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, 2003
Revised Version
A dramatic saga
by
Ritch Christopher
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THE END OF BOOK EIGHT
"UNTO THE HILLS"
Chapter Ninety
"There are few nudities so objectionable
as the naked truth."
Agnes Repplier (1855 - 1950)
"All truth passes through three stages.
First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is
violently opposed. Third, it is accepted
as being self-evident."
Arthur Schopenhauer (1788 - 1860)
"The public will believe anything, so long
as it is not founded on truth."
Edith Sitwell (1887 - 1964)
"The truth is more important than the facts.
Frank Lloyd Wright (1869 - 1959)
"All truths are easy to understand once
they are discovered; the point is to
discover them."
Galileo Galilei (1564 - 1642)
"Say not, 'I have found the truth,' but rather,
'I have found a truth.'"
Kahlil Gibran (1883 - 1931)
"A lie told often enough becomes the truth."
Lenin (1870 - 1924)
"Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but
most of them pick themselves up and hurry off
as if nothing ever happened."
Sir Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965)
Cliff conveyed Jeff's hunch to the Briarwood sheriff's office and after the police picked up Chuck Brindley and his best friend, Bill Otis, the two boys confessed to Jake's murder and the attempted 'acid throwing' assault on Billy. Reverend Brindley, Chuck's dad and the foremost leader of right-wing evangelical ministry in the county, immediately defended his son's action by saying that Chuck had been prompted by the Lord to rid the world of homosexuals.
Briarwood suddenly found itself the focus of world-wide media attention since the incident seemed to reflect the view of nearly half the United States. Gay life had been more acceptable ten years ago than it was today. A similar pattern could be said about relationship between ethnic groups. Majority and minority groups had struggled for equality and had been making progress before the 2000 White House administration came to power. Now this was all changed since the leader of the free world had seemed to con the right wing into believing he was chosen by God to lead the fight against terrorism and immorality and had been rather successful in steering the focus of main issues affecting the homeless, the jobless, the sick, and the elderly. Proof in point, the little grandmother who could no longer afford her monthly medication due to social budget cuts had no idea of the reason the price of the medicine had tripled. After leaving her costly drugs on the counter, unpurchased, when asked by a reporter whom she was supporting in the 2004 election, she replied, "Why the President, of course. He is God's chosen one!"
The liberals on the other side of the political ticket could not fathom this kind of stupidity and chalked it up to brainwashing. Why, the very idea of making people think that it was anti-American to oppose anything they had been misled to believe during the past four years! All the anti-administration media blitz had apparently done no good and the United States was more divided on issues now than they had been since the Civil War began in 1860/1861.
Cliff felt guilty that his appearance on CSPAN had lit the fuse and in the long run had ignited the fire of hate which caused Jake's death. Cliff searched his soul and spent days at the St. Genesius altar praying for guidance, seeking a way to curtail the flames. Speaking to his flock at his church was literally preaching to the choir as all of his congregation believed as Cliff believed. The old adage, 'you can't teach an old dog new tricks' was dominant in his thoughts on how to reach the masses. Perhaps the best way was to go WITH the rule and teach puppies to catch a Frisbee or perform somersaults in the air. Maybe teaching love and acceptance to the youth of Briarwood, even in America, was the best way for the river of mankind to flow or at least set it back on the course it was following before the 2000 election.
Jake's murder had been the first real hate crime ever committed in Briarwood and Chuck's and Bill's feeling of hatred toward gays was definitely not an isolated one. More than likely, Reverend Brindley, his followers, and others like him, had succeeded in poisoning many minds, not just those of Reverend Brindley's son and his best friend.
Troy and Tom had seen Cliff's despair and his self-guilt and wanted to help their priest-father. Troy called Jeff and Johnny in Mackintosh and talked with them about the problem, especially since it had been Jeff and Johnny who had led the debate opposing the Brindley philosophy nearly a decade ago. Jeff, in turn, called his dad, Walter, to ask his opinion, and Walter called George Adkins, the mayor of Briarwood, who then called Cliff, completing the circle of the 'concerned'. It was Mayor Adkins suggestion that Briarwood have a town meeting and require that all junior and senior high school students attend an open-forum discussion followed by a long Q&A period. Cliff was to be fortified with Jeff and Johnny's expertise on gay living and gay lifestyle in general. Since homosexuality had become the victim, it deserved the right to be defended. All 'right-wing-influenced' students were asked to participate by posing questions to the panel.
It was a huge task for Cliff, Jeff, and Johnny, but they were willing to pick up the gauntlet and accept the challenge...even if it only prevented one more death or act of hatred.
The Briarwood High auditorium AND the Briarwood Arts Centre were both too small to accommodate the huge crowd anticipated for the event, as were all the Briarwood churches. So a huge field just outside the Briarwood city limits was chosen. The area had the resemblance of an amphitheatre with small hills and bunkers on the side. As soon as Jay saw it, he exclaimed, "Good Lord, it looks like a set for the 'Sermon on the Mount'. The city of Briarwood paid for the rental of a sound system and drive-in theatre size screens were constructed so that everyone would have a 'close-up' view...not to mention crews of the media from all the major network and cable news services which planned to broadcast the event all over the world...which of course included interpreters translating the broadcast into many languages.
The first cry of 'foul' came from the U.S. Attorney-General's office which was headed by a right-wing evangelical, but the media and the Briarwood city council ignored the opposing grumbles which actually was a conservative political stance and nothing more. The main criticism was caused by the date of the forum which was scheduled exactly one week before the Presidential election.
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After breakfast in bed was served in bed to all four, Kyle, Danny, Petey, and Hal, by Waldorf room service, it was time for them to replicate the opening scene of Bernstein's 'On The Town' and see as much of New York as possible during the next twenty-four hours. The seventh stop was the top of the Empire State Building which might as well been the end of the tour because that's all Danny talked about the rest of the day. Kyle had been to the top many times so he let Hal take the kids up the long elevator while he went to the nearby TicketMaster to buy four orchestra seats for a Broadway show that evening.
It would have taken a total idiot to not know what show Kyle would choose... none other than 'Brigadoon' starring Rob, with the orchestra conducted by Tim. It would only have taken a second for Kyle to call either of them to get house seats, but this way it would be a surprise when Rob and Tim saw them after the show.
The four Briarwood tourists returned exhausted to the hotel around 5:30 which gave them just enough time to bathe, change clothes, eat dinner, and make it to the theatre before eight o'clock. Hal assisted the boys with their bath, dressed them, and turned on a pay-per-view movie, 'Peter Pan' starring Jeremy Sumpter, the talented teen star of the new hit television show, 'Clubhouse'.
