Gregory Patrick
02/21/2022
Jaiden – Chapter 154
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Greg Patrick
"Jaiden, this is Peter; sorry we got cut off yesterday;
emergencies were the rule of the day." "I
understand, Peter; Peyton and I did our time in the ER in Erie." "Yes, you did, and I remember the stories you
both have told me."
"My day was compounded when Leon and I went to dinner after
taking a drive late yesterday afternoon.
We were sitting in that restaurant we like in the alley in Brevard, the
one you and Peyton told us about. We
were nervous about upsetting the people in the restaurant if we showed any
affection, and the waiter noticed our angst and asked if anything was wrong."
"We told Jeff the truth, and he then turns around and tells
everybody in the restaurant we were two guys who were as queer as a three-dollar
bill and then walks into the kitchen with our order."
"To make matters worse, two brutes walked over and scared the
shit out of us by comments he made and then making us follow him to the center
of the room. In the center of the room,
he tells everybody to stand and show us what they think of us, and I nearly peed
myself – and so did Leon. We almost
fainted when the people started applauding, and the two brutes told us
everybody in the restaurant was gay - including them."
"We were asked to sit in the center of the group as their
guests of honor. So then, when our meal
came out, it wasn't the sandwiches Leon and I ordered - it was two of the most
enormous, best Porterhouse steaks you have ever tasted. Also, we didn't get the
sides we ordered because they served vegetables family-style on the table."
"We were so humbled by the way they treated us after scaring
us to death, and the waiter apologized for what he had said to the group explaining
everybody in the restaurant that night was gay, including the restaurant's
employees."
"Then, before we left after finishing our meal, everybody put
their names, addresses, and telephone numbers on a sheet of paper and told us
that if anybody in the area gave us any crap about being gay, especially being
gay and married, to call one person on the list, and the whole damned group
would show up to defend us! We were
floored by that."
"I guess so, Peter.
That would have scared Peyton and me too. Peyton is good at defense, but not against
thirty people in a restaurant. Did you
pick out a spot to try and outrun them if you had to?" "I don't think we could have done that if we tried;
the space was too confined and too crowded."
"They meet at the restaurant every Saturday night, and they
invited us to join their group as regulars, so Leon and I are going to do that
for as long as we are in the area. We
can use the friendship of people who won't judge us. Besides, most of the people were professional
looking and acting – and well dressed."
"That is wild, Peter; I can't wait to tell Peyton, Dale, and
Charley. They'll be happy to hear of the
friendships y'all formed; I doubt they'll be happy to hear how the friendships
came about, but they'll be happy nonetheless."
"I hope so. Leon and I weren't
exactly happy with the beginning words spoken, but in the end, we knew we were
among friends."
"Wow! Talk about a weird
incident." "You're telling me, Jaiden. It took us a while to come down from the
scare that night. Well, Leon is coming
in, so I'm going to fix him a cup of coffee and something to eat. Give the children a hug and kiss for us." "Hold on a second, Pete."
"Hey guys, Uncle Pete wants me to give you a hug and kiss for
him." When Jaiden did that for all ten
children, he asked the children, "now, what do you say to Uncle Peter?"
"Tank you Unka P, lu you."
"Jaiden, that meant the world to me, and it will to Leon when
I tell him what the children did. Later,
bro."
"Who was on the phone, Jaiden?" "Peter, he told me what happened the night
before last at the alley restaurant we like in Brevard." After Jaiden told Peyton, Dale, and Charley
what Peter had told him, they all stood there with their mouths wide open and
their chins on the floor. "Jaiden, that
is unreal!
"Peyton, that's what I told Peter. They have been invited to be regulars with
the dinner group every Saturday night. Peter
said they intended to go as long as he isn't working. Maybe we can join them when we go through there
for Dale's and Charley's graduation at Wellstone." "That would be fun to meet a group like that –
especially knowing they will be a support group for Leon and Peter."
