Date: Sun, 29 Nov 2020 23:08:23 -0600 From: Eric Trager Subject: It Is What It Is: Chapter 74 Please don't forget to donate to Nifty if you enjoy reading the stories! Email feedback can be sent to trager2275@gmail.com. © 2015 by Eric Trager. *** Since Yahoo has taken down their groups pretty much, I was thinking of creating a group for the story on Facebook. Would there be any interest in that? Let me know.... Thanks! CHAPTER SEVENTY-FOUR ****TWO YEARS LATER**** Sean closed the book and put down his pen. He considered now that he'd well and truly finished writing the story about "That Fucking Year." He had no more to write. No more to say. In all that time Brad never once pestered Sean about when he was going to finish it, or even asked. Sean was thankful for that. And Sean felt better than he had, too. Brad had proven a superlative husband for Sean. Sean never felt that he had to stretch much, if at all, to make things work with Brad. Brad was to Sean as comfortable as an old pair of shoes. His mischievous sense of humor didn't hurt, either. But tonight was for something else. Tonight was the close of Brett's last day in office as Governor of Wisconsin. Brett would, as he announced a week earlier he would do, address a joint session of the Wisconsin legislature early in the evening, and then address the people of the state on television directly thereafter. Sean and Brad had tickets for the gallery of the Wisconsin Assembly chamber and would watch their old friend give his valedictory. They knew how much he wished to leave office after giving it his all for eight years, but at the same time no matter what Brett said about his desire to get back to a normal life, they knew that he was going out at the top of his game. Brad was in the shower, and Sean had their clothes laid out in advance of the short drive to Madison. Sean selected conservative gray suits with a blue shirt for himself and an olive shirt for Brad to set off their eye coloring. For shoes, he selected classic black Allen Edmonds wingtip brogue Oxford-style shoes. Sean's tie would have splashes of blue and canary yellow while for Brad he selected a darkish ochre solid color tie. As an added flourish, he picked out a pair of custom-made felt fedoras. Arriving in Madison, Brad pulled the Buick Electra into the underground parking garage at the state capitol, presented their VIP invitations to the State Trooper at the gate, parked and made their way in. Both Sean and Brad realized then that they had never been inside the Assembly chamber at the capitol. They'd been inside the Governor's office a few times, and inside the cabinet room where Sean twice and Brad once were asked to come as experts on certain topics, but never had they been in the Assembly chamber. They were floored by the opulence and beauty.* To Sean's eyes, it made the British House of Commons appear rather tatty. "God, Sean, look at this place!" Brad whispered. "I know, huh?" Sean replied. People continued to file in. The cavernous chamber was abuzz with the hum of many people talking at once. Presently, the Speaker of the Assembly assumed the chair and pounded his gavel. "Order! Order!" The Speaker cried out, again pounding his gavel. "Order! The joint session will come to order!" Some seconds passed, perhaps a minute before everyone seated themselves, and the talking ceased. The atmosphere of high political theatre in the chamber was electric. "Order!" The Speaker called out again. "I hereby declare this joint session of the Assembly and Senate open. There is one business item this evening: Statement, the Governor!" That being his permission to take the floor, Brett ascended the dais and strode to the podium directly in front of the Speaker's chair. Unknown to Sean and Brad, beforehand Brett instructed the legislative leadership that there should be no acknowledgement of his entrance whether it be in the form of applause or otherwise. Brett viewed the evening's gathering as a sober event, and he wanted it treated that way. Brett adjusted the microphone, took in the room with a purposeful look, took a sip of water and began. "Thank you, Mr. Speaker. "Mr. Speaker, sir. Assemblymen and Senators. Honored guests. Tonight I shall give a statement in lieu of my usual Question Time. I won't be taking interventions. "This will be the last time I'll address the legislature as Governor. "After I'm finished here I shall have a few words to say from the Governor's office directly to the people of Wisconsin and that will be all. "This is it. "I don't believe in making a career out of positively last goodbyes. "No doubt some of you are quite relieved, maybe even ecstatic, that this will be the last time you'll hear from me. I guess I might say the same in the case of some of you..." At that, the chamber dissolved in laughter and Brett knew he had broken the ice. "Mister Speaker, at midnight tonight in a simple ceremony in the rotunda here in this building the Chief Justice will swear in my successor and Wisconsin will have a new Governor. We felt that we didn't want to wait until tomorrow for the swearing-in and we didn't want to stand on ceremony. The new Governor has the right and the duty to come here to the capitol first thing tomorrow morning and get straight to work with no waste of time. "You all know our new Governor, Janet Carpenter. "For eight years she's been our Lieutenant Governor. She's been the legislative point man of our team. She brings a great deal of experience and common sense to the job, first as a successful small business owner for many years and then as a Senator representing the people of Appleton and the rest of Outagamie County. "The state is in good hands. "Apparently the people of Wisconsin thought so, too. They rewarded her with almost seventy- six percent of the vote at the election, and she'll be coming in with thumping legislative majorities. "She has the makings of a great Governor. And she knows what we all know: that power is a trust. "The State government doesn't own that trust. The people do. And they can take that trust away just as fast as they can give it. "In earning and keeping that trust I've always tried my best to go with my gut and with what my common sense told me was right. "And there was something else important that I learned, too. That's that you don't bow to those out there who've got the loudest voices or the most money. "That's not leadership. That's followership. It shows a lack of backbone. The people expect their Governor to lead and to do so effectively. No matter what. Otherwise what is the point of having a Governor at all... "There are six-and-a-half million people in this state and a Governor has to remember that one works for all of them and has to answer up to all of them... "At any rate I'd like to thank this legislature, each and every one of you, for the work that we got done together. A lot of you will be returning for the next session, but for those who aren't, you can hold your heads high. You did the people's work. No one can ever take that away from you. "This legislature