A Thousand Rainbows

Welcome back! The whole family is gathered together for a family portrait, and a dark secret will soon come to light.

This story deals with adult themes, primarily same-gender sexual relations. Such relations have their basis in love and commitment, rather than sex for the sake of sex alone. In some cases they will use protection; at other times they will not. You and I should always use protection because we do not live in the world of fiction.

If you are offended the idea of homosexuality or if you are under the age of consent or if you reside in an area where such things are considered illegal or immoral, then you should seek entertainment elsewhere.

Comments may be directed to the author at thornado5@netscape.net

This story is copyright 2004 by Mike Williams. All rights reserved. Thou shalt not steal.

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A Thousand Rainbows by Mike Williams

• 27 -

"Well, young man, you certainly are the spittin' image of your mother. I see you inherited her beautiful long hair."

"That's what everyone tells me," Todd said. "I wish I could have known her."

Hannah and Todd Becker were getting know each other in lobby of the Connor-Larkin photo studio in Bridgewater. It was the first meeting between the boy and the 93-year-old Becker matriarch.

"She was quite a talented artist, you know." Hannah said. "I have one of her paintings hanging in my living room. A bit abstract, not exactly something I would have purchased. But I just couldn't part with it." She paused for a moment. "Still, I think you ended up with a couple of pretty good parents. A growing boy needs a solid family around him."

"Grandma, you promised," Will whispered from his seat on the couch next to her. He knew what she meant by her comment.

Hannah looked askance at her grandson, took the hint, then turned her attention back to Todd. "So, tell me: Are you going to be an artist like Jill?"

"I don't know yet," Todd answered. "I like working at the studio in San Diego, and I really like working with the horses at the stables. If I could figure a way to put the two together, then everything would be perfect."

"So, even at fourteen, you want to be a cowboy," Hannah mused. "In all the years I taught school and all the years since I retired, I don't think I've ever met a boy who didn't want to be a cowboy. You know I used to ride horses too. Of course that was in the days of covered wagons, and we always had to be on the lookout for Indian attacks."

Todd hung her every word. Then he saw the twinkle in her eyes and realized she was telling a bit of a tall tale. He broke into a big smile. "You did not!"

Hannah chuckled. "Well, I wasn't fibbing when I said that I used to ride. That's how I met your great-grandfather. It was ... um, 1921, I think. He was a ranch-hand at the stables, just back from the war in Europe. Of course my parents thought he was much too old for me. But what's a few years difference when you're in love?"

Todd smiled as the old woman continued her story. "Well, he was actually ten years older than I. He had lied about his age so he could get into the army and go fight against the Kaiser's army in France." She paused and turned to her grandson. "Will, would you be a good boy and fetch my purse?"

Will rose from the couch. "Sure thing, Grandma. I'll be right back."

"I still have his picture in my wallet," she continued. Her eyes got a bit misty. "Even though he's been gone 45 years, he was the only man for me."

Will returned with Hannah's purse. "Here you go, Grandma."

"Thank you, dear." And she rummaged through the handbag until she found her wallet. She opened it and flipped through the photos until she came to a yellowed picture of a man in cowboy garb and a young lady in similar dress. She leaned forward and handed the wallet to her great-grandson. "This picture was taken on our wedding day in 1932."

Todd was impressed. "Wow. You were quite a couple."

"Yes," Hannah mused. "In all the time before we married Charles was the perfect gentleman. But we both knew my parents would never accept him. So we eloped. It was quite the romantic thing to do at the time. He was such a hard worker. He worked at the stables from the time he got out of the army, started as a ranch-hand, worked his way up to foreman. Then, after my parents realized that we really loved each other, they made him a small loan, and he bought the stables. I would like to have kept the stables after he died. But I had my own career, teaching school here in Bridgewater. So I sold the stables. But I had them write a lifetime membership into the sales agreement. I still go visit the place every month or so."

"I wish I could have known him," Todd said, handing the wallet back. "We both love horses."

"I think you would have gotten along quite well together, my boy."

Bjorn appeared in the doorway that led to the studio. "We're ready for you guys. Right this way, please."

Will took Hannah by the arm, and they followed Bjorn down the short hall to the room where Brian and Sarah were finishing the setup of the lights and cameras. Brian had also brought the photo of their "college days" family. He and Bjorn were discussing which man was holding which baby at the time the original photo was taken.

"No, I clearly remember," Brian said. "You were holding Josh, and I was holding Jason."

"Trouble in paradise?" Hannah whispered to Will. Her expression was sour.

Will gave his grandmother a disapproving look. "Grandma, please."

"How do you remember so exactly?" Bjorn asked. "It could have been the other way around. Brian, they are identical twins, you know." He nodded to the twins, who were seated under the lights, looking through the photo album. "And they're a little too big for us to be holding them in our arms now."

Brian looked with pride at the two boys, then turned back to his partner, still smiling. "I guess it doesn't matter ... because this is our family, and we're all together. And it'll never be exactly the same as it was."

