All rights reserved. Copyright held by the author. If you are underage or are offended by gay fiction, containing graphic sex and explicit language, please exit now.
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"BRIARWOOD"
aka "Whence Cometh My Help"
Revised Version
A dramatic saga
by
Ritch Christopher
Literary enhancement by
Les Martin
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BOOK TWO
"The Clayton Clan"
Chapter Twenty-Two
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Ryan and Kyle decided on Tremelo's Cafe to have lunch. Since it was only two blocks away and since the weather was inviting, they walked in a leisurely manner to the cafe. After being seated, Ryan ordered a turkey club sandwich and Coke. Kyle, having no appetite, ordered a salad with mayonnaise dressing and a bottle of mineral water with a lime slice. But when their lunches were served, Kyle didn't actually eat, but rather played with the Romaine lettuce with his fork.
"Most prisoners on death row usually order a steak or lobster. Ha! Look what I chose," Kyle said.
"Hey! Now watch it! You promised there would be no conversation concerning death and dying."
"I didn't actually 'promise'"
"Then, PLEASE, don't do it---for my sake?"
"All right, I'm sorry. But I do want you to know I'm not afraid of dying. I thought it through months ago. That's the main reason I don't think homosexuality is a sin."
"Why?"
"Because I don't believe there's a heaven or hell."
"Do you believe in God?"
"I did when I was a child. Neither of my folks were very big on going to church. But as I grew old enough to realize that my mother was auctioning me off as a child slave to the highest bidder...,"
"Your mother made you a child sex-slave?"
"No, the sex came much later, but I was responsible for that part. No, I was the pretty poster boy. She used my childlike good looks as a weapon to use against agents in New York who put me on the covers of video games, magazines, TV commercials. I still think they may have signed me in self-defense. Have you ever been to New York?"
"No, but I've always wanted to go."
"There's this huge billboard on Broadway, just north of Times Square and I DO mean HUGE. It's a block long and almost three stories high. My picture was up there once. Just little me in a pair of scanty Calvin bikinis. The bulge of my dick was around sixty or seventy feet long."
"All real?" Ryan joked.
"Don't I wish! Yes, it was all real, just blown up with the rest of the photo, but all in proportion. BUT back to what I was trying to say--I never really believed in God until I found out I was HIV positive. Then I began to pray day and night. I went to mass four or five mornings per week and then again to HIGH mass on Sundays. I did that for about two months and then I went back to have my 'count' checked again. I was just naive to believe that God would hear my prayers and the new blood tests would show I'd been cured by some miraculous intervention."
"Were the tests better than before?"
"Fuck. My meager HIV had turned into full blown AIDS. Thank you, LORD!"
"I'm sorry, Kyle."
"The funny thing was...I no longer blamed Lonnie for making me sick. Hell, Lonnie had only made me HIV positive, but GOD? God had made me even sicker. So I blamed God instead until I came to a conclusion that...there is no God...no heaven... no hell. When we die...we DIE...the same as any living things...trees, fish, birds, dogs, cats, flowers, dinosaurs. Can you see a dinosaur at heaven's gate trying to ask St. Peter to let him in? Can you see St. Peter trying to refuse him?"
"I'm glad my dad can't hear you!"
"Uh oh! Is he one of those who tithes at the church and gives another ten percent to Paul and Jan on 'Praise The Lord' network?"
"TWENTY!"
"No wonder you're not welcome at home," Kyle joked.
"I only wish I had something that would make me feel guilty. I wasn't kidding when I told the group that I didn't know if I'm gay or not. Heck, I don't even know if I'm straight."
"Are you serious? How old are you, Ryan?"
"I'll be twenty-one next week."
"If I don't get a chance to see you, Happy Birthday!".
"I want you around, Kyle."
"Do you have any birthday plans for a celebration on becoming a legal adult?"
"LEGAL? There's nothing illegal about me now."
"I've never met a twenty-one year old virgin who wasn't at least handicapped or some kind of freak that stayed hidden all his life."
"Then let me introduce you to one--me."
