Author’s Note: In the last chapter, I had a wonderful chance to make it all fabulously dramatic and string their union vows out, but that is not how these guys would roll. They simply do not do “sissy drama.” They face the parents with similar cool, but before that, they enjoy the simple, shared pleasures of which their sensuality is only a part.

Meet the Parents

Back in town, they did as Nathan planned – stopped in a bookstore to stock up on on the history, geology, and mystery of the mountain. They perused their wonderful literature at an outdoor café over a meal. As always, Adrian had to get in his social media fix. Nathan had little traffic in his email inbox. Things were going smoothly with his businesses.

They had remained quiet with each other. Hardly a word passed between them for hours, but they often stared at each other. Sitting at a table outside with their high-tech paraphernalia, Nathan slouched back with his legs straight out, sipping his double cappuccino, Adrian perched on the edge of the chair, slurping his iced chocolate, the young man suddenly burst out laughing.

“What is it, Boy Wonder?” Nathan asked.

Adrian looked up at him and grinned. “Well, Batman, haha, my sister tells me that Stan has outed me!”

“And this is funny?”

“Yes! Stan actually made an appointment at my dad’s office downtown to speak of something ‘important.’ But when he told my dad that I was gay and had tried to have sex with him, if you can belive that shit, my dad was so mad that he told Stan that if he ever stepped foot on his property again, he would kick his ass!”

“Wow.”

“I know, right? Tanya says Dad has some choice words for Stan, and these are beyond ‘coward’ and ‘traitor.’ He calls him ‘Stankley the Cunt!’”

“So your dad is not upset to find out you are gay?”

“Tanya says that’s another topic, but Stan broke the honor code.”

Nathan nodded. He understood perfectly. He told Adrian, “Well, I will meet him soon.”

“So you’ve decided, Nathan?”

“Yes. I am going to talk to him about the ESOP. I’ll work something out for a preliminary proposal. We’ll take it in stages. That is, if he gets past wanting to kick my ass.”

Adrian nodded and smiled cutely. “Yes, there is that sketchy part.”

“So how much have you told them all about me?”

“Only the bare outline. You gave me a ride north. We are camping together. That you are working class guy, but you are not poor. That we are BFFs. My sister will put ‘two and two’ together, but I suspect my parents would really rather look the other way. They love me, Nathan. My guess is that they are afraid that if they hate on me and you, they will lose me, and they won’t want that.”

Nathan nodded. “OK then. Let’s make a plan.”

They spent the next two days simply enjoying each other, doing all the things they had already been doing: Swimming, sunning, eating huge meals, and having sex. Both fell into a similar rhythm of activity and rest. Nathan was able to persuade Adrian to try fly fishing, and to the young man’s surprise, he liked it, saying it was like baseball, requiring great concentration during periods of inaction with instant reflexes for sudden spurts of fast action; further, he found the technique of casting the line by swishing it back and forth overhead “elegant.”

They did a little shooting, coming up with ever more challenging games with moving targets and greater distances. Only Nathan had any interest in bagging meat, however. He wanted to introduce Adrian to the quality of wild game. It was always lean, usually delicious, and utterly nutritious. They stumbled upon a gang of wild turkeys one afternoon while out hiking, and Nathan, ever the outlaw, to Adrian’s shock and awe, poached a carefully selected female.

“Dude! You took her head clean off!”

“Well, that’s a 357 for ya. Didn’t want to hurt her, you know? Do we still have an onion left?”

Adrian did not answer Nathan’s question. “Sometimes, Nathan, you trip me out. ‘Didn’t want to hurt her?’ What the fuck?”

“Yeah, you know! Wanted an instant kill. No maiming. No lingering, painful death, no terror secretions from the adrenal glands. Like flipping the ‘off switch.’”

Adrian shook his head. He asked, “And why a female?”

“Better tasting,” Nathan answered as he carried the big bird over to a rock, upon which he sat. He asked, “You mind digging a little hole here to bury the guts?”

They had, before, discussed the hypocrisy of people who ate meat but refused to kill – evidently thinking it perfectly fine to leave that task for others. He knew Adrian was no hypocrite. He knew Adrian agreed with his philosophy of living closer to the Earth, and that meant getting dirty, and that meant getting bloody.

He showed Adrian how to feather and gut the bird, and they buried the inedible offal as well as the unused feathers, but Nathan kept many of the wing feathers, for they made great pens. He showed Adrian how to make a feather pen using his razor sharp, tiny pocket knife.