"Guys, you know what's funny about what happened?" "What, Charley?" "Leon got a little taste of how we felt that
day in the park, and he got another big taste of feeling supported." "That's the remarkable thing about what
happened, Charley; I hope Leon tells them his story since it parallels what
happened to him and Peter in the restaurant."
The following morning when Ginny and Granny walked into the
house, the children went running to them excitedly, saying, "Ginny, Ganny, Unka
P call las nite; he send us kisses and hugs."
"He did?" "Uh-huh, he did." "What did you say to him?" "We say tank you Unka P, we lu you." "Now that was sweet; I'm proud of my babies."
All the children were smiling from ear to ear after Ginny and
Granny said they were proud of them. The
dads were all smiles watching from the dining room; they, too, were proud of
their children.
Later that morning, Peyton called Leon to tell him how
excited the children were to get hugs and kisses from their Uncle Peter. He and Leon laughed about the children's
reactions, and Leon said he would let Peter know how much the children enjoyed
their Uncle Peter's hugs and kisses."
That night, Peyton and Dale sat down and wrote a short note
to Peter and Leon and gave a copy to each child to see if they could write down
what they saw. They also gave the
children a sheet of paper with their names written down. Not only did the children copy the note Peyton
and Dale had written for them, but they also signed their names. Peyton put the notes in a manilla envelope,
and Dale said he would mail it from his office.
Two days later, Leon called Peyton to let him know he and
Peter had received the envelope and that the notes inside had brought them to
tears. He told Peyton Peter was having
them framed to go on the den wall.
"Leon, Peter doesn't need to do that!" "I tried to tell him that, Peyton, but the
notes meant so much to him. He even called
his parents and told them what the children had done. They are supposed to be here next weekend,
and Peter wants to have the framed notes on the wall when they get here."
When Peyton told Jaiden, Dale, and Charley how the notes from
the children had touched Peter and Leon and what Peter was doing with them,
Jaiden said, "Guys, let's see if we can get Friday off and drive to Brevard
Thursday night and stay until Sunday morning.
I think the kids would love to see their uncles and the animals in the
yard."
"If we can get Friday off, Peyton, can you call Leon and make
sure it's OK if we drive up?" "Sure, no
problem."
The next day the guys talked with their supervisors and got
permission to not only take Friday off, but they were also told to take the
whole week because they had worked hard and earned the break.
That night, Peyton called Leon and asked, "Leon, we were
thinking of taking next Friday off and driving up to Brevard to spend the weekend
with you and Peter. But when we asked
our bosses if we could take Friday off, they told Jaiden, Dale, Charley, and me
that we had earned a break and to take the whole week and enjoy it."
"So, would it be OK with the two of you if we drove up
Saturday morning and stayed through the following Saturday? We'll buy all the food needed for Peter's
parents and us, and Dale said he'd be more than happy to do the cooking?" "Hold on a second and let me run it by Peter."
"Peyton, Peter said if y`all will bring the children to come
on up." "We'll bring the children; it's
a surprise for them since they got so excited about the hugs and kisses from
their Unka P. We'll try to be there by
noon on Saturday. Oh, don't try to fix a
place for the children to sleep; we'll bring mats and sleep with them on the
floor in the basement." "Great, we'll
see y'all then."
"Peter, Peyton said they'd try to be here by noon on
Saturday." "Babe, now I'm excited. I miss those babies horribly, and it'll be
nice to see their dads as well; plus, mom and dad will get to meet the children
and see what we have been telling them about.
Damn, this is so exciting; I can hardly wait. We can take them to Brevard for dinner on
Saturday night and let them meet the group."
"Now that's an idea; they'll enjoy that, and the group will have a ball
spoiling those babies."
A few minutes later, Leon shot Peyton a text that said he
wished the guys could see and hear Peter dancing around the house because he
was so excited about getting to see the babies. Peyton showed the text to his hubby and
brothers, and they all said, "WOW!"
Friday evening, they got the van loaded for their Saturday
morning trip and decided to get breakfast on the road. They drove as far as Knoxville before they
stopped at a Krystal, went inside, got the children seated, ordered cheese
Krystals with ketchup, and got fries for the children and chili for the dads.
