Date: Fri, 21 Sep 2007 20:25:41 -0700 (PDT)
From: Deep Diver <deepdiver_pr@yahoo.com>
Subject: Master and the Mate - Chapter 42

Master and the Mate

By:
Deep Diver
(Copyright 2006 - 2007 by the Author)
Editor: David L

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the
author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

deepdiver_pr@yahoo.com

Chapter 42
Jealous Undercurrents

The next day, about half an hour after Kyle came out of his exam, his
cellphone rang. It was Manny's school: Manny had been suspended and a
parent needed to pick him up. Kyle in turn called Ryan and they both agreed
to meet at the school. Kyle arrived first and waited outside for Ryan; once
Ryan arrived they both went into the principal's office.

Manny was sitting in the outer office holding an ice bag over his right
eye. There was another boy sitting across from him; he was also holding an
ice bag to his face.

"Mr. Loud and Mr. Darling," the nun smirked remembering Kyle's last visit,
"I'm afraid that Manny was in a fight. Our rules clearly impose an
automatic suspension of three days for any act involving violence."

"We understand, Sister." Ryan replied, "but what were they fighting over?"

"It seems there was some name calling. I think the other boy may have
deserved what he got, but we can't condone violence. You understand." Said
the sister, feeling that her hands were tied.

"OK, we'll handle this at home. We agree that violence cannot be
tolerated." Ryan said and Kyle nodded. They turned and left the office,
taking charge of Manny by signing for him. Once outside in the car, Kyle
couldn't wait any longer and began interrogating Manny.

"Manny, who started the fight?" Kyle questioned.

"That other kid, he said that you two are queers and that you like sucking
each others' pee-pee." Manny replied.

Kyle's mouth fell open as he looked over at Ryan and found Ryan staring
back at him.

"So what, Manny? It doesn't matter that he said those things about us. You
have to learn to just walk away." Ryan affirmed.

"I tried to walk away, but he just kept following me and yelling it louder
and then he said that if I didn't defend you it was because it was true!"

"Manny, it is true, you should know that. Kyle and I are homosexuals and
that means that we are two men that love one another. We love each other so
much that we could just eat each other and that means all of us, even our
penis. Do you understand?"

"No, no, only fags do that!" Manny protested.

"Manny, I don't like you calling anyone a fag or a queer, because those
words are meant to hurt and ridicule people. Kyle and I, as I said are
homosexuals, but you can also say that we are 'gay'." Ryan insisted.

Manny began crying as it began to dawn on him that Ryan and Kyle didn't
just sleep together, but were in fact just what the others had called them,
and Manny was afraid to repeat, namely 'cocksuckers'."

"Manny, when we were at camp, I looked into your tent late at night and saw
that you and Tommy were sleeping together. Didn't you like sleeping in the
same bag as your friend?" Ryan asked.

"Yes, but..." Manny tried to protest again.

"But what, Manny? But nothing. You just liked sleeping with your friend,
yet some people would call you all kinds of names and laugh at you and
think that they are better than you. It doesn't make you different from
anybody else. You are the same as everyone else, but you liked sleeping
with Tommy. It's just a preference. It doesn't mean that you are not human
or are less than human or dirty." Ryan said.

"Manny, I think what Ryan means is that you only got mad, because you think
that being gay is somehow being perverted or dirty. But remember Ryan and I
love one another and just like mothers kiss the feet of their babies
because they love them, we kiss each other all over too." Kyle clarified
and Ryan looked at Kyle amazed at how well he had explained the situation
to Manny.

"How about we stop for some Cold Stone ice-cream on the way home?" Ryan
said.

"What and reward Manny for fighting?" Kyle protested.

"No, not for fighting, but for defending us. Manny I want to thank you for
standing up to those nasty name calls, but I hope you will learn that you
can never justify using your fists unless it is in self-defense. When you
hit someone for what they say it is like saying that they are right and
that you are frustrated because you are wrong. Hitting someone doesn't make
you right; it only makes you guilty of assault which is a crime for which
people go to jail." Ryan interjected.

"So you two are queers?" Manny asked curiously.

"Manny, don't try changing the subject," Kyle said. "If you hurt that boy
you could wind up in juvenile detention. And if you had hit him as hard as
you could and he still called us something bad, then what would you do? You
would either have to kill one another or eventually walk away, so walk away
as soon as someone starts to offend you." Kyle said.

"Manny, listen to Kyle and think about what he just said. And yes, we are
homosexual, but please don't call us queer, because we are not 'queer' or
'fags'. We are two men who happen to love one another very deeply and have
two of the most wonderful sons in the world. If someone talks bad about us,
it's because they do not have what you have and are jealous. You should
feel sorry for them." Ryan suggested.