"Ryan--haven't you ONCE had some kind of sex? You said you were kicked out at your friend's house. What about him? Didn't you two grow up together and have a 'I'll show you mine, if you'll show me yours' session? Mutual jerk-offs? Solos?"
"I've really never had the chance."
"I don't know why that's so difficult for me to believe. Have you ever taken a good look at yourself?"
"Sure, I look like 'Plain John', 'Plain Jane's' plain brother."
"That's 'plain' fuckin' nonsense!"
"God, if I had come back to Briarwood healthy and plague-free, I'd've jumped your bones in a minute! I hope you realize that I find you very attractive."
"You must be sicker than you say you are. I didn't know that AIDS affected one's eyesight."
"Oh, it does. Some AIDS guys go blind. But I can see VERY clearly and what I see, looking at you, is a hot number, hiding behind antiquated morals, badly in need of a new style of clothes and definitely a new and different haircut."
"Then you're agreeing that I'm plain?"
"Nope. You make yourself plain by thinking plain and dressing plain. If I weren't going to the hospital tomorrow and if you could stay with me a couple or three days, I'd have you looking like the sexiest twenty-one year old stud in Briarwood."
"You've been watching too many reality 'makeover' shows on TV."
"And YOU'VE been running away from reality. Damn, if I weren't sick, I'd want to be your first boyfriend."
"I wish to God I could believe you...even more, I wish you weren't sick, for YOUR sake."
"So tell me more about your new digs!"
"My what?"
"Your new home!"
"Oh! It's still like a dream to me. I can't wait to get off from work today and rush back there to see if my new home has faded like, 'Brigadoon' and it won't come back for a hundred years."
"Oh, you know that show?"
"I've never seen it on stage, but I've watched the movie dozens of times. It was 'G' rated and my parents approved of my seeing it."
"Dear God, Ryan! You sound as if you've been a prisoner your entire life! Tell me, do you drink? Have you ever smoked cigarettes?"
"NO to both!"
"Jesus! I'm almost afraid to ask, but you DO masturbate, don't you?"
"Sometimes, but never at home. If I feel like it, I go to the bathroom at the music shop."
"Thank God your parents don't own the music shop!"
"Last night at the Clayton's house...before I was asked to move in, Walter--Mr. Clayton--brought a movie home from Blockbuster. It was about a gay kid who wrecks his car when his parents refuse to accept his homosexuality. He had a boyfriend. The two of them had had sex and the kid KNEW for himself that he was gay. I identified with him so much...only I've never had sex...and I don't have a boyfriend. But the strangest thing happened to during the film. I don't drink and I've never been aware of hallucinating, but somehow, I got so caught up in the story, I reached over to Jeff, Walter's youngest son, and took his hand. I don't know how long I held it and I have no idea what made me do it."
"Did Jeff pull his hand away?"
"No. Jeff squeezed my hand. That's when I became aware of what I had done...subconsciously, I guess."
"Is Jeff gay? I mean you told me about Alex and his lover."
"The impression I got of Jeff was from Walter. He said that Jeff was horny all the time and would have sex with practically anyone...male or female, as long as it was human and had an open orifice."
"And how old is Jeff?"
"Sixteen."
"In your wildest imagination, would it occur to you to go to bed with Jeff? I mean, I realize you're four, almost five years older than he, but sixteen is legal in this state. If Jeff was willing, you couldn't be arrested for statutory rape."
"Yeah, but--well, Jeff is a kid!"
"A KID with sexual experience! So where does that leave you?"
"An almost-adult, 'without'! The same as it's been all my life."
"Let's just pretend for a moment. Tell me, do you find Jeff physically attractive? I mean is he good-looking to you? Or does he just look like a kid to you?"
"Jeff is extremely good looking. He has a nice build on him. Beautiful dirty blonde hair...green eyes. He could pass for eighteen or nineteen. He has an impish quality...more like a brazen daredevil, I guess, than a kid."
"OK, it appears you gave Jeff the 'once-over', but did you find him sexy?"
"Shoot, yeah! He's sexy!"
