Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2008 21:57:50 EDT
From: Draginacht@aol.com
Subject: the-bandini-affair-17

The Bandini Affair 17

Draginacht@aol.com (AKA Jeff)

* * * * * * *

Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction and any resemblance to real
people or events is purely coincidental.  The story contains graphic
descriptions of sex between men. Anyone who is forbidden by law to read
such material must stop now.  This story is being posted to the Nifty
Archive solely for the enjoyment of its readers.

>From Chapter 16

* * * * * * *

"Ha-ha." Matt knew Leo was better when he heard the laugh. "Tomorrow I'm
going to tell Mom and Pop that I'm gay. And Matt?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to keep you out of this. I don't want them to know you were
involved in any way." Leo waited several seconds for a response from the
other end. He could imagine Matt sitting in his front room or even on the
edge of his bed thinking. Why not ask?

"It's okay, Leo. I don't mind if they know. In fact, I'll be happy to stand
by you when you tell them."

"Thanks Matt, that's really sweet. But I think this is something I have to
do by myself. That way, if there're any repercussions I don't want them
coming down on you."

"Leo..." Matt was about to say the 'L-word' but didn't. "Okay, I
understand. You WILL call me when it's over, right?"

"Yes... Sure. I'll call you tomorrow after my session with the 'rents.'
Okay?"

"I'll be on pins and needles until I hear from you." Again, Matt
desperately wanted to say the 'L-word' but held his tongue. "Night, Leo..."

"Night, Matt..."

* * * * * * *

Chapter 16

* * * * * * *

Leo lay in his bed replaying the day's events. A clear solution evaded him
now. Everything seemed so clear when he and Megan were talking things
out. Coming out to his parents wouldn't be easy but, at least, he had a
plan. Beyond that? Perhaps he should return to Nashville; that might
minimize any risk to Matt.

It would be a long night and Thursday promised to be a long day.

***

Thursday morning, three adults sat around the kitchen table, Leo, Gina, and
Jimmy. Breakfast was over and Leo had helped his mother do the dishes; she
washed and he dried. Gina had a dishwasher but always washed the breakfast
dishes by hand. It was a long established routing. The three of them sat
around the table sipping fresh cups of coffee and Leo thought the timing
was perfect. Looking back, it seemed to him that all really important
family discussions had occurred in that house while sitting around the
kitchen table.

"Mom, Pop..." Leo began. He took a deep breath as he watched their eyes
focus on him. "I've really enjoyed staying here with you but I think it's
time I went back to Nashville."

"Oh Honey," Gina began, "we've really enjoyed having you home. I wish there
was some way we could convince you to move back here. Then we'd get to see
you more often."

"Your mom is right, Son, I really appreciate the time we've spent talking,"
Jimmy added. "And you've made a major contribution to the business."

"Well, I'm glad. I was hoping I hadn't been a burden." Leo avoided
responding to their comments directly. "There are things I need to do,
things I need to clean up when I get back." Leo paused briefly then
continued. "I think it's time I shared with you the reasons why Marsha's
and my marriage fell apart."

"Honey, that isn't necessary..." Gina began.

"Yes, I know, but I'd like to tell you, if you don't mind..." Leo looked at
both his parents.

"Go ahead, Son." Jimmy encouraged calmly.

Leo took another deep breath and continued. "I was pretty naive when I got
married. The only real married people I knew were you two. I guess I had
this idyllic view of what married life was supposed to be like. I just
accepted it. And watching you the past few weeks has made me realize just
how special the love is you two have for each other." Mom and Pop looked at
each other and smiled as if confirming their son's statement.

"Anyway, that's what I expected when I got married. But I guess it just
wasn't to be. Oh, things seemed perfect in the beginning but after the
newness wore off Marsha and I seemed to settle into something like
boredom. We weren't communicating very well and... I guess that had a lot
to do with it." Leo lowered his gaze and stared at his hands for a moment
before continuing. He decided to get through the next statement as quickly
as possible.

"Then last March I had a trip to Amsterdam. I got home a day early and
caught Marsha in bed with another man, 'in flagrante delecto,' I think is
what the French call it." Leo paused again briefly to see if his parents
had a response - they didn't.

"After we split up, I went to counseling. It caused me to look back on my
marriage and helped me realize that I was a big part of the failure."

"Now Honey, you shouldn't blame yourself. I'm sure Marsha a lion's share of
the responsibility. After all, look what she was doing behind your back."