Nathan Robert, being the straightforward child he is, asked
his dad if he could taste the chili, so Jaiden gave him a taste. But, of course, that was the wrong thing to
do!
"Daddy, more?" "Did
you like the chili, Nathan?" "Uh-huh,
more?" "Charley, do we have some Beano
in the van?" "Jaiden, I can tell you
with certainty, there is no Beano in the van."
Jaiden looked dejected when Charley said that.
"Jaiden, don't be so sad.
The Beano isn't in the van because it is in my pocket. I brought it inside when we got here in case
we needed it."
Jaiden smiled, got up from the table where they were sitting,
went to the counter, and got four bowls of chili, which he divided between the
children. Charley made sure each child
got two drops of Beano on their first spoon of chili; he wasn't going to ride
three and a half more hours to Brevard after the children ate chili that was
full of kidney beans – no way!
After the children ate their breakfast, the dads got them
pottied, back into the van and headed for Brevard. About an hour down the road, Alaina Noelle
said, "Daddy, I on go to potty."
Jaiden pulled into Burger King, took the children inside,
helped them potty, and then got them a kiddie meal with a cheeseburger, fresh
fruit, and some milk.
The children ate their lunch and then played for almost an
hour on the playground slinking through the tubes and sliding down the slides. Then, finally, the dads helped them potty one
more time, got them back into the van, and drove the rest of the way to
Brevard. They were amazed that the
children weathered the trip so well.
The children enjoyed the trip with Charley showing them
clouds that looked like animals and other objects. Once he got the children started on gazing at
the clouds, they did that for the rest of the trip and didn't complain one time
about being tired.
They pulled into Leon's and Peter's driveway precisely at
12:30 pm. Peter and Leon came out to greet
everybody. When the children saw them,
they went wild to get to their Unka P and Unka Le; the uncles were just as excited
to see their nephews and their beautiful little niece.
It was a grand reunion for the uncles who had missed the
children so badly. They played so hard that
it was difficult to tell who the adults and the children were. The joy was contagious.
Peter's parents arrived about an hour after the
Riley-Reynolds, and Leonard-Anderson clans arrived. Peter was holding Alaina Noelle when he met
his parents in the garage.
"Mom, Dad, welcome; we hope you will love the house and enjoy
getting to meet Leon's family." "Peter's
mom said, "I'm sure we will, son. Who is
the beautiful little girl you are holding?"
"Mom, this is my new niece, Alaina Noelle. Jaiden and Peyton have five boys, and their
brothers, by choice, have four sons and this beautiful little girl, and all ten
children live in the same house."
"Oh my word, Peter, how do their parents stay sane with all
those children in one house?" "Mom, you
and Dad keep your eyes and ears open and watch the children; you will be amazed
at their intelligence and how they interact with each other. When she's had enough of her brothers trying
to protect her, this little girl will quickly set them straight. What happens when she does that is
hilarious. Just watch; you'll see
eventually."
The adults went inside, and Peter introduced his parents to
Peyton, Jaiden, Charley, and Dale. They
sat on the screened back porch, had coffee and peach knishes Dale made and
swapped stories about how Leon had met Peyton and Jaiden.
Mr. and Mrs. Andrews were intrigued at how Peyton, Jaiden,
and Leon had met and how Peyton and Jaiden helped Leon get over everything he
had gone through since he was 14. They
were especially appreciative of Peyton's parents being willing to adopt Leon
after doing the same thing for Richard and Seth.
"Leon, I hope you realize how much God has blessed you by
bringing all this about; and the fact that you are such a close family...that is
amazing to Peter's dad and me." "Yes, mam,
I more than realize how I have been blessed by becoming a part of Peyton's
family."
"Peyton is remarkable beyond belief, and Jenny, our sister,
she is amazingly loving. She has helped
me adjust more than I can describe. She
calls me every couple of days to talk and make sure I am doing as well as
possible."