Kyle postponed his shower in order that he and Hal could shower together as newlyweds. The two of them messed around playfully in the bath, having sex only one time each. Then they hurriedly dressed and the four of them went to the Four Seasons restaurant for an elegant meal and afterwards, they sped away to Broadway and 44th Street to see 'Brigadoon'.
Hal was enthralled by the show with the 'Riverdance' flings, the full orchestral sound, the scenery which kept moving into different formations, and especially, the actor who played Tommy. Danny and Petey sat in awe watching the famous Highland sword dance. During the second act love song, Hal was so moved that he reached over to Kyle and held his hand. Hal still had no idea that 'Tommy' and the conductor were Briarwood Boys, just as he was now. The musical ended as usual to thunderous applause and a standing ovation from the grateful audience. Then Kyle told Hal that he wanted to take him back stage to meet a member of the cast.
And so the four of them went outside into the back alley to the stage door. Kyle wrote a quick note to the doorman and waited while the folded piece of paper was taken to Rob's dressing room. Rob showed it to Tim and the two ran to the stage door, not waiting for the doorman to let their Briarwood brothers enter.
Rob and Tim screamed with delight when they saw Kyle and the kids and ran to give them enormous hugs. Hal didn't know what to think of this display of affection from the star of the show until Kyle turned to introduce Rob and Tim to him. Hal was even more surprised by the hugs the two Broadway performers gave him.
"Hal, these are the only two of Cliff's Briarwood Boys you've never met."
During the hug, Rob turned his head to face Kyle, "My God, he's just what the doctor ordered!"
"Huh?" Hal said, puzzled by what Rob had implied...'Doctor?'.
Tim said, "Rob, look at how the boys have grown!"
The two youngsters ran to hug Rob and Tim around their legs, shouting, "Uncle Rob! Uncle Tim!"
Then Rob said, "Kyle, I know it must be way past the boys' bedtime, but I would dearly love for the four of you to come to the apartment for a late snack! We can let Danny and Petey rest on the bed while Tim, Hal, and I get acquainted."
"That sounds wonderful!" Kyle replied, "What about it, Hal?"
"I...I...well, it sounds wonderful to me, too!"
"Great!" Rob said. "Let me get this makeup off and change out of this costume and we'll be on our way!"
Kyle, Hal, and the boys followed Tim into his dressing room while he got out of his tuxedo and into a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. Soon, all six were in a cab headed up the West side to the apartment.
Rob fixed drinks for the four adults and Tim made small size strawberry sundaes for Danny and Petey, after which the two toddlers were put to bed on Rob and Tim's king sized mattress.
Kyle, Rob, and Tim sat in the living room swapping memories for the next hour while Hal sat, still in awe of where he was and whom he was with for he was still starstruck by Rob, the Broadway star. Although nothing was said to give a slight clue, Rob and Tim, both sensed, that there was more between Kyle and Hal than a mere employee/babysitter relationship.
"What did you think of the show?" Rob asked Hal.
"I've never seen anything like it in my life! You...you were simply fantastic!"
"Thanks! Was there any part you enjoyed most?"
"Yes. In the second act, after the intermission, when you sang that song to Fiona."
"I think I sing three songs to her in the second act. Which one?"
"I looked in the program and I think the name of it was, 'From This Day On'."
"It's a great song...one of Lerner and Lowe's best."
"It gave me goosebumps the way you sang it...and the words meant so much."
"Would you like me to sing it again, just for you?"
"You mean here and now?"
"I have the conductor with me, who's also a brilliant pianist!"
"I think he's too overwhelmed to ask you, Rob," Kyle remarked, "so why don't you do it anyway?"
"Tim, would you play the intro?"
"There's nothing to stop me...of course, I will."
"Hal, why don't you move over and sit closer to Kyle? That way I can look at both of you as I sing."
Hal was embarrassed at first by Rob's suggestion, but as soon as Kyle looked at him, Hal got up from his chair and moved to the sofa to sit side by side with his new lover.
Then Rob began to sing:
"You and the world we knew will glow,
till my life is through;
For you're part of me from this day on.
And someday if I should love,
it's you I'll be dreaming of,
For you're all I'll see from this day on.
These hurried hours were all the life we could share.
Still, I will go with not a tear, just a prayer
That when we are far apart,
you'll find something from your heart has gone!
Gone with me from this day on."
Tim played the musical interlude on the piano at which time, once again, Hal reached over to hold Kyle's hand while Rob finished singing the tag line of the song:
"Through all the years to come,
and through all the tears to come,
I know I'll be yours from this day on."
Then there was a sudden stillness in the room as applause usually followed Rob's rendition of the lovely tune. But Rob and Tim were also speechless when they saw Kyle lean over to kiss Hal gently on the lips. Hal was not at all ashamed.
It was Rob who broke the significant silence when he said, "Hey, guys, fill us in! How long has this been going on?"
"I...I hope you don't feel bad about me..." Hal uttered.
"Bad! For heavens sake, Tim and I couldn't be more happy for both of you."
"I just thought that since both of you were friends of Ryan and all..." Hal once again tried to explain the kiss.
"You're right, Tim! Rob, Ryan, Kyle, and I were all very close in Briarwood. So close that we could almost read each other's minds...and if Ryan is looking down and if he saw what Tim and I saw, then be sure in knowing that Ryan is just as pleased as we are."
"See, I told you..." Kyle added.
"But don't you think it's too soon to..."
"Hal, how long does one have to suffer in gloom before he is allowed to enjoy a new ray of sunshine? A year? A decade? Life is too short not to accept hope and happiness as soon as it's offered to a person or persons." Tim said, from the piano.
Rob added, "I knew there was something going on between the two of you as soon as I saw you in Shubert Alley and, while I was dressing, I said a little prayer, hoping that I was right!"
"When did all this happen?" Tim asked.
"We met at Ryan's funeral. Hal's brother was murdered near Chattanooga, Tennessee, only a few days before Ryan passed," Kyle explained.
"So, in reality, you both were looking for a support system or someone to lean on? That's the way the Old Man Upstairs works sometimes."
"Wanna hear the irony of our whole affair? Hal was straight when we met."
"Damn, Kyle! Has some publisher offered you a contract to write your method on the 'power of persuasion'?" Rob joked.
"He ought to," Hal said, "Kyle knew I was gay before I did."
"And Cliff will be the first to tell you that the Almighty knew it before either of you!"
