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"
Copyright Ritchris, 2005
aka "Whence Cometh My Help"
Copyright Ritchris, 2002
Revised Version
A dramatic saga
by
Ritch Christopher
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BOOK FIVE
"FATHER JEFF"
Chapter Forty-six
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"...And we'll be pleased to be called The folks who live on the hill."
Oscar Hammerstein.
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The eleven o'clock mass was a resounding success. Father Jeff had lived up to each and every Mackintosh resident's expectation. At St. Genesius in Briarwood, it was the custom for Jeff to stand next to Father Cliff to shake hands and bid his flock adieu as they left Sunday mass. The faithful gathering at St. Aloysius was a bit more demonstrative. None of them wanted to just shake their new rector's hand, they wanted to hug him and touch his cheek next to their own. A couple of the more flighty queens tried to kiss both sides of Jeff's face by pretending to be French and saying "Bon Jour, Pere", in the worst French accents since Madonna auditioned for the remake of "Gigi".
Johnny was proud and Jeff was elated by their acceptance. But, most importantly, was celebrating the reunion with their family that traveled to Mackintosh to support Jeff. Jeff was surprised and pleased to see them and especially, his real life brother, Alex, whom he hadn't seen in a few years. But where was Ted, Alex's lover since puberty? There would be plenty of questions to ask and many answers to render, but first, the aggregation from Briarwood had to see Jeff and Johnny's new home that had been designed, built, and decorated by Jeff's new constituents.
When Johnny and Jeff first saw their new domicile, they couldn't decide whether to break out in laughter or cheer with glee. It was extremely unconventional, unlike anything either of them had ever seen in person, let alone, lived in.
The best way to describe the new dwelling was that it looked very similar to Maureen O'Hara's cottage in "The Quiet Man", also starring John Wayne. The outside was white with exterior wooden eaves which criss-crossed like a Great Britain Tudor home, except it had a faux thatched roof overhanging and hiding the real roof. It also had "cutsie" little shutters on either side of the windows which had flower boxes beneath them, sprouting Scottish heather and Sweet Williams. Jay said it reminded him of Jack's house and he immediately ran out back to see if the constructors had provided it completely with a towering beanstalk. The door was divided into halves so that the upper panel could be opened while one chatted with a neighbor, and the lower half remained closed.
The furniture and inside decor matched the exterior. There were high-backed ladder kitchen chairs with hearts carved out of each of the second rungs. Jay was also the first one to make a joke about the authentic churn in the corner next to the fireplace.
"Oh, look, Aunt Eller's churn!" Jay exclaimed. "Now we can do 'Oklahoma' for next year's Gay Pride bazaar!" Then he began singing in his best falsetto voice, "Out of my dreams, I'll churn your cream until it clabbers!"
"Hush, Miss Greenwood and go practice your sideways kicks!" Troy said to him while everyone else laughed.
"You jealous bitch!" Jay teased back at him. "I'm suited better for the role than you are!" Once again he raised his voice in song, but this time in a deep baritone, "Oh, what a beautiful boner..."
"I guess there's only one way to shut you up!" Troy quipped as he grabbed Jay and planted a big kiss on his open mouth.
Everyone clapped and cheered. Jay broke away from his lover and took a bow.
"Thank you! Thank you all for coming! For my next number, I'd like to do a medley of songs written especially for me by my dear friend, Giuseppi Verdi... a couple of patter songs which he cut from 'Aida, de Queen in de Nile'!"
"You're a queen in denial, all right." Troy retorted.
"Old man river, dat old man...," sang Jay.
"Oh, God! I can't stand it!" Troy said, looking to heaven. "Lord, why didn't you send the frogs and the sores instead of this discard from Sondheim's 'Follies' to drive me insane?"
"Oh? You'd rather hear, 'Follies'?"
"Yeah, the song that Sally sings, 'Am I Losing My Mind?', or better yet, the one from 'Company'...'You Could Drive A Person Crazy!'."
"Pleaz! Pleaz! No more requests! I'll be here all night! You'll have to forgive me. You see, I'm gay, my father was an alcoholic!"
"No, your father was an alcoholic because you're gay!"
This mawkish banter went back and forth for several minutes. Jay was the highlight of any party and Troy loved playing 'George Burns' to Jay's 'Gracie'. Everyone had seen this act countless times but it became more enjoyable each new time. No one applauded louder than Roger as he did every time he'd sat through this routine.
Alex had turned around from the merriment and was looking out the kitchen window at a small pond which was currently being inhabited by a huge flock of Canada geese. Only Jeff and Walter noticed him. The two of them gave one another a 'knowing' glance and Jeff indicated to his dad that he wanted to take Alex outside to talk.
The Briarwood party had each brought a house-warming gift to the newest residents of Mackintosh. Each of them had shared in Roger's endowments and there really wasn't anything that they could buy that Johnny and Jeff couldn't afford, or that they hadn't brought with them from their old house. So, the presents were novelties. Troy had had a wooden trophy encased in a glass box, to be broken in time of an emergency. Inside the case was a placard with all Briarwood couples' names and phone numbers, lest Jeff and Johnny ever forgot their 'old' family. Kyle and Ryan had stopped at Sam Goody's and bought a new CD collection with all ten of Mahler's Symphonies.
Walter handed Jeff a gift that was about three feet tall, two feet in circumference at the base and narrowing toward the top. All eyes peered to see this mysteriously hidden object as Jeff tore off the wrapping paper with Walter's encouragement. It was a pewter statue of a man unknown to any of them at first glance. It was beautiful and Jeff and Johnny stood in awe admiring its craftsmanship.
"Do you know who it is?" Walter asked Jeff.
"No, Dad, I don't, but regardless, it's wonderful and especially coming from you and Daddy Dave."
"It's not from me and Dave. It's from Cliff...and Roger, of course."
"Who is it?" Jeff ventured to ask.