"Peyton, how did your family become such a loving family with
Leon so quickly?" "Mrs. Andrews, all I
can say is it was Hashem's doing; outside of that, I have no idea. It was like Leon was supposed to be and
always was a part of the family; he was a missing link in the puzzle of life
for all of us."
"Peyton, what a lovely thing to say. Your family must be amazing." "They indeed are, Mrs. Andrews. My mother is hard to describe. Mom has such love in her soul that she lights
up everyone's world, and she loves Leon, Richard, and Seth as if she birthed
them – especially Seth, who lives with her and Dad and has been spoiled rotten."
"Seth had been in the hospital for a month and a half after
his bio-dad assaulted and almost killed him when Mom and Dad adopted him and
Richard. It's weird to me how Mom and
Dad loved Seth and Richard from the time they met them at the hospital. Dad paid off Richard's medical loans and paid
in advance for his last year of medical school.
We'll be in practice together once we get back to Erie. When Leon completes his degree at Wellstone,
he has a scholarship to attend the doctoral program in counseling psychology at
Penn State."
"Peter will be part of our family medical practice, and Leon
will join us as our counseling psychologist when he gets his doctorate and
passes the board exams."
"We open the medical practice on June fifteenth, and we are
already booked solid for three months.
We'll have a general pediatric medical and surgical practice specializing
in oncology and oncological surgery."
"It sounds like you guys have everything on the ball." "Yes, mam, we do. We worked in the practice for almost a year before
going to St. Jude's for specialized training.
Our staff is in place, and when we get back to Erie, we're going to have
a grand reunion with a big party at the country club."
"It sounds like you are really looking forward to getting
back to Erie." "Yes, mam, we are; Erie
is home to us. We have been so blessed
by being a part of the city."
"Mom." "Yes, Peter." "Do you have your laptop handy?" "I do; why?"
"Google Peyton and Jaiden Riley-Reynolds and Dale and Charley
Leonard-Anderson. If you need the router
code, it's on the side of the router by the television."
Mrs. Andrews Googled the information Peter told her to, and
when she read what appeared on the computer screen, her mouth became agape as
she looked up at the guys in total awe."
"Peyton, is this information true?" "Yes, mam, it is. But, we don't talk about it because people's
reactions can get overbearing for us.
When that happens, our anxiety goes through the roof." "But in education instead of medicine?"
"Yes, mam, a teacher made me mad at the way she was treating
the son of friends of ours in our synagogue in Erie. One thing led to another, and the next thing
we knew, we were in Oslo to receive the award."
"
When we got back home, we were honored when the Erie Board of
Education named two elementary magnet schools after the four of us. We used part of the Nobel award to equip each
school with the best teaching aids possible to benefit all students, especially
those who struggle in school."
"Gentlemen, I don't know if I am in awe of the four of you or
if I am jealous." "Mrs. Andrews, either
way, it doesn't matter; what matters to us is that Hashem is pleased with what
we do to honor Him and His children. It
is a commandment in and of our Jewish faith."
"How can you young men accomplish all of what I have seen and
be such friendly, loving individuals who seem to be simple everyday folks?" When Mrs. Andrews asked that question, everybody
pointed at Jaiden.
"I don't understand." "Dale
said, "Mrs. Andrews, Jaiden is exceptionally brilliant and focused. He pushes us mercilessly to do and be our
best. If it hadn't been for him after Peyton
caught Charley and me in a knock-down argument, we wouldn't be a couple
today. Everything we have and everything
we are is all because of him and his love for all of us – and Peyton is a huge
part of that love."
"Dale, please don't be so free with your praise of me; I
haven't done anything that Hashem has not placed in front of me. Whatever has been accomplished is because of
Him and only because of Him."
"That may be true, Jaiden, but you listened to what Hashem
told you to do, and you submitted to His will to get everything done that He
placed on Peyton's and your plates."
