The Bandini Affair 17
Draginacht@aol.com (AKA Jeff)
Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction and any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. The story contains graphic descriptions of sex between men. Anyone who is forbidden by law to read such material must stop now. This story is being posted to the Nifty Archive solely for the enjoyment of its readers.
From Chapter 16
"Ha-ha." Matt knew Leo was better when he heard the laugh. "Tomorrow I'm going to tell Mom and Pop that I'm gay. And Matt?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm going to keep you out of this. I don't want them to know you were involved in any way." Leo waited several seconds for a response from the other end. He could imagine Matt sitting in his front room or even on the edge of his bed thinking. Why not ask?
"It's okay, Leo. I don't mind if they know. In fact, I'll be happy to stand by you when you tell them."
"Thanks Matt, that's really sweet. But I think this is something I have to do by myself. That way, if there're any repercussions I don't want them coming down on you."
"Leo..." Matt was about to say the 'L-word' but didn't. "Okay, I understand. You WILL call me when it's over, right?"
"Yes... Sure. I'll call you tomorrow after my session with the 'rents.' Okay?"
"I'll be on pins and needles until I hear from you." Again, Matt desperately wanted to say the 'L-word' but held his tongue. "Night, Leo..."
"Night, Matt..."
Chapter 16
Leo lay in his bed replaying the day's events. A clear solution evaded him now. Everything seemed so clear when he and Megan were talking things out. Coming out to his parents wouldn't be easy but, at least, he had a plan. Beyond that? Perhaps he should return to Nashville; that might minimize any risk to Matt.
It would be a long night and Thursday promised to be a long day.
Thursday morning, three adults sat around the kitchen table, Leo, Gina, and Jimmy. Breakfast was over and Leo had helped his mother do the dishes; she washed and he dried. Gina had a dishwasher but always washed the breakfast dishes by hand. It was a long established routing. The three of them sat around the table sipping fresh cups of coffee and Leo thought the timing was perfect. Looking back, it seemed to him that all really important family discussions had occurred in that house while sitting around the kitchen table.
"Mom, Pop..." Leo began. He took a deep breath as he watched their eyes focus on him. "I've really enjoyed staying here with you but I think it's time I went back to Nashville."
"Oh Honey," Gina began, "we've really enjoyed having you home. I wish there was some way we could convince you to move back here. Then we'd get to see you more often."
"Your mom is right, Son, I really appreciate the time we've spent talking," Jimmy added. "And you've made a major contribution to the business."
"Well, I'm glad. I was hoping I hadn't been a burden." Leo avoided responding to their comments directly. "There are things I need to do, things I need to clean up when I get back." Leo paused briefly then continued. "I think it's time I shared with you the reasons why Marsha's and my marriage fell apart."
"Honey, that isn't necessary..." Gina began.
"Yes, I know, but I'd like to tell you, if you don't mind..." Leo looked at both his parents.
"Go ahead, Son." Jimmy encouraged calmly.
Leo took another deep breath and continued. "I was pretty naive when I got married. The only real married people I knew were you two. I guess I had this idyllic view of what married life was supposed to be like. I just accepted it. And watching you the past few weeks has made me realize just how special the love is you two have for each other." Mom and Pop looked at each other and smiled as if confirming their son's statement.
"Anyway, that's what I expected when I got married. But I guess it just wasn't to be. Oh, things seemed perfect in the beginning but after the newness wore off Marsha and I seemed to settle into something like boredom. We weren't communicating very well and... I guess that had a lot to do with it." Leo lowered his gaze and stared at his hands for a moment before continuing. He decided to get through the next statement as quickly as possible.
"Then last March I had a trip to Amsterdam. I got home a day early and caught Marsha in bed with another man, 'in flagrante delecto,' I think is what the French call it." Leo paused again briefly to see if his parents had a response - they didn't.
"After we split up, I went to counseling. It caused me to look back on my marriage and helped me realize that I was a big part of the failure."
"Now Honey, you shouldn't blame yourself. I'm sure Marsha a lion's share of the responsibility. After all, look what she was doing behind your back."
"Yeah, Mom, but there's a lot more to it. You see... this is really difficult to admit... I was never very good in the bedroom." Leo was struggling at this point and he looked down at his hands that were folded in front of him resting on the table. But he was going somewhere with this line and continued immediately. "I can no longer blame Marsha for cheating on me; part of it was my fault. After much soul searching and self analysis, I... I've concluded that I have homosexual tendencies." He chose that moment look up, directly into his father's eyes, then to his mother's. A pregnant pause ensued as moisture filled the corners of Leo's eyes and he waited for some kind of reaction.