"It's St. Aloysius. son," Roger said. "I had a dealer in Italy find it. Only a few years ago, no one had ever heard of the old boy, but when he became the patron saint of AIDS patients, he's known all over the world now."
Jeff got a lump in his throat and was ready to burst into tears.
"It's just...so perfect, Uncle Roger," Jeff uttered.
"I'm glad you like it," Roger replied.
Then Walter gave Johnny his and Dave's present. It was a hand carved mailbox inscribed with "Clayton and Kane", Jeff and Johnny's last names.
Alex watched from a distance as the 'Family Magi' offered their gifts.
"Jeff," Alex said, "I'm sorry I didn't bring you and Johnny anything."
Jeff went to his brother and hugged him for all he was worth,
"You brought me, you." Jeff said to him. "That's present enough for a lifetime."
"Hey! Are we gonna eat or sing carols?" Jay asked, with his hand on his hip. "I, for one, am hungry."
"Then, get to cooking, kitchen wench!" Troy commanded.
"What, for God's sake? I'll bet Mother Hubbard's cupboard is bare!" Jay fumed.
"Wanna bet?" Johnny replied. "Go see for yourself."
Jay went to the double door refrigerator and there was more food there than you'd find in an army barracks....turkey!...ham!...roast beef! ...and oodles of covered dishes that the Mackintosh neighbors had brought for Jeff and Johnny.
Walter became the organizer. "Kyle, you and Ryan set the table while Dave, Troy, and I uncover and reheat some of this feast. I imagine Jeff wants to talk with his brother."
"What about me?" Johnny asked.
"You entertain us! Put on some music! Do some cartwheels! An Irish jig or a Scottish reel might be appropriate in these surroundings."
"Does that mean I have to wear a kilt?" Johnny joked.
"Yes, and that also means that you wear nothing under it!" Jay added, "just in case I want to peek. None of us has ever seen the real reason Jeff married you."
"And you're not gonna!" Johnny quipped back.
"That's right, baby, you tell 'em!" Jeff said to him.
The new home was filled with love and mirth, as each of them went about their assigned tasks. One of the gag gifts that Johnny had given Jeff was an original cast CD of "Brigadoon". Jeff found it and put it into the CD player. Soon the strains of "Once in the highlands, the highlands of Scotland, two weary hunters lost their way...", were loud enough to be heard for blocks away.
Jeff took Alex's hand as he had done so often when they were just toddlers. He led him out the back door and down to the pond. They sat on a handmade wooden glider, complete with multicolored awning. The two of them had not had a brother-to-brother 'heart-to-heart' for years except on phone conversations.
While growing up, Jeff and Alex had had the typical brotherly spats, fights, and arguments. But when their mother had died, they became closer than brothers...each trying to fill the other's needs and void that their mother's passing had brought onto them. In those days, Walter, had buried himself in his budding law practice to escape the sorrow from the loss of his beloved wife. Like most brothers, Jeff and Alex had experimented all kinds of boy/boy sex, even with their dad's knowledge and approval. They understood this better when they learned that their dad was also gay.
Since Alex's move to L.A., they had departed from their secret chats where nothing had ever been kept secret. Everything there was to know about Alex, Jeff knew, and vice versa. At times, they might have had different opinions causing temper tantrums and the like, but in the end, each of them loved the other enough to die for him, if necessary. Walter was aware of their closeness, and quite often he'd worried about Alex, his older son, being so far away from his brotherly half and his home in Briarwood.
During the years that Jeff and Johnny had been a couple, Jeff had related everything to Johnny that had ever happened between him and his brother. Johnny understood completely, but felt sad that he had never had such a sibling as his lover's.
Jeff and Alex were walking hand in hand as they got near the bank of the pond. Alex espied a bunch of rounded, flat, Indian rocks and picked up one of them and skipped it across the pond.
"Seven, eight...nine!" Alex screamed with glee. "Nine hits! Can you beat that, little Bro?"
"Wanna place a side bet?"
"Not like we used to," Alex joked. "I'm afraid things have changed a bit since you and I used to bet jerk offs."
"All right, money?"
"No, money is no fun. Besides, you've got more money than God." Alex kidded.
"I seem to recall that Uncle Roger gave you a worthy sum," Jeff retorted.
"I haven't touched a cent of that money, Jeff," Alex said, becoming serious.
"Damn! You too? I haven't either. As a matter of fact, I didn't tell Johnny about our wealth until a month ago."
"We're still alike, bro."
"Does Ted know about YOUR money?"
"Nope. If he did, he probably would've quit his job and stayed home more often."
"Why don't you tell him? Isn't that what you want?"
"Yeah, I guess. But, Jeff, I love Ted. Becoming a great sports journalist was his dream and I wanted nothing to spoil it for him...not even five million dollars."
"You forgot about the interest. I'll bet it's close to six million by now."
"Five...six...makes no difference as long as I don't need it or want it." Alex drew his attention back to the flat rock-throwing contest. "Hey, are you gonna try to beat nine skips or not?"
"Sure! Watch!" Jeff exclaimed while hurling a stone as hard as he could. "Eleven, twelve, thirteen... How's that?"
"First time you ever beat me. I remember how we used to go camping with Ted and his dad."
"Now, those were some wild times!" Jeff reminisced.
"I think I'll write about them sometime and post it on some web site containing erotic stories."
"Make sure you preface it by saying it's fiction, otherwise, no one would believe it!"
"God, I've missed you." Alex said, hugging his brother once more.
"Come on, Alex, let's sit on the glider and talk...like we used to."
The two of them sat and relaxed looking at the geese on the pond, the mountains in the distance, and the bright blue sky with billowing clouds. Everything perfect in the elysian view before their eyes.
"No wonder you fell in love with this place," Alex began, "This is all so different from the smog in L.A."
"Do you and Ted have a nice place?"
"It's adequate for various and sundry reasons."
"Such as?"
"When we first picked out the apartment, we wanted something that would stay within Ted's and my financial means and I also didn't want to look too extravagant for my clientele at the center."