They arrived at Cold Stone Creamery and Manny couldn't believe his eyes. He
had never seen so many different kinds of ice cream and toppings. He
finally chose a sugar cone with pumpkin-pie flavor ice-cream with crust
mixed in. Manny felt like the luckiest kid in the world eating a cone of
ice-cream that was so big and not having to go to school for three
days. But then tears were rolling down his face.

"Manny, we weren't so hard on you. Why are you crying?" Kyle asked.

"Dads, if you had been my real dad, he would have beaten me and my mom and
torn the house apart. He'd never have brought me here even if I was good
for a whole week! I never want to live with anyone else but you two. You
are the best dads in the whole world."

"Manny we are only good dads, if you learned something today." Kyle
continued. "If you go back and get into another fight, then we have failed
to be good dads."

After they dropped Manny off at Dominic's who had agreed to put him in the
kitchen, washing dishes and to mind him, Kyle and Ryan had a chance to be
alone.

"Kyle, I don't know where you got so smart, but you scared me for a second
there." Ryan said.

"Scared you, how?" Kyle inquired.

"I was afraid you were about to say that if we failed to be good dads, that
the State would take Manny away." Ryan said, hoping he didn't offend Kyle.

"Well if the truth be known, I was just about to say that, but then I
thought that threatening his sense of security which is already so fragile,
would not be very wise." Kyle said.

Ryan reached over and took Kyle's hand in his. "Kyle, you make a great
dad!"

"I don't feel like a great dad, but I just think what my father would have
done and then just do the opposite!" Kyle jested, but as in all good jokes,
there was some truth to what he was saying.

"Your dad seems like a good man to me. What was he like when you were
younger?" Ryan questioned Kyle, but not analytically.

"My dad? Oh, he was just a typical middle-class parent, I think. You know
the type, never show what they feel, always criticising or barking
orders. Some times I think everything he did was to make me into a man. But
for most of my life I only feared him." Kyle observed. "No, I know he just
wanted to protect me and make sure I was safe. But at times I felt like I
lived in a prison."

"We should have him down for the weekend and have him spend some time with
the boys. It won't hurt to expose them to some heterosexual thinking and
behaviour." Ryan said trying to be humorous.

* * *

Saturday evening they all went to Mass, and coming out, one of the Church
ladies greeted them as they were shaking hands with the priest at the door.

"What a fine group of handsome men. But where is the Mrs.?" She said.

Manny saved the moment by responding, "My mom is in heaven."

"Oh, you poor man; a widower with all these boys to care for. How do you
manage?" She said, directing her question to Ryan.

"We, Kyle and myself, we manage just fine, but we also have the support of
some very close friends and this is Kyle's father." Ryan presented Chris to
the priest and the intrusive woman.

The Church lady shook Chris's hand with just slightly too much vim to be
ladylike as she tried to understand the odd group of men gathered in front
of the Church. When Kyle took Ryan's hand and they interlocked fingers, it
dawned on her that something was amiss in paradise. It didn't take her long
to get the word out and the phones of the lady parishioners were off their
hooks well into the evening. Some were shocked, others were put out and a
few were outraged. By Sunday evening there was a self-appointed committee
meeting with Fr. Matt.

"Father we are concerned for the sake of the children in the parish, about
this scandal of all these men living in our neighborhood. If we don't do
something now it will become just another sin city or worse, a Times
Square!"

Fr. Matt listened without commenting to what each Church lady had to say,
and then responded once they had all spat their venom. "Ladies, I am so
glad you brought all of this to my attention, and you are correct when you
say that something must be done. There are two boys in that house that are
lacking the motherly care and attention that only such fine upstanding
ladies as yourselves could provide. So I suggest that you each take a day
as volunteer and go over there with the excuse of preparing them dinner,
but make sure that those boys get the love and attention that only a loving
Christian woman can give."

The ladies were shocked by Fr. Matt's response. They had envisioned tarring
and feathering Ryan and Kyle before sending them off to San Francisco or
some other gay capitol and here Fr. Matt wanted them to actually look after
them.

"I trust ladies that you will assume this responsibility with utmost
generosity. We must remember that the Church is for sinners and who among
us would be able to throw the first rock? God has shown you a problem now
it is up to you all to deal with it." Fr. Matt felt very satisfied with
himself and hoped he had defused a potentially ugly situation.

* * *

Kyle was fascinated watching his dad play checkers with Manny. He even felt
somewhat jealous of how comfortable Manny was around him. Kyle observed
them playing the game seriously, but then teasing and joking with one
another. He had no recollection of ever having played a game with his
father. Ryan noticed that Kyle was feeling some inner turmoil, and guessing
its root, Ryan then suggested: "Why don't we all play a game of monopoly?