"But you didn't break your wedding vows by cheating on Marsha, did you." Pop's voice was clear and direct, but not angry. At first Leo was startled. He'd never thought of it that way before. True, he hadn't cheated. He'd just accepted his inadequacies and overlooked how he'd observed the sanctity of his vows.
"No," Leo replied. He felt it necessary to validate the accuracy of his father's statement.
"Then I believe you behaved honorably. Did you know you were gay when you got married?" Pop was taking the lead on the conversation.
"No, that's a conclusion I've only recently come to. But looking back, it seems to explain a lot."
"Now Honey," Gina said as she reached across the table and took Leo's hands in hers. "Don't you worry about being gay. Your Pop and I worked through that issue years ago and if you are, you are."
Leo looked at his father for confirmation and saw the kindest smile he could ever remember seeing. Tears began to flow down his cheeks as he felt the weight of the world lift from his shoulders. His mother walked around the table and held him in her arms while he composed himself. Then his father gave him a hug and Leo began to feel like his life was beginning to turn around.
Megan felt nervous. The time was almost 9:00 AM and she'd just parked her car and in the next few minutes she would have to face Matt. It would be their first encounter since she caught him and her brother kissing in the storage shed. Her greatest apprehension was that Matt knew that she now knew about him and Leo. On the other hand, very little had really changed. She already knew Matt was gay. And She now knew Leo was gay and he and she seemed to work things out last night. She managed to get into the office, put away her purse and collect herself before Matt walked in.
"Morning, Megan," Matt said as he walked in the door. Meg looked for any sign that might betray any hostility - there wasn't any. Matt appeared as cordial, friendly, and calm as ever. That was so like Matt, ever confident.
"Morning, Matt, everything going okay this morning?" She was attempting to make small talk but realized her question was actually an invitation to a more urgent question if Matt chose to go there.
"Quiet, as usual, how about you?"
"The same," Meg replied as she relaxed more.
"Do you think Leo will be in today?" Matt's question caused Megan tense up again. It seemed to her that they were both trying to walk on eggshells and she didn't want to go through that all day. Now was the time to get everything out into the open.
"Matt..." she paused for just a moment then continued. "Matt, about yesterday." Matt appeared to be making a list on a sheet of paper. He stopped and looked up.
"What about yesterday?" Megan thought Matt's question made it sound like nothing out of the ordinary happened.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't spying on you, I just happened to be looking for Leo and..."
"Megan," Matt held up his hand, signaling for her to stop. "Please, there's nothing for you to feel sorry about. This would have all come out sooner of later, anyway. I don't think I can hide my feelings for Leo much longer. Because I trust you so completely, I'll tell you that within the next few days I plan to tell Leo that I'm in love with him. I just hope he doesn't reject me."
Megan didn't think she could be shocked again so soon after yesterday but there she stood, mouth agape, heart pounding, wondering how she should respond. She needed only a few seconds to come to her senses. She straightened up and walked to where Matt was standing. She rested her hand on Matt's forearm and looked directly into his eyes.
"I'm really happy for you, Matt... and for Leo, too. You know we had a long talk last evening and, although he didn't put it as clearly as you just did, I believe he feels the same way about you." She watched as a thousand watt smile spread across Matt's face.
"Really?!" If Leo felt giddy yesterday, Matt felt giddy at that moment. "Oh, I hope you're right." Then his smile faded some. "What about Mom and Pop?"
"We should find out soon; Leo's plan was to spend the day with them and break the news as gently as possible. He's prepared for the worst but I don't think it will be a problem at all." Megan paused and then continued. "But for some strange reason, Leo is determined to keep you out of this. And I can't understand why."
"Yeah, that's what he said last night. It doesn't make sense to me either. Oh well, maybe we'll find out later today or tomorrow. He said he'd call me tonight; I don't want him to feel like I'm pressuring him by calling him."
"Oh, Matt, I'm hopeful, just like you. And I'll tell you a secret." Megan smiled up at the much taller Matt and held out her arms. "Is it okay to get a hug from my prospective brother-in-law?"