"Being that Ted didn't know about your 'Roger money'?"
"That too. I didn't know and I still don't know how to tell him. I'm not sure if it would make a difference to the way he loves me, but I don't want to find that out either."
"Well, if you need it, it's always there."
"Yeah, but California laws are different than most states."
"Whaddya mean?"
"You know anything about that palimony business that Clint Eastwood went through?"
"Yes, where the live-in mate deserved half of what's yours."
"Well, here's the ironic thing. California won't recognize gay marriages, but many gay guys that I know out there, split with their wealthy lovers and sued for 'significant others" claims. They went to court and won their cases, and the defending partners had to fork up fifty percent of all that they had."
"Jesus! Are you serious?"
"Yep!"
"I can see why you never told Ted. I mean, not that he'd leave you for half of five million bucks, but it is something to consider."
"Jeff, so often, I've wanted to spill the beans and tell Ted everything. I mean we could go around the world many times, buy a small villa on the Mediterranean and eat grapes and olives all day long."
"Yeah, and hire a cute looking little houseboy that reminds you of me."
"Yeah, sure."
"Why don't you take off and go by yourself?"
"Because it would mean I'd have to tell Ted about the money and if he got jealous and angry...well, I just forked a fortune over to him."
"You DID tell him you were coming to Mackintosh?"
"Nope!"
"Fuck! Alex! Why not?"
"Heck, I don't know where he is half the time, or as I said on the phone...who he's with!"
"Have you two ever thought about breaking up?"
"I'm sure we've both thought about it, but never verbalized it."
"Do you still love him?"
"Yes, Jeff, I love him...and I'm sure he loves me. It's just...we can't seem to connect anymore."
"Where is he now?"
"Fuck! Houston? Portland? Kalamazoo? Who knows?"
"If you knew where he was, right this moment, do you think he'd come and spend a few days with you here in Mackintosh?"
"I...I just don't know."
"Wanna see if I can find him?"
"Yeah, I guess."
"Let me see what I can do."
"Like what? Pray to St. Jude, the 'impossible' saint?"
"Better than that! How about St. 'Roger'? Is there anything he can't do?"
"Jeff, you can't expect Father Roger to..."
"Shut up! It won't hurt to try, will it?"
"No..."
"All right then."
"But why, Jeff?"
"Because I've been with Johnny just a few years shy of you and Ted. And neither of us has ever been happier or more in love than we are now." Jeff said. "You're a part of me and always will be...and I can't be totally happy unless ALL of me is happy at the same time...and that means YOU."
"My God, look who's the big brother now."
"Turn about is..."
"I know, you little cocker."
Jeff leaned over to his brother's face and kissed him lightly on the lips. A tinge of relief ran through Alex's body...a feeling from long ago when the two of them were just kids.
"Now, let's go see what kind of concoction Jay has wrought in my new kitchen while I go have a private chat with Uncle Roger."
Alex put his arm around Jeff's shoulder and they walked up the grassy knoll to the new storybook parsonage.
Later that night Troy, Jay, Kyle, and Ryan went to stay at a nearby motel, leaving Walter, David, and Alex to sleep at Jeff and Johnny's new digs. Roger flew back to Briarwood to be with Cliff and make a few phone calls in the morning to find Ted.
It was just after midnight when Jeff slipped into his facsimile for a study and called Cliff. Jeff didn't hesitate calling him late because Cliff was always up at this hour.
Cliff answered and he and Jeff talked for nearly an hour, telling Cliff that Roger should be home shortly. Jeff filled Cliff in on the events of his first Sunday, the dinner with the 'brothers', but most importantly, he discussed Alex's trouble with Ted. Cliff didn't flinch at Jeff's request of Roger to find Ted. They both knew that Roger had connections with someone or another, every place in the world. Jeff hung up the phone feeling confident that Roger and Cliff would find Ted and manifest another miracle.
The next morning, the brothers from the motel came by for breakfast and goodbyes. It was Monday morning and the six of them, including Walter and Dave, had taken off a few days from their work to enjoy Mackintosh and drive all around New England.
Alex stayed, of course. Johnny invited him to come with him to the newly designated center and see what two brains could come up with to help the Mackintosh residents; Jeff remained at home by himself to unpack more boxes which seemed to be procreating. Jesus! How much stuff had he and Johnny brought from Briarwood, but worse, which piece of junk would fit into which cubby hole?
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The Knicks/Clippers game at the Garden was a doozy. With less than one second on the clock, Will Overend had shot the ball from near center court and won the game...L.A., 123 and New York, 121, The crowd raised a ruckus that only New Yorkers can make, The fans were booing, throwing cups of beer. Torn programs were being whirled in the air. The fans wanted blood! They wanted vengeance!
Ted jotted down his last notes, shook his head, and smiled. He had typed a summary of the game on his laptop and sent it via Internet to ESPN for the eleven o'clock sports report. He knew he should never editorialize and keep an equal balance in his reporting, making sure he showed no favoritism toward either team. Inside, Ted was laughing. His Clippers had won and he had made five thousand dollars on one bet. He was happy. He felt like celebrating.
He waited until most of the disgruntled fans had left the Garden before making his exit. He went out the side door and saw the usual big crowd of young women, informally known as 'groupies', waiting to offer each player a blowjob, a quick fuck, or whatever, just as long as the young lady got her hands, mouth, or vagina on a large black twelve inch dick. Ted had been in all sport locker rooms and knew first hand, that basketball players, especially black basketball players, as rumoured, were hung like elephants. People used to wonder why basketball players went from wearing short shorts to the long knee-length uniforms. Hell, they had to wear shorts long enough now to keep their cocks from dropping below the hemline. Yes, there was a definite correlation between shoe sizes and condom sizes. There had been times when dicks had enticed Ted in becoming a groupie himself for a night. But so far, he had managed to yield from temptation; he had seen nearly every major star of any major sport in the raw, while they showered. If he were a single man, he could become a 'PRO' cocksucker. He laughed at his own joke.