"Yeah, Mom, but there's a lot more to it. You see... this is really
difficult to admit... I was never very good in the bedroom." Leo was
struggling at this point and he looked down at his hands that were folded
in front of him resting on the table. But he was going somewhere with this
line and continued immediately. "I can no longer blame Marsha for cheating
on me; part of it was my fault. After much soul searching and self
analysis, I... I've concluded that I have homosexual tendencies." He chose
that moment look up, directly into his father's eyes, then to his
mother's. A pregnant pause ensued as moisture filled the corners of Leo's
eyes and he waited for some kind of reaction.

"But you didn't break your wedding vows by cheating on Marsha, did you."
Pop's voice was clear and direct, but not angry. At first Leo was
startled. He'd never thought of it that way before. True, he hadn't
cheated. He'd just accepted his inadequacies and overlooked how he'd
observed the sanctity of his vows.

"No," Leo replied. He felt it necessary to validate the accuracy of his
father's statement.

"Then I believe you behaved honorably. Did you know you were gay when you
got married?" Pop was taking the lead on the conversation.

"No, that's a conclusion I've only recently come to. But looking back, it
seems to explain a lot."

"Now Honey," Gina said as she reached across the table and took Leo's hands
in hers. "Don't you worry about being gay. Your Pop and I worked through
that issue years ago and if you are, you are."

Leo looked at his father for confirmation and saw the kindest smile he
could ever remember seeing. Tears began to flow down his cheeks as he felt
the weight of the world lift from his shoulders. His mother walked around
the table and held him in her arms while he composed himself. Then his
father gave him a hug and Leo began to feel like his life was beginning to
turn around.

* * * * * * *

Megan felt nervous. The time was almost 9:00 AM and she'd just parked her
car and in the next few minutes she would have to face Matt. It would be
their first encounter since she caught him and her brother kissing in the
storage shed. Her greatest apprehension was that Matt knew that she now
knew about him and Leo. On the other hand, very little had really
changed. She already knew Matt was gay. And She now knew Leo was gay and he
and she seemed to work things out last night. She managed to get into the
office, put away her purse and collect herself before Matt walked in.

"Morning, Megan," Matt said as he walked in the door. Meg looked for any
sign that might betray any hostility - there wasn't any. Matt appeared as
cordial, friendly, and calm as ever. That was so like Matt, ever confident.

"Morning, Matt, everything going okay this morning?" She was attempting to
make small talk but realized her question was actually an invitation to a
more urgent question if Matt chose to go there.

"Quiet, as usual, how about you?"

"The same," Meg replied as she relaxed more.

"Do you think Leo will be in today?" Matt's question caused Megan tense up
again. It seemed to her that they were both trying to walk on eggshells and
she didn't want to go through that all day. Now was the time to get
everything out into the open.

"Matt..." she paused for just a moment then continued. "Matt, about
yesterday." Matt appeared to be making a list on a sheet of paper. He
stopped and looked up.

"What about yesterday?" Megan thought Matt's question made it sound like
nothing out of the ordinary happened.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't spying on you, I just happened to be looking for Leo
and..."

"Megan," Matt held up his hand, signaling for her to stop. "Please, there's
nothing for you to feel sorry about. This would have all come out sooner of
later, anyway. I don't think I can hide my feelings for Leo much
longer. Because I trust you so completely, I'll tell you that within the
next few days I plan to tell Leo that I'm in love with him. I just hope he
doesn't reject me."

Megan didn't think she could be shocked again so soon after yesterday but
there she stood, mouth agape, heart pounding, wondering how she should
respond. She needed only a few seconds to come to her senses. She
straightened up and walked to where Matt was standing. She rested her hand
on Matt's forearm and looked directly into his eyes.

"I'm really happy for you, Matt... and for Leo, too. You know we had a long
talk last evening and, although he didn't put it as clearly as you just
did, I believe he feels the same way about you." She watched as a thousand
watt smile spread across Matt's face.

"Really?!" If Leo felt giddy yesterday, Matt felt giddy at that
moment. "Oh, I hope you're right." Then his smile faded some. "What about
Mom and Pop?"

"We should find out soon; Leo's plan was to spend the day with them and
break the news as gently as possible. He's prepared for the worst but I
don't think it will be a problem at all." Megan paused and then
continued. "But for some strange reason, Leo is determined to keep you out
of this. And I can't understand why."

"Yeah, that's what he said last night. It doesn't make sense to me
either. Oh well, maybe we'll find out later today or tomorrow. He said he'd
call me tonight; I don't want him to feel like I'm pressuring him by
calling him."

"Oh, Matt, I'm hopeful, just like you. And I'll tell you a secret." Megan
smiled up at the much taller Matt and held out her arms. "Is it okay to get
a hug from my prospective brother-in-law?"

