.

"Steven, as your friend and Mohel, I ask if I may act as your
proxy for the mitzvah of circumcision. As you know, according to
the Torah, you have the right to perform the circumcision
yourself."

"I appoint you, my long-time friend, Theodore Lehr, as Mohel
and my proxy to establish the covenant between God and my son,
Christopher." Steven paused for a moment. "... who has sanctified
us with His commandments, and has commanded us to bring
Christopher into the covenant of Abraham, our Patriarch."

Everyone except my mother and Bryce uttered the blessing.
"Just as Christopher has entered into this covenant, so may he
enter the covenant of Torah learning and good deeds."

Still holding me tightly, Steven passed a small all-metal
knife to Doctor Lehr. It looked very sharp, with both edges honed
like razor blades. It was the knife that was going to cut off the
end of my penis. I squirmed nervously and tried to pull away. I
did not like the look of that knife.

"This is the Izmail, Christopher. It was used by Abraham to
join his son Isaac in his covenant with God, who sanctifies us
with our mitzvoth, and commands us about circumcision."

I closed my eyes then. There was nothing I could do to stop
the inevitable result of being there on Steven's lap. This was my
destiny. I could feel Steven's hand moving just below my waist,
unfastening the little white buttons that had caused me such
trouble. I felt coolness as he exposed my private parts, parted
the gown further, exposing my thighs and lower belly. Doctor Lehr
stepped closer. I felt his breath on my face, then Steven's warm
hand taking hold of my penis, gripping it between his thumb and
first finger. Steven's other arm tightened around me. I tried to
relax, vaguely thinking that I would finally look like all the
other boys in my school. Who needed that silly piece of skin on
the end, anyway?

It didn't hurt at first, probably because the knife was so
sharp. He pinched the end of my penis, dragging the skin upward
and over the glans. I could feel his fingernails cutting into the
skin. It was a few seconds before I felt it. I had never been
able to take pain. I felt what I considered a terrible pain
despite the analgesic cream that I had applied an hour earlier.
Searing, numbing pain. I brought my hand to my mouth to stifle my
scream. My body shuddered, jerking savagely as I panicked. My
body was fighting to preserve what belonged to it. My foreskin
was part of me. There was no sense to it, cutting off the end of
a boy's penis. The piece of skin was there only because God put
it there. Why did God want it taken off for?

Steven's arms held me, although my arms and legs continued to
flail out. I couldn't help but look down. There was blood all
over my penis. The helmeted end was red, dripping, splashing
droplets on my thighs, my belly, a few falling onto the crisp
white linen gown. My penis was hard, stretched all the way out,
straining against the no-longer shining band. The skin was a
blood-red sheath that bulged to cover the swelling veins. All I
could see was blood. I screamed.

It had been done. My foreskin had been removed from the end of
my penis. Then, the knife moved away and I could no longer see
it. I buried my face into Steven's side, hiding my horror from
everyone. I heard Steven's muffled whisper, Doctor Lehr saying
very quietly that 'everything was okay', that it 'worked out
nicely'.

I forced the side of my hand into my mouth. I wasn't supposed
to cry. It wasn't supposed to hurt, not like this. Part of my
body had been cut off. It was a very special part, a part that
accounted for a lot of pleasure. Did I really care about a
covenant with God? No! All I wanted was to be what Steven wanted
in his son. I would be Jewish for him because that was what he
wanted. I would be circumcised for him. He had put his mark on
me. That, more than anything else, even more than the gold and
diamond ring around my penis and testicles, made me his son. I
belonged to Steven.

I wiped my hand across my face, smearing away the tears that
had streamed from my eyes. I promised myself that I would not cry
again. Only then did I realize that I was not the only person who
had been crying. I could feel Steven sobbing. He was hugging me
so tightly that he was shuddering against my back. His head
leaned onto the top of my head as he cradled me in his arms. I
heard him sniffing, inhaling, trying to hold back his tears. A
tear splashed onto my cheek and trickled slowly down to my chin.

"Don't cry," I whispered bravely.

"I'm sorry, Chrissie. We had to do it for my mother."

