Date: Thu, 23 Sep 2004 20:55:35 EDT
From: Draginacht@aol.com
Subject: David's Initiation: The Partnership 08

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.

*******

David's Initiation: The Partnership 08

*******

Having survived Tony's 'Outing' to his family in remarkably good fashion,
life for the two men, and the rest of the platoon, settled comfortably into a
well-organized routine. During the week Tony left for work first, followed
shortly thereafter by Dave. Dave planned his Philos visits for Tuesdays and
Thursdays after work when Tony was at school.

The weekends were usually very busy. On every other Saturday, Dave and Tony
went to Shannon's soccer games. On the opposite Saturdays they drove south to
watch the Close boys play soccer. It was a lot of fun and helped bond them to
their extended families because a family lunch followed each soccer game where
they all caught up on what everyone was doing.

Sunday morning was reserved for church. The platoon usually gathered for
dinner at Dave and Tony's or at Mike and Todd's. Occasionally Dan would host but
the other guys tried to be sensitive to his financial limitations. These Sunday
evening affairs soon turned into educational experiences for Tony, Mike and
Dan. The Platoon agreed that they would take the opportunity to practice their
speeches before the group and endure compliments and criticisms alike. With
Dave and Todd's experiences speaking in front of various groups of people, and
having taken the similar course in college, they were able to offer
constructive suggestions that would prove valuable to the students when they stood in
front of their classmates.


A couple of weeks after Tony's "coming out" birthday party with his family,
Marcus and family arrived and stayed with Dave and Tony for five days until the
truck with their household furnishings arrived. Once the furniture was moved
into the leased house, the Richardsons settled in to their new surroundings
and seemed quite pleased. Tonya also discovered that her concerns about staying
with two gay men were ill founded.


The renovation of the second floor of the garage moved along at a rapid pace.
One Sunday, after church, the boys gathered at Georgia's old house and moved
all of her belongings in one trip. Georgia was ecstatic about her new
apartment and wasted no time in hanging her favorite pictures and mementos on the
walls. Once she was settled, she took great delight in periodically hosting two or
three of her old friends for lunch so that she could share her good fortune.

True to her word, Georgia kept to her apartment except for when she needed to
do the housekeeping chores in the rest of the house. On Wednesdays, she drove
to Kate's where she spent the night before returning to her lovely apartment
on Thursday afternoons.


As October 31, Halloween drew closer, Dave and Tony were having difficulty
deciding what kind of costume they should wear to Mike and Todd's party. They
both liked the idea of going as the Lone Ranger and Tonto but couldn't agree on
which one of them would be which character. They finally agreed to go as two
cowboys. They already had boots, well-worn Levi's, and Dave had a white,
10-gallon hat. They were able to find a couple of long-sleeved checked shirts that
looked like those worn by the cowboys they remembered seeing at the Roehl
ranch. And they found a black hat for Tony at a costume store. They liked the
'white hat - black hat' motif. To complete the ensemble, they added polka dot
bandana's around their necks, which they used to cover their faces when they first
arrived at the party.


"What's the password?" asked a masked man who opened the door to Mike and
Todd's apartment. Dave and Tony didn't recognize him. The two men looked at each
other; they didn't remember anything about a password.

"We're friends of Dorothy," Dave replied, not really sure where that response
came from.

"Welcome, brothers, enter. You keep your masks on until someone guesses who
you are," came the instructions.

"Great!" Tony exclaimed, he liked the fun aspect of this party already. "I
suppose nobody had guessed who you are."

"Oh yeah, but I have to wear this when I answer the door," the young man
replied as Tony and Dave stepped into the room.

"OOOO-EEEEE! David, Honey!" The squeal came across the room from a rather
tall and attractive looking lady. "Lordy - lordy it's been like forever since
we've seen you," The impressive figure shouted as she strutted and swooshed her
way through the crowd to where the two men stood.

"Oh good Lord, I never expected to see her here," Dave said quietly as he
wrapped his left hand around Tony's right forearm.

"Who is she?" Tony asked with an element of surprised interest in his voice.

"Name's Roberta, AKA Robert. She's a drag-drama queen - nice, harmless,
entertaining, and very dramatic. You'll like her."

"David, you sweet, sexy thing you, pull off that mask and give me a kiss!"
Dave reached up with his right hand and pulled his bandana from his face to
reveal a genuine smile. "And while you're pulling things off don't stop with that
mask - ha-ha!" Roberta moved in and touched cheeks with Dave, the right one
first, then the left, while making a kissing sound with her lips. "And who is
this gorgeous hunk you're holding on to so tightly? Honey, y'all gonna cut off
the blood supply in his arm if ya don't let go soon."