"Then why don't you throw caution to the wind and GO FOR IT? Or are you afraid Jeff's dad would kick you out of the house? That DOES seems to be your trend."
"Ha! Walter all but gave me permission to go to bed with Jeff! He respects Jeff's wishes and tries to treat him like an adult, even though Jeff acts like a kid some of the time."
"Then what the fuck are you waiting for?"
"You make it sound so easy..."
"It is, if you have a willing partner."
"But what about love? Shouldn't love come before sex?"
"In prehistoric times, maybe. Today, most straight couples don't fall in love until they've fucked at least a dozen times to see if they like what they're gonna get after they're married."
"I'm sure you know how my parents raised me?"
"Sure, NO SEX until the marriage night!"
"Exactly."
"But as of now, gays can't marry! So how long are they supposed to wait?---and wait for what? The fucking do-gooders, the fucking right-wingers are nothing but fucking hypocrites! Do you honestly believe that that purple-haired bitch on the fucking religion channel was a virgin when she married her purple-haired husband. She was probably one of the biggest whores in fourteen counties. Probably she's still fucking every preacher who comes on her network, not to mention the camera operators, the sound men, the tech crew..."
Ryan laughed for the first time. "You know, Kyle, I've wondered about that myself. She DOES look like a whore. Dad's twenty-percent which he sends to her probably goes to buy her hair dye and make up. God, that's funny!"
"I'm sorry I got off the subject. But all I'm saying is...Did you ever see the movie 'Auntie Mame' with Rosalind Russell---either in the movies or on television?"
"No, but we have the Broadway recording at the shop."
"Well, Mame is a wild, wild woman, but she enjoys life even when it deals her a handful of shit. But her most memorable line is, 'Life's a banquet and most poor sons-of-bitches are starving to death! Live! Live! Live!' and that's what I'm saying to you, Ryan, on your first and last date, when it comes along. Go out and live! You're no longer living at home. You don't have to answer to either of your parents. Put that Paleolithic lifestyle behind you and join the twentieth-first century universe. If you're gay, go out and fuck a few guys! Unzip your pants and don't be afraid if someone offers you a blow job. Close your eyes, throw your head back and enjoy it!"
"I...I'll think about it. Uh oh, look at the time. My lunch hour was over ten minutes ago. I should be getting back to the store."
"Yes, and I have to go back to my tiny little rented palace and pack up some stuff and get my gear ready for the hospital."
"Would it be all right if I came to see you?"
"There's nothing I'd like better."
"I'll come. I'm sure Alex will, too...and maybe Ted, his lover."
"Why don't you bring Jeff? I'd love to meet him. Only I'd like it more if you brought Jeff and could introduce him to me as your boyfriend."
"You really don't think that our age difference matters?"
"Jeff's having sex at sixteen. You didn't have sex when you were sixteen. So maybe it's about time you backtracked a bit to catch up."
"Kyle, I'm so glad you came by and we had this talk. We hardly know one another really, but..."
"I know! It's as if you've known me all your life?"
"Yes. Sorry, my phraseology is antiquated, like the rest of me."
"Don't worry. From the way you described Walter, you're in good hands with a good role model."
"Would it be all right if I invited Walter to come visit you?"
"Sweetheart, I have no one left in the world. Bring Macy's parade if you like--I might not be around when Thanksgiving comes. Just make sure that anyone you bring is not afraid of catching the DREADED DISEASE!"
"Kyle, I WANT you to be around for Thanksgiving--and Christmas--and New Year's. and.."
"Then you'd better call Anne Bancroft and see if she can come to Briarwood and play 'The Miracle Worker' one more time."
Kyle and Ryan got up to pay the check. Ryan reached into his pocket, but Kyle simply said "Let me?", dug for his wallet and handed the cashier a credit card. then they went outside.
Kyle gave Ryan a 'longing' look and said, "Well, Horace, you go your way',", pointing to the left, "and I'll go mine," pointing left again. Ryan looked puzzled. "Hello, Dolly!" Kyle said in explanation and Ryan smiled his understanding.
