Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2009 15:25:26 +0000
From: hankster1430@bellsouth.net
Subject: Love is Where You Find It Chapt 21 (End)

Love Is Where You Find It
Chapter Twenty One


Craig was pretty near useless in the office all week.  He kept gawking at
Marion.  I hate to say it, but Brad told me that he was drooling like a dog
in heat.  He had lunch with her every day, but there were always other
people with them.  He asked her out on a date Saturday evening, and she
said she would let him know.

"What should I do about Craig?" she asked me and Brad that evening.  "I'm
crazy about him, but I don't want him to know just yet.  I want to play
hard to get."

"Let's find out what he's made of," I said.  "Tell him you don't want to go
out on a date Saturday evening, but you would like to get to know him
better.  Invite him to dinner instead, and I have a great idea."

When we were alone in bed that night, Brad asked, "What have you got up
your sleeve?"

"You'll see," I said.  "After Saturday night, he'll either run a country
mile or he'll be one of the family."

"Just don't do anything you'll regret," Brad warned me.  "Marion is crazy
about this guy and he has just about stopped functioning for love of her."

"If that's true we have nothing to worry about," I stated emphatically.

I made sure that Luis, Sam, and Chris would be home on Saturday night to
have dinner with us and meet Marion's "boy friend."  I also invited our
dads.  Usually all of us refrain from showing affection to each other when
straight people are around, but I instructed each couple to be extra
affectionate in Craig's company. "Kiss a lot and hold hands.  Act like the
lovers you are.  If he's going to be uncomfortable, then it's too bad about
him.  If he loves Marion as much as he says, it won't bother him one bit."

"You're playing with fire," Brad warned me.  "Marion might not like the
game.  Craig already works with predominantly gay people and many of our
clients are gay so I don't know what you are trying to prove."

"That's different," I said.  "That's his work place.  This is the queer
family he seems to want to marry into."

Brad just shook his head sadly.  "I don't see why we can't just be us," he
said and sulked away.

On Saturday evening, I made sure everyone was in the house before Craig
arrived.  My dads were over early anyway.  They and Marion helped me
prepare the dinner.  Brad was on strike, thoroughly opposed to what I was
about to do.  I had met Craig a couple of times so I made sure I answered
the door when he arrived.  The dear boy had two bouquets of flowers with
him.

He thrust one at me and said, "This is for your table, Aaron.  I really
appreciate your invitation."  Marion had come up behind me.  He handed her
the other bouquet and said, "These are for the most beautiful woman in the
world."  That was sweet, but I wanted to puke.  This dude was way over the
love sick hill.

I took his arm and steered him into the living room.  First I'd like you to
meet Marion's dads, and ours," I added.  I introduced him to Chuck and
Larry, and reminded him that Chuck was the company banker.

"It's a pleasure," he said as he stuck out his hand.  My dads would have
none of that.  We had rehearsed the whole thing.  They grabbed Craig and
hugged him tightly while kissing him on the cheek.  I couldn't tell if
Craig was embarrassed or not, but he smiled cordially at them.

Then I introduced him to Marion's `kid brother,' Luis, who grabbed him in a
bear hug and kissed him on the lips.  Craig's reaction was minimal.  Marion
was the one with her mouth open.

"I'd introduce you to her other two brothers Sam and Chris, but they seem
to be occupied."  Sam and Chris were sitting on the sofa making out like
crazy.  They may have been acting, but I was afraid they were going a
little too far.  They might not be able to stand up if they were
introduced.

All through the evening the couples were smooching in front of Craig.  When
I tried to kiss Brad, he rebuffed me.  He was having none of this game.
Craig seemed perfectly comfortable with it.  Was he acting?  Did Brad give
him a head's up in the office?

At one point during the dinner, someone casually mentioned that Chuck was a
professor at Berkeley and taught English Literature.  Craig's eyes lit up.
"My dad teaches Philosophy there.  Maybe you know him?  Max Billings."

"Oh my God," Chuck screamed out.  "I never made the connection.  Of course,
you're Max's boy.  I met you when you were a baby and your folks had just
adopted you.  I don't know why we haven't been around since.  I guess
everybody is too busy.

Suddenly Chuck burst out laughing.  "Aaron, the joke's on you.  Craig has
two dads.  He was raised by a gay couple.  The question is, how does this
affect Marion's feelings for Craig?  I wonder if his parents can accept the
fact that their little boy is straight." That thought must have struck
Chuck as a very funny twist because he burst out laughing.

"Aaron," Marion blurted out.  "What have you been up to?"  She jumped up
from the table and asked Craig to please come with her.  She took him into
the den and closed the door.

"Does that mean I can act normal?" Luis asked.

"I don't know.  I was enjoying myself," Sam said, grabbing for Chris's
crotch.

Everyone grew silent waiting for Marion and Craig to come out of the den.
When I could stand it no longer, I knocked on the door.  "Please come out,"
I begged. Craig I need to apologize."  The silence continued so I started
to open the door.  Marion and Craig were locked in each other's arms,
hugging tightly, kissing longingly.  I closed the door.

"I think it will be all right," I said.

Later when everything returned to normal and we were all having dessert,
and laughing at each other, Brad asked Craig, "How come you never told
anyone at the office that your dads are gay?"

"I wanted to be hired on my merits, not on my gay background so to speak.
But if I hadn't been surrounded by gay guys all my life, I probably would
never have applied at Pickler and Underwood.  I just knew I'd be more
comfortable in a gay environment.  For sure I knew I wouldn't hear any
homophobic jokes like I had to put up with all through school.  I was
picked on just as much as the gay guys were.  If only those idiots knew
what great parents I have."

"I am a class A jerk," I said.  "I have a talent for self destruction,
don't I Brad?"

Brad could only nod in agreement.