Life on the road had made Ted weary for the past few years. When he was at the bottom of the ladder as a rookie reporter, it was fun and exciting going from big city to big city. He'd spent his teen years growing up in Briarwood. His first and only lover had been Alex who mirrored his medial lifestyle. But when he landed the job in L.A., it was as if he'd been given a key to go through the golden arches of paradise. He'd never seen New York, San Francisco, and the like. He wanted Alex to travel with him, but at the beginning, Ted's expense account didn't allow for a tag-along wife, much less a gay lover. So Ted, 'sacrificed' himself by going to these wondrous places solo. He was glad that Alex had gotten a job at the center in Los Angeles. He assumed that Alex would get involved with his clients and their problems and wouldn't miss him if he stayed longer or pushed on to the next thrilling metropolis.
Ted's sexual needs had always been met by Alex from the age of fifteen on. He really had no 'outside' sex drive. He never played the field or the thought never occurred to him to cheat on his lover. He knew that if and when he became horny, Alex would always be there to take care of his 'rigid' situation. He loved Alex as Alex loved him and he never worried about Alex's fidelity. The two of them had been one another's 'first', so Ted took it for granted that they would remain together for their 'last'.
Ted was a climber and a go-getter. He worked his way up from writing short blurbs of info to make the on-air announcer sound like these was his own knowledge and statistics which Ted was feeding him on a computer screen, to writing sports summaries for the L.A. Times. One night, the Times reporter was scheduled to cover a hockey game in Calgary, but the airports were closed due to inclement weather, well, lots of snow. As fate would have it, Ted was already in Calgary. He'd flown to there a couple of days earlier to make preparations for his superior, and to get in a little skiing.
The press, as the U.S. mail, had to go on despite all kinds of weather, so one of the editors asked Ted to write a long summary and feed it to the paper; they in turn would give the data to the senior reporter and let him write it in his own style, as if he had actually attended the event.
As it turned out, this was one of the most thrilling games in hockey history. Ted was so excited and he wrote the best sport's article of his life. And just like in the movies, the editor read Ted's article and published it verbatim, giving the byline to the rookie, Ted Baxter. After that, the Times had an additional senior reporter.
From that time on, Ted was given his own assignments to write. His articles seemed to improve and get better with each sport venue. Offers poured in to him from all the major networks. He hired an agent and the two of them decided that it would be best for Ted not to sign a long-term contract with any 'one' outlet. He would go from assignment to assignment as a guest free-lance reporter for all four major networks and three cable networks. Ted was in demand and he loved the attention, not to mention the money.
His loyalty to Alex remained true and he hoped that his lover understood about the importance of his climbing to the top of his profession. That was the main reason Ted didn't trick on these trips. No one knew he was gay nor had a gay lover in L.A., and his being 'straight' was a beneficial factor of the job. Since he'd never been with a woman, having sex with one was out of the question. He didn't need to, either. Often, he was approached by many 'turned-away' groupies, but he always scoffed at their offers by saying he had a wife and three kids back home,
So, in his spare time, when he was not arranging a multitude of interviews with every major star in every major sport, Ted amused himself by discreetly placing bets on sporting events and going to bars after the games; He usually went to bars and drank until he was ready to go back to his hotel and fall asleep alone. The first three or four years, he'd called Alex every night at midnight just to keep in touch with his 'family'. But, in the past couple of years, he'd been drinking more heavily and falling asleep without making a phone call back to L.A.
Every time he returned home from a trip, he always brought Ted a souvenir or trinket from the latest city. He would take Alex out to dinner, provided that Alex wasn't on-call with an emergency, and then the two of them would go home and engage in an all night sex session, usually four or five orgasms apiece. This kept Ted sexually satisfied and he assumed it did the same for his lover. He wasn't aware that his presence at home meant more to Alex than all the sex in the world. Alex had his clients at the center, but he didn't want to bring even the thought of them home with him after he'd toiled with their problems all day.
At their first apartment, Alex had made lots of friends, but when he and Ted moved into the new dwelling, the friend roster diminished, slowly but surely. Derek and Sammy had moved to San Francisco after each of them tested positive. They felt the HIV treatment in Frisco was more advanced, easier available, and cheaper. Sherman and Howie split up. Sherman went back home to Indiana while Howie found God and had joined a Billy Graham Crusade and was giving testimony at the drop of a hat (and a few thousands dollars) decrying how the Baptist church had cured his homosexuality. Dot had become drunk one night in a bar and thought Maxine was flirting too much with another lesbian and had pulled out a gun and shot both Maxine and the other girl. Dot was convicted and was serving a life sentence somewhere in northern California. Gary, the closest friend that Alex had made, died from AIDS. Afterward, Gary's lover, Ty, had had a nervous breakdown and was in some Medicaid facility being treated for depression. As for Buzz and Jimmy, Alex didn't know what had happened to them. They seemed to have disappeared in the night. So the only friends that Alex had were coworkers and clients, and he made a rule to leave work at work and never bring it home to socialize with. He missed Ted tremendously and looked forward to each of Ted's returns.
This particular night after the Knicks/Clippers game. Ted was too wired and keyed up. He decided to walk from the Garden back to his hotel on 44th Street and 8th Avenue. He crossed 42nd Street, the most exciting block this side of Las Vegas. The theaters were just letting out and people jammed both sides of the street. He decided to walk up Eighth, one block west of Broadway, and avoid the noisy tourists and playgoers.
It was 11:15PM and time for his first of many evening drinks. He ducked into a small bar between 44th and 45th. The place was dark and practically empty. It was quiet, except for a jukebox at the rear, playing old Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald tunes which his father used to play back home. There were only five people, three women and two men, sitting at the bar and only three or four booths occupied by couples; three with two guys and the fourth with a supposed hetero couple. It wasn't a gay bar, but that didn't matter, Ted was only there to get a drink.