Ryan put out his hand for Kyle to shake. Kyle grabbed Ryan's hand and firmly pulled Ryan's body close to his. Kyle gave Ryan a big hug. Ryan thought he would die and melt right there in Kyle's arms.
"Goodbye, little friend," Kyle said, speaking low into Ryan's ear.
"Goodbye, Kyle. I'll see you soon."
Kyle broke the embrace, turned and walked away in the opposite direction, away from Ryan and the music store. Ryan just stood there watching as Kyle left, tears in his eyes and dreams of 'what might have been' in his heart.
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As the excitement of Bruce's announcement of Jane's pregnancy subsided, they all came back to reality. It was nearly one o'clock in the afternoon and Walter. Alex, and Ted all had places they should be. Jane's doctor wanted her to be admitted at Kimbrough hospital for a night or two in order to run tests to prepare her with a diet, medications, as well as a general physical examination. No one, not even her doctor, had expected such an occurrence, especially since Jane had tried so hard to become pregnant again for many years, and all concerned wanted her pregnancy to be totally normal and safe. Bruce called his office to cancel the rest of his afternoon appointments. Knowing now that the news about Jane was good and that she was not in life-threatening danger, Walter felt free to return to his office to keep an appointment with a new client, Roger Cole, who was interested in having Walter's firm manage Roger's financial estate.
Walter realized that Ted had an excuse, i.e., Mr. Bartolli's message, for his absence from school, but that Alex had missed several days during the past week. Walter encouraged Alex to go back and finish his last two periods to keep from getting too far behind in his studies. Ted decided to go back to Briarwood High with Alex...also, Jeff would need a ride home after school let out at 3:30 PM.
Returning to school, Alex's next class was World History, a subject he found boring, as most high-school kids did. Ted's fifth period class was English literature. The two boys said a brief 'goodbye' and a quiet 'I love you' as they split up to dash down the halls in opposite directions. There was just a little more than one minute left before the bell rang and so Alex and Ted were both on time for their designated classes.
Unbeknownst to Ted and Alex, Cheryl Kahn, the girl who had brought the message to Ted about his mom, had once again proven that her mouth was bigger than her tits. Nearly everyone had seen Ted and Alex hurry out of the cafeteria to make a fast getaway in the red Mustang. Cheryl eased everyone's mind by saying that Ted's mother had taken ill and was at the hospital. Then the same thought came to many minds, if Ted's mother was ill, why did Alex go with him? They were best friends, but they weren't blood relations.
Brenda Suit, another BHS cheerleader who gossiped almost louder than she led cheers, casually mentioned in a loud voice, "Did anyone notice the way Ted and Alex were looking at each other when they arrived this morning? They were almost swooning over one another!"
"Look out!" Charlie Cross said, adding fuel the fiery gossip, "We just might have the first same-sex couple at the Senior Prom this year!"
Laura Caulder, who had carried a secret torch for Ted ever since junior high, was the only one to come to the defense of Alex and Jeff, primarily because she didn't want to believe that Ted liked boys. That, if true, would mean not being invited to the prom by Ted. She spoke up, saying "I think all of you are crazy. Ted and Alex have been like brothers all their lives and I don't believe any or you if you're trying to insinuate that they're gay for each other!"
Charlie Gross shouted, "Laura, when's the last time Ted licked your pussy?"
"Shut up, Charlie Gross!" Laura shouted back.
Charlie continued, "Come to think of it, when has Ted OR Alex licked any of your pussies?"
"Charlie, are you trying to say that Ted has licked your dick?" Laura rebutted as the whole group assembled in the classroom laughed at Charlie.
The laughter went from a roar to a tittering giggle as Alex entered the room. Since no one had spoken to him all day and probably most had seen him leave in the car with Ted during lunch, Alex ignored everyone and went straight to his seat.
Charlie was bound and determined to strike one last blow. He looked at Alex and sneered, "Say, Alex, how's your mother-in-law?" Most of the boys laughed at Charlie's remark while the girls remained quiet, but everyone in the class had their eyes focused on Alex to see his reaction.