made being Governor that much simpler for me, but far more important than my personal comfort it benefited the people we serve. And if that's not why we're all here then we should go home. "We all know that the legislative coalition we built between the Democrat and Republican parties was only for the last term and it dissolved with this last election. That was expected by everyone and that's just the way it goes. "I think it safe to say, though, that both parties were improved by the coalition by getting rid of a lot of deadwood and as a result understand their obligation to serve more seriously. At least for the moment. "With respect to that, I ask you, no I implore you, going forward as a legislature to work together as we've all done these last four years. You'll feel better about it if you do and you will be more successful, trust me..." Brett went on, closing out his time as Governor with panache. And to a thunderous and sustained standing ovation when he ended. Then he strode across the capitol to the Governor's office to address the entire state on television. Although Brett hated television cameras when the light went green Brett looked straight into the lens. "Good evening. "If you happened to watch my statement to the legislature a few minutes ago then you know that at midnight tonight we'll all have a new Governor. I have every confidence that soon-to-be Governor Carpenter will work as hard to earn your trust as our entire team these past eight years as I've tried to do. After all, she was a big part of that team. "We all wish her well in the task ahead. For all of our sakes. "I spent the day today cleaning out my office. My things are packed and on their way to my home back in Janesville, and I'd like to say to all of you in just the same way as if I were standing on your front stoop talking to you face-to-face that it's been the honor of my life to have served as your Governor. "I can only hope you feel that the trust you placed in me was wisely placed. "Some people have asked me why I didn't run again. They told me that I could have had a third term just for the asking. "Maybe, maybe not... I guess we'll never know, will we... "But after eight years I can honestly say that I didn't think it was best to offer you four more years of the guy who was yesterday's tomorrow. "People get stale after a while. I got done what I set out to do and what I promised you that I would do. I felt no need to cling to power just because I had it. That wouldn't be serving anyone's best interests. It would have been selfish. "The new Governor will be looking at things through a fresh set of eyes. She's chosen a strong cabinet of able people. She's tough, she's got guts, and she'll do her best to carry the state forward. "And in the end that is what we all want, isn't it? To move the ball down the field. "I want everyone to know the most important thing and that is that we couldn't have done any of what we did these last eight years without your help. "None of it. "We can all be proud to be Wisconsinites tonight because when we were met with the most daunting challenges eight years ago, when it was crunch time, when it was time for the tough to get going, we all came together and we did what we all knew deep down inside that we had no choice but to do. "And the hard work of every man and woman in this state paid off. It allowed us to be in a much better position tonight than we were on this night eight years ago. With a budget in surplus, full employment, low debt, low taxes, a haven for business, the honest money to pay for better services, sound investments for the future, and a fund put away for maybe when times might not be so good. That's what it's all about. "And for all of your hard work and stick-to-it-iveness I can only offer you my humble thanks. "The rescue of our state is your victory. You earned it. We weren't just marking time these eight years. We did it. We made a difference. We got it right. All of us together. Together we did what counted. "I've been a citizen politician. Nothing more. I've said since Day One that I never intended to make a career of this job, and believe me, I'm looking forward to returning to private life while I'm still young enough to enjoy it. I think my family is looking forward to that, too. No doubt so are some of the opposition to whom I can only say `be careful what you wish for.' "But... The hour is here now, the curtain has fallen, and it's time for me to get off the stage. That hour comes to all of us at some point... "From the bottom of my heart I thank the people of Wisconsin, and again, it's been the honor of my life to have served you as your Governor. "Good night. And God bless you all." With that, Brett stood, took one last look around the Governor's office, shook hands, said his goodbyes to his cabinet and left. To the Governor-elect Brett handed an envelope and whispered in her ear, "My private phone number is inside, Jan. Don't give it out to anyone but call if you ever think you need to. I'll always be available for you. Good luck!" "Thank you, Brett, and all the best to you," she said with a smile and a tear. "Free at last!" Brett thought. Brett's phone rang and he could see it was his dad. "Hey, dad." "Son..." Herb Dowling said, voice noticeably choked up. "Son, a lot of the guys down the plant been telling me, `He's been a good one!' Your mother and I are proud of you. We'll see you this weekend for dinner." "That you will, dad. And I just want you and mom to know that I did the best I could. That's all I could ever do. And I'd never have been able to do it without you and mom. I really did, dad, I really did my best." "Well, it was a lot fuckin' better than anyone else ever did that I can remember," Herb said, voice still choked. "You did it, son. You fuckin' did it..." "Thanks, I love you, dad. I gotta go now..." Brett exited the office and met up with Sean and Brad who were waiting outside. "We'll take you back to Janesville now, Mr. Governor," Brad said. Brett laughed. "I feel like a human being again..." "Well, Tim and the boys are waiting at the Alamo!" Sean said. Once they got to the Buick, Brett piled in the back. "There's a thermos back there with the ginger martini cocktail in it. Pour yourself a cup of kindness," Brad said. "You deserve it." "I'm free!" Brett laughed. "I'm fucking free!" "Your time is your own now," Sean said queuing up Pink Floyd's classic song "Time." https://youtu.be/-EzURpTF5c8 "You did a helluva job as Governor," Sean continued over the music, offering Brett a hash oil pen hit which he gladly took. "One helluva fuckin' job, man..." "I did what I hadda do. What anyone woulda done. There was never any magic. I never promised any. But, yeah, I `fulfilled my mission' as Tim would say," Brett exhaled in a cloud feeling a warm buzz in his head. "I know I did. And I'm glad it's over. And thanks for writing those two speeches for me, Wymo. No one gets the words down like you do..." "Well, we're goin' back to the Alamo," Brad said. "We're gonna have a few drinks `n' shit `n' have