"It's okay," I murmured.

"I told you I'd never hurt you, Chrissie. Never! I love you
too much."

Steven sniffed again, rubbing his cheek on my head. His arms
trembled. He was shaking.

"Hey, how do you circumcise a whale?" Doctor Lehr said
quietly.

I opened my eyes again, risked looking down. He was doing
something to my penis with a moist cool pad. He was cleaning off
the blood. I hated the sight of blood.

"I don't know," I said weakly as I looked up again.

"You use four skin divers."

I tried to smile. Every time Doctor Lehr touched my penis it
felt much better. There was almost no pain at all. Despite that,
Steven was still holding me tightly.

"Okay, here's another one. You're being very brave by the way,
Christopher. The last time I did this to a boy your age, he
screamed his head off for an hour it seemed like. Let me think,
how does it go? Okay, there are two five-year-old boys sitting in
a hospital room and one leans over to the other and asks 'What
are you in here for?' The other says 'Circumcision'. Then first
boy says 'Yeah? I had that done right after I was born and I
couldn't walk for a year.'"

I guess it was supposed to be funny, but I couldn't see why.
Steven stopped crying and laughed.

"What's so funny?" I asked uncertainly.

"He couldn't walk for a year, Chrissie," Steven whispered
back.

"That won't happen to me, will it?" I asked nervously.

I was very confused. It did not make any sense at all why a
person would not be able to walk for a whole year after being
circumcised, unless maybe the doctor slipped and cut the boy's
penis right off, or something.

Steven laughed again. "He was a new-born baby, Chrissie. They
don't walk for the first year. It takes six months or so before
they even crawl."

"Oh! Yeah, I guess so," I giggled. "I didn't think of that."

Doctor Lehr had finished wiping the blood away. He placed the
blood-smeared pads that he had been using on the table. He took a
small white cloth and carefully wrapped it around my penis before
he straightened up.

"Okay, that's done. That's a very nice ring by the way,
Chris," he whispered. "Who names this boy?" he asked loudly.

Steven hugged me, carefully keeping the white cloth clamped
over my penis. His hand wrapped around my erection, almost
squeezing the blood from my erection. The discomfort was still
there, but it was nowhere as bad as it had been a few minutes
earlier. Now, it just throbbed. I breathed heavily. The worst was
over.

"I do," Aunt Sue said loudly.

Of all the people, who could have been honored, 'she-who- I-
despised' had been chosen. She walked a few paces to the table
that had been set up next to the wall. There was a flask of red
wine and she poured some into a silver goblet, saying a
benediction in words that were so soft that I could not hear. She
stepped towards me, leaned down and splashed my lips with wine. I
licked at it and made a wry face at the bitter taste. I liked
champagne more.

Then, she spoke loudly, turning to face the people who had
gathered to witness my circumcision.

"Who sanctified the beloved one from the womb and placed the
mark of the decree in his flesh, and sealed his offspring with
the sign of the holy covenant. Therefore, as reward for this, O
Living God, our Portion, our Rock, may You issue the command to
rescue the beloved soul within our flesh from destruction, for
the sake of His covenant that He has placed in our flesh. Blessed
are You, Hashem, Who establishes the covenant."

I heard a murmur of approval. There was one prayer left. I
blinked, now holding Steven's hand in mine. In the last prayer,
my Hebrew name would be declared. I waited patiently as Aunt Sue
began to recite verse after verse. I almost missed it, I was so
confused.

"Creator of the universe. May it be Thy gracious will to
regard and accept this, as if I had brought this baby before Thy
glorious throne. And Thou, in Thy abundant mercy, through Thy
holy angels, give a pure and holy heart to Chanan, the son of
Steven, who was just now circumcised in honor of Thy great Name.
May his heart be wide open to comprehend Thy holy Law, that he
may learn and teach, keep and fulfill Thy laws."

Then, she finished and there was a momentary silence. As one,
they all spoke together.

"Just as Chanan has entered the covenant, so may he enter into
the Torah and good deeds."