"Evening, sir." the bartender said to him.
"Hi! Let me have a double Dewar's on the rocks!" Ted replied.
All he had had to eat for the past eight hours was two hotdogs, which cost him nine bucks at the Garden. He knew it wouldn't take much alcohol to give him a quick buzz and he was only a half block away from his hotel. He could be in bed and fast asleep by 1:00 AM.
While waiting for his drink, Ted looked toward the jukebox as his peripheral vision gave the rest of the bar patrons a casual sweep. At the parallel section toward the end of the bar, he noticed a very attractive young woman, slightly overdressed for the surroundings wearing a very tight, haltered, black top, plunging to her pinched waist in a 'V'. Her hair was obviously lightened from its original color. Nobody was born with THAT shade of blond, naturally. On her earlobes she wore very long danglies, probably some cubic zirconium special from Home Shoppers Club. There were two empty bar seats beside her and she was sitting next to the wall,
When she thought Ted had caught her eye, she raised one eyebrow as she raised her martini glass to her lips. She dropped her gaze toward the empty barstool beside her, as if to invite Ted to join her. Ted had seen this action in practically every bar he'd visited from both coasts and in Canada. He ignored her by quickly turning his gaze back to the jukebox.
During the past five years, Ted had been lured by many women as well as men. He was handsome, young, and gave the appearance of being single...easy for someone to connect with. Fortunately just then, the bartender set his drink before him and he could focus his stare on the ice cubes in his glass, rather than giving 'her' (or anyone else) the impression that he was there to pick up an evening companion. Slowly, he sipped his drink. He had downed too many drinks for the first taste of alcohol to burn his tongue or throat anymore. His mouth had been conditioned to all kinds of liquor since he'd been traveling on the road.
Ted closed his eyes to let the scotch do its due; to calm his exhilaration from the game he'd seen, and also to prepare him for his anticipated sleep. He concentrated on the voice of Barbra Streisand coming from the old music machine which still played 45's instead of CD's. "...If we had the time to do it all over again...would we?...could we?...Memories..." the song continued. If this had been Alex listening to the lyrics, the words would have meant more to him emotionally. Alex always connected with good words and good music, finding a personal message in them. Alex acquired this from his dad, Walter. But to Ted, it was just a nice song, sung by a nice singer, nothing more. It was soft and peaceful. That's all this song or any song meant to Ted, except for dance music. But since Ted didn't dance, the modern dance music was just noise with a beat.
He tipped his glass high to get the last swallow of Dewars, holding the ice cubes back with his index finger. He had been so lost in the reverie of the music that he had been unaware that the blonde had moved from her perch to the stool beside him. He sat his empty glass on the bar.
"Gonna have another?" the blonde asked.
"Huh?" Ted asked, a bit surprised to see whom it was. "Yeah."
"Want some company?" She replied, "I saw you come in here alone. Are you a stranger in town? A tourist?"
"Well, yes and no. I work here, but only some times." Ted realized he had not answered her question about coming in here alone. He should have said, 'No, and I'm not looking for company', but instead he was polite and she WAS a warm 'somebody' he could chat with for a few minutes. He was glad it was not a fan who recognized him from ESPN-TV and wanted to talk sports.
"What's your name?" She asked.
"Uh, Dennis," he lied, "Dennis Anderson."
"I'm Maggie,"
"Hi, Maggie."
"When you said you worked here 'some times', does that mean you're a traveling salesman or something?...A business man, perhaps, dealing in stocks and such?"
"No, nothing like that."
"Then, what? If you don't mind my asking."
Ted reached deeply into his bag of lies that he often used on occasions like this.
"I, uh, inspect and pick up bodies from morgues in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens...mostly homeless people with no one to claim them."
"What EVER for?" she asked in disbelief.
"I work for a company that supplies cadavers to various medical schools and universities. Some times they want a female with large breasts or fat hips. Some times I have to send an obese male to a school that's doing a seminar on the effects of alcohol on the liver and other organs. The larger the man is, the larger the liver, and the larger commission I make."
"Pardon me, but that sounds disgusting,"
"Well, it's a living...and a damned good one."
"If you'll excuse me, I have to go to the powder room."
Ted raised his glass to toast her and bid her bon voyage, or at least he hoped.
After she had gone to the bathroom, a young man, who was sitting on the stool next to her, and two away from Ted, broke into hysterical laughter. "That has to be the worst put-down line I've ever heard," the young man said as he looked Ted in the eyes and laughed even harder. It was contagious. Ted joined him, hoping that they were both laughing at the same thing.
Several times the young man tried to speak to Ted and he would explode once more, laughing harder until he held his sides. Their shared fun had overtaken their ability to notice the blonde. A few minutes later, Maggie stormed passed them to exit to 8th Avenue. Apparently, she felt that she was the cause of their revelry and had been the butt of Ted's joke because just as she opened the door to leave, she turned and yelled, "Faggot!"
Ted and the stranger bent doubled in hysteria. Ted actually moved over one stool so that he and the stranger could support one another as they laughed. Finally, they maintained some sense of sanity, enough to introduce themselves.
"Hi, I'm Jack." the stranger said, holding out his hand to Ted.
"Hi, Jack, I'm Ted."
"I thought you told her your name was 'Dennis'!"
"I did."
That's all it took for the two of them to break up again. They laughed until they hurt. When the second wave of mirth subsided, they were like old friends and each ordered another drink.
Jack had had a few drinks more than Ted and was much freer with his conversation.
"I've heard lots of bullshit in my lifetime, but your job description tops anything I've ever heard."
For a moment, Ted's face took on a faux stern look. Jack, suddenly thought he'd made a mistake and maybe Ted had told the truth.
"You don't really do that for a living, do you?" Jack asked, more seriously.
"No, I sell hay to the NYPD to feed their horses."
Jack realized that he had been had and the two of the laughed again.
"You're too much," Jack said, "I haven't laughed this hard in years."
"Me, neither." Ted added.