"It would appear so," Kyle replied.
"So this trip you're taking is..a sort of a honeymoon?" Tim asked.
"Half honeymoon and half educational for the boys. Ryan and I planned on taking Danny and Pete around the world just before he became sick. Then, after he died, all the brothers in Briarwood insisted that I go on to Europe or wherever and Hal would come along as a chaperone or companion. I think both of us were surprised when the relationship turned into something bigger and better."
"How long do you plan on being gone?"
"Six months, a year, who knows?"
"Tim, that's what we should do when and if our show ever closes."
"Rob, there's no sense in saying that! You know damned well, you're gonna hop into another show immediately!"
"Oh, am I?"
"There a buzz all over Broadway that "The Way We Were" is gonna be turned into a musical and word has it that you're gonna play the Redford part!"
"I...I can't keep a thing from you, can I?"
"Not when I've been offered the job of musical director already!"
"Well, maybe we can get away season after next!"
"Where to? New Jersey?"
"Jersey's nice...at least in the autumn."
Kyle stood up, "Guys, we really should be getting back to our hotel and put the boys to sleep for good for the rest of the night. There are still a lot of sights I want them to see...and Hal, too."
"If your return trip leads you back to New York, for God's sake, call us! It's so great to see a friendly face from home."
"I will...I promise."
"Hal, why don't you come with me and we'll get one boy each?" Tim said.
"Sounds like a winner!"
Tim and Hal left for the bedroom to get the sleeping Danny and Petey, leaving Rob alone in the living room with Kyle.
"So? What do you think of him?" Kyle asked Rob.
"If you can't see he was heaven-sent, then I think you've lost your sense of perception."
"I love him, Rob."
"That's obvious and he loves you. How do the kids feel about him?"
"They've already started calling him, 'Daddy Hal'. He's so damned good to them and loves them as if they were his own."
"Kyle, I hope you have many years of happiness of ahead of you...all FOUR of you. Have a safe trip. Take your time and see everything you want to see, but make sure that you share it all with Hal."
Tim entered carrying Petey in his arms followed by Hal with Danny. "Here comes Winken and Blinken is right behind. Nod is...well, Nod is some place else!"
Tim and Rob followed their Briarwood guests down to the street to get a cab. The four guys hugged and said 'goodbye' and Kyle, Hal, and the two kids rode away back to the Waldorf.
"Well, that was more of your new family you just met!" Kyle said to Hal.
"They're just as great as the ones back home."
"You should know...you're one of us now."
"Kyle, could I ask a big favor?"
"As big as the moon?"
"Not quite! I...I don't really have any family for you to meet. I do have my best friend, Steve, and his lover, Wade, who are staying with Jeff and Johnny up in Mackintosh."
"You want to delay Europe for an extra few days while we go to New Hampshire?"
"I know it's asking a lot..."
"Bullshit! There's nothing I'd like better!"
"You mean that?"
"On one condition..."
"Name it!"
"This, 'Steve'? Do I have any reason to be jealous? I mean he was your best friend and as you told me, always had a crush on you..."
"HAH! Steve had a crush on ME, I didn't have one on him...and besides, you thought nothing about showing me off to Rob and Tim. I want to see Steve AND Wade's faces when I tell them that you're my lover! Steve will shit his britches when he finds out that I'm gay! I'm not ashamed to admit it now to anyone, especially Steve."
"So you want to show him what he lost in the deal...YOU!"
"That's mean, isn't it?" His smile allowed the 'little boy' in him to show briefly.
"Not as long as it's I that you're showing off."
"I really would like to see them and I'd also like Jeff to see the result of his matchmaking. You know it was Jeff who actually got us together."
"I know, but if it hadn't been Jeff, it would have been Cliff, Roger, Troy, or one of the other Boys."
"Have you guys always stuck together like Super Glue?"
"That's a good way to describe how we all seemed to bond."
"I didn't think there was so much love and joy in the world until I met all of you."
"Hell, you haven't met Jeff's other half, Johnny, or Alex, Jeff's brother, and his lover, Ted. The list just goes on and on..."
Hal looked at Kyle for a long moment, and then said simply, "I love you, Kyle."
"And I love you, too, Hal."
The cab pulled up in front of the Waldorf. When the four of them were in their room, Hal put the kids in their bedroom while Ted got on the phone to reserve four airline tickets to New Hampshire in two days.
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Losing Jake, his one-year younger brother, was the last thing Lee could ever have imagined. Never had Lee felt so alone in spite of his fraternal acceptance into the Briarwood Boys family group. Lee and Jake had suffered the woes of a mother who had deserted both of them and whose father made it a point every day to call their mother a whore...a father so wrapped up in his ultra-conservative evangelical religion that he couldn't know how to love his sons. Their upbringing consisted of complete social restrictions, set forth and verified by their father's interpretation of Bible chapter and verse. The only happiness that either brother had ever known was the love they received from one another.
Lee's one and only sexual encounter with his piano teacher had resulted in Lee's getting infected with the AIDS virus, which separated him from Jake until Tom and Mike found a way to reunite them and brought them to Briarwood where they expected to live out long happy lives together...and now this...a hate crime, so horribly unexpected and unimaginable, had separated them forever here on earth. Lee had listened contentiously about Jake and him being joined together in an afterlife, but Lee's mood was too abysmal to accept this as reality or even as a hope.
Briarwood was the kind of town that Jake and Lee always dreamed they could live in...safe, secure, filled with lots of friends and overflowing with happiness. Lee thought, 'Hell, we could have stayed in Texas and let Dad beat us half to death! We didn't have to come all this way to have Jake murdered!' He was sorry now that his physical affliction had gone into complete remission. He would have died first and perhaps nothing would have happened to Jake and he would still be alive.
Lee was depressed, but even more than that, he was angry. He felt that if he could get to the Briarwood jail, he could kill Chuck Brindley and Bill Otis without a smidgen of guilt or remorse. He cursed God. God had never protected him or Jake from their dad's wrath and God...if there even was one...had not seen fit to look after Jake, walking on his way to school.
Lee liked Father Cliff and Roger. He had learned to love his Briarwood brothers, especially Mike and Tom, but to Lee, Jake's funeral was a farce. The long mass filled with prayers and scripture, sad songs of High Hosannas did nothing to fill the void and the need in Lee's life now. Lee's recollection of reading 'Macbeth' at the high school in San Angelo seemed to make more sense now than all the verses in the Bible put together...one line in particular, "Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing!" That was the essence of Jake's life, death, and funeral...and now Lee wanted to leave...maybe even die... whichever, as long as he could get away from everything and everybody!