“Huh,” Adrian commented, “So that is why they say ‘pen knife!’ I always would see that in old books. I always thought it was a kind of small knife!”

Nathan smiled. “Now that you mention it, that has to be right! Did anyone ever tell you that you were really smart, Adrian?”

“Yes, many times,” he answered, almost absently, for he was trying to make the feather pen stay in his hair. It was the cutest thing.

Always prepared, Nathan even had a plastic bag for the carcass.

Thus, on their last night at camp, they feasted on wild turkey, slow roasted in Nathan’s Dutch oven over coals, and stewed with all their leftover vegetables. Adrian had to admit that he had never tasted turkey like that before. It bore no resemblance to farm turkey. “Hmmm,” he joked, “tastes like rattlesnake!”

Nathan had told Adrian about the joking comments with the kids from a few days before. Laughing, he said, “I think the turkey’s diet actually introduces the flavors of various insects and herbs into the meat, but I think the wild rosemary we found was a nice touch, huh?”

“Fucking delicious, Nathan.”

They took their time driving Adrian home.

First, they stopped in at Ashland, where Southern Oregon University was located. Nathan delighted in giving him a tour of the lovely town and peaceful campus. Adrian loved the place. He said that he felt at home there. He liked the culture revealed in the parks, bookstores, art galleries, and cafés there.

Next, they wended their way north by the scenic, coastal route, enjoying Oregon’s rugged shores and many hidden bays.

Each day found Adrian texting ever more ferociously. Mainly with his sister. Nathan had seen that Adrian was very close with her. He had always let Adrian text away, never much inquiring about it. Nathan had no interest in social media; that, to him, was why he hired marketing people. It all seemed too frantic and excessively dramatic to him, but it was a huge part of Adrian’s life. He asked him, “Are you on Facebook or Twitter?”

“Both. Right now I’m describing this scene. You have to find ways to use just a few words on Twitter. I make it like little poems. It’s challenging! And my sister has totally figured out we are fucking. I warned you!”

Nathan sighed. He stared at Adrian.

“I know what you are thinking, Nathan! But it’s OK! I sent her pictures of you. She thinks you are hot. She’s happy for me! She won’t fucking tell! I promise you, Tanya can keep a secret!”

“OK, Adrian. I believe you. It stresses me the fuck out. You can understand that, right?”

“Yes. But here’s the thing, I think Mom has figured it out too. I have a feeling. For me, it’s a relief, but for you, man, I’m sorry, but she keeps asking these leading questions like, ‘How does he treat you, Adrian?’”

Nathan closed his eyes and shook his head. “Fuck,” he muttered.

“Don’t be that way, Nathan. You worry too much.”

“No. I don’t. You don’t worry enough.”

Adrian stared at him blankly. Finally, he said, “OK. I get it. I am not the one who might get his head blown off by my dad. I’m sorry. So if you want to bail, I’ll understand.”

“I don’t want to bail, Adrian.”

“Good! Say, is that a path over there? You wanna see if we can hike down to the beach?”

It was often difficult to find ways to the water from the highway. Many of the turnouts even had signs that said, “No Beach Access.” The paths were often treacherous and usually petered out or went off in strange directions. “Sure,” Nathan said.

It was rough going, but they did find a way down that time. They found a hidden spot to undress and take a dip in the intensely cold water. After that, they made love in the cool, gray sand.

Adrian smiled in Nathan’s sweaty arms. Once again, he surprised Nathan with yet another new expression. He had never seen Adrian look “crafty.” He saw it then.

“What is it, Adrian?”

Adrian grinned broadly with his sparkling, sapphire eyes. He said, “Together against the world!”

“Hah. Let’s wash this spooge off, huh?”

Back at the truck, Nathan, as he fired it up said, “OK. So let’s say your mom has figured it out. How much, do you think, she will have told your dad?”

“She will act to protect me,” Adrian answered without hesitation. “You are an unknown. That is why I am praising you to her. That way she will know that if she rejects you, she will hurt me, and she will not do that. But, well, you know? Parents talk. They have their own fucking world that the kids never see.”

Nathan pondered that. He said, “Well, I guess we are just going to have to charge this beach, soldier, come what may.”

“I like the way you think, Nathan.”

“Shall we go? It’s only a hundred miles to Portland. Are you ready?”

“No. But whatever.”

“I like the way you think, Adrian.”