Alex was not affected by the ridicule. Instead, he said, politely, "She's fine! Thank your Charlie for asking. I'll tell her that you asked about her. I'm sure she will be 'touched'"
"Then you're ADMITTING that she's your mother-in-law?---that you and Ted are a gay couple now?"
"I really can't speak about private family matters, but I'm sure if Mrs. Baxter wants to announce that she's now my mother-in-law, more than likely she'll send a note to the society section of the Briarwood News. Then you can read all about it!"
Alex had shocked everyone in the room just as if he had fired a fifty volt stun gun at each of them. As luck would have it, Mrs. Grissom came in the room just then to save the moment by beginning the history lesson.
"Good afternoon, young ladies and gentlemen, I want everyone to turn to page 263 in the textbook. Today, we're going to examine the Crimean War."
Every student in the room groaned in unison, but Alex's mind raced. He now was wondering if the silent treatment bestowed on him all day was the result of the rumors concerning his overdose or if came from fresh rumors about him and Ted. Alex would have to see if anyone in Ted's English Lit class confronted him as Alex's class had him. After school, Alex met Ted by their car to go home. During the Alex's encounter with Charlie, Alex had seemed to remain calm as if nothing Charlie said had affected him one way or the other, but inside, Alex had suppressed enough rage to put Krakatoa to shame during its violent eruption. Ted didn't need to ask---he could tell that something had made Alex more than just a little bit angry.
"Hey, babe, did I do something wrong? Did I talk to someone to make you jealous?"
"NO!" Alex shouted. "It was that fucking lame-brain, Charlie Gross! He embarrassed me in front of the entire history class!"
"He knew about what you did and why you were absent last week?"
"I wish it had been that, but he heard from Cheryl that your mom was in the hospital and he saw me leave with you. When I came into class, he loudly asked how was my mother-in-law was...meaning your mom!"
"That son-of-a-bitch! I think I'll go find him and punch his lights out!"
"No, please let it go! I was almost afraid to tell you for fear you would punch him or worse."
"Well, he sure as hell's not gonna get away with it!"
"Let's just wait on Jeff and go home."
"God damn! Now I'm boiling inside. That fucking asshole!"
"I don't know who, why, or how everyone found out about us, but apparently that's the reason no one spoke to me today."
"Yeah, I noticed that. I just hoped you wouldn't notice it!"
"How could I keep from suspecting something was up by the way Tom Humphreys and Carol Tate turned their heads when I spoke to them this morning. You and I are the main topic of gossip all over the entire school!"
"What do you want to do about it, Alex?"
"What can either of us do? If someone is bigoted toward you, there's really nothing we can do to change his attitude."
"Hey, here comes Jeff."
Jeff came running out the door toward the parking lot.
"Ready to go, squirt?" Alex asked Jeff.
"Can't!"
"What do you mean you can't?"
"I got detention...for today and ten more days."
"Damn, Jeff! What did you do now?"
"Aw, you know Chuck Brindley. His dad is that holy-roller preacher."
"Yeah, what about him?"
"That sack of shit walked up to me and asked how I liked having a faggot for a brother. I know he's a senior and I'm just a sophomore and he's bigger than me, so when I didn't answer him at first, he said, 'What's the matter? Does being a faggot run in your family? Are you a faggot, too?' Well, that was the last straw! I kicked him in the nuts so hard he started crying. Old Miss Copenhaver didn't hear what he said to me. She only saw me kick him. Then she came over and grabbed my right ear and didn't let go until she took me to Mr. Bartolli's office. She told Bartolli that my 'improper display of pugilism shouldn't go unpunished', So I got ten detentions!"
"Didn't you tell Mr. B. what Chuck said to you?"
"He wouldn't give me a chance. As I was trying to explain, he told me to be quiet---he wouldn't listen to what I had to say. He said there was no name Chuck could have called me that would warrant what I did to Chuck."
"Ten detentions, huh?" Ted said. "It might be worth ten detentions for me go kick Charlie Gross in the balls so that they'd pop out of his ass."
"No, Ted, if you do that, it'll only make matters worse for all three of us. We can't fight everyone in the school who looks down on us!"