"Dale, that's all I have tried to be. I believe that Hashem blesses you most when
you listen to Him and do your best to accomplish His will on this old
earth. It's like when Charley stared at
my grandfather's picture in the den at Mom's and said the painting spoke to
him. It's the same for me when I focus
on Hashem."
"Jaiden, what was so special about the photograph?' "Mrs. Andrews, my grandfather, my mom's dad, was
a very wise Hasidic Shepfardic Rabbi.
Mom's family originally came from the region of Portugal in World War
II. My grandfather became an Orthodox
rabbi in America and forged a rich heritage for my family."
"My, Jaiden, you certainly have been blessed." "Yes, mam, I honestly have been blessed
beyond measure. The only exception to those
blessings is that my father was killed in a plane crash in Africa when I was
three years old. Pictures and books he
wrote, advances in childhood orthotics he pioneered for children with cancer,
and his reputation as a doctor at St. Jude's are all I have left of him. It hurts horribly and drives me to be the
best father and doctor I can be."
Peyton spoke up and said, "Mrs. Andrews, Jaiden's dad was such
an awesome man that his memory and his reputation drive all four of us to be
the best we can be."
"His mother is also one of the most amazing persons I have
ever met and has given me the honor and privilege of loving me as one of her
own – it's that way for all four of us. If
anybody messes with any of us, she is worse than a lioness protecting her cubs –
and she won't ask questions before she bites and bites hard; just ask Charley
and Dale."
"Dale, Charley?" "Mrs.
Andrews, my dad, and Charley's dad disowned us for being gay, and Charley's dad
beat him up pretty severely before kicking him out of the house. We didn't know it at the time, but Jaiden's
mom flew to Florida and confronted our dads in their offices, backing them up
against a wall. She's a petite lady, but
when she got finished biting our dads in their butts, they were crying. Both publicly apologized before five thousand
people. They have been a massive part of
our lives since, and in the lives of our children since they were born."
"Jaiden's mom flew back to Virginia and didn't say anything
to us about what she had done until after our dads told us she tore them a new
one. Then, when we asked her if she had
done that, she admitted she had."
After we moved to Erie to live with Peyton and Jaiden and work
on our Master's degrees in Engineering, we visited her at her home one
weekend. When we arrived at the house,
a strange car was sitting in the driveway, a vehicle Jaiden didn't recognize. So we checked the house, and nobody had broken
in, so we got our stuff in the rooms where we would stay."
"When Mom got home, Dale had prepared dinner for her, so we
sat down and ate together and talked for the longest about anything and
everything that came to mind. After
that, we cleared the table and cleaned up the kitchen and dishes, and then went
to the den to have some more coffee and conversation."
"Mom came back downstairs with a set of keys in her hand and
handed them to Dale and said, "That car sitting in the driveway is for you and
Charley; y'all are going to need a good vehicle to get to school and back home
once the snow hits Erie."
"Mrs. Andrews, Mom bought us a brand new Subaru Forrester
with all-wheel drive. She made us go out
and drive the car around Abingdon and through the mountains with Jaiden and
Peyton."
"We didn't know what to say or how to say anything except
thank you. Mom told us she bought us
that car because we were her boys like Jaiden, and she loved us just as much as
she loved him. That love has never
waivered – ever. It was after that that
she flew to Florida and did what she did."
"Charley, that is an amazing story. Jaiden, I would love to meet your mom; she
sounds like a truly blessed and loving woman."
"She is, Mrs. Andrews. She gives
Charley and Dale a large allowance each month to help them with school and
living expenses. In addition, she
supplements Peyton's and my income until we complete our specialized training
at St. Jude's. She recently said she'll pay
that stipend through our first year of practice in Erie."
When Jaiden had said that to Mrs. Andrews, the doorbell rang
at the garage door. Peter said he
wondered who in the world that could be.
He went to the garage, opened the entry door, and it was Jaiden's mom.
Peter had called her to let her know the grandbabies would be
there for a week with their dads, so she had arranged to take off that week to be
with her sons and their families – and neither she, Peter, nor Leon had said
anything to Jaiden, Peyton, Dale, or Charley.