Into the Breach

Adrian’s house in Portland was in a beautiful neighborhood with lush woods and winding roads in the hills to the south and east of the city. It was mid-morning when they dropped down a steep entrance to the circle driveway and parked behind Adrian’s mother’s white Escalade. Adrian’s father was at his office. They would meet for dinner. It had been “arranged.”

The topic of Nathan’s sexuality and his relationship with their son had been studiously avoided in accordance with Nathan and Adrian’s plan. Once in Portland, rather than immediately go to Adrian’s house, they had stayed in a motel. They knew that once Adrian was home, they might not have another chance to “fuck like bonobos” for some time. Nathan retained the room at the motel near downtown and by the river. It gave him place to stash his gear, and it placed him not far from Adrian’s father’s office.

Adrian’s mother, who had the classic Norwegian name, “Bitten,” was quite beautiful, as was Adrian’s sister Tanya. They came out front just as Nathan turned off his truck’s motor. Adrian immediately jumped out and rushed to them for a group hug and many lavish kisses. These were three beautiful, bright blondies who were obviously of the same genetic line. They looked gorgeous together.

Adrian’s mom and sister insisted on hugs from Nathan, and his mother charmed Nathan by saying, “So at last I meet the great Nathan Greene, of whom I have only heard myths and legends! Come inside! Have some tea with us. Adrian tells me you are fond of gyokuro. It so happens that Portland is quite civilized when it comes to fine Asian imports.”

Adrian had warned him that he would fall in love with his mother. It had already begun.

Their house was unpretentious, but lovely. It was on a plot much larger than any of the neighboring houses. Nathan, the builder and owner of a landscaping and gardening company, noted all the little touches that showed how well cared for the home was. These were not poor people; they could afford servants. From carefully raked gravel to a cleanly swept roof, from expertly trimmed trees to fresh paint, the Bergstroms showed their wealth to discerning eyes. Inside, the immaculate house had an open design with cathedral ceilings in the seventies style, and the back overlooked a state park through tall windows. Nathan knew the place must cost a fortune to heat in the winter, and he saw that the fireplace was well used, but what was truly magnificent were all the decorations Adrian’s mother and sister had made for Adrian’s “Welcome Home Party” – balloons, banners, and the kitchen island loaded down with fabulous treats and snacks. The house smelled of baking.

“Oh, Mom! You shouldn’t have!” Adrian pretended to complain.

Bitten merely laughed lightly as she prepared the sensual and perfect green tea. “We’ve called a bunch of people, Adrian. So put your best face on. It is not everyday my son returns from a bicycle ride across the country!”

Tanya, laughing said, “Look, Adrian! We made a shrine!”

Indeed, next to the fireplace was a table on which many trophies were arrayed, and behind it was a wall of photographs showing Adrian at many ages in various sports uniforms and usually posing with teammates. Nathan would study those in detail later, but he saw immediately that Adrian was as beautiful a boy as he was a handsome young man.

Tanya nudged him as his gaze swept over the photos. “Cute, huh?”

“Incredible,” Nathan agreed.

They sat in the kitchen and drank the splendid tea while snacking on many types of hors d’oeuvres. Adrian happily wolfed down many while chattering away about all his adventures. He was the star. It was understood. Bitten would glance at Nathan and prompt him with an occasional question, but Nathan knew that the serious questions would come later when John, Adrian’s father, returned home.

Adrian managed to peel away from them by insisting on a shower and a change of clothes, saying, “I have not worn anything nice in almost a year! I am wearing slacks and tie tonight!”

This was pleasing to the women. His mother said, “Adrian, honey? You remember all my ‘pesky’ questions about how much you had grown on the trip?”

Without waiting for an answer, she said, “On your bed you will find a new ensemble. None of your old trousers will fit you, so please thank your mother for her thoughtfulness?”

Adrian managed to look both delighted and sheepish as he thanked her with a kiss and a hug.

He dashed off. This left Nathan with them. But they did not ask invasive questions. They merely inquired about his business and background in the way of polite, high society – adroitly avoiding difficult topics.

Soon, many of their family friends began to arrive. To Nathan’s great pleasure, he had a chance to meet Adrian’s old flame Diane. She was a willowy, brown-haired girl with huge brown eyes. Quite beautiful. She and Nathan soon paired off away from the rest of the group and chatted happily together on the back deck where they had a wonderful view of the deeply wooded park beneath tall oaks and maples.

When Adrian reappeared, looking devastating in his classy, new attire of light gray slacks, white shirt, a narrow blue tie that matched his eyes, and a black belt with matching shoes, he said to her, “He knows about us, Diane. You can trust him. He is most trustworthy. I’m sorry, yes, I was forward. Do you forgive me?”