"Hi Roberta, you always were one for slight exaggeration..."

"Ohmygod!" she gasped, "A ring! You're wearin' a ring!" She looked directly
at Tony, "You filthy man, you've stolen the love of my life!"

"Roberta, let me introduce Tony Mancuso, and you're correct, he has captured
me - all of me." Dave was grinning from ear to ear. Tony pulled his bandana
from his face. He was a little bit in shock and wonderment at the forward,
frank, almost raw nature of the conversation.

"Well Mr. David Baker, you just unhand this Italian Stallion because he's
mine for the evening! God you're gorgeous!" Roberta said as she ran her tongue
around her lips, took hold of Tony's left hand and began dragging him away from
Dave.

Dave stood chuckling as Tony looked back over his shoulder pleadingly at his
partner. It reminded Dave of that time at Art's when Maggie took over his life
for the evening and it caused him to chuckle even harder. He felt a hand on
his right shoulder.

"He'll be okay," Dan advised. "She's loud but she's harmless."

"Yeah, I know. I think tonight's gonna be a real awaking for Tony. He's
pretty naïve about the gay community and tonight he's gonna meet a good cross
section of it."

"Yeah, Roberta'll make sure he gets introduced around real good. He'll get
his butt pinched and his crotch fondled. By the time she's finished with him
you'll have a highly aroused sex maniac on your hands when you get him home, but
he'll have a great time." Dan snickered at Tony's dilemma.

"Not to change the subject, but I see that Todd and Mike've invited quite a
few singles. You lookin' to get lucky this evening?" Dave was well aware of
Dan's need for affection, make that sex, and really wished he could find a true
companion with whom to share his life.

"There's a good chance I can hook up with someone; we all know each other."
Dan chuckled.

Later, some time around 12:30, Dave noticed Dan walking out the door with a
guy who was perhaps 10 years older than he. Dave had seen the guy before at
Philos but didn't know him that well. He was happy to see Dan find a companion
for the night, confident Dan would practice safe sex.


Later, as they walked through the house toward the bedroom, Tony had a sense
that Dave was a little too quiet. He'd been that way on the drive home and
Tony was beginning to wonder if it was because of something he'd said or done. He
knew his man well enough not to ask. If he waited he'd find an opportunity to
get to the bottom of things.

They undressed, brushed their teeth, emptied their bladders, and slid between
the sheets. Tony rolled onto his right side just as Dave scooted back against
him. That made Tony feel better because, at the very least, it was an
indication that Dave wasn't angry with him - maybe there was hope for a little lovin'
after all. After a few moments Dave took a deep breath and exhaled in one
long sigh. It was the excuse Tony was looking for.

"What's that about?" Tony asked softly.

"Ohh..." Dave paused for a moment like he was searching for an answer. "I
dunno, maybe a case of the guilts."

"The guilts? Whatta you got to feel guilty about?" Tony could feel the gentle
vibrations in Dave's body when he spoke.

"Ohh..." another pause. This was something he felt comfortable sharing with his
partner. "I have so much. And then I go to parties like tonight and see so
many people I know, and I think about how they struggle just to make ends meet,
to survive. I just wish there was something I could do to help." Dave sighed a
gain.

"Now David," Tony said as his large left hand caressed Dave's chest lovingly.
"Listen to me, your lover, your friend... your husband." It was the first time
he'd used that term. His voice was soft and soothing. "I think I can see where
you're coming from but it's not your fault. Listen! Tonight I met a lot of
really happy people. Some of them may not have lots of money; they may not be as
well off as we are. But they sure know how to party and enjoy friendship. You
can't live their lives for'em, tell'em what to do; they'd probably hate you
for that. Guys gotta be allowed to make their own decisions.

"Just think about all the things you're already doing! Why, the stuff you've
done with Philos is really beyond the imagination. And what you're planning to
do in the months ahead is even more mind boggling. You've given a lot of
people a lot of chances. That's what they need. Just keep givin' people a chance.

"Besides, it's not your fault you have lots of money. And for what it's
worth, I think you're doin' the right things with it. Maybe you could look for
other ways to help guys. There are probably other options you haven't thought of."

Dave was quiet for a while and Tony was beginning to wonder if he'd gone to
sleep.

"Whatta ya think about setting up scholarships?"

"Yeah, that would be good." Tony was almost surprised when Dave spoke; he
obviously wasn't asleep. "What say we sleep on this. Ya don't have to decide
tonight and tomorrow we may have more ideas."

"Yeah, let's sleep on it," Dave replied, then he turned over and drove his
tongue deep into his husband's mouth. 'After we take care of business,' Dave
thought.