"Do you mind telling me what you really do?"
Ted hesitated, not knowing if the young man would recognize his celebrity and what reaction the truth might bring.
"I'm a sports writer, slash, journalist, slash, TV reporter." Ted finally said.
"I KNOW you!" Jack said with surprise, "I've seen you do the sport news on ESPN! I thought you looked familiar. My first inclination was that you were a pretty-boy actor and had just finished a show."
"Far from it." Ted said.
"But, say hey, you're great! Watching TV and a good looking hunk like yourself, makes sports shows enjoyable, even for guys like me."
The fact that Jack had called him 'good looking' made Ted brace himself to be hit on by 'guys like him'. Alex had often kidded Ted that he couldn't tell the difference between a pass and his ass. It wasn't the fact that Ted had no sex drive, because he did!...in the bedroom with Alex, of course. But, good looks, sex appeal, and such wasn't important to Ted, He wasn't out on the prowl seeking something better than he had at home. To everyone who saw Ted, he was not only good-looking, he was downright sexy. Ted remained oblivious to the attributes others saw in him. Sure, he'd had an erection when seeing athletes naked in the showers, but his sexual fantasies, if he had one, always returned to his lover.
Rather than give Jack the chance to make an overture, Ted excused himself to go to the bathroom to pee. He went to the first urinal. No sooner had he unzipped his fly, he noticed that Jack had followed him and was standing at the next stallette. 'Did he have to pee at the same time?' Ted thought. Out of the corner of his eye, Ted caught Jack trying to look over the divider to get a good look at his penis. He decided to confront Jack with the situation.
"Hey, are you staring at me? Do you want something?"
"Er, no!" Jack stammered. "Do you?"
"I'm sorry for being so blunt, but I wasn't sure if you were trying to hit on me or what."
"Well, no." Jack said. "But would it bother you if I were?"
"Hell, yes! I'm married with three children and although I'm a liberal Democrat, I respect the rights of others, so long as they don't involve me."
"I'll bet you see lots of naked athletes, don't you?"
"Only in the showers after a game or match. Sure, all sports writers do, men and women reporters alike, but I don't go into the locker room to stare at their dicks, I'm there to get an interview or a story."
"I'm sorry. I apologize for getting the wrong impression. It's just that way you sloughed off that whore at the bar, I just assumed you didn't go for women."
"Maybe I don't, but I don't go after guys who follow me in the men's room to grab a quick peek at my dick either."
"Look! I said I'm sorry. Can we just forget about what I just did and go back to the bar and finish our drinks."
"I suppose. But, let's keep the subject off sports, sex, and who's got the biggest dick in the shower room. Understood?"
"Got it!"
"Now if you'll concentrate on peeing and let me do the same..."
"OK. OK. I get the message, loud and clear."
Ted didn't know whether to finish urinating first or just stand at the urinal until Jack finished. He sure as hell didn't want to walk back into the bar and make the other customers think that he and Jack had gone to the john for a quickie.
Ted zipped up his pants but his bladder was only half empty. He paused to wash his hands briefly and he started out the door. At the exact moment, Jack to decided to exit with him, without taking time to wash his hands.
'Fuck', Ted thought. 'There's only less than a dozen people in the bar. No one would notice him and Jack going to the head together. So he held the door for Jack to leave first. The two of the emerged from the men's room and sat back down at the bar.
Suddenly from behind him, Ted heard, "Ted! Ted!"
He turned around on his barstool and there stood Timmy and Rob.
"Good Lord, guys!" Ted exclaimed. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"We live here." Timmy said. "We should ask you the same question."
"I just finished the Knicks match down at the Garden and came in here for a drink. Where have you two been?"
Rob and Timmy eyed Jack. They both became suspicious of Ted's mysterious 'friend'.
"We were scouting a new guy for the lead in our musical. His show let out and we came in for a drink. This bar used to be our regular hangout every night when we were doing, "Dolphin Street." Timmy said.
Rob became more curious about the stranger and loudly asked, "How's Alex? We haven't heard from him except for Christmas cards since you two moved to L.A.!"
"He's fine...working himself to death, but fine!"
"Are you two still in the throng of marital bliss after all these years?" Rob asked louder, making sure that the 'friend' heard him.
"We're still together if that's what you mean?"
"And they say Hollywood marriages never last!" Timmy added.
By this time, Jack had overheard the comments behind him and realized that Ted had duped him. Ted WAS gay; he just wasn't interested. He got the message, put down a ten spot on the bar and left dejected without so much as a goodbye to Ted.
"Friend of yours?" Timmy asked after Jack had left.
"Someone I just met."
"Yeah, we saw him follow you into the john. Don't worry! We won't say a word to Alex."
"I don't care if you do. That guy and I didn't do anything. He wanted to, but I didn't."
"Ted, we don't care." Rob said. "Everyone gets the seven year itch and you've been with Alex almost twice that long."
"Seven year itch, huh? I guess I'm immune 'cause I never got it!" Ted said,
"You mean, never, not once have you cheated on Alex?"
"Never, not once."
"Well, I guess you two row the same boat that we do." Timmy replied. "So far as I know, we're as true to one another since Father Cliff finalized our commitment."
"Alex and I never had a formal ceremony. I've just always been sure that he was the one for me, and I assumed he felt the same about me."
"I'm sure he does, Ted."
"Tell me, Ted," Rob interjected. "How long you gonna be in town and where to, next?"
"I leave tomorrow for Atlanta." Ted replied.
"Have you eaten?" Rob asked.
"I had a couple of franks during the game."
"Then, come home with us. We have loads of leftovers to heat up. We can talk about old times and catch up on everything we can share about the folks in old Briarwood. Whaddya say?"
"Well, I was going to the hotel, next door, and go to sleep when I leave here."
"I have a better idea, Let's go to the hotel, get your bags, pay your bill, and come spend the night at our apartment. The guest room is ready and waiting for you. Tomorrow, we'll go with you to the airport."