A slightly cross look flashed on Diane’s face before she said, “That remains to be seen, but I guess that means Nathan can talk about you, too?”

Adrian grinned, “He has my permission to tell you anything and everything, so that will make fair, yes? Diane? It was important that he know about us, but I see Mother is beckoning. I shall leave you two to get acquainted.”

Nathan enjoyed the new formality of speech Adrian wore. It matched his clothes. The one thing Nathan could predict about Adrian was that he would continue to surprise.

Nathan and Diane immediately became friends. She was an easy person with whom to speak openly. He found himself confessing all, not even sparing some sexual details. He told her the whole story.

Adrian’s sister was similar. Seeing him and Diane talking alone, she joined them, saying, “And this is where the secrets are shared, huh?”

Diane laughed. “Adrian has good taste in men, Tanya. Is that any surprise?”

“No,” Tanya agreed, “but I don’t think it’s wise to let this particular cat out of the bag just yet.” Looking at Nathan with a sharp and deadly gaze, she brought up the most dangerous topic. “I mean, isn’t it against the law for an old man to fuck a seventeen year-old in America? We need to protect my brother’s reputation. You can go fuck yourself, Nathan. It’s my brother I am worried about.”

Nathan stared at her, astonished. He did not disagree at all. He only asked, “How much has he told you, Tanya?”

“Precious little, Nathan, but it is pretty obvious. Mom has figured it out, and so will Daddy, if he has not already. I would not put it past him to hire a private investigator. You have been warned.”

She said this as she scooted next to Diane. Nathan’s “gaydar” pinged. These two are lovers! Hah! And not one fucking HINT from Adrian!

His opinion of Adrian, already stratospheric, left orbit.

Smiling at the two young women, Nathan said, “First, I just told Diane the whole story. I can see you two are close, so I figure anything I said to her is also said to you. I’m right, huh?”

Both young women merely smiled coyly. That answers that!

Nathan continued. “I can’t even begin to tell you how often Adrian has spoken of his parents. His concern for their opinion and reactions is probably the most important worry he has.”

Tanya nodded knowingly. “That’s my brother. But, well, the fact that you have come all this way, and the fact that you are willing to brave the wrath of our father shows something. You are not hiding. You could have, but you chose not to, so that will go a long way with Daddy. He’s ex-military, you know. He was a sergeant, and he’s seen a lot of combat. He’s a bad ass, Daddy is. Anyone with the balls to face him is someone with big balls.”

Adrian had not told him that his sister Tanya was so direct. Even her language sounded military. She was probably imitating her father.

Nathan only said, “Better to face it sooner than later. If he tells me to leave and stay away from his son, I will. It is a father’s right.”

Tanya said, “I don’t think he will say that, but he will fuck with you. It is his way of testing people. Just remember that it’s like boot camp: It’s a game. Remember that it’s a game. Don’t take it seriously, and you’ll get through it.”

Nathan chuckled, “Thanks for the advice. You talk like someone with military experience.”

“I do have military experience. My father gave me that!”

It was a joke. They all laughed.

Many of the other people began to come outside then, so the conversation returned to social trivia, but Tanya mentioned that her father was trying to get out of the office early, so he could be expected anytime.

Adrian’s father was a big man. He was not as tall as either Nathan or Adrian, but he was powerfully muscular with searing blue eyes – eyes that reminded him of Adrian’s eyes. After greeting Adrian with a rough hug in the kitchen by the hors d’oeuvres table, he had looked at Nathan sharply and immediately pointed at him and said in a voice much reminiscent of his son’s tenor, “You and I need to talk.”

He tossed his head in the direction of a hall and walked that way. It was a command. Nathan followed him to what was obviously a study with a desk by the big window, computers, and walls of books. John Bergstrom waited by the door and closed it quietly behind Nathan, who was feeling strangely calm.

John wasted no time speaking his mind. “I don’t know whether to shake your hand, punch you, hug you, or call the cops.”

Without waiting for a reaction, he walked over to his desk and flopped into the big, executive chair. He waved at another chair. “Well, have a seat. Let’s figure this out, huh? I imagine you have been dreading this meeting.”

“Yep,” Nathan admitted as he sat.

“You want a drink? I could use a drink.”

“I’m not much of a drinker, John.”

“Well, I’m having one.” He reached down to a drawer and pulled out a bottle. He also grabbed two tumblers.