Matt's grin was back and he opened his arms and gathered Megan inside. Matt noted that Meg didn't seem to be in any hurry to break away so he just enjoyed the closeness they shared.
After the hugs, Leo and his parents sat back down and the conversation continued for over two hours. During that time, Leo announced that he'd decided to return to Nashville, resume his sports journalism career, and try to build a new life. He also promised to come home more often, which seemed to make his parents happy.
Pop reiterated his awareness of the good work Leo had done at the nursery and how proud he was. Then, in a surprise move, almost offhandedly, Pop said that if Leo ever decided to move back home, there would always be a job waiting for him.
Wanting to strike while the iron was hot, Leo quickly gathered his belongings, called the airline for a reservation, and asked his mother to drive him to the airport.
The flight to Nashville was quiet. Leo spent the entire time looking out the window watching the clouds and the ground below pass by, and attempting to clear his mind of all thoughts of Matt.
Matt entered his Uncle Dave's house through the garage as usual. Opening the door he heard Tony singing a song he didn't recognize but it sounded like one of those songs Pavarotti used to sing.
"Is dinner ready?" he asked as he walked into the kitchen.
"Hey, kid, glad you could make it. Dave just called and should be here any minute. Give me a kiss." Tony turned his head to receive Matt's kiss on his right cheek without interrupting what he was stirring on top of the stove.
"What are you fixing there?" Matt asked as he pulled a chair away from the table and sat in it.
"It's a surprise. I'm experimenting and you'd better like it." Tony chuckled.
"What's a surprise?" Dave asked, walking into the kitchen from the garage.
"Dinner," Tony replied as he moved the pan off the hot burner and turned to embrace his partner and lover. They kissed like they hadn't seen each other all day... they hadn't.
"C'mon Uncle David, you guys are embarrassing me." Matt was joking and they knew it. This scenario had happened so many times there was nothing left for Matt to be embarrassed about.
"Wow! That's the way I like to be welcomed home," Dave gasped as he patted Tony's behind. Dave then gave his nephew a brief hug and a kiss and Matt sat back down. Let me change and I'll be right back," Dave announced and quickly departed for the bedroom.
Matt sat quietly watching Tony stir what was in the pan. It sure smelled good. 'Something with tomatoes,' he thought. Matt was about to burst. He wanted so badly to tell his uncles about his recent discovery, but was almost afraid doing so might jinks everything.
"I'm sorry, Matt, I forgot myself. There's a bottle of California Rhine in the fridge, would you do the honors, please?"
"Sure Tony." Matt knew exactly where to find the glasses and was soon handing one filled with wine to Tony. He sat back down and took a sip. "Hey, this $9.00-a-liter stuff is pretty good." He was trying to fill the silence in the kitchen while attempting not to grin quite so madly.
"Yeah, but don't tell anyone we like the stuff, it'd damage our reputation," Dave said as he returned to the kitchen, picked up the third glass and took a sip. While tipping the glass, Dave looked at Matt over the top of the glass rim. Lowering the glass, he looked at Tony. Tony looked at Dave, then at Matt and raised his eyebrows. Dave looked back at Matt.
"So Matt, tell us what been going on in your life since we last saw you," his uncle asked.
Matt didn't have to say anything. The grin he'd been suppressing burst across his face uncontained.
"OH MY! Me thinks the boy is in love!" exclaimed Tony.
Matt's lips parted and he began to laugh quietly. His uncles knew him too well and he loved them for it.
"Well, do we have to place you on the rack to get you to talk?" Dave asked with a chuckle.
"Oh, you aren't going to believe this!" The excitement in Matt's voice spoke volumes. "About three weeks ago, when Pop had his mini-stroke, his son Leo came home to help out. Well, one thing lead to another and I think... no, I hope we're developing a relationship. He is so-o-o..." Matt paused briefly and completed is statement while looking directly at his uncle David, "adorable." There was a moment of silence as the three men looked at each other, then burst out laughing. Each of them was well aware of Dave's aversion to being described as 'cute' and Matt had just crossed him up by substituting 'adorable.'
"Whoa, big boy," Tony exclaimed, "you sure jumped over what has to be some critical details. Can you start from the beginning and fill in the blanks?"