a little fun. You never got to have too much fun bein' Governor..." "'Tis true!" Sean smirked. "So, let's have fun, then..." Brad smiled. "Who's gonna fuck who..." "We'll figure that out later..." Brett giggled. "I'm done, guys..." Unbeknownst to Brett, or anyone else, at that same hour The Milwaukee Journal was going to press with an article to appear in the next day's morning edition on the front page right below the masthead. It would read as follows: "THE GOVERNOR BOWS OUT IN STYLE "At the stroke of midnight last night an era in Wisconsin politics drew to a close and Wisconsin bid good-bye and Godspeed to former Governor Brett Dowling. "It is no secret that over his eight year watch this newspaper, which is a Progressive newspaper, has had sometimes sharp differences with the Governor. Those differences were mainly on a fairly narrow range of economic policy issues. On the balance of the Governor's record as he leaves office we have to be honest and take our hats off. He came to power during dark days for Wisconsin and he returns to his home and family in Janesville leaving the state in a far better condition than he found it. "No, Governor Dowling was not a Progressive. It's fair to say that more often than not he governed as a fiscal Conservative. Against that has to be weighed that he was the least dogmatic of Governors. Party politics did not mean much to him. In fact, he had a thinly veiled contempt for both parties, and as never having been a politician he had the luxury of owing no favors to anyone. "The upshot was that he took input from everyone. He did his homework. He ran a tight ship. He took decisions easily. And once he took a decision he saw it through. "He was that rarest of rarities in politics: what you saw was what you got. "In the end, especially on equality issues, Governor Dowling proved to be more of a friend in some ways to the Progressive movement than others who have long claimed to be but at the end of the day have nothing to show. Progressives did not come out of the Dowling years empty-handed. "To paraphrase the old Rolling Stones song, you can't always get what you want but you just might get what you need. "In two short addresses last night, one to the legislature and the other to the people of Wisconsin, the Governor took his leave in his simple understated way, and as the happy warrior that he has always been. "Eight years ago Brett Dowling appeared on the horizon as the Republican candidate for Governor. An unknown political neophyte challenging an experienced and wily but ultimately failed two-term sitting Governor. Dowling's candidacy initially seemed odd, maybe even a bit of a throw-away that was doomed to fail. But he campaigned like a pro, he triumphed, and as soon as he assumed office he turned both political parties and the way business was done in Madison on their heads almost without batting an eye. "Four years later, with a good first-term record under his belt and seeking a second term, he had the naïveté, and yes, the chutzpah to think that he could run for re-election as both a Democrat and a Republican. He did, and not only did he pull it off but he did it with an unprecedented 89.8% of the vote. "We shall not see Governor Dowling's like again anytime soon, if ever. "He delivered for Wisconsin what he said he would deliver. He left us better off. And he did it without a hint of scandal. In the end that is the true measure of this Governor's record. While we may differ on policies here and there, in the conduct of his office Governor Dowling provides a clear model for future Governors. "For eight years Governor Dowling has represented Wisconsin with style, grace, and success. We bid him a sincere and honest farewell which is a befitting send-off for a sincere and honest man." Back at the Alamo the party was already in hand. Herb and Marilyn Dowling, George and Peggy Dickson, the twins and Tommy, J.R. and Kathleen, Kevin Dickson and Tory Trager who were no longer living in London but back in Janesville, Scott Branson and Kevin Masterson, Danny and Jim Nolan, Billy Dean and Eric Trager, Tim and Brett's sons George, Andrew and Kevin, and Tommy invited his friend, Aaron Washington, too. Food and drinks were tended to by staff from the Orleans Room. Sean and Brad weren't surprised by the appearance of Aaron Washington. Both Aaron and Tommy were Seniors at Craig this year. Aaron, under Sean's coaching, quarterbacked the Cougars to a Division I State Championship trophy and was being actively recruited by a number of universities. He hadn't made a decision yet, but he was also a good student and his first choice was University of Wisconsin-Madison. That way his mom and dad could come and see him play. He knew that as a Freshman he wouldn't be starting any games as the Badgers had a top-shelf quarterback who would be a Senior this next year, but if he played his cards right and didn't get hurt, he could be starting as a Sophomore. Sean wondered what might happen when Aaron went away to college, so he asked Tommy. Unbeknownst to Tommy though, when they were Sophomores, Tommy had Aaron over to the Alamo after school one day because the twins were going to be away for the night - Tommy had his own bedroom at the Alamo which he used when the twins were out of town or otherwise away. That day Sean got an eyeful that told him the two boys were more than just friends. Tommy asked if he could have Aaron stay over. Of course Sean said yes, after all, Tommy had his own room at the Alamo complete with a King-size bed and a private bathroom. There were no arrangements that Sean and Brad would ask Tommy to make other than to advise Aaron to bring fresh clothes for the morning. When Sean went to invite them down for dinner he got a different view of the two boys' friendship. They were both nude and kneeling on the bed with their arms around each other and they were masturbating. It made a peculiar yet wholesome picture. The tall, athletic, winsome black boy jerking his huge cock as the much smaller and punier mousy-haired white boy did the same to his cock which was just as large and thick as the black boy's was. "I want to put my cock inside you. In... In your asshole," Tommy said. "You wanna fuck me?" Aaron asked, somewhat abashed. "Yeah. You want me to?" "Yeah. I wanted that for a while now... And then I wanna fuck you..." "OK... Suck my cock a little..." "OK... You... I mean... You wanna suck mine, too?" "Sure..." The two boys got in a crude 69 position but seemed to quickly master the concept. Sean left and went back downstairs laughing a little to himself and shaking his head. "Young love," Sean thought. He wasn't a bit surprised at Tommy being gay, but at Aaron he was. Sean had no plans to tell the twins of what he saw. He needn't have thought about it. They already knew. Police Chief Washington and his wife were well aware of the nature of their son's relationship with Tommy, too. The boys had gone together to each set of parents to tell them. Luckily, their parents were, while not telling the two boys that they