Ted really didn't want to go, but finally said, "What the hell! Let's do it." At least he would have someone to talk with, friends he had known for a few years.
The three of them followed the plan and soon they were in a taxi headed toward West 75th Street between Columbus and Amsterdam. As they rode and chatted, Ted was glad he had decided to come with them. Yes, he did get lonely on these trips and it was fun just to see two familiar faces like Rob and Timmy's.
Timmy tipped the cabdriver while Rob took Ted's bag and led him up one flight of stairs. Rob flipped the light switch and Ted was amazed at their decor. It was Broadway personified with posters, signed pictures, even strips of lights leading down the hall to each room like a lighted runway.
"Welcome to Shubert's Back Alley!" Rob announced to Ted. "Come on in and let me put your bag in the guest room and then I'll give you the grand tour of our little museum!"
"Wow! Rob!" Ted exclaimed. "Alex should see your place!"
"I wish he were here to see it with you, Ted." Rob said.
"Have Father Cliff and Roger been here?" Ted asked,
"Father Cliff has, but that was before we completely redid the place. But that's another story...a long one."
"Yeah, Alex mentioned something that Jeff told him about you two getting involved with a serial killer," Ted said, "But you DID catch him, didn't you?"
"Yes, only it was a she!"
"Good God, I didn't hear about that."
"We have so much to talk about. If you want to go into the bathroom and freshen up, take a shower, whatever, make yourself at home."
"Thanks, Timmy, I will." Ted said as he went into the guestroom to get his toiletry kit.
"He looks depressed." Timmy said, after Ted had left him and Rob.
"He's probably lonely for Alex;"
"I hope that's all," Timmy replied, "Come on, babe, and let's dig out those leftovers. I'm hungry and I'll bet Ted is too."
Ted was in the shower. Rob was setting the table while Timmy was busy heating a plethora of food when the phone rang.
"Good Lord, it's after one. Who could be calling at this hour?" Rob asked, hurrying to the phone.
"Hello?"
"Rob?" the voice asked.
"Yes?"
"This is Roger!"
"Good heavens, Roger! How are you and how's Father Cliff?"
"We're both fine...getting older but still fine like good wine," Roger replied, "I'm sorry for calling so late."
"That's perfectly all right, is anything wrong?"
"No, son, not really," Roger said, :It's just that I had a long talk with Jeff earlier today."
"Is anything wrong with him?"
"Oh, no. He's well and happy, He told me to thank you for the gift from you and Timmy. He had quite a day. He was sorry that you two couldn't be there with the rest of the Briarwood gang. Troy, Jay, Ryan, and Kyle, all went up to Mackintosh with Walter and David. Alex was there too."
"Alex?"
"Yes, that's the reason I called."
"What's wrong?"
"Jeff is trying to locate Ted. I called the station in L.A, and was told he was in New York, I just thought, by chance, he might have called you or something."
"Roger, your Irish luck is still riding high! You're not going to believe this, but Ted is taking a shower, right here in our apartment, as we speak! This is unbelievable! God does work in mysterious ways, doesn't he, Father?"
"That's what Cliff keeps reminding me daily," Roger said, laughing.
"You wanna speak with him?"
"Yes, Should I call back when he gets out of the bathroom?"
"You'll do no such thing! You're gonna talk to me and Timmy until he gets out, even if he stays in there all night!"
Ted stayed in the bathroom, shaving and showering for the next fifteen minutes while Timmy got on the phone extension in the kitchen and listened to Roger description of Jeff's new church and about the hamlet of Mackintosh. Roger asked them about the proposed production of 'Brigadoon' and Timmy and Rob filled Roger in with all the details, both talking at once.
"I was going to keep this a secret until I saw you both in the show. but it had better be a hit! I...uh...plopped down a few dollars in the production."
"Good Lord! You mean we're working for you again?"
"I just know investment when I see one...like the first time the both of you performed for Cliff and me in our den."
"Roger, you're beyond all belief!" Rob said.
Finally, Ted emerged from the bathroom feeling clean and pert.
"Hey, Ted! You have a phone call!" Rob yelled.
"Who is it?" Ted asked. Who could be calling him here, and at this hour?
"Hello?" Ted answered, as Rob handed him the receiver.
"Hi, son, this is Roger."
"My God! What's wrong? Is my dad OK?"
"Yes, your dad and mom are fine. Cliff said they were at mass this past weekend."
"Is anything wrong in Briarwood?"
"No, Ted, everything's perfect here."
"Then, how did you know to call me here? Ted asked, puzzled. "I mean I only met Rob and Timmy by accident and we've only been here about half an hour. This is incredible, but you still haven't told me why you called."
"I attended mass at Jeff's new church and Jeff is worried about Alex."
"Alex? What's wrong with Alex? He was fine when I left L.A., Thursday, Should I call him?"
"That might be a good idea, Ted, but don't worry, he was fine when I talked with him.."
"Roger, I'm sorry, but this conversation is freaking me out. It's only a little after ten in L.A.; He should still be up!"
"Alex is not in L.A., Ted, He's with Jeff in Mackintosh."
"Where the heck is Mackintosh, Father?"
"It's in New Hampshire, son. That's where Jeff and Johnny moved. That's what I was trying to tell you. I saw Alex and talked with him there in Mackintosh, where Jeff has a new church."
"Jesus! Am I THAT out of touch? I didn't know a thing about any of this!"
"Don't you and Alex have your little heart-to-heart chats, anymore?"
"Not like we used to, Roger." Ted said, then added, "I guess it's all my fault."
"It's no one's fault, Ted. You and Alex keep busy, but separate lives; the same as all couples do. Cliff runs his big church while I oversee the Institute, but we sometimes even we have to stop and see if we're including our mate in our own life. That's the way a marriage works, son."
"Oh, God, I'm so sorry, Roger," Ted said, with a tear in his voice. "I guess Alex thinks I'm an asshole, especially if he went to New Hampshire without telling me, plus the fact that Jeff talked to you instead of calling me."