Peter went back upstairs and said it must have been a bear or
other large animal rubbing up against the doorbell, that he didn't see anyone
outside. That was not true; Jaiden's mom
was putting her luggage in the basement bedroom since the dads would be `camping'
with their children on floor mats in front of the fireplace.
As everyone was talking in the upstairs den, Jaiden's mom
went up the stairs and stood where the children could see her, but the adults
couldn't.
When the babies finally saw her, they yelled "Gamma' and ran
to her. Jaiden jumped up to see who the
children were running to, and when he saw his mom, he shrieked, "Mom, when did
you get here; I didn't know you knew we were coming?"
"I didn't, Jaiden; Peter called and let me know y'all would
be here. So I rearranged my schedule to
be here too. If you want me to, I can go back home." "No, mom, we were going to call and let you
know after we got here; we just didn't know Peter had beaten us to the punch."
"This is really gonna work out. We want to take the children and eat
breakfast at Wellstone on Monday, introduce the children to our friends there,
and then take them to see Tony. We didn't
let him know we were coming, and I hope nobody else did."
"We are going to `camp' with the children in front of the
fireplace downstairs; what room are you going to stay in?" "The bedroom downstairs. I'd say I could camp with y'all, but I am in
my 50s, and camping for me when out of style years ago." "Mom, it may be out of style for you, but we'll
find out for us tonight."
Mr. and Mrs. Andrews, this is my mom, Dr. Peggy Reynolds." "Dr. Reynolds, it is nice to finally meet you;
we've heard so many good things about you."
"Please, it's Peggy, not Dr. Reynolds, and who's been telling
you lies about me? "I'm a stern
taskmaster; ask Jaiden." Mrs. Andrews, Mom
is a tough taskmaster, but she's also a very loving one. I wouldn't be who I am without her."
"Peter, you've never said that about me!" "Yes, I have, Mom; I just haven't said it
where you could hear me say it." "Really,
son?" "Really, Mom; ask Dad." "Dan?"
"He has said that Josie; he didn't want you to hear it because he didn't
want to spoil you."
"By the way, Peggy, please call me Josie. And like you are stern with Jaiden, I am with
Peter, so we should get along fine and boss them around together." "Josie, somehow, I think we are going to get
along just fine." "Oh, heavens no;
please tell me I didn't hear my mom say that, Peyton." "Nope, love, you heard her loud and clear,
and I think It's funny as hell. I'm
going to really enjoy this week."
"I've said for six years, Josie, I have the best son-in-law
in the world." "Mine is pretty good too,
and both of our sons-in-law are so handsome!
Why if I wasn't married...just saying!"
Both of the moms laughed at Josie's comment.
The dads took the children downstairs and put them to bed on
their mats. Then Jaiden, Peyton, Dale,
and Charley went outside to sit on the porch and enjoy the fresh mountain air.
"Jaiden, Josie, and Dan don't remember, but I met them at
Peter's and Leon's wedding in Memphis.
They must be incredibly busy individuals to forget that." "I don't think they are busy, Mom, just
forgetful; Peter has said they tend to be forgetful about things they don't
focus on."
"Peyton, can I ask you to do me a favor?" "What is that, Mom?" "Nah, never mind. You and Jaiden are sleeping
in the room with the children, so I can't ask you to do what I am thinking." "Sure you can, Mom; we'll just `sleep' in the
bedroom, and you can sleep on the floor with the children."
"Get that idea out of your head, Peyton; that ain't gonna
happen today, tomorrow, or the day after – even if you get blue balls!"
When Jaiden's mom commented about blue balls, Charley lost
it, and you could see the gears start turning in his head.
"Jaiden." "What,
Charley?" "What is a willy that has gone
nilly because it can't be silly with the fellow holding it dearly?"
"Charley, it's a limp dick with no hope of being more than a
prick!"
"Charley." "Yes,
Peyton." "As I said before, you aren't
going to beat Jaiden at rhymes, so give it up; you're only going to frustrate
yourself."
****