suspected for a while, accepting and letting them know that they were fine with it. Chief Washington, when he had an alone moment with Aaron, asked his son point-blank, "Are you with him because he's from a rich white family?" "Dad... No. It's not because he's a rich white guy. He's not rich anyway. His dads and his grandpa might be but he's not. And I won't ever hurt him, either. No, he's not one of my built jock friends but we've always been in a few of the same classes here and there and he was my lab partner in freshman chemistry so that's how we got to know each other. We were paired up alphabetically. Washington and Wyman. I know Tommy's adopted. I know his last name was Lascelles before. I know about his past. He told me. Prolly told me shit that even you don't know... He said I'd find out anyway... What he went through was a million times more than I ever put up with in practice when Coach ran us ragged. I love him, dad..." "Yes. Yes it was a lot, son... What Tommy had to put up with... Even if I don't know all of it, I know enough. You need to know that he might not always respond to friendship or affection the same way someone who didn't go through all that shit would. Have you thought about that?" "We're good, dad. I went to Tommy's last three therapy sessions with him." "OK, but I'm your dad and I'm just asking..." "I know..." At pretty much the same time Joey and Lennie questioned Tommy about Aaron. "Dads! He's nice to me! I took him to some of my shrink sessions! He said he'd go if I wanted him to... He's always been nice to me! I mean, well, I'm not really an innocent child, we all know that from my past, but I know a set-up when I see one and I knew the first time Aaron invited me to his house and made food for me and showed me his room and shit and talked to me like I was a real person and when he asked me if I felt comfortable with him... I mean, I knew what he meant and shit. So, that time we kissed and then we jacked off. He liked it more than I did. I mean, I liked it for sure, but he was really into it. I mean, what am I supposed to say? I love him and I think it's OK for me to love. That's hard for me you know..." "Well, alright..." the twins said in unison which annoyed Tommy almost as much as it annoyed Brad. Lennie shot Joey side-eyes letting him know not to speak. "We're just being dads is all, Thomas." "That's all..." Joey added. "So... What if Aaron's over and we, I mean, you know... Like if we wanna get off and shit..." "We'd prefer not to have your sperm lying around all over the place... And probably not to hear you, either..." Lennie smiled. Joey nodded. "Just wash your own sheets..." Tommy beamed. "You guys are the best dads ever!" "Just wash your sheets," Lennie echoed his brother. "You can look up how to do that." "Do you get teased at school for being gay?" Joey asked with Lennie looking on intently. "I used to. I mean maybe a little bit when I was a sophomore, and stuff... Not anymore, though. No one teases Aaron and a lot of people know we're boyfriends. All the guys on the football team are nice to me... They don't care... So, I guess no, no I don't get teased." Joey and Lennie looked at each other and shrugged. "Does grandpa know? I mean about you and Aaron" Joey asked. "I never thought about that... I mean, he might but maybe he might not. I dunno..." Tommy said. "Why? Is he gonna be mad at me?" "I doubt it," the twins again said in unison to which all three of them broke up laughing. "OK, so are we DONE now?" Tommy asked, rolling his eyes. "I think so," Lennie said. "Just wash your sheets..." Joey winked. Tommy scurried off leaving Joey and Lennie to look at each other and laugh. "He's a good kid," Joey said. "Maybe not a kid anymore," Lennie answered. "Shall we go to bed?" "After you, twin..." A little while after those revelations to the Washingtons and the Wymans there was a vacation, with Sean and Brad taking T.J., Ann Marie, Tommy, and Aaron to O'Hare Field in Chicago to board a private flight for London Heathrow a mere seven miles from their ultimate destination, Windsor Castle, where T.J. was to be knighted by King William. T.J. and Ann Marie decided to leave their two boys, A.J. and D.J. (Dylan Jamison) with Sean and Brad while they were gone to England as they judged them to be too young to appreciate a trip where they would meet the King of England. The invitation from Buckingham Palace was for T.J., Ann Marie and "up to two other family members." They decided to ask Joey and Lennie if they could take Tommy with them and to ask Tommy if he wanted to go if he thought Aaron might want to go, too. They were now both eighteen years old and would appreciate the meaning. So, from Boston they called Tommy back in Janesville and told him they needed to talk to both him and Aaron on speakerphone. "We'll fly back to Janesville, pick up the boys there and leave from O'Hare," T.J. said. "This'll be the trip of a lifetime for them." Both boys were ecstatic at the invitation, and it was arranged that they would both not only get a week off from school but receive credit for their absence with the proviso that they gave a presentation to the entire student body in assembly about their trip to England once they were back. "Woll... Does this mean we like, you know, we like we get to meet the King?" Tommy asked. "Yes, Tommy," T.J. said. "You will get to meet King William." "Fuuuuuuuuck!" Aaron said. "And we get to stay in a real castle, too?" "The invitation says we'll be the King's guests at Windsor Castle." "Where's that?" "It's west of London a little bit and there's a huge park around it that goes for miles." "But we get to meet the King, right?" Tommy asked again. "Yes, Doubting Thomas," Ann Marie said. "You'll meet the King." "What are we supposed to call him? Mr. King?" Aaron asked. "Well, no," T'J. said. "From what I understand someone will introduce you, you bow from the neck, then you approach the King and bow from the neck again when you're about three feet away. You wait for him to extend his hand and then you extend yours to shake his and you say, `Your Majesty.'" "That sounds easy enough," Aaron said. "Kind of ridiculous, but easy enough." "Well, yes, it is kinda ridiculous, but when in Rome... Plus no one else you'll ever meet in your whole life is prolly ever gonna be able to say they met and shook hands with the King of England." T.J. said. "And we get to have dinner with them and everything?" Tommy asked. "Yes, we do," T.J. continued. "And I'll find out how we're expected to dress. I hear the King is a stickler for proper dress. Don't worry, it won't be weird, but trust me it ain't gonna be blue jeans and a sweater, either. I'll find out and we'll send you guys to the tailor and make sure what he does for you is proper. In fact, I better go, too." "What about me?" Ann Marie said. "I asked about that, too, and you just make sure you get to a dressmaker who can fix you up, and with a hat, too." "I don't want one of those weird hats that the British royal women wear... They're bizarre! They look like they stick