Matt's grin was back and he opened his arms and gathered Megan inside. Matt
noted that Meg didn't seem to be in any hurry to break away so he just
enjoyed the closeness they shared.

* * * * * * *

After the hugs, Leo and his parents sat back down and the conversation
continued for over two hours. During that time, Leo announced that he'd
decided to return to Nashville, resume his sports journalism career, and
try to build a new life. He also promised to come home more often, which
seemed to make his parents happy.

Pop reiterated his awareness of the good work Leo had done at the nursery
and how proud he was. Then, in a surprise move, almost offhandedly, Pop
said that if Leo ever decided to move back home, there would always be a
job waiting for him.

Wanting to strike while the iron was hot, Leo quickly gathered his
belongings, called the airline for a reservation, and asked his mother to
drive him to the airport.

The flight to Nashville was quiet. Leo spent the entire time looking out
the window watching the clouds and the ground below pass by, and attempting
to clear his mind of all thoughts of Matt.

* * * * * * *

Matt entered his Uncle Dave's house through the garage as usual. Opening
the door he heard Tony singing a song he didn't recognize but it sounded
like one of those songs Pavarotti used to sing.

"Is dinner ready?" he asked as he walked into the kitchen.

"Hey, kid, glad you could make it. Dave just called and should be here any
minute. Give me a kiss." Tony turned his head to receive Matt's kiss on his
right cheek without interrupting what he was stirring on top of the stove.

"What are you fixing there?" Matt asked as he pulled a chair away from the
table and sat in it.

"It's a surprise. I'm experimenting and you'd better like it." Tony
chuckled.

"What's a surprise?" Dave asked, walking into the kitchen from the garage.

"Dinner," Tony replied as he moved the pan off the hot burner and turned to
embrace his partner and lover. They kissed like they hadn't seen each other
all day... they hadn't.

"C'mon Uncle David, you guys are embarrassing me." Matt was joking and they
knew it. This scenario had happened so many times there was nothing left
for Matt to be embarrassed about.

"Wow! That's the way I like to be welcomed home," Dave gasped as he patted
Tony's behind. Dave then gave his nephew a brief hug and a kiss and Matt
sat back down. Let me change and I'll be right back," Dave announced and
quickly departed for the bedroom.

Matt sat quietly watching Tony stir what was in the pan. It sure smelled
good. 'Something with tomatoes,' he thought. Matt was about to burst. He
wanted so badly to tell his uncles about his recent discovery, but was
almost afraid doing so might jinks everything.

"I'm sorry, Matt, I forgot myself. There's a bottle of California Rhine in
the fridge, would you do the honors, please?"

"Sure Tony." Matt knew exactly where to find the glasses and was soon
handing one filled with wine to Tony. He sat back down and took a
sip. "Hey, this $9.00-a-liter stuff is pretty good." He was trying to fill
the silence in the kitchen while attempting not to grin quite so madly.

"Yeah, but don't tell anyone we like the stuff, it'd damage our
reputation," Dave said as he returned to the kitchen, picked up the third
glass and took a sip. While tipping the glass, Dave looked at Matt over the
top of the glass rim. Lowering the glass, he looked at Tony. Tony looked at
Dave, then at Matt and raised his eyebrows. Dave looked back at Matt.

"So Matt, tell us what been going on in your life since we last saw you,"
his uncle asked.

Matt didn't have to say anything. The grin he'd been suppressing burst
across his face uncontained.

"OH MY! Me thinks the boy is in love!" exclaimed Tony.

Matt's lips parted and he began to laugh quietly. His uncles knew him too
well and he loved them for it.

"Well, do we have to place you on the rack to get you to talk?" Dave asked
with a chuckle.

"Oh, you aren't going to believe this!" The excitement in Matt's voice
spoke volumes. "About three weeks ago, when Pop had his mini-stroke, his
son Leo came home to help out. Well, one thing lead to another and I
think... no, I hope we're developing a relationship. He is so-o-o..." Matt
paused briefly and completed is statement while looking directly at his
uncle David, "adorable." There was a moment of silence as the three men
looked at each other, then burst out laughing. Each of them was well aware
of Dave's aversion to being described as 'cute' and Matt had just crossed
him up by substituting 'adorable.'

"Whoa, big boy," Tony exclaimed, "you sure jumped over what has to be some
critical details. Can you start from the beginning and fill in the blanks?"