"Yeah, Alex, but we're not guilty of anything other than being in love with each other! Why should we have to be humiliated? In my opinion, what Chuck said to Jeff was just as harmful as what Jeff did to him! I think we ought to tell our dads and let them come talk to Bartolli."
"That might be wise in the long run," Alex replied.
"Listen, bro's...hey, that's the first time I ever said that...BRO'S! I got two now! At any rate, I've got to head to study hall and report for my first detention!"
"You'll be free in an hour, Jeff?" Ted asked.
"I oughta be, unless I do some more kick-ass!"
"I'll come back in an hour and pick you up."
"I can take the bus!"
"No way, BRO!" Ted said, "You stood up for Alex and me. That's the least I can do for you."
"Oh, OK! See ya around four-thirty!"
"I'll be here, Jeff, in the parking lot."
Jeff scampered back toward the school.
Alex said to Ted, "I wouldn't want Jeff to hear me, but I'm really proud of what he did. To me, it just shows that, not only has he accepted our relationship, he's ready to fight for us."
"I guess that was one way for Jeff to show his love for us, even though Chuck paid the consequences."
"Come on, let's go home," Alex said. "We've got the whole house to ourselves for almost an hour."
"Whatchu got in mind, big boy?" Ted's grin was ear-to-ear!
"I want to show you how I show MY love and it's not by kicking you in the nuts."
"You know, I read that some guys actually like that! They get strapped down with leather, chains, and stuff and..."
"Shut up and don't get any ideas!"
They got into the Mustang and drove home for a 'quickie' which was soon followed by another.
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Ruth Nesbitt, Walter's secretary, buzzed Walter on the office intercom to let him know his client had arrived for his scheduled appointment.
"Mr. Clayton, there's a gentleman here to see you for your two-thirty..."
"Thanks, Ruth, please have him come in."
"Mr. Clayton will see you now, sir." Her voice followed the visitor into Walter's office, as did her eyes.
"Thank you," and Roger Cole went into Walter's office.
"Mr. Clayton?"
"Mr. Cole! It's very nice to meet you. Won't you have a seat so that we can talk."
"I'd prefer if you called me, 'Roger'.
"Only if you'll call me 'Walter' or 'Walt!"
They shook hands and Roger settled into the leather chair facing Walter and his mahogany desk.
"Walter, before I begin, I want you to know a few things about myself. I never seek legal or medical advice unless I make an investigation of the potential provider first. Let me say that you qualify far above my expectations."
"Thank you, Roger, It's nice to hear that"
"First of all, I need someone to handle my personal financial situation, but before I give you the details, I would like for us each to sign a contract stating that I have employed you to be my attorney and everything we say from this point will be considered client-attorney privileged."
"Certainly. I have a standardized form that takes care of that procedure quickly."
Walter opened his bottom right desk drawer and selected the proper legal form. He handed it to Roger to read. Roger scanned it for about ten seconds and signed on the dotted line marked 'client' and handed it back for Walter to add his signature.
"Now--are we all legal and confidential?" Roger asked.
"One hundred per cent."
"Good, then I'll continue. I'll try to be brief, as we have a lot to discuss."
"We have the rest of the afternoon should you need it, Roger,"
"Thank you...Now,, Walter, a few months ago, my grandfather died and left me his entire estate as I was the only surviving grandson. Both of my parents are deceased. Had my father been alive, most of the inheritance would have gone to him while I would be getting a monthly stipend. To say I was shocked when I learned the size of the wealth that my grandfather had racked up during his lifetime would be an extreme understatement. I won't say out loud just how much money he had because it embarrasses me every time I try to remember the exact figure. I've always thought that anyone who had a bank account with six zeros...maybe even seven, was enough for anyone...but believe me, his fortune had additional zeros...several, in fact!"
"Good Lord, you MUST have been astonished!"
"That's putting it mildly. My grandfather in his hey-day could have bought the entire town of Briarwood. I still don't know what to do with it all. When that large a sum is dropped into one's lap, practically overnight, money no longer means anything to him. No doubt you'd be surprised if I told you I was a priest just before receiving my inheritance, living from one church offering to the next."