The next day they talked a lot about the party but the bedtime topic of the
previous evening didn't come up. Tony concluded that Dave was probably mulling
the idea over in his brain and he'd bring it up for discussion when he was
ready.


The symphony season started and Dave was so excited and proud to have Tony at
his side; it was one more thing they both enjoyed sharing. Their tastes were
so totally compatible and they so completely loved each other that their
relationship grew stronger with each day. Dave would arrive home from work to find
Tony looking so domestic in the kitchen and he'd walk up to his man, give him
a peck on the lips and a squeeze of the butt and then go about the business of
talking about their day. Earlier in the relationship they were all over each
other, having sex before dinner. But they'd learned to be patient and enjoy
the physical charge they got out of the greeting. The anticipation seemed to
make the lovin' that came later just that much more exciting - and there was no
pressure of worrying about dinner burning while they played.


The approaching Thanksgiving holiday would see a change in the Platoon's
pattern. In the past, Dave and his friends celebrated Thanksgiving together,
either with Dave's parents, with Kate, John and their family, or with Dave. This
year would be different. Now that Tony was in the mix, his family had to receive
consideration but everyone adjusted well. Dan spent Thanksgiving Day with his
family while Mike and Todd got together with a few of their friends who lived
in the apartment complex.


Wednesday, November 26th, the two lovebirds zipped along the Interstate in
the BMW toward Papa and Mama Mancuso's house. To say they were a little nervous
would be a major understatement. Peter and Ashley were flying down from NYC
but Christopher and his family would be spending the holiday with Kelly's
family. Sean's parents had flown down for the holiday so the McGregor family was
staying home.

Tony was driving when they exited the Interstate. They drove through a
residential neighborhood of modest houses, past a strip mall and into an area of
older homes where once it had been THE place to live. At one time these would
have been considered expensive stately mansions before the wealthy moved further
out of town. Dave was admiring the larger houses set far back from the road
when Tony slowed the car and turned into a driveway.

The older house they approached appeared quite large, but not as large as
Dave's. A veranda appeared to wrap completely around the house forming a balcony
for the second story and it was definitely well maintained. It was at that
moment that Dave realized how little he knew about Tony's boyhood background.
Yes, Tony'd talked about going to Europe when he was young but, unlike Paul,
Tony's demeanor and the way he spoke didn't convey any hint of money. Also, the
family members he'd met on Labor Day seemed as normal as could be. Based on
those indications, Dave had more or less assumed that Tony came from a background
not too different from his. What he now saw before him looked like 'old'
money. Dave wouldn't understand until later why Tony didn't seem like a rich kid.

As they walked up the front steps, Mama came outside to greet them and then
directed her son and Dave to put their things in Tony's old room. That answered
a question that had been weighing heavily on them ever since they accepted
Mama's invitation.

"So, this is the scene of the crime," Dave stated casually as he looked
around the room.

"What crime?"

"Why, where you practiced self-abuse as a teenager!"

"Oh yeah, but I don't have to do that any more now that I've got you." Tony
attempted to disarm Dave's comment.

"Does that mean you expect me to pull your pud tonight?" Dave asked with a
grin.

"Only if ya wanna." Tony closed the door, took Dave into his arms and kissed
him. "Still nervous?"

"A little, but not as much as I was." (Short kiss.) "With Mama puttin' us up
together it really says a lot about how they accept us." (Small kiss.)

"Dave," Tony spoke to his lover in a serious tone. "I'm really glad to have
you in my room." (Short kiss.)

"Oh? Cunning choice of words, Mr. Mancuso," Dave slid his right hand between
them, found Tony's lengthening member and gave it a playful squeeze through
the fabric. "Does that mean ya wanna have me now or have me later?" (Short kiss.)

"Huh-ah, none of that right now," Tony placed his hand on top of Dave's,
squeezed it and himself at the same time, and then slowly removed Dave's hand from
his now rigid flesh. "That feels great." (Short kiss.) "But we have ta go
back downstairs an visit for a while. Otherwise they'll begin to suspect what
we're up to."

"Okay, we're definitely both 'UP' to something but at least neither one of us
has to remove any lipstick." They both laughed as Tony opened the door and
they walked down the hall. The rest of the evening seemed like normal family
stuff with only Mama, Papa, Peter, Ashley, Dave and Tony present.

"So Dave, you brought your clubs?" Peter asked.

"Just like you ordered, Sir." Dave appeared to snap to attention and clicked
his heels together.

"What about you, Tony? You still have clubs around here somewhere don't you?"

"Yeah, they're up in the closet where I stored them when I left for the
Marines."