Lee narrowed his options down to two...suicide or packing one suitcase and disappearing from Briarwood while no one was looking. He chose the latter. He had nearly one-thousand dollars which he and Jake had stashed away in their closet for a rainy day. Lee didn't know how far away he could get from Briarwood with that amount or where he would go...DEFINITELY NOT TEXAS or any states which bordered it! He was still too 'small town' to go to a big city such as New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles...somewhere down South would be more amenable to his lifestyle...Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana, or Mississippi.
He realized the sanctity he would be leaving behind in Briarwood, although Briarwood had been no safe haven for Jake. He also knew that he would be completely alone, sans family and friends, but outside of Jake, he'd had no friends before moving in with Tom and Mike...so as the saying goes, 'What you've never had, you won't miss!'
So with his plan set in his mind, tonight would be his great and maybe his last escape. He would wait until after Mike and Tom began their nightly lovemaking, which was always followed by a shower and a pre-prepared snack in their bedroom, and leave quietly and unobtrusively to his unknown destination... and that's exactly what he did.
The following morning, Mike, nor Tom, went to check on Lee. They knew he wouldn't want to go to school and they both thought it was best to let him sleep late because he needed the additional rest. No one discovered that Lee had left until mid-afternoon. Lee didn't leave a farewell note or message, he just left. Mike wanted to call the Briarwood police and put out a 'bolo' on him, but Tom stopped Mike. Somehow, Tom understood Lee's action and told Mike, "Let him go. If it's God's will, he'll come back some day."
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Kyle called Jeff before he, Hal, and the kids, detoured to Mackintosh to make sure that Jeff and Johnny could accommodate four tourists. He also asked Jeff not to say anything to Steve or Wade about his impromptu visit with Hal, nor did Kyle reveal that he and Hal were now a couple. He knew Jeff would be able to see it instantly, since he had been the one to arrange Kyle and Hal getting together for the first time. Jeff had acquired Cliff's ability to seem to know everything that was going on by sheer male intuition.
Jeff and Johnny were ecstatic with the thought of Kyle finally making his way to their village in New Hampshire. When Ryan was alive, Jeff and Johnny had given Ryan and Kyle an open invitation to visit whenever and as often as they liked. The one thing Jeff didn't know was about the 'best friend' relationship between Hal and Steve which almost had developed into something more serious. One hour's difference in timing was all that kept Hal and Steve becoming actual lovers in Hawthorne. Instead, the cards were dealt from the opposite side and Steve had fallen in love with Wade.
Since 'becoming' gay, Hal had spent a lot of time thinking about, 'what might have happened, if...?' Would he really have had sex with Steve, knowing what he did now? But, it was Kyle who taught Hal how to love a man, not Steve, so maybe NOTHING would have happened and Hal would have gone off with Carolyn, (which he did), but that didn't work out either. No, Hal honestly was in love with Kyle and there was no use for '20/20' hindsight about him and Steve, as Hal was ready to show off his new lover and announce to the world that he was gay.
Kyle still had some doubt about letting Hal and Steve rekindle their friendship. He had only known Hal for less than two months and Hal and Steve's history as best friends spanned their whole lives. But Kyle also knew that he and Ryan had always trusted each other's fidelity and was hoping that that type of commitment existed between Hal and him.
Johnny, Steve, and Wade were busily working at the Centre when Kyle, Hal, and their two boys arrived at Jeff's house. Jeff looked like a kid himself, as he bolted out of the door to greet his guests. While Jeff was hugging Kyle, both Danny and Pete wrapped their arms around 'Uncle' Jeff's legs, so tightly, that Jeff almost fell backward. Hal, being polite, stuck out his hand for Jeff to shake and Jeff looked at Hal and said, "Are you kidding me? A handshake from one Briarwood Boy to another is totally unacceptable. Come here, YOU!", at which Jeff grabbed Hal to give him big bear-hug squeeze. "Welcome to the family, Bro!" Jeff said.
"How did you know?" Hal asked with a surprised smile.
"I...I knew that you and Kyle were going to hookup the first day I introduced you two. I know, I'm knowledgeable on a great many subjects, but I'm an absolute expert on love and affairs of the heart!" Jeff replied, giving Hal a second hug.
"See? Didn't I tell you?" Kyle joked to Hal. "Jeff is like Cliff. He doesn't miss a thing."
Danny was pulling on Jeff's sweater. "Uncle Jeff? Can Petey and I see the twins?"
"Indeed you can!" Jeff said. "Come on into the house and I'll teach you how to change diapers as I'm sure both of them are a bit stinky."
"Don't let them try their hands at using safety pins..." Kyle warned.
"Jesus! Kyle! Come on! Get with the times! Safety pins have been out for years! All diapers now have fasteners or Velcro...safety precautions!"
"Sorry, Jeff, I haven't changed a diaper since...Shit! Have I ever changed one? Danny and Pete were already 'out' of diapers when Ryan and I adopted them."
"Why don't you and a 'certain someone' adopt a new baby or two?"
"We might just talk about that on our trip!" Kyle said loud enough for Hal to hear.
"Kyle? You really mean that? A kid or two of our own?"
"Hal, you HAVE two of your own now!...We'll just be adding on to what you and I already have!"
"God! Every day with you gets better and better!" Hal added.
After Danny and Petey assisted with Little Cliff and Little Roger's diaper change, the two boys ran back into the living room for Kyle and Hal to inspect their first assignment at baby care.
"Daddy Kyle! Daddy Hal! Come look!" This prompted a raised eyebrow from Jeff.
"'Daddy Hal', so soon?" Jeff asked Kyle.
"It was the boys' idea. I had nothing to do with it. They just seemed to fall in love with Hal while I was doing the same thing at the same time. In no time at all, Hal stopped being, 'Uncle Hal', and became, 'Daddy Hal'. Hal loves them as if he'd been around them for years."
"And I get the feeling he loves you the same way..."
"I don't have to respond to that, Swami. You already know, smartass."
"I'm glad, Kyle...I really am glad. God did open that window, didn't he?"
"Big enough for a six-foot-two handsome lug from North Carolina to crawl through."
At Cliff's request, Jeff and Johnny were not to mention the 'Jake Hate Crime' to Kyle or Hal as he didn't want anything to impede their trip. Jeff had kept the news from Steve and Wade, even though they had never met Jake or knew who he was. So the 'Jake' conversation topic was taboo, as was the nation-wide broadcast from Briarwood, where Jeff and Johnny were to join Cliff on the panel.