dinner plates with antennas on the side of their heads!" "Then ask them to fix you up with a hat that the Old Queen or her mother would have worn," T.J. said. "They were classic. Look through some pics and see if there's something you might like. I think you'd need at least four dresses, though. Two casual, two formal, and all the extras. If it's more than that, it's OK..." The reason for the knighthood was that the Royal Navy was launching a new class of three aircraft carriers and T.J.'s company had made possible a lot of the capabilities not only of the new British carriers but also their new defending escort ships. For his service to the Royal Navy, T.J. was invited by King William upon the advice of the Prime Minister to be knighted as an Honorary Member of the Order of the British Empire, although as an American T.J. would not be entitled to style himself "Sir" but would be entitled to use the post-nominal letters "MBE." Unlike his two elder brothers, T.J. accepted the knighthood. He viewed it as instant value to his company. The invitation to the investiture included accommodation for two nights at Windsor Castle and dinner with King William, Queen Catherine, and others among whom would be George, the Prince of Wales and his wife, the Minister of Defense, and the First Sea Lord. HMS Invincible, the lead ship of the new aircraft carrier class, had just launched and was undergoing her sea trials prior to commissioning. Her two soon-to-follow sisters, HMS Victorious and HMS Ark Royal, were both fitting out on the slipways of the Rosyth Dockyard on the River Forth in Scotland. The Invincibles were, on the face of it, materially smaller ships at 40,000 tons than the preceding 65,000-ton Queen Elizabeth-class. But due to the automation that T.J.'s company provided enabling the new Invincible-class to embark unmanned aircraft – the new Spitfire air superiority fighter and Harrier general purpose fighter/ground attack airplane – in which the development of T.J.'s company was also instrumental. The new ships were materially more capable than the Queens. Since they didn't need anywhere near the accommodations for ship's crew or air wing crew, given the saving of requirements to run the ships and the aircraft, the Invincible-class could therefore embark more aircraft, more aircraft fuel, and more, and more varied, munitions than the larger but older still-in-service Queen Elizabeth-class. And with their new hybrid nuclear/hydrogen propulsion design the Invincibles could steam almost indefinitely at 32 knots without regard to any refueling need. Even the United States Navy, still relying on their behemoth but now ageing Nimitz and Ford- class carriers, did not yet have carriers that sophisticated or that efficient. There was some talk as well that the Invincible-class were capable of embarking nuclear weapons when they put to sea. No one would say. All the Royal Navy would say was that they never commented on the specific capabilities of any of His Majesty's ships. The new carriers were also better defended than the Queen Elizabeths, too. The Queens required two of the in-their-day state-of-the art Daring-class Destroyers for sure protection. The Invincibles required, for even better protection, only one of the new Devastation-class Cruisers of which there were eight: His Majesty's Ships Devastation, Agamemnon, Warrior, Thunderer, Black Prince, Warspite, Bellerophon, and Hood. T.J.'s company had made major contributions to the Devastation-class as well. The Devastation-class were far larger at 12,500 tons than their immediate predecessors, the 8,500-ton Falkland-class Destroyers which were merely a slightly updated design based on the preceding Daring-class. The Devastations carried every missile in the Royal Navy's arsenal whether anti-air, anti-ship, or land attack. They also had every electronic warfare system, and multiple second-generation rail guns. Too large and too capable to be classed as Destroyers they were upgraded in rating to Cruisers. No other Navy possessed such a ship in terms of firepower-per-ton and, in fact, the United States Navy was in negotiations to purchase four of the class from British shipyards and license the production of a further eight of the class in American yards. It was financially a win-win for the British. The eventual twelve American Devastations, as American Cruisers were typically named after cities or famous battles, would be known as the Milwaukee-class and include United States Ships Milwaukee, Miami, San Diego, Saint Louis, New Orleans, New York, Iwo Jima, Leyte Gulf, Coral Sea, Valley Forge, Lexington, and Yorktown. In addition to being a boon for British ship production, T.J. provided the funds to set up a research campus in Nottingham, an easy central location from which to attract talent from major cities and research schools throughout the UK. In addition, there was an exchange program set up with American researchers. T.J.'s only proviso in providing the seed money for the Nottingham project was that any patents resulting from his company's efforts would be the property of his company and covered by patent law applying equally in both the United States and the United Kingdom and that any dispute of patent rights would be adjudicated by a court consisting of, on the British side, the two most senior British Law Lords and, on the American side, the Chief Justice and the senior Associate Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Having landed at Heathrow airport in London, a chauffeur of the King's household was there to pick them up and deliver them to Windsor Castle. The car was a 1990 Daimler DS420 Limousine**. It was black in color. T.J. immediately identified the car's color-coat as being of lacquer, not paint, and it appeared to have been waxed and buffed to perfection so much so that when approaching the car, the lacquer appeared to be inches deep. Both front doors bore the crest of an Admiral of the Royal Navy. They were surprised that the rear of the car was closed off from the front by means of a glass barrier, and that both full-width seats, one facing forward and the other facing back, were upholstered in a sturdy yet rather plain mohair instead of leather. The inside of the car reeked of British craftsmanship, of timelessness, and of things that are built to last. The car glided silently away from the Heathrow terminals as if borne on a cushion of air. The chauffeur's route did not follow the M4 freeway route in the direction of Windsor but took back roads through the little villages of Horton and Datchet. When the chauffeur inquired on the speaker phone whether his speed of driving was comfortable for his passengers T.J. responded in a deadpan British style that the speed was "quite adequate." When at last Windsor Castle came into view Tommy and Aaron simultaneously gasped "Shiiiiiiiiiit..." "Well, you two, you didn't know what it was gonna look like?" Ann Marie asked. "You didn't look it up?" "I guess we were just so psyched that we didn't think of it," Aaron said. "OK, when we pull up