"Good. We've got a tee time at 8:50am Friday. It's gonna be you and Papa and
Dave and me."

"I don't know why you young fellows want an old fart like me tagging along,
I've never broken a hundred."

"Now Papa, Phillip won't go and we need a fourth." Peter tried convincing his
father.

"Yeah, Papa, please, we'd love to have you along." Tony begged his father.

"C'mon, Mr. Mancuso, I'd be honored to share a cart with you." Dave added his
request.

"Well, okay David, but I think it's time you started callin' me Papa like the
rest of the boys." Everyone laughed.

"Okay, Papa, if that's what it takes, ya got a deal," Dave extended his hand
with a smile. Papa accepted the hand and shook it, returning Dave's smile.


Later, Tony led Dave by the hand into his room, closed the door behind them,
spun Dave around and wrapped him up in his arms. "Now, let's get back to that
part about me having you in my room." The kiss was long and passionate.

"I sure am glad your mama invited me for a sleepover." Dave said quietly when
Tony released him from the lip lock. Dave had an impish look on his face and
by now Tony had learned to read that look as an invitation to play.

"Oh yeah, I told Mama we'd behave... but we don't haveta." (Short kiss.)

"I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours." A smile spread over Dave's
face.

"I dunno, think we should? That wouldn't be behaving."

"You could lock the door," Dave suggested.

Tony released Dave from his arms, turned around, took a couple of steps back
to the door and locked it. As he turned back around Dave had moved to the side
of the bed and was sitting down. The squeaks and groans that emanated from
the mattress and springs seemed loud enough to drown out a rock band. Dave
looked at Tony and they burst out laughing.

"So much for a quiet roll in the hay!" Tony stated the obvious. They both
understood that they would have to curtail any vigorous lovemaking as long as
they slept in that bed, unless they wanted to keep the rest of the occupants of
the house awake all night.

Dave stood up, walked to his partner and kissed him. "Maybe we could practice
a little mutual self abuse on each other."

"That sounds like an oxymoron, Mr. Baker." (Short kiss.)

"Oxymoron?" Dave replied surprised. "There you go again."

"There're still lots of things you don't know 'bout me." (Short kiss.)

Dave giggled. "Well, lets start finding out what they are." Dave began
unfastening Tony's belt. Tony began unbuttoning Dave's shirt.

It didn't take long for the two lovers to strip each other and make their way
to the bed. They laughed again as the bed creaked and groaned under their
weight. They lay in each other's arms for a moment, savoring the sensations that
intimate body contact stimulates.

"You have a nice one," Dave whispered into Tony's ear.

"So do you," Tony whispered back. (Long kiss.) "You really set on doin'
something?"

"I can wait 'til we get back home, if you'd rather," Dave whispered. He could
sense that Tony was a little uneasy about having sex in his parent's house,
especially since the bed was so noisy. "Why don't we just cuddle?"

"Okay with me," Tony whispered. "At least we can do that. Peter and Ashley
are in separate rooms."

Dave chuckled, "Makes no sense to me, Hon."

"I guess Mama and Papa have given up on us but still won't let those two
sleep together." (Long kiss.) "Why don't you turn over and let's get some sleep?"
Without saying a word, Dave turned over and spooned back against his lover.

"Careful where you store that javelin, Hercules," Dave giggled.

Tony chuckled. "Sorry."

"I'm not," Dave chuckled back.

"Ya wanna stroke each other off?"

"Nah, I can wait." Dave found Tony's left hand, turned it and brought the
open palm to his lips. "Night, love."

"Night, love," Tony whispered and then kissed the back of Dave's neck.


Thursday, Thanksgiving Day.

Tony and Dave slept slightly later than usual, but waited until they heard
other people stirring before getting up. They showered, dressed and went
downstairs for breakfast. Mama made them bacon, eggs, toast with jelly and, most
importantly, coffee.

The fun of being in a big family started almost immediately and Dave was made
to feel like a full-fledged member. Phillip, Kelly and the kids arrived just
after noon and Phillip's three boys ran to give Uncle Tony and Uncle Dave big
hugs. They still remembered the fun they had in Dave's pool during the Labor
Day weekend. Mama planned to serve the turkey dinner about 3:00pm so that left
plenty of time to visit.

Phillip was still a little standoffish but certainly not as hostile as he had
been the last time they saw him. Everything seemed to be going well. Peter,
Ashley, Kelly, Tony, and Papa were in the living room engaged in a lively
discussion about Ashley and Peter's June wedding. Phillip wasn't participating,
choosing to observe instead while leaning against the frame of the family room
door. Without thinking, Tony raised his right hand and rested it lovingly on
Dave's shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye Dave saw Phillip flinch, then turn
and disappear into the family room. Tony quite naturally removed his hand from
Dave's shoulder to gesture and make a point in the conversation.