"Okay," Matt chuckled. He didn't figure he'd get away with the abbreviated
version; he just wanted to get the headline of his story on the table. As
he and Dave set the table, Tony assembled the dinner, which consisted of
veal, covered with the tomato-based sauce. As they ate, Matt reminded is
uncles of the attempted robbery, which they knew about, and then told about
taking Leo home from the hospital where he spent the night. He also
described the dinner at the Outback and how he kept getting mixed signals,
like Leo might be gay. Matt skipped the evening at the Police Academy Gym
and jumped to the dinner at his house and what transpired after dinner. His
explanation of what happened after dinner was carefully cryptic. When Matt
explained 'The Kiss,' at the sink, Dave and Tony had a good chuckle at
Matt's expense. To close his story, Matt just said that Leo spent the night
and that they enjoyed each other's company.

"It was Leo's first experience with man and I wanted him to enjoy himself.
I felt that if I went too far too fast he might get scared away."

"So Leo's new to the gay world." Tony stated.

"Yeah. As little as six months ago he thought he was happily married. Then
one day he came home early and found his wife in bed with another man. A
lot of self-analysis caused him to face some facts. And there were some
facts he just couldn't ignore. It's actually pretty complicated and I don't
think I'm capable of explaining it properly."

"Yes, we understand." Dave said. "What level did you get to?" Matt knew his
uncle wasn't trying to pry; he just wanted some indication as to how
careful he'd been.

"Somewhere between level 4 and 5. And I have to say I'm sure Leo enjoyed
himself."

"Why do you say that?" Tony asked.

Matt flashed his big smile. "Because he thanked me Wednesday morning while
we were eating breakfast."

"Now there's a positive sign if there ever was one." Dave commented.

"Yeah, and I intend to go at Leo's pace. I know one thing..."

"That's that?" Tony asked.

"I'm not going to the level ten until he wants it, asks for it."

"That's wise, Matt. That'll be a big step for him and it'll go better for
both of you if he really wants it." Dave and Tony both had some experience
in that area. And all three men understood exactly what Matt was talking
about - Leo's first experience with anal intercourse, losing his cherry to
Matt's impressively large manhood.

"And what if he never asks?" Tony's question was quite serious.

"I've thought about that... and... I'll cross that bridge when I come to
it. However, judging by his behavior last Tuesday night, I'd have to say
the odds are pretty good. He was really eager about everything."

"Well, okay," Dave said, "now a little change of subject. This next week is
going to be pretty busy. Ya know, Thursday's Thanksgiving, and we're having
the Platoon over for dinner. Then Saturday, Mark's family will be staying
here while he stays with the team. Then after the football game Sunday, the
rest of the family will be here for dinner. That's Mother and Dad, Mark and
family, and JD and his girlfriend, and Susan. Oh yeah, I think Shannon's
going to be here also. I sure hope you can come and bring Leo; I'm sure
everyone will want to meet him... if you think he'd be okay with it."

"Gosh! Of course you know I'll be here Sunday! It's been quite a while
since I've seen all the guys. But I don't know about Thursday; I'll just
have to wait and see. When do you need to know?" Matt asked.

"Just show up if you can, there'll be plenty of food and you know how
informal we are." Dave explained.

"Okay," Matt gave Dave a serious look. "But if I bring Leo on Thursday, do
you think you could keep the hot tub closed? I just don't think he's going
to be ready for that. He's pretty shy."

"Sure," Dave replied. "We can always say it's out of commission, like it
needs a part."

"Yeah, that would work."

That seemed to be a good place to end the evening. The dinner was over, the
plates had been cleared and the men were sitting at the table finishing
their coffee. Matt stood as a signal that he was about to leave.

"Bye Tony," Matt hugged his uncle.

"Bye Uncle David." Dave got a hug too.

"By the way," Dave interrupted. "I thought you agreed to drop the 'uncle'
thing. What happened?"

"Oh that." Matt replied. "Yeah, I know I agreed but after thinking it over,
it just doesn't seem right not to call you 'Uncle David.' I mean, like, you
used to change my diapers, for God's sake! It would be disrespectful not to
call you 'uncle.' Tony, on the other hand doesn't carry that burden."

"Oh, ha-ha, that makes a lot of sense!" Dave said sarcastically with a
laugh.

"Well, that's the best I can do for now. Maybe in a few more years..." Matt
grinned and Dave punched him in the shoulder. "Ouch!" Matt complained with
a grin. "I should arrest you for nephew abuse."

"Be careful or I'll turn you over my knee... which I recall doing a time or
two. Besides, you're no longer a cop, remember?"

"You two are incorrigible." Tony chided with a chuckle.

Dave and Tony gave Matt another hug and sent him on his way.

* * * * * * *

(To be continued.)