"I don't think so," Kyle balked immediately.

But Manny got all excited and begged Kyle to play and he soon caved in. As
they were setting up the board, Mark walked by on the way to the kitchen
and asked if he could also play. Soon the five of them began playing a
quickly-paced game. Eventually, Kyle managed to acquire Boardwalk and Park
Place and slowly built them up. He was peeing his pants in anticipation
that his dad would land on one of his properties. Ryan had the greens and
Manny had gotten the light blues, Baltic and Mediterranean, and the orange
streets including New York Avenue, while Chris had the four railroads and
the two cheapest purple streets. Mark acquired Kentucky and bargained for
the rest of the reds and was keeping a slow growth pace. It seemed that
almost every other toss Kyle would land on a railroad and no one was
hitting his two prime blue streets. Kyle was getting more and more nervous
and agitated as his dad danced across his property. Everyone else was
hitting each other and monies moved back and forth across the board. But
each round found Kyle with less money until he was forced to remove his
houses at half their original cost. When his dad finally hit, Kyle jumped
up with glee until he realized that he would only be paid a lousy $100
while he was paying out huge sums on the railroads all of which his dad
owned. Within a few rounds Kyle was both bankrupt and furious.

"I can't believe that I had the best streets and was the first to lose!"
Kyle left the game frustrated and angry as he went into the kitchen to
check on dinner. Later Ryan joined him to help peel the potatoes for a
salad.

"Kyle, it was a game, but you turned it into real life." Ryan said. "You
weren't playing to enjoy your family, but to get back at your father."

"I don't want to talk about it." Kyle snapped.

"OK, I'm sorry that I suggested the game. I just thought that you could
make up for some lost time in your childhood and enjoy a game with your
dad." Ryan apologized.

Kyle sulked through dinner and became more morose watching his dad dote
over Manny. When Chris offered to cut Manny's meat, Kyle intervened.

"Dad, don't baby him, he's quite able to cut his own food."

"It's OK, Dad; I like Grandpa doing it for me." Manny defended Chris. Then
Chris began asking Mark about joining the swim team and Kyle got up from
the table and went into the kitchen.

"I want to join too, but I don't know how to swim." Manny said.

"Well we're going to have to remedy that before the good weather comes and
we start spending time out on the Gardie." Ryan said.

Kyle was washing the dishes and his dad came in and offered to dry. "I miss
helping your mother dry the dishes." Chris said. "Kyle, are things not good
between you and Ryan? You look upset?"

"Everything is fine between me and Ryan." Kyle answered crisply.

"I can tell something is bothering you. Do you want to talk about it?"
Chris pursued his interrogation.

"Dad, it's just..." Kyle started to say, but then got choked up.

Chris tried to put his arms around his son, but Kyle pulled away. "Kyle,
every time I try to hold you, you always pull away from me. I try, but you
never give me a chance."

"You seem to do fine with Manny!" Kyle slipped.

"Oh, is that it. Are you jealous of Manny and I?" Chris said.

"I can't ever remember you playing a game with me or teasing me or
wrestling with me like you do with him." Kyle said accusingly.

"Kyle, you were my first son. I didn't know how. This is all a new
experience for me. I am just now learning. Please don't feel jealous. Kyle
when I hug Manny, I am thinking I am hugging you when you were his age!"
Chris confessed.

Chris's words came as such a surprise to Kyle, it left him totally
baffled. He just stood staring at his dad. Finally, Chris opened his arms
and Kyle melted into him. In one intense hug, Chris emptied all the pent-up
love he had for Kyle into him and Kyle absorbed that flow of affection and
felt at long last his nagging loneliness had been quenched. They just stood
for a very long time embracing one another. Occasionally Chris planted a
kiss on Kyle's neck. "Don't ever doubt for one minute that I didn't love
you every single day of my life, son."

Mark popped in though the swing door, stopping short, seeing his dad and
granddad embracing and just quietly moved in reverse without disturbing
them. When Manny started moving toward the kitchen, Mark grabbed him,
pulled him up into his arms and embraced him and headed back into the
living area carrying him.

"Mark be careful, he's too heavy for you." Ryan said.

"He ain't heavy, he's my brother," Mark said, quoting the old Boys' Town
movie.

"So how is my little brother? You have been so busy with school and your
friends you hardly have anytime for your older brother." Mark said, to
distract him from going into the kitchen.

"Mark, where's Kyle?" Ryan asked.

"Oh, he and granddad are having a discussion in the kitchen." Mark said,
winking at Ryan.

"Fine, really fine." Ryan said as he sat on the sofa next to his boys
enjoying watching them interact.



To be continued...

* * *

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