"Jeff, when are Johnny and the Hawthorne guys due home?"
"Three hours from now...a little after five o'clock. Why?"
Hal was still in the nursery with the boys and the twins.
"I want you to have a little chat with Hal before they get here. I'm sure you know he professed to being totally straight before he and I...well... at any rate, I'm sure there's lots of questions about his new lifestyle that you could explain or put into words better than I. I mean. you've counseled thousands of guys in both Briarwood and Mackintosh."
"Sure...if you'll play babysitter."
"Are you sure you trust me changing a diaper?"
"Ask Danny or Petey! They became instant experts!"
When Hal returned to the living room, Jeff suggested, "Hal, I need to go to my church and pick up a few notes I left there. Kyle offered to stay with the kids and I'd love you to go with me so that I can show you where I work on Sundays."
"Sure, I'd love to..." Hal was still dumbfounded at being immediately accepted by people who, two hours earlier, had been total strangers.
"Come on! Kyle, we'll be back in a jiff."
"Take your time."
Jeff and Hal got into Jeff's car and Jeff took the 'long' way to St. Aloysius to show Hal more of the Mackintosh scenery and to give them a longer chance to talk.
"So, tell me, Hal, are you happy?"
"More so than I've ever been in my entire life, Jeff."
"Hal, one thing that keeps us Briarwood Boys together in a close bond is our being able to be honest with one another. There are many other things, but honesty and truth are among the front runners."
"I guess I'll fit in, then, because real southerners don't lie very well."
"I only mentioned that because I'd be lying to you if I didn't tell you that this conversation between us was at Kyle's suggestion."
"Oh?"
"Kyle didn't have to tell me how difficult it must have been for you to come out and say that you're gay. It's a struggle for nearly ninety-nine percent of ALL gays. I thought I would have a harder time, but I didn't when I found out that my older brother AND my dad were gay as well. So I guess that puts me in that rare one percentile."
"My dad and mom would have shot me had they lived to hear me say I was gay."
"I presume that Kyle was your 'first'?"
"First---and only."
"Can I be candid and ask if you had trouble having gay sex for the first time?"
"Sure! I was scared as hell! I mean, I'd had sex with hundreds of girls and women. I'd come close with my brother, Noah, just a couple of nights before he was killed."
"I remember you telling me about that the night we met for the first time at the diner in Briarwood."
"The lovemaking came easily. It was just that when I started making love to Kyle, it was dark in the bedroom and I began to explore Kyle's body and when I got down to...well, you know where...and there was a penis where I'd always found a vagina. It DID seem a bit strange."
"I can imagine! You...uh...didn't know what to do with it, did you? And at the same time, you didn't want to disappoint Kyle."
"You seem to know exactly what my feelings were. But I went ahead and tried to please him the way I liked to be pleased...and somehow, it worked! After the first time, it all seemed quite natural to me!"
"Did it run through your mind what your back-home buddies would think if they knew that you had just made love to a penis?"
"Not really! Hell, Jeff, most of my Hawthorne buddies were already having male sex amongst themselves. I was the 'outsider'!"
"Had you known earlier that they were involved in sex with each other, would you have thought badly of them?"
"No, judging my best buddies meant I would have to judge my own brother as well...and I loved Noah too much to criticize his choice of lifestyle."
"And now you're openly gay and have no embarrassing feelings about it?"
"I'm sitting here in this car talking to you about it and I'm not a bit ashamed or embarrassed."
"Hal, it's not always rosy and it's not always the best thing to let someone know that you're gay. There are many idiots in the world who would love nothing more than if we didn't exist. They wouldn't care if AIDS wiped us all out in a day."
"You're referring to hate crimes, aren't you, Jeff?"
"Mostly."
"Can I tell you how I feel since I was straight all my life?"
"I wish you would."
"Looking at it from both sides, sometimes I think that gays bring the hatred on themselves."
"What do you mean?"
"Being gay is what you are. You don't have to prove that you are and sometimes gays hate the straight crowd so much, they flaunt their being gay too much. For example, I know about trannies and cross-dressers...most of whom are straight, so to speak. But when a gay is offered the opportunity of showing the positive side of being gay, they put on makeup, dresses, carry purses, and talk like women and that paints the picture for the rest of the world and makes us all suffer and sets our 'movement' back. Hell, Kyle, you, Mike, Tom, Father Cliff, Roger, all of you look like regular guys. You don't have to prove anything to anybody. It's the gays who AREN'T trannies or cross-dressers that make us look bad. Do you have some idea of what I'm trying to say?"
"Only too well, Hal."
"I mean, a few months ago when Arnold Schwarzenegger called his state representatives, 'girlie men', everyone knew what he was talking about and the gays in California became offended...and these are the same, straight-acting gay men who parade with purses and lipstick. What are they trying to prove?"
"I've never been sure, Hal. I won't mention names, but four of the top ten Hollywood leading men are gay...in private. But the screaming queens, as they're called, make it impossible for these four stars and every other professional to come out and be themselves. IF and when they're 'outed', they're looked at differently by the public. Everyone just assumes that at home, these guys wear lipstick and carry purses and that's not the image of the typical gay man. I've preached many sermons about the way gays are presented on TV, movies, and in novels. If you ask a kid or the average straight man or woman to describe a gay man, their first reply is to offer the character of Jack on 'Will and Grace'. Jack only represents a small part of the gay population and not the gays who lead ordinary lives as doctors, lawyers, actors, musicians, factory and construction workers, clerks, schoolteachers, truck drivers, bank tellers, office workers and other every-day people doing every-day jobs, even congressmen and judges. We even had a gay Vice-President about a century ago. No one ever admits that some of the greatest authors, composers, popes, or even leaders of the world were gay. It's always the stereotypes that cloud the image of famous homosexuals. Let me give you a prime example. One and only one of the Briarwood Boys exemplifies the caricature of the TV gay and that's Jay. We love him and when he first arrived in Briarwood, he was nothing at all like the way he is today. Jay is the sweetest, kindest, Briarwood Boy of the lot of us...but he camps it up to give us all a laugh or two...but if you had ever seen the 'other' Jay, you'd find he was the Rock Hudson type...handsome and manly in every way. I think, although I've never known for sure, that when he's alone with Troy, he's the old 'Jay' and he's shown his feminine facade to us for so long that he thinks that's what we expect from him."
"Jeff, I'm glad you explained that because, after meeting them for the first time, I couldn't see why Troy would want him for his lover. It's like they were mismatched or something."
