Date: Mon, 30 Dec 2019 08:58:34 -0500
From: Mac Rountree <mcjameson.rountree@gmail.com>
Subject: Apple of Your Eye 30

The fellows head home to Richmond and Williamsburg.
Remember nifty.org in your giving.
Mac


December 30
6th Day of Christmas


On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, six geese a-laying.
From "The Twelve Days of Christmas, the six geese a-laying
represent the six days of creation.


Erick could smell food.  He knew that there was hot food in the apartment.
And coffee.  The smell of hot coffee was like a magnet in pulling him out
of bed and into the kitchen where he found Todd with bags of food and a
large container of hot black coffee.

"Would you wake the children and tell them to come to breakfast?"  Todd had
a grin on his face.

Erick walked down the hallway and quietly opened the bedroom door.  He
smiled and then went back to the kitchen to get Todd.  Todd looked in the
room and tears came to his eyes.  He saw Eron holding Tayloe in his arms,
their legs were intertwined, and a look of contentment on their faces.
They looked so in love and so peaceful.

They exited the room, closed the door and then Erick knocked and told them
that breakfast was ready.  They heard mumbling from inside the room and
then Tayloe told them that they would be there in a couple of minutes.
Todd had the food arranged on plates in the dining room when Eron and
Tayloe came walking in.  Eron followed behind Tayloe with his hand on
Tayloe's shoulder for guidance.  They both looked well rested.

"Okay guys.  Here's the deal. An ice storm is coming and we need to get out
of town or we will be stuck here for a few days.  After breakfast, let's
pack the car and drive to Richmond.  All of the ice will turn to rain once
we get south of Occoquan.  It was already misting when I went out to get
breakfast food."

Tayloe looked at his patient.  "Eron, can you tolerate the rest of the
drive or do we stay here in your apartment for a couple of days?  It is up
to you."

"Who is driving?"

Erick spoke up and said he was.

"Good, these southern boys don't know how to drive in ice.  I feel safe
with you driving."  Eron was smiling as he looked at Tayloe.  "Of course,
you are my knight in shining armor and I will follow you anywhere."

Tayloe became flustered and told them to get everything ready for
departure.  The men quickly showered and readied the apartment to be vacant
for a couple of months. Eron was having a hard time making decisions about
what to take.  Tayloe was trying to help Eron pick out clothes and reminded
him that they could drive up on weekends to get more if needed.  That
seemed to calm Eron.  Erick went to get the car and the rest got everything
downstairs.  They were waiting when the car pulled in front of the
apartment building.  It was already starting to sleet.  Erick pulled away
from the building and knew that crossing south of the Potomac would help
with the weather.  He drove through the streets and noticed an absence of
traffic.  Apparently, the weather forecasters had scared folks enough to
stay home. Everyone was tense because of the icy roads and silence pervaded
the car.  They did not want to distract Erick.

As predicted, once they crossed the bridge at Occoquan, the sleet and ice
turned to rain.  It was a miserable slow drive the rest of the way to
Richmond.  Todd started talking about the six days of creation.  He
received very little in the way of response.  The guys weren't interested.
All of a sudden, a smile crossed his face and he started singing:

"The toe bone connected to the foot bone, The foot bone connected to the
heel bone....."

Everyone laughed and started singing.  There were fights about which bone
was connected to which.  Eron had them roaring when he was singing about
the penis boner being connected.

"Only my crazy brother would be singing about his boner in the car."

"Well, I sing what I know and lying here in Tayloe's lap I have a boner and
so does Tayloe."

That stopped all conversation and singing.  Eron realized he had seriously
misspoken.  He closed his eyes and internally cried in his heart that
Tayloe could not love him the way he needed to be loved.  Eron fell asleep
with his head in Tayloe's lap.  There was no longer a boner next to his
head.  Eron was wrapped in his mother's afghan; Tayloe had his head back on
the headrest and was lightly snoring when they drove through
Fredericksburg.  Todd was insistent that he should stay awake and quietly
talked to Erick the entire time.  They were both exhausted and neither
wanted to wreck the car so close to home.  They were also embarrassed on
Eron's behalf.

Once they got Eron settled into Tayloe's apartment, they noticed that the
refrigerator was full of food and there was a bowl of fruit on the kitchen
table.  His parents had come over to restock everything.  Tayloe took Erick
and Todd to the train station to catch the afternoon train to Lee Hall
station where their car awaited them.  They walked into the apartment and
couldn't believe they were back home.  Everything was just as it was when
they left five days prior.  It was all frozen in time.  They stripped and
took a shower before lying down for a late afternoon nap.

When they awoke neither wanted to cook nor did they want to leave their
safe haven so they ordered in pizza.  They checked voice mail and found
several inconsequential messages but there was one from Yonatan saying that
they would not be back for New Year's Day as they were staying until the
very last minute before returning to school.

The Chanukiah was still in the front window.  The Advent wreath was still
on the dining room table.  Todd insisted they light all of the candles for
their dinner.  They ate a quiet dinner, cleaned the table and then went to
bed to explore their bone connections.  They sang about Ezekiel and the dry
bones from head to toe including the new bone that Eron had mentioned.
When they finished all of their bones were knitted together though none
were dry.  They were glad to be home and still in love with each other.
They had survived the scare from Eron's health problem and they were
stronger for it.  Todd knew that he would always be the strong one during
crises and Erick knew that he had a man he could depend on when the world
turned upside down.

Suggested Music:

"Dry Bones"
Delta Rhythm Boys
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVoPG9HtYF8