Dave had a hunch. He leaned close to Tony's ear and whispered that he'd be
back in a few minutes, something about a horse. He walked into the family room
but Phillip wasn't there. Then Dave spotted him through the large picture
window; he was out on the back deck with his back to the house, looking out across
the back yard. Dave immediately began walking toward the deck. He didn't have
a clue about what he was going to do he just had a strong feeling that he
should be close to Phillip at that moment. Perhaps they could have an enlightening
conversation.

Dave took a position approximately three feet to Phillip's left, close enough
to be a presence but far enough away to not seem a threat. Phillip's hands
were on the top of the rail in front of him and Dave leaned slightly forward and
rested his elbows on the top of the rail with his hands clasped in front of
him. David kept praying for something, anything to pop into his mind that would
let him break the ice and start a conversation. He wracked his brain to no
avail. Neither man spoke. They stood glued to one spot, staring out over the
back yard. Dave lost all track of time while searching his brain for some
scintillating statement to occur to him. Finally the futility of his good intentions
set in and he decided to abandon the effort.

"I don't understand." Phillip said, shattering the silence and almost
startling Dave.

Dave waited for a moment. "What is it you don't understand?" he asked calmly.

"Why you and Tony are... are the way you are." Dave suspected Phillip was
avoiding using the 'gay' word.

"You mean why we're homosexuals?" Dave chose the generic term, hoping it
would be less offensive to Phillip.

"Yeah. I mean, what I don't understand is why you're that way, why you like
each other in... that way. You both seem so normal. Tony was NEVER like that when
he was in high school. Maybe he learned to be that way in the Marines. But I
know lots of guys who were Marines and they aren't like you two. Tony was
always tough, a jock, liked the girls. What happened?" It seemed as though when
Phillip started talking he wanted to get it all out at once. "And you, you ran
track, were a jock in high school and you were in the Army." Dave delayed his
reply to make sure Phillip was finished speaking.

"I won't speak for Tony, although we have discussed that. As for me, I began
to realize I was different when I was 13. But I won't bore you with that
story. If you really want to know about your brother, I'd recommend you ask him. He
loves you, Phillip, and I believe he'd like the opportunity to explain it to
you. And there's an organization here in town that you can contact for some
answers; it's called Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. The
acronym is pronounced P-Flag." David paused, waiting for Phillip to comment. He
seemed lost in thought at the moment. "They even have a web site, www.pflag.org
. I think you might be able to find some publications there that would answer
some questions, too." Again Dave waited for Phillip to speak and when he
didn't, Dave continued.

"Did you know that homosexuals have a much higher suicide rate than the
general population?" That was a rhetorical question and Dave didn't wait for an
answer. "The stress if being different is tremendous! There's so much pressure to
conform, fit in. It's depressing."

"Did you..." Phillip interrupted.

"No," Dave stopped Phillips question short. "My sister gave me the strength,
support and comfort I needed until I was strong enough to deal with it.

"Is Tony..." Phillip again interrupted. Something was reaching him and tweaking
his curiosity.

"I don't think so." Dave interrupted again. "Tony's one of the strong ones,
he's tough. But like most of us he deeply desires the acceptance and love of
his family. It means so much to him because your family is so close."

"Well..." Phillip began but didn't finish his thought.

"I know how difficult this for you right now..."

"Oh," Phillip interrupted, his voice dripping with skeptical sarcasm, "and
just how would you know about that?"

Neither man had looked at the other, they had continued looking straight
ahead, doing their talking to the back yard.

"My father and I were estranged for a few years after I came out. He wouldn't
talk to me; he refused to be in the same room with me. I couldn't even go
home. God it was painful, it was terrible." At that moment Dave was reliving the
pain of that time in his life and it was evident in his voice.

"What happened?" There it was! Phillip was interested in how Dave and his
father resolved their estrangement. Dave considered that statement as a desire to
reach out out.

"Some friends of mine in Texas invited my parents to spend a weekend with
them. They're a married couple about my parent's ages - it was a generational
thing - and they'd lost their only son who was gay. They understood each other
and could talk things out as equals. Of course Mother already understood and
that helped." Dave left out a lot of detail but what he told was enough for
Phillip.

"Dad and I reached an agreement. He promised not to discuss what went on in
his bedroom if I wouldn't discuss what went on in mine."