"Quite often, I think the 'Jack' image creates hate crimes in schools. If a bunch of pseudo-macho types find out that little Freddy is gay, then they make little Freddy's life sheer hell and little Freddy is not like 'Jack' at all. Look at Billy, Cliff and Roger's new son. He's not the least bit like Jack, BUT if Billy wants to go to a straight classmate's house to play video games, then IF the classmate's parents find out that Billy is gay, they don't want their son to have anything to do with Billy for fear Billy will try to convert their son to Billy's way of thinking. Then Billy becomes ostracized from all his other classmates and even hated by some...and thus, a hate crime incident happens to Billy or others like him...and all because Hollywood wants to show that all gays are like Jack. I don't know if you ever saw an old TV show, "The Walton's"...?"
"Only on reruns."
"Well, Richard Thomas, who played John Boy...so far as I know, he's NOT gay...but a family man with children. Wouldn't it be nice if some Hollywood producer could write a script for a gay 'John Boy' character and show the majority side of gay life? But, oh no! It's much easier and funnier to show gays such as Jack so that the television audience can laugh at the audacious viewpoint of gay life...the very thing that their own sons and daughters are struggling against daily...and one of the chief reasons for gay teen suicides. There are two basic kinds of gay movies which encompass more than ninety-five percent of the plots...those that go for the cheap laugh 'Jack's' and then there are the dramas which always end sadly...seldom does a gay couple walk into the sunset and live happily ever after. No, one has to die, or become a villain or crook, or one lover has to become straight all of a sudden and find a pretty girl to marry, leaving his partner alone and desolate. Sometimes, I want to throw my popcorn cup at the screen and shout, 'I thought this was a 'gay' movie! What the fuck was gay about that ending?'. There have been a few legitimate tries at showing real gay situations in the movies...a prime example was a film made in the 80's called, 'Making Love'. It starred two straight actors and they playing gay roles almost ended their careers. The latest gay movie released, "Brokeback Mountain" was about two gay cowboys. It had a strong cast and won an Academy Award for its director. It won the British Oscar and the Venice Film Festivalin Europe and got rave reviews around the world...but remember, Spain, France, England, the Netherlands, and other European countries and even Canada in North America already recognize gay marriages. How soon it will take for the US to catch up with the rest of the world, no one knows. As long as right-wing Christians control the mores of this country, led by a narrow-minded leader aren't ready to accept gays as equal human beings, gay oppression will persist."
"So, Jeff, what's the answer?"
"I wish to fuck I knew. It took half a century for Hollywood to accept that fact that Afro-Americans are real people and they're not going back to Africa. The pioneer black actors struggled for acceptance and finally began to get leading roles with good plots and expensive budgets. The gays cry out that they want to be shown in honest everyday situations, but ninety-nine times out of a hundred, a gay role is always played by a straight actor...and even then, he's usually mentally disturbed or the role is played for comedy. There are so few gay actors...Rupert Everett is the exception, but even with his looks and talent, he's not offered very many leading roles. The comics on TV love to tell gay jokes with lisps and limp wrists because the image is recognized immediately by their audiences, and thus, we bear the blunt of more ridicule. Dear God! If a white comic tells a 'nigger' joke, he's sued the next day and is also out of work. But let him make fun of gays and he's a hit. He's offered more money and his contract is extended!"
"Jeff, do you think gays will ever be treated the same as straight people, with equal rights in our lifetime?"
"Not as long as we have the ultra conservatives dictating the rules and laws in Washington. We make up nearly twenty percent of the population in the United States. We could control any election with twenty-five million united votes, but gays don't vote. They don't go to the polls when their very existence and equality is in the balance. Hal, there was a time when it was illegal for blacks and whites to marry. Shoot, it was against the law in some states for a black guy to ask a white girl to go on a date or to the prom. Somehow, through time and acceptance, those barriers were dropped. During World War Two, a soldier could not marry an oriental girl in many sections of the country. I had a legal marriage ceremony with Johnny and I've married many gay couples in my church, but I'm not sure the ceremony was necessary. What makes a marriage legal is the license, not the ceremony. If Congress would allow gay couples to legalize their partnerships, that would be tremendous and solve many problems...especially when it comes to sharing property, bank accounts, the right to adopt children, having a say-so when a partner has to go to the hospital, or being able to bequeath your worldly possessions at the time of death without having to go to court and sue for what is rightfully yours by the legalization of a gay-couple commitment. I've always adopted Cliff's idea about gay weddings... the same as straight weddings. It's an unnecessary display of ostentation. It doesn't make a couple, gay or straight, MORE married, it's a waste of time and money because it's the license the couple gets from the courthouse or magistrate that legalizes the union. The wedding is just a showcase of 'froufrou' and a reason to have a party."
"Did...did Kyle and Ryan have a marriage ceremony?"
"They said their vows of commitment before Cliff. Are...were...are you planning on a ceremony with Kyle?"
"Hell, no! Neither of us is wearing a white veil to show the world that we are committed to one another...but we would like to look into legalizing our partnership."
"I'll see what I can do to expedite that. You're not New Hampshire residents, but in actuality, no state is required to honor another state's marriage license...straight OR gay. Just because two people are married in New York, does not mean that Tennessee or California has to honor the certificate... which brings up to the point of what good is a marriage license if it's only legal in the state where it's issued? The whole thing becomes a farce."
"Jeff, you're so damned knowledgeable about so many things! You're good-looking, young, a fantastic speaker, why don't you run for public office?"
"Despite what our current President says or believes, God doesn't call someone to go into politics. God does call you into the ministry and here's where I'll stay...and speaking of that...here is St. Aloysius."
"My God, Jeff, it's beautiful."
"Can you see why I fell in love with it at first sight?"
"Very easily."
"Come on inside, I want you to see ALL of it!"
Jeff took Hal inside the church and gave him the grand tour. Hal was so awestruck with reverence that he was almost afraid to speak out loud. To the left of the main altar was a tiny chapel with tiny colored glass candle jars with nearly one hundred lit candles underneath a statue of St. Peregrine, the patron saint of AIDS victims.
"Did you light all these, Jeff?"
"No, they were lit today by members or visitors of St. Aloysius. It's a place for intercessory prayer."
"Sorry, that word is not in my vocabulary."
"It's like when you want to pray for someone or something, you light a candle. Then the next person lights his candle for his purpose, but at the same time he prays that the prayer said for the other candle will be answered as well...and so on and so on. Each additional prayer includes the previous prayer requests. And so, say, the last candle is the one-hundredth candle to be lit... the first candle has been prayed over another ninety-nine times."