Nathan noted the bottle. “Is that Aberlour A’Bunadh?”

“It is. A gift from a client. Good shit. You changed your mind now?”

“I have.”

John poured two glasses then, and he was not stingy. He offered no toast, and looking out the window over the park to the pretty city beyond, he rolled the marvelous and decadently expensive scotch around in the glass, took a deep sniff, looked at his glass, and swallowed a nice glug. Nathan did much the same. It was, as John said, “good shit.” It tasted of wet wind and smoky peat moss. One could feel a creeping fog and smell a hearth. It tasted like Scotland.

John shocked Nathan when he next said, “I talked to my attorney about you. Legally, there’s not a hell of a lot I can do. At this stage, without my son’s testimony, no solid proof, and no other witnesses, I have nothing for the cops, and civil suit will most certainly fail. In the end, I concluded I needed to pursue my son’s best interests. What do you think about that?”

Nathan, though he denied it, was a great salesman. He was also a tough negotiator. John had opened by admitting he was not negotiating from a strong position. His honesty astonished Nathan and completely disarmed him. Even as he spoke, he was impressed by the power of John’s way of entering a talk. He truly wanted a meeting of minds. He had no wish to threaten. They would come to an agreement between men. This was the “test.” This was the “game.”

Nathan’s honor was at stake.

“Adrian said you were a ‘straight shooter.’ I see what he means now. He talks about you a lot, John, but yes, I agree. His relationship with his family is everything to him. If you say, ‘Get out of my house, and leave my son alone,’ that is what will happen.”

John looked at him for many long moments. Finally, he said, “You are not what I expected.”

Nathan had to resist the urge to say, “What did you expect?” He remained silent. The guy who spoke next, lost.

John lost.

“We are the same fucking age, man! Do you have any idea how this is for a father?”

“No, John. I try to understand. I have a good imagination, but this is your baby boy.”

John tossed back his scotch and muttered, “Yeah. This is my baby boy, and he’s a queer, and I love him, and I fucking hate this, and I’d kill for him, and I can’t stand it, and I’d die for him.”

John looked away, out the window, and sighed a long sigh.

Nathan felt exactly the same way. Maybe one day he would tell John that, but not at that moment. He remained silent, but he nodded.

John asked, “You gonna drink that scotch, or are you gonna stare at it forever?”

It was part of the game. They would drink the same amount at the same pace. Nathan drank his scotch, albeit slightly more slowly. He wanted to savor the flavor.

When he finished, he set his glass down. John refilled both tumblers. Thereafter they both sipped more slowly.

John said, “Well, he’ll be eighteen in a few months. I raised him to be his own man. It is out of my hands. He has made his choice, and he has been honest. It’s not like I did not see something like this coming, you know, but damn, he should be with someone, like close to his own age! You know? Am I just off my rocker about that, man? You see my point? I mean, fuck! When he is twenty-seven, you will be fifty-seven! Have you thought about that?”

Nathan had not even talked with Adrian about that. He had thought of this, but it had remained unspoken. “I have, John. I have not spoken of this with him, in fact. And I do see your point. I was not looking for this. If it does not strain my credibility, for you do not know me, yet… I do not prey upon young men. I do not seek that kind. My partners have always been older. He is utterly unique to my experience. I am somewhat stunned about this myself. And it is not like he even has ‘daddy issues’ beyond the usual competition between fathers and sons. He loves you, admires you, and earnestly seeks your approval. I am not your substitute. Adrian is one of the sanest men I have ever met. We simply hit it off. It was and is that simple. It just happened.”

John nodded. “That was what my wife told me about you too, and this she heard from my daughter, who has been, so I discover, in collusion with Adrian for a long time. Oh… FUCK! I have a daughter for a son and son for a daughter. Fuck me!”

Nathan felt sympathetic. This was a good man. No wonder Adrian yearned for his approval. Nathan found himself wishing the same thing. He had a million things he might say about how sexuality seemed to be randomly distributed, like left-handedness, and neither genetics nor environment could explain it. Maybe, if he and Adrian’s father became friends, they could talk about that, but it did not seem appropriate to say anything along those lines yet, so Nathan only said, “They both seem like great people to me, John.”

Adrian’s father snorted. He stared out the window. It was a great view.

John suddenly changed the subject. “Adrian tells me you are looking at an employee ownership plan. Yes?”

Just like that? Is this happening? Already he wants to talk shop?