we wait for the Footman or whatever they call it to open the door. Then we get out. We'll probably be greeted by the Butler, but almost certainly not the King." They were in for a surprise. As T.J. said, when they arrived at Windsor Castle a Footman did indeed open the door and offered each one of them a white-gloved hand on the way out. Outside the door of the car was a line of what looked to be about six of the Windsor Castle Guards complete in tall bearskin hats. A few seconds later a massive door of the castle opened onto the castle quadrangle. The guards snapped to attention with swords at present arms position. Out strode King William himself. He paused to salute his guards, a practice that he began as British Sovereigns before him did not salute their guards informally. William thought they deserved it. The guards saluted back and snapped back to their previous position. One of the guards barked out in classic British military tones, "HIIIIIIIS MAJESSSSSSSTY THEEEEEEE KING!" Some people said of King William that, although he was a far more diligent Sovereign than King Edward VII***, he had the same sense of pomp and style that his ancestor had. William's was not a stuffy reign by any means, but he gave his country not only competent Kingship but also, perhaps inherited from his mother as well as Edward VII, he gave them the showmanship that went with the job and that the public wanted. Nevertheless, here they were confronted without warning upon their arrival with the person of the King of England. It was Tommy, surprisingly, who mouthed to the others, "We know how to meet him. He's just a guy." The Captain of the guards then moved to just in front of them, faced the King and barked out, "Mr. and Mrs. Timothy James Wyman, Mister Thomas Wyman and Mister Aaron Washington, Sir!" The four visitors stood facing the King. T.J. took that to be their cue and approached first. He bowed from the neck. He greeted the King by saying "Your Majesty." "Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Wyman," King William said, reaching out to shake T.J.'s hand. "You as well, Your Majesty," T.J. responded not knowing what to say. "We're honored by your invitation, and to be here, Sir." "No, you honor me, Mr. Wyman. Thank you for coming and for your service to the Royal Navy. My footmen will show you to your quarters and take care of your luggage. You must be tired after such a long trip. There are showers, baths, and refreshments available to you in your rooms. And of course you can have a nap if you like." King William then moved to Ann Marie. "Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Wyman. Thank you for coming." "Thank you, Your Majesty. We're very happy to be here." "I asked the Queen herself to see to it that you are comfortable." "Thank you, Sir. I'm very sure that we will be. I hope Her Majesty didn't go to any fuss." King William nodded and smiled his signature toothy smile. Moving on Tommy and Aaron, King William said, "Pleasure to meet you, young men! If you decide that you don't need a nap I've arranged for my grandson, Prince Philip, to show you around Windsor Great Park. He's a bit younger than you fellows, but he can drive around the Park." "Wow, that would be awesome!" Tommy exclaimed. He then turned beet red. "I mean, that would be awesome, Your Majesty! I mean Sir!" "Quite," the King chuckled with a merry smile. "And you, Mr. Washington. Proud name that! You wear it well, young man!" "Thank you, Sir," Aaron smiled. And that's how it turned out. T.J. and Ann Marie had baths, a fuck which resulted nine months later in the delivery of their third son, M.J. (Michael John), and a nap. Tommy and Aaron showered, changed, and took advantage of the offer to be shown around by Prince Philip who proved to be an engaging tour guide: tall, blonde, handsome and the spitting image of his grandfather, the King. Philip proved to be anything but the stuffy stereotype of British royalty. "My granddad give you the treatment, did he?" Philip asked with an arched eyebrow once they were away from the castle and down the road in one of the King's Land Rovers. "I thought he was nice," Tommy said. "Hey, are we supposed to call you `Your Majesty,' too?" Philp guffawed. "Piss off! Only my granddad and grandmama are majesties. I'm just Philip. Yeah, I guess I'm Prince Philip but I'm not gonna be King for a bloody long time, so just Philip is fine... It'd be "Your Royal Highness" anyway which is bollocks... It's just sweet to have a couple of American guys around so I don't have to listen to any of that shite. Of course, I never said that," Philip said with a sly grin. "Fancy a beer do ya?" "You... You have BEER?!" Aaron asked, startled. "There's a cooler in the back, mates! Help yourself! There's Coke in there if you'd rather that..." "I'll have a beer," Tommy said. Aaron got out two beers. For the next two hours the three young men enjoyed each other's company. Tommy and Aaron were surprised at how Philip knew everything about every building they saw, or stopped to go in. At that point, Philip suggested that they head back to Windsor. "Better head back, boys. We'll need to dress for dinner and granddad's ALWAYS on time. Can't be late or I'll get a tongue lashing. I guess when he was young his gran, the old Queen, kept him up to scratch and so he thinks he has to do that with me. It's OK, though. He teaches me and my dad a lot about what we're gonna have to deal with once it's our turn. Better than not knowing..." "Is... Is it a hard job?" Tommy asked. "Well, I'd say it takes effort to do it right," Philip answered. "My granddad works at it just as many hours as anyone else works at their job. But, you see, we have no real power anyway. The government has the power, but the government? The government is in my granddad's name and he's expected to know what they're doing at all times, hold them to account, and all that. He gets all of their papers every day and he has to let them know that he's seen them or if he needs more information. We have to do our jobs and give the country value for their money. And maybe there might be a time when one has to step in if one has a duty to. We have to do it right because at the end of the day the idea is that there's someone higher on the food chain than a politician. I guess that's what the country wants. And our constitution isn't written like yours is, so we have to do this fine dance. Not too little, not too much, and we have to know everything that the politicians rather we didn't know. So, that's gonna be my life, lads..." "It sounds, well, it sounds scary, dude..." Aaron said. "I suppose..." Philip replied. "But it's also the luck of the draw. For better or worse someday the Crown's gonna land on my head and even if I wanted to I can't get out of it so I have to make the best of it...." "Um, how old are you?" Tommy asked. "Almost sixteen," Philip answered. "Next week." "Wow! And you can drive and hand out beers and shit?" "Well, I can drive around the Park here as it's Crown lands but I can't go out onto public roads