They stumbled over the last part, a few people even trying to
add the missing part, a reference to the 'marriage canopy' that
everyone present knew was never going to apply to me.

"Chanan?" I whispered to Steven. I was curious. "You called me
Chanan. What does it mean?"

"Chanan means grace. Because you are so incredibly graceful,
Chrissie. I didn't think of it until yesterday when you were
fighting with David. It was like watching poetry in motion."

"I love you,.... Dad." I tried it on for size. 'Steven'
sounded much better to my ears.

"I love you too, Chanan," Steven whispered back.

"Does this mean you aren't going to call me Chrissie any
more?" I asked under my breath.

"No. I love Chrissie, too," Steven answered with a playful
squeeze of my penis. "Chrissie's the boy who I'm in love with.
Chanan is my son. I love Chanan too, but in a different way."

"I love you,... Steven."

"Shhhh. I know, Chrissie. We're missing the prayer."

"Steven?" I asked anxiously.

"Yes," Steven answered quietly.

"What happened to it?"

"What happened to what, Chrissie?"

"The piece of skin that he cut off. My foreskin?"

Steven chuckled softly. His head came closer. "Don't you know?
I told you I'd never hurt you, Chrissie. I meant it. I love you
too much to hurt you. Your foreskin is where it always was. It's
on the end of your dick," he whispered.

"Huh? But Doctor Lehr cut it off. I saw him," I said
agitatedly.

"This is Hollywood, Chrissie." Steven grinned, barely able to
stop himself from laughing.

So?" I could not see anything funny in what he said.

"Ted just pinched your dick really hard so you squealed a bit.
I told him to, by the way. Unfortunately, he pinched a bit
harder than I had in mind. Then he pretended to circumcise you."

"But what about all the blood?" I demanded.

"Simple. I had a little plastic bag of red dye and water in my
hand. From a distance it looks just like blood."

Part of me wanted to make sure, but I realized I did not have
to. I trusted him. In fact, as I sat there on his lap, my penis
still hard between his fingers, his hand gently lifted up. I felt
the lip of skin pull over my glans, then slide back down again to
expose my glans. I wanted to laugh. It had been so realistic that
I had believed everything, even feeling pain where there really
had been nothing more than an uncomfortable pinch.

"But why?" I whispered back.

"My mother's very traditional. In her world, all Jewish boys
are circumcised. I love her, Chrissie. I didn't want to hurt her
either," Steven answered. "Ted and I didn't work out how to do it
until you were talking with Bryce. I couldn't tell you."

"That's okay," I said with growing relief.

"I promised you I'd never hurt you. I mean it, Chrissie. I
love you very much."

By then, the Aleynu prayer was almost finished. I sat
patiently, waiting for it to be over. I closed my gown over my
body, making sure than no one could see. Steven's mother would go
back to Florida within the day. She would never know that my
foreskin was still intact, not if I had anything to do with it.

I turned around and smiled at Steven. He smiled back. We both
had a reason to be happy. In two days, we would be in the south
of France, where we would stay at Mr. Durand's villa with
'Ganymede'. We would be there at least until the location shoots
for 'A Serious Matter' were finished, and probably until Cannes
Film Festival in May. According to Steven I would even have a
part in the movie, although going by what he had said, it was not
a large role by any stretch of the imagination. I hoped it would
not interfere with Steven's idea about me collaborating with
'Ganymede' on a movie script. I had a lot to look forward to.

I started to giggle, and I looked up. My mother smiled back at me.
My real father smiled at me. And 'Ganymede' and the little boy
who stood next to him both grinned. And Mrs. Beaton smiled. So
did David and his sister, who I was slowly beginning to like a
little better. Steven's mother smiled. Even Aunt Sue smiled.
Everyone was happy, including me.

Then Joel, in his funny squeaky voice said, "I'm supposed to
say that everyone is invited to stay for the Seudat Mitzvah." He
grinned at me. "Which for Christopher, now that he's Jewish, is
like this special meal to celebrate him becoming Steven's son."

I turned to Steven. I was going to say that I loved him. There
was no need to say anything. I could see love in his eyes.


THE END