"Wow! Talk about a support system...!"
"That's a great way to describe it!"
"Jeff, I'm not a member of the Anglican Church, but do you think it would be all right if I lit a candle and said a prayer?"
"Got a penny?"
"What do you mean?"
"It's an old English tradition that the petitioner pay a penny for the candle if he can afford it."
"A penny a prayer?"
"Yes, it's quite a bargain when all the other candles have been lit after yours."
"Where do I put my penny?"
"There's a tiny coin slot beside the table with the candles."
"You mean if I pay my penny, I can say a prayer?"
"You can say a prayer without a penny. Sometimes a button will do just as well," Jeff added in half jest.
"What do I do, just kneel, light a candle, and pray?"
"It's that simple. No membership card is required."
"Thanks!"
Hal fished a penny from his trouser pocket, dropped it in the slot, and prayed for a safe trip for Kyle, the boys, and himself. He also said a prayer of thanksgiving for uniting him with Kyle, the kids, and the Briarwood family. Then, last, but not least, he prayed that Noah was happy and loved wherever he was. Then he stood up. His face was glowing when he looked at Jeff.
"All through?" Jeff asked.
"Not quite..."
"Oh?"
"If I gave YOU a penny, would you light another candle and pray that my prayer will be heard?"
"Of course, Hal, but I'll use my own penny."
"Thanks, Jeff."
Jeff knelt, signed himself, lit a candle and prayed a silent prayer. Hal was beaming now, knowing that his prayer WOULD be heard. He felt that Jeff had a special connection with the Almighty. Jeff returned Hal's look and smiled and said, "Hal, you're quite a guy! I sensed it all along, but now, I'm certain that you were a godsend for Kyle and the boys. You're just what the three of them needed after losing Ryan."
"I hope so, Jeff, really I do."
<><><><><><><>
Jeff and Hal arrived back at Jeff's house five minutes before Johnny, Steve, and Wade came home from the Centre. As soon as Steve entered the living room and saw Hal sitting on the couch, both Steve and Hal were at a loss for words. Wade noticed the look between the two best friends and wished he wasn't there to observe it. After all, Wade had assumed Hal's place in Steve's life and he experienced a tinge of insecurity in his stomach since everyone in the room could sense the love they once shared...but the keyword was 'once'. Both Steve and Hal had gone onto new lives with new loves...and only they knew that they had made the right choices. Even Danny and Pete were silent as they all awaited some kind of verbal response between Hal and Steve.
Finally, it was Hal who broke the pregnant quietness by going over to meet Steve and embracing him. "Hi, big guy! It's so great seeing you again. I...I've missed you."
"I've missed you too, Hal."
This warm greeting put everyone on edge, especially Wade and Kyle.
"I've so much to tell you, Steve. Things I never believed that could happen to me have caused a miracle in my life."
"Hal, I don't think this is the..."
"Wanna bet?" Hal took Steve's hand and led him to Kyle who was sitting in an easy chair with Danny and Pete perched on each arm of the seat. "This is going to shock the living daylights out of you, Steve, but I want you to meet my gay lover...my husband, my partner, my life companion...call him what you will, but he's mine and we're a couple. Steve, this is Kyle."
"Did you say 'gay'?"
"Absolutely!"
"I...I don't know what to say!"
"Why don't you start by saying, 'Hello, Kyle', for starters?"
"Hello, Kyle."
"Hi, Steve, it's so great to meet you at long last."
"Same here...I think," Steve said to Kyle, then back to Hal, Steve appeared rightfully puzzled. "But...how? When?"
"I'll tell you about it only after you say 'hello' to my two sons, Danny and Pete."
"Is Steve our uncle?" Danny asked.
"You bet he is, Danny." Hal replied.
"Then, hello, Uncle Steve."
"Pleased to meet you, Danny...and you, too, Pete!"
"What do you think of them, Steve?"
"They're good-looking boys...but as long as I'm their new uncle, they might just as well meet their Uncle Wade as well."
"Another new uncle?" Danny asked.
"Wade, come shake hands with your two new nephews," Steve said to Wade.
"Gosh, our family just keeps getting bigger and bigger!" Danny replied.
Everyone in the room suddenly relaxed. The tension was gone. The meeting of two former best friends had turned into a family reunion as everyone had immediately accepted their new family roles. They all were astonished at the way Hal had become an intricate part of a new gay lifestyle. No one wanted to challenge it as Steve and Wade could see how very much in love Kyle and Hal were.
Jeff and Johnny went into the kitchen to prepare dinner and let the two new couples get better acquainted for the next hour. Steve, Hal, and Wade reminisced about old times in Hawthorne with Noah being the main topic. Kyle, feeling relaxed, joined in the discussion and asked pertinent questions in order to help Hal become familiar and part of the Hawthorne Boys.
In the kitchen, Johnny asked Jeff. "How in the world did all this happen?"
"Sweetheart, I think it started with a single penny..."
"What do you mean?"
"I'll tell you when we go to bed."
"Well, for goodness sake, don't forget anything!" Johnny said. "I want to hear every detail."
Jeff came in the living room with a warning that dinner would be ready in fifteen minutes, so if anyone needed to go to the john or might want to freshen up a bit, now was the time. Steve and Wade went to their bedroom while Hal and Kyle went to theirs. Danny and Pete had been given a room of their very own and felt very grown-up..
Hal and Kyle hopped into the shower together and began playing like two kids taking their first shower together. Neither of them stopped the horseplay until both had reached an ingratiating climax.
"What do you think of Steve?" Hal asked a little tentatively.
"I'm just grateful that I didn't lose you to him."
"Don't worry about that, Babe, you're the one I wanted and you're the one I caught."
"Just hearing you say that, Hal, fills me with happiness!"
"There's just one thing, Kyle. You said that what we both had, we would share."
"To a certain degree, yes! Why did you ask?"
"Well, I found out that Jeff has married Steve and Wade and I'd like to give them a little wedding present from the both of us...that is, if you think we can afford it."
"You little country bumpkin! When are you going to get it into your head that we are rich? VERY RICH! What kind of wedding present do you have in mind to give to them?"
"Kyle, you're the expert on buying gifts and making people happy. I want you to choose something for them."
"So I'm the expert on making men happy, huh?"
"You've made me the happiest guy in the world!"
"In that case, let me do some thinking between now and dinner and see what I can come up with."
"There! You see? Once again, you've found a new way to make me love you more!"