yet, and even then I can't do anything stupid around here and call attention to myself. But it was my assignment today to be your tour guide. Did I do alright?" "Alright?!" Aaron exclaimed. "You're the fuckin' balls, dude..." "Fucking excellent..." Tommy echoed. "Well, that's good because I have a surprise for you guys." "What's that?" "Tomorrow, when they hold the investitures granddad arranged a car for me to pick you guys up and take you guys into London. To Buckingham Palace. You'll be getting the REAL tour of Buckingham Palace. Not what the public sees, but what I want you to see. All of it. It won't be anyone but the three of us." "NO SHIT???!!!" Tommy and Aaron said, shocked. "No shit, lads!" Philip said. "They told me I had to choose a lunch for us, too, so I said to make fish and chips. And we'll have brown ale to wash it down." "You thought of all that?" Aaron asked. "Well, I asked for the fish and chips, but it was granddad's idea for me to take you through Buck House..." "I wanna sit on the Throne," Tommy said. "We better remember to thank the King," Tommy said. "We will," Aaron answered. "You'll sit on the fucking Throne as long as you tell my granddad that I'm not the little snot he thinks I am sometimes," Philip laughed. "What about your dad?" Tommy asked. "Well, my dad's gonna be King next. Right now, he's in the Navy. That was his career after school. He's a Captain. His ship is HMS Ajax.**** They said that the Prince of Wales shouldn't be putting himself in harm's way like that being a ship's Captain, commanding a warship and all that nonsense, but my dad said `bollocks' that it was his career and besides he has an heir, me. It's what he wants to do, and that was that. Granddad could have overruled him, but he didn't. Dad wanted to serve and granddad said, "Go serve then." His command will end in a couple years and then he'll be a desk guy anyway, maybe an Admiral, so ...." "It's gonna be cool to meet your dad," Aaron said. "Yeah," Tommy echoed. "He's pretty cool..." Philip said. "So, where you guys gonna be after you leave Windsor?" "Well..." Tommy said. "My family has a place in Chelsea... It's on Flood Street." "Can I come for a visit? For a little while?" Philip asked. "Um, sure... I mean I don't see why not... But why would you want to?" Tommy said. "To feel normal," Philip replied. "I'll show up in normal clothes, and I have a bit of a disguise, and we can go and roam around. It's fine. I've done it before. Granddad and dad say if I can safely do that I should. I need to get the pulse of the people because one day I'll be their King and as granddad would say, "You don't want to be stumbling around like a bleeding idiot not knowing how people might think of what you do or don't do." And I guess I get that, I can see that..." "How will you get to Flood Street?" Aaron asked. "I'll be dropped off. In a car that looks like any other plain car except it's not. It's secured and the driver is MI5." "OK, I guess..." Tommy said. "We'd love you to come! I mean, you're a blast and you've shown us so much!" "I know your time is limited so we'll hit just the best spots when I come to Flood Street. I can stay over, right?" "I think so," Tommy said. "I better call my grandpa back in Janesville and make sure we have security. I mean, even if everything worked out and we weren't secure we don't want to get in trouble and you said yourself that you have to keep a low profile sometimes, so..." "'Salright mates," Philip said. "I'll be fine. MI5 always works it out and I can't be arsed to ask `em how they do it. Best I don't know anyway..." The remainder of the stay in England proved to be a great success for everyone. Deals were made on the part of British defense contractors, T.J.'s company, and even in their absence on the parts of Joey and Lennie. Prince Philip got something out of the process, too, by getting his father and his grandfather, King William, to agree he could make a visit to the United States once his school year was up. The King, during an after-dinner conversation with T.J. intimated that he wanted to speak with Joey and Lennie in the nearest future. The King went on to tell T.J. that an unpublicized small exploratory bore disguised as a well had revealed the presence of gas, and possibly oil under the grounds of the King's Balmoral estate in Scotland. The King asked T.J.'s opinion hoping to get some ideas about how to handle the potential new wealth. He wanted to get it settled before his courtiers and government ministers, whom he regarded as amateurs, started whispering in his ears. William felt that as an American, T.J. would give it to him straight and not be bothered about how the British class system operated when it came to Royals. "OK, well, lemme get this straight, Sir," T.J. said. "If there's gas and oil, it's on the Balmoral property?" "Oh, there's a lot of gas alright, and probably a fair amount of oil, too. We just don't know how much. The drillers are sworn to secrecy and we won't have more until another set of analyses comes back to give us a good idea of how much." "Who are the drillers if you don't mind me asking?" "I'll tell you because I know that you already know them. It's a company called Sayeth." "I know them," T.J. laughed. "Anyway, I guess the biggest question right now is, if I remember right, you own Balmoral yourself. Not in right of the crown, but you own it personally - yourself - right?" "That's right." "Then for now I don't see why you have to tell anyone. It's none of their business." "Yes, but at some point I need to be ready and have a game plan for when I'd like to exploit it. I would mean to invest the money I got for the future, and also fund some repairs on some of the palaces that have got a bit tatty... Buckingham Palace in particular. Most of the inside looks like a French whorehouse from a hundred and fifty years ago... It should be elegant but it's mostly jarring..." "Very well, here's how I see it: you hire an Attorney, and I know just the guy, to take whatever time they need to go over British and Scottish environmental laws and regs to see whatcha gotta do and what you can do. Then you hire an engineering firm, which you already did, and have them get with the Attorney and work up a few plans about how to actually do it. Of course, at some point you'll have to deal with your government over it and you know they'll want to stick their nose in, and they'll want their cut. Let's face it, Your Majesty, you're an easy target for that kind of shit. You gotta be ready." "Quite. That kind of shit. Anyway, I'd only begin exploitation if I had a business-friendly government but, as you so colorfully say, I have to be prepared to begin. When the time is right. As you may know I have a Conservative administration right now but there's going to be an election probably next year and they've only got a 17-seat majority. If they should lose, then, well, I guess we'd have to see what the lay of the land is at that point... Whether I get a real Pinko or a Tory***** in drag... "At any rate, it might interest