"HA-HA-HA!" Phillip laughed loudly! "I don't know why that's funny but it
just is." At the sound of Phillip's laughter Dave looked to his right, Phillip
was smiling. Dave smiled back. Perhaps Phillip was imagining a similar
conversation with his own father.

"There you two are," Ashley shouted as she walked out onto the deck.
"Everyone's been looking for you. C'mon, Papa's ready to say the blessing."


"Father," Papa began, "We ask your blessing on this bounty and on this
family. We give thanks that we can be together again and ask that you bless those
members of the family who are observing this day of Thanksgiving with other
loved ones. We are especially thankful that Tony can be with us again and we are
able to welcome his friend David. In the name of the Father, the Son and the
Holy Spirit we pray, Amen."

"Amen." The entire gathering replied.

Papa began carving the turkey as plates of mashed potatoes, gravy, green
beans, candied yams, cranberry sauce, began making their way around the table and
the conversation never stopped. After dinner, the ladies cleared the table
while the men adjourned to the family room to check on the football game. Along
about 7:00pm, Phillip and Kelly rounded up their kids and said goodbye. Mama
insisted they take some of the mountainous leftovers for tomorrow's lunch or
dinner. The rest of the family snacked on leftovers and when Mama and Papa
excused themselves at about 10:00pm to turn in for the night, the others decided to
follow suite.

Dave and Tony greatly enjoyed a reverse play of the previous evening and
slept soundly until Peter woke them by pounding unceremoniously and loudly on
Tony's door, just like he'd done so many times when they were kids. It was 6:30
and they needed to get moving if they expected to make their 8:50 tee time.

"Where's Papa?" Peter asked his mother as he, Tony and Dave were quickly
finishing off bowls of cold cereal.

"He'll be down in a minute, Dear. He's on the upstairs phone talking to
Phillip." Just then Papa walked into the kitchen still dressed in his pajamas and
robe.

"You'd better hurry, Papa, we don't have much time," Peter urged.

"You guys 're gonna have to get on without me this morning. Phillip just
called and he's interested in becoming your 'fourth.' So I made a decision and
told him to meet you at the club, hope that's okay."

"Yeah, Papa, that's great!" Tony seemed happy about it. "Isn't it, Peter?"

"Great, Papa, but we'll miss ya."

"Oh, miss me fiddle, Phillip's the golfer in the family and y'all will have
more fun with him in your group than you will me."


Phillip was already in the clubhouse when Peter, Tony and Dave arrived and
he'd also already charged the entire outing to his account. Exercising his
position as the eldest son, Peter took charge and paired Peter and Dave in one
cart, which left Tony with him in the other cart. Dave was most curious about the
arrangement. Might this have anything to do with the conversation he and
Phillip had yesterday? Whatever the reason, Dave was encouraged by the potential.
It also gave him the opportunity to get to know Peter better and ask a few
questions that had been bouncing around in his head.

By the third hole, a par 4, they had to wait for the foursome ahead of them
to clear the green before they could hit.

"Tell me, Peter, what was it like growing up in a family with an older sister
and three brothers? It was just me and my sister in my family."

"Ho-ho," Peter began. "I'd have to say it was wonderful. Yeah, we fought
amongst ourselves but we also banded together against all threats. We were all
jocks but Tony was the best football player. I was into basketball and Phillip,
as you can see, was the golfer. Just look at him over there," Peter nodded
toward the other cart where Phillip appeared to be giving Tony some pointers about
his swing. "He's gonna have Tony playin' the same fairway we're in before
we're finished." Peter and Dave both chuckled.

"There they go, the green's clear. Go ahead and hit, Dave." Dave stepped out
of the cart, addressed his ball with a 7-iron and managed to hit it just short
of the green where he'd have to chip to get close to the hole. They finished
the third hole, went to the fourth tee box and drove into the fairway, then
had to wait for the green to clear.

"I guess you guys had just about anything you wanted, like cars and such."
Dave picked up the conversation where they'd left off.

"Are you kidding! Mama and Papa raised us with "Old World" values. It was
"Spare the rod and spoil the child," at our house. We all had chores to do and as
soon as Papa thought we could handle it we also had to start learning about
the family business by working at one of the stores."

"But I thought y'all traveled to Europe every summer."

"Oh, we did plenty of that but not every summer and we sailed just above
steerage class, not exactly luxurious. Finally!" Peter exclaimed. "I don't know
why those folks are so slow, they oughta let us play through."

"I don't think they can, Peter, they're having to wait for the group in front
of them."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Maybe I need to calm down a little. I've got too
much of the big city syndrome. Ha-ha. I need to do this more often." Peter
addressed his ball and hit his second shot on the par 5.