"Are you alright?" Bjorn asked.

Brian nodded. "Yeah. I love you, Bjorn," he whispered

"Right back at ya." Bjorn smiled at his partner. "By the way, how do you remember that you were holding Jason and I was holding Josh?"

Brian shook his head. "It's silly."

"It's not silly. Tell me. I want to know."

Brian took a deep breath. "Well, there's an A in Brian and an A in Jason. And there's an O in Bjorn and an O in Josh."

Bjorn thought about that for a moment and burst out laughing.

"I told you it was silly," Brian said.

Bjorn turned to the group gathered in the studio. "Okay, let's get this show on the road."

The two photographers assembled the family in order as close to the original as possible: Sarah in the center with Will behind her, Brian and Jason on her right, Bjorn and Josh on her left, and Todd seated on the floor in front of the group, while Hannah looked on from the sidelines. Brian and Bjorn checked the group against the original photo for accuracy. Bjorn thought to ask Todd to remove his cowboy hat, but, upon checking the view through the lens, decided against it, reasoning that it added something to the portrait which was uniquely Todd.

"Will," Bjorn said, "could you tilt your head down just a little, please? We want see your eyes in the picture, not the glare of the lights."

Will lowered his head about a centimeter. "Right there," Bjorn commanded. "Jason, move a little closer to your mother. That's it. Perfect."

He zoomed the lens into his Sarah's eyes and adjusted the focus before zooming out again. Then he did the same with Todd, noticing the color of the boy's eyes. Blue with a trace of dark green, not at all like the light blue of his late mother. With the timer set, Bjorn took his own place. The timer chirped, and the image was committed to film.

After a few shots of the formal pose Bjorn arranged a few informal and candid poses. Brian brought out a second camera and took the first to the darkroom to begin processing the pictures. The twins shucked their formal blazers and helped arrange the studio furniture according to Bjorn's directions.

Bjorn arranged portraits of Will, Todd and Sarah ... then Will and Sarah ... then each of the parents with Todd ... then Todd alone. Bjorn was impressed at how comfortable the boy seemed to be in front of the camera; in fact, the entire family was right at home on the other side of the lens. Finally, it was time to bring Hannah on to the set; she had been waiting quietly on a settee, reading a magazine, out from under the glare of the lights.

Bjorn skillfully arranged each person into place, taking pictures of all four of the Beckers ... then Will with his grandmother ... then Sarah and Hannah. For all her attitude toward gays he silently marveled how well Hannah was behaving herself. He hoped her civility would last through the afternoon. The final sitting would be of Todd and his great-grandmother. For this pose Bjorn had decided on a "cheek to cheek" view. Todd stood behind Hannah with his arms around her neck.

Again he zoomed in on the eyes of his subject to make the focus as sharp as possible; this time Hannah's eyes provided the focal point. Then he zoomed out and zoomed in on Todd's eyes. Bjorn stopped and zoomed out again, thinking he had forgotten to redirect the lens to Todd's eyes.

He hadn't forgotten.

He zoomed in on Hannah again.

The blue with a trace of dark green was undeniably there in each person. Such a rare color, he thought to himself. He pulled the lens back, but the smile was gone from his face, replaced by a look of confusion.

"Something wrong with the camera?" Hannah asked. "Forgotten how to take a simple picture?"

Bjorn quickly attempted to cover. "Uh, well, your eyes start to play tricks on you when you spend all day looking through a lens. Would you excuse me for just a moment?"

He stepped over to the desk, picked up the telephone and pushed a button. "Brian, could you join me in the studio for a moment? Thanks."

Brian entered the studio and immediately noticed the look on Bjorn's face. "Everything alright?"

"Have a look through the lens."

Brian did as Bjorn requested and saw the same shade of blue eyes in both Hannah and Todd. As he straightened up, he looked squarely at his partner and said, "Uh, yes, I think there's just a little speck of dust on the lens. I think there's a blower in the desk. I'll just get it."

And he went to retrieve the small rubber bulb and blew a few cursory gentle puffs of air on the lens. Then he looked through the viewfinder again and pronounced it to be clean of all dust particles. "Yes, much cleaner."

"Thank you, Brian. I should have thought to check for dust."

"Anytime," Brian said as he left the studio. "I'm almost done in the darkroom. And then we'll be off."

Sarah had watched their exchange with growing curiosity. She knew the two men only too well, enough to know that the "speck of dust" was a cover for something else. But she said nothing as Bjorn finished the sitting with Hannah and Todd.

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Brian brought the second camera home, where he would process the Beckers' photos in his and Bjorn's own personal darkroom. He also brought the first set of photos, so that everyone could "ooh" and "ahh" over them before framing. He started processing the film and then joined the others in the dining room for a light lunch of leftover turkey slices, salad and apple pie.

Hannah, whose opinion of same-sex relationships was well-known, kept that opinion to herself throughout their light meal. For Todd's sake she recounted numerous stories of her late husband and the stables they had jointly owned.