you to know that I enjoy reading history, and where better to read it than here at Windsor... I can go to the Royal Archive and have access to anything I want. In fact, I've got a key. And I don't have to ask anybody. Anyway, I'm well aware of the, shall we say, interesting conversations that my grandmother Elizabeth II and my great-grandfather George VI had with their Ministers about finances. I've read all of their correspondence on those matters that I could find. "I didn't bother with anything from my father's time. His reign was so short, and I'm sorry to say it but he was never a popular King. I loved my dad, he was a great dad, but as King he just didn't have it. If he'd have ever got into it with his government about finances they'd have flayed him. So it's just as well. "As far as my grandmother and great-grandfather went, they were cautious and, from what I can tell, not as expertly advised as they should have been. They never got out in front of the curve. They reacted. I intend to act and to have a good plan. "Anyway, different governments have different policies and being bloody politicians, they bend it whichever way they think they need to win elections. But I think as long as I mind the environmental rules and pay the prevailing tax rate on any income realized that frankly that's all they have the right to expect. "After all, it's my property and just because I'm the King doesn't change my property rights... And I am not an unpopular King. I've seen to that." "That's absolutely correct, Sir," T.J. said. "At least about your land rights. I would sure think so, anyway. I mean, I'm not really up on your history and politics so I can't speak to that, but this is a business matter and you're handling it like a business matter. And I think that starting to plan now, so that you're ready, goes where it should go. Plus, there's always wisdom in not letting politicians know everything. I mean, let's say you tell the Prime Minister or somebody else... They're just going to blab it all over the place. Who else knows?." "Just the Queen. Loose lips sink ships," the King laughed. "My grandfather says that. He's right," T.J. answered. "Yes, and for the taxes and investments afterward I'll want your brothers' advice, Joseph and Leonard." "I'll only let them know you'd `mentioned' them," T.J. said. "Yes. Loose lips," the King replied, reaching for a decanter and looking at T.J.," Brandy and a cigar?" "Thank you, Sir," T.J. replied. At the same time, Prince Philip with able assists from Tommy and Aaron secured his father, the Prince of Wales', permission to schedule an incognito trip to the United States. He would ostensibly be Sean and Brad's guest at the Alamo as it had better security than anywhere else, and he would also be Sean and Brad's guest at Glen Muick Lodge. The length of the trip would be ten days. Sean and Brad would arrange the flight on a private aircraft and Philip would be accompanied by an agent from MI5 who had instructions to verify and keep security and not to bother Philip when he was on his trip almost no matter what. As their time in England came to an end, the trip was a great success for the family. And a success for the young Prince Philip who one day would be King. Two days later after all the kids were back with their parents, Tim swung around to the driveway of the Alamo. He let himself in and yelled for Sean. Sean came bounding down the stairs with a duffle bag over his shoulder. "Ready, Dix!" Sean smiled. "Yep. It's gonna be two-and-a-half hours anyway but we're gonna." "I made us sandwiches and brewed up some iced tea..." "Did Brad `flavor' it?" Tim asked, alluding to Brad's well-known ability to infuse drinks with tetrahydrocannabinol. "I believe he did..." Sean deadpanned. "Let's roll," Tim said. "I got a rental car. We'll leave it there and come back together. I got us a campground spot on Lake Winnebago for overnight. It'll be fun." "It better be," Sean winked. They were on their way to Manitowoc, Wisconsin. A city of about 40,000 people on the shore of Lake Michigan with a long history of shipbuilding. Tim and Brett had commissioned one of the local shipbuilding and aluminum companies to take in hand an International Loadstar 1654 straight truck chassis and convert it into a mobile home. Tim and Brett rejected the usual conversions that were based on light-duty van or truck chassis. They opted instead for a custom-built motorhome having as its power a 466 cubic inch (7.6 liter) that was a derivative of one of the most famous truck engines of all time, the International DT466, coupled to a ten-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and the obligatory electric generator and motors at all four wheels. Once on the road, Tim turned to Sean. "I haven't read your journal yet, man... I'm gonna read it, but as soon as we pick up the motorhome and get back me and Brett are gonna be off on a long road trip and I'll read it then. We'll prolly be gone for at least a month, who knows... We decided we're gonna go wherever we think of going. Just drive and see where we end up... Anyway, I think I need to read it when we're not near each other. I think I know what it's gonna say..." "The journal says what it says, bro... It was cathartic, the whole writing it deal. Yeah. It was. The whole deal... Brad. The writing. Everything. You're my best friend, Dix. Even though we lost touch for a few years. I... Man... Well, you read it and then you tell me..." "That's what I'm gonna do, man..." Tim said. "You have a copy and Brad has a copy. That's all. Brad won't read it until you do. That's what he told me." "I'll read it when we're on the road. We're gonna have fun tonight, you and me..." Tim said. END CHAPTER SEVENTY-FOUR *Wisconsin Assembly Chamber: https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/madison.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/22/e2272f2a-6f1a-11df-9ca3-001cc4c002e0/e2272f2a-6f1a-11df-9ca3- 001cc4c002e0.image.jpg ** https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/Daimler_DS420_Limousine_rear.jpg ***Edward VII. Son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Prince of Wales 1841-1901. King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and Emperor of India 1901-1910. ****Fictitiously, HMS Ajax is a Theseus-class Frigate of which there were six ships in the class: His Majesty's Ships Theseus, Antrim, Glamorgan, Lankashire, Dorsetshire, and Ajax. Fictitiously, the Theseus-class is 7,000 tons in displacement with a maximum speed of 32.5 knots and carries modern electronics, missiles, and a first-generation rail gun. Frigates are generally smaller and less capable than a Destroyer, but at that point in the future such a Frigate would be intended as an all-purpose combatant just short of equal size to and having a bit greater capabilities than the US Navy Arleigh Burke-class Destroyers or Royal Navy Daring-class Destroyers current at the time of this writing and today would probably be classed as a Destroyer. *****Tory: a nickname for the British Conservative Party.