Later, inside the clubhouse and sucking on a beer, Peter added up the scores.
He shot 89, Dave shot 87, Tony shot 84, and Phillip shot 71. Phillip had
obviously had some impact on Tony's golf game. It was the first time since Tony
and Dave had been playing together that Tony'd beat him.

"Say, Kelly and I are expecting you over at our place for dinner this
evening, and 'NO' in not an acceptable answer," Phillip announced as they sat
finishing up their beer. "Mama and Papa will be there and we're gonna have burgers on
the grill."

"Great!" Peter exclaimed. "Another free meal." Everyone laughed and Tony and
Dave took the opportunity to exchange approving glances.

"You can count on Dave and me to be there, too. Can we bring anything, like
some wine or beer?"

"That would be nice, Little Brother, pick whichever you like." Phillip
obviously interpreted Tony's offer as a kind of acknowledgement that their
relationship was back on firm ground. The details would be worked out later.

Dave was on pins and needles. He didn't want to say anything in front of
Peter as they drove home so he'd wait to get Tony alone to find out what happened
with Phillip. The two brothers seemed to be back on friendly terms so
something must have happened.

The boys got cleaned up and then attacked the sandwiches Mama and Ashley had
made then. Papa wanted to know how they'd played so they each told an equal
number of lies that had them all laughing loudly. Dave found the family dynamics
to be greatly entertaining. With lunch behind them, Tony announced that he
was going to take Dave on a cook's tour of their fair city and that they'd join
back up at Phillips for dinner.

"Okay, okay, what happened?" The excitement in Dave's voice was obvious. Tony
had just turned out of the driveway when Dave asked his question.

"Well..." Tony seemed to be thinking about how he was going to explain what
happened. "I'm not sure I've figured it out yet. It's kinda like we're back to
where we were before I came out."

"Denial?"

"Yeah, maybe... no, that's not it." Tony was quiet as the car glided quietly
down the street. "It's more like he doesn't want to talk about it. Maybe he's
accepted it but doesn't want to discuss it."

"You could be onto something there, Hon. He's no longer hostile to you... or to
me. I guess we'll just have to see how it all plays out."

"Speaking of 'playing'," Tony reached across the center console and grabbed
Dave's groin. Dave gasped in surprise.

"Hey! If you keep that up you're gonna have ta find a motel that rents rooms
by the minute" Dave exclaimed as he spread his legs giving Tony better access.

"Nah, I just wanna make sure you're still alive down there; I got plans for
when I get ya home."

"Well," Dave snickered, "that'll have to wait 'til tomorrow night. Unless you
can replace your old mattress and springs before tonight." They both
chuckled.

Tony withdrew his hand and they dropped that topic of discussion as Tony
began pointing out various points of interest along their route. Tony drove past
his old high school and reminisced about some good times. Dave smiled in
appreciation that Tony had fond memories of his high school days, it reflected the
healthy experiences he had there.

Before long, they were driving through the downtown shopping area and Dave
spotted something.

"TCBY!"

"Where?"

"Right there," Dave pointed to his right. "C'mon, I'll treat." There was a
parking spot right in front of the shop and Tony quickly turned the BMW right
into it.

"Whatta ya gonna have," Dave asked as the walked toward the counter where a
sign hanging from the ceiling said "ORDER HERE."

"How much can you afford?" Tony grinned at his partner. Dave fished into his
pants pocket and pulled out some folded bills.

"Enough, so order what your heart desires."

"Not in here, Babe," they both laughed.

"Can I help you," asked a cute pony-tailed teenager from behind the counter.

"I'd like a cup of vanilla yogurt with hot fudge and walnuts, please," Tony
ordered.

"And I'll have the same," Dave added.

"What size, sirs?"

"Uh," they looked around and saw a display with different size cups on it.
"That size, regular," Tony replied.

"Me too," Dave added. Without a word the young girl turned and began
preparing their orders.

The two men meandered down the counter toward the cash register and waited
for their treats to arrive. Dave paid for the yogurt and they found a table
along the front window and sat down to enjoy their treat.

"Say," Tony began as he chewed a mouth full of yogurt then swallowed. "I
forgot to ask, what were you and Phillip talkin' about yesterday out on the back
deck?"

"Hey, that was a crazy thing I did," Dave replied. "I saw him go out there
and I figured, hoped that if I went out there with him we might get better
acquainted."

"And?"

"Not much happened." Dave shoved a spoonful of yogurt and fudge into his
mouth. "We stood there for the longest time and I was about to leave when Phillip
said he didn't understand us." Dave placed another spoonful in his mouth then
proceeded to give Tony a more detailed description of his conversation with
Phillip.