"Okay," Matt chuckled. He didn't figure he'd get away with the abbreviated version; he just wanted to get the headline of his story on the table. As he and Dave set the table, Tony assembled the dinner, which consisted of veal, covered with the tomato-based sauce. As they ate, Matt reminded is uncles of the attempted robbery, which they knew about, and then told about taking Leo home from the hospital where he spent the night. He also described the dinner at the Outback and how he kept getting mixed signals, like Leo might be gay. Matt skipped the evening at the Police Academy Gym and jumped to the dinner at his house and what transpired after dinner. His explanation of what happened after dinner was carefully cryptic. When Matt explained 'The Kiss,' at the sink, Dave and Tony had a good chuckle at Matt's expense. To close his story, Matt just said that Leo spent the night and that they enjoyed each other's company.
"It was Leo's first experience with man and I wanted him to enjoy himself. I felt that if I went too far too fast he might get scared away."
"So Leo's new to the gay world." Tony stated.
"Yeah. As little as six months ago he thought he was happily married. Then one day he came home early and found his wife in bed with another man. A lot of self-analysis caused him to face some facts. And there were some facts he just couldn't ignore. It's actually pretty complicated and I don't think I'm capable of explaining it properly."
"Yes, we understand." Dave said. "What level did you get to?" Matt knew his uncle wasn't trying to pry; he just wanted some indication as to how careful he'd been.
"Somewhere between level 4 and 5. And I have to say I'm sure Leo enjoyed himself."
"Why do you say that?" Tony asked.
Matt flashed his big smile. "Because he thanked me Wednesday morning while we were eating breakfast."
"Now there's a positive sign if there ever was one." Dave commented.
"Yeah, and I intend to go at Leo's pace. I know one thing..."
"That's that?" Tony asked.
"I'm not going to the level ten until he wants it, asks for it."
"That's wise, Matt. That'll be a big step for him and it'll go better for both of you if he really wants it." Dave and Tony both had some experience in that area. And all three men understood exactly what Matt was talking about - Leo's first experience with anal intercourse, losing his cherry to Matt's impressively large manhood.
"And what if he never asks?" Tony's question was quite serious.
"I've thought about that... and... I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. However, judging by his behavior last Tuesday night, I'd have to say the odds are pretty good. He was really eager about everything."
"Well, okay," Dave said, "now a little change of subject. This next week is going to be pretty busy. Ya know, Thursday's Thanksgiving, and we're having the Platoon over for dinner. Then Saturday, Mark's family will be staying here while he stays with the team. Then after the football game Sunday, the rest of the family will be here for dinner. That's Mother and Dad, Mark and family, and JD and his girlfriend, and Susan. Oh yeah, I think Shannon's going to be here also. I sure hope you can come and bring Leo; I'm sure everyone will want to meet him... if you think he'd be okay with it."
"Gosh! Of course you know I'll be here Sunday! It's been quite a while since I've seen all the guys. But I don't know about Thursday; I'll just have to wait and see. When do you need to know?" Matt asked.
"Just show up if you can, there'll be plenty of food and you know how informal we are." Dave explained.
"Okay," Matt gave Dave a serious look. "But if I bring Leo on Thursday, do you think you could keep the hot tub closed? I just don't think he's going to be ready for that. He's pretty shy."
"Sure," Dave replied. "We can always say it's out of commission, like it needs a part."
"Yeah, that would work."
That seemed to be a good place to end the evening. The dinner was over, the plates had been cleared and the men were sitting at the table finishing their coffee. Matt stood as a signal that he was about to leave.
"Bye Tony," Matt hugged his uncle.
"Bye Uncle David." Dave got a hug too.
"By the way," Dave interrupted. "I thought you agreed to drop the 'uncle' thing. What happened?"
"Oh that." Matt replied. "Yeah, I know I agreed but after thinking it over, it just doesn't seem right not to call you 'Uncle David.' I mean, like, you used to change my diapers, for God's sake! It would be disrespectful not to call you 'uncle.' Tony, on the other hand doesn't carry that burden."
"Oh, ha-ha, that makes a lot of sense!" Dave said sarcastically with a laugh.
"Well, that's the best I can do for now. Maybe in a few more years..." Matt grinned and Dave punched him in the shoulder. "Ouch!" Matt complained with a grin. "I should arrest you for nephew abuse."
"Be careful or I'll turn you over my knee... which I recall doing a time or two. Besides, you're no longer a cop, remember?"
"You two are incorrigible." Tony chided with a chuckle.
Dave and Tony gave Matt another hug and sent him on his way.
(To be continued.)