Nathan rolled with it, feeling the first warm buzz of the great scotch. “Yep. He as much told me that if he was the ‘finder’ for what turned out to be a contract with you, he’d score points, and man, does that guy want to score points with you!”

John, ignoring that, said, “These things are not cheap, and they take time.”

“How ‘not cheap’ is ‘not cheap?’”

Nathan was in “the zone.” He felt confident and powerful. They would come to terms. He already knew the outcome. He would pay John higher than market, and John would work harder for him than truly required. Perfect.

“Depends. Depends on how complicated. From what I gather, your shit is complicated. You’d make a lot more money just incorporating.”

“I want to take care of my people. I made a promise. More than one. Many promises. Besides, how much money is enough money? I already have plenty; with an ESOP I’ll have more.”

“Good answer. And I ain’t cheap either.”

“Good answer. But you are not going to lie to me, and you are not going to rip me off, are you?”

John smiled then for the first time. “No. I am not going to lie to you, Nathan, and I am not going to rip you off. Fuck it. Let’s get fucked up and talk business. We’ll make no deal today, but you’ll have some idea of how it can work out. Tell me about your company!”

“It’s ‘companies’ John.”

“Oh, that’s gonna cost you, Nathan Greene!”

“I planned on that, John Bergstrom. But what can you do for me that’s better than the competition?”

“Well, the way these things work, it’s all in the valuation. If you can establish a trust relationship with the auditors, it is all soooo much easier! I do have relationships. I have a reputation with these guys. I have a rep for honesty. If you try and bullshit me, we are done, and they know that. I will not be bullshitted! And you can not fool me! The easy way is a policy of truth. Can you handle that?”

Always the testing. Nathan knew that it would never end with this man.

“I figured I would need to open my books to you. You will want to have a good relationship with my comptroller, Madeline. I will tell her to work with you, but this is a very fucking intimate ‘relationship,’ John, if I may be so bold.”

“Yes, you may, Nathan. We’ll have papers drawn up. I have my attorneys; you have yours. We will have a lot of papers to sign. It is, as they say, ‘non-trivial.’ But? You say ‘How much money is enough money?’ Don’t make me laugh.”

“Fair enough.”

Of course, they had a deal. Nathan was “closed.” He’d never trust anyone more for that kind of thing. He opened up to John, telling him about working in his dad’s shop and how his father told him that no one understood the technical details of high-end mechanics and how it was about trust. Nathan compared this to the financial services sector and admitted his own ignorance, but he had high ideals and high standards. Adrian’s father had all the right answers. He knew his stuff. Nathan, ever the cool judge of character, knew he had found his financial advisor. Adrian was right.

They were only going over a broad sketch of Nathan’s many enterprises when Adrian walked into the room, saying, “I’ve waited long enough. Are you guys friends or enemies?”

John looked up from the papers upon which Nathan had been writing things down, “You could do worse, Addy.”

Addy! Nathan had been trying to find a nickname for him, but there it was. So fucking cute!

Adrian picked up Nathan’s drink and took a sip, making a wry face.

His father said, “Don’t push your luck, kid! We ain’t out of the woods yet. This is my house; you are a minor, and it’s looking like your boyfriend will be paying me enough money to fund your college education.”

Adrian sat on the arm of Nathan’s chair and put a hand on his shoulder. He stared at his father. He told him, “Nathan went to SOU, and he’s richer than you. You still think liberal arts is for losers?”

John, a little drunk then, admitted, “I can’t imagine you losing at anything, kid. You fucking win! Do what you want! You will do it anyway, no matter what I say!”

“OK, Dad. But that’s not true. What is true is that I will hammer, pound, and pester you until you agree to let me do what I want!”

John looked at Nathan and laughed, “You see what I have to deal with?”

Nathan, also a little drunk, grinned back. “You did a good job with him, John.”

But before John could say anything, Adrian said, “I was thinking of a doctorate in jurisprudence after my brilliantly ‘liberal’ MA. Wouldn’t you like a lawyer in the family, Daddy Cat?”

His father grinned and said, “I would like that, Addy; I would like that very much.”

Adrian looked at Nathan with a shared look of triumph. He asked, “Are you drunk, Nathan?”

“A little, I think, yep.”

“Well, you are not driving anywhere then.”

His father burst in with, “And you two are NOT sleeping in the same room together. Addy? He can fucking sleep in the guest bedroom, and you are not going to sneak in there! There are limits, you fags!”

They all laughed together. They were at the ‘insults as expressions of affection’ stage.

It was going to be OK.