"I wish I had recorded your last statement, Ted, and could play it back for you. You mentioned Alex, Jeff, and me, all in one breath. We're connected, Ted, all of us. Troy, Jay, Kyle, Ryan, your dad, Alex's dad, David, Chris, Ed, Timmy, Rob, Johnny. Cliff and I....we're family, Ted, When one of us hurts, we all feel the pain, When one of us needs help, we all pitch in. We're all committed to our mates and each other."
"I've been such a fool, Roger. I guess I just needed you to open my eyes to myself and see me as everyone else does."
"Ted, we see you as Alex does. Only he sees you better. We all love you. You're a wonderful guy that Alex chose to be his mate for life. That's enough for me, Cliff, and the rest of the family that loves you."
"I suppose it's stupid to ask if you believe in fate. Father Cliff might call it divine intervention, but I'll never be able to understand or explain the events that occurred tonight. I just happened to be in a bar where Timmy and Rob just happened to meet me and Jeff just happened to call you and you just happened to call Rob and Timmy while I just happened to be here in their apartment in New York. Wow!"
"It kinda makes a believer out of you, doesn't it son?"
"I'll say."
"Let me give you Jeff's phone number in New Hampshire and you can call Alex if and when you feel like it. He's gonna spend a few days there with Jeff and Johnny. I know he'll be glad to hear from you."
"Roger, how can I thank you?"
"You have already, son, many times over."
Ted asked for a pad and pencil from Rob to write down Jeff's number. Timmy had secretly listened to Roger and Ted's conversation on the phone extension and was doing the best he could to hide the tears he was shedding.
Ted ended his phone call from Roger by saying, "You know I love you, don't you."
"I never had a doubt and I love you, too, son."
It was nearly one-thirty. Ted couldn't decide whether to call Alex immediately or wait until tomorrow. He decided to ask his Briarwood 'brothers' what to do. The three of them thought it would be better to call in the morning.
Ted sat down with Rob and Timmy to eat the leftovers. Ted had lost his appetite from the anticipation he felt about talking to Alex. Several times during the dinner conversation, Rob and/or Timmy asked Ted a question which he ignored, not on purpose, he hadn't heard most of what they had said or asked. His mind was racing with thoughts of how he could save his relationship. Slowly, he began to see how he and Alex had drifted apart. He was right when he said he'd been a fool. He HAD! A wave of guilt filled his chest cavity, making it difficult to breathe. He couldn't comprehend Alex's going to Macintosh without so much as a word or a warning. Roger's words kept streaming through his mind. A relationship involved two people, but while he was jaunting around between three countries, he had left Alex home to 'keep the home fires burning'. Shit! That was so cliche, but appropriate. Alex had always been there for him to return home to. His lover had done all the giving while he took everything for granted. God, how lonely he must've made Alex! How selfish! How uncaring...unfeeling and all the other 'uns' he could think of. He had polarized himself from the one who loved him most!
"Hey, buddy." Rob said, breaking Ted's train of thought. "You OK?"
"Huh?" Ted replied, coming back to reality. "Yeah, I'm fine. I've just had a lot to think about since I talked with Roger."
"Come on, we're family. Tell us what's wrong," Rob said.
Rob's mentioning the word 'family' brought back more things that Roger had said to him.
"Are you and Alex having troubles?" Timmy asked, not letting either of them know he had eavesdropped on Ted's conversation with Roger.
"I didn't think we were," Ted replied, then added, "but now, I'm not so sure."
"It must be tough for the two of you, especially with the demands your jobs put on you." Timmy said. "I guess Rob and I are lucky, both being in the same profession. Even when we were in separate shows, we always met when our curtains came down and came home together."
"I just realized how much time my job takes me away from Alex. He is on call at the center twenty-four-seven, but he comes home after a crisis...maybe losing a client to suicide or watching someone die in a hospital and there's no one...correction! 'I' am not there to comfort him when he gets there."
Neither Rob nor Timmy could reply to Ted. They looked at each other, dropped their heads and looked back at Ted.
"I have to decide which means more to me...my job or Alex."
"But your job requires you to travel." Rob said. "Alex knows that and I'm sure he understands."
"I don't HAVE to travel. I could do just as much from the L.A. network feed and stay in one place."
"But is that what you want?"
"Maybe not, but I bet Alex would be a lot happier."
Rob and Timmy smiled at each other.
"I know one thing for sure," Ted continued. "If I can talk with him today, I've got a lot to say to him. I owe him more than I've ever given him. Money and fame are bullshit if they hurt the one you love!"
Having declared his resolution, Ted was hungry once more. He finished nearly every dish that Timmy had heated while Rob and Timmy slowly sipped their wine, watching Ted gobble the leftovers, and looking pleased with the decision he had made. They went to bed around 3:00 AM. Three hours later, Ted called Jeff and asked to speak with Alex. Jeff told Ted that Alex had gone down to the new center with Johnny. They should be back around noon for lunch. Jeff told Ted to call back around 12:30.
In the meantime, Ted called ESPN and said he had become ill and asked for someone to sub for him in Atlanta. That was no problem with the network, because there was always a bunch of young rookies waiting for their 'chance'. Next, Ted called the airline to book a ticket to Mackintosh, New Hampshire. The ticket seller had never heard of Macintosh, nor was there a flight to that destination. Ted, then called Jeff back to get directions how to get there. He was going to rent a car and drive, but he begged Jeff not to tell Alex that he was coming. He wanted to surprise his lover. Jeff was ecstatic! Roger had come through, just as Jeff knew he would!
"One more thing, Jeff," Ted said,
"What?"
"Have you ever performed a commitment ceremony?"
"No, but there's always a first time." Jeff said,
"Good, it'll be my first time, too." Rob said as he hung up the phone.
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(To be continued in "BRIARWOOD"---BOOK FIVE--chapter-forty-seven).