Just then the phone rang.  I went to answer it.  It was Clint on the other
end.  I listened intently to him and turned pale.  After I hung up
everybody looked at me.  It was obvious that something had happened.

"Speaking of self destruction," I said, "Carl Gilmore is dead.  He got into
some kind of fight at the prison and he was knifed to death.  The warden
told Clint that there were dozens of inmates with motive.  He asked Clint
to drive up to the prison and identify the body.  He's going to turn the
body over to Clint for disposition.  Clint said he will let us know when he
makes plans for the funeral."

I knew how Brad must be feeling, but how did I feel?  I had long been rid
of Carl, but I felt a sense of closure and I was at peace with it.  Carl
made his bed and he smothered himself in it.

The mood remained sober for a bit longer and then things began to lighten
up.  Brad kissed me at last and asked if I was all right.  I nodded yes.
Luis, Sam, Chris, Marion and Craig went into the living room and engaged in
some kind of family bonding ritual.  Mostly the talk was about school.
"When do we meet your folks?" I heard Chris ask Craig as Brad, my dads and
I began to clean up the mess left behind.

The next Monday at Pickler and Underwood, Craig let everyone know that he
had two dads.  He wanted to be the one to let everyone know before they
heard it from someone else.  The attitude around the office was, "So?"

At Berkeley, Chuck sought out Craig's dad.  Occasionally they ran into each
other and said a few words, but things were different now.  Max's adopted
son was about to become engaged to his adopted daughter.  Chuck caught up
to him just as he was completing a class.  The two men embraced warmly.

"When Craig told me what happened last Saturday night, Nate and I were
speechless for an hour.  It's a tiny world after all.  We can't wait to
meet Marion.  When the kids make it official we want to make a family party
at our place," Max announced.

"That's fine," Chuck said, "but we shouldn't have to wait that long to get
together.  Let's you and Nate, Larry and I have dinner at Alfredo's Friday
night.  They're clients of Brad's and we get a discount there. It doesn't
hurt that the food there is so good."

They made arrangements and parted with another hug.

The Christmas dinner guest list was growing by leaps and bounds.  Marion,
Craig and Craig's dads were additions to the Thanksgiving Day list.  Even
Brad, the accountant, wasn't sure just how many we were having.  Near as we
could figure out we would be seventeen adults and a baby.  We definitely
decided to have everything catered.  Once again we engaged Russ's clients,
and not a moment too soon.  They were catering several parties on Christmas
Day and they could only handle one more.  We got in under the wire.

Sleeping arrangements were no problem.  Brad and I stayed with Brad's
parents. Sam and Chris stayed with Chris's parents.  Luis and Ben stayed at
our dads.  Cheryl, Adam, Marion and the baby stayed in our house.  Hey,
what are families for?  I couldn't help wondering what my parents in Boise
were thinking as they celebrated the holiday with no children and no
grandchild.  I wondered if they even knew of baby Aaron's existence.  Well
it was totally their loss.

Gifts! Now there was a problem.  Brad and I spent the weekend before
Christmas buying and wrapping gifts.  It was difficult, but in the end we
thought we had gotten the perfect gift for everyone.  We also spent an hour
or two going through the house and making the decorations and other items
child proof since baby Aaron had begun to crawl.  We tried to think of
everything, but only time would tell if we succeeded.

The last thing I did before everyone was due to arrive was to send a
Christmas card to my parents.  I must have been bitten by the Ghost of
Christmas Future because I softened everything I had intended to tell them.
Instead I enclosed a picture of Brad and me, a picture of Cheryl's family
that I had taken at Thanksgiving, and finally a picture of Marion and Craig
which I took for the occasion.  I also enclosed a card with my address and
telephone number.  I wrote:

Dear Mom and Dad:

I am living in San Francisco where I teach high school math.  I share my
life with Bradley Wilkinson.  He's a partner in a successful CPA firm.  You
will be pleased to know that we attend church every single Sunday, and the
pastor is a personal friend of ours.

Recently I found Cheryl, and Brad and I visited her in Los Angeles.  Her
husband, Adam, is a lawyer and one of humanity's true gentlemen.  Their
baby is named Aaron (after Adam's father) and Adam's orphaned teen age
brother lives with them.

Marion is living with me and will resume her college education when the
spring semester begins.  She recently got engaged to be engaged to one of
Brad's co-workers, Craig Billings.  Craig isn't a CPA yet, but it's in his
future.

I am enclosing pictures of all of us.  Should you ever wish to contact me,
your call would always be welcome.  In spite of everything, your children
still love you.  God bless you and a Merry Christmas to both of you.

Love,

Your son, Aaron

It was the happiest Christmas that I had ever spent.  Brad and I were
surrounded with love.  Everyone I cared about in the world was with me.
They all shared Christmas morning with me at my church, no matter what
religious beliefs they held.

I didn't hear from my parents immediately, but just after the New Year I
received a note from them.

Aaron, we could never look you in the face.  You and your Bradley are an
abomination in the eyes of God.  Your sisters are no better.  They have
disrespected us and married outside of our church.  There is no greater sin
than to disrespect a parent.  Until all of you are ready to repent and
apologize, do not contact us again.

It was what I expected.  I sent a copy of the letter to Cheryl and showed
it to Marion.  She and I had a good cry, but then I said to her, "It's
really funny, Marion.  I'm not at all sad.  Now I can forget about them and
put them behind me.  You've seen how loving my real family is.  They're
your family now too, and Craig's.  I'm finally at peace.  I hope with Craig
you can find the same serenity that I have found with Brad."

Brad had been standing in the doorway, and heard what I said to Marion.  "I
love you too," he said.  He put his arms around me and kissed me.  With
Brad's help I was finally at peace with the world, and with God.

The End