"Well, Babe," Tony took another bite of yogurt and fudge. "What you did
probably had a lot to do with Phillip joining us for golf today and inviting us
over this evening." Tony took another bite. "If I know Phillip, when he got home
last night he probably went to the PFLAG web site and read everything he could
find."

"Well, whatever caused his apparent change of attitude..."

"Tony? Tony Mancuso, is that you?" A man's voice interrupted Dave's comment.
Both men looked across the small store where the saw a young man about their
age was looking at them. A four-year-old little girl held on to his right hand
as he held an eighteen-month-old girl in his left arm. The young man was
wearing some tan slacks and a sweatshirt that had "Georgia" printed across the
front.

"Al, Al Cox, well I'll be d-darned!" Tony edited his expression out of
consideration for the children. "How are you?" Tony and Dave stood up from their
chairs as Al and the girls approached.

"I'm fine, you look like you're doin' well," Al replied.

"Yeah, just great. These two angels yours?" Tony inquired.

"Oh yes, this is Megan," nodding to the four-year-old, "and this is Milessa,"
indicating the young one in his arm.

"Well I'm very pleased to meet you two," Tony smiled and bowed slightly. "Al,
I'd like you to meet a friend of mine, Dave Baker."

"Nice to meet ya, Dave, I'd offer ta shake your hand but as you can see my
hands are full," Al chuckled.

"Nice ta meet you to, Al, and I can see you do have a couple of lovely ladies
to escort," Dave replied.

"So, you and Becky still together?" Tony asked.

"Yeah, these two are ours an' we have another on the way. Becky's workin' as
a cashier at the grocery store this afternoon so I'm takin' the girls out for
a treat."

"What're ya doin' these days, if ya don't mind me askin'?"

"I got a job at a warehouse on the south side o' town. We're doin' okay. How
'bout you?" Al obviously wanted to divert the conversation away from his
personal life.

"Oh, I'm workin' construction over in the city; came home for Thanksgiving."

"Sir, your order is ready," called the teenager from behind the counter.

"Well, gotta go, Tony, good ta see ya again, you too Dave." Al guided his
oldest daughter over to the cash register where he paid for their yogurt and they
left the shop.

Tony and Dave sat quietly while finishing the last of their yogurt. Tony
seemed to be lost in thought after meeting his friend Al, and Dave waited for him
to pick up the conversation.

"Ready ta go?" Tony asked, he seemed in a hurry to get out of there.

"Yeah," Dave replied as they arose from their chairs, tossed their empty cups
in the trashcan and left the shop.

"Well I'll be damned," Tony exclaimed after they were both seated in the car
with the doors closed. "Al Cox. Ya see the condition he's in? He must be 25
pounds over weight!"

'More like 30 pounds,' Dave thought but he wasn't about to interrupt his
mate's train of thought.

"That gut he's carryin' around isn't very attractive." Tony placed the key in
the ignition but didn't turn it. "And ta think I had the hots for his bod
when we were in high school." Tony was about to reveal some of his history and
Dave sat quietly, listening. "We were in the same grade ever since junior high.
I remember that first time we had to shower after gum class, I thought Big Al
was the hottest thing I'd ever seen. When I say big, I mean 'big.' I lusted
over that body for six years but never had the courage to try anything." Tony
sighed. "Just look at him now. He's married, has two kids, almost three. It's no
wonder, everyone knew he was bangin' Becky. Al was our star quarterback; all
the girls were after him. I guess Becky got pregnant. Damn!" After another
moment of reflection Tony turned the ignition key and they resumed their tour.


On the way to Phillip and Kelly's, the two men stopped at a liquor store and
Tony bought a bottle of Chateauneuf-du-pape as kind of a 'making up' gift. The
dinner was a success and the family seemed to be back on track.


Saturday morning Dave and Tony loaded the car and said goodbye with lots of
hugs for everyone. Phillip and Kelly had come over to say goodbye and to take
Peter and Ashley to the airport. Since Tony had driven Wednesday afternoon,
Dave thought it only fair that he drive home, especially since he was now more
familiar with the area. No sooner had he pulled onto the Interstate and set the
cruise control when Tony reached across the console and placed his left hand
on top of Dave's right thigh. Unprepared for Tony's movement, Dave jumped a
little.

"Thanks, Babe, that was the best Thanksgiving ever," Tony said when Dave
looked across the seat at his lover. "Hope you don't mind, I just feel a need to
touch you."

"No, it's great." Dave gripped steering wheel with his left hand, placed his
right hand on top of Tony's and smiled at his lover. He needed some physical
contact also. The touch was sensual and sexual but it was so much more - it was
love.

*******

(To be continued.)