"Just being around you makes me love you more. You always have a way of putting other people's happiness above your own."
"I've got everything in the world to keep me happy the rest of my life. I just want everyone to feel like I do."
The huge dining room was set with Jeff and Johnny's best china, crystal, and flatware. Johnny and Jeff had prepared so much food, it was almost impossible to place all the items on the table. Jeff and Johnny sat at one end of the table with their chairs interspersed with two baby high chairs. Kyle and Hal sat on one side with Danny and Pete between them. On the other side of the table sat Steve and Hal with one empty chair to their left and another at the other end, designated for Alex and Ted, who were expected to arrive any minute. While they were waiting, Jeff stood up at his end of the table with a glass of wine in his hand and welcomed everyone to the Kane/Clayton home and feast.
After the toast and welcome, Kyle asked if he could have the floor for a little speech. Kyle really didn't have to ask because all Briarwood Boys' homes were just extensions of their own homes.
"I want to say how proud I am and happy to see how you've accepted Hal into the fold. He's important to me which automatically makes him important to each of you. I'm also very, very glad to finally meet Steve and Wade and call them my brothers...because that's what they are now...and they always will be."
Steve grabbed Wade's hand and squeezed it and Kyle continued his speech. "I understand that Jeff performed a commitment ceremony for the two of you. I am happy for the two of you, while at the same time, a bit envious but that envy will be subsided tomorrow when Jeff joins Hal and me in the same kind of union."
This surprised Hal, but he readily accepted his lover's wish. "I just wanted to know where you two spent your honeymoon?"
Steve gave a puzzled look to Wade and another back at Kyle. "We...we didn't go on a honeymoon. We thought moving to Mackintosh was enough," Steve replied.
"Well, next week, Hal and I and our boys will be in London for the entire week. From there, we journey to Paris...the Eiffel Tower, the Champs Elysee...and I want the two of you to join us in France for a week and continue on to Switzerland and see the Alps since I know how much you love the mountains of North Carolina, and then to Rome...IF you agree to go with us. It won't cost you a cent. It's Hal's and my gift to you. Whaddya say?"
Hal's heart was about to explode out of his chest and Steve and Wade almost jumped out of their chairs in excitement.
"YES! YES!" Steve and Wade replied in unison.
"Then we're all happy!" Kyle said.
Jeff and Johnny were crying happy silent tears as Alex and Ted arrived which initiated another round of introductions of Hal meeting yet, two more Briarwood Brothers.
The meal was wonderful and the celebration went on into early morning hours. Around ten-o'clock, Jeff turned on his speaker phone and called Cliff. Though they were miles away, Cliff, Roger, Troy, Jay, Billy, Mike, and Tom joined into the Mackintosh festivities and two parties were going on at the same time. Although it was late October, it seemed more like November and everyone was celebrating Thanksgiving a month early.
When Jeff had the chance, he took the phone into the den to speak to Cliff privately.
"How's everything going with the broadcast?" Jeff asked. "Johnny and I haven't said a word to Kyle or Hal about it and we'll be down once they leave in a few days."
"It's gotten so much hype, Jeff, it's going to take a lot to live up to it."
"Cliff, you surprise me by saying that! You know damned well with you, Roger, Johnny, and me, no one stands up to our power of persuasion."
"I know, son, I just wanted to hear you say that! Oh by the way, Jeff, besides the four of us, we're going to have a little additional help."
"Who, for heaven's sake?"
"Roger received a call earlier today. Chris is coming home from Europe. He wants to resume his duties at St. Genesius."
"That's terrific news, Cliff. I know how much you need him at the church."
"From what he told Roger, I think he needs the church as much. Briarwood is a far cry from the Alps, but it's surrounded by beautiful mountains and hills."
"Remember, Cliff, 'I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills..."
"Whence cometh my help..." Cliff added. "Do you remember the rest of it, Jeff?"
"Psalm one-twenty-one. It was the first psalm you taught me...'My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore'."
"Goodbye, Father Jeff..."
"Goodbye, Father Cliff..."
(THE END OF BOOK EIGHT)
*** AUTHOR'S NOTE:
This ends all of the original "Whence Cometh My Help" revision. I never decided then, nor had I now, to write a BOOK NINE. I've never had to write this story. It's always been so easy to open up my PC Word Processor, create an opening sentence and the characters take over the keyboard. I only write what they want to say or what they think should happen. I've never made any of those decisions. The Briarwood Boys have minds of their own.
NOTE #2. In the chapter which you just read, after summarizing Lee's take on Jake's funeral, I seemed to want to apply the same description to this entire saga. It was been read by thousands of Nifty readers from five continents and was well received by most with the original title, "Whence Cometh My Help". After much thought, I removed "Whence" from the Nifty Archives to rewrite, reedit, and recompose the story which gave me more pride in posting it as "Briarwood". I did get some flack from conservative Republicans on my viewpoints, using Cliff, Roger, Jeff, Ed, and Troy as my speakers. So Shakespeare's 'Macbeth' can also be used to delineate "Whence Cometh My Help" or the revised, "Briarwood". It was nothing more than a tale, told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing...except love.
NOTE #3. When I began writing the original "Whence Cometh My Help" and then the rewrite "Briarwood", little did I know that I would receive some 35,000 emails from six continents. I am grateful for your support and your worldwide friendship. If this saga has touched your lives in any way, then it was worth the effort. I will treasure all the letters I received and the thousands of friends I made. For now, there will be no more "Dear Hearts" announcements to clutter up your ebox, but I hope somehow, some way we can keep in touch.
NOTE #4. Since Broadway music has been such a big part of my life, many of the "Briarwood" chapters began with Broadway lyrics. I find it only fitting for Book Eight to end with another set of lyrics which Adolph Green and Betty Comden wrote with music by Leonard Bernstein from their Broadway musical, "On The Town":
"Twenty-four hours can go so fast,
You look around, the day has passed.
When you're in love,
Time is precious stuff;
Even a lifetime isn't enough.
Where has the time all gone to?
Haven't done half the things we want to.
Oh, well, we'll catch up
Some other time
This day was just a token,
Too many words are still unspoken.
Oh, well, we'll catch up
Some other time.
Just when the fun is starting,
Comes the time for parting,
But let's be glad for what we've had
And what's to come.
There's so much more embracing
Still to be done, but time is racing.
Oh, well, we'll catch up
Some other time."
NOTE #4. So as for BOOK NINE? "Oh well, we'll catch up some other time..."
Ritch Christopher, May 18, 2006