"Probably, but nothing would surprise me as much as you were apparently."
"Walter, the stuff has all but destroyed me. I quit my church. I lost God, A huge weight descended on my shoulders and I ran as fast as I could to be with my best friend...the only person in my life I have truly loved. His name is Cliff. He is the priest at St. Genesius', here in Briarwood."
"As your lawyer, would I be impertinent if I asked if you and Cliff are..well, more than just friends?"
"Walter, Cliff makes up the other half of me...my body and my soul. I'm not ashamed to say I love him more than any woman, man, or beast. In case you're wondering, we've been homosexual lovers off and on our whole lives."
"And I presume Cliff feels the same way about you?"
"If that's possible...yes."
"Do you need me to make out a will?"
"Not exactly. I have nothing to make me believe I'm going to die any time soon. However, my purpose for hiring you is twofold. In the next few days, I will leaving on a journey to parts which are unknown at present. No one, including you and Cliff, will be able to reach me. I have no idea how long I'll be gone, nor when I'll return. I'll contact you on the 17th of every third month, beginning in September. If, for any reason, you have not heard from me by that date, then I want you to assume something unexpected has happened to me and I want my entire estate transferred to Cliff's name. I'm not anticipating anything going wrong with my schedule, so I would like you to proceed with my primary arrangement. Assuming that I am all right and will return to Briarwood to resume my life with Cliff, I would like you to create a slush fund for Cliff to use however he sees fit. I want you to oversee it and make sure the balance never drops below a seven-figure level. If it should, the account will automatically be replenished. Are you following me so far?"
"Yes, I think so. But I presume I'll have to contact Cliff from time to time. What should I tell him about your journey or disappearance?"
"You won't have any more knowledge about my whereabouts than you do now. You will simply tell him the truth...that you don't know anything."
"That should be easy enough." Walter's actual feelings didn't match his words.
"I've never lied to Cliff and I know how hurt he'll be by my absence. I don't want to cause him any undue stress. If you can have the papers filled out--say by Friday?-- I'll pick them up and send back the signed copies after I'm gone. I'll probably include a letter that I'll want you to give to Cliff."
"You won't let anyone know why you're leaving so mysteriously??"
"I'm not fleeing from any kind of trouble, if that's what you're hinting at. I have a personal quest that only I can pursue...and I must do it alone...independently, even from the one I love most. There is something missing in my life and I don't even know where to look for it...as matter of fact, I'm not even sure if it exists...but I have to find that out for myself. If I DO find it, my life will be complete. If I'm disappointed and I'm not able to find it, then I'll see if what I have now is enough for me for the rest of my life."
"You make it sound so intriguing, Roger. Clandestine?"
"Sort of, but I know that, if I don't make an attempt to find it and to fill this void in my life, I'm not sure I'll ever be content."
"I wish you all the luck in the world and hope you can return soon."
"In the meantime, I hope you get to know Cliff and the four guys who live with us. They're wonderful. They're my life and joy. Cliff will see to it that their needs are met, once he's made aware of the slush fund."
"This procedure is a bit unusual, but I'll do the best I can to see that your wishes and your desire for confidentially are met."
"I have full confidence in you. The reports I have say that you are one of the best. I have an envelope to give you containing my bank account numbers, the name and number of the lawyer who formulated my grandfather's testamentary, plus a thumbnail bio of Cliff so that you will know how and when to contact him. As I said, I would like to pick up your drafts on Friday, if that's possible."
"I can rearrange my schedule so that this gets my priority attention. Friday should be fine."
"Then after Friday, the next time you hear from me will be after I've departed and you receive the documents. Do you have any questions, Walter?"
"A bundle, but if you would consent, I would like to talk to you some place outside this office at a more informal setting. Perhaps coffee or a cocktail? You choose the place."
"I'd like that. We can take my car."
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(To be continued in "Briarwood"---BOOK TWO-chapter-twenty-three)
Copyright Ritchris, 2005.