After their meal the twins cleared the table while Will, Sarah, Todd and Hannah continued their visit in the family room. Brian and Bjorn excused themselves and returned to the darkroom to finish processing and print the Becker family portraits.

In the darkroom Bjorn had just taken the portrait of Hannah and Todd off the drying rack and was looking closely at the details of the picture through a magnifier. He moved the device over Hannah's eyes, then over Todd's, and back again.

"Brian," he said with a sigh, "there's a connection here, between Todd and Hannah. The color of their eyes is just too close to be a co-incidence."

"I agree," Brian said. "But, if everyone's happy, then why should we upset the apple cart?"

Bjorn looked at the ceiling. "I just can't help but feel that, if I'm right and there really is a connection, then Todd has a right to know."

"And if we're wrong?" Brian asked.

Bjorn thought for a moment. "I don't know."

Their thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock at the door. Brian opened the door to find Sarah standing there.

"Sarah," Brian said, "we're just finishing up the prints. We'll lay everything out on the dining room table in just a few minutes."

"Brian, please don't play innocent with me," Sarah said as she entered the darkroom. "I know you boys well enough to know a cover-up when I see one. And I'm looking at one right now. What did you see in the lens, Bjorn?"

"It was just dust, Sarah. A little bit of dust on the lens."

Sarah chuckled, but both men could see that she was serious. "Bjorn ... sweetheart ... you could easily fool Hannah with that. You might fool Will, and you might even fool Todd. But I've been around cameras and I've been around you two long enough to know when someone's trying to pull a fast one."

Bjorn looked to his partner for support, but Brian had considered Bjorn's earlier statement and was ready to give in. "Show her."

Bjorn motioned for Sarah to take a seat in front of a computer screen. He showed her the portrait of Hannah and Todd. "You know I have this habit of zooming in to a subject's eyes to adjust the focus."

Sarah nodded. Brian turned Sarah's chair away from the screen while Bjorn zoomed in on the picture on the screen. He nodded to Brian who turned Sarah's chair back to the screen.

"Whose eye is that?" Bjorn asked, pointing to the screen.

"Hannah," Sarah replied without hesitation. Bjorn zoomed out, and they all saw that Sarah had answered correctly.

Bjorn nodded to Brian who swivelled Sarah's chair away from the screen for a moment. When Sarah was once again facing the screen, her answer was just as quick. "Todd." Once again she was correct. "Bjorn, what are you getting at?"

"Sarah, please, just one more."

"Alright." And she allowed her chair to be turned away from the screen for a third time. In a moment she was again confronted with the enlarged image of an eye ... blue with a trace of green ... on the computer screen. "Todd."

"Are you sure?" Bjorn asked.

Sarah was becoming frustrated. "Of course I'm sure. How could I miss the color of my own son's ... eyes?" Her gaze was fixed on the computer screen, which Bjorn was adjusting to show the complete picture. He had, in fact, focused on Hannah's eyes. Sarah watched the screen in wonder for a moment before speaking. "So what does it mean?"

"It could be nothing, just a wild goose chase on my part," Bjorn said in his own defense.

"Alright," Sarah said, trying a different approach. "What do you think it means?"

Bjorn rose from his chair and began pacing the floor. "We all learned that eye color is hereditary. It's pretty common to see people with blue eyes or brown eyes." He looked fondly at his partner. "Green is a bit rare ... and very captivating, I might add."

Brian smiled back.

"But notice the trace of green in the blue of Todd's eyes," Bjorn continued, pointing to the computer screen. "It's exactly the same in Hannah's. I don't think that's a random occurrence."

Sarah looked at the screen, then back to Bjorn. "So you're saying there's a link ... a blood- tie of some kind between Hannah and Todd? And if what you say is true, then why does Will have brown eyes?"

"A dormant gene, maybe." Bjorn shook his head and pointed to the screen. "This is all I have to go on."

"The combinations don't always work the same," Brian interjected. "My sister and I both have green eyes, and my brother has brown eyes, even though we all have the same parents."

Sarah thought about this for a moment. "I hope you're not suggesting that Will would have cheated on me while I was pregnant with Jason and Josh."

"No," Bjorn answered. "Even when you stop and consider where we all were fourteen, fifteen years ago, the opportunity to sleep with Jill was there. But Will would never do that. He loves you more than life itself. He always has."

"He's right, you know."

Brian, Bjorn and Sarah looked up to see Will standing in the doorway. Will stepped into the room and regarded the picture of Hannah and Todd on the computer screen. "I always knew this day would come; I just didn't think it would be so soon." He looked around the room at his wife and the two men. "You're close. You've almost got it all figured out."

"Then there is a connection," Brian suggested. "Hannah and Todd are blood relatives."

Will sighed. "Yes."

"Will," Sarah asked quietly, "is Todd your son?"

"No," Will answered without hesitation. "Well, only by adoption. No, Sarah, Todd is not my son."

With all eyes on him Will swallowed hard and looked nervously about the room, then back to his wife.

"He